Jake Johnson, Common Dreams House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled parts of a policy agenda that indicates the party would push for cuts to Social Security and Medicare if it retakes the majority in November. A one-page summary of the agenda that House Republicans, led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), …
Read More »USDA To Spend $500 Million Extending High-Speed Internet To Rural America
Jacob Fischler, Florida Phoenix The U.S. Department of Agriculture will send more than $500 million in loans and grants to telecommunications providers to bring high-speed internet to rural areas across 20 states, Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday. The department will spend $360 million in grants and $141 million in loans …
Read More »The Justice Department’s Dilemma Over Prosecuting Politicians Before An Election
Henry L. Chambers Jr., University of Richmond As the 2022 midterm campaigns approach Election Day on Nov. 8, 2022, a federal probe into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents is testing an unwritten policy of the U.S. Justice Department. Some legal analysts have suggested that the so-called 60-day …
Read More »Ginni Thomas Agrees To Interview With Jan. 6 Select Committee
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection has reached an agreement with Ginni Thomas to be interviewed in the coming weeks, a source close to the House panel said Wednesday. Emails, records and reporting indicate that Thomas, a conservative activist and the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence …
Read More »‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’ That Oppose Abortion Questioned By Senate Democrats
Jacob Fischler, Ohio Capital Journal Seven U.S. Senate Democrats questioned a leading Ohio-based anti-abortion group Tuesday about its practice of collecting personal information from patients seeking abortions. So-called crisis pregnancy centers—facilities that often mirror abortion provider aesthetics but actually provide services to discourage abortion—collect sensitive data from patients. That presents …
Read More »House Passes Bill Reforming Electoral Count Act To Stop Jan. 6 Repeat
Ariana Figueroa, New Jersey Monitor The U.S. House passed on Wednesday a bill updating a 19th-century law in an attempt to prevent the subversion of future presidential elections. The Presidential Election Reform Act, which passed 229-203, is meant to deter a repeat of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, in …
Read More »NY AG Sues Trump and Children Over ‘Staggering’ Criminal Fraud
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday announced that following a three-year investigation into former President Donald Trump and his real estate empire, the state is filing a civil lawsuit against the ex-president, accusing him and his family members of “staggering” fraud. James said the probe that culminated in …
Read More »‘Quiet Part Out Loud’: GOP Warns Biden Student Debt Cancellation Will Hurt Military Recruitment
Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Progressive voices on Monday rebuked Republican U.S. lawmakers for repeatedly warning President Joe Biden that forgiving student loan debt will harm the military’s ability to attract recruits with the promise of free college. Nineteen Republican members of the House of Representatives last week signed a letter …
Read More »Marjorie Taylor Greene Leads GOP Drive To Criminalize Gender-Affirming Care For Transgender Youth
Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder Conservative Republicans gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to commit to bringing legislation to the floor that would make it a felony to perform gender-affirming care on transgender youth, should the GOP take control of the U.S. House following the November midterm elections. “How on …
Read More »Feds Charge 47 People In $250 Million Scheme That Defrauded Pandemic Food Aid Program
Deena Winter, Minnesota Reformer Federal criminal charges were filed Tuesday against 47 people who allegedly participated in a $250 million scheme to exploit a federal child nutrition program during the pandemic. Over the course of about 20 months, the defendants falsely claimed to serve more than 125 million meals, with …
Read More »Three Venezuelan Migrants Flown From Texas To Massachusetts Sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Stephen Neukam, The Texas Tribune Three Venezuelan migrants flown from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last week filed a federal class action lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida officials Tuesday after the firebrand Republican’s move to transport migrants to a Democrat-controlled state sparked national controversy and a …
Read More »Expecting Parents In Georgia Can Now Claim Their Embryo As A Dependent
Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder Even with a wave of new state-level abortion restrictions passing or taking effect this summer, Georgia’s law stood out because of its so-called personhood provisions that accompanied the better known six-week ban on the procedure. One particular change that drew national attention was a new tax …
Read More »FL House Dems Urge GOP Leaders To Block Using Taxpayer Funds For Transporting Migrants
Issac Morgan, Florida Phoenix Florida Democrats in the state House on Monday questioned the legality of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent move that transported about 50 asylum seekers from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard and urged GOP leaders to stop using “inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars” for the operation that has sparked …
Read More »An ‘unprecedented flood’ Of Book Bans Engulfs U.S. School Districts, PEN Reports
Ariana Figueroa, Iowa Capital Dispatch More than 1,600 book titles across 32 states were banned from public schools during the 2021-22 school year, with the bulk of the ban requests coming from a handful of right-wing groups pushing for censorship of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color, …
Read More »The End Of Roe Could Be Changing People’s Minds About Abortion Bans
Shefali Luthra, The 19th This story was originally published by the 19th. Roe v. Wade’s overturn may have meaningfully shifted public opinion on abortion for the first time in years, a change that could affect what kinds of bans or restrictions abortion rights opponents can safely consider. Polling on abortion, …
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