Court observers suspect it is only a matter of time before a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, explicitly or implicitly, strikes down Roe v. Wade and other abortion precedents of the last half century. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Voting rights activist Stacey Abrams speaks during an Oct. 17 rally in Norfolk supporting Terry McAuliffe in his bid to reclaim the Virginia governor's office. To drum up enthusiasm, Democrats have brought in some of their biggest names. Zach Gibson/Getty Images hide caption
Tablets believed to be laced with fentanyl are displayed at a Drug Enforcement Administration lab in New York in 2019. The Biden administration is hoping to crack down on abuse of synthetic opioids in part by putting them in the most restricted category or "schedule" under the law. Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has expressed opposition to increases in corporate tax rates, one of the key ways Democrats want to pay for their domestic policy bill. Democrats are looking at alternatives. Rod Lamkey/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Karen Watkins is vice chair of the school board of Gwinnett County, a suburban county north of Atlanta. She is surprised that she has become a target for a political culture war. "I just didn't realize that it would impact the local school board," Watkins says. "Our main focus is towards student achievement and ensuring that we are producing children that are thriving." Johnathon Kelso for NPR hide caption
A major gathering of anti-vaccine activists will take place this weekend at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. While the hotel, seen here, encourages guests to wear masks, they are not mandatory. Andrew Woodley/Education Images/Universal Image hide caption
The House of Representatives votes to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
Attorney General Merrick Garland told the House Judiciary Committee that "the Department of Justice has a long-standing policy of not commenting on investigations." Greg Nash/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is seen leaving the U.S. Capitol after a Senate vote on Wednesday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced plans to launch his own social networking platform called TRUTH Social, which is expected to begin its beta launch for "invited guests" next month. Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Rep. Ted Budd speaks on June 5 at a GOP event after former President Donald Trump had just endorsed him for North Carolina's open U.S. Senate seat. The endorsement has shaped the early contours of the primary. Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images hide caption
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., led opposition among Republicans to a voting rights bill that centrist Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia hoped to corrall GOP votes for. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Safeway pharmacist Ashley McGee fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccination at a vaccination booster shot clinic on Oct. 1, in San Rafael, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
A campaign sign for a slate of candidates challenging three incumbent board members in Centerville, Ohio. If they win, they would control the five member board. It is a non-partisan position, but national political hot buttons have infused the race. Tamara Keith/NPR hide caption
New graduates line up before the start of a community college commencement in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 17, 2018. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is seen on Aug. 20, 2020. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images hide caption
The original price tag for the plan that President Biden refers to as "human infrastructure" was $3.5 trillion. But moderates want that trimmed down to $1.5 trillion, a number that progressives consider too low. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., is seen on July 26. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images hide caption
Zac Wyrick, 28, is training to become a firefighter in Dayton after a long delay. The city didn't think it would have enough money for a new training class, and pressed for funding in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Tamara Keith/NPR hide caption
President Barack Obama speaks with former Secretary of State Colin Powell in the Oval Office on Dec. 1, 2010. Powell, who had broken his longtime Republican ties to endorse Obama in 2008, died Monday. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Redistricting reform advocates in Virginia pitched the creation of a new commission as a remedy to unfair political maps, like the ones shown on this poster from 2019, but the new group has struggled to reach consensus. Yasmine Jumaa/VPM hide caption
This photo taken on June 1, 2021 shows the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Texas Republicans have approved redrawn U.S. House maps that favor incumbents and decrease political representation for growing minority communities, even as Latinos drive much of the growth in the nation's largest red state. Eric Gay/AP hide caption
Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Oct. 9. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
Colin Powell, a former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs, has died at age 84. Above, Powell speaks at eBay headquarters in California in 2010. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
