Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Ali Juell, The Texas Tribune American households can once again order up to four free COVID-19 rapid tests to be delivered to their doorstep. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services paused the program last May but will resume orders on its website starting Sept. 25. Expired at-home tests …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams Just 10 days away from a potential U.S. government shutdown, calls for bipartisan action to prevent it are mounting, as is outrage over Republicans in the House of Representatives who seem content with causing chaos. “What we want is simple: No cuts. No layoffs. No shutdown,” …

President Biden is set to announce the creation of a new office for gun violence prevention, marking an escalated effort by his administration to address the issue as legislative progress on gun control remains stalled in Congress. The announcement is expected to be made Friday at an event in the …

Kim Lyons, Pennsylvania Capital-Star Pennsylvania will now automatically register eligible residents to vote when they renew their driver’s licenses or ID cards at PennDOT driver and photo license centers, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. “When running for governor, I made a commitment to bring automatic voter registration to Pennsylvania,” Shapiro …

Jennifer Shutt, Arkansas Advocate U.S. Senate Democrats said Tuesday they are preparing their own short-term spending bill that they believe will garner bipartisan support, a decision that could stave off a partial government shutdown — and as House Republicans failed to advance two spending bills. The Senate move would work …

Ashley Murray, Arkansas Advocate More than 300 signs dotted the lawn outside the U.S. Senate Tuesday, each bearing the name of a military nominee blocked this year by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy. Multiple Democratic senators delivered comments Tuesday at the sign …

Five U.S. citizens who had been detained by Iran have been released in a diplomatic deal brokered between the United States and Iran. This complex agreement involved the transfer of $6 billion in unfrozen Iranian oil assets and the release of five Iranians who were facing charges in the U.S. …

Former President Donald Trump shared a post on his Truth Social platform that accused “liberal Jews” of voting to “destroy” America and Israel. The post, which appeared on the weekend of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, said, “Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America …

Two weeks out from a U.S. government shutdown, some House Republicans on Sunday evening reached a potential deal—one which Democrats on Capitol Hill and other critics across the country warn is a dangerous proposal that is “doomed to fail.” The GOP’s continuing resolution (CR) would avert a government shutdown on …

Ariana Figueroa, Arkansas Advocate States engaged in decades of underfunding of land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities, leading to a more than $12 billion disparity with comparable white institutions, leaders of the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday. “Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many …

Robert Yablon, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Derek Clinger, University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin’s April 2023 state Supreme Court election was historic. It was the nation’s most expensive judicial race ever, with over US$50 million in total spending, and it broke turnout records for an off-cycle spring election. Janet Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee …

Zach Despart, The Texas Tribune The Texas Senate on Saturday acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment alleging corruption and bribery, his most artful escape in a career spent courting controversy and skirting consequences of scandal. No article received more than 14 of the required 21 votes …

Lisa Sorg, NC Newsline This is what happens when the vice president of the United States visits Greensboro: Excitable German shepherds, restrained by their military handlers, sniff every duffel, trash can, and bathroom of a terminal at Piedmont Triad International Airport. Poised, yet nervy and as quiet as bats, Secret …

The state of California on Friday filed suit against ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron, accusing the five oil and gas giants of a decadeslong campaign to mislead the public about the threat fossil fuels pose to the climate. The lawsuit makes California the largest economy on the planet to …

Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Friday that Republican calls to shut down and defund the FBI were “stupid,” though he shared concerns about “political bias” in the agency. Many Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida and 2024 presidential …