Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Children’s hospitals across the country are overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases as the Delta variant continues to surge and schools reopen. Approximately 1,600 children infected with COVID-19 were hospitalized last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Public Health officials warn that the number of infections will …

Houston Independent School District leaders voted 8-0 on Thursday to require students, staff, and visitors to wear masks on school property and buses. The mandate will go into effect on Monday. HISD Board Mask Mandate Vote 8-12-21.mp4 from Houston ISD on Vimeo. “The safety of our students and staff will …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is endorsing a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised individuals. All eleven members of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted in favor of additional shots of the vaccine. “At a time when the Delta variant is surging, an …

A federal judge has denied a request by a group of landlords to block the CDC’s recently reinstated eviction moratorium. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that despite her belief the CDC does not have the authority to enact the ban, her hands were tied based on a previous ruling from an …

After a 15-hour filibuster against Senate Bill 1 (SB1) by Texas Sen. Carol Alvarado ended just before 9 a.m.on Thursday, the GOP-backed bill passed. SB1 would place new restrictions on voting that many opponents say would disproportionately suppress ballots from voters of color and disabled voters. It was passed 18-11 along …

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuits against Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, will go to trial. The trio made allegations that the company rigged voting machines to convert votes. In a 44-page opinion, Judge Carl Nichols, laid out the trio’s …

Newly released demographic data from the United States Census Bureau reveals that the United States has become more diverse in the last ten years, while the non-Hispanic White population is declining. Since 2010, the population of Americans that identifies as White has decreased by 8.6%. Despite the decline, white people …

President Joe Biden is pushing a plan to lower prescription drug costs for Americans covered by the federally-funded Medicare program. Yesterday, the White House released its initiative to lower healthcare costs that include the ability for Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs. In a fact sheet released by the White …

The Supreme Court late Thursday denied a request to block Indiana University’s requirement that all students and staff get the Covid-19 vaccine before coming back to campus this fall. Justice Amy Coney Barrett – who has jurisdiction over the Seventh Circuit, which includes Indiana – rejected the emergency petition brought …

The number of new U.S. workers filing unemployment claims has declined for the third straight week, the Labor Department said Thursday in its weekly report. The department said 375,000 workers filed initial claims last week, a figure that’s right in line with what most analysts expected. The weekly figures have …

A federal judge is ordering former President Donald Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, to release financial documents related to House Oversight Committee’s investigations. United States District Judge Amit Mehta ruled on Wednesday that the Committee is entitled to records of President Trump’s lease of the Trump Hotel in the nation’s …

California is about to become the first state in the U.S. to require school employees to either show proof that they are vaccinated against COVID-19, or be subject to weekly testing. Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the statewide public health order for K-12 teachers and staff on Wednesday as schools resume …

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Tuesday vetoed four restrictive absentee ballot bills passed by the Republican Legislature. The Democratic Governor also told two counties in the state not to comply with the Republican head of the Assembly elections committee’s subpoenas to hand over ballots and voting equipment. Republicans do not …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future,” the new guidance reads. …

Twitter said Tuesday it had suspended the account of Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch supporter of former Republican President Donald Trump, for a week over a “misleading” tweet on coronavirus vaccines. The tweet in question sent on Monday said the US Food and Drug Administration should not give …