Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Jemma Stephenson, Alabama Reflector The United States Supreme Court Tuesday denied Alabama’s request to stay a lower court decision directing a special master to draw new state congressional maps to remedy Voting Rights Act violations. The nation’s high court dismissed the request in two one-sentence orders Tuesday morning. No opinions …

Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor Sen. Cory Booker called on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign Tuesday, days after New Jersey’s senior senator was indicted on corruption charges for the second time. Booker had been the most high-profile Democrat in the state not to comment on Menendez’s indictment or call on …

Ariana Figueroa, Arkansas Advocate As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low-income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts. The White House released a state-by-state breakdown, estimating that nearly 7 million people who rely on the …

As children across the United States have started a new academic year over the past month, many families have had to contend with federal lawmakers’ refusal to guarantee universal free meals and the resulting “lunch shaming”—which three U.S. Senate Democrats hope to partially combat with new legislation to cancel student …

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey has rejected calls for his resignation following his indictment on federal bribery charges. In his first public comments on the allegations, Menendez maintained his innocence and vowed to fight the charges. “I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet,” Menendez said, adding, …

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday became the first progressive House Democrat to call on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign following the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair’s indictment last week on federal bribery charges. Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were charged Friday with accepting hundreds of …

Noam Levey, Minnesota Reformer The Biden administration announced a major initiative to protect Americans from medical debt, outlining plans to develop federal rules barring unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. The regulations, if enacted, would potentially help tens of millions of people who have medical debt on their …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to reiterate the need for continued aid to support his country’s fight against the Russian invasion, even as the U.S. faces a partial government shutdown as soon as the end of the …

Joshua Fechter and Brian Lopez, The Texas Tribune Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a longtime Democrat, is now a Republican — turning Dallas into the largest city in the country with a GOP mayor. “Today I am changing my party affiliation,” Johnson wrote in an op-ed published Friday in The Wall …

Susan J. Demas, Michigan Advance, West Virginia Watch President Joe Biden will travel to Michigan next week in a historic show of support for striking Ford, GM and Stellantis UAW workers. “Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women …

Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor Federal authorities indicted U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez for the second time Friday, charging him with conspiracy to commit bribery and related offenses over his alleged aid to a North Jersey businessman and an attempt to disrupt criminal probes into allies. Menendez, a Democrat and New Jersey’s …

Jacob Fischler, Georgia Recorder The U.S. Senate confirmed a nominee for a high-ranking military post Wednesday night and advanced another, the first votes on military nominations or promotions since Alabama Republican Tommy Tuberville started blocking them seven months ago to protest Defense Department abortion policies. Tuberville did not object to …

Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline The federal pandemic-era child tax credit expansion lifted millions of children out of poverty in the second half of 2021. But Congress allowed it to expire at the end of that year, and new U.S. census data shows the child poverty rate more than doubled in …

Vice President Kamala Harris will lead a newly established federal office of gun violence prevention, the White House has announced. President Joe Biden is set to make the formal announcement on Ffriday during an event in the Rose Garden, where advocates and lawmakers will be in attendance. Harris, who has …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams “The House Republicans are a total shit show.” So said Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) Thursday afternoon, just over a week away from a potential U.S. government shutdown, as the fractured House Republican Conference once again proved incapable of passing anything resembling an appropriation. After far-right Republicans …