State News

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe, a federal... Read More

(AP) — Americans prepared to mark a Memorial Day like no other as the coronavirus pandemic upended traditional commemorations. U.S. authorities warned beach-goers to heed social distancing rules to avoid a resurgence of the virus that has infected 5.4 million... Read More

A former elections judge in Philadelphia pleaded guilty to accepting cash and "other things of value" in return for tampering with the results of city primary elections over several years, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Domenick J. Demuro pleaded guilty... Read More

Thousands of Michigan residents were forced to evacuate their homes on Wednesday after heavy rains caused two dams to fail in Midland county, about 120 miles northwest of the city of Detroit. The breaches of the Edenville and Sanford Dams... Read More

Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott announced a $400 million coronavirus relief package on Wednesday that taps into some of the $1.25 billion in funding the state received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. In March, Congress... Read More

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan, bicameral effort is underway to provide hundreds of billions in funding to state and local governments reeling from the budgetary hit they've taken due to the coronavirus outbreak. The House bill introduced Monday by Reps. Josh... Read More

WASHINGTON - Anyone who doubts how difficult it will be to reopen the nation's public schools in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak need only spend a few moments speaking to leaders of the National School Boards Association. Public schools... Read More

With the Iowa primaries less than three weeks away, an unprecedented number of voters have applied to vote by mail in the state’s June 2 election. As of Tuesday, 356,315 voters had requested an absentee ballot, with 96,311 ballots already... Read More

WASHINGTON - The National League of Cities is calling on the Senate and White House to embrace a new coronavirus relief bill introduced in the House on Tuesday that allocates $375 billion for the nation's smaller cities, towns, counties and... Read More

WASHINGTON - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, told a Senate panel on Tuesday there could be "really serious" consequences to states and cities across the United States reopening their economies too quickly. He told the Senate... Read More

A pair of congressional primaries on Tuesday could prove to be the first indicators of a brewing second blue wave come the November general election. The most high-profile of the contests is taking place in California's 25th Congressional District, in... Read More

Republican lawmakers in Michigan’s state legislature are suing Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer over her move to extend stay-at-home orders last week amid the coronavirus crisis. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday by House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike... Read More

WASHINGTON - NewDEAL, a group dedicated to developing exceptional American leaders, has selected a new class of 15 elected officials to join its select membership. Leaders in the 185-person network cover 48 states and are working to enact pro-growth progressive... Read More

Many governors across the U.S. are disregarding or creatively interpreting White House guidelines for safely easing restrictions and letting businesses reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, an Associated Press analysis found. The AP determined that 17 states did not meet a... Read More

A new poll released on Tuesday by Montana State University puts Democratic Governor Steve Bullock seven points ahead of Republican Senator Steve Daines in the state’s Senate race. In the online poll, which surveyed 738 registered voters, more than 46%... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court tossed out the convictions of two people involved in New Jersey's "Bridgegate" scandal Thursday, concluding their prosecution was a case of prosecutorial overreach. "The question presented is whether the defendants committed property fraud," said Justice... Read More

On the same day that the Center for American Progress and the League of Conservation Voters released an issue brief detailing how states have stepped up where the federal government has neglected to lead on climate change, CAP convened representatives... Read More

WASHINGTON - As state governments weigh their responses to the coronavirus pandemic, religious groups across America have voiced concerns that lockdown measures could infringe on their constitutional rights. Last month, police broke up a gathering of 16 people at Lighthouse... Read More

Election officials in New York State must hold a Democratic presidential primary election in June, with all qualifying candidates restored to the ballot, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres, who presides in the... Read More

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday that while the coronavirus remains a serious problem, enough appears to be going right that the time has come to consider reopening the state's economy. During a briefing with reporters, Northam said the number... Read More

A group of North Carolina voters backed by a Democratic non-profit group is suing the state in an effort to ease restrictions around mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed by Democracy Docket, a non-profit founded by Marc... Read More

BALTIMORE — Twenty-four years after leaving the U.S. House, Baltimore Democrat Kweisi Mfume returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to be sworn in as Maryland’s newest congressman, succeeding his friend, the late Elijah Cummings. The swearing-in will occur on the... Read More

LANSING, Mich. — A trailblazing legal dispute over the powers of a Michigan governor to take emergency actions could wind up before the state’s highest court, say legal experts. Multiple lawyers said Friday they believe Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would have... Read More

WASHINGTON -- GOP lawmakers in Michigan’s state legislature want to take Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer to court over her decision to invoke emergency powers during the coronavirus crisis. The dispute started in March when Whitmer declared a state of emergency... Read More

WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal said he wants to go back to the future in the next round of coronavirus relief aid. The Massachusetts Democrat told the nation’s mayors Wednesday that he would try to... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Gleaming new tent hospitals sit empty on two suburban New York college campuses, never having treated a single coronavirus patient. Convention centers that were turned into temporary hospitals in other cities went mostly unused. And a... Read More

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In cities around the world, public transportation systems are key to getting workers back on the job and restarting devastated economies. Yet methods of getting around, ranging from trains and buses to ferries and bicycles,... Read More

New York election officials on Monday canceled the state's Democratic presidential primary due to concerns over spreading the coronavirus, infuriating Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. and his supporters. The decision by the New York Board of Elections was unanimous, and the... Read More

Everyone wants to know: When, oh when, will it go back to normal? As some governors across the United States begin to ease restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, hopes are soaring that life as Americans knew... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The first major test of an almost completely vote-by-mail election during a pandemic is about to unfold in Ohio, offering lessons to other states about how to conduct one of the most basic acts of democracy... Read More