Democrats

Sacramento’s PBS affiliate reports: Amid a flurry of recent school board policies aimed at the rights of transgender students, California passed a new law in July that prevents schools from requiring staff to notify parents if a student identifies as LGBTQ. The new law, AB 1955, came in response to a handful of school boards adopting policies that require teachers …

Reuters reports: U.S. stock exchanges will close on Thursday, January 9 in observation of a national day of mourning in honor of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday at the age of 100. The New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq announced the closures on Monday, a customary gesture to honor deceased presidents. President Joe Biden directed …

Gothamist reports: The start of a new year often brings a surge of optimism — and gym memberships. But for many, the excitement fades as unused memberships become an expensive burden. Starting in 2025, a new state law will make canceling these contracts less of a headache. Under the new law, health clubs must process gym membership cancellations within 10 …

The Washington Post reports: Memorial services for former president Jimmy Carter are expected to span several days and include public events in Atlanta and Washington. Carter’s state funeral will be held Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. inside Washington National Cathedral after a procession from Georgia and a ceremony in which his body will lie in state in the Capitol, according …

Via press release from the White House: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed on January 9, 2025, as a mark of respect for James Earl Carter, …

Via press release from the Human Rights Campaign: “All of us at the Human Rights Campaign feel an immense loss with the passing of former President Jimmy Carter,” said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign. “In recent years, he became a prominent voice in support of LGBTQ+ rights, speaking out for marriage equality at a time when most …

The Daily Beast reports: Former President Jimmy Carter left one last parting gift for president-elect Donald Trump after his death at 100 on Sunday. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the American flag should fly at “half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after …

Via press release from Bill and Hillary Clinton: Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life. Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others-until the very end. From his commitment to civil rights as a state senator and governor of Georgia; to his efforts as President to protect …

The Washington Post reports: Memorial services for former president Jimmy Carter are expected to span several days and include public events in Atlanta and Washington. Afterward, the 39th president will be buried in a private ceremony in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, the Carter Center said Sunday. There will be a state funeral in Washington. The date and arrangements remain …

Posted by former President Obama to Medium: Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did — advocating for the public good, consequences be damned. He believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he …

Via press release from the White House: Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian. Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear …

The New York Times reports: Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina is set to leave office on New Year’s Day after two terms that began with his effort to undo the state’s “bathroom ban” for transgender people and ended with him muscling through a Medicaid expansion. Now Mr. Cooper, 67, has plenty of options. In his farewell address last week, …

Gothamist reports: A Turkish transportation app that connects users with taxis, e-bikes and electric scooters has named the attorney representing Mayor Eric Adams in his federal corruption case to its board of directors. The Istanbul-based Marti Technologies announced late last week that its board elected Alex Spiro as a director during its 2024 annual shareholder meeting. In New York, Spiro …

The Hill reports: “It is utterly preposterous to suggest that we are going to send our military into Panama to, quote, ‘take back the Panama Canal,’” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said during a Thursday appearance on CNN. “We have a treaty with Panama. We have a free trade agreement with Panama,” she added. “We are no more going to take …

The New York Times reports: Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York on Thursday signed a law that requires companies that are big fossil fuel polluters to help pay to repair damage caused by extreme weather, which is becoming more common because of greenhouse gas emissions. The legislation, called the Climate Change Superfund Act, mandates that the companies responsible for the …

CBS News reports: President Biden and his family are heading to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands for a final holiday before he leaves the White House next month. The trip has become an annual one for the Bidens, who in the past have stayed at a wealthy donor’s home on the island. It’s the third year in a …

Axios reports: Medicare’s $2,000 prescription drug cap will take effect at the start of the new year. The yearly limit on out-of-pocket payments, under the Inflation Reduction Act, is expected to lower millions of seniors’ medical costs. It will have a particularly significant impact for patients taking expensive drugs to treat cancer and other serious conditions. Overall, 3.2 million Americans …

CBS News reports: Former President Bill Clinton checked into a Washington, D.C., hospital Monday afternoon for “testing and observation after developing a fever,” an aide said in a statement. “President Clinton was admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center this afternoon for testing and observation after developing a fever,” Angel Ureña, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, wrote on X. “He remains …

CBS News reports: President Biden is granting clemency to 37 of the 40 federal inmates facing death sentences. Their sentences will be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The three inmates who didn’t get clemency are the convicted murderer in the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, the gunman at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, and the …

Politico reports: New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday distanced himself from a top NYPD official whom he previously promoted and defended, following new graphic sexual assault allegations. “The allegations are extremely concerning and alarming,” Adams told reporters Saturday. “The police commissioner is doing a full review of all personnel, but she’s also doing a full review of this …