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Nonpartisan coverage of the people, decisions, and forces shaping American government — from Capitol Hill to the states.

Bills, notebook, and laptop on a kitchen table.
Policy / Regulation·Jul 4, 2026

Why Eligible Families Miss Government Benefits That Could Help

Federal and state programs can help with food, utilities, phone service and health costs, but families often have to navigate scattered rules and agencies first.

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Election workers process ballots in a neutral office setting.
Elections / Campaigns·Jul 4, 2026

What Happens After You Cast Your Vote

Election night numbers are usually unofficial. Final results come after local and state officials finish counting, checking, auditing and certifying the vote.

Hands holding paperwork near a courthouse filing counter.
Courts / Legal Affairs·Jul 3, 2026

Small Claims Court Can Help With Everyday Disputes, but Winning Is Not the End

Small claims court can help consumers pursue smaller money disputes without a lawyer, but rules, limits, fees and collection steps vary by state.

White House / Executive Branch

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A person reviews health insurance paperwork, pay stubs and a calendar at a kitchen table.
White House / Executive Branch·Jun 18, 2026

Medicaid Work Rules Could Put Coverage at Risk for People Already Working

New Medicaid work requirements could affect adults who already work, care for family or move in and out of unstable jobs if paperwork systems fail.

Quiet public school hallway with unreadable education forms on a desk.
White House / Executive Branch·Jun 17, 2026

Education Department Shift Puts Special Education and Civil Rights Oversight in New Hands

The Trump administration says key education oversight responsibilities will move to other federal agencies, raising questions about how student rights complaints and special education enforcement will be handled during the transition.

Federal oversight office with closed folders and locked filing cabinet.
White House / Executive Branch·Jun 16, 2026

Who Watches the Watchdogs? New Staffing Trend Raises Questions About Federal Oversight

New reporting shows political appointees entering inspector general offices at multiple federal agencies, prompting debate over how independent government watchdogs can remain.

Government office desk with laptop showing abstract cybersecurity graphics.
White House / Executive Branch·Jun 15, 2026

What Trump’s New AI Order Does and Does Not Do

A new executive order creates a federal framework for advanced AI security, but much of its practical impact may depend on whether major technology companies choose to participate.

Congress

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Family reviews housing paperwork at a kitchen table near a modest neighborhood.
Congress·Jul 2, 2026

Congress Talks About Housing, but Local Rules Still Shape What Gets Built

Housing has become a major political promise, but home prices and rents are shaped by federal policy, local zoning, borrowing costs and construction limits.

A researcher reviews federal budget reports and spending data at a library table.
Congress·Jun 24, 2026

Interest on the Debt Is Becoming One of Washington's Biggest Bills

Federal debt often feels abstract, but the interest paid on that debt is consuming a growing share of the federal budget and limiting future choices for lawmakers.

A family reviews health insurance paperwork and household bills at a kitchen table.
Congress·Jun 19, 2026

Congress Let ACA Subsidies Expire, and Families Are Seeing the Bill

Enhanced ACA premium subsidies expired after Congress failed to extend them, leaving many marketplace enrollees facing higher health-insurance costs.

Budget charts, folders, and calculator on a congressional office desk.
Congress·Jun 16, 2026

GAO's Latest Warning Raises a Question Congress Still Has Not Answered

A new federal watchdog report says debt is growing faster than the economy and interest costs are consuming a larger share of federal resources, but lawmakers remain divided on how to respond.

Courts / Legal Affairs

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A folded birth certificate document and pen near the U.S. Supreme Court steps.
Courts / Legal Affairs·Jul 1, 2026

Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship

The Supreme Court kept birthright citizenship in place, rejecting a Trump executive order that sought to deny automatic citizenship to some children born in the United States.

Court documents, voting materials, and federal policy papers arranged on a newsroom desk.
Courts / Legal Affairs·Jun 29, 2026

Supreme Court Ends Term With Mixed Rulings on Presidential Powers

The Court expanded presidential control over some agencies, protected Fed Governor Lisa Cook for now, upheld late-arriving mail ballot laws, and left Trump’s E. Jean Carroll verdict in place.

A worker reviews a timesheet, paycheck stub and overtime information at a desk.
Courts / Legal Affairs·Jun 23, 2026

Overtime Pay Rules Are Back to the Old Threshold, and Some Salaried Workers May Feel It

Federal overtime rules have returned to the older salary threshold after court decisions and Labor Department action, but salary alone still does not decide who gets overtime.

A federal worker reviews disability retirement paperwork and medical notes at a kitchen table.
Courts / Legal Affairs·Jun 19, 2026

Court Ruling Gives Federal Workers More Room to Prove Disability Claims

A federal appeals ruling could make it easier for some federal employees to qualify for disability retirement when medical evidence is complicated.

Elections / Campaigns

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Election workers test ballot scanning equipment in a county election office.
Elections / Campaigns·Jun 19, 2026

Georgia’s QR Code Ballot Delay Shows Why Election Rules Need to Be Settled Early

Georgia lawmakers are likely delaying a planned phaseout of QR-code vote counting, raising a practical question about how close to voting election systems should change.

Polling place entrance in Washington, D.C., with blurred voters.
Elections / Campaigns·Jun 17, 2026

Why a Local D.C. Election Has National Implications for Self-Government

Washington, D.C., voters are choosing new leadership in races shaped by ranked-choice voting, federal oversight, and a long-running debate over how much control the nation's capital should have over its own affairs.

Closed voter-record folders on a courthouse conference table.
Elections / Campaigns·Jun 16, 2026

Why a Georgia Voter Records Case Is Becoming a Test of Public Trust in the Courts

A federal judge's recusal from a Georgia voter-records dispute has added a new layer to an already sensitive case involving election data, government authority, and confidence in the judicial system.

Mail ballot envelope and voter materials on a kitchen table.
Elections / Campaigns·Jun 15, 2026

Why a Mail Voting Court Fight Could Matter More Than the Initial Ruling

A federal judge declined to immediately block a Trump executive order involving mail voting and a federal voter list, but the larger legal battle is still unfolding.

Policy / Regulation

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Laptop and blurred credit paperwork on a kitchen table.
Policy / Regulation·Jul 1, 2026

Free Credit Reports Can Catch Problems Before They Cost Families

Federal rules give consumers free tools to review credit reports, freeze access and respond to fraud, but those protections only help when people know how to use them.

A parent fills out school meal paperwork at a kitchen table beside a backpack, lunchbox, grocery receipt, and laptop.
Policy / Regulation·Jun 29, 2026

School Meal Rules Still Leave Families Navigating Paperwork

Free and reduced-price school meal rules are updated each year, but families can still miss help when applications, fees and program links are hard to navigate.

A cafeteria worker prepares school meal trays near menu papers and a calculator.
Policy / Regulation·Jun 23, 2026

School Meal Rules Could Make Cheap, Healthy Foods Harder for Cafeterias to Serve

Proposed limits on non-U.S. foods in school meals could affect cafeteria costs, menu choices and the affordable foods families count on schools to provide.

Building materials and construction plans sit at an unfinished affordable housing site.
Policy / Regulation·Jun 22, 2026

Made-in-America Rules Are Slowing Some Affordable Housing Projects

Build America, Buy America rules are meant to support U.S.-made materials, but housing developers say compliance and waiver delays are slowing some affordable projects.