News
Planned Parenthood files petition to block Idaho abortion law
Planned Parenthood Great Northwest announced in a press release Wednesday morning that the organization filed a petition with the Idaho Supreme Court to block an abortion law that allows civil lawsuits against medical professionals who provide abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound. “The abortion ban blatantly undermines patients’ right to privacy. […]
Ketanji Brown Jackson wins bipartisan support for U.S. Supreme Court with Collins backing
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins will vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to a seat on the Supreme Court, she said Wednesday, becoming the first Republican to pledge her support for President Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Collins, of Maine, said in a statement Jackson had “sterling” academic and professional credentials. […]
Idaho watchdog agency figured out why Medicaid rates haven’t changed
Distrust. Fear. Unrealistic expectations. Bureaucratic delays. Those are both the causes and symptoms of a strained relationship between the Idaho Legislature and the state’s Medicaid division — a problem that has thwarted efforts for more than a decade to change how Idaho Medicaid pays for health care. Because of this vicious cycle, lawmakers who have […]
Idaho Legislature’s powerful budget committee to have fresh faces in 2023
One of the Idaho Legislature’s largest, most complicated and hardest working committees will be under new leadership when the Idaho Legislature reconvenes in 2023. And depending how the 2022 elections shake out, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee could look almost completely different next year. The two top ranking Idaho House members serving on the Joint Finance-Appropriations […]
Biden signs law named for Emmett Till that makes lynching a federal hate crime
WASHINGTON — Nearly 70 years after 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped and murdered in Mississippi by two white men, President Joe Biden signed into law on Tuesday a bill to make lynching a federal hate crime. “Lynching was pure terror to enforce the lie that not everyone belongs in America,” Biden said at the Rose […]
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas pressed to recuse himself from Jan. 6 cases
Two dozen congressional Democrats are calling for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from cases involving the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, following revelations his wife communicated with the Trump White House about overturning the election. In addition, it appears likely that the U.S. House committee probing the attack will […]
Idaho attorney general announces formal partnership with FCC to investigate robocalls
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced in a press release Tuesday that the state will join the Federal Communications Commission to investigate robocalls, saying the partnership will help the agencies share information and more effectively investigate the businesses running robocall operations. “Robocalls are a global problem and individually we as states are not equipped to […]
Second COVID booster authorized by FDA for those 50 and older
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized another round of COVID-19 booster shots for people 50 and older, as well as those who are immunocompromised. The decision to amend an earlier emergency use authorization for a second booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is meant to increase protection against […]
Fundraising a dead heat between Republican candidates for Idaho lieutenant governor
As the Idaho Legislature conducted its business throughout the past two months, candidates for statewide office continued the fundraising march to the primary in May, including two legislators who are in a dead heat for fundraising — Speaker of the House Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, and Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird. Bedke and Giddings are vying […]
Citing ‘government overreach,’ Idaho Gov. Brad Little vetoes bill to pause COVID-19 vaccine requirements
Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Monday vetoed a bill that would block COVID-19 vaccine requirements until at least 2023. In his letter explaining the veto, Little said his decision was based on the same limited-government philosophy that prompted him to sue the Biden administration over its COVID-19 vaccine requirements for certain workers. “I am vetoing […]
U.S. Senate panel bickers over Supreme Court nomination but sets vote next week
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reopened partisan disagreements Monday as members scheduled a vote for April 4 on Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Republicans’ criticisms of Jackson’s record and responses were either untrue or disingenuous. Meanwhile, ranking Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa again raised process concerns. Jackson […]
Interior would see big funding boost under Biden budget proposal, including tribal programs
President Joe Biden’s budget request, released Monday, would boost funding for the Interior Department by nearly one-fifth, well above what the administration has proposed for most discretionary spending. The president’s $5.8 trillion request to Congress for fiscal 2023 proposes a 5% increase for domestic discretionary programs. Interior would see $17.5 billion in discretionary spending, a […]