California
Gov. Newsom is in defense-mode with daily appearances up and down the state, complete with local officials praising his work and swiping at his would-be opponents…
On Friday, 2/12, California released data on COVID-19 vaccine distribution by race and ethnicity across the state…
Coronavirus
U.S. public health officials are weighing whether to require domestic travelers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flights, drawing fierce opposition from airlines, labor unions, and lawmakers but underscoring the severity of the pandemic and difficult trade-offs involved with trying to subdue it…
The Biden Administration's guidelines for reopening schools includes recommendations for phased reopening based on rates of community transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday, 2/12..
President and Administration
The Biden administration is preparing to remove nearly all remaining federal prosecutors appointed by former President Trump, with an exception for those handling highly sensitive investigations to continue with their work, a senior Justice Department official said Monday, 2/8…
President Joe Biden on Sunday, 2/14, called on Congress to institute "common sense gun law reforms," including widespread firearm sales background checks and a ban on assault weapons, highlighting an "epidemic of gun violence" in the U.S. on the third anniversary of the deadly Parkland school shooting…
The Biden administration is moving to roll back Medicaid work requirements in its latest effort to undo a controversial Trump-era policy…
Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour — a proposal included in the President Biden’s relief package — would add $54 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office concluded…
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee met Thursday, 2/11, and approved the nominations of Miguel Cardona and Marty Walsh to be the Secretaries of Education and Labor…
Congress
The Senate voted Saturday to acquit former President Trump of inciting the deadly insurrection of Jan. 6. In the end, seven Republicans supported a conviction — 10 votes short of the two-thirds threshold required…
The House is aiming to vote 2/26 on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, as Democrats pivot quickly to their top priorities after Donald Trump’s impeachment trial ended in acquittal…
Rep. Ron Wright (R-TX) has died after a recent battle with COVID-19. Wright, 67, tested positive for COVID-19 last month and had been hospitalized in Dallas for the past two weeks…
The new chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations panels will announce in the coming weeks that Democrats will reinstate earmarks (also known as “member-directed spending”) in next fiscal year's spending bills…
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wrote in a letter to House Democrats on Monday, 2/15, that Congress must “get to the truth” behind the Jan. 6 insurrection, saying the House will move quickly to establish a 9/11 Commission-style review of the deadly attack and the security failures that allowed a mob to overrun the Capitol…
Education
According to an analysis by the National College Attainment Network, which focuses on reducing equity gaps in postsecondary access and success, the early data on FAFSA renewals by current college and university students are actually pretty good…