Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Donna Lowry, GPB News The Fulton County grand jury determining if former President Donald Trump should face criminal charges in Georgia is now seated. Ninety-six people arrived at Fulton County Superior Court for grand jury duty early Tuesday morning, unaware that some would hear evidence on whether to indict Trump …

Inflation in the United States has reached its lowest point in over two years, with a 3% increase in June compared to the previous year. This is a positive sign that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have been effective in slowing down price increases in the economy. Although the …

Ashley Murray, Nevada Current The White House is unveiling a plan to combat the growing threat of drug overdose deaths involving the combination of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and the powerful sedative xylazine, approved only for veterinary use. The plan comes ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’s meeting with state attorneys …

by Ken Coleman, Michigan Advance In a Twitter post on Monday, Hill Harper — an actor, Detroit business owner and resident — announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate as a Democrat, joining an increasingly crowded field. He posted: “We can all feel it: D.C just isn’t getting things …

Former President Donald Trump and his personal aide, Walt Nauta, are requesting a lengthy delay before their trial for allegedly hoarding military secrets at Mar-a-Lago. They argue that proceeding with the trial while Trump remains a candidate for president would make it difficult to seat an impartial jury. The defense …

Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the United States, has been ordered to pay more than $100 million to customers and an additional $150 million in penalties for engaging in illegal practices. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) conducted an investigation and found that the bank had harmed hundreds …

Anna Liz Nichols, Michigan Advance Michigan is the 10th state to ban what advocates for ending child marriage call “a human rights abuse” after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Tuesday to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 years old. The ban is “long overdue,” Whitmer said in a …

Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, announced Monday he is joining the Democratic primary to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Gutierrez made his campaign official in a nearly four-minute video that starts with him driving to Uvalde, the city in his district where …

Voting rights advocates across the United States on Monday responded with alarm to Republicans introducing what its backers called “the most conservative election integrity bill to be seriously considered” in the U.S. House of Representatives in decades. Dubbed the “Big Lie Bill” by critics, the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) …

Gloria Rebecca Gomez, Arizona Mirror Arizona women are now able to visit their local pharmacy for their birth control needs without first securing a doctor’s signature. A law passed two years ago that finally made it through official hurdles last week removes the requirement for a doctor-approved prescription to buy …

Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune   The 24-year-old gunman who killed 23 people and injured 22 others in August 2019 at a Walmart in his attempt “to shoot as many Mexicans as possible” was sentenced in federal court to 90 consecutive life sentences Friday for his hate crimes. Patrick …

Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder Fulton County could dominate national headlines this summer if District Attorney Fani Willis files criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and his inner circle over alleged 2020 election interference. Law enforcement agencies have been informed by Willis that additional security around the downtown Atlanta courthouse …

Mel Leonor Barclay Originally published by The 19th Nearly all of the recent spending bills that have cleared the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee have included measures to restrict access to abortions, setting up a fight with Senate Democrats, who’ve pledged to block such measures during looming negotiations to fund the …

The government watchdog Accountable.US reported Friday that a majority of incumbent members in the U.S. House of Representatives filed extensions this year for their 2022 financial disclosures, a revelation that comes as congressional Democrats are leading multiple bills that would ban lawmakers and their relatives from stock trading and other …

by Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder The Biden administration announced new initiatives Friday that could reduce health care costs, though none will take effect immediately. The changes include a proposed rule that would reduce the amount of time short-term health insurance plans can last and require companies that offer the plans to …