Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Former President Donald Trump castigated congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 insurrection, calling them a “hoax” despite mounting evidence he acted illegally in trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. “It was a simple protest that got out of hand. They never show the size of the crowd. …

by Jennifer Shutt, Florida Phoenix The first woman joined Congress more than a century ago, but not until this month have any of the 540 rooms in the U.S. Capitol been officially named for women who served in the U.S. Senate. Following a dedication ceremony last week, Margaret Chase Smith …

Jennifer Selin, Wayne State University As the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings pass their halfway point, they have brought new details to light that explain the events of the attack on the Capitol and place them in context of a larger effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In the first …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Saturday that children as young as six months old receive Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The move follows a unanimous vote earlier in the day by an advisory panel of outside experts known as Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or …

Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Thursday’s public hearing of the House January 6 committee focused largely on former President Donald Trump’s futile attempt to convince Mike Pence, his vice president, to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. “There was no basis in the Constitution or laws of the United …

A bill expanding health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic military burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan passed the U.S. Senate on Thursday in an overwhelmingly 84-14 bipartisan vote. The bill eases and expands access to health services and disability benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxic …

by Ariana Figueroa, Nebraska Examiner The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday examined the public health effect that gun violence has on children.  “Guns are killing our kids at a devastating rate,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chair of the committee, said in his opening statement. The hearing followed the May …

Parents of children under 5 are one step closer to vaccinating their young kids against COVID-19 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s outside vaccine panel recommended emergency use authorizations of two COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday. The 21-person Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend the FDA …

by Jacob Fischler, Missouri Independent June 16, 2022 The private and public conflict between Donald Trump and Mike Pence over certifying the 2020 election results put the vice president within steps of the Jan. 6 attackers, the U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection said Thursday. As the mob approached the …

Michael J. Klein, New York University A spate of high-profile mass shootings in the U.S. has sparked calls for Congress to look at imposing a ban on so-called assault weapons – covering the types of guns used in both the recent Buffalo grocery attack and that on an elementary school …

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday aiming to curtail conversion therapy, expand health care access and promote safe learning for LGBTQI+ people. The order is meant to counter laws in Republican-led states that restrict the rights of LGBTQI+ kids and their families. A senior administration official referenced Texas …

Originally published by The 19th Over the past two weeks, Diamond Cotton has encountered a lot of empty shelves. At her local CVS, Walmart and Kroger in Indianapolis, the tampon aisles have stood bare, wiped out by a shortage that began as a ripple in the supply chain and then …

The gunman accused of killing ten people in a Buffalo, New York supermarket has been charged with hate crimes by the U.S. Department of Justice. Authorities believe that suspect Payton Gendron, 18, was motivated by racial hatred. Almost all the victims in the shooting were black. He now faces 26 …

by Jacob Fischler, New Jersey Monitor The day before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk gave a tour to a group that included a man who took unusual photos in House office buildings, including of stairwells, tunnels and security checkpoints, the House committee investigating …

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has been tapped to join the White House as a senior aide. Bottoms will replace Cedric Richmond and take on the role as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. The Hill reported Richmond left the White House last month. According to …