Poli Alert Political & Civics

President Joe Biden received his updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday while calling on more Americans to do so ahead of the winter and holiday season. Biden was joined by leaders of major U.S. pharmacy chains Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Albertsons, as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent Roughly 9.4 million Americans have already voted in the midterm elections, casting a combination of in-person early votes and mail-in ballots, according to data compiled by the United States Elections Project. Florida as well as Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania are among the top states in terms of …

The House Congressional Progressive Caucus formally withdrew a letter Tuesday that had been sent the day before requesting President Joe Biden seek direct negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine. The letter, which 30 House Democrats signed, urged Biden “to pair the military and economic support the United States …

Matthew Watkins, The Texas Tribune A Russian court on Tuesday upheld U.S basketball star Brittney Griner’s 9-year sentence to a Russian penal colony, following a legal proceeding that a White House official called a “sham.” Griner was arrested in a Moscow airport in February after airport officials discovered vape canisters …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix Democrat Charlie Crist used the occasion of his only scheduled debate with Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday evening to pummel the Republican governor over his restrictions on abortion rights, for ignoring science when writing COVID and transgender policy, for sidestepping 82,000 COVID deaths in Florida, and for …

Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune Nearly two years after former President Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol and delayed certification of the 2020 election, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz still won’t say President Joe Biden was legitimately elected. During a confrontational appearance Monday on “The View,” the Texas Republican was …

Jasmone Mathini This story was originally published by The 19th In states that have passed abortion bans, only 13 percent of people are in favor of the procedure being completely restricted, a new analysis of a recent 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll shows. Despite huge differences in the legality of abortion across …

Lynn Bonner, Daily Montanan A U.S. Supreme Court case originating in North Carolina could bring far-reaching changes to elections and the balance of political power in nearly every state. North Carolina Republicans want the nation’s highest court to rule that state courts cannot throw out congressional districts that legislatures draw, …

Alex Rozier, Mississippi Today The Environmental Protection Agency wrote in a letter Thursday that it is opening a civil rights investigation into the state of Mississippi’s role in the breakdown of Jackson’s water system. The letter is in response to a complaint the NAACP filed on Sept. 27 under Title …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams  In addition to a nationwide abortion ban, the extension of tax cuts benefiting the wealthy, and the shredding of the social safety net through cuts to Medicare and Social Security, progressives this week are warning of another consequence of a potential takeover of Congress by the …

Greg LaRose, Louisiana Illuminator The U.S. Supreme Court ruled two years ago that felony convictions could no longer be secured with a non-unanimous jury in Louisiana and Oregon, the last two states that had such a threshold. But Louisiana’s highest court handed down an opinion Friday that said the ruling …

The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol sent a subpoena Friday to former President Donald Trump, demanding documents and testimony from the person the panel has said was central in orchestrating a plan to overturn the 2020 election that culminated in the insurrection. …

An estimated 80,000 female, active duty service members are stationed in states where their access to abortion has been restricted by state laws enacted since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June. To give back some of that access, the Pentagon has decided to provide leave and reimburse travel …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams In an unsigned order Friday night, the conservative-dominated Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily barred the Biden administration from moving ahead with student debt cancellation as judges weigh an effort by Republican attorneys general to block the program. The court’s one-page order said it decided to grant the …

President Joe Biden pledged Friday to defend Social Security and Medicare from Republican attacks but rejected calls to support a full repeal of the debt ceiling, an arbitrary federal borrowing limit that the GOP is threatening to use as leverage to enact spending cuts. “The Republican leadership in Congress has …