With the Democratic caucus holding a narrow 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate, the race for retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s open seat in 2024 could determine the nation’s policy direction. While both parties have crowded primaries, the top Democratic and top Republican contenders differ sharply on reproductive rights, gun safety, and how much the wealthiest Americans should pay in...

In a video announcing that he will challenge Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey in 2024, Connecticut-based Republican millionaire Dave McCormick vowed on Thursday, “I will lead the fight on China.” But his own record and that of hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, the billionaire megadonor funding his candidacy, directly contradict that promise. McCormick unsuccessfully sought the Pennsylvania...

The Biden administration on Wednesday launched the American Climate Corps, an initiative that will train more than 20,000 young people for careers in the areas of clean energy and industries that address the effects of climate change. “All American Climate Corps programs will be paid experiences that adhere to a common set of programmatic standards, and provide pathways to high-quality...

In 2022, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church was facing a budget deficit, and leaders of the Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, congregation worried they might have to cut their clergy to three-quarters time. “Recently, the church is facing deficit budget, as most small churches are, and our electricity costs were going up faster than anything else,” recalled senior warden Maggie Chappen, who says has been part...

Days after moving from Florida to Michigan to run for Senate, Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers framed himself as an ally of striking automobile workers. But over his 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rogers repeatedly attacked their union. “Autoworkers are crucial to our economy and after years of concessions, they deserve a fair deal,” Rogers, one of multiple Republicans running...

A Michigan school board is requiring a middle school student health center to paint over a student’s LGBTQ-themed mural. The mural has been on the wall at Grant Middle School in Grant, Michigan, since last year, when it was painted by a high school student who had won an art competition. Grant, which has a population of fewer than 1,000 people, is located 30 miles north of Grand Rapids. Some...

Connecticut-based millionaire and former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick on Thursday announced that he will challenge incumbent Democratic Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, following months of recruitment efforts by national Republicans. McCormick, who has run for the Senate before, has a long record of opposing public education, reproductive rights, and American workers. Hours before a scheduled...

This series is a weekly roundup of abortion news, covering various statewide laws and bans, those who stand up to them, and the ongoing push by anti-abortion conservatives to restrict abortion care and erase bodily autonomy. Abortion care resumes in Wisconsin! This week marks the reopening of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s clinics in Milwaukee and Madison. The organization indicated that it...

The chances of a government shutdown rose on Wednesday night after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told the members of his Republican caucus that he will put up for a vote a spending bill that has no chance of becoming law, Punchbowl News reported. With nine days to go before the federal government’s funding runs out, McCarthy said he will put up a short-term funding bill that makes draconian...

Daniel Cameron is the Republican nominee in this year’s Kentucky gubernatorial race, challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Cameron won his election to be the state’s attorney general four years ago, with millions of dollars in support from the controversial Republican Attorneys General Association, commonly known as RAGA. He then repaid the favor by raising money for the group as...