Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Jacob Fischler, Georgia Recorder The U.S. House approved Friday an annual defense authorization bill loaded with GOP rollbacks of Pentagon policies on abortion and transgender health care, as well as efforts to boost racial equity. Republican amendments targeting social policy issues turned a typically bipartisan measure preserving the nation’s military …

Rebecca Schneid, The Texas Tribune Since Waco judge Dianne Hensley received a public warning from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for refusing to perform same-sex marriages in 2019, she’s waged a public battle against the state agency. She’s long claimed the governmental body violated state law by punishing her …

Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys have filed a petition asking the Georgia Supreme Court to block the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office from pursuing cases against Trump and his allies for alleged criminal interference in the 2020 presidential election. The frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential …

Ashley Murray, Michigan Advance As U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama continues his blockade of hundreds of military promotions, he again entered the spotlight Tuesday for his comments that seemingly excused white nationalism. Just before 2 p.m. Eastern, the Alabama senator told Capitol Hill reporters that “white nationalists are racist,” according to …

Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder U.S. senators debated Wednesday how best to resolve a funding cliff within Social Security that will lead to a quarter reduction in benefits in about a decade, absent action from Congress. Democrats on the Budget Committee, led by Chair Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, called for …

Progressives on Thursday expressed hope that a ruling by a state appeals court in New York will give the Democratic Party an opportunity to regain control of several U.S. House seats that were won by Republicans in last year’s midterm elections following what critics called an “undemocratic process” of drawing …

Chabeli Carrazana Originally published by The 19th The Biden administration is moving to slash child care costs for at least 80,000 low-income families — and potentially thousands more — through a series of updates coming to a federal program. The administration announced Tuesday its plan to strengthen the Child Care …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has approved the country’s first daily birth control pill that can be used without a prescription, a move that reproductive health advocates celebrated after more than 20 years of advocating for an over-the-counter option. The contraceptive, called Opill, is a progestin-only oral pill …

Donna Lowry, GPB News The Fulton County grand jury determining if former President Donald Trump should face criminal charges in Georgia is now seated. Ninety-six people arrived at Fulton County Superior Court for grand jury duty early Tuesday morning, unaware that some would hear evidence on whether to indict Trump …

Inflation in the United States has reached its lowest point in over two years, with a 3% increase in June compared to the previous year. This is a positive sign that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have been effective in slowing down price increases in the economy. Although the …

Ashley Murray, Nevada Current The White House is unveiling a plan to combat the growing threat of drug overdose deaths involving the combination of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and the powerful sedative xylazine, approved only for veterinary use. The plan comes ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’s meeting with state attorneys …

by Ken Coleman, Michigan Advance In a Twitter post on Monday, Hill Harper — an actor, Detroit business owner and resident — announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate as a Democrat, joining an increasingly crowded field. He posted: “We can all feel it: D.C just isn’t getting things …

Former President Donald Trump and his personal aide, Walt Nauta, are requesting a lengthy delay before their trial for allegedly hoarding military secrets at Mar-a-Lago. They argue that proceeding with the trial while Trump remains a candidate for president would make it difficult to seat an impartial jury. The defense …

Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the United States, has been ordered to pay more than $100 million to customers and an additional $150 million in penalties for engaging in illegal practices. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) conducted an investigation and found that the bank had harmed hundreds …

Anna Liz Nichols, Michigan Advance Michigan is the 10th state to ban what advocates for ending child marriage call “a human rights abuse” after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Tuesday to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 years old. The ban is “long overdue,” Whitmer said in a …