Poli Alert Politics & Civics

President Donald Trump signed a series of education-focused orders Wednesday related to accreditation in higher education, school discipline policies, historically Black colleges and universities, artificial intelligence in education and workforce development. The executive orders are the latest in a slew of efforts from Trump to dramatically reshape the federal role …

Federal prosecutors are recommending a prison sentence of over seven years for disgraced former Congressman George Santos, R-N.Y., citing his elaborate campaign fraud scheme and recent social media posts that they argue show a lack of remorse. Santos, who was expelled from Congress in December 2023, pleaded guilty last year …

A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday grilled the Trump administration and the attorney for transgender service members who won a lower court order reversing President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender troops. One judge on the panel voiced serious concerns …

Longtime Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate, announced he will retire after his term ends in January 2027. “I truly love the job of being United State Senator, but in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” Durbin said in a …

In a major rebuke to the Trump administration, a federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Network staff, declaring the government’s recent moves to shutter the outlets unlawful. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction on behalf …

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has “no intention” of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, despite a barrage of recent social media attacks that stoked speculation about the central bank leader’s job security and triggered volatility in financial markets. “This is a perfect time to lower interest rates,” Trump …

Elon Musk said Tuesday he will significantly reduce his time working with the Trump administration starting in May and redirect his focus back to Tesla, following intense investor pressure and a dismal first-quarter earnings report. Musk’s remarks came during Tesla’s earnings call, where the company reported a 71% plunge in …

A federal judge in Denver on Tuesday granted a motion for a temporary restraining order blocking the removal of detainees held in Colorado under the 1798 law that President Donald Trump’s administration has invoked to send hundreds of people to a brutal maximum-security prison in El Salvador. U.S. District Court …

Harvard University filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration after the government froze $2.2 billion in federal research grants, escalating a tense standoff over academic freedom, First Amendment protections, and what Harvard calls “unprecedented and improper” federal overreach. “The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and …

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, just hours after the world learned of Pope Francis’ death at the age of 88. The president paid tribute to the late pontiff, calling him “a good man” and ordering flags flown …

The U.S. Department of Education said Monday that it will resume collections May 5 for defaulted federal student loans. After pausing during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency has not collected on defaulted loans in over five years. More than 5 million borrowers sit in default on their federal …

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) declared Sunday that the United States is in the midst of a constitutional crisis, accusing President Donald Trump and his administration of willfully defying court orders in the controversial deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador. “Yes, we are …

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing intense scrutiny following revelations that he shared sensitive details of U.S. military operations in Yemen via his personal phone in a 13-person Signal group chat — a chat that included his wife, brother, and close advisers but no other Cabinet-level officials. Two sources confirmed …

When Desoto Regional Health System took out $36 million in loans last year to renovate a rural hospital that opened in 1952, officials were banking on its main funding source remaining stable: Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for low-income people and the disabled. But those dollars are now in …

President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda encountered two significant setbacks this week, as the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted the mass deportation of Venezuelan migrants and diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war showed signs of unraveling. On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a late-night emergency order pausing the administration’s …