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The latest edition: The Tap: Congress temporarily avoids a government shutdown; May 5 deadline looming.

Since 2006, Ballotpedia has been providing new areas of coverage, performing in-depth analyses, and developing new tools to help keep our readers in the know. Now, we have another resource to keep you informed-one that can be delivered to your inbox once a week.

In The Federal Tap, we cover federal courts, Congress, policy news, and, of course, the presidential race. Unlike other resources, The Federal Tap explains why each piece of news matters and provides links to sources and additional information.

The State and Local Tap covers important happenings in the state executive and state legislative branches, as well as state courts and ballot measures. We also cover the top stories from the top 100 cities by population, the top 1,000 school districts by enrollment, notable local ballot measures and local courts.

These are some pieces of information we provide in every issue.

• Congress and SCOTUS
  • Who is in session? What notable cases are being heard?
• Presidential news
  • Where was the president last week? D.C.? Milwaukee? Cuba?
• Federal vacancy count
  • How many federal judicial positions are vacant?
• State legislatures
  • Who's in session? Who's out? Who's in a special session?
• Special elections
  • What races are coming up?
• Verbatim
  • The Tap gives you the results of our latest fact-checks from the Verbatim desk.

The Tap is structured in an easy to read format that organizes the important political news by date. We begin with a review of what happened last week then let you know what to expect this week. Heard enough? Try it out. Sign up here, then let us know what you think!

Example

Here is an example of the first edition of The Tap newsletter:

