Poli Alert Politics & Civics

Gov. Tim Walz ended his campaign for a historic third-term on Monday amid mounting pressure from members of his own party and intense attacks from Republicans over widespread fraud in state-run social services programs. Walz defended his record in a statement and said he was certain he could win a …

A federal judge in Kentucky has dismissed Louisville’s proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over police reforms, after the department withdrew its support for the plan earlier this year. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Beaton ruled Dec. 31 that the responsibility for ensuring the Louisville Metro Police Department complies …

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted by a federal grand jury on sweeping narcotics and weapons charges, accused by U.S. prosecutors of leading a decades-long scheme to flood the United States with cocaine while enriching himself, his family and senior members of Venezuela’s government. The indictment was unsealed Saturday after …

The U.S. Postal Service has adopted a new rule that could create doubt about whether some ballots mailed by voters by Election Day will receive postmarks in time to be counted. A USPS rule that took effect on Dec. 24 says mail might not receive a postmark on the same …

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States will effectively govern Venezuela following a U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, marking a dramatic escalation in Washington’s confrontation with the South American nation. “We’re going to run the country until such time …

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is abandoning — at least for now — his effort to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, after courts repeatedly blocked the moves. “We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins …

The FBI said Friday that it thwarted a planned terrorist attack targeting a grocery store and a Burger King restaurant in suburban Charlotte on New Year’s Eve, arresting an 18-year-old man accused of attempting to support the Islamic State terrorist group. Federal authorities announced that Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint …

President Donald Trump pushed back this week against questions about his health and stamina, telling The Wall Street Journal that he does not fall asleep during meetings and that visible bruising on his hands is caused by his long-term use of high-dose aspirin. “They say aspirin is good for thinning …

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in Thursday as the 112th mayor of New York City, pledging to pursue an unapologetically progressive agenda and declaring that he intends to govern exactly as he campaigned — as a democratic socialist. “I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a …

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday released the full transcript and video of former special counsel Jack Smith’s closed-door deposition before the Republican-led panel earlier this month, making public more than eight hours of testimony detailing his criminal cases against President Donald Trump. The release includes a 255-page transcript and …

David Fitzgerald knows how tough it is to prevent gun violence. In 15 years working in some of Baltimore’s deadliest neighborhoods for a program called Safe Streets, he said, he’s defused hundreds of fights that could have led to a shooting. The effort, part of Baltimore’s more than $100 million …

President Donald Trump this week exercised his veto power for the first time since returning to the White House, rejecting two bipartisan bills that had sailed through Congress with little opposition — a move that stunned lawmakers in both parties and underscored the president’s willingness to override congressional consensus to …

Starting Thursday, low-income Americans in five states will face new limits on what they can buy with government assistance for groceries, as the Trump administration begins rolling out restrictions on soda, candy and other foods under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia are the …

The Trump administration on Tuesday froze all federal child care payments to Minnesota, an extraordinary escalation triggered by a viral right-wing video alleging widespread fraud — and one that state officials and Democrats are denouncing as politically motivated collective punishment. In a statement and video posted to X, senior officials …

Renee Hardman, a West Des Moines council member and president and CEO of Lutheran Services in Iowa, won a special election Tuesday for Iowa Senate District 16, according to unofficial results. Hardman’s win means Democrats retain the seat, formerly held by the late Sen. Claire Celsi, and they have stopped …