Political News

Record Number Of Women In The Nebraska Legislature And In Other States

Published by Nikki Palmer on Tue, 12/06/2022 - 2:00am

LINCOLN — Nebraska voters in November elected a record number of women to the Legislature, sending new faces to join the 14 women already serving and setting a new high of 18.

Women in 2023 will hold more than a third of Nebraska’s 49 seats for the first time — at 37% — with nine Republicans and nine Democrats serving in the officially nonpartisan body.

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Fischer’s Year-Round 15%-Plus Ethanol Bill Has Oil Backing

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 12/05/2022 - 5:00am

LINCOLN — The U.S. Senate, with volatile gasoline prices top of mind, is inching toward a bipartisan solution to a years-long push for year-round sales of ethanol blends of 15% or more.

Bills to codify the change have shared support from agricultural organizations and biofuels boosters, including the congressional delegations from ag states like Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.

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What’s Really At Stake In A Politically Charged Supreme Court Case On Elections

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 12/05/2022 - 4:00am

To hear some tell it, a Supreme Court case set for argument on Dec. 7 could spell the end of democracy in the United States. If the Republicans who brought the case, Moore v. Harper, prevail, state legislatures will effectively be free to override the votes of their citizens in presidential elections, the doomsayers predict. That might allow a future presidential candidate to undo an election, much as Donald Trump attempted, but failed, to do in 2020.

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U.S. House Democrats Make History Electing First Black Party Leader In Congress

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 12/05/2022 - 3:00am

WASHINGTON — The three U.S. House Democrats who have led their party through four presidencies and thousands of floor votes formally passed the torch to the next generation Wednesday, when the party gathered behind closed doors to elect its top leaders for the 118th Congress.

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Railroad Unions And Their Employers At An Impasse: Freight-Halting Strikes Are Rare, And This Would Be The First In 3 Decades

Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 11/29/2022 - 4:00am

The prospect of a potentially devastating rail workers strike is looming again.

Fears of a strike in September 2022 prompted the Biden administration to pull out all the stops to get a deal between railroads and the largest unions representing their employees.

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Library, Missing Days, COVID: Our Flatwater Free Conversation With Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 11/28/2022 - 5:00am

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert speaks during a news conference at the Douglas County Health Department in Omaha, Neb., Friday, July 31, 2020. (Nati Harnik / AP Photo)

Recently, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert sat down with FFP contributor Mike’l Severe for the latest installment of the Flatwater Free Conversation. Their interview was wide-ranging, touching on what Stothert says are the successes of her three terms as mayor, including lower crime and the new Gene Leahy Mall.

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Lincoln Mayor Gaylor Baird Announces She Will Run For Re-Election

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 11/28/2022 - 2:00am

LINCOLN — Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced her re-election bid Monday by embracing her record, including the city’s responses to COVID-19 that she knows her opponents will criticize.

Nebraska’s highest-profile Democrat said in an interview that she is proud of how Lincoln and Lancaster County kept mortality rates among the lowest in Nebraska and nationally, which health statistics show.

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State Lawmakers Crafting A ‘Code Of Conduct,’ Mulling Hiring An Attorney For Workplace Issues

Published by Nikki Palmer on Tue, 11/22/2022 - 1:00am

NEBRASKA CITY, Nebraska — A special legislative committee is crafting a first-ever “code of conduct” for Nebraska legislators in the wake of complaints about the handling of a workplace harassment case that led to the resignation of Sen. Mike Groene.

The group is also considering hiring an attorney with expertise in workplace issues.

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The AP Interview: Pence Says Voters Want New Leadership

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 11/21/2022 - 5:00am

Former Vice President Mike Pence sits for an interview with the Associated Press, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in New York. (John Minchillo / AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that voters are “looking for new leadership” following the disappointing midterm elections for Republicans, who are now openly debating whether his onetime boss, Donald Trump, should maintain a leading role in the party.

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Republicans Win Control Of The U.S. House With 218th Seat

Published by Nikki Palmer on Mon, 11/21/2022 - 4:00am

Republicans clinched a majority in the U.S. House on Wednesday night after a Republican won reelection to a California seat that put the GOP over the top, according to Associated Press projections.