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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison: ‘We are a whisper away from Jim Crow'
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks to States Newsroom leaders and reporters Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at the Royal Sonesta in downtown Minneapolis. When President Donald Trump's performance in the polls in 2024 signaled a possible re-election, Keith Ellison and fellow Democratic attorneys general read Project 2025 and started getting ready, especially when Trump hired the key author of the planning document after his election. They divided the documents into sections and marshaled their staff lawyers to be ready with lawsuits. So when Russell Vought and the Office of Management and Budget and froze the distribution of certain federal funds — as outlined in Project 2025 — Ellison and other the Democratic AGs were ready. They sued over the funding freeze the next day. 'They were not hiding the ball,' Ellison said in a wide-ranging interview with States Newsroom in Minneapolis Wednesday. Ellison and his colleagues have engaged in more than two dozen lawsuits against Trump administration actions in the first five months of the president's second term. The AGs have sued over cuts to federal agencies, tariffs, DOGE's access to government data, attempts to end birthright citizenship, and more. They've also toured blue states to tout their accomplishments and listen to voters' concerns. The stakes are high, Ellison said: the fate of multi-racial democracy. Ellison, who served for a dozen years in Congress representing Minnesota's Minneapolis-based 5th District, said the states are a sovereign bulwark against federal power grabs. The Democratic attorneys general are not only fighting a Republican-controlled executive branch, but also a conservative majority on the U.S Supreme Court. In Ellison's view, recent decisions by the Roberts court — particularly in 303 Creative v. Elenis, in which the court ruled that a business owner could not be obligated to serve a gay couple — signify that the country is moving towards legal segregation. 'We are a whisper away from Jim Crow,' Ellison said. Still, Ellison was upbeat, celebrating the AGs string of victories and predicting that even conservative Supreme Court justices will resist the Trump administration's attack on the rule of law and the institution of the court itself. The Democratic AGs may benefit from a weakened Department of Justice under Trump, Ellison said. The agency that defends the federal government in court is hemorrhaging longtime staff attorneys, through both firings and resignations. Ellison emphasized that many of the policies enacted by Trump in his first months in office would be legal if they were passed by Congress. Instead, the president is running the country through 'edict' and 'proclamation,' Ellison said. 'Our democracy is not perfect,' Ellison said, 'but you will absolutely miss it when it's gone, and Trump has given you a glimpse of that.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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Oregon poised to join most other states allowing governor to appoint vacant U.S. Senate seats
Oregon is one of four states that leaves a Senate vacancy unfilled until a special election is held. A bill that's passed the state House and Senate would change that. Shown is the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom) A bill allowing Oregon's governor to appoint a U.S. senator for the state in the event of an unexpected vacancy is now a governor's signature away from becoming law. In a 31-24 vote, lawmakers in the Oregon House Tuesday passed Senate Bill 952. The legislation would give Gov. Tina Kotek, and any future Oregon governor, the authority to appoint someone from the same political party as the outgoing senator within 30 days of their passing away, stepping down or otherwise being unable to serve in their position. The appointment would expire whenever the former senator's term ends or if a successor is elected, whichever comes first. The legislation would end Oregon's status as one of four states in which vacancies are left unfilled until special elections, without appointments from the governor. Senate Bill 952 passed in the Oregon Senate in April in a 16-13 vote along party lines, with one dissenting Democrat, along with amendments that mandate a special election be set within 150 days following a vacancy. Oregon lawmakers considered a similar effort in 2022 but failed to pass that attempt out of the Legislature. 'This is not a partisan issue,' said Rep. Hai Pham, D-Hillsboro, while introducing the bill Tuesday on the House floor. 'It's about making sure our state isn't left on the sidelines when the stakes are high.' Oregon Republicans, however, saw the measure as further entrenching power with Democrats and party insiders. Several spoke up on the House floor and said the process should be left up to voters. 'If this bill is passed and a senate vacancy arises, the governor can choose someone who has never run for office, never answered to the public, and never stood before voters to earn their trust,' said state Rep. Dwayne Yunker, R-Grants Pass. 'What kind of accountability does that bring? The answer is none.' House Minority Leader and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Christine Drazan, R-Canby, told her colleagues that the bill was unnecessary. 'I personally have been through the process of running for statewide office. It is not easy, and it should not be,' she said. 