Poli Alert Politics & Civics

A Capitol police officer has been suspended and is under investigation after a congressional aid spotted a copy of the “Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion” — an anti-Semitic book — on the table near a security checkpoint. “We take all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously. …

A man was arrested Wednesday for gun and ammunition offenses near the official vice president’s residence on the grounds of the Naval Observatory in Washington, police said. Paul Murray of San Antonio, Texas was detained and arrested after he was stopped by police near the Naval Observatory — the vice presidential …

Sen. Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s first Black Senator, used his first floor speech on Capitol Hill to urge his colleagues to pass voting rights legislation. Warnock, who is co-sponsoring the “For The People Act,” a sweeping elections reform bill that passed the House earlier this month, urged Congress to pass the …

Texas Republicans are working to shake up things in Houston by changing the voting process. Republican lawmakers introduced two dozen bills to suppress votes. “We must pass laws to prevent election officials from jeopardizing the election process,” Gov. Greg Abbott said. The bills will disable counties from sending absentee ballots …

Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) introduced a bill Tuesday to expand affordable broadband access to millions of families living in federally subsidized housing. Citing the modern need for high-speed internet for remote learning, work, telehealth, and more, the bill would pave the way for low-income Americans to …

Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would urge his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but acknowledged that some of them may refuse in the name of “freedom.” “I would recommend it, and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it,” Trump …

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan banned debt collectors from garnishing Marylanders’ latest round of federal stimulus checks Monday. Under Hogan’s latest order on stimulus checks, financial institutions have to consider American Rescue Plan stimulus checks as “protected and cannot be subject to a court-ordered garnishment,” according to a release. “For more than a …

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Tuesday that thousands of former inmates in the state would have their voting rights restored. Right now, convicted felons in Virginia can ask the governor’s office to restore their rights after they complete probation. Moving forward, Northam said former inmates will be able to …

The Senate voted Monday to confirm New Mexico Congresswoman Deb Haaland as President Joe Biden‘s Interior secretary. Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo, has become the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history. The vote was 51 to 40, with most Republicans voting against her after several called …

A sizable majority of the Democrats serving in New York’s congressional delegation are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign following the latest sexual harassment allegations reported. The newest allegations say that the Governor groped a female aide last year. Soon after, a wave of statements were released by elected officials …

Two people were arrested and charged in connection with the alleged assault of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick on Sunday. The two men, Julian Elie Khater of Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, of West Virginia, were taken into custody on Sunday and are charged with nine counts, including assaulting three …

The Republican state senator behind one of the controversial election bills currently being debated in Georgia predicted that no-excuse absentee voting would remain Georgia law. The prediction comes as lawmakers from the state Senate and state House try to reconcile different aspects of the election bills before they can be passed. Sen. …

Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) is reintroducing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) experience a wave of physical, verbal and online attacks. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act seeks to address the ongoing hate and violence towards AAPIs by providing greater assistance with law enforcement response …

The Kentucky Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would make it a crime to insult police officers and boost penalties for rioting. The bill comes in reaction to racial justice protests in Louisville and across the state and country over the last year. The bill would make it a …

The House on Thursday approved a pair of bills that would expand and strengthen background checks for gun purchasers. In votes that fell largely along party lines, the House passed legislation that would require background checks for all gun buyers and extend the time given to the FBI to vet …