Poli Alert Political & Civics

Ariana Figueroa, Louisiana Illuminator U.S. House Republicans on Thursday pushed through a border security package that mirrors Trump-era immigration policies, aiming criticism at the Biden administration for ending a pandemic-era public health measure used to expel millions of migrants from the country. The House passed the measure in a 219-213 …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed Thursday that Daniel Penny, who last week fatally choked Jordan Neely on the subway in New York City, is set to be charged Friday and could face up to 15 years behind bars. “Daniel Penny will be …

Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis signed what both he and his critics agree is the strongest anti-illegal immigration bill passed by any state legislature in the country on Wednesday. Speaking in Jacksonville behind a podium with a sign reading, “Biden’s Border Crisis,” the governor blasted the president for …

New York Republican Rep. George Santos has been indicted on 13 federal charges in New York that include wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements to the House of Representatives. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace announced the charges Wednesday and released an unsealed grand jury indictment from …

Jennifer Shutt, New Jersey Monitor President Joe Biden and top congressional leaders were unable to reach a bipartisan debt limit agreement during a closed-door meeting Tuesday, leaving the dispute unresolved as the country moves closer to a default predicted as soon as early June. White House staff and aides to …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a raft of education bills into law Tuesday, including one that makes it harder for teachers’ unions to collect dues and to qualify to represent a bargaining unit. The governor took the occasion of a bill-signing ceremony at a Miami charter school …

Jennifer Shutt, Michigan Advance The U.S. government could default as soon as next month if Congress and the Biden administration can’t reach a debt limit agreement before then, according to a new analysis from the Bipartisan Policy Center. The updated guidance, which puts the default window between early June and …

Ashley Murray, Georgia Recorder Lawmakers in the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation last week in an effort to curb staggering overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl substances that are illicitly produced and up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The HALT Fentanyl Act, passed on a 289-133 vote with 74 Democratic votes and support …

Prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice have filed criminal charges against Republican Congressman George Santos of New York, sources familiar with the matter told multiple media outlets on Tuesday. Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York filed charges against the freshman lawmaker, who is expected to appear …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams Faced with mounting calls to resign due to the impact of her extended absence, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein headed to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday after being away since late February while recovering from shingles. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the California Democrat “boarded a chartered …

A federal jury in New York found former President Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation in a civil trial stemming from allegations he raped the writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. While jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that she was raped, they found …

Henry Redman, Wisconsin Examiner The Republican Party of Wisconsin has invited Mayra Flores, a former Republican member of Congress from Texas who shared conspiracy theories on her Twitter account, to speak at the party’s state convention in La Crosse next month. Flores, the first Mexican-born member of the House of …

Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams As congressional leaders prepare for a Tuesday meeting at the White House, Congressman Jamie Raskin, a constitutional scholar, affirmed Sunday that if GOP lawmakers won’t raise the debt ceiling without major spending cuts, President Joe Biden can invoke the 14th Amendment to keep borrowing and avert …

James Barragán, The Texas Tribune   Rep. Bryan Slaton resigned from the Texas House on Monday after an investigation determined that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 19-year-old woman on his staff, providing her with enough alcohol before their encounter that she felt dizzy and had double vision. …

Mel Leonoe Barclay Originally published by The 19th A coalition of abortion rights advocates in Florida is set to push a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion protections into the state’s constitution, with the launch of a public campaign to get the issue on the Florida 2024 ballot expected next …