Latest Stories By Louis Jacobson

Showing 289-300 of 1260 items

Why are Democrats taking sides in GOP primaries?

August 1, 2022

This primary season, Democrats have taken to the airwaves — not just in Democratic primaries, but in Republican ones, too. In a move that some Democrats have criticized as risky, Democratic groups in a number of Senate, House, and gubernatorial races have paid to air ads focused on GOP primary candidates who are more conservative, […]

Allstate help wanted sign

What exactly is a recession? Sorting out a confusing topic

July 26, 2022

In a big week for economic reports, one of the biggest is set to be released on July 28: The first look at how much the nation’s second-quarter gross domestic product grew or shrank. The nation’s GDP already fell by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2022, so if it falls for a second straight […]

Kinzinger and Cheney July 21

What’s next for the Jan. 6 Committee?

July 22, 2022

The House’s Jan. 6 select committee has completed its second prime-time hearing, and its eighth overall. What’s next? The specifics of any future business of the committee remain unclear — to the public, and quite possibly to the committee itself, since members have been saying for weeks that every new hearing has brought new witnesses […]

Obergefell speaking

What states would ban same-sex marriage if the Supreme Court overturned Obergefell?

July 20, 2022

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, sending abortion policy back to the states, could the court do the same thing with same-sex marriage by overturning the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges? One justice in the majority that overturned Roe, Clarence Thomas, wrote in a concurring opinion that the court “should […]

Many states are looking toward abortion bans with no exceptions for rape, incest

July 18, 2022

Most of the states that have acted quickly to curb abortions after the reversal of Roe v. Wade have decided to do away with one longstanding element of abortion policymaking: allowing abortions in the case of rape or incest. The matter attracted national attention in July after it was reported that a 10-year old Ohio […]

Why is the US selling stockpiled oil to China? We have answers

July 11, 2022

Critics, including conservative media outlets, attacked President Joe Biden for selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to a Chinese-owned company. Some of the coverage implies a connection between the sales and Chinese investments linked to Biden’s son Hunter. Experts in the international oil markets, however, told PolitiFact that the sales were governed by U.S. law, […]

Did President Biden read off directions from a teleprompter?

July 11, 2022

President Joe Biden signed an executive order July 8 aimed at protecting abortion rights nationwide following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In his remarks announcing the executive order, Biden said something that led critics to charge that he’d read out loud stage directions from a teleprompter.  The moment occurred about […]

How strong are HIPAA protections in a post-Roe world?

July 7, 2022

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, more than a dozen states are moving toward outlawing or severely restricting abortion within their borders. Some abortion rights advocates have warned that this could put women at risk of having their personal medical records used by law enforcement. There is no guarantee that such […]

SCOTUS abortion for crossing state lines

Can states punish women for traveling out of state to get an abortion?

June 29, 2022

When the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade — the five-decade-old decision that protected abortion rights nationally — it created a new legal battlefield. One of the most vexing issues, legal experts say, is whether states that ban abortions can legally punish women for leaving the state to get an abortion, or punish people […]

Abortion demonstrators both sides June 24, 2022

What do Americans think about abortion policy? It can be complicated

June 24, 2022

The political fallout from the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade remains to be seen. But while public opinion polls offer some sense of what Americans think about abortion, the data is murkier and more contradictory than either supporters and opponents of abortion rights tend to admit.  Partly, that’s because views on abortion […]

SCOTUS overturns Roe

Now that Roe is gone, what happens in the states?

June 24, 2022

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the decisions about whether to permit abortion revert to the states. So what happens now? “What seems clear is there will be a checkerboard effect,” with some states allowing abortion said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor. Sixteen states plus the District of […]

Gas tax holiday

The pros and cons of a gas tax holiday

June 23, 2022

Seeking to address record-high gas prices nationwide, President Joe Biden has called on Congress and states to enact gas tax holidays. In remarks on June 22, Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for 90 days. Such a move would reduce prices at the pump by 18 cents per gallon on gasoline […]

Showing 289-300 of 1260 items