Political News

Jennifer Shutt, Florida Phoenix While members of Congress may not be able to speak during the State of the Union address, they often get their message across through the guests they bring. This year is no exception. Lawmakers through their invitees attempted to signal their approval or disapproval of President …

James Barragán, The Texas Tribune Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for a redo Monday of Harris County elections after voters faced difficulties casting their ballots in November when some voting centers did not have enough ballot paper for the number of voters who came in. “How many people went …

Casey Quinlan, Nevada Current As Americans continue to struggle with high credit card rates, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed a rule to help lessen some of their financial burden — in the form of lower late fees. The new rule would limit late fees to $8. Currently credit …

Jennifer Shutt, Idaho Capital Sun U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday said the greatest threat to the nation’s future is the rising national debt, though he gave few specifics for how he planned to lower deficit spending or avoid a first-ever default on the debt this year. The California …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder The White House Monday announced nearly $1 billion in investments to address economic causes of migration in several Central American countries, an effort being spurred by Vice President Kamala Harris. Spread over several years, 10 private companies from Target to Nestlé are pledging $950 million to create …

Ethan DeWitt, Kentucky Lantern The Democratic National Committee approved a presidential primary calendar Saturday that placed South Carolina as the first nominating state in 2024, pushing back New Hampshire and Iowa from their traditional spots in a party-wide push to diversify the early calendar. In a voice vote at the …

The Agriculture Department on Friday proposed new nutrition standards for school meals that would impose the first limit on added sugar in lunches and breakfasts served by school cafeterias. Via NBC News: The proposal also seeks to lower sodium levels and puts more of an emphasis on whole-grain products in …

Jake Johnson Former Vice President Mike Pence, a possible 2024 presidential candidate, has voiced support for a Social Security privatization scheme that the George W. Bush administration unsuccessfully pushed nearly two decades ago. In a closed-door event Thursday hosted by the National Association of Wholesale-Distributors, a corporate trade group, Pence …

As some families seek restitution for the suffering caused by former President Donald Trump’s family separation policy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday acknowledged that nearly five years after the policy was first enforced, 998 children have yet to be reunited with their relatives. On the two-year anniversary …

A U.S. Air Force fighter safely shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon on Saturday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said in a written statement. President Joe Biden ordered the action on Wednesday, but it was delayed until the balloon was over water off the coast of South Carolina …

Casey Quinlan, Georgia Recorder As states plan how they’ll spend the $25 billion remaining in federal COVID relief funds, some also are facing criticism and renewed scrutiny over how they allocated money already received from the American Rescue Plan Act. Of the $198 billion authorized by Congress in 2021, $173 …

Sen. Ed Markey on Thursday introduced legislation to outlaw the marketing of firearms to children amid growing outrage from federal lawmakers, gun violence prevention advocates, and parents over a weapon for kids inspired by the AR-15. The Massachusetts Democrat’s Protecting Kids From Gun Marketing Act would direct the Federal Trade …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix Florida judges no longer will need to learn how to at least try to ensure “fairness and diversity” while applying the law under a rule change that the Florida Supreme Court has adopted by a nearly unanimous vote. Florida’s Code of Judicial Conduct still requires 30 …

Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor Using sexual images to extort victims could soon become a crime in New Jersey after lawmakers in the Senate unanimously passed legislation Thursday to criminalize “sextortion.” Sextortion can involve someone hacking into a person’s computer or phone to steal sexual material and threaten to distribute it, …

Ariana Figueroa, Iowa Capital Dispatch The Congressional Black Caucus met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday evening to urge the administration to use its executive power for law enforcement reform, following criminal charges for police officers in the killing of a Black man in Memphis, Tennessee. …