Poli Alert Political & Civics

The House on Thursday passed 350-80 the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act after making several concessions to the Senate, which did not pass its own version of the bill for the second straight year in a row. The $858 billion NDAA amounts to an 8% increase over FY22 defense …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams  U.S. Women’s National Basketball Association player Brittney Griner on Thursday was freed from a Russian penal colony and is headed home thanks to a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. “Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner,” tweeted U.S. President Joe Biden, who also spoke …

Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill Thursday that would ensure same-sex and interracial couples continue holding many of the rights they have now, should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the cases that established those constitutional protections. The measure now heads to the desk …

The Republican state lawmaker behind legislation that’s pushed some LGBTQ+ teachers in Florida to leave education is facing federal charges for allegedly defrauding a federal program meant to provide aid for small businesses of his during the Covid-19 pandemic. State Rep. Joseph Harding was indicted by a grand jury and …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent Members of the U.S. military would no longer be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine under a proposal Congress could pass as soon as this week. The provision eliminating the vaccine mandate is tucked into the massive National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill that Congress …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer jubilantly announced Wednesday that the Georgia runoff election victory will next year end an evenly divided U.S. Senate, giving Democrats more subpoena power in committees and a quicker turnaround in approving federal and judicial appointments. Schumer, a New York Democrat, …

Lynn Bonner, Missouri Independent North Carolina Republicans appeared to have at least three of the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative justices on their side Wednesday in a case that could determine the future of elections nationwide, and leave decisions about federal elections in the hands of state legislatures and beyond the …

Ariana Figueroa, Arizona Mirror In a last-minute push, U.S. senators are working on a bipartisan agreement to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people who were brought to the United States as children. But the success of any major immigration deal appears unlikely, as a lame-duck session of Congress …

Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz denounced former President Donald Trump for suggesting a “termination” of the Constitution in order to overturn the 2020 election, while also framing the comment as an oversensationalized distraction. The Texas Republican offered his remarks three days after Trump’s initial comment and …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams Relatives of the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick—who died a day after being assaulted by right-wing rioters on January 6, 2021—refused to shake hands with Republican leaders at a Tuesday Congressional Gold Medal ceremony to honor those who defended democracy and the complex during last …

Stephen Fowler and Riley Buch, GPB News Incumbent Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has defeated his Republican opponent Herschel Walker, as strong runoff election day turnout Tuesday was not enough to overcome a wave of record-setting early voting numbers from Democrats. Warnock led with more than 50% of the vote …

Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder More than three million total votes have been cast in Georgia’s runoff for U.S. Senate and the clock is ticking down before polls close in the whirlwind race pitting Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. There were long lines during Georgia’s condensed early …

Paul Hammel, Nebraska Examiner U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., made it official Monday afternoon, submitting a resignation letter that says he will leave office on Jan. 8. That would be only three days after Gov.-elect Jim Pillen takes the oath of office. Pillen, a Columbus pork producer and veterinarian, is …

Jennifer Shutt, Nevada Current A record number of women will soon serve in state legislatures, breaking the previous cap of female lawmakers by at least 69 seats and bringing total representation to more than 32%, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. States will have at least 2,376 …

Mariel Padilla Originally published by The 19th Each year, tens of thousands of people text or call 1-888-373-7888, the national human trafficking hotline. Now, lawmakers are pushing to require that number to be posted in every airport, bus station, rail station and all ports of entry in the United States. …