Government + Politics
U.S. Senate approves stopgap spending bill with disaster relief, heating aid
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved broadly bipartisan legislation Thursday that would provide billions for natural disaster relief, military and economic aid to Ukraine and funding to help low-income families offset the rising costs of heating and cooling their homes. It includes $2.5 billion in assistance for the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire that burned large […]
An open letter on the state’s abortion ban from Idaho’s faith leaders
Editor’s note: This column was written collectively by members of Idaho’s statewide faith community listed in full below. As Idaho faith leaders, dedicated to compassion, equity and justice for all people, we strongly condemn Idaho’s abortion ban, decimating individual freedoms over one’s own body and health care rights. We represent a diversity of faith traditions […]
Manchin seeks bipartisan ‘sweet spot’ for a new try at his energy permitting bill
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators from both parties said Wednesday they hope to negotiate an energy permitting reform bill yet this year, reviving efforts to streamline the process after West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III had to pull back his plan amid broad opposition. The Manchin proposal was attached to a must-pass government funding bill […]
Stopgap spending bill advances in U.S. Senate after Manchin pulls his energy plan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate advanced a catchall spending package Tuesday that would provide billions to aid Ukraine’s war effort, help communities throughout the country recover from natural disasters and keep the federal government funded through mid-December. Democrats and Republicans voted 72-23 to move the measure toward a final vote later this week — a […]
Key U.S. Senate panel advances bill aimed at preventing another Jan. 6
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee on Tuesday passed legislation that would update an 1887 elections law and clarify how electoral votes are certified, with the hopes of averting another attempt to overturn a presidential election. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat and Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, put forth the bill, […]
U.S. House panel investigating Jan. 6 attack postpones hearing
WASHINGTON — A Wednesday hearing planned by the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol has been postponed due to Hurricane Ian nearing landfall in Florida. A new date has not been announced. “In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to […]
They’re women. They’re LDS. And they’re speaking their minds on politics.
Women from across Idaho joined a Zoom call on a Wednesday evening in mid-September. There were teachers. A school board member. One woman who is running for office, and one who ran in 2018. They gathered virtually from their corners of the state to talk about public schools — and how they, as members of […]
Republicans in Congress say they’d keep federal abortion funding in cases of rape, incest
WASHINGTON — A nearly 50-year-old federal law backed by Republicans allows the use of federal dollars for abortions in cases of rape, incest or the life of the patient. That so-called Hyde Amendment, which is folded into spending bills, is less stringent than new or planned abortion bans in some GOP-led states, where governors and […]
Former lawmaker files notice of appeal with Idaho Supreme Court in rape case
Less than a month after he was sentenced to at least eight years in prison for the crime of rape, former Idaho legislator Aaron von Ehlinger has submitted an appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court, alleging Ada County’s Fourth District Court made several errors during his trial and sentencing. A jury found von Ehlinger guilty […]
Idaho Gov. Little to host ‘Capital for a Day’ at Blaine County Fairgrounds in Carey
Residents are encouraged to ask questions of state department officials and Idaho Gov. Brad Little about government and its services at the latest “Capital for a Day” event at the Blaine County Fairgrounds in Carey. The event is planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at 20507 N. Main Street. Officials joining Little include […]
Billions for natural disasters, home energy included in stopgap spending bill in Congress
WASHINGTON — Congress is on track to approve billions in funding this week to help offset rising home heating and cooling costs as well as boost aid for communities recovering from natural disasters. The package, unveiled overnight, would provide $2.5 billion in assistance for the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire that scorched much of New Mexico […]
White House calls Idaho abortion laws ‘extreme and backwards’ in response to university memo
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement Tuesday calling Idaho’s abortion laws “extreme and backwards” in response to a memo issued by the University of Idaho cautioning employees not to provide reproductive health counseling to students, including abortion, or risk losing their jobs or face criminal prosecution. “To be clear, nothing under Idaho […]