All Politics
First LookJury rejects Sarah Palin's libel suit against The New York TimesOn Tuesday, a New York jury rejected former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s libel suit against The New York Times. Ms. Palin had sued the newspaper in 2017, claiming it damaged her reputation with an editorial linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting.
Why Americans struggle over the future of masculinityIn the United States and nations from China to Brazil, concerns rise about masculinity under attack.
First LookStop the ticker: Should lawmakers be able to speculate on stocks?After a series of scandals around questionable stock trades by members of Congress, several bipartisan bills are working their way through the legislature to curtail the practice. How strict should the new rules should be?
How updating a 135-year-old law could help save US democracyReforming the process for counting electoral votes has bipartisan support, but still faces political and other hurdles.
First LookBiden unfreezes $7 billion in Afghan assets: Where’s it going?When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, Afghan assets in the United States were frozen. On Friday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to allocate $7 billion of those frozen funds to Afghanistan’s humanitarian aid and 9/11 victims.
First LookMoney talks, does it vote? 96% of Cheney's cash from out-of-state.GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, who bucked her party when she voted to impeach President Donald Trump a year ago, has raised $7.2 million for her reelection, a record in Wyoming and 10 times the amount of her challenger, but most of that cash is not from state residents.
First LookSenators craft bipartisan renewal of Violence Against Women ActA bipartisan group of senators announced a deal to renew the Violence Against Women Act, originally passed in 1994 but allowed to lapse in 2019. The new bill closes loopholes from the original law and excises some provisions related to guns.
Cover StoryWho’s crafting public policy? A push to diversify Capitol Hill staff.Advocates are pushing to diversify the social and economic backgrounds of congressional staff. It could have a tangible impact on public policy.
Red California? Housing woes squeeze Florida’s middle class.With housing prices up about 30% since 2020, Florida’s real estate boom is starting to price out the people who used to move there for a middle-class life.
Why Biden’s immigration policy looks a lot like Trump’sWhile campaigning for president, Joe Biden promised to tackle immigration issues with more compassion than his opponent. But that has proved easier said than done.
First LookWhy Trump's election claims are coming up again in AG primariesMirroring the broader battle in the GOP over the party’s embrace of former President Donald Trump, debates over Mr. Trump’s false claims of election fraud are dominating Republican primaries for state attorney general from Idaho to Michigan.
Seeking to counter China on chips, Congress gets stuck fighting itselfBoth parties want to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. But Republicans say the America Competes Act is larded with tangential Democratic priorities.
First LookStates try to stop threats, keep election workers in their postsAfter the 2020 presidential election, local election workers across the country were targeted by threats of violence. Now, state lawmakers in Democrat-controlled legislatures have introduced bills aimed at deterring such threats with criminal liability.
Monitor BreakfastAmid deep US political division, pollsters see room for optimismAt a Monitor Zoom Breakfast, authors of Civility Poll report 58% of Americans are “optimistic about the future because young people are committed to making this country a better place to live for everyone.”
‘Democrats woke a sleeping giant’: Why parents say they’ve had enoughPandemic fatigue is hitting Americans hard, particularly parents, who want to see their kids happy and in school. Democrats ignore that at their electoral peril.
Can new boundaries create better neighbors? Secession picks up steam.From Maryland to Oregon, some residents who don’t feel represented by their city and state governments don’t only want new elected officials. They want entirely new cities and states.
First LookWill Biden's Fed nominee green the financial economy?President Joe Biden’s nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to serve as the Fed’s vice chair of supervision is prompting concern from the oil and gas industry. Some worry her focus on the financial risks of climate change could mean fewer loans to energy companies.
No vaccine, no entry: A civic good, or creeping tyranny?The debate in Washington, the ninth of 10 cities to require proof of vaccination for indoor activities, has taken on a national dimension.
First LookCalifornia moves to ‘repurpose’ the nation’s largest death rowCalifornia is planning to dismantle its death row, the nation’s largest, by moving all condemned inmates to other prisons within two years and aiming to turn the section into a “positive, healing environment.”
Why these men find the phrase ‘toxic masculinity,’ well, toxicAmid spiking suicide and overdose rates and plummeting college enrollment, are men being held hostage by culture war labels and stereotypes that blame them rather than help them?
