Poli Alert Politics & Civics

President Donald Trump on Friday removed Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Billy Long, just two months after he was sworn in, and temporarily assigned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to lead the tax agency, according to three sources familiar with the decision. The abrupt shake-up comes days after Trump’s latest tariffs took …

Fueled by President Donald Trump’s aims to bolster the U.S. House’s razor-thin GOP majority in the 2026 midterm elections, a rare mid-decade redistricting fight in Texas grew increasingly bitter in recent days and engulfed other states. As Democratic legislators in the Lone Star State fled to block a new congressional map, …

Two U.S. senators are calling on Meta to immediately scrap Instagram’s new Map feature, warning that the tool poses serious privacy and safety risks — particularly for children. In a letter sent Friday to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the company to …

President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a new federal crackdown on college admissions practices, requiring higher education institutions to submit detailed data to prove they are not using race as a factor—despite last year’s Supreme Court ruling that banned affirmative action but left limited room for personal context related to …

A federal judge in Maryland issued a sweeping order late Thursday blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented or temporary-status parents, marking the fourth court decision to halt the controversial policy since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June narrowed …

In a significant reversal, the Trump administration is planning to restore hundreds of staffing positions at the National Weather Service (NWS) that were eliminated earlier this year under sweeping budget cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the NWS, has …

President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the Department of Commerce to begin work on a new U.S. census that would exclude undocumented immigrants from the official population count — a move that could dramatically alter congressional representation and federal funding formulas. “I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately …

FBI Director Kash Patel has agreed to assist in efforts to locate and potentially detain Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block passage of Republican-drafted congressional maps, Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday. The Democrats left the state to deny the Texas House a quorum — a procedural tactic …

The Trump administration on Tuesday eliminated 22 federally funded mRNA vaccine development projects for COVID-19 and bird flu, signaling a dramatic retreat from the technology that played a central role in ending the coronavirus pandemic. The decision, made by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), affects research being …

President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled plans to impose a sweeping 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, a move he said is intended to accelerate U.S. efforts to dominate the global microchip industry and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. Speaking from the Oval Office alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trump said …

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is seriously considering taking federal control of Washington, D.C.’s police force and may send in the National Guard to address what he called “ridiculous” levels of crime in the nation’s capital. The president’s comments mark a significant escalation in rhetoric and a potential …

At least five soldiers were wounded Wednesday in an active shooter incident at Fort Stewart, the U.S. Army’s largest installation east of the Mississippi River. The base was temporarily locked down as military and local law enforcement responded to the shooting in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area. A …

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., announced Wednesday that she is running for governor of Tennessee, setting up a high-stakes GOP primary and potentially becoming the state’s first female governor. Her campaign launch video tied her closely to former President Donald Trump and emphasized staunch conservative policies on immigration, education, and …

A push by Texas Republicans to redraw congressional districts and lock in five more GOP seats has triggered a coast-to-coast political firestorm, as red and blue states alike move to reshape the U.S. House map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections — years before the next census. The escalation began …

Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked the Texas Supreme Court to remove Houston Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, from office, an unprecedented escalation in Republicans’ efforts to resume business in the Legislature and advance new congressional maps. At least 50 House Democrats have left the state …