'It is grueling, it is humbling, it is demanding and it is appropriate that it be so.' Well before the state House's vote on Tuesday, Oregon's U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats working beyond the standard retirement age of 65, had already signaled approval for the legislation. The two are part of one of the oldest Senates in U.S. history, where the median age of a member is just under 65. Wyden, 76, and Merkley, 68, both sent letters to the state's Senate Rules Committee April 2 encouraging passage of Senate Bill 952. Wyden, who has said he is running for re-election in 2028, wrote that under Oregon's current rules Oregonians, 'would have only half a voice in the U.S. Senate if our state lacked a senator because of death or injury for a prolonged period.' Merkley, who has not announced whether he plans to run for reelection in 2026, echoed Wyden's concerns, writing that waiting for a special election in the event of a vacancy would leave critical work undone. Most states allow their governor to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy by appointment, with the appointee serving until the next regularly scheduled general election. Of the 13 states that require a special election to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, nine allow the governor to make a temporary appointment. Oregon is one of four states that leaves a vacancy unfilled until a special election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Youngkin sets Sept. 9 special election to fill Connolly's seat in Congress
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Fairfax, died last month from a resurgence of cancer. At least four Democrats have signaled their interest in filling the vacancy. (Photo by Robin Bravender/States Newsroom) Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday set a special election for Sept. 9, 2025, to fill the congressional seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly, a longtime Democratic fixture in Northern Virginia who passed away May 21 after a recurrence of cancer. The writ of election, issued by Youngkin's office, triggers a high-stakes contest in Virginia's 11th Congressional District, a region that leans solidly Democratic and is home to a large population of federal workers. Candidates hoping to compete must file by July 11, with eligibility details available on the Department of Elections website. Connolly, 75, died just weeks after announcing he would not seek reelection. First elected to Congress in 2008 after a decade on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including five years as chair, Connolly became known as a detail-oriented legislator with a focus on government oversight and civil service protections. Before his time in local government, he worked on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and held positions in the private sector with firms like SRI International and SAIC. His death set off a cascade of questions about how and when the seat would be filled. Virginia law requires the governor to call a special election to replace a congressional representative, but offers flexibility on timing. Elections must be held on a Tuesday and cannot occur within 55 days of a regularly scheduled general or primary election — a restriction that ruled out much of the summer due to Virginia's June 17 congressional primaries. Manisha Singh, chair of the 11th District Democratic Committee, told The Mercury last week her group has been preparing for this moment while awaiting Youngkin's decision. She described the task ahead as urgent but clear — to ensure a transparent and accessible nomination process. 'Our voters will have plenty of opportunity to have their voice heard,' Singh said. She added that the local party's role is not to favor any one candidate, but to oversee a fair election process. Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, said last week that the party intentionally held off on finalizing its plans out of respect for the governor's timeline. With the election date now set, he said, urgency will be key. 'I want to see a nomination process that gives voters time and space to be heard,' Bagby said. Democrats are expected to hold a 'firehouse primary' in mid-July to select their nominee. The Fairfax County Democratic Committee has already begun lining up polling locations, with plans to offer at least one site in each magisterial district. Several candidates have already stepped forward or signaled interest in the Democratic nomination. Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who once served as Connolly's chief of staff and had already received the late congressman's endorsement, is widely seen as a frontrunner. Also weighing bids are state Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax; Fairfax Planning Commissioner Candice Bennett; and attorney Amy Roma, a Vienna resident who specializes in global energy policy. Singh acknowledged the difficulty of replacing a lawmaker as experienced and deeply rooted in the community as Connolly. 'It is a humongous void that we are feeling right now, and it's some really big shoes to fill,' she said. Still, she voiced confidence in the emerging field of candidates. 'We have some excellent candidates who I am very sure are up to the challenge.' On the Republican side, Mike Van Meter, a former law enforcement officer who lost to Connolly in 2024 by a 67-33% margin, has announced plans to run again. So far, no other Republican contenders have entered the race. Connolly's legacy looms large over the upcoming contest. In his final message to constituents, delivered just weeks before his death, he reflected on his 30 years in public service and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve: 'My extended family — you all have been a joy to serve.' The full writ of election is available on the Virginia Department of Elections website. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Shaprio's renewable energy plan advances as Trump administration keeps Pa. fossil fuel plant online
