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.

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

Biden says ‘bullseye’ remark about Trump was a mistake but defends criticism

By: - July 16, 2024

President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump. Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes. But he […]

Biden at NATO press conference rebuts doubters: ‘I’m the best qualified to govern’ 

By: and - July 11, 2024

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden dug in on his 2024 reelection bid Thursday at a solo press conference following the NATO summit in Washington, despite a growing list of rank-and-file Democrats and high-profile supporters urging him to abandon his campaign over suspected health concerns. The highly anticipated press conference followed weeks of speculation about Biden’s […]

Biden camp works to stem growing Democratic unease over reelection prospects

By: - July 11, 2024

President Joe Biden faced perhaps the most consequential day yet for his ailing reelection campaign Thursday, with a press conference at the NATO annual meeting scheduled for late afternoon, as private talks among Democrats on Capitol Hill about his fitness for office extended and calls for him to withdraw from the race spread. Biden’s solo […]

Biden tells congressional Dems he is staying in the race, urges end to speculation

By: - July 8, 2024

President Joe Biden pledged Monday to stay in his race for reelection, even after a weekend in which a growing number of Democrats asked for him to withdraw and a key U.S. House Republican called for an investigation into the president’s doctor. In a letter to congressional Democrats, Biden argued that the calls for him […]

‘No kings in America’: Biden slams U.S. Supreme Court ruling granting Trump immunity

By: - July 1, 2024

Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision granting the presumption of criminal immunity for official actions taken by a president fundamentally altered U.S. democracy, President Joe Biden said from the White House Monday evening. Speaking for less than five minutes, Biden said the 6-3 decision contradicted the spirit of the country’s founding — set to be celebrated […]

Presidential immunity extends to some official acts, Supreme Court rules in Trump case

By: and - July 1, 2024

WASHINGTON — U.S. presidents enjoy full immunity from criminal charges for their official “core constitutional” acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, sending former President Donald Trump’s election interference case back to the lower courts. The justices left open the question of how far the boundaries of such official acts […]

U.S. Supreme Court flips precedent that empowered federal agencies

By: - June 28, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a precedent Friday that had for decades limited judicial power to strike executive branch regulations, in a decision immediately criticized for potentially undermining decisions by scientists and agency experts. The 6-3 and 6-2 decisions in two cases brought by fishing operators in New Jersey and Rhode Island challenged a […]

Biden and Trump trade insults, accusations of lying in acrimonious presidential debate

By: and - June 27, 2024

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump pitched to undecided voters Thursday night during the first debate of the presidential campaign — trading insults over their policy differences, immigration and who represents a threat to democracy. During the debate from CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta, the two men argued over who would be better for […]

Undecided voters are the prize for both Biden and Trump in Thursday presidential debate

By: - June 25, 2024

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will get a crucial opportunity to reach undecided voters and set the terms for the 2024 presidential campaign at Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta. Partisans on either side have already made up their minds about which candidate they’ll support. And with this year’s race serving as a […]

Congress silenced free speech in TikTok law, platform tells federal court

By: - June 20, 2024

TikTok and its parent company argued Thursday in a federal court in the District of Columbia that the recently enacted law forcing a nationwide ban or sale of the popular platform violates the First Amendment. TikTok Inc., which operates the video-sharing service in the United States, and its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., which was founded […]

Easing federal marijuana rules: There’s still a long way to go

By: - June 12, 2024

Weeks after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed loosening a federal prohibition on marijuana, the next phases of policy fights over the drug’s status are starting to take shape. Public comments, which the DEA is accepting on the proposal until mid-July, will likely include an analysis of the economic impact of more lenient federal rules. […]

Still much unknown on how marijuana policies would change in states under Biden plan

By: - May 9, 2024

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has proposed loosening the illegal status of marijuana at the federal level – but that doesn’t mean the federal government now condones recreational or medicinal use in the many states that have legalized the drug. Moving marijuana from the government’s list of the most dangerous and least useful substances to […]