Poli Alert Political & Civics

By Ren Larson, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica Dec. 29, 2021 Commanders will no longer be involved in military sexual harassment or sexual assault investigations under a new federal law named for a murdered Fort Hood soldier that goes into effect on Jan. 1. Provisions of the “I Am Vanessa …

On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation to reopen the state’s first HBCU in Detroit. D’Wayne Edwards, the founder of the Pensole Design Academy in Portland, Oregon, recently announced plans to turn the former Lewis College of Business, the state’s first HBCU, which closed in 2013, into a design-focused …

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will not face criminal charges in connection with two incidents of alleged unwanted kisses, a district attorney said on Tuesday. “Our investigation found credible evidence to conclude that the alleged conduct in both instances described above did occur,” Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah …

Harry Reid, the former long-serving Democratic senator from Nevada, died Tuesday at 82. “I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” his wife of 62 …

The United States recorded a new record high Tuesday, with more than 500,000 new COVID-19 cases reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. According to the database, the U.S. recorded 512,553 positive COVID-19 cases, breaking the all-time record of 294,015 that was set on Jan. 8. CNN and The Washington Post reported that the …

In 2016, former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced that Harriet Tubman would be placed on the front of the $20 bill. However, after five years and no current plans to revamp the currency, descendants of the abolitionist are disappointed. Plans to place Tubman on the $20 bill were declared under the …

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week that the first injectable long-acting drug to prevent HIV pre-exposure had been approved. As an alternative to HIV prevention pills like Truvada and Descovy, which are shown to reduce the risk of HIV by 99 percent but require adherence to daily doses, …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shortening the recommended time period for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of …

President Joe Biden signed into law Monday the $768 billion defense policy bill that includes a pay raise for troops, reforms of the military justice system and billions to spend on research and development deemed critical for the U.S. military to remain competitive with Russia and China. The 2022 National …

The U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee has launched a bipartisan investigation into Live Nation, addressing the tragic crowd crush that left ten concertgoers dead at last month’s Astroworld festival in Houston. The Washington Post reports that the probe was initiated on Wednesday (December 22) by Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, …

President Joe Biden last week issued an executive order implementing his plan to provide federal civilian employees with an average 2.7% pay raise next year. As originally proposed in his fiscal 2022 budget plan, the raise provides federal workers with a 2.2% across-the-board raise, as well as an average 0.5% increase …

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, 90, has died in Cape Town, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in a statement on Sunday. Alongside late Nelson Mandela, Tutu was one of the most important voices against the old system of white minority rule known as apartheid. The Anglican cleric also …

Nadra Nittle Originally published by The 19th President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he’s extending the pandemic pause on federal student loan payments through May 1, 2022, a move that drew both quick praise from advocates and renewed calls to cancel student debt outright. A moratorium on payments has been …

This year’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) Open Enrollment Period is outpacing all previous years, a historic high of more than 13.6 million people already enrolled in health insurance coverage for 2022 through HealthCare.gov and State-based Marketplaces (SBMs). The American Rescue Plan (ARP) has made coverage more affordable and accessible for …

Children completing a Christmas Eve art project at Children’s National Hospital unexpectedly had a chance to show off their creations to President Joe Biden. President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visit patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. on Christmas Eve. pic.twitter.com/LgSbig7aLR — Poli Alert …