Poli Alert Politics & Civics

U.S. cruises could resume as early as mid-July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now telling the cruise industry. Since March 2020, the CDC has blocked cruise ships that carry more than 250 people from sailing in U.S. waters. The CDC clarified its existing return-to-sailing framework on Wednesday, …

The Senate passed the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 on Thursday. The bipartisan passed Senate 89-2. The two “no” votes were Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee(R-Utah). “Access to clean water is a human right and every American deserves access to clean water no matter the color …

George Floyd’s family attorney, Ben Crump, met with lawmakers to search for bipartisan legislation to reform policing in the United States. “We’re optimistic that — as President Biden has encouraged us — to try to have this George Floyd Act pass before May 25, the one-year anniversary of the killing …

On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration announced its plan to ban menthol cigarettes in response to a 2013 citizen petition advocating the ban of mint-flavored cigarettes, the Washington Post reports. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 20 million Americans smoke menthols. Phillip Gardiner, the co-chair of the …

Federal prosecutors are charging the three men who are accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. The US Attorneys Office for the Western District of Michigan says that Adam Fox, Barry Croft, and Daniel Joseph Harris were going to …

President Joe Biden will nominate Harris County, Texas, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to serve as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If confirmed, Gonzalez will be the first politically appointed director. Gonzalez, who has a decades-long career in law enforcement, was elected as sheriff of Harris County in 2016. He is …

A former intern of New York City mayoral candidate, Scott Stringer, is accusing him of groping and soliciting her for sex. Jean Kim, who interned for Stringer’s 2001 campaign, says, “[during] this campaign, I traveled back-and-forth to campaign events with him. Scott Stringer repeatedly groped me, put his hands on …

The three men involved in the death of Ahmaud Arbery are now facing federal hate crime charges, separate from the murder charges they each face at the state level. On Wednesday afternoon, a federal grand jury indicted Gregory McMichael, 65; his son, Travis McMichael, 35; and William “Roddie” Bryan, 51, with a …

Federal agents executed search warrants at the Manhattan home and office of Rudy Giuliani. Guiliani, former President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, has been under investigation for two years for his activities in Ukraine. Federal prosecutors are trying to figure out whether he conducted illegal lobbying for Ukrainian officials. Federal agents …

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan will lower the average individual tax rate to zero or less for families earning $75,000 or less. According to estimates from the Joint Committee on Taxation, middle-class taxpayers earning $50,000 to $75,000 will have an average tax rate of -1.9%. Low-income families will get …

President Joe Biden is signing an executive order to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors. The executive order states that federal agencies will have to include the $15 wage in new contracts by March 30, 2022. In 2014, the minimum wage was increased to $10.10. …

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention released new mask guidelines for fully vaccinated people. “If you are fully vaccinated and want to attend a small outdoor gathering with people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated, or dine at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households, the science shows …

House Democrats are asking President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to lower the Medicare eligibility age and expand its benefits in the American Families Plan. Congressman Joe Neguse, Representative Pramila Jayapal, Representative Conor Lamb, and Representative Jared Golden are leading Democrats in their efforts to expand Medicare. The …

Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) unveiled a ‘Care Infrastructure‘ Plan that includes universal paid family and medical leave, guaranteed access to child care, and permanently extending worker and family-related refundable tax credits from the American Rescue Plan. The Building an Economy for Families Act …

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department is investigating the practices of the Louisville Police Department. The investigation comes after Breonna Taylor was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky last year. Her death sparked widespread protest around the world. “It will determine whether LMPD engages in unconstitutional stops, …