Poli Alert Political & Civics

Stephen Neukam and Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune A fight is brewing between Senate Republicans as they prepare to pick their leader for the next Congress — and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is among a loud cohort voicing their discontent with leadership after the party failed to retake control …

Jacob Fischler, Michigan Advance The U.S. Supreme Court sided Monday with the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, denying a request from Arizona Republican Chairwoman Kelli Ward and her husband to block the panel from obtaining their cellphone records. The court’s two-paragraph order ends …

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday said congressional Democrats should use the upcoming lame-duck session to eliminate the U.S. debt ceiling for good, warning that leaving the borrowing limit intact gives Republicans an opening to hold the economy hostage. “I’d get rid of the debt ceiling altogether,” Warren (D-Mass.) told NBC‘s …

Ariana Figueroa, Virginia Mercury A federal appeals court on Monday issued a nationwide injunction indefinitely blocking the Biden administration’s student debt relief program in response to a challenge by six GOP-led states. The unanimous ruling by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis came after the six states — Nebraska, …

Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams Less than a month after he expressed eagerness to provide testimony on live television, former President Donald Trump sued the House January 6 panel to block a subpoena ordering him to testify. In a lawsuit filed Friday night in the Southern District of Florida, Trump’s legal …

On Friday night, two additional Democratic candidates for secretary of state defeated Republicans who endorsed former President Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential contest was stolen, delivering another blow to far-right conspiracy theorists running for top elections posts. In Arizona, Democrat Adrian Fontes beat his Republican opponent Mark Finchem, …

Ariana Figueroa, Virginia Mercury Young Black and Latino voters were critical in holding off the Republican “red wave” in several battleground states for U.S. Senate seats and in tight U.S. House races in the midterm elections, according to analyses by researchers and grassroot organizations. Young, diverse voters between the ages …

By Joshua Fechter, The Texas Tribune Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, considered a rising star among Texas Democrats, overcame a vigorous challenge from a well-funded Republican opponent Tuesday night and barely held on to her seat overseeing the state’s most populous urban county. Hidalgo faced a steep fundraising disadvantage, attacks …

April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current In a nailbiter watched all over the country, Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto prevailed over challenger Republican Adam Laxalt and secured Democratic control of the U.S. Senate in the process. Cortez Masto was considered by many to be one of the most vulnerable U.S. …

Jim Small, Arizona Mirror Despite predictions from Republicans that Friday’s vote tallies would favor their candidates not only didn’t come to fruition, but the opposite happened: Democrats made solid gains across the board and clinched two high-profile races. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and Democratic secretary of state candidate Adrian Fontes …

by Bianca Fortis This story was originally published by ProPublica Leola Scott recently decided to become a more active citizen. The 55-year-old resident of Dyersburg, Tennessee, was driven to action after her son was stabbed to death and nobody was charged. In August, Scott tried to register to vote. That’s …

Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder Congress returns to Capitol Hill and a lengthy to-do list next week, following a six-week midterm elections break that saw Democrats outperform expectations and Republicans barely inch toward the U.S. House majority. On the agenda are same-sex marriage legislation, a huge defense bill, changes in how …

The Justice Department filed an appeal Thursday after a Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration’s student debt cancellation program nationwide, declaring it “unlawful” on grounds that legal experts criticized as laughable. The 26-page ruling by Mark Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of …

Jim Jones, Idaho Capital Sun Every year on Nov. 11, Americans gather at Veterans Day observations to honor and thank America’s veterans for their service to the country. It is certainly right and proper that they do so, but is that the extent of what our countrymen must do to …

Republicans remained on pace to likely wrest control of the U.S. House, even as Democrats picked up a few more victories in close races late Wednesday and into the day Thursday. As of about 5 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, The Associated Press had called 209 races for Republicans. That put …