The Blue Creek wind farm in Ohio, consists of 152 wind turbines with a total capacity of 304 megawatts. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has finalized new rules that are expected to help ease the backlog of new wind, solar and battery storage projects awaiting regulatory approval. (Robert Zullo/ States Newsroom) Days before Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced Gov. Josh Shapiro's plan to expand the commonwealth's renewable energy resources, the Trump administration ordered a fossil fuel-fired power plant outside Philadelphia to keep running past its planned retirement date. The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday ordered Pennsylvania's electricity grid operator PJM Interconnect and owner Constellation Energy to keep the Eddystone Generating Station in Delaware County ready to meet peak power demands. It was scheduled to cease operations Saturday. The order highlights challenges facing Pennsylvania policymakers as they work to ensure there's enough electricity for industry and residents while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Legislation that would set a more ambitious goal for renewable energy production in what Shapiro describes as an all-of-the-above approach to meeting demand passed a state House committee on Monday. House Bill 501 would enact the Pennsylvania Reliability Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS), which is part of Shapiro's broader energy policy dubbed the Lightning Plan. It would require 35% of the state's energy to come from clean sources including solar, wind, nuclear and other emerging technologies by 2040. Other aspects of the plan would provide tax credits for renewable energy development and establish a dedicated board to streamline energy permitting to incentivize developers to prioritize clean energy. While President Donald Trump has backed the oil, gas and coal industries since he campaigned for his first term in 2016, the DOE order to keep the Eddystone Generating Station online cited an 'emergency situation' as PJM warned that electricity demand in the 13 states it serves could soon outpace the opening of new power plants. PJM projects its peak demand will grow by about 70,000 megawatts to 220,000 megawatts by 2040. The growth is being driven by the increased electrification of transportation and industry and the proliferation of data centers to satisfy the demand for computing power from artificial intelligence and other technologies. PJM's process to authorize new power plants to connect to the grid faces a backlog including hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy while about 20% of its existing generating capacity is expected to retire in the next five years. Starting this month, consumers in Pennsylvania and the rest of PJM's footprint will see electric bills increase by 10% to 20% as a result of soaring prices in last July's capacity auction, in which electricity generators bid to provide generating capacity. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, lags behind most of the nation in renewable energy development. An analysis of federal energy data by PennEnvironment put the commonwealth behind all but Washington and Alaska, which tied for last place. Debate on the renewable energy legislation Monday in the House Environmental and Natural Resources Committee demonstrated the tension between Pennsylvania's energy future and its past. Republicans argued the goal of obtaining 35% of the state's energy from clean sources by 2035 is unrealistic. Natural gas and coal provide reliable electricity while helping to drive Pennsylvania's economy, they said. Rep. Tim Twardzik (R-Schuylkill) said renewable energy sources including solar and wind power would take up too much land. And subsidizing them at the expense of established fossil fuel sources would hurt workers and consumers by taking away jobs and increasing prices. 'It's just going to waste money and not solve our problems,' Twardzik said. Democrats said diversifying the state's energy portfolio is essential to staving off an energy crisis. 'We are at a crossroads,' Rep. Chris Pielli (D-Chester) said. 'I think that we should be looking at many forms of energy, nuclear, geothermal, and even using our gas and our oil.' Pielli rebutted claims by Republicans that the renewable energy legislation would create winners and losers. He argued Pennsylvania's gas industry benefitted from a subsidy when lawmakers chose not to impose an excise tax on gas production, forgoing billions in revenue. Deeply conservative Texas, Pielli noted, leads the nation in both natural gas production, wind and solar energy. 'Let's look at that … recognizing that this bill is an opportunity that we can fine tune, where we can use any and all of these resources to protect our consumers going forward when it comes to our power,' he said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal SNAP, Medicaid cuts could harm Alabamians and the state budget, advocates say
