Poli Alert Politics & Civics

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 …

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to release additional unredacted records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or provide a detailed legal explanation for withholding them, escalating a legal battle over the government’s handling of millions of pages of investigative files. In a ruling issued …

A senior National Park Service official has formally stated in federal court that the agency documented intentional damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool weeks before President Donald Trump publicly blamed vandals for problems with the recently renovated landmark. In a court declaration filed Thursday, National Park Service Deputy Director …

A commercial vessel sailing under the Singapore flag was struck Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz in an attack the United States attributed to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, escalating tensions in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways and posing an early challenge to President Donald Trump’s recently negotiated agreement …

The Pentagon has reinstated mandatory influenza vaccinations for all new military recruits after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefly made the vaccine optional earlier this year, a move that coincides with a significant flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force’s primary basic training facility in Texas. A Pentagon official confirmed Wednesday …

State courts cannot find liability for labeling shortcomings in pesticides and similar products because such products are covered by federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday in a decision backing agricultural giant Monsanto. The justices, in a 7-2 decision, threw out a $1.25 million verdict a Missouri court awarded to …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday handed President Donald Trump a major immigration victory, ruling that his administration may proceed with ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than one million immigrants living in the United States, despite legal challenges arguing the move ignored humanitarian conditions in their home countries. …