Poli Alert Politics & Civics

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced the award of more than $385 million to help families and individuals with their energy costs. The funds will go to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP provides households with energy assistance, including help …

Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, is leaving the administration and will be replaced by top adviser Lorraine Voles, Harris said on Thursday, the latest shake-up in the vice president’s office. The departure of Flournoy comes less than a month after Harris announced that her deputy chief of …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 21, 2022 WASHINGTON — The chairs of two U.S. House committees said Thursday they are asking election officials from four states to detail what they are doing to “counter lies and conspiracy theories and protect the integrity of federal elections.” California Democratic Rep. Zoe …

Kate Sosin Originally published by The 19th Earlier this month, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law House Bill 322, colloquially dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, restricting public school teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ history or people in public elementary schools. It stood out for two reasons: Alabama was just …

by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today April 20, 2022 Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Local resources include the Mississippi Department of Mental Health DMH Helpline at 1-877-210-8513 and the NAMI …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to proceed with its appeal of a ruling issued by a Florida judge on Monday, which tossed out the Biden administration’s travel mask mandate. “To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced …

By Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune April 19, 2022 Former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, best known for her 13-hour filibuster of a 2013 abortion bill, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Texas’ recent abortion law. The suit claims the law is “blatantly unconstitutional” and written to “make a mockery …

A Florida man pleaded guilty Tuesday to sending death threats to U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn). David Hannon, 67, of Sarasota, entered a guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher P. Tuite to an information charging him with one count of threatening a federal official. In July 2019, Hannon sent …

The Biden administration will appeal a federal judge’s order striking down a mask mandate for air travel and public transit, subject to a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Tuesday night statement. The CDC has yet to conclude that the …

President Joe Biden visited New Hampshire on Tuesday to talk about his $1.2 trillion investment in infrastructure. In his speech at the New Hampshire State Port Authority, Biden said that America is healthier than ever as it emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re the only country in the world that I believe …

On Tuesday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that state lawmakers will consider stripping Disney of its self-governing power during a special session originally called to work specifically on congressional redistricting. “They also will be considering termination of all special districts that were enacted in Florida prior to 1968 and that …

by Katheryn Houghton, Kaiser Health News, Ohio Capital Journal April 15, 2022 As the midterm election season ramps up, the Biden administration wants rural Americans to know it’ll be spending a lot of money to improve health care in rural areas. It has tasked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack with delivering …

On Monday, Tax Day 2022, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Representatives Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Katie Porter (D-Calif.), sent a letter to Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, calling out what the lawmakers say are the company’s “unethical use of the revolving …

A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate that covers public transportation, saying the requirement was beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authority. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump appointee, turned on the language in a federal law authorizing the CDC to regulate sanitation. The …

Dozens of federal agencies launched action plans last week that focus on minority groups and other underserved communities, meant to increase equity in government by opening federal programs to more people and reduce racial disparities caused by government decisions. The plans come in response to an executive order President Joe …