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Congress expands Brown v. Board of Education historic site beyond Kansas
This post was updated 11 a.m. April 28 to make the following correction: The Robert Russa Moton High School site in Farmville, Virginia, is a national historic landmark and museum, and now will become an affiliate of the National Park Service. A previous version of this report misstated the site’s status. The U.S. House cleared a […]
Federal judge temporarily blocks Biden administration from ending Title 42
A federal judge in Louisiana said Monday he will block the Biden administration from lifting a public health order that keeps immigrants seeking asylum out of the United States. U.S. District Judge Robert R. Summerhays told Republican state attorneys general and the federal government that he planned to grant the Republicans’ request for a temporary […]
3 big reasons why the Biden climate agenda is floundering
President Joe Biden’s climate agenda took a hit this month when the Interior Department said it would open 144,000 acres of federal land up for oil and gas development to comply with a court order to restart fossil fuel development. The announcement marked yet another setback for a presidential climate plan that was once seen […]
CDC concludes a mask mandate is still needed for travelers, clearing way for court battle
The Biden administration will fight a court decision for the authority to mandate masks on airplanes, trains and other public transit, following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation Wednesday night that a mandate was still needed. The CDC said in a statement that the mandate keeps transportation safer for immunocompromised people and the greater public. […]
Biden administration will appeal ruling on travel mask mandate — if CDC says it’s needed
The Biden administration will appeal a federal judge’s order striking down a mask mandate for air travel and public transit, subject to a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Tuesday night statement. The CDC has yet to conclude that the mandate — which applied in […]
Federal judge in Florida throws out national mask mandate for travelers
This post was updated 7:20 p.m. April 18 to include reaction from the Biden administration. A federal judge in Florida voided the nationwide mask mandate for airline and public transportation passengers Monday, saying the requirement was beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authority. A Biden administration official said that agencies are reviewing the […]
At the White House, an emotional Ketanji Brown Jackson says, ‘We’ve made it, all of us’
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson accepted her dual roles Friday as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice and as a symbol of racial progress. Speaking outside the White House with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris looking on, and her voice at times trembling with emotion, Jackson acknowledged the historic milestone her confirmation as […]
Biden goal for U.S. transition to electric vehicles cast into doubt at U.S. Senate hearing
A White House climate goal to transition the United States to electric vehicles is in trouble if the nation cannot produce more minerals that go into those vehicles’ batteries, U.S. senators of both parties said Thursday. Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee agreed during a hearing that more domestic production of lithium, […]
U.S. House panel grills oil executives at hearing on soaring gas prices
Democrats blamed the oil industry, Republicans blamed President Joe Biden and oil executives blamed global market forces at a U.S. House hearing Wednesday on how to reverse a dramatic increase in gas prices. Over nearly six hours, members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and executives from six oil companies […]
U.S. Senate heads toward final vote this week on Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation
The U.S. Senate approved a procedural measure Tuesday to advance Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court, setting up a final vote on confirmation as early as Thursday. The roll call Tuesday was identical to the tally on another procedural vote Monday. Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of […]
Jackson wins 3 GOP votes as U.S. Senate advances her Supreme Court nomination
The U.S. Senate advanced Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic Supreme Court nomination in a 53-47 procedural vote Monday evening, hours after the Judiciary Committee deadlocked along party lines. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah voted with all 50 Senate Democrats on the procedural vote Monday. The […]
U.S. House votes to decriminalize marijuana in federal law
The U.S. House passed legislation Friday to legalize marijuana nationally, but its future is much less clear in the Senate. The House voted 220-204 to approve the measure, which would fix the split between federal law and 19 states where recreational marijuana is legal. Three Republicans joined all but two Democrats in approving the measure. Matt Gaetz and […]