CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 7 -- Illinois State Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, issued the following statement on Dec. 5, 2022, announcing his retirement: * * * "I have chosen to retire from the Illinois Senate, effective at the end of my current term, which expires on January 10, 2023. "I have now served in the Illinois House and Senate for twelve years. My oldest son was born during the final days of my first legislative session, which quickly taught me about the sacrifices that would burd  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California, issued the following news release on Dec. 8, 2022: Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) was renamed Co-Chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee for the 118th Congress by incoming Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. She will be joined by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz of Florida and Congressman Dan Kildee of Michigan. The Steering and Policy Committee assigns members of Congress to their committees for the Congressional session. C  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 -- Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, issued the following statement: * * * Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) released the following statement on her election to the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. "I am honored my colleagues have elected me as a Co-Chair of the DPCC. As one of the members entrusted with crafting the messaging for our party over the next two years, I am humbled by this awesome responsibility. "This upcoming Congress is an opportunity to e  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following news release on Dec. 5, 2022: On the heels of their resounding silence after Donald Trump broke bread with antisemites, Republicans have nearly all gone silent and refused to say anything about their party leader calling for terminating the Constitution to give himself power. Trump made clear once again just how extreme today's MAGA Republican Party is, and yet the GOP has been near silent on Trump's dangerous comment  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Dec. 7 (TNSsel) -- Education Minnesota issued the following news release on Dec. 6, 2022: The projected state budget surplus of $17.6 billion provides a once-in-lifetime opportunity for short-term investments in Minnesota students, but increased support over many budget cycles is necessary to meet the challenges facing public education, Education Minnesota President Denise Specht said Tuesday. "The governor and Legislature have a huge budget surplus because at the end of t  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Dec. 7 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today celebrated the brighter future the American Rescue Plan is *STILL* delivering for the City of Fort Wayne. This time, about $4 million was awarded to Trine University to help the school finish the construction of its new health facility. This new building is a part of the school's College o  more

EVANSTON, Illinois, Dec. 6 (TNSres) -- Northwestern University issued the following news release: * * * Northwestern experts can comment on new Congress, future of democracy * * * Following the 2022 midterm elections -- which will conclude on Tuesday, Dec. 6 with a Senate runoff election in Georgia -- both Democrats and Republicans are regrouping. Republicans took control of the House by a small margin, but the "red wave" they expected did not materialize, and Democrats retained the Senate.   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- President Biden issued the following remarks on Dec. 3, 2022, in a reception with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: * * * THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I'd -- I'd have done a hell of a lot better everywhere if I had her introduce me every place I go. (Laughter.) Folks, look, the reason I'm here is because it's really important that we reelect a really decent, honorable man who's running for reelection in two years -- just two years ago, in Georgi, and --  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, issued the following news release on Dec. 7, 2022: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke on the past, present, and future of the United States' relationship with China at a finance conference hosted by American Affairs. Read an edited transcript below. I was born in 1971 and raised in the 80s. I was raised during the Cold War, when the whole world was defined by this battle between the Soviet Union and the United States -- not so much commerci  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (TNSres) -- The Southern Poverty Law Center issued the following news release on Dec. 1, 2022: A new investigative report released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) Hatewatch reveals that an official in Illinois' DuPage County Republican Party is a leader in a radical parent group, affiliates with extremist groups and has a history of bigoted rhetoric and sharing racist posts on social media. Republican Precinct Committeeperson Terry Newsome, who frequently a  more

LINCOLN, Nebraska, Dec. 2 (TNSjou) -- The University of Nebraska Lincoln campus issued the following news release: * * * In an age of high political polarization in the United States, the popular narrative often focuses on an "us versus them" battle between the two major political parties, each often accusing the other of intolerance. However, new research shows that political affiliation and its relationship to political tolerance is more nuanced. * * * Social scientists Christoper Garneau   more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Dec. 6 -- The Virginia Democratic Party issued the following news release: On Friday, in an apparent attempt to re-litigate the results of the 2020 Presidential Election, the leader of the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump, posted on social media, writing, "Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution." In the two days since his party leader called for the term  more