Author

Jacob Fischler

Jacob Fischler

Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Democrats projected to retain U.S. Senate control after winning Nevada seat

By: - November 13, 2022

Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada will win reelection, according to Associated Press projections late Saturday, ensuring Democrats will remain in the majority next year no matter what happens in a runoff election in Georgia next month. After days of vote counting, U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Cortez Masto were both […]

Which party controls Congress? It could be days or weeks before we know

By: and - November 10, 2022

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and Democrats exulted Wednesday in outperforming expectations in the midterm elections, even as vote-counting was still in progress and control of both chambers of Congress remained unknown. The U.S. Senate will go to the winner of two of the last three races where party control is still in doubt in […]

No GOP ‘wave,’ but Republicans could still gain control of U.S. House

By: , and - November 9, 2022

WASHINGTON – Republicans fell short of their greatest ambitions for major gains in the U.S. House, with control of the chamber still in doubt early Wednesday.  Republicans are still likely to narrowly win control of the U.S. House, based on expert projections. But of 20 races rated by elections forecaster Inside Elections as true toss-ups, […]

With ‘democracy itself’ on the ballot, Biden warns of ‘path to chaos’ by election deniers

By: - November 3, 2022

President Joe Biden asked voters Wednesday night to focus on the threats candidates aligned with his predecessor pose to the foundation of U.S. democracy in the midterm elections. In a 20-minute speech at Washington, D.C.’s  Union Station, before a Democratic audience, Biden decried a rise in political violence, and blamed former President Donald Trump for […]

Lake Mead

Even as drought forces water cutbacks, climate gets short shrift in midterm election

By: - October 31, 2022

LAKE MEAD, Nev. – The streaks of white on the rock ringing the nation’s largest reservoir show how far its water levels have dropped since it was last full. Lake Mead and nearby Lake Powell, which send water to 40 million people in the Southwest, are at their lowest levels since they were filled in […]

People break into the Capitol

Jan. 6 panel issues subpoena to Trump demanding his testimony

By: - October 21, 2022

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol sent a subpoena Friday to former President Donald Trump, demanding documents and testimony from the person the panel has said was central in orchestrating a plan to overturn the 2020 election that culminated in the insurrection.  The panel set a deadline […]

A person puts gas in a vehicle

In attempt to curb gas prices, Biden will release oil from emergency reserve

By: - October 19, 2022

President Joe Biden will authorize the release of 15 million barrels of oil from the nation’s reserves on Wednesday, part of an effort to lower gas prices as polling shows concerns over inflation are likely to hurt Democrats in congressional elections next month. The release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a four-site complex of deep […]

Biden pitches to the middle class as Democrats fight for support in advance of midterms

By: - October 17, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. – President Joe Biden at a community center in Portland, Oregon, Saturday promoted Democrats’ efforts to bring down health care costs, in a visit to a normally Democratic state three weeks before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years. Speaking on the first day of Medicare open […]

The battle for control of Congress: Abortion, inflation, crime and Biden

By: , and - October 11, 2022

WASHINGTON – Members of Congress are fanning out to every district in the country, leaving the wonky floor debates on Capitol Hill behind for the campaign trail in advance of the crucial Nov. 8 midterm elections.  Democrats are fighting to hold their razor-thin majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, citing two years of […]

Closeup of a man smoking a joint

Biden to pardon all federal offenses for simple marijuana possession, review criminalization

By: , and - October 6, 2022

This story was updated on Oct. 7 at 5:55 a.m. WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Thursday announced executive actions that would pardon thousands of people with prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession. Biden then called on governors to follow suit with state offenses for simple marijuana possession, saying that “just as no one should […]

‘What century are we in?’ Biden asks of University of Idaho ban on abortion counseling

By: - October 4, 2022

The federal law prohibiting sex discrimination also bars colleges and universities from denying counseling and other services to abortion patients and contraception to all students – even in states where abortion is now severely restricted, the U.S. Education Department said Tuesday.  The guidance, which clarifies the longstanding rules for federal Title IX funding that virtually […]

U.S. Supreme Court mulls federal water rules, wetlands designations in Idaho case

By: - October 3, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court opened its term Monday with an Idaho case that could significantly restrict the federal government’s power to enforce clean water laws and prove crucial in determining wetland protections. The oral arguments came just months after the court’s 6-3 conservative majority limited executive authority to address climate change in a case involving […]