Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Julia Conley, Common Dreams U.S. Supreme Court watchdogs on Thursday applauded the House Judiciary Committee for announcing it will hold a hearing next week regarding allegations that Justice Samuel Alito leaked at least one of the court’s rulings to right-wing activists—and called on the Senate to follow suit in the …

Ariana Figueroa, Iowa Capital Dispatch Joe Biden on Friday signed into law a resolution intended to avert a freight rail strike, based on an agreement reached between some rail unions and freight rail companies. Several unions did not agree with the deal passed by Congress because it lacked paid sick …

Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether the Biden administration has the right to decide which undocumented immigrants federal agents should prioritize for deportation. During the two hours of arguments, the court’s conservative justices sounded skeptical of the Biden administration’s efforts to …

The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear oral arguments in February over a legal challenge by six Republican-led states to the Biden administration student borrower relief plan. Until the arguments are heard and the court issues a ruling, the $400 billion Biden plan is on hold due to …

Ariana Figueroa, Nebraska Examiner The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to codify an agreement the White House brokered between rail unions and freight companies in order to avoid a catastrophic rail strike, but fell short of enough votes to include paid sick leave for workers. The Senate backed the rail …

On Wednesday, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House Ways and Means Committee received six years of former President Donald Trump’s federal tax returns, ending a three-year battle in which the 2024 Republican presidential candidate fought fiercely against sharing documents that every one of his predecessors since Richard Nixon have disclosed. “Donald Trump …

Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold on Wednesday formally ordered a mandatory recount of the results for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District race, pursuant to the state’s automatic recount law. In the final tabulation of unofficial results, Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert led her opponent, Democrat Adam …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams Rights groups are sharply condemning New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Tuesday directive requiring local law enforcement and emergency medical workers to respond to the intertwined mental health and homelessness crises with involuntary hospitalizations. “If the circumstances support an objectively reasonable basis to conclude that the …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent House Republicans voted Wednesday to keep earmarks in place when they take over the chamber in January, a move that solidifies GOP support for the controversial spending practice that was brought back under new guardrails and transparency mechanisms less than two years ago. Earmarking has become …

The three U.S. House Democrats who have led their party through four presidencies and thousands of floor votes formally passed the torch to the next generation Wednesday, when the party gathered behind closed doors to elect its top leaders for the 118th Congress. House Democrats named Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, …

Jacob Fischler, Virginia Mercury   The U.S. House moved Wednesday to avoid an economically disastrous nationwide rail strike, voting to codify an agreement that members of some unions had already rejected and separately add paid sick leave that workers had demanded. The two-track approach allows Democrats to avert a strike …

Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch Iowa Democrats are staying tight-lipped about their plans moving forward from this week’s Democratic National Committee rules meeting, where some predict national leadership will displace the Iowa Caucuses from their first-in-the-nation position. Iowa Democrats could move forward with presidential caucuses with or without the national …

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, was convicted Tuesday by a federal jury of seditious conspiracy for his leading role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump and his “Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential election …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent The U.S. Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would enshrine protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, codifying many of the rights that would disappear if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn those landmark decisions the way it overturned the nationwide right to an abortion this summer. …

Rebekah Barber Originally published by The 19th A year ago, the expanded child tax credit ended. Between 2020 and 2021, the credit — which gave monthly payments of up to $300 per child — helped reduce child poverty by more than 40 percent. More than 36 million families received the …