Poli Alert Politics & Civics

More than 3 million kids across the United States could lose childcare and nearly 7 million patients could lose access to primary care if Congress doesn’t approve funding by September 30. But lawmakers in both the House and Senate left town for August recess late last week after making little …

Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The Biden administration announced on Monday it will headquarter U.S. Space Command in Colorado, a decision that rejects efforts made during the last administration to move the U.S. military facility to Alabama. The decision comes as Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville continues to block senior military …

Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Florida on Tuesday, where she continued to hit Gov. Ron DeSantis over the recent controversy about the state’s new African American history standards for K-12 public schools. A day before, DeSantis challenged her to visit him in Tallahassee and have …

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday was indicted by a federal grand jury in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump—now the leading candidate for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination—faces four charges: conspiracy …

Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver, who made history as the first Black woman to lead the state Assembly, has died, her family announced Tuesday. Oliver, 71, has been hospitalized since at least Monday. Her family did not disclose her cause of death or …

David Montgomery, Stateline A lawsuit in Texas asserting that the state’s abortion ban imperils women by dissuading doctors from ending dangerous pregnancies could provide a template for similar challenges across the country. Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. …

Housing justice advocates on Monday praised U.S. Rep. Cori Bush for reintroducing the Unhoused Bill of Rights, a resolution that outlines how the federal government can permanently end the nation’s homelessness crisis by 2027. “Being able to afford a safe place to live is a human right that has been …

Ariana Figueroa, Ohio Capital Journal U.S. House Republicans on a panel for limited federal government on Thursday argued that parents should not be allowed to let their transgender children have access to gender-affirming care. “A parent has no right to sexually transition a young child,” the chair of the House …

Jon King, Michigan Advance On Friday, U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) joined a growing chorus of Black Republican lawmakers to call out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his state’s new Black history education standards. DeSantis, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, slammed both Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) …

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has reaffirmed her commitment to announce charging decisions by September 1st in her investigation into attempts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Willis stated that the work has been completed after two and a …

The Biden administration is introducing a beta website for its new income-driven student loan repayment plan, called the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. This initiative aims to improve the federal student loan system, providing relief to borrowers as federal student loan payments are set to resume in October. …

 Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune The last time there was an open seat in Texas Senate District 15, it was 1982. The last time there was an open seat in Texas’ 18th Congressional District, it was 1989. Now, the heavily Democratic districts in Houston could be vacant again. It all …

While conservative Justice Samuel Alito’s new Wall Street Journal interview covered various topics, one that provoked intense ire on Friday was his suggestion that federal lawmakers don’t have the power to regulate the U.S. Supreme Court. For a series of Journal opinion pieces—the first was published in April—Alito spent four …

Ashley Murray, Washington State Standard Despite warnings from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that vacant top military positions affect readiness, Congress is heading into August recess with hundreds of defense nominees on hold as Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville continues his protest against the Defense Department’s abortion leave policy. As of Thursday, 301 military nominees …

Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in Des Moines on Friday to call on Iowans to fight back against what she called a “full-on attack against hard-won freedoms.” During an hour-long stop at Des Moines’ Drake University, Harris focused on the Iowa Legislature’s recent passage of …