February 1, 2016Issue No. 1 Ballotpedia wants to keep you in the know. In this weekly newsletter, we let you know the important things that happened last week in the federal, state and local levels of government, as well as what you should look for this week. What happened last week: January 25 - January 31 What's happening this week: February 1 - February 7 What's on tap? Today is the Iowa presidential caucus. Heading into the caucus, GOP Insiders surveyed by Ballotpedia believe that Donald Trump is the candidate most likely to win the Republican nomination, followed by Marco Rubio and then Ted Cruz. On the Democratic side, Insiders surveyed by Ballotpedia believe that Hillary Clinton will be their party's nominee. Turnout is expected to be a critical factor in determining who wins tonight's caucuses. Pundits and analysts agree that low turnout would be bad news for both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. With a possible snowstorm on the forecast for tonight, anything can happen. Sign-up to receive The Tap in your email inbox every Monday Name Email Subscribe Federal Last week January 25 President Barack Obama announced that he was ending the practice of solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prison. The SCOTUS released six decisions, one of which was in a case Ballotpedia identified as a "major case" of the October 2015 sitting. Montgomery v. Alabama upheld a ban on juveniles receiving mandatory life-without-parole sentencing. The vote was 6-3 with Justice Kennedy authoring the majority opinion. Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito dissented. There have now been 13 signed opinions given from the October 2015 sitting. The Congressional Budget Office released a report outlining that "spending on federal healthcare programs outpaced spending on Social Security for the first time in 2015." In 2016, health care programs will account for over 60 percent of growth in mandatory spending. The report also outlined that the annual deficit will be $544 billion in 2016, higher than it has been since 2013. Donald Trump initially made headlines on the 25th regarding his eventual boycott of the final, pre-Iowa caucus debate moderated by Megyn Kelly. He told reporters on Monday: "If I think I'm going to be treated unfairly I'll do something else. But I don't think she can treat me fairly, actually. I think she's very biased and I don't think she can treat me fairly." A spokesman for the network released the following statement in response: "Sooner or later Donald Trump, even if he's president, is going to have to learn that he doesn't get to pick the journalists — we're very surprised he's willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly." Hillary Clinton hired Sarah Bard as Jewish Outreach Director; she had previously worked on Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and led Obama's fundraising for the Jewish Leadership Council in 2012. The United States Supreme Court upheld a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) program designed to incentivize consumers to decrease their electricity consumption during peak demand periods. The court's 6-2 decision overturned an earlier ruling from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and has been heralded as a "big victory [for] environmentalists and federal power regulators." Filing deadline: Colorado's presidential caucus filing deadline January 26 The son of televangelist Jerry Falwell, Jerry Falwell Jr., endorsed Donald Trump ahead of today's Iowa caucus. In his endorsement statement, Falwell called Trump "a successful executive and entrepreneur, a wonderful father and a man who I believe can lead our country to greatness again." Evangelical support will matter in today's caucus. Democrats held their final town hall before Iowa. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley were in attendance to make their final public arguments before today's caucus. Trump announced he would indeed boycott the Fox News debate. His campaign put out a statement. Trump "will not be participating in the Fox News debate and will instead host an event in Iowa to raise money for the Veterans and Wounded Warriors," the release said. After Trump's announcement, Cruz challenged Donald Trump to a 90-minute one-on-one debate. He said, "Lincoln-Douglas, Mano a Mano, Donald and Me." Commenting on Trump's decision not to attend Thursday night's debate, Cruz said, "If someone didn't show up at the interview, you know what they'd say? 'You're fired,' " He added, "You know, Donald is a fragile soul. You know, if she [Megyn Kelly] asks him mean questions, I mean, his hair might stand up." Donald Trump hired Stephen Miller as a senior policy advisor. Miller previously worked for Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as communications director. The federal government announced that it will allow greater commercial interactions with Cuba. American banks may now finance certain exports, some U.S. companies may be allowed to assist Cuba in building infrastructure, and there is more leeway in television and movies sets being able to shoot in Cuba. Filing deadline: Kentucky held its congressional and presidential primary filing deadline. Out of six U.S. House seats, three incumbents are unopposed in their party primaries- Brett Guthrie (R, KY-1), John Yarmuth (D, KY-3) and Thomas Massie (R, KY-4). Sen. Rand Paul is expected to easily win the Republican primary. Just before the filing deadline closed, he received his first credible Democratic challenger from the mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, Jim Gray. Filing deadline: Wisconsin's presidential primary filing deadline January 27 Congressional Democrats held their annual legislative retreat in Baltimore, Maryland. President Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden and Daily Show host Trevor Noah were among the guests. Judge Robert Lasnik assumed senior status as an Article III judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Ben Carson told a group of reporters that his longtime advisor and business manager Armstrong Williams is "not necessarily the epitome of truth" and "often speaks without thinking." Carson went on to say that Williams' "influence has been vastly overrated." In December 2015, former Carson campaign manager Barry Bennett called Williams "the root of our problems" among campaign staff. January 28 Republican presidential candidates held their final debate before the Iowa caucus in Des Moines. In post-debate commentary from political analysts Karlyn Bowman and David Kusnet, the absence of Donald Trump was noted and discussed. "In the polls, Trump has a sizable advantage among a lot of people who don't usually show up in substantial numbers at Iowa caucuses. Will he be able to bring them out and expand the size of the electorate? We will know the answer soon," Bowman wrote. Multiple media outlets reported that campaign staffers for Bernie Sanders misrepresented themselves to Nevada union members. Wearing buttons for the Culinary Union, an influential Las Vegas union that has not endorsed a candidate this cycle, the staffers went into a number