Poli Alert Politics & Civics

The Trump administration is halting immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries, including Brazil, Iran, Russia and Somalia, in the latest and most far-reaching step yet to restrict legal immigration pathways to the United States. The indefinite pause, which takes effect Jan. 21, is intended to limit applicants deemed …

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin says she is the subject of a Justice Department investigation connected to a video in which she and several other Democratic lawmakers urged U.S. military and intelligence personnel to refuse “illegal orders.” The Michigan Democrat from Holly and former CIA officer, confirmed the inquiry in an …

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that beginning Feb. 1 his administration will deny federal funding to any states that are home to local governments resisting federal immigration enforcement, dramatically expanding earlier threats that targeted only so-called sanctuary cities themselves. The proposal, unveiled near the end of a speech to the …

Minnesota and the Twin Cities are suing the Trump administration to stop its latest immigration enforcement surge, alleging that the increased federal actions are unconstitutional and a violation of federal law. Attorney General Keith Ellison at a Monday press conference called the immigration enforcement surge an “invasion.” “The deployment of …

President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that “the Trump economic boom has officially begun,” even as new government data showed consumer prices continuing to rise during the first year of his presidency and polls indicated many Americans remain worried about affordability. Speaking to members of the Detroit Economic Club gathered in …

On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow victims to sue the creators of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes for a minimum of $150,000. The DEFIANCE Act is now headed to the House, where leadership failed to bring it to the floor last session. But there’s new momentum …

Several career prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced their resignations this week after learning there would be no federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal immigration agent, according to six people briefed on the matter. At least six prosecutors …

A federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration acted illegally when it canceled $7.6 billion in clean energy grants for projects located in states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, concluding the move violated the Constitution’s equal protection requirements. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta …

Former special counsel Jack Smith will testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee next week, Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, announced Monday night, setting up a high-profile confrontation over Smith’s investigations into President Donald Trump. The Jan. 22 hearing comes weeks after Smith sat for more than eight hours of closed-door …

President Donald Trump threatened Monday to impose a sweeping 25% tariff on any country that continues doing business with Iran, a move that could disrupt U.S. trade relations with major global economies including China, India, the European Union and the United Arab Emirates. “Effective immediately, any Country doing business with …

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona filed a civil lawsuit Monday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, seeking to block the Pentagon from downgrading his military retirement rank and pay in what Kelly calls an unprecedented act of political retaliation by the Trump administration. In a 46-page complaint filed in federal …

References to President Donald Trump’s two impeachments have been removed from his display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the latest apparent shift at the nation’s premier museum complex as Trump asserts greater influence over how U.S. history is publicly presented. The wall text summarizing Trump’s first presidency — including …

Former Rep. Mary Peltola announced that she is running for the U.S. Senate in Alaska, giving Democrats a high-profile recruit as they seek to unseat two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in a state President Donald Trump carried comfortably in 2024. “Growing up, Alaska was a place of abundance. Now, we …

Federal immigration authorities intensified a weekslong operation in the Twin Cities over the weekend following the Wednesday killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Residents pushed back, led by a growing network of rapid responders hounding U.S. ICE and Border Patrol vehicles and agents across the metro …

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Sunday that the Justice Department subpoenaed the central bank late last week and threatened a criminal indictment, escalating what he described as a sustained pressure campaign by the Trump administration to influence monetary policy. Powell said the subpoena, issued Friday, relates to his June …