In The States

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Senate Democrats defeated several bills Thursday that would have restricted abortion access in the state, including a proposed 15-week ban with exceptions that was a priority for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The Senate Committee on... Read More

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Just three months ago, Rep. Elissa Slotkin was one of the most vulnerable Democrats in Washington, fighting an expensive campaign for reelection in a Michigan district that Republicans were sure they could retake. That was all... Read More

WASHINGTON — District of Columbia leaders made another push to rid themselves of federal oversight Tuesday by having a bill introduced in the Senate that would give them statehood. The House of Representatives approved statehood for the District of Columbia... Read More

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — A gunman killed seven people at two agricultural businesses in Northern California, plunging the state into mourning again in the wake of its third mass killing in eight days. Officers arrested a suspect in... Read More

ATLANTA (AP) — A judge is set to hear arguments Tuesday on whether to release a report by a special grand jury tasked with investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they sought to overturn his narrow 2020... Read More

PHOENIX — Arizona’s mail-in, early voting process does not violate voters’ constitutional right to privacy, the state Court of Appeals has ruled. Tuesday’s ruling by a three-judge panel is a blow to the Arizona Republican Party and its chair, Kelli... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is traveling to Northern California today to view the damage left by a series of “atmospheric rivers” that have battered the state’s coast for the past nine weeks. Biden left the White House aboard Marine... Read More

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A failed Republican candidate who authorities said was angry over his defeat in November is facing numerous charges in connection with drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico’s largest city. Solomon Pena, 39, was... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s folksy Republican governor, Jim Justice, says he is “seriously considering running for U.S. Senate” in 2024 — the mere suggestion already making him the GOP frontrunner for the seat currently held by Democrat Joe Manchin.... Read More

ST. LOUIS — The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case that could see the court sharply restrict lawsuits challenging redistricting decisions and state election rules on the basis of racial discrimination. The... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York can for now continue to enforce a sweeping new law that bans guns from “sensitive places” such as schools, playgrounds and Times Square, the Supreme Court said Wednesday, allowing the law to be in force while a lawsuit over... Read More

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has given its approval to a 71-turbine wind farm in the central part of the state, but in doing so, it has specified 45 conditions that must be met in its... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Federal judges ordered South Carolina lawmakers to draw new congressional maps, ruling Friday that the U.S. House district lines of a seat flipped by Democrats four years ago were intentionally redrawn to split Black neighborhoods to... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday struck down the state’s ban on abortion six weeks into a pregnancy, ruling the restriction violates the state constitution’s right to privacy. The 3-2 ruling comes nearly two years after... Read More

LANSING, Mich. — It was a turn of events that simply demanded one sit up and take notice. On Sunday morning, Jan. 1, Chad Livengood, politics editor and columnist at The Detroit News, tweeted, “As of this morning, there are... Read More

PHOENIX (AP) — Katie Hobbs took the oath of office Monday to become Arizona’s 24th governor and the first Democrat to hold the office since 2009. Hobbs was sworn in during a private ceremony at the state Capitol as she... Read More

PHOENIX (AP) — A recount of votes has confirmed Democrat Kris Mayes narrowly defeated Republican Abraham Hamadeh in the Arizona attorney general’s race, one of the closest elections in state history. The highly anticipated results announced Thursday in Maricopa County... Read More

HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of bats lost their grip and plunged to the pavement underneath a bridge in Houston after going into hypothermic shock during the city's recent cold snap, according to wildlife rescuers who saved them by administering fluids and keeping... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination to succeed the late A. Donald McEachin in Congress, garnering 84.81% of the vote, party officials announced early Thursday morning. McClellan far outdistanced her chief rival for... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. — More than 26,400 people turned out to vote in a “firehouse” Democratic primary held in Virginia's 4th Congressional District on Tuesday — so many that the party had to reportedly print as many as 10,000 additional ballots... Read More

RALEIGH, N.C. — It was a busy Friday at the North Carolina Supreme Court, which within a matter of hours struck down a state Senate district map as an impermissible political gerrymander and tossed a controversial voter ID law. In... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Virginia Democratic Party is holding a “firehouse primary” on Tuesday to determine who will fill the 4th Congressional District seat left vacant by the death of newly reelected Rep. A. Donald McEachin. Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin... Read More

WASHINGTON — About $20 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding is headed to Maine where it will support the development of two large-scale solar energy projects. Both projects are being undertaken in the state’s 1st Congressional District, in southeastern coastal... Read More

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — The November elections saw Californians continue to embrace progressive leadership, but voters in one of the state’s most populous counties are so frustrated with this political direction that they voted to consider seceding and forming... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House passed the Puerto Rico Status Act on Thursday, a bill that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence. Though the bill... Read More

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously ratified newly sworn-in Mayor Karen Bass’ declaration of an emergency in regard to homelessness. Bass began her first day in office by declaring a state of emergency, vowing to move swiftly to... Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Most registered voters in Tennessee want exceptions for rape or incest in the state's sweeping abortion ban, but they largely don't know the specifics of what's in the law as it stands today, according to new Vanderbilt... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state is making it easier for drivers of electric vehicles to traverse the state’s southern tier from the Hudson Valley to Western New York and Lake Erie. Long considered one of the state’s “fast charging... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. — A major offshore wind project being undertaken by Dominion Energy off the Virginia coast reached a major regulatory milestone Monday when federal regulators announced the pending release of their draft environmental impact statement. If it wins final... Read More

WASHINGTON — This week’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, which runs through Dec. 15 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, is considered a “National Special Security Event.” As a result, it is creating significant traffic disruptions and road closures in downtown... Read More