of Las Vegas restaurants and hotels to speak to union members as though they were endorsed by or part of the union. Acting U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. announced that the current General Counsel to the Department of Education, James Cole Jr., would assume the role of Deputy Secretary of Education. Filing deadline: Alaska's Republican presidential caucus filing deadline January 29 Filing deadline: Alaska's Democratic presidential caucus filing deadline January 30 Marco Rubio aired 30-minute ad spots on Fox affiliates in Sioux City, Iowa. They will also air on ABC affiliates in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Davenport. The ads feature footage from one of Rubio's town hall meetings in Iowa. Federal officials confirmed that some emails from Hillary Clinton's private email server would not be released because they are "too damaging" to national security. Filing deadline: West Virginia's presidential caucus filing deadline Congress is IN session SCOTUS is NOT in session Congress will be in session next week. The Senate will be in session Monday-Friday, and the House will be in session Monday-Thursday. SCOTUS is not hearing oral arguments this week. It will reconvene on February 22. This week February 1 Today is the Iowa presidential caucus. Heading into the caucus, GOP Insiders surveyed by Ballotpedia believe that Donald Trump is the candidate most likely to win the Republican nomination, followed by Marco Rubio and then Ted Cruz. On the Democratic side, Insiders surveyed by Ballotpedia believed that Hillary Clinton will be their party's nominee. February 2 Filing deadline: Tuesday is New Mexico's congressional and presidential primary filing deadline. New Mexico has two Democratic senators. In the U.S. House, the state has two Democratic members and one Republican member. After New Mexico, nine states will have held their 2016 congressional primary filing deadlines. New Mexico does not have any House or Senate battlegrounds, according to Ballotpedia's analysis. February 3 Filing deadline: Wednesday is Maryland's congressional and presidential primary filing deadline. Maryland has two Democratic senators. In 2016, there will be an open U.S. Senate seat due to the retirement of incumbent Barbara Mikulski (D). In the U.S. House, the state has seven Democratic members and one Republican member. After Maryland, 10 states will have held their 2016 congressional primary filing deadlines. Maryland does not have any House or Senate battlegrounds, according to Ballotpedia's analysis. February 4 MSNBC and the New Hampshire Union-Leader announced they would host a Democratic debate on February 4, despite it not being sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. However, Bernie Sanders' campaign manager told the New York Times that the candidate would not attend the debate. Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow will be the debate's moderators. Martin O'Malley has agreed to participate. On January 27, Hillary Clinton urged Sanders to reconsider his decision to not attend, "I'm ready for the debate, and I hope Sen. Sanders will change his mind and join us." Filing deadline: New York's presidential primary filing deadline February 5 Filing deadline: Indiana's congressional and presidential primary filing deadline Indiana has one Republican senator and one Democratic senator. In 2016, there will be an open U.S. Senate seat due to the retirement of incumbent Dan Coats (R). In the U.S. House, the state has two Democratic members and seven Republican members. After Indiana, 11 states will have held their 2016 congressional primary filing deadlines. Indiana does not have any House or Senate battlegrounds, according to Ballotpedia's analysis. Filing deadline: Idaho's Democratic presidential caucus filing deadline Where was the president last week? Federal judiciary President Obama was in Washington D.C. throughout much of the week, but did speak at the Democratic Party's congressional retreat in Baltimore, Maryland, about an hour away from the White House. This week, Ballotpedia released its monthly Federal Vacancy Count. The numbers for January included: Eight new federal judge vacancies for the month of January, for a total of 77 vacancies. This is a vacancy rate of 8.7 percent of federal judges. Two pending nominations, for a total of 37 pending nominations State Last week January 25 On January 25, 2016, a trial began to determine the validity of North Carolina's voter identification law. The law's challengers, which include the U.S. Department of Justice and the NAACP, allege that "racial minorities are more likely than whites to lack acceptable ID; that there's no significant voter fraud of the kind that could be stopped by the ID requirement; and that the state hasn't done enough to educate voters about law." The state's voter ID law, which was passed by the state legislature in 2013, took effect on January 1, 2016. Supporters of the law say that it is needed to prevent voter fraud, affects a very small group of people, and is no more onerous than other common practices requiring an ID, such as getting on a plane or buying certain drugs at a pharmacy. The case is being heard by U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder. January 26 J.B. Van Hollen, former Wisconsin Attorney General, who decided not to run again for office in 2014, was reported to have registered as a lobbyist for Facebook. In a special election runoff election for Texas' House District 118, Republican John Lujan defeated Democrat Tomas Uresti. Lujan will fill the vacancy left by Joe Farias (D), who resigned in August 2015 to spend more time with his family. By claiming a former Democratic seat, Republicans further cement their trifecta party control in the state. Common Core supporters in Massachusetts sued state officials for allowing an initiative on the November 2016 ballot that would allow voters to decide if the state should continue using federal Common Core standards. This would be the first statewide initiative asking voters to address Common Core. The suit claims that the initiative was both incorrectly submitted and in violation of the state constitution's single-subject rule. Each year, many lawsuits are filed against the slate of initiatives scheduled for the ballot. Ballotpedia has comprehensive coverage of the laws governing state ballot measures. Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and the Green Mountain Care Board proposed an "all-payer" rate-setting healthcare system in which providers are reimbursed with bundled payments rather than fee-for-service, which are payments for each service provided. The state has submitted a waiver request for approval from the federal government, which would allow the state to alter its Medicare and Medicaid programs. The all-payer system would also involve private insurers. Provider participation in the system would be voluntary. January 28 Following his resignation as Majority Whip earlier in the week, Tennessee Representative Jeremy Durham announced Thursday that he is leaving the Republican caucus altogether after a newspaper investigation uncovered inappropriate text messages sent to three women. Durham says he does not remember sending the text messages. Durham will officially remain a Republican but lose access to caucus campaign funds. He vows not to resign his seat, and plans to run for re-election in November 2016. Maine State Senator David Dutremble (D) resigned. January 31 Texas House Representative Ruth McClendon (D) resigned. This week February 1 Filing deadline: Signatures are due for state citizen initiatives in Florida and Maine. Filing deadline: for petitioners in New Mexico's Dona Ana County hoping to recall Treasurer David Gutierrez. They must turn in at least 20,950 valid signatures to put him on the ballot. Gutierrez refused to step down from his office after admitting that he had offered $1,000 to a county employee for sex and saying that he thought she would be "flattered." February 2 Filing deadline: Indiana 2016 primary filing deadline for state elections In Indiana, four state executive seats, 25 state Senate seats (out of 50) and all 100 state House seats are up for election. Indiana is a Republican trifecta state. Filing deadline: New Mexico 2016 primary filing deadline for state elections In New Mexico, all 42 state Senate seats and all 70 state House seats are up for election in 2016. New Mexico's state legislature has split-party control: Republicans hold the majority in the state House; Democrats hold the majority in the state Senate. February 3 Three candidates are vying for a vacant seat on South Carolina's Supreme Court, and 169 members of the state senate and house will vote today to appoint the new justice. A candidate will need an 85-vote majority to win the seat. Two states select judges through legislative appointment; the other is Virginia. South Carolina is a Republican trifecta state. Filing deadline: Maryland 2016 primary filing deadline for state elections This week State government in session State government special elections Thirty-five states are in regular session; California is in special session. Convening this week: OK (2/1); OR (2/1); AL (2/2); CT 2/3 AK, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NE, NJ, NH, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WA, WV. If a state's initials appear in red or blue in the above list, it's because that state has unified Republican or Democratic Party control across the state house, the state senate and the office of the governor. Ballotpedia identifies these as “trifectas” - there are seven Democratic and 24 Republican trifectas. As of this week, four legislative special elections have been held. Two involved party changes: one from Republican to Democrat (Oklahoma, SD 34), and one from Democrat to Republican (Texas, HD 118). Another 24 (not including runoff elections) have been scheduled in 12 states. February 2 Connecticut will hold one special election for State House District 121. Massachusetts will hold primary elections for three seats: Twelfth Essex, Ninth Plymouth, Third Worcester. Local Last week January 26 Local officials in Lansing, Michigan, filed suit against a Michigan law that prohibits "public money or resources from being used to disseminate factual information about local ballot measures through TV and radio ads, mass mailings or robocalls in the 60 days before an election." The suit alleges this is an unconstitutional restriction of first amendment rights. According to Gov. Rick Snyder (R), the purpose of the new law was to prevent the use of public funding to advertise ballot measures. He acknowledged criticisms of the law and stated, "I understand there is confusion about how the bill impacts the use of public resources to disseminate factual information prior to an election. This provision needs to be clarified, and I am working with my partners in the Legislature on a follow-up bill to address these concerns." In Arizona, the Glendale City Council reappointed Cactus District councilmember Ian Hugh as vice mayor of the city for a second straight year. His council seat, as well as two other seats and the mayor's office, are up for election this year in November. Glendale is the 87th-largest city in the United States by population. Village Trustee Shaun Swan was narrowly recalled from his position in Herman, Nebraska, by a vote of 47 to 40. Recall supporters stated that they were recalling Swan because of his admittance during a board meeting that he does not obey stop signs while driving if he disagrees with them. Other complaints included Swan's "failure to build a fence around his swimming pool" and "used tires stored outside of his shop." According to a Ballotpedia report, 2015 featured 180 recall efforts with 275 officials targeted for recall. Out of those efforts that went to the ballot, 40 officials were recalled successfully while 21 targeted officials survived their recall elections. Elsewhere, in California's Pauma Valley, Yuima Municipal Water District Director Michael Fitzsimmons was recalled as well by a vote of 37-20. Recall supporters criticized Fitzsimmons for his role in increasing water usage fees, $1.34 in legal expenses for a court case, and abnormal compensation levels for certain water district employees. Voters elected recall organizer Roland Simpson as Fitzsimmons' replacement. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's former chief of staff, Lisa Schrader, has joined the strategy firm Hill and Knowlton. Schrader will be a senior vice president and will primarily work in communications. Filing deadline: Tuesday was the filing deadline for city elections in Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky. In Lexington, 12 of the 15 city council seats are up for election. Thirteen of the 26 city council seats are up for election in Louisville. Forty-one of America's 100 largest cities are having elections in 2016. January 27 A coalition of religious, environmental and civil rights activists, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the ACLU of Michigan, filed a lawsuit alleging that officials in Flint, Michigan, and the Michigan state government are violating the federal Safe Drinking Water Act by not properly treating the contaminated drinking water. The groups want a federal court to compel the city and state to replace all lead water pipes in Flint and to otherwise comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act. This week February 2 Recall elections for Water Board Commissioner Tim Toomey in Rowley, Massachusetts, for City Councilmembers Gary Cron and Casey Ragle in Flaxton, North Dakota, and for Lucerne Valley school board member Dawn Turnbull in California. February 3 Filing deadline: Filing deadline for the city election in Baltimore, Maryland The mayor's office and all 15 city council seats are up for primary election on April 26 and general election on November 8, 2016. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) is not running for re-election. Verbatim Fact Check Does half of the U.S. live "in or near poverty"? Is the United States the only advanced economy that doesn’t mandate paid sick or maternity leave? Did Gary Johnson issue 750 vetoes as governor of New Mexico? Did JFK campaign on tax cuts? Find out.

