Author

Allison Stevens

Allison Stevens

Allison Stevens is a reporter for States Newsroom's Washington bureau.

(Photo by John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)

‘I just don’t trust the system any more’: Voters on edge as election nears

By: , and - October 5, 2020

WASHINGTON—Widespread anxiety and confusion around voting, compounded by the pandemic that has spread to millions of Americans, including President Donald Trump. A vastly underfunded and decentralized electoral system that could take days and possibly weeks to certify results.  Attempts to suppress voting, interfere with elections and cast doubt on the integrity of mail-in ballots — […]

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 06: Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) (C) walks through the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol for a meeting at the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on August 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

‘We’re not through this’: Governors plead with Congress for emergency assistance

By: - September 11, 2020

WASHINGTON — Democratic governors on Thursday begged Congress to come to the aid of ailing states, which face unexpected expenses as they attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 as well as massive revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic. But Republicans at a House hearing rejected their pleas, arguing that states have yet to spend […]

(Photo: Getty Images)

US House passes package to rescue child care industry

By: - July 30, 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House stepped in Wednesday to try to rescue the nation’s child care system from collapse under the weight of the pandemic. The chamber approved a pair of bills that backers say are needed to fully reopen the economy and shore up the child care industry in the longer term. The bills […]

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus say farewell at the conclusion of Monday’s memorial ceremony for the late Atlanta Rep. John Lewis in the Capitol Rotunda. Lewis, a civil rights icon and fierce advocate of voting rights for African Americans, died July 17. | J. Scott Applewhite – Pool/Getty Images

Get in ‘good trouble’: John Lewis’ words ring out in Capitol one more time

By: - July 27, 2020

WASHINGTON — The immortal words of the late civil rights leader John Lewis rang out from the U.S. Capitol Monday during a private ceremony in celebration of his life. “You must find a way to get in the way,” he said in a recording of a 2014 commencement speech he gave at Emory University. “You must […]

(Photo: Getty Images)

Senate Republicans pursue benefits pay cut for jobless; adjourn without action

By: - July 25, 2020

WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders slammed Republicans Friday for leaving in the lurch millions of jobless Americans who are relying on enhanced unemployment benefits to stay financially afloat amid ongoing public health and economic crises. Republicans in Congress and the White House were engaged in heated negotiations this week over the details of their party’s proposal […]

Hiking at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Photo: National Park Service)

House passes bipartisan public lands bill; next stop president’s desk

By: and - July 24, 2020

WASHINGTON — Major environmental legislation sailed through Congress Wednesday while the nation’s political leaders were stuck in intense negotiations over the contours of a fifth coronavirus relief package. The bill would provide $9.5 billion over five years to pay down the National Park Service’s maintenance backlog and provide permanent funding at $900 million per year […]

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander

Tennessee Republicans push for in-person education as COVID cases surge

By: - July 16, 2020

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander — a leading voice in federal education policy in the U.S. Senate — continues to support reopening the nation’s schools even as COVID-19 cases surge in Tennessee and across the nation. But he also supports more aid to help schools reopen safely — a goal at odds with the […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday morning, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, denied the Trump administration's attempt to end DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Tennessee organization weighs in on DACA decision

By: - June 19, 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday salvaged an Obama-era program that has allowed hundreds of thousands of young, unauthorized immigrants known as “Dreamers” to remain in the country without immediate fear of deportation. In a 5-4 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s liberal wing in finding that the Trump administration […]

Donald Trump holding executive order and surrounded by law enforcement

Trump signs modest police reform order; defends ‘brave men and women in blue’

By: - June 17, 2020

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a modest police reform order Tuesday in response to massive civil unrest over police brutality against people of color. The executive order strengthens efforts to track police misconduct and uses federal funds to encourage police departments to improve training and certification standards and to work with social workers and […]

Joseph Fons holding a Pride Flag, stands in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building after the court ruled that LGBTQ people can not be disciplined or fired based on their sexual orientation June 15, 2020. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

U.S. Supreme Court ruling protects LGBTQ workers from job discrimination

By: - June 16, 2020

WASHINGTON — In a landmark victory for LGBTQ rights, the U.S. Supreme Court held Monday that employers can’t legally fire people because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. In a 6-3 opinion, the court ruled that employers who fire individuals “merely for being gay or transgender” violate Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights […]

Jim Shulman (Official photo, Metro Council of Nashville and Davidson County)

Will Congress send aid to ailing local news outlets?

By: - May 13, 2020

WASHINGTON — Politicians are banding together to try to rescue local news media from economic collapse during the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing to fix a small business lending program so that it applies to local news publishers and broadcasters affiliated with larger […]