Poli Alert Politics & Civics

The Biden Administration announced it has extended the federal transportation mask mandate another two weeks due to rising COVID-19 case numbers across the country. The mask mandate, which requires face coverings on public transportation, including planes and trains and in airports, was initially put in place in January 2021 and set …

The South Dakota House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to impeach Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg over his actions before and after a fatal car crash in 2020 in which he initially told authorities he thought he had struck a deer or another large animal. The final vote was 36 to 31. The …

by Katie Akin, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 12, 2022 MENLO, Ia. — In response to rising gas prices, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that fuel stations may sell cheaper, higher-ethanol blend fuels through the summer.  “I’m here today because home-grown biofuels have a role to play right now… as we …

Shefali Luthra Originally published by The 19th Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law Tuesday criminalizing all abortions with narrow exceptions to save the pregnant person’s life. Under the law, medical providers who perform abortions could be punished with up to 10 years in prison. “We want Oklahoma to be …

The Biden administration is taking action to lessen the burden for Americans dealing with medical debt, Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday. “Some debt collection companies harass consumers with dozens of phone calls a week,” Harris said during a briefing in the South Court Auditorium at the Eisenhower Executive Office …

New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin has resigned after being arrested and charged in an alleged federal bribery conspiracy. “I have accepted Brian Benjamin’s resignation effective immediately. While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor. New …

Consumer prices in the United States rose 8.5 percent in March compared to a year prior, the biggest increase since late 1981, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The report was the first to encompass the surge in gas prices driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which drove up energy prices …

A jury issued a unanimous verdict of guilty on all counts Monday for a former Virginia police officer charged in the January 6 Capitol riot. Thomas Robertson, 49, of Ferrum, Virginia, was found guilty of a total of six charges following a trial in the District of Columbia. The jury found …

Orion Rummler Originally published by The 19th On the last day of Alabama’s legislative session, lawmakers sent two anti-transgender bills to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk — an 11th-hour move that shocked the state’s LGBTQ+ advocates. One measure classifies gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth as a felony. The other requires students …

by Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder April 8, 2022 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Congress last week voted overwhelmingly to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and reinforce a ban on Russian oil imports, following weeks of back-and-forth negotiations over the specifics. Senators in a pair of rare 100-0 votes agreed to …

On Monday, President Joe Biden will announce that he is nominating Steve Dettelbach to serve as Director of The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Dettelbach is a former U.S. Attorney and career prosecutor who spent over two decades as a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2009, he …

By Jolie McCullough, The Texas Tribune April 10, 2022 After charging a woman with murder over a self-induced abortion, forcing her to spend three days in jail and drawing national attention, Starr County, Texas officials announced Sunday they would change course and move to dismiss the case. Lizelle Herrera was …

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan‘s veto of a measure to expand access to abortion in the state was overridden on Saturday by the General Assembly, which Democrats control. House Bill 937, titled the Abortion Care Access Act, was overridden in the House of Delegates by a vote of 90-46, and in the …

by Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent April 8, 2022 WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have departed their offices and hearing rooms on Capitol Hill for a two-week spring recess without passing additional funding to combat the coronavirus, amid a stalemate over immigration policy. Despite reaching a bipartisan agreement Monday for $10 billion for …

While Republicans have spent the last two weeks accusing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of going easy on child pornographers, and accusing Democrats at large of being “groomers” and “pro-pedophile, a former GOP aide, who worked on former President Donald Trump‘s 2020 re-election campaign, was sentenced on Thursday to more than 12 …