Poli Alert Political & Civics

Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle Indiana Supreme Court Justices will decide the future of Indiana’s near-total abortion ban after hearing oral arguments over the constitutionality of the new law on Thursday. Attorneys for abortion care providers maintained that the ban will “severely” injure women and girls, while lawyers for the …

Academics and Democratic lawmakers reacted angrily last week after the administration of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected a new high school Advanced Placement African-American studies course—without even seeing its syllabus—claiming it violates the state’s ban on “woke” education and “lacks educational value.” Some Republican Florida officials said they believe …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix In a direct challenge to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to his backyard Sunday to announce that President Joe Biden was signing an executive order designed to guarantee access to abortion rights, including abortion-inducing medications. During a roughly 20-minute address in Tallahassee …

Ray Landis, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The United States government is lurching toward a financial crisis, brought on by the desire of the Republican majority in the US House to use chaos to change the political dynamics of the country. Attempting to predict exactly how the debt ceiling situation will unfold is …

Diane Rado, Florida Phoenix Sunday, on what was going to be the 50th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22, 1973, President Joe Biden provided a statement from the White House: “Today, instead of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, we …

Steven Pressman, The New School Republicans and Democrats are again preparing to play a game of chicken over the U.S. debt ceiling – with the nation’s financial stability at stake. The Treasury Department on Jan. 13, 2023, said it expects the U.S. to hit the current debt limit of US$31.38 …

Adam Goldstein, Nebraska Examiner President Joe Biden hosted more than 200 of the nation’s mayors at the White House on Friday afternoon, highlighting economic growth and the effectiveness of their bipartisan leadership as the country moves on from the COVID-19 pandemic. “I want to thank the mayors across the country …

A federal US judge sanctioned former President Donald Trump and his lawyers nearly $1 million Thursday for a “frivolous” lawsuit claiming Hillary Clinton had tried to rig the 2016 election. District Judge John Middlebrooks said the Republican, who is seeking to return to the White House in 2024, exhibited a …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams To end an era in which wealthy corporations have been given free rein to spend nearly unlimited money on political campaigns, Democrats in the U.S. House on Thursday proposed a constitutional amendment that would overturn the hugely consequential Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision by …

President Joe Biden repeated his warnings about climate change on Thursday during a visit to California as he toured the damage caused by recent storms. The president promised more federal help and touted his plan to mitigate the effects of extreme weather, which Biden said are caused by climate change. …

Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The nation reached its debt limit Thursday, beginning the uncertain process known as extraordinary measures, in which the U.S. Treasury Department uses accounting maneuvers to avoid defaulting on the debt. The often-used practice is intended to give the Republican House, Democratic Senate and Biden administration time …

Ariana Figueroa, Michigan Advance Just like teens, members of Congress are setting up TikTok accounts — even as the popular app is increasingly barred from government devices and heads of federal intelligence agencies raise concerns about data collection and surveillance obtained by a Chinese-owned company. At least 32 members of …

Frustrated with federal inaction in the face of soaring inequality, Democratic lawmakers in seven states across the U.S. are teaming up this week to simultaneously introduce wealth tax bills targeting the fortunes of billionaires and other rich individuals who have seen their net worth explode in recent years. Officially launching …

Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune A long trail of SUVs snaked out of El Paso carrying a group of U.S. senators into southern New Mexico on a recent, chilly night. Like a funeral procession, the oversized cars glided through traffic with hazard lights on, turning onto a paved road to …

Wes Moore became the 63rd governor of Maryland — and the state’s first Black chief executive — on Wednesday, pledging to throw open the doors of opportunity to all. In remarks offered soon after he was sworn in, Moore acknowledged the inescapable significance of the moment. “As we stand here …