In The States

WASHINGTON - The Biden administration gave its final approval Tuesday to the construction and operation of the Vineyard Wind project -- the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States. The decision was announced by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland... Read More

STOWE, Vt. (AP) — Eduardo Rovetto is hoping the state of Vermont's reinstated requirement that people who are collecting unemployment benefits must seek work to qualify will help him hire enough staff for his restaurant in the resort town of... Read More

Though still awaiting money from the latest federal coronavirus relief act, some governors and state lawmakers already are making plans to add the multibillion-dollar boon to their budgets. Among their priorities: bailing out depleted unemployment accounts, expanding high-speed internet and... Read More

Republicans will gather at 39 sites around Virginia Saturday to choose a slate of statewide candidates, with no choice, of course, being more important than that of governor. In a year in which the battle for the future of the... Read More

In 2020, election officials tried to make voting easier and safer amid a global pandemic. Next time, they might get fined or face criminal charges.  Republicans are creating a new slate of punishments for the county officials who run elections,... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — Following hours of debate over amendments proposed by Democratic lawmakers, the Texas House of Representatives approved new restrictions to state election rules early Friday morning. After Democrats proposed more than 130 amendments to the legislation, the lawmakers... Read More

Florida was hit with multiple civil rights lawsuits Thursday minutes after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to limit mail-in voting and to require more complete voter identification. The NAACP, the League of Women Voters and others said in their... Read More

As Republicans march ahead with their campaign to tighten voting laws in political battlegrounds, some in their party are worried the restrictions will backfire by making it harder for GOP voters to cast ballots.  The restrictions backed by Republicans in... Read More

PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice expressed concern Wednesday about ballot security and potential voter intimidation arising from the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate's unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. In a letter to... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican lawmakers around the country are pressing ahead with efforts to tighten voting laws, despite growing warnings from business leaders that the measures could harm democracy and the economic climate. More than 50 companies and business... Read More

The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Monday announced the easing of pandemic restrictions on businesses, gatherings and venues in their respective states.  In a joint release, Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Phil Murphy of New... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Biden administration wants COVID-19 shots to go where the demand is, and will begin moving doses from states with lower demand to those where the interest in getting the vaccines is stronger -- all with an eye... Read More

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The fight over whether the U.S. Census Bureau can use a controversial statistical technique to keep people's information private in the numbers used for drawing political districts on Monday went before a judicial panel that must... Read More

TALLAHASSEE -- The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed a sweeping election overhaul bill on Thursday that established a wide range of new voting restrictions in one of the nation’s key battleground states. The bill makes Florida the first major swing state... Read More

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — President Joe Biden took his pitch to Georgia Thursday night for $4 trillion in spending to rebuild the nation's aged infrastructure and vastly expand the federal social safety net, choosing a new political battleground to make... Read More

ELM GROVE, Wis. (AP) — Standing on the sidelines of her son's soccer practice in this upscale suburb, Laura Hahn looked skyward for answers when asked how she would rate President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office.  Overall, Biden... Read More

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesotans spent 18 months worrying over whether the 2020 census would finally cost them a precious seat in Congress, expecting to lose one to faster-growing competitors in the South  and West even if they found and counted... Read More

BUCHANAN, N.Y. (AP) — Indian Point will permanently stop producing nuclear power Friday, capping a decades-long battle over a key source of electricity in the heart of New York City's suburbs that opponents have called a threat to millions living... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A California law that requires nonprofit organizations to disclose their donors met with skepticism among most of the U.S. Supreme Court’s justices during a hearing Monday. The law is opposed by coalitions of nonprofit organizations that say the... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former Rep. Joe Cunningham put an end to months of speculation Monday, formally announcing that he will challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in this year’s gubernatorial race. Cunningham became a political sensation in the Palmetto State... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Washington, D.C.’s attorney general sued baby food maker Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp. this week with claims the company misled consumers by failing to disclose toxic metals in its food. The lawsuit filed in District of Columbia Superior Court incorporates... Read More

LOS ANGELES — Former Olympic athlete and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner announced Friday in a press release she will launch a campaign to become the next governor of California. Jenner, a Republican, has been a vocal critic of current... Read More

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma House and Senate unveiled new legislative district maps last week, revealing a plan in which no incumbents would be forced to run against each other. “These districts are based on unprecedented public input gathered through... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to make the District of Columbia the 51st U.S. state at a time political support for the legislation is the strongest it has ever been. The bill, entitled H.R. 51,... Read More

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan's first-ever, independent citizens redistricting commission got off to a rocky start earlier this month after its decision to hire an alleged Democratic activist as an advisor inspired a strong backlash from the state’s Republican party. The... Read More

WASHINGTON - The White House on Tuesday formally threw its support behind the D.C. Statehood bill, saying it would provide the residents of the District with "long overdue full representation in Congress." "Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan delegation of governors is urging Congress to pass legislation that would allow banks and credit unions to provide services to licensed cannabis dispensaries.  The governors of 20 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands circulated a letter... Read More

ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden called Georgia's new voting law an "atrocity." A leading Black bishop called for a national boycott of companies headquartered in the state. But when Stacey Abrams, the state's well-known voting rights advocate, is asked... Read More

Thirty-five states are at extreme or high risk of partisan gerrymandering, according to an in-depth report by the nonpartisan RepresentUs organization. The Gerrymandering Threat Index rates all 50 states, and its authors argue their findings underscore the urgent need to... Read More

RICHMOND -- The Commonwealth of Virginia is expanding eligibility to get a COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 16 or older, beginning Sunday. The expansion of eligibility comes as Virginia reaches a new milestone in its vaccination program— approximately half of all... Read More