State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- News
Why Texas Heartbeat Law Matters: Pro-Life Leaders Speak Out
The Daily Signal’s Mary Margaret Olohan interviewed top pro-life leaders Monday at the Supreme Court, where the justices were hearing oral arguments on the Texas heartbeat law, which protects unborn babies once a pregnancy is about 6 weeks along.Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
How Education Came to Dominate Virginia Governor’s Race
It’s Election Day in Virginia, and no issue has captured the attention of voters in the Old Dominion more than education. Battles between school boards and frustrated parents have attracted national attention, and led to a close race for governor. Ian Prior, a Loudoun County, Virginia, father and executive director of parents-based grassroots organization Fight…Douglas Blair -
- News
As Supreme Court Hears Challenges to Abortion Law, Texas Senator Tells Why He Wrote Heartbeat Act
Texas state Sen. Bryan Hughes, author of one of the most controversial pieces of abortion legislation in decades, insisted Monday that his law is focused on protecting every “little baby” with a heartbeat. The Texas Republican stood steps away from the Supreme Court building as the nine justices heard oral arguments in challenges to Texas’…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in 2 Texas Heartbeat Act Cases. Here Are the Top Takeaways.
We are only a month into the Supreme Court’s 2021-22 term and abortion already appears to be this season’s defining topic. The court heard arguments in two cases on Monday related to the Texas Heartbeat Act, which bans most abortions after the fetal heartbeat is detected (which is usually about six weeks after conception). And…Thomas Jipping -
- News
Virginia Scholar Refuses to Cave to Pressure Over Tweet Criticizing Bisexual Superman
A scholar at a Virginia university is not backing down as students and faculty seek to get her fired for a tweet she posted criticizing DC Comics’ new bisexual Superman character. “Regrettably, this has all gone too far,” Sophia Nelson, scholar in residence at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, says in an open…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
Texas Heartbeat Act Again Before Supreme Court. Here’s What You Need to Know.
The Texas Heartbeat Act, known as SB 8, is once again up for consideration before the Supreme Court as a result of two consolidated cases. Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson and United States v. Texas—scheduled for oral arguments on Monday—will require the court to consider whether the federal government can sue to enforce the right…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
Virginia Parents Standing Up to Loudoun County School Board Should Inspire Parents Everywhere
Who should make decisions about how children should be educated? The obvious answer—consistent with American democratic values—is clear: parents. The alternative is unavoidably tyrannical. Indeed, the question of who our children fundamentally belong to has come to define our modern political divide. “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” said…Mary Clare Amselem -
- News
New York Times Slams YouTube for ‘Arbitrary’ Censorship of Left-Wing Channel
The New York Times published an article late Thursday castigating YouTube for removing the channel of British left-wing news channel Novara Media. The article, titled “How a Mistake by YouTube Shows Its Power Over Media,” criticized the tech platform’s “opaque and sometimes arbitrarily enforced” rules, describing the company as an information “gatekeeper.” Novara, a British news…Ailan Evans -
- News
Amid Controversy Over Virginia Public Schools, Religious Private Schools See Surge in Enrollment
As the Fairfax County Public Schools system reports dwindling school enrollment, leaders at religious private schools across Northern Virginia say they are only growing. “This year alone, I can point to at least four families … who have either relocated to the area from other states or who have moved from very progressive public school…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Lawsuit Targets Massachusetts Public School System for Racial Segregation, Censoring Students
A Massachusetts public school system is actively promoting racially segregated student groups and a “bias reporting program” that encourages students to report instances of their peers’ biases to school officials for disciplinary action, a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges. Parents Defending Education filed the lawsuit against the Boston-area Wellesley Public Schools Tuesday in the U.S. District…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
3 Takeaways From AG Garland’s House Panel Testimony on Virginia School Rape Case, Conflict of Interest
Attorney General Merrick Garland denied any knowledge Thursday of a highly publicized Northern Virginia school rape case and suggested that he called for federal investigations of parents without independently confirming a purported spike in threats made to school boards and teachers. During the hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Republican lawmakers grilled the attorney general…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
New York City to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine for Entire City Workforce
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that all New York City municipal workers would be required to have a COVID-19 vaccination. All municipal employees, including police and firefighters, will have until Oct. 29 to receive their first shot or risk losing their jobs, according to de Blasio. City employees will receive an additional $500 in…Harry Wilmerding -
- Opinion
Thomas Jefferson Latest Target in War on History. New York City Council Votes to Remove His Statue From City Hall.
The war on history has come for Thomas Jefferson. On Monday, the New York City Council unanimously voted to remove a Jefferson statue from New York City Hall, though it hasn’t yet decided where to put it. The statue has been there for nearly a century and was originally created to celebrate religious liberty. The…Jarrett Stepman -
- News
‘Are You Transgender?’: Virginia School Survey Asks Students About Gender, Sex, Intimate Family Details
A Fairfax County Public Schools system survey will ask children as young as 13 years old to anonymously answer questions about their sex lives, drug and alcohol consumption, and intimate details of their family life. The school system administers the survey to students in the eighth, 10th, and 12th grades each fall, and a separate…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Over 94,000 Illegal Immigrants in Southern Texas Released Into US With Notices to Report, Documents Show
Just over 94,500 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally were encountered by border officials in southern Texas and released into the country with notices to report, according to data obtained by Fox News on Wednesday. The migrants were encountered in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and Del Rio sectors since March 20, according to Fox News. Notices to…Kaylee Greenlee -
- News
Virginia School System Deflects Charges It Covered Up Rape of Ninth Grade Girl by ‘Gender-Fluid’ Boy
Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia is being accused of covering up allegations that a boy in late May sexually assaulted a ninth grade girl in her school’s restroom—the nightmare scenario so often described by opponents of radical transgender school policies. The school system allegedly covered up the incident by transferring the male student…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Federal Judge Rules New York Must Provide Religious Exemptions to Vaccine Mandate
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that New York must recognize health care workers’ religious exemptions to the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to court documents. U.S. District Judge David Hurd ruled on Tuesday that the mandate conflicts with “individuals’ federally protected right to seek a religious accommodation from their individual employers,” granting a preliminary injunction…Bryan Babb -
- News
Noncitizen Voting in Vermont Part of Democrats’ ‘Long Game’
Noncitizens will be able to vote in two Vermont cities as part of a growing national trend, unless lawsuits prevent new laws from taking effect. The cities of Montpelier, with about 7,375 residents, and Winooski, with about 7,335, both will allow noncitizens to vote in local elections for offices such as mayor, city council, and…Fred Lucas -
- News
After ‘Equity Audit,’ Minnesota Middle School No Longer Gives Students ‘F’ Grades
A Minnesota middle school will no longer give students “F’s” in an attempt to address “systemic racism” after conducting an “equity audit.” Sunrise Park Middle School in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, announced a new grading scale for the 2021-2022 school year that does not include anything under 50% or any “F’s,” according to a video posted to…Kendall Tietz -
- Opinion
What Needs to Happen Now That Arizona Election Audit Over
Editor’s note: Discrepancies and other problems uncovered by the Arizona Senate’s audit of the presidential election in the state’s largest county, Maricopa, were the topic of a Sept. 27 appearance by Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, on Newsmax’s “American Agenda.” “Election officials in Arizona should not simply dismiss this audit [and]…Hans von Spakovsky