Poli Alert Political & Civics

In a brief filed last week, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that ruled that the Constitution protects a pregnant person’s right to have an abortion. In the brief, Fitch called Roe and further abortion-related rulings, most notably …

Former President Barack Obama has joined NBA Africa as a strategic partner to help advance social responsibility efforts across the continent, the National Basketball Association said on Tuesday. Obama will have a minority equity stake in the new venture, which over time he intends to use to fund Obama Foundation …

The man who killed eight people at three different spas in Atlanta, Georgia, will serve four life sentences after pleading guilty in court to several of the murders. Robert Aaron Long was sentenced to four life sentences on Tuesday by Cherokee County Superior Court Chief Judge Ellen McElyea. Long, who …

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Vice Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) on Tuesday announced a $2.1 billion bipartisan agreement that would bolster Capitol Hill security and fund the relocation of Afghans who helped the U.S. government during the war, according to top lawmakers in that chamber. The bipartisan pact …

Lawyers with the Department of Justice say that federal law does not stop public agencies or private businesses from establishing COVID-19 vaccine mandates under the Food and Drug Administrations’ (FDA) emergency use authorization. “As access to the COVID-19 vaccines has become widespread, numerous educational institutions, employers, and other entities across …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising fully vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors in public places where transmission rates are high. The agency is also recommending that children, teachers, and staff wear masks in schools this fall. “This pandemic continues to pose a serious threat to …

The White House announced on Monday that President Joe Biden has selected eight new leaders for United States Attorney roles in Washington State, Washington D.C., New York, Maryland, Indiana, and Massachusetts. The leaders were “chosen for their devotion to enforcing the law, their professionalism, their experiences and credentials in this …

The White House announced on Monday that International travel restrictions would not be lifted due to the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant worldwide. While the Biden administration recognizes the importance of international travel, COVID-19 cases are rising in the United States, and that’s likely to continue in …

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs will mandate COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare personnel, the VA secretary announced Monday. The mandate applies to Title 38 VA healthcare personnel, such as physicians, nurses, dentists, and chiropractors, “who work in Veterans Health Administration facilities, visit VHA facilities or provide direct care to those …

While meeting with Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday, President Joe Biden announced that the combat mission in the region would cease by the end of the year. “We’re not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission,” President Biden said. Biden on most recent …

The Missouri Supreme Court Thursday unanimously reversed a lower court decision that found the state’s Medicaid expansion unconstitutional. The high court overruled Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem’s decision that upended the long-running push to add as many as 275,000 low-income Missourians to the government-run health insurance program. In doing …

DC’s wealthiest residents are likely to soon pay more in taxes, funding what lawmakers consider to be necessary programs that invest in early childhood education and housing to stabilize the workforce. In a vote of 8-5, the D.C. Council approved the Homes and Hearts Amendment Act, thereby including it in …

New York is now the sixth state to ban child marriage. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill on Thursday to change the legal age of consent to be married in New York to 18. “This administration fought hard to successfully end child marriage in New York and I’m proud to …

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday appointed Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Ilinois to serve on the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi noted Kinzinger’s experience as an Air Force veteran and Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, stating he “brings great …

The Biden Administration has purchased 200 million additional doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to prepare for the possibility of children being eligible to be vaccinated and to administer booster shots to vaccinated Americans, should they be deemed necessary. “The federal government is exercising an option in its contract with Pfizer …