Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts on Monday echoed other members of Congress who have urged U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to step down over mounting evidence of unethical behavior, and he also reiterated progressives’ long-standing demand to expand the court. “I will say what needs to be said: …

Ashley Murray, Kansas Reflector House Republicans on Wednesday struggled but whipped just enough votes to pass their plan to temporarily raise the nation’s borrowing limit and also cut spending by slashing key parts of President Joe Biden’s climate and tax law, potentially risking some veterans’ health benefits and imposing more …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix The Walt Disney Co. asked a federal court Wednesday to block Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “targeted campaign of government retaliation” against the company, alleging violations of multiple constitutional rights because it spoke out against the governor’s position on LGBTQ rights. “A targeted campaign of government retaliation — …

Ashley Murray, Pennsylvania Capital-Star Hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans could face higher barriers to food assistance under the U.S. House Republican plan to cut spending while temporarily lifting the debt limit, advocates say. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Limit, Save, Grow Act proposes returning discretionary spending to fiscal 2022 levels …

As calls grow for the impeachment or resignation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over undisclosed gifts from a billionaire Republican megadonor, one of his right-wing colleagues came under fire Tuesday following a report that he sold a property to the head of a law firm subsequently involved in …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday said House Republicans’ debt limit proposal would cut vital education programs and harm vulnerable students across the U.S., such as those who are low income or have a disability. “It would be taking us backwards,” Cardona said on a …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix An expansion of the Florida State Guard, created last year to supplement the Florida National Guard, which suffers from low capacity and is subject to being nationalized and sent away to foreign conflicts, would include a “specialized unit” with power to arrest civilians if deployed by …

Mariel Padilla Originally published by The 19th One in every eight couples face challenges while conceiving, according to survey data from Resolve, the National Fertility Association. With more than 9 million people eligible, the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program, administered by the government, is the largest employer-sponsored health insurance …

President Joe Biden made his reelection campaign official Tuesday morning as he evoked the threat to foundational and hard-won rights and freedoms posed by the increasingly fascist Republican Party. “Every generation has a moment where they have had to stand up for democracy. To stand up for their fundamental freedoms,” …

by Ariana Figueroa, Tennessee Lookout President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Tennessee state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville, Justin Pearson of Memphis and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville to discuss efforts to ban assault weapons, the firearm that is typically used in mass shootings, according to the White …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams The House GOP leadership’s newly released debt ceiling legislation would have potentially devastating impacts on Medicaid recipients across the United States, putting more than 10 million low-income people at risk of losing health coverage under the program. That’s according to a detailed analysis of the bill …

Adam Goldstein, Georgia Recorder  Every public school kid in the United States was eligible for free school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of family income, thanks to the federal government. While that’s now ended, a growing number of states across the country are enacting universal school meal laws to …

Last year, after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to abortion, voters in Kansas, California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky, and Montana used the ballot initiative process to show their support for reproductive freedom, both by defeating GOP-backed anti-abortion measures and approving constitutional amendments aimed at preserving abortion access. Those …

Ashley Murray, Wisconsin Examiner  The Department of Veterans Affairs can continue providing service members with access to abortion in cases of life-threatening complications, rape or incest, after the U.S. Senate narrowly blocked a measure Wednesday that would have scrapped a new Biden administration rule. The VA policy, which also includes …

Jon Quealy, Common Dreams Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito of throwing a ‘tantrum’ in his written dissent to Friday night’s ruling over the abortion medication mifepristone and said the Court’s right-wing majority has become an ideological political force that must be checked by the two …