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Confederate statues would be removed from national parks under new push in Congress
WASHINGTON — Moves are afoot in Congress to get rid of Confederate statues and memorials in national parks— and they’re gaining traction as opposition to the public display of Confederate symbols grows. Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum, who leads the House subcommittee that oversees spending for the Interior Department, included language in the agency’s fiscal 2021 […]
Record numbers of U.S. women are making a bid for Congress
WASHINGTON — More women from across the nation are running for Congress this year than ever before, with Kansas leading the way in making history on the ballot. For the first time ever, there will be a female candidate in each of Kansas’ U.S. House and Senate races in November. All of the Democratic contenders […]
Top Homeland Security official vows federal agents ‘will not back away’ from violent protests
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s number two at the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday defended federal law enforcement officers’ intervention in protests in Portland, Oregon, and other cities this summer. Characterizing some of the protests as “mob rule,” Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told lawmakers that federal agents could exert force in […]
Confirmation in doubt for controversial Pentagon nominee Tata after Senate cancels hearing
WASHINGTON — Bipartisan backlash against Anthony Tata, the former North Carolina government official who was President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for a senior Pentagon position, has thrown his nomination into doubt. Thursday evening CNN reported that Senate sources expect the White House to withdraw his name. And Tata’s nomination was already in doubt after Republicans […]
Vaccine makers deny political pressure in race for safe, effective shot
Leaders of the companies working on some of the top candidates for COVID-19 vaccines predict they should have shots available by early 2021, but said they will rely on the federal government to determine how to distribute them. The heads of five biopharmaceutical companies with promising vaccine candidates told members of Congress Tuesday that they […]
Border officials didn’t follow guidelines on migrant children’s health care, federal investigators find
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not consistently followed new guidelines for medical care of migrant children and spent some of the agency’s money designated for “medical care” on unrelated items like printers, speakers and its canine program, according to a new federal investigation. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, an independent “congressional watchdog,” found gaps […]
COVID-19 has ‘exacerbated educational disparities’ for Black students, former Education Secretary tells Congress
WASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated racial inequities in education, a disparity that Congress needs to help rectify, the former education chief under President Barack Obama told lawmakers Monday. “Our education system is fraught with inequities that existed before COVID-19,” John King Jr., who served as Secretary of Education in 2016-2017, told House lawmakers […]
Lawmakers: Trump’s environmental rollbacks threaten minority communities
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is suspending key environmental reviews during the pandemic and critics warn the move could further harm poor and minority neighborhoods around the country. Lawmakers and activists say the administration’s actions — meant to boost the lagging economy — could impose disproportionate harm on minority communities that live near pipeline and […]
Governors warn Congress more federal help is needed to avoid COVID-19 resurgence
WASHINGTON — The federal government needs to assist states with a national strategy for distribution of COVID-19 tests and medical equipment or risk a second surge of the disease, Democratic governors told lawmakers Tuesday on Capitol Hill. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis asked Congress for more federal help as states try […]
Fauci warns that reopening too soon could cause ‘suffering and death’
WASHINGTON — A top Trump administration health official has warned U.S. senators that reopening the economy too quickly could cause suffering, death, and an even longer economic setback. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, warned lawmakers Tuesday against a surge of […]
Florida universities get millions they can’t share with DACA students
WASHINGTON — Florida colleges and universities will receive nearly $740 million in emergency federal aid for COVID-19, but some of the state’s most vulnerable students won’t be eligible for assistance. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the emergency grants — part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief act that Congress approved last month — can’t […]
Visitors flock to national parks after Trump waives fees; FL and other states close their parks
The Trump administration has encouraged Americans to head to national parks as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, but Florida and several other states have closed their state parks temporarily or indefinitely to protect both visitors and staff. Outdoors enthusiasts longing to head outdoors can still find places to hike, bike and paddle but the […]