u.s. senate
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Democratic Rep. Val Demings Announces She’s Running Against Marco Rubio for Florida’s Senate Seat
Demings was the impeachment manager during Trump’s first impeachment trial.
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Kristen Clarke Confirmed as First Black Woman to Lead DOJ Civil Rights Division Despite Republican Opposition
On Tuesday, Kristen Clarke became the first Black woman to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division. On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Clarke was sworn into office by the first Black woman to serve as vice president, Kamala Harris. “This is a historic moment because for…
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Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings Dead at 84 After Battle With Cancer
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, the longest-serving member of Florida’s delegation to Washington, D.C., died Tuesday morning at age 84 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, the Sun Sentinel reports. Hastings was a civil rights lawyer, judge and congressman who was known for his many political comebacks and bravery against injustice. When he first became…
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Donald Trump's Second Impeachment Trial, Explained
Today, the U.S. Senate will begin the impeachment trial to determine whether former President Donald Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection. This is the second time he has been impeached, the first time ever for a U.S. president. In 2019, he was impeached on two counts of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress…
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Gov. Newsom Appoints California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to Replace Kamala Harris in U.S. Senate
Before becoming the first Black female vice president in U.S. history, Kamala Harris was the only Black woman in the U.S. Senate and only the second to serve in the Senate ever. So it should come as no surprise that Black people—including 28 civil rights leaders, Black Lives Matter officials and California’s Legislative Black Caucus—called…
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The Furious Fight for Alabama’s Senate Seat Is Crazier and More Racist Than Ever
In Alabama’s 2018 special elections, black women saved their state from sending an alleged teenage dating connoisseur to the U.S Senate. Instead, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) won the empty seat vacated by former MAGA Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, whose voting record is just as racist as his name. This time won’t be that…
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Stacey Abrams Will Not Run for U.S. Senate in 2020; Millions Sigh, 'But What About President, Though?'
We still don’t know exactly what Stacey Abrams has in mind for future office, but we can at least rule one possibility out: a U.S. Senate seat in 2020. Early Tuesday morning, the Georgia Democrat announced she will not run to be a Georgia representative, despite “a fierce lobbying effort by party leaders,” the Washington…
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First Step Is One of the Biggest Criminal Justice Reforms in Decades. But How Great Will Its Effect Be?
On Tuesday night, a Republican-dominated Senate passed First Step, paving the way for the criminal justice reform bill to clear the House and be signed into law by Donald Trump. The bipartisan bill, which was overwhelmingly passed in an 87-12 vote, is widely considered to the most substantial legislation affecting the federal prison system in…
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Kamala Harris Is Willing to Work With Trump; if Not, He Can Catch Those Hands
Kamala Harris is a busy woman. On the day I spoke with her, she was coming off the heels of a 24-hour oppose-athon against Sen. Jeff Sessions’ nomination for attorney general. She also spoke against his nomination on the day of his vote. By the time we would speak, it would be well into the…
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Kamala Harris Makes History, Becomes 2nd Black Woman Elected to US Senate
On Tuesday, California elected state Attorney General Kamala Harris to represent it in the U.S. Senate. Harris is the first new senator for the state in 24 years—the first black politician to represent the state—and only the second black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Harris, 52, entered the race after Sen. Barbara Boxer announced…