Poli Alert Politics & Civics

The Great American State Fair on the National Mall has all the trappings of a classic state fair: food vendors, merchandise, a Ferris wheel and scores of activities.  But on Tuesday, just days before the nation’s 250th anniversary, one thing was, for the most part, notably absent. The crowds.  Early …

President Donald Trump reported earning more than $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency-related ventures during the first year of his second term, according to a sweeping financial disclosure released Tuesday that also revealed extensive investments, licensing deals and other business interests. The 927-page disclosure filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down longstanding federal limits on how much national political party committees can spend in coordination with individual candidates, ruling the restrictions violate the First Amendment’s protection of free speech. In a 6-3 decision, the court sided with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the …

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette’s 30-year career in Congress was brought to an end by a democratic socialist and first-time candidate born four months after DeGette first took office. Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Ph.D. student and former attorney who launched a long-shot primary challenge against DeGette last year, beat the congressional …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws that prohibit transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, delivering another significant victory for states defending restrictions on transgender participation and marking the latest setback for LGBTQ rights before the nation’s highest court. In a 6-3 decision, the justices …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday reaffirmed the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, striking down President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants and certain temporary visa holders. In a 5-4 decision on constitutional grounds, the …

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that states may continue counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day so long as they were postmarked by the voting deadline, preserving election laws used across much of the country and rejecting a Republican-backed legal challenge. In a 5-4 decision, the justices upheld a …

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that law enforcement searches for the location history of cellphones near crime scenes are covered by the Fourth Amendment, requiring warrants to obtain the data. But the high court left unsettled when searches for the information are reasonable — likely meaning the justices will …

The Texas State Board of Education approved a sweeping overhaul of the state’s English and literature curriculum last week, requiring public school students to read specific literary works — including Bible stories and passages alongside classic American literature — in a move that places Texas at the center of a …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued a pair of landmark rulings that delivered both a victory and a setback for President Donald Trump, preserving Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s job for now while dramatically expanding presidential authority over most independent federal agencies. In two decisions authored by Chief Justice …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal seeking to overturn a civil jury verdict that found he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll and later defamed her, leaving intact a $5 million judgment against the president. Without comment, the justices denied Trump’s petition for …

Iran launched another wave of drone and missile attacks Sunday targeting Bahrain and Kuwait following new U.S. airstrikes, while warning it could completely suspend negotiations with Washington if American military operations continue. The latest escalation threatens a fragile diplomatic framework aimed at ending months of conflict and reopening the strategically …

Julia Letlow captured the Republican nomination for Louisiana’s open U.S. Senate seat Saturday, defeating state Treasurer John Fleming and positioning herself as the overwhelming favorite to win November’s general election in the deeply Republican state. The Associated Press called the race just 45 minutes after polls closed. Letlow finished with …

John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first administration before becoming one of the president’s most outspoken critics, pleaded guilty Friday to a federal charge of mishandling classified information related to his White House service. Appearing before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Greenbelt, …

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband were temporarily separated from their 4-year-old children after a false report was anonymously filed with Children’s Protective Services. The Michigan State Police and CPS determined the report was false, Michigan State Police spokesperson Shannon Banner said. “False reports are dangerous and …