Poli Alert Political & Civics

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,” …

House members, mostly along party lines, cleared a spending package Friday that would bolster funding for natural disaster response, though with Hurricane Ian still battering the Southeast, lawmakers will likely need to approve another aid bill later this year. The measure would provide $2.5 billion in assistance for the Hermit’s …

Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams More than half of adults in the United States say they lack trust in the federal government’s judicial branch and nearly three-fifths disapprove of the way the U.S. Supreme Court is doing its job, according to survey results released Thursday, as the negative ramifications of opinions …

President Biden declared Florida a major disaster area Thursday morning, ordering federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida as a Category 4 storm Wednesday afternoon. The declaration will allow federal aid to go to Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, …

Jennifer Shutt, Virginia Mercury The U.S. Senate approved broadly bipartisan legislation Thursday that would provide billions for natural disaster relief, military and economic aid to Ukraine as well as funding to help low-income families offset the rising costs of heating and cooling their homes. The legislation includes $2.5 billion in …

Jennifer Shutt, Ohio Capital Journal The U.S. Senate advanced a catchall spending package Tuesday that would provide billions to aid Ukraine’s war effort, help communities throughout the country recover from natural disasters and keep the federal government funded through mid-December. Democrats and Republicans voted 72-23 to move the measure toward …

An Iowa man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison Tuesday for restraining former DC Police Officer Mike Fanone while other rioters assaulted him on Jan. 6. Kyle Young, 38, of Redfield, Iowa, pleaded guilty in May to one felony count of assaulting, resisting or impeding a police …

This story was originally published by The 19th Candice Norwood Last year, about 6.2 million people participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the federal assistance service that aims to support the health and nutrition of low-income pregnant and breastfeeding people and children under …

Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix As Hurricane Ian makes its entrance on the Southwest coastline, Florida utility companies have already documented hundreds of thousands of homes without power due to the impact of the intense Category 4 storm. And some worry that efforts to get families back online could take …

Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, broke from his own party in voting against a bipartisan bill that would bar him from singlehandedly objecting to presidential election results, as he did on Jan. 6, 2021. The bill, dubbed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement …

Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams Progressives responded with indignation Tuesday after Rep. Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, stated his opposition to popular legislation that aims to restrict widespread stock trading by members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children, senior government officials, and federal judges, including those on the …