Poli Alert Political & Civics

President Joe Biden on Thursday withdrew his nomination for David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Chipman has been ensnared in a battle with gun rights groups and Congress members and failed to capture the votes he needed. “He would have been exemplary Director …

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new mandates to compel public and private employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, affecting as many as 100 million Americans. Biden made his message clear from the White House: The minority of Americans who won’t get the shot is keeping the country from …

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday that it is pursuing a lawsuit against Texas over its newly implemented six-week abortion ban. The agency says that the law is unconstitutional. “It is settled constitutional law that ‘a State may not prohibit any woman from making the ultimate decision to …

Democratic lawmakers are pushing to pass legislation to lower the Medicare eligibility age to sixty. The current eligibility age is sixty-five. The Improving Medicare Coverage Act — led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Conor Lamb, D-Pa.; Joe Neguse, D-Colo.; and Susan Wild, D-Pa.; Haley Stevens, D-Mich.; and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. — would …

History was made in Richmond Wednesday when one of the country’s largest Confederate monuments, a 21-foot-tall bronze statue of Robert E. Lee on a horse, was taken down on the city’s famous Monument Avenue more than 130 years after it was erected in the former capital of the Confederacy. View …

Over the weekend, enhanced unemployment benefits expired – including $300 weekly bonus checks – as well as coverage for freelancers and the long-term employed, affecting more than 11 million people, with roughly 7.5 million who’ve lost their benefits entirely. According to estimates by The Century Foundation, 7.5 million people are no …

A Florida judge ruled against Gov. Ron DeSantis and allowed schools in the state to mandate masks. Second Circuit Judge John Cooper’s order is effective immediately and means the state must stop enforcing the banning of mask mandates. “It’s undisputed that in Florida, we are in the midst of a …

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday vowed to “protect” women seeking abortions in Texas, days after a new state law went into effect aiming to prohibit most abortions after six weeks. While the Justice Department “urgently explores all options to challenge” Texas’ new law and “protect the constitutional rights of …

Abortion is legal in the U.S. thanks to Roe v. Wade–but abortion laws and restrictions vary by state. There has been a record number of measures restricting access already passed this year, reproductive health research organization the Guttmacher Institute has said. A total of 19 states have enacted 97 restrictions …

President Joe Biden traveled to New Jersey and New York City Tuesday to survey damage in parts of the northeast that suffered catastrophic flash flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Biden declared climate change “everybody’s crisis” after touring the neighborhoods severely damaged by Ida. He said it’s time for …

Yesterday, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Reed Smith LLP, and The Arc filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Houston Area Urban League, Houston Justice, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and The Arc of Texas challenging S.B. 1, a new Texas law targeting voting rights. …

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed sweeping voter suppression legislation into law on Wednesday. The bill blocks 24-hour and drive-thru voting. The measure also makes it difficult for voters to mail in their ballots. “The common-sense reforms in this legislation strengthen our trust in the electoral process, from voter registration …

According to reports, The Proud Boys‘ leader, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, has surrendered himself to authorities to begin serving his 5-month jail sentence. At around 9 pm Monday, Tarrio arrived at the D.C. Central Detention Facility, with only hours until the deadline set by a D.C. Judge to self-surrender and begin …

President Joe Biden has ordered federal aid to New York after declaring a major disaster in the state. The aid will supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Ida, including the counties of Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond and Westchester, the White House said Monday. Assistance …

A South Carolina lawyer was shot in Hampton on Saturday while he was changing a tire, less than three months after his wife and son were murdered at their home. The lawyer, Alex Murdaugh, was changing a tire on the side of a country road when someone in a truck drove …