US Policy Pulse

Most Americans now expect key turns as the war enters its fourth week, finds Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 17-19.

Key timeline in Supreme Court mail-in ballot fight:

• Hearing Monday: Justices heard GOP/RNC challenge to Mississippi's 5-day grace period for...

Strategic twist: GOP voter suppression laws—ID reqs, purges, fewer polls—may now hurt Republicans. College-educated (high turnout, ~80%) lean Dems by...

• CA pioneer: Sen. Wiener drove laws speeding apartments, mid-rises near transit, overriding local hurdles.
• WA momentum: HB 1096 fast-tracks lot...

• Six rating shifts favor Democrats, yet Republicans hold path to maintain control since 2010
• In Ohio, Ramaswamy trails Acton despite $10M ads as...

Key win for press freedoms in defense ops: Federal Judge Paul Friedman struck down the Pentagon's policy barring unsanctioned reporting.

• Policy...

Trump's top priority: Demands Congress pass SAVE Act requiring citizenship proof to register, vowing to block other bills until done; claims it...

• Supreme Court declines to intervene, leaving appeals court ruling intact
• Crexi claims CoStar uses CRE data dominance to restrict platform access
• Case heads to possible trial on data competition controls

Trump's draft executive order seeks to declare a national emergency for federal oversight: re-register voters, curb mail-in voting, mandate...

• Sharp decline: Only two-thirds confident in state/local election fairness, down 10 points from pre-2024 levels – lowest since 2020.
• Partisan...

Key takeaways from Economist discussion with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (former CIA analyst, Iraq vet, Michigan Democrat):

• No going back: Can't return to...

• Unified 'One Rulebook' preempts state patchwork to protect U.S. AI edge, per White House AI czar David Sacks.
• Includes child safety, IP...

End-of-session priorities in Mississippi highlight funding tensions and stalled reforms:

• Teacher pay raise expected, including professors, but...

Growing frustration with congressional privileges fuels ethics reforms:

• Senate unanimously passes Cornyn's bill ending airport screening perks amid...

Outsider money tested limits in IL primaries, yielding mixed-to-poor results despite $40M+ total spend:

• AI/crypto dropped ~$20M via super PACs like...

Bipartisan breakthrough: Senate passes spending package funding most government operations and keeping DHS running, dodging immediate closure—yet partial shutdown looms.

Sunshine State lawmakers race the clock as session ends next week, with budget deadlock dominating.

• Budget battle: House at $113.6B, Senate $115B;...

Judicial check on immigration enforcement: Boston federal court halts administration's unlawful policy mandating warrantless arrests and indefinite...

Key appointment strengthens energy infrastructure oversight:

• OCC Chair Kim David appointed to federal LPAC and GPAC by Transportation Sec. Sean P....

Pennsylvania's Senate Law and Justice Committee amended legislation to incorporate forthcoming federal standards on intoxicating hemp products, aligning state regulations with the impending ban.