Kery Murakami

Cori Bush urges House members to return from vacation to extend eviction moratorium

Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, where she'd spent the night, Rep. Cori Bush urged her fellow House members who'd left for an 7-week break to come back and extend a federal ban on evictions.

July 31, 2021

Broadband debate emerges in $1.2T infrastructure bill, bipartisanship falters on rural, urban divide

The Senate's bipartisan infrastructure proposal hit a snag Friday over Democrats' objections to which areas of the country get taxpayer dollars to expand broadband service.

July 30, 2021

House Democratic Caucus fractured by Pelosi holding hostage $1 trillion infrastructure deal

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing a revolt from Democrats opposed to her plan to hold hostage the infrastructure bill until the Senate passes a $3.5 trillion package of social welfare programs.

July 29, 2021

Dems eye specific carve-out for taxpayer-funded raises for care workers

A lot of workers may feel underpaid and underappreciated, but President Biden and congressional Democrats have singled out child care and eldercare workers for taxpayer-funded raises.

July 29, 2021

Sinema throws wrench into Dems’ plans to pass Biden’s $3.5 trillion ‘human infrastructure’

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Wednesday said she will not support President Biden's $3.5 trillion package of social welfare spending because of the enormous price tag.

July 28, 2021

Pelosi labels McCarthy a ‘moron’ as House revives COVID-19 mask mandate

The House of Representatives is again requiring people to wear masks to protect against COVID-19, in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new guidance. And the mandate is again inspiring some fierce -- and personal -- partisan sniping.

July 28, 2021

‘Racism, even in geography, cannot be tolerated’: Dems crusade to rename places, mountains, rivers

Democratic lawmakers and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland want to change the names of more than 1,000 rivers, mountains and other places because they consider the names to be racist.

July 27, 2021

Majorie Taylor Greene compares no-vax bans to ‘segregation’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene caused another stir on Twitter when she compared business barring unvaccinated people to "segregation."

July 26, 2021

Biden Education Department says it mistakenly promoted a group’s extremist racial-justice manifesto

The Biden Department of Education has retreated from its endorsement of the Abolitionist Teaching Network, saying it promoted the group's extremist racial-justice agenda by "mistake."

July 23, 2021

Democrats’ plan for race-based housing aid draws lawsuit threats, charges of reverse discrimination

A Democratic proposal that would give Black people more federal aid than White people to make down payments on homes is bringing charges of reverse racism and threats of lawsuits.

July 21, 2021

Biden’s tuition-free community college threatens to leave some states behind

President Biden's plan for tuition-free community college promises to give states $3 for every $1 they put toward the goal, but some states would get a much less generous deal under the proposed cost-sharing formula.

July 20, 2021

Biden’s call to fund police muffled by anti-cop talk, fear of Congress’ policing overhaul

President Biden's offer of $350 billion in federal coronavirus aid to hire more police to fight a U.S. crime surge isn't the answer for Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.

July 19, 2021

Cardona retreats from making critical race theory part of new school grants

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Friday backed off from his proposal to create a new grant that was seen as encouraging the teaching of critical race theory and the "1619 Project."

July 16, 2021

Poison pill? Vulnerable House Dems demand Medicare drug price power in reconciliation bill

Fifteen House Democrats facing tough reelection contests next year are urging the party's leaders to include a measure to lowering drug prices in the $3.5 trillion "human infrastructure" package.

July 15, 2021

Sen. Richard Blumenthal floats eliminating filibuster to pass Democrats’ voting-rights law

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that Senate Democrats should consider eliminating the filibuster to pass an update of the nation's voting-rights law, allowing the Biden administration to block certain elections changes in Republican-led states.

July 14, 2021

Biden assails GOP state voting laws in fiery speech

President Biden on Tuesday tore into Republican-led state legislatures for voting laws he called a "raw and sustained election subversion," toughening his rhetoric after Democrats and civil rights activists demanded that he step up to the fight over voting rights.

July 13, 2021

Conflicting, contradictory results in studies of alleged racism, voter suppression in election laws

President Biden and other Democrats are pressing their case that red state election laws are the "new Jim Crow" and suppress the Black vote, but studies produce conflicting evidence that the laws reduce turnout or disproportionately impact minorities.