Archive

2016

• The Tap: Tillerson for secretary of state December 17 - December 23
• The Tap: The next secretary of state December 10 - December 16
• The Tap: The Iran nuclear deal under the Trump Administration December 3 - December 9
• The Tap: You're Hired November 19 - November 25
• The Tap: In-Depth Election Week Report November 12 - November 18
• The Tap: The Top Ten Races to Watch November 5 - November 11
• The Tap: The Big Pictures October 29 - November 4
• The Tap: Twenty-five presidential debates October 22 - October 28
• The Tap: Trump’s One Path to Victory October 15 - October 21
• The Tap: Debate Season in Full Swing October 8 - 14
• The Tap: The Court is Back In Town October 1 - October 7
• The Tap: Let's Debate September 24 - September 30
• The Tap: Party insiders guess at partisan outcomes September 17 - September 23
• The Tap: What are the odds? September 10 - September 16
• The Tap: American Direct Democracy at Work September 3 - September 9
• The Tap: The Clinton Foundation August 27 - September 2
• The Tap: Rigged Debates August 20 - August 26
• The Tap: 1 in 5 Republican voters August 13 - August 19
• The Tap: How to fill a vacancy at the top of a ticket August 6 - August 12
• The Tap: We now return to your regularly scheduled primaries July 30 - August 5
• The Tap: RNC over, DNC up July 23 - July 29
• The Tap: Trump picks Pence July 16 - July 22
• The Tap: FBI investigation comes to a close July 9 - July 15
• The Tap: First of 21 proposed marijuana measures makes CA ballot July 2- July 8
• The Tap: What is the role of a delegate? June 25 - July 1
• The Tap: A Busy Week for SCOTUS June 18 - June 24
• The Tap: 2016 Delegates and Conventions Explained June 11 - June 17
• The Tap: Presidential primary season draws to a close June 4 - June 10
• The Tap: Don’t look now, but more filing deadlines are approaching May 28 - June 3
• The Tap: The expected Clinton/Trump matchup draws national attention May 21 - May 27
• The Tap: Republicans and their declared positions on Trump May 14 - May 20
• The Tap: Veto the Puppy May 7 - May 13
• The Tap: "Devious machinations by professional political operators" April 30 - May 6
• The Tap: Budding Support for Marijuana Legalization April 23 - April 29
• The Tap: New Jersey’s Supreme Court Vacancy Season Finale April 16 - April 22
• The Tap: Beer pouring, colonoscopies, & Nebraska’s death penalty April 9 - April 15
• The Tap: What will the RNC Rules Committee do with Rule 40(b)? April 4 - April 10
• The Tap: Tampa decriminalizes marijuana possession March 28 - April 3
• The Tap: 1,058 delegates from Tuesday: who won? March 21 - March 27
• The Tap: Super-er Tuesday? March 14 - March 20
• The Tap: New district maps and the Buffalo Cannabis Act March 7 - March 13
• The Tap: "Pond scum" and "Chicken"—This week in state legislator insults February 29 - March 6
• The Tap: Riker's Island, filing deadlines, and a new NC primary date February 22 - February 28
• The Tap: Justice Scalia's passing overshadows a busy week in political events February 15 - February 21
• The Tap: New Hampshire Arrives; Campaign Updates; Feral Ferrets February 8 - February 14
• The Tap: Happy Iowa Caucus Day! February 1 - February 7