In The States

AUSTIN, Texas -- Gov. Gregg Abbott had barely finished signing his name to a sweeping overhaul of his state’s election rules Tuesday, when a Democratic election lawyer announced he’d filed a lawsuit to prevent the new procedures from taking effect.... Read More

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers granted 71 pardons Tuesday, putting him on pace to pardon more people in his first term than any governor in contemporary history. In all, Evers has pardoned 263 former inmates, since his pardon advisory... Read More

 ATLANTA, Georgia -- Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s new Greater Georgia organization is seeking to register 100,000 conservative voters in the northern exurbs of Atlanta ahead of the 2022 election. The group describes its “Red Belt Blitz” as a six-figure... Read More

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit California's Bay Area on Wednesday to campaign with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faces possible removal from office in a Sept. 14 recall election. Symone Sanders, Harris' chief spokesperson, tweeted Saturday that the vice president... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — As Democrats returned to Capitol Hill poised to make more of the Biden administration’s agenda a reality, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, and Austin Mayor Steve Adler for an update on the progress... Read More

A group of election security experts on Thursday called for a rigorous audit of the upcoming recall election for California's governor after copies of systems used to run elections across the country were released publicly. Their letter sent to the... Read More

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appealed a judge's ruling that the governor exceeded his authority by ordering school boards not to impose strict mask requirements on students to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The... Read More

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Republican states that have passed increasingly tough abortion restrictions only to see them blocked by the federal courts have a new template in an unusually written Texas law that represents the most far-reaching curb on... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A deeply divided Supreme Court is allowing a Texas law that bans most abortions to remain in force, for now stripping most women of the right to an abortion in the nation's second-largest state. The court voted... Read More

A monthslong campaign by the Republican Party, fueled in part by the false narrative of widespread fraud in last year's presidential election, has led to a wave of new voting laws that will tighten access to the ballot for millions... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has directed the state’s 88 county boards of election to begin a four-year process to identify any registrations that have been inactive for at least two years or appear on the... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 133, an expansion of Medi-Cal that will provide coverage to undocumented Californians age 50 and over, set to go into effect in May 2022.  “Accessing health coverage through Medicaid... Read More

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- The Florida Democratic Party has named Rep. Stephanie Murphy chair of its Democracy and Voter Protection Program. In her new role, the Winter Park Democrat will work with the program’s staff, party leaders and other elected... Read More

DENVER, Colo. -- Invenergy, a privately held developer of sustainable energy solutions, has begun work on a 127 megawatt project in Colorado that will generate enough electricity to power 25,000 homes while paying about $250,000 annually in local property taxes.... Read More

MEQUON, Wis. (AP) — A loose network of conservative groups with ties to major Republican donors and party-aligned think tanks is quietly lending firepower to local activists engaged in culture war fights in schools across the country. While they are... Read More

A Texas law banning most abortions in the state took effect at midnight, but the Supreme Court has yet to act on an emergency appeal to put the law on hold. If allowed to remain in force, the law would... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — For the Democrats who fought bitterly to prevent it, it's all over but the playing of a sad song on a honky tonk juke box. On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature sent a major overhaul of the... Read More

SITES, Calif. (AP) — In 2014, in the middle of a severe drought that would test California's complex water storage system like never before, voters told the state to borrow $7.5 billion and use part of it to build projects... Read More

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Democrats on Tuesday are expected to approve new legislative boundaries over objections from Republicans and some community groups that the process was unnecessarily rushed and maps drawn behind closed doors to keep Democrats in power.  Tuesday's... Read More

BOISE, Idaho — As the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act still awaits final approval, its much-needed benefits at the state-level are coming to light. For Idahoans, the bill’s passage entails investments in roads and bridges, water lines and pipes,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened investigations in five states to determine whether statewide prohibitions on the universal indoor wearing of face masks discriminates against students with disabilities. The five states that were... Read More

The Indiana Citizens Redistricting Commission held numerous public hearings. It produced a report prioritizing redistricting criteria. Soon, the bipartisan panel will cap its work by drafting new voting maps for Indiana's nine U.S. House seats and 150 state legislative districts... Read More

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida rapidly grew in strength early Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane just hours before hitting the Louisiana coast while emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the... Read More

CLEVELAND -- Early voting is now underway in Cleveland, where an unexpectedly robust race for mayor is headed into its final weeks before a Sept. 14, 2021 primary election. A total of seven candidates are vying to replace Frank Jackson,... Read More

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The order issued by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday that blocked public schools from imposing mask mandates in the classroom was struck down by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper. DeSantis’s order had been challenged in... Read More

SOMERTON, Ariz. (AP) — It's a Thursday evening in Somerton, Arizona, and parents and students packed inside a middle school gym are roaring for the school's wrestling team at decibels that test the eardrum. The young wrestlers are seventh and... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans advanced new voting restrictions Thursday night after months of protests by Democrats, who after returning from a 38-day walkout are now all but out of ways to stop a bill that includes a ban... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. - The Port of Virginia says it will lease a portion of its Portsmouth Marine Terminal to Dominion Energy in a bid to accelerate construction of the largest commercial offshore wind farm in the United States, and ensure... Read More

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Just over half of Florida's 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms as a courtroom battle continues over efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to leave such decisions up to... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas —  Texas National Guardsmen will once again be assisting Department of Public Safety troopers in arresting individuals caught crossing the border into the U.S. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made the announcement Tuesday saying in addition to assisting with... Read More