Huntington Beach Approves Housing Plan After State Dispute
The Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-2 to approve a long-delayed housing plan covering 13,368 units during the 2021-2029 planning cycle.
Politics & Government
Elections, public policy, government decisions, budgets, regulation, ethics, civil rights, and public administration.
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Fremont Charter Ballot Decision Remains Unpublished After July 28 Meeting
Fremont has not posted the outcome of the City Council’s July 28 final meeting on whether a proposed charter would go to voters in November.
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FEC Reports Billions in 2025-26 Campaign Receipts as 2026 Elections Approach
Congressional candidates collected $2.1 billion, political parties received $1.1 billion and PACs raised $6.3 billion during the first 15 months of the federal election cycle.
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Appeals court leaves injunction blocking Trump’s federal voter-list and mail-ballot order in place
A federal appeals court upheld an injunction blocking key parts of President Donald Trump’s election order in 23 states and the District of Columbia as the legal fight continues.
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Abelardo de la Espriella Takes Office as Colombia’s President Amid Latin America’s Conservative Shift
Abelardo de la Espriella became Colombia’s president on August 7, 2026, adding one of Latin America’s largest countries to a regional trend toward conservative leadership.
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Social Security plans to end paper benefit checks nationwide in 2026
The Social Security Administration says it plans to complete the nationwide shift to electronic payments for Social Security and SSI beneficiaries this year.
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GAO Releases Report on Recent Federal Workforce Changes at OPM
The Government Accountability Office released a report examining recent workforce changes at the Office of Personnel Management, alongside five other reports issued July 16–20, 2026.
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Justice Department Pushes for Statewide Voter Lists as 2026 Election Fight Moves to Court
The Justice Department says its Civil Rights Division can seek statewide voter-registration data and share it with Homeland Security. States are challenging access and election procedures as the 2026 elections approach.
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ICE expects every field officer to have a body camera by end of August
ICE says all of its field officers and agents are expected to receive body cameras by the end of August, expanding coverage of immigration enforcement.
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Texas leaders direct most state agencies to plan for 3% budget reductions
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed most Texas state agencies to reduce their upcoming budget requests by 3% as lawmakers prepare the 2027-29 spending plan.
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Oklahoma voters will decide Aug. 25 whether lawmakers can alter Medicaid expansion and tax-incentive reimbursements
The Aug. 25, 2026, statewide runoff will include ballot questions that could change lawmakers’ authority over voter-approved Medicaid expansion and determine how local governments are reimbursed for revenue lost to manufacturing tax exemptions.
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Virginia must report on State Police budget deficits after audit requirement takes effect
Virginia’s 2026 budget language requires an audit of Virginia State Police finances, with findings due to legislative budget committees by Aug. 30, 2026.
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Tennessee primary sets Blackburn-Green governor race; Hatcher defeats Ogles
Marsha Blackburn and Jerri Green won their parties’ gubernatorial nominations, while Charlie Hatcher defeated incumbent Andy Ogles in Tennessee’s redrawn 5th Congressional District.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signs 2026-27 state budget after negotiations
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 budget in July, directing state spending toward schools, public safety and economic opportunity while projecting an approximately $8 billion surplus.
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Oregon governor moves to cancel sale of state land tied to proposed Salem data center
Gov. Tina Kotek said she intends to cancel the sale of 32 acres of state-owned land in Salem after a roughly $5 billion data-center proposal drew concerns about transparency and oversight.
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North Dakota to receive about $28 million in federal settlement over Dakota Access Pipeline protest costs
North Dakota will receive roughly $28 million from the federal government under a settlement resolving a lawsuit over state costs tied to Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016 and 2017.
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Federal Judge Blocks New York From Enforcing Face-Covering Law Against Federal Agents
Judge Mae D’Agostino issued a preliminary injunction barring New York from enforcing its face-covering and identification requirements against federal law-enforcement officers while the Justice Department’s lawsuit continues.
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Colombia’s Abelardo de la Espriella Takes Office on August 7, 2026
Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president on August 7, 2026, bringing a conservative government to a country facing drug gangs, contested ports and trafficking routes.
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DHS Finalizes Plan to Rescind 2022 Public-Charge Rule, With Changes Set for Sept. 18
The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule rescinding 2022 public-charge regulations and revising public-charge bond rules. The changes are scheduled to take effect Sept. 18, 2026.
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White House Releases Declassified Documents Alleging Foreign Election Interference
The White House says President Donald Trump released newly declassified documents concerning alleged foreign interference in U.S. elections and alleged intelligence suppression, while Vice President JD Vance backed the SAVE America Act.
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D.C. Circuit says Trump cannot build White House ballroom without Congress
A divided federal appeals panel upheld an injunction blocking above-ground construction of the planned White House ballroom unless Congress approves the project.
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Senate passes stopgap funding bill to avert shutdown through Dec. 11
The Senate approved a short-term funding measure 90-6 on Aug. 8, but the bill still needs House approval and presidential action before it can become law.