In the News

‘Taking away food is taking away everything’: Texans brace for SNAP cuts

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Texas has been called the hungriest state in the country, having the highest food insecurity rate nationwide, according to the nonprofit Feeding America. One in six Texans regularly goes hungry, a third of whom are children. That's more than 3% above the national average. Federal and state programs designed to ease hunger and poverty, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,…

Safer Beauty Bill Package Targets Federal Gaps in Cosmetics Safety

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The beauty and personal care industry touches the lives of every American. The average American adult uses nine personal care products a day. Recently, there’s been growing concern about chemicals like formaldehyde, mercury, asbestos, and lead in beauty and personal care products, which may be linked to cancer, infertility, poor infant and maternal health outcomes, asthma, and numerous…

Lawmakers introduce package of bills aimed at making beauty products, industry safer

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“Beauty is wonderful, but I think safe beauty is the real glow up,” said Christin Birkhead. She has been a makeup artist for more than two decades and is also the owner of Conceptual Beauty, a company that offers on-site hair and makeup services in Washington D.C. and surrounding areas. Spectrum News caught up with Birkhead, who said she wants to see more safety standards in the beauty…

Cornyn Calls FBI on Texas Democrats (w/ Rep. Lizzie Fletcher)

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Texas Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher joins Sarah Longwell to take on the shameless power grab happening in Texas. Texas Republicans are trying to ram through a mid-decade redistricting plan that could give the GOP 80% of the state’s congressional seats—even though nearly half of Texans vote Democratic. View this interview in The Bulwark.

As Texas pursues mid-decade congressional redistricting, some members of Congress aim to ban the practice

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At least a dozen members of Congress of both political parties are sponsoring multiple bills that would ban mid-decade congressional redistricting, which Texas Republican state lawmakers are now pushing at the behest of President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott. But the prospects of such legislation passing in the current Republican-led Congress are bleak. The trio of bills would bar…

Democrats speak out from Illinois on day two of quorum break

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As Texas Democrats began their second full day of breaking quorum to prevent the legislature from approving redrawn congressional maps, a group of House Democrats were joined by national and Illinois Democrats, along with their counterparts in the U.S. House at a media conference Tuesday. As of Tuesday afternoon’s session of the House, 54 Democrats were not present in the chamber,…

Democrats Rally Behind Texas Colleagues in Redistricting Showdown

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Democratic officials rallied in Chicago on Tuesday behind more than 50 Texas House Democrats who left their state last week to block a GOP-led redistricting plan they say could help Republicans flip up to five congressional seats. Speaking at a press conference on Aug. 5 alongside the Texas delegation, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and…

Texas Dems vow to continue fight against redistricting

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Texas Democrats vowed to continue their fight Tuesday against redistricting efforts backed by Republicans. Lawmakers were joined by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin, just one day before the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Pritzker and other Illinois leaders pledged to back the lawmakers, saying Republicans were following…