Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder The new Republican chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and a top Democrat on the panel on Wednesday laid out anti-hunger initiatives Congress could tackle in the upcoming farm bill. During a panel discussion, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, the new head of the …

Robert Moore, El Paso Matters The federal government will not seek the death penalty for the man accused of massacring 23 people in a hate crime at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. “The United States of America hereby notifies the Court and Defendant PATRICK …

Errin Haines Originally published by The 19th This week in #2024Watch came what felt like a seismic development: Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee both signaled their intentions to run for the Senate seat currently held by fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein — whether she decides to run again or not. The …

Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder With Republicans regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives, controversial Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has had her committee privileges restored after Democrats stripped them in early 2021. Greene has been tapped for the House Homeland Security Committee, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday. She has …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix A state senator’s legal challenge to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ asylum-seeker airlifts will proceed to trial under a ruling that a state trial judge in Tallahassee handed down on Friday. “I think we need to just hear out these issues,” Circuit Judge John Cooper said following arguments …

Solomon Peña, a Republican former candidate for New Mexico‘s state House, was arrested by Albuquerque police on Monday in connection with a string of recent drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democratic lawmakers. Peña, who lost his November race by an overwhelming margin of 26% to 74%, is suspected of …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Republican Rep. Rick Allen of Georgia suggested last week that he would support raising the Social Security retirement age—a policy change that would slash benefits across the board—because people have approached him and said they “actually want to work longer.” Confronted by an advocate in the …

Last week, GOP Congressman James Comer from Kentucky introduced a bill, that if passed, could mean the end of working from home for many federal employees. The Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act would require that within 30 days of passing, every agency returns to pre-pandemic arrangements. That …

Martin Luther King, Jr., Here is the text of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I have a dream” speech, which changed the conversation of our nation and inspired generations. He delivered it in 1963 in Washington, D.C.: I am happy to join with you today in what will go down …

Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder President Joe Biden took to the pulpit Sunday at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. once delivered many powerful and eloquent sermons in the final years of his life. With an invitation from Ebenezer pastor and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Biden on …

Shefali Luthra Originally published by The 19th As state lawmakers weigh new restrictions on abortion, some Republicans are revisiting a longstanding taboo of not prosecuting pregnant people for seeking abortions in places where the procedure is banned, though the topic remains divisive among anti-abortion advocates. State restrictions have so far …

Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The U.S. government will hit its borrowing limit next week, forcing the new, divided Congress into negotiations over the debt limit much sooner than expected, though a potential date for the nation to default isn’t expected until this summer. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote to Congress …

Jonathan Entin, Case Western Reserve University There are mounting calls from both politicians and voters to force the newly elected apparent fabulist U.S. Rep. George Santos from Congress following revelations he fabricated his background and other details of his life. But New York’s 3rd Congressional District voters, who elected Santos …

Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator One of the first bills filed ahead of Louisiana’s 2023 legislative Session would require all public schools and universities to put a new sign in every classroom: “In God We Trust.” House Bill 8, cosponsored by Republican Reps. Dodie Horton of Houghton and Jack McFarland of …

A group of 15 U.S. senators on Thursday demanded answers from Southwest Airlines’ CEO regarding the company’s management of the disastrous 2022 holiday season, when thousands of travelers were stranded in airports amid nearly 16,000 flight cancelations. “The mass flight cancellations at Southwest Airlines… during the last week of December …