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.

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

By: - November 3, 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 […]

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

By: - November 2, 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 […]

Rounds belongs to private investment club that owns 10 Midwestern hotels, disclosure shows

By: - October 25, 2022

U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota has disclosed that a portion of his personal assets is held in a private investment club that owns hotel properties throughout the Midwest, including in Iowa. Rounds tops the list for minimum net worth among members of the South Dakota congressional delegation, a review of lawmakers’ current financial […]

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 of Nov. […]

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

By: - October 18, 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 15, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. — President Joe Biden, at a community center here 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 enrollment, Biden […]

Trump to be subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel as the ‘central cause’ of Capitol insurrection

By: - October 13, 2022

The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump, saying the former president must be held accountable as the “central cause” of a violent attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The panel’s seven Democrats and two Republicans voted to authorize a subpoena […]

Four things to watch for at the upcoming Jan. 6 hearing

By: - October 12, 2022

The U.S. House committee investigating a pro-Trump mob’s attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is back. It will hold its first hearing in nearly three months Thursday — and potentially its last. In a break from most of the panel’s previous eight hearings in June and July, Thursday’s meeting will not drill down […]

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

By: , and - October 8, 2022

By Jennifer Shutt, Jacob Fischler and Ariana Figueroa 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. […]

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

By: , and - October 6, 2022

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 be in a federal prison solely due to the […]

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

By: - October 5, 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 […]