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid could significantly strain Alabama's budget, but Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund committee urged caution due to the bill's uncertainty, despite critics calling the measures "cruel." (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) A budget bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives could impose significant financial and social challenges in Alabama. The measure could cut food assistance and Medicaid program funding that serve hundreds of thousands of people with low incomes in Alabama, and potentially cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars annually. It's still unclear if it will pass the U.S. Senate. The legislation, which passed the House largely along party lines, proposes funding reductions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. Experts and state officials warn the cuts could lead to increased hunger, loss of health care coverage and other economic consequences across the state, particularly in vulnerable rural communities. 'There are three things in the bill, as it came out of the House, that are problematic for SNAP,' said Carol Gundlach, a policy analyst with Alabama Arise, an organization working on poverty issues. 'The first — and the biggest and the most important one — is it shifts cost-sharing to the states.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Historically, states have paid 50% of administrative costs for SNAP, but the benefits themselves have been 100% federally funded. The new bill, Gundlach said, would increase Alabama's share of administrative expenses to 75%, costing the state an estimated additional $35 million. More concerning, she said, is the proposal to shift part of the benefit cost to the states. Gundlach said Alabama could be 'on the hook for about 15% of the actual benefit cost of SNAP,' amounting to at least $254 million annually. 'That would also presumably have to come out of the General Fund, and that's every year, every single year,' Gundlach said. The proposed SNAP changes also include an expansion of work requirements for parents with children over the age of 7. This could force parents to 'jump through a bunch of hoops in order to keep your SNAP benefits, or they're going to cut your family SNAP benefits,' she said. The bill could prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from recalculating the base amount of SNAP benefits in the future, a measure Gundlach said would increase hunger as benefits fail to keep pace with food costs. 'Any way this works, people are going to lose SNAP benefits,' she said, warning that in a worst-case scenario, Alabama could walk away from the SNAP program completely, leaving nearly 1 million people dependent on SNAP, or about 20% of Alabama's population, without food assistance. Debbie Smith, campaign director for Arise's Cover Alabama, said Alabama's 'bare bones' Medicaid program also faces pressures. According to Smith, the bill could cost Alabama '$324 million, I think, over 10 years' for Medicaid, translating to roughly $30 million annually. This could increase Alabama's Medicaid spending per resident by about 15%. 'Any cut to Medicaid is concerning when you have the bare bones program that we have. We really can't afford to cut anywhere,' Smith said. '$30 million for a year … that's still a big impact on our state budget.' The bill would also eliminate the federal incentive designed to encourage states like Alabama to expand Medicaid, a significant concern for Smith. '(The bill) sunsets that incentive, Jan. 1, 2026, so there's no time for anybody to take advantage of it before it sunsets,' Smith said. Even without state expansion, the bill is expected to cause coverage losses. Smith said Arise projects 53,000 people could lose their Medicaid coverage. Combined with the potential expiration of enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, 170,000 Alabamians could lose health insurance, leading to a $592.89 million increase in uncompensated care costs for the state, according to a Center for American Progress analysis. The House bill also proposes reducing retroactive Medicaid coverage from three months to one month. The combined potential costs from SNAP and Medicaid changes could put Alabama's General Fund in a challenging position, but Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund committee, said it's still early in the process and that it's hard to plan for a bill that could still change. 'We know things are going to get tough, OK, but we don't know how tough they're going to be,' Albritton said. Albritton said lawmakers had trouble finding an increase of about $220 million for Medicaid this past legislative session and he expects another significant increase next year. 'Between the changes of SNAP and other changes, that's going to put more pressure on us,' he said. Albritton, who has often voiced concerns about federal program funding being pulled, suggested Alabama is somewhat prepared because it hasn't expanded Medicaid. 'That's something — at least one of the few things we don't have to worry about right now,' he said. Arise described the bill's measures as 'cruel.' Gundlach described the situation as 'making parents choose between adequate care for their children and being able to put food on the table. If there is any definition of cruel, I don't know what else it could possibly be.' Albritton pushed back against such characterizations, calling the term 'alarmist' and blaming partisan politics. He chose a more cautious approach. 'All I can do at this point is sit and watch and wait,' he said. 'There's a lot that we do not know, and we're running around trying to fix something that we don't know what the problem is.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
