Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee turned anti-abortion activist, spoke at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Tuesday. Johnson was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic before leaving after reportedly watching an abortion on an ultrasound. She now runs And Then There Were None, an organization which helps those who work in facilities […]
Record Number of Women Running for Congress in 2020
More women are running for Congress than ever before. According to data from the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, 583 women have filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020. So far, 243 women have won their primary elections, another record high. While fewer female Democrats have […]
Kamala Harris Becomes Historic Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate
On Tuesday presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his running mate – Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA). In doing so, Sen. Harris has become the first Black woman and first South Asian American woman to be the vice-presidential nominee of a major political party. If elected, Sen. Harris would become the first female, first Black, […]
Today Marks the 55th Anniversary of the Landmark Voting Rights Act
August 6th marks the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This momentous piece of legislation worked to ensure Black Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote by combating voter suppression tactics. “I have said this before, and I will say it again – the vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It […]
Trump Signs Order Aimed at Strengthening Telehealth and Rural Healthcare
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at empowering rural healthcare providers and expanding access to telehealth services. Medicare has greatly expanded its coverage of telehealth services as part of its coronavirus emergency response, but that expansion is set to expire once the public health emergency is over. The executive order calls […]
Historic Number of Black Women Running for Congress in 2020
Women in politics are breaking barriers and setting records left and right in 2020, amid unprecedented circumstances that have shaped national conversations and altered the ways that elections are administered and campaigns are run. Most recently, a piece in Reuters shared that a record number of Black women are set to run for Congress in […]
Anti-Abortion Democrats Press Democratic National Committee to Change Party Platform
Over 100 anti-abortion Democrats have signed a letter calling for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to adopt a party platform less supportive of abortion. The letter was written by Democrats for Life, an organization of pro-life Democrats. It was signed by a number of prominent Christian pastors, anti-abortion organizers, and professors of religion. The letter […]
Democratic Women Take to the House Floor to Address a Culture of Hostile Sexism
After Representative Ted Yoho (R-FL) failed to apologize for a vulgar verbal attack on Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) earlier this week, claiming that he “cannot apologize for his passion,” Ocasio-Cortez and her female Democratic colleagues addressed the incident on Thursday. In their speeches, these representatives dissected the unmistakable patterns of dehumanization and sexism that women […]
Trump Signs Memo to Exclude Undocumented Immigrants from Census Numbers
President Donald Trump signed a presidential memo Tuesday aiming to exclude the number of undocumented immigrant populations when redistributing congressional seats following the 2020 census. The unprecedented move, which civil rights advocates say is unconstitutional, comes a year after the Trump administration tried and failed to include a citizenship question in the census. If implemented, […]
State Senator Nikema Williams Selected to Fill John Lewis’ Congressional Seat
With the passing of John Lewis (D-GA) last week, the United States lost a giant who devoted his life and career to civil rights, social justice, and causing – as he frequently put it – “good trouble.” At the same time, the nation lost a 17-term Democratic congressman who represented Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District since […]
Supreme Court Rules Against Reinstating Florida Felon Voting Rights
The Supreme Court upheld a lower court order on Friday that will prohibit thousands of formerly incarcerated people in Florida from voting. In 2018, the Florida electorate voted to amend the constitution to allow felons to vote. Felons who finished their parole or probation periods would be eligible, but felons convicted of murder or sexual […]
Supreme Court Rules in Trump Financial Records Subpoena Cases
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled on two cases concerning subpoenas of the president – affirming that the president does not have absolute immunity. The court concluded that the president can be subpoenaed by a grand jury, but that there are limitations on congressional subpoenas to the executive branch. Both subpoenas in question sought Trump’s […]
Trump Threatens to Cut Funding for Schools Unwilling or Unable to Reopen
As the United States faces a surge in reported COVID-19 cases, schools have recently been faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to reopen as the fall approaches. Given local, state, and federal guidelines, as well as those put in place by the CDC, returning to business as usual seems daunting, if not […]
Upcoming Elections May Jeopardize the Historic Number of GOP Women Senators
Since 2018, with the swearing-in of senators including Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), the greatest number of Republican women have been serving in the U.S. Senate in the party’s history. However, this historic victory for gender representation in the Republican Party may be in jeopardy come November. A recent Politico […]
Supreme Court Rejects Louisiana TRAP Law
The Supreme Court voted Monday 5-4 to reject a restrictive Louisiana abortion law. The law would have required abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Chief Justice John Roberts was the deciding vote, joining Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg in an act of precedent protection. […]
Trump Administration Urges the Supreme Court to Scrap the Affordable Care Act
On Thursday evening, in a filing to the Supreme Court, the Trump administration asked the court to terminate the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Asserting that the ACA is illegal, the filing states that “the entire ACA must fall.” This filing was met with immediate criticism from prominent Democrats, as well as the […]
House To Vote on D.C. Statehood Bill Friday
The U.S. House is expected to pass Washington D.C. statehood Friday, marking the first time either chamber of Congress will approve such legislation. The measure is unlikely to be taken up by the GOP-controlled Senate or the Trump administration, but the legislation represents a newfound momentum for the D.C. statehood movement among Democrats. The last […]
Reparations Bill Proposed in Congress
Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced a reparations bill. The Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act (H.R. 40) would create a dedicated federal committee tasked with studying the consequences of slavery and creating comprehensive recommendations for reparations. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, reparations are actions that “make amends, offering […]
House Unveils Justice in Policing Act Amid National Protests
Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate unveiled legislation today to overhaul policing standards in response to nationwide protests against anti-Black racism and police brutality. The Justice in Policing Act, led by Chairwoman Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), seeks to increase accountability in police brutality cases and […]
Historic Wins for Women of Color Down the Ballot
On Tuesday, nine states and the District of Columbia held primary elections. These elections resulted in historic gains for women, particularly for women of color. In spite of current circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests, voter turnout was impressive and women candidates of color prevailed in primaries for Congress, state legislatures, and local […]