Poli Alert Political & Civics

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 …

Ariana Figueroa, Georgia Recorder The new Republican chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and a top Democrat on the panel on Wednesday laid out anti-hunger initiatives Congress could tackle in the upcoming farm bill. During a panel discussion, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, the new head of the …

Robert Moore, El Paso Matters The federal government will not seek the death penalty for the man accused of massacring 23 people in a hate crime at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. “The United States of America hereby notifies the Court and Defendant PATRICK …

Errin Haines Originally published by The 19th This week in #2024Watch came what felt like a seismic development: Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee both signaled their intentions to run for the Senate seat currently held by fellow Democrat Dianne Feinstein — whether she decides to run again or not. The …

Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder With Republicans regaining control of the U.S. House of Representatives, controversial Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has had her committee privileges restored after Democrats stripped them in early 2021. Greene has been tapped for the House Homeland Security Committee, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday. She has …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix A state senator’s legal challenge to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ asylum-seeker airlifts will proceed to trial under a ruling that a state trial judge in Tallahassee handed down on Friday. “I think we need to just hear out these issues,” Circuit Judge John Cooper said following arguments …

Solomon Peña, a Republican former candidate for New Mexico‘s state House, was arrested by Albuquerque police on Monday in connection with a string of recent drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democratic lawmakers. Peña, who lost his November race by an overwhelming margin of 26% to 74%, is suspected of …

Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Republican Rep. Rick Allen of Georgia suggested last week that he would support raising the Social Security retirement age—a policy change that would slash benefits across the board—because people have approached him and said they “actually want to work longer.” Confronted by an advocate in the …