Poli Alert Political & Civics

Progressive leaders in Congress and activists on Wednesday came together to call on U.S. President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency, which would give his administration more resources to take on the global crisis. “It couldn’t be clearer that the climate crisis is here and needs to be addressed …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent U.S. Senate Democrats tried to pass legislation Wednesday that would guarantee women can continue using contraception if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the long-standing precedent, the way it did with abortion. But Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst blocked their efforts by objecting to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. …

Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder President Joe Biden held a celebratory speech in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, marking his return to the Oval Office less than a week after testing positive for COVID-19. Biden used the event to encourage Americans to keep updated on their COVID-19 boosters, to test for …

Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and law enforcement witnesses at a Tuesday hearing blamed recent violence against officers on anti-police rhetoric, while Democrats distanced themselves from the “defund the police” slogan and said an oversupply of guns made law enforcement jobs more dangerous. …

Peter Hall, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The Republican congressman from Pennsylvania’s sprawling and conservative 15th U.S. House District has drawn national attention for voting against a bill that would protect same-sex marriage rights days before attending his gay son’s wedding last weekend. U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson was one of 157 Republicans …

Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The U.S. Senate appears on track to send President Joe Biden a bill in the coming weeks that would guarantee same-sex and interracial couples can marry, even if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark cases that enshrined those rights. “I think we’re very close,”  U.S. Sen. …

Riley Bunch, GPB News Abortion rights advocates and providers are moving against Georgia’s abortion ban, this time in a new case filed in state court. The most recent challenge comes less than a week after a federal court of appeals decided Georgia’s strict abortion ban would immediately take effect. The …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams Government watchdogs on Friday warned that a plan by former President Donald Trump to drastically remake the federal workforce should he win the presidency in 2024 would “utterly destroy” public service in the United States. As Axios reported Friday, central to Trump’s plans for a second …

Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle Vice President Kamala Harris condemned Indiana Republicans’ near-total abortion ban proposal in her high-profile visit to Indianapolis Monday — the first real day of a special legislative session aimed partially at further restricting abortion. “The government should not be telling an individual what to …

Barbara Rodriguez Originally published by The 19th Democrats are framing races for seats in key statehouses as crucial for the future of abortion access, warning that flipping chambers blue or blocking Republican supermajorities will be key after the Supreme Court left the issue up to the states. In the weeks …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams The House January 6 committee’s first series of public hearings came to a close Thursday with a primetime event featuring fresh evidence that former President Donald Trump gave a “green light” to the right-wing mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol last year and ignored pleas to …

Jennifer Shutt, Michigan Advance Republicans, hoping to flip control of Congress in the November elections, appear to have decided against campaigning on a unified abortion platform that would specify exactly what conservatives plan to do if given control of the U.S. House and Senate. Yet Republicans in Congress have written …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder The U.S. House Judiciary Committee last week passed legislation that would ban certain semi-automatic weapons, in a renewed push to ban the guns most commonly used in recent mass shootings. The party-line 25-18 vote followed recent mass shootings in which AR-15 style rifles were used — …

The World Health Organization on Saturday formally classified monkeypox as a “public health emergency of international concern,” warning that the viral disease is spreading rapidly across the globe. The WHO’s decision came after a panel of advisers failed to reach a consensus position on whether monkeypox constitutes a global health …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent President Joe Biden has begun using an albuterol inhaler intermittently to treat symptoms related to COVID-19, but is feeling well, according to White House officials and the president on Friday. “I’m feeling much better than I sound,” Biden said during a virtual meeting on gas prices …