Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Ariana Figueroa, Michigan Advance U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday heard oral arguments in a case that challenges an Alabama redistricting map and could potentially eliminate remaining federal safeguards against racial gerrymandering. Voting rights advocates fear that the high court’s conservative majority will further weaken the Voting Rights Act, with implications …

Stephen Fowler, GPB News As reported by the Associated Press, U.S. Senate nominee Herschel Walker‘s campaign has been jolted by yet another controversy, this time involving alleged threats to kill his family and a report that the Republican paid an ex-girlfriend to have an abortion despite his current hardline opposition …

Jacob Fischler, Missouri Independent The U.S. Supreme Court opened its term Monday with an Idaho case that could significantly restrict the federal government’s power to enforce clean water laws and prove crucial in determining wetland protections. The oral arguments came just months after the court’s 6-3 conservative majority limited executive …

Former President Donald Trump filed a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN Monday in Florida federal court, claiming the network has created a campaign of libel and slander against him as of late because it fears he’ll run for re-election in 2024. The ex-president threatened to sue CNN back in …

Ariana Figueroa, Florida Phoenix President Joe Biden on Monday landed in Ponce, Puerto Rico to survey the damage from Hurricane Fiona and announce $60 million in funding to help the island prepare for future hurricanes. The visit came after the Category 1 hurricane in late September damaged the power grid, …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder Members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in a Thursday hearing grilled the top leader of federal prisons on how the agency would address staffing shortages and reports of abuse of incarcerated people. “The Bureau (of Prisons) has been riddled with mismanagement and, sadly, with scandal,” …

The House passed legislation Friday that would give as much as $3 billion in payments to thousands of spouses and children of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks who were left out of previous compensation rounds. The “Fairness for 9/11 Families Act” passed overwhelmingly, 400-31, in the last vote before …

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called Friday for a windfall profits tax on oil companies that would go directly back to California residents. While crude oil prices are down nationally, big oil companies have increased gas prices in California by a record 84 cents per gallon in just the last 10 …

Diane Rado, Florida Phoenix President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to travel to Florida on Wednesday, as the death toll for Hurricane Ian continues to rise. Hundreds of thousands of residents still have no power and the state faces the monumental task of fixing the damage …

Morgan Marietta, UMass Lowell Following a dramatic year of controversial rulings, the Supreme Court begins hearing new cases on Oct. 3, 2022, with a full agenda. The court overturned abortion rights and expanded gun rights in June 2022 as the new conservative supermajority began to exert its influence. Some of …

James Barragán, The Texas Tribune Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke clashed Friday night over immigration, abortion and gun control in the only planned gubernatorial debate before the Nov. 8 elections. Throughout the debate, Abbott tried to depict O’Rourke as an acolyte of Democratic President Joe Biden …

Anna Wolfe, Mississippi Today Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre met resistance when he tried selling the University of Southern Mississippi on a deal to accept federal grant money to build a volleyball stadium, texts show. “Nancy I spoke with Jon Gilbert this evening and between you and I he is …

Ariana Figueroa, Florida Phoenix President Joe Biden addressed the nation Friday afternoon, focusing on uniting the country as Florida begins to survey the damage left by a Category 4 hurricane, while states further up the coast prepare for the impact from Hurricane Ian. “As you all know, the situation in …

A change in the White House’s student loan forgiveness plan means millions of Americans no longer qualify. The Education Department announced Thursday it would no longer allow borrowers with privately held student loans to receive debt forgiveness. Previously, people with the loans – known as Perkins loans and Federal Family …

John L. Micek, Pennsylvania Capital-Star A nationwide abortion ban would widen disparities in healthcare and drive up the maternal mortality rate, particularly among Black women, physicians and advocates told a U.S. House panel on Thursday. “Women’s progress has always been inextricably linked with the ability to control our own bodies,” …