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We’re halfway into 2025 and the year has already delivered several wins for independent voters and their right to equal participation in elections following a campaign cycle in which statewide ballot measure losses threatened to slow down the movement.

Republican lawmakers, political groups, and donors are going to attempt to qualify a constitutional amendment for California’s November 2026 ballot that would require voters to present government-issued identification and verify their citizenship before casting a ballot.

Last week, Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the objections of state leaders, delivered a highly partisan speech to uniformed troops at Fort Bragg, and held a military parade in Washington, D.C. on his birthday.

What began as peaceful immigration policy protests on June 6 has escalated into a national political crisis, with violent clashes, arrests, looted businesses, burning Waymo cars, a smashed government building, nighttime curfews, and an epic legal showdown between California officials and President Donald Trump fueled by partisan flames of political division.

As the Senate takes up the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), some lawmakers are considering a slate of Medicare reforms aimed at reducing waste, fraud, and abuse within the program, which analysts say can be achieved through specific reforms that are not tied to partisan agendas.

On May 20, the Maine House of Representatives voted 76–71 to withdraw the state from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), reversing course just over a year after Maine became the 17th jurisdiction to join the agreement.

Two California members of Congress, Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA-06) and Young Kim (R-CA-40), introduced a bill Wednesday with Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick aimed at bolstering the US's global role in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease. 

We now know what final action the FEC was able to take before it effectively shut down in May due to a lack of quorum. The FEC voted unanimously 4-0 on April 29 to fine California US Rep. Maxine Waters $68,000 for violating several campaign finance laws, according to recently published documents from the agency.

As the Senate begins debate Monday on President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” polling underscores a widening gap between congressional Republicans and the independent voters they will need to win future elections. At the center of the conflict is Medicaid.

US Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) have united in opposition to the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, highlighting the severe consequences for Afghan women and girls in particular.