Articles

Democrats begin long-shot push to expand the Supreme Court

A group of congressional Democrats introduced legislation Thursday to add four seats to the Supreme Court, a long-shot bid designed to counter the court’s rightward tilt during the Trump administration and criticized by Republicans as a potential power grab that would reduce the public’s trust in the judiciary.

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White House issuing reports on states’ infrastructure needs

The Biden White House is amplifying the push for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with the release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability. Among them, the administration says there is a roughly 4-in-10 chance that a public transit vehicle in Indiana might be ready for the scrap yard.

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GOP-led states lose bid to challenge immigration rule

A federal appeals court in California refused Thursday to permit 14 states led by Republican governors to challenge the overturning of a Trump-era immigration rule affecting hundreds of thousands of people. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against permitting intervention by the states, including Indiana.

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Pence inks two-book deal, launches political advocacy group

Former Vice President Mike Pence has a book deal. His autobiography, currently untitled, is scheduled to come out in 2023. In addition, the former Indiana governor on Wednesday launched an advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, which will promote the Trump administration’s record and could serve as a springboard for a Pence presidential run in 2024.

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New to DC, Buttigieg looks to build bridges with Biden plan

The former South Bend mayor who became known in the 2020 presidential campaign as “Mayor Pete” has been meeting as transportation secretary with lawmakers of both parties to try to sell a roads, bridges and infrastructure program that President Joe Biden has likened to the building of the interstate highway system in the 1950s.

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Biden’s ‘jobs Cabinet’ to sell infrastructure as GOP resists

President Joe Biden is setting about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, deputizing a five-member “jobs Cabinet,” including former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, to help in the effort. But the enormity of his task is clear after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to oppose the plan “every step of the way.”

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Open federal judiciary seats bring calls to focus on the process

As he marked the two-month anniversary of his presidency, Joe Biden had not nominated anyone to either the federal bench or a U.S. Attorney’s Office, which distinguished him from his two most recent predecessors. One retired member of Indiana’s judiciary, however, is calling attention to the worrisome problem that beyond open positions, the state has no clearly defined process for identifying qualified Hoosiers to fill the vacancies.

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