The House is set to vote Wednesday afternoon on creating a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the resolution to create the select committee earlier this week after efforts for a bipartisan special commission on the ransacking of the Capitol …
Read More »House Votes to Remove Confederate Statues From Capitol
The House overwhelmingly voted Tuesday in support of legislation that would remove statues of Confederate officials from the Capitol as well as the bust of the Supreme Court chief justice who penned the 1857 opinion in the Dred Scott ruling that said Black people weren’t citizens. In a 285-120 vote, …
Read More »House Votes To Repeal 1991, 1957 War Authorizations
The House voted on Tuesday to repeal a pair of decades-old war authorizations. A 1991 authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) in Iraq and a 1957 authorization for military action in the Middle East was repealed with bipartisan support in a 355-46 vote. The repeals come on the …
Read More »Former DNC Chair Tom Perez Enters Maryland Gubernatorial Race
Tom Perez, who recently completed his term as chair of the Democratic National Committee, announced last week that he is running for governor of Maryland. Perez announced his bid on social media, sharing a campaign video in which he vowed to build a Maryland where all residents have access to quality …
Read More »Clarence Thomas says federal marijuana laws may no longer be needed
Federal regulations on marijuana may “no longer be necessary” as individual states enact their own laws on its use and sale, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in an opinion Monday. Thomas, one of the high court’s most conservative justices, cited what he called the federal government’s “half-in, half-out” approach …
Read More »Consumer Watchdog Agency Approves New Foreclosure Protections
The United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule for homeowners who are struggling to make mortgage payments due to the pandemic, but said foreclosures would be allowed to resume in coming months once those extra protections have been met. The new rule safeguards struggling borrowers and allows them to …
Read More »Federal Judges Block Black Farmers From Receiving Debt-Relief Funding
Two federal judges have blocked minority farmers from receiving billions of dollars in debt-relief payments. Judges Marcia Morales Howard and William Griesbach say the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act is unconstitutional because it is not race-neutral. The orders come after white farmers and institutions filed lawsuits because they couldn’t receive …
Read More »Black activists take voting rights battle to Joe Manchin’s backyard
Errin Haines Originally published by The 19th The battle for voting rights came to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s backyard this week, as the mustard seed-sized Black population of the state got reinforcements from across the country. A caravan of Black organizers pulled into Charleston Thursday for a late …
Read More »3 House Republicans fined for not wearing mask on floor
Three House Republicans must each pay $500 fines imposed by the sergeant-at-arms for being warned and then failing to wear a mask on the House floor. Reps. Brian Mast of Florida, Beth Van Duyne of Texas, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa were all fined, according to an announcement released on …
Read More »U.S. Carries Out Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Militia In Iraq, Syria
President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes Sunday on three Iran-backed militia facilities in Iraq and Syria after three months of drone and rocket attacks on facilities in Iraq housing U.S. and coalition personnel. “At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed …
Read More »Democratic Women’s Caucus Introduce Equal Pay Bill for National Teams
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and House Democratic Women’s Caucus co-Chairs Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) and Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) and Vice Chairs Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) and Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), introduced the Even Playing Field Act to ensure equal pay, investment and working conditions for U.S national …
Read More »Texas Governor Sued Over Defunding Of Legislature
Texas House Democrats are asking the state’s Supreme Court to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of a budget provision that funds the Legislature, charging that his action was unconstitutional. The suit argues that Abbott’s veto, which could lead to about 2,000 legislative staffers not being paid for two years, violates …
Read More »DOJ To Establish Task Force To Address Threats Against Election Officials
The Justice Department announced on Friday that it is launching a task force to investigate the rise in threats against election officials, according to a memo sent to all federal prosecutors and the FBI. “The Department of Justice has a long history of protecting every American’s right to vote, and …
Read More »Federal Eviction Moratorium Extended Through July
The eviction moratorium is being extended through July. The federal eviction ban was set to expire at the end of the month. This is the fourth time that the eviction ban has been extended. The CDC says this is intended to be the final extension of the eviction moratorium. To go …
Read More »Rudy Giuliani’s Law License Has Been Suspended
The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court suspended Rudy Giuliani’s law license on Thursday because he made “demonstrably false and misleading statements.” “For the reasons that follow, we conclude that there is uncontroverted evidence that respondent communicated demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public …
Read More »