Author

Ariana Figueroa

Ariana Figueroa

Ariana covers the nation's capital for States Newsroom. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy, lobbying, elections and campaign finance.

Here’s what senators said on the first day of the U.S. Supreme Court hearings

By: and - March 22, 2022

WASHINGTON — The 22 members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee each had 10 minutes on Monday to make opening statements about the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court.  Here’s what some had to say: Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said that Republicans on the […]

Most HBCU bomb threats may be coming from one juvenile, FBI official tells Congress

By: - March 21, 2022

WASHINGTON — A top FBI official told members of a U.S. House panel on Thursday that the agency believes a single juvenile is behind most of the bomb threats made to more than 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Ryan Young, executive assistant director of the Intelligence Branch at the FBI, said that the bomb […]

U.S. Senate backs shift to permanent daylight saving time

By: - March 15, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate with little debate on Tuesday unanimously supported a permanent change to daylight saving time, several days after Americans once again went through the hated “spring forward” ritual of changing their clocks. If the bill, the Sunshine Protection Act, clears the House, it would mean most states would stay on daylight […]

Biden urges city leaders to take advantage of billions in federal relief funds

By: - March 14, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday urged local and city governments to continue to use the $130 billion in funds allocated to them from the American Rescue Plan to help during the pandemic.   The president of the National League of Cities, Vince Williams of Union City, Georgia, introduced the president to attendees of the […]

Pressure ramps up to halt Trump-era policy that expels migrants at the border

By: - March 14, 2022

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats and immigration advocates are pushing the White House to end a controversial Trump-era immigration policy enacted during the pandemic that allowed U.S. officials to expel migrants and asylum seekers at the border.  “I continue to be disappointed, deeply disappointed, in the administration’s response,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York […]

Congress hates changing the clocks just like everyone else

By: - March 13, 2022

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats in Congress can agree on sleep, or more precisely, the inconvenience of losing or gaining an hour of it each year thanks to going on and off daylight saving time. “I believe that any justifications for springing forward and falling back are either outdated or are outweighed by the serious […]

‘A crisis that is hiding in plain sight’: Missing and murdered women of color

By: - March 4, 2022

WASHINGTON — Parents at a Thursday congressional hearing about missing and murdered women of color detailed their frustrating attempts to get the attention of law enforcement and adequate media coverage.  “This is a crisis that is hiding in plain sight,” said Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat and chair of the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee […]

White House allows Ukrainian nationals to stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation

By: - March 4, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is granting Temporary Protected Status that will shield Ukrainian nationals living in the United States from deportation, following pressure from members of Congress. “Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries,” […]

U.S. House panel hears from DHS about problems with ‘remain in Mexico’ immigration policy

By: - March 4, 2022

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials outlined to House members on Wednesday problems with a Trump-era immigration policy that federal courts are forcing the agency to follow. One of the Department of Homeland Security officials, Blas Nuñez-Neto, said that the court-ordered Migrant Protection Protocols is a flawed policy program and the agency believes […]

Biden in State of the Union urges ‘unmistakable’ support for democracy in Ukraine

By: and - March 2, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night to reassert America as a leading global voice for democracy and condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for starting an “unprovoked” war in Ukraine.  “Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for […]

Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke at an event led by a white nationalist and has no regrets

By: - March 1, 2022

WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is doubling down on her decision to give a speech at a far-right conference with ties to white supremacists over the weekend.  In a statement released Sunday night, Greene argued that she went to talk to audience members about “America First” policies. “We’re going to focus […]

Biden taps Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court

By: - February 25, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court Friday afternoon. “For too long, our government, our courts haven’t looked like America,” Biden said. “I believe it’s time that we have a court that reflects the full talents and greatness of our nation with a nominee of  qualifications, […]