Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Over the weekend, enhanced unemployment benefits expired – including $300 weekly bonus checks – as well as coverage for freelancers and the long-term employed, affecting more than 11 million people, with roughly 7.5 million who’ve lost their benefits entirely. According to estimates by The Century Foundation, 7.5 million people are no …

A Florida judge ruled against Gov. Ron DeSantis and allowed schools in the state to mandate masks. Second Circuit Judge John Cooper’s order is effective immediately and means the state must stop enforcing the banning of mask mandates. “It’s undisputed that in Florida, we are in the midst of a …

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday vowed to “protect” women seeking abortions in Texas, days after a new state law went into effect aiming to prohibit most abortions after six weeks. While the Justice Department “urgently explores all options to challenge” Texas’ new law and “protect the constitutional rights of …

Abortion is legal in the U.S. thanks to Roe v. Wade–but abortion laws and restrictions vary by state. There has been a record number of measures restricting access already passed this year, reproductive health research organization the Guttmacher Institute has said. A total of 19 states have enacted 97 restrictions …

President Joe Biden traveled to New Jersey and New York City Tuesday to survey damage in parts of the northeast that suffered catastrophic flash flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Biden declared climate change “everybody’s crisis” after touring the neighborhoods severely damaged by Ida. He said it’s time for …

Yesterday, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Reed Smith LLP, and The Arc filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Houston Area Urban League, Houston Justice, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and The Arc of Texas challenging S.B. 1, a new Texas law targeting voting rights. …

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed sweeping voter suppression legislation into law on Wednesday. The bill blocks 24-hour and drive-thru voting. The measure also makes it difficult for voters to mail in their ballots. “The common-sense reforms in this legislation strengthen our trust in the electoral process, from voter registration …

According to reports, The Proud Boys‘ leader, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, has surrendered himself to authorities to begin serving his 5-month jail sentence. At around 9 pm Monday, Tarrio arrived at the D.C. Central Detention Facility, with only hours until the deadline set by a D.C. Judge to self-surrender and begin …

President Joe Biden has ordered federal aid to New York after declaring a major disaster in the state. The aid will supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Ida, including the counties of Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond and Westchester, the White House said Monday. Assistance …

A South Carolina lawyer was shot in Hampton on Saturday while he was changing a tire, less than three months after his wife and son were murdered at their home. The lawyer, Alex Murdaugh, was changing a tire on the side of a country road when someone in a truck drove …

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday to allow the Department of Justice to release documents related to the September 11 terrorist attack in New York City. The 20th anniversary of the attack is days away. “My heart continues to be with the 9/11 families who are suffering, …

Jacob Chansley – the Arizona man who earned the moniker “QAnon Shaman” after entering the U.S. Senate Chamber wearing a horned fur hat and wielding a spear on January 6 – pleaded guilty Friday to one count of obstruction of an official proceeding. Chansley appeared before Judge Royce C. Lamberth …

The U.S. economy added just over 230,000 jobs during the month of August, the Labor Department announced Friday in its monthly jobs report — way off the mark that most experts were expecting. The department said jobs increased by 235,000 for the month. Most economists predicted the report would show …

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned tech companies on Tuesday not to cooperate with the House Select Committee’s investigation into the deadly Jan 6 insurrection. The House Select Committee has requested that thirty-five communications companies preserve information relevant to its investigation into the Capitol attack and “efforts to delay or interfere” …

A former Georgia prosecutor was indicted for misconduct after allegedly using her position to protect the men who chased and murdered Ahmaud Arbery. On Thursday, a Glynn County grand jury indicted former Brunswick Judicial District Attorney Jackie Johnson, accusing her of violating her oath of office and obstructing a police …