Poli Alert Political & Civics

Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune The future of medication abortion in the United States remains up in the air after a federal judge heard arguments Wednesday in a suit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s long-standing approval of mifepristone. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk said he would rule “as soon …

Nadra Nittle Originally published by The 19th A Nobel laureate, Pulitzer Prize winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree, Toni Morrison accomplished a staggering list of feats as a writer and scholar. More than three years after her death at 88 in August 2019, she continues to achieve. Her latest …

Nadra Nittle Originally published by The 19th Long hours. Low morale. Little pay. These are just some of the reasons researchers say that many states face a teacher shortage that the Great Recession ushered in over 15 years ago and the pandemic only made worse. To retain and recruit teachers, …

Fears of an escalation between nuclear superpowers Russia and the United States mounted Tuesday after a U.S. Air Force Reaper drone went down in international waters in the Black Sea during an encounter with a Russian fighter jet, with both sides giving varying accounts of the incident. According to U.S. …

The U.S. government is suing Rite Aid, alleging that the pharmacy chain missed “obvious red flags” and illegally filled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids. The Justice Department complaint states that from 2014 to 2019, Rite Aid pharmacists knowingly filled prescriptions that were “medically unnecessary,” prescribed …

Robin Opsahl, Michigan Advance Former President Donald Trump, in his first Iowa stop as an official presidential candidate, took aim at a potential rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump said if DeSantis joins the 2024 presidential race, his track record on ethanol and Social Security could cost him the Iowa …

Elaine S. Povich As the U.S. Supreme Court mulls the constitutionality of President Joe Biden’s broad student loan forgiveness plan, lawmakers in many states are looking to expand their own student debt repayment programs. Every state but North Dakota has at least one loan forgiveness plan. The catch is that …

Casey Quinlan After the largest U.S. bank failure in more than a decade, regional bank stocks plunged on Monday as the federal government — with the 2007-2008 financial crisis still a fresh memory for many — rushed to reassure Americans that the U.S. banking system was stable. President Joe Biden …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams More than a dozen House Republicans are expected to release legislation Tuesday that would impose more harsh work requirements on certain recipients of federal food aid, a clear signal that the GOP intends to target nutrition assistance in critical debt ceiling, budget, and farm bill talks. …

Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix Republican lawmakers are proposing to expand legislation that would further limit majors and minors available to Florida university students, which would exacerbate concerns from faculty and other opponents of the bill that has already shaken up higher education in the state. The legislation also would …

Jon King, Michigan Advance A man from Michigan’s Thumb region, who authorities say made numerous threats to kill FBI agents, members of the LGBTQ+ community, President Joe Biden, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, has been charged with illegally possessing firearms. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for …

President Joe Biden on Monday reassured Americans that the banking system is safe in the wake of the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the federal takeover of a second bank. “Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe. Your deposits will be there when you …

Ariana Figueroa, Florida Phoenix Republican election officials from Florida, Ohio and Louisiana on Friday detailed to lawmakers on a U.S. House Administration panel the success of their states’ handling of the 2022 midterm elections, and said they can run their own elections without federal intervention. The chair of the Elections …

Robin Opsahl, Florida Phoenix Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Iowa Republicans Friday that standing strong in the culture wars around issues like education, criminal justice and health care in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic will help their party win elections. DeSantis, along with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, spoke to …

Ashley Murray, Michigan Advance A national “Parents Bill of Rights” is headed for a full U.S. House vote after the House Committee on Education and the Workforce early Thursday approved the measure designed to empower parents to inspect books and other teaching materials in schools. Lawmakers on the committee debated …