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.

Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

Bipartisan border bill loses support, fails procedural vote in U.S. Senate

By: - May 23, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate failed Thursday to advance a border security bill as both parties seek to hone their messages on immigration policy in the runup to November’s elections. The Senate bill failed to advance on a 43-50 procedural vote. The chamber already rejected the measure as part of a broader foreign aid package […]

U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal

By: - May 16, 2024

WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. House Administration Committee argued at a Thursday hearing that there is a need for legislative action to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections — even though voting by noncitizens in federal elections is extremely rare and already illegal. “American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep […]

CNN sets first Biden-Trump presidential debate for June 27 in Atlanta

By: - May 15, 2024

WASHINGTON — CNN announced on Wednesday morning that it will host a debate between President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at the network’s Atlanta studios on June 27. CNN said there would be no audience present for the debate and moderators will be announced later. A second debate will be hosted […]

Asylum seekers with criminal records would be more quickly removed under Biden proposal

By: - May 10, 2024

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Thursday it’s proposing changes to the asylum system that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. Those changes will occur during the initial screening stages, a senior U.S. Department […]

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene huddles with U.S. House speaker she’s trying to oust

By: and - May 6, 2024

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene plan to meet privately Tuesday amid her calls for him to resign or face a floor vote that could, but likely won’t, remove the Louisiana Republican from leadership. Greene announced the meeting Monday evening after she and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie met […]

Amazon singled out by backers of federal warehouse worker safety bill

By: - May 2, 2024

WASHINGTON  — Two Democratic U.S. senators announced Thursday they plan to introduce a piece of legislation that would require large companies to disclose quota practices to workers and prevent those quotas from interfering with a worker’s health. “The Warehouse Worker Protection Act would put an end to the most dangerous quotas that plague warehouses,” Democratic […]

Millions of salaried workers to become eligible for overtime under new Biden rule

By: - April 23, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor Tuesday announced a final rule that means millions of salaried workers who are employed in the executive, administrative or professional industries will become eligible for overtime pay. The rule will affect roughly 4 million workers in the first year of implementation and will be broken into two checkpoints. […]

U.S. Supreme Court appears to lean toward Oregon city in complex homelessness case 

By: - April 22, 2024

WASHINGTON — A majority of U.S Supreme Court justices Monday seemed inclined to side with an Oregon town’s law that bans homeless people from sleeping outdoors, in a case that could have broad implications for local ordinances related to homelessness across the country. During oral arguments in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, conservative […]

Senate rejects two impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Mayorkas

By: - April 17, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday dismissed two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted, 51-49 along party lines, to adjourn the impeachment trial after finding that the impeachment articles accusing Mayorkas of not complying with federal immigration law and breaching the public trust did not rise to […]

U.S. Senate Republicans push for Mayorkas impeachment trial

By: - April 12, 2024

WASHINGTON — More than 40 U.S. Senate Republicans lobbied Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday to hold a full impeachment trial for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Schumer and other Democrats have indicated they’d be open to immediately voting to dismiss the House-passed articles of impeachment rather than holding a trial in the Senate. The […]

New rule to close ‘gun show loophole’ finalized by Biden administration

By: - April 11, 2024

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday finalized a new rule that would require anyone selling a gun to obtain a federal license and conduct background checks. The rule aims to close what’s known as the “gun show loophole.” Gun merchants who sell online, by mail or at flea markets and gun shows until now […]

Johnson sets date to deliver Mayorkas impeachment articles to Senate 

By: - March 28, 2024

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Thursday that two articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be sent to the U.S. Senate in early April when senators return from recess. “We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial,” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, wrote […]