Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder Some people know what Alysia Cutting is talking about when she brings up Medicaid unwinding as she moves from one community event to the next in southwest Georgia. But for most of them, word of the renewal process starting up again – and the potential they …

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Monday that the latest government bailout of a failing Wall Street institution shows how much the financial system remains rigged in favor of powerful banks and that it is beyond time for Congress to step up with increased oversight and reforms. Federal regulators Monday announced they …

Ariana Figueroa, Michigan Advance More than 250 congressional Democrats have filed a brief urging an appeals court to reverse a Texas federal judge’s decision to suspend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s two-decade-old approval of the abortion pill. In an emergency order, the U.S. Supreme Court in April issued a stay, meaning the abortion …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix The legal fight between Gov. Ron DeSantis and The Walt Disney Co. broadened Monday when a board hand-picked by the governor voted to countersue the company over its development plans. The move came less than a week after Disney filed a First-Amendment lawsuit accusing the government …

Ashley Murray, Idaho Capital Sun U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Monday that the U.S. could default in as soon as one month if Congress does not act to raise the nation’s borrowing limit — a prediction that prompted President Joe Biden to call a meeting with congressional leaders next week. …

Anita Wadhwani, Tennessee Lookout Eight months after Tennessee enacted one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation, Gov. Bill Lee on Friday quietly signed a law providing narrow exceptions. The new law, which went into effect immediately, allows physicians to perform abortions in limited medical emergencies: molar or ectopic …

Sneha Dey, The Texas Tribune Over 250 law enforcement officers are on a manhunt for the gunman who killed five of his neighbors late Friday night. The gunman went on a rampage with his AR-15-style rifle when his neighbors asked him to stop firing shots in his yard so their …

Zach Wendling, Nebraska Examiner U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., has introduced bipartisan legislation meant to increase access to home-based health services and modernize Medicaid reimbursement. Smith introduced the Expanding Care in the Home Act last with Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. The legislation is meant to bring house calls back to …

Kelsey Pukelis, Harvard Kennedy School The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would cut spending, in part by expanding work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, through which nearly 43 million low-income Americans get help buying groceries. The House bill calls for this policy to apply to …

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams U.S. progressives escalated their warnings this week as they accused House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of holding the debt limit “hostage” in service of the GOP’s pro-billionaire agenda, while urging President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats to firmly oppose GOP legislation linking any debt ceiling increase to …

Brian Lopez, The Texas Tribune The Texas House this week gave final approval to legislation that is calling for significant investments to beef up schools’ safety, including hiring at least one armed security officer at every campus, providing incentives for school employees to get certified to carry a weapon and …

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Voting rights defenders on Friday condemned the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature’s passage of a bill that critics said will make it harder to register Black and Latino voters while easing the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis to seek the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The Florida House of …

Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams In what voting rights advocates called a “blatant attack on democracy,” the North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday issued a ruling that allows partisan gerrymandering, reversing earlier decisions that outlawed rigged maps. The ruling enables North Carolina Republicans to redraw state and U.S. congressional districts in …

Casey Quinlan, Nevada Current U.S. Senators grilled the executives of three major credit reporting bureaus Thursday on whether their practices are transparent and fair to consumers, with Democrats frequently pressing the CEOs to remove medical debt from the reports. Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, chair of the Senate Committee on …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder Top U.S. House Republican leaders on Thursday unveiled an immigration package of bills that appropriates millions in funds for border security and imposes sweeping restrictions on asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The plan is in sharp contrast with an announcement earlier Thursday  by the Biden administration on how …