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State redistricting stumbles amidst familiar partisan infighting
WASHINGTON — This year’s round of redistricting is already crumbling into partisanship and court challenges in multiple states, even as voters pay more attention than ever to new political maps that will shape elections for a decade. Hopes were high initially. Advocates in several states pushed measures over the last few years that they hoped […]
Democrats’ vision for free community college would boost undocumented students
WASHINGTON — The massive economic policy package Democrats are trying to muscle through Congress could open the door to free community college for undocumented immigrants. But that lifeline for many people now denied access to higher education could also reignite controversies in Republican-leaning states over immigration and federal overreach. The provision on immigrants was included […]
Feds expand Pell Grant program for prisoners working on college degrees
WASHINGTON — Prison inmates around the U.S. are getting the chance to do something that was almost unheard of a generation ago: pursue a college degree while behind bars and with financial support from the federal government. Inmates in 42 states, including Colorado, and Washington, D.C., can now get federal grants to work with colleges […]
GOP furor over ‘critical race theory’ hits college campuses
Professors say the Republican crusade to root out “critical race theory” is taking a toll on college campuses around the nation — places where academic freedom is supposed to encourage thought, discussion and analysis. Much of the “critical race theory” uproar to date has centered on teaching in K-12 schools. But several high-profile incidents, combined […]
Teachers come under pressure as politicians, parents battle over ‘critical race theory’
WASHINGTON — Teachers from Tennessee to Iowa are swept up in a wave of outrage led by GOP politicians nationwide over how schools teach kids about race in U.S. history. Conservatives have pilloried much instruction about systemic racism as “critical race theory,” even when that academic term has never been mentioned. A half dozen states […]
Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.
WASHINGTON — From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized by […]
U.S. Senate panel calls on governors, mayor to talk big new infrastructure package
WASHINGTON — Senators who could decide the fate of President Joe Biden’s push for a major new infrastructure package seemed open to his priorities at a hearing Wednesday, particularly Biden’s emphasis on replacing vehicles that run on gas and diesel with ones that use electric power. But when it came to the question of who […]
Buttigieg to inherit a crumbling network of roads, subways and rails at Transportation
Pete Buttigieg as the incoming pick for U.S. transportation secretary would take office at a time when both state and local officials are deeply frustrated that not enough is being done to maintain and improve the country’s transportation networks. But nobody seems to be able to solve the problem. For example, two presidents have vowed […]
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos heads for the exits, leaving a legacy of turmoil
WASHINGTON — In four years in office, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos failed to broaden her appeal beyond the moment she won a wild Senate confirmation fight by the closest of margins. She didn’t even try. Instead, the billionaire Michigan native and Republican megadonor championed private and charter schools, often trying to funnel federal funding […]
Big Ten football, pandemic and politics collide during congressional testimony
The Big Ten athletic conference will “keep its season postponed” for fall sports until it can guarantee more rigorous COVID-19 testing and address potential long-term health complications for student athletes, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin’s flagship university told U.S. senators Tuesday. The comments from Rebecca Blank, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, came […]
Why D.C. lawmakers are voting remotely during the pandemic
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans have a new line of attack against some Democrats — they charge they are failing to show up for work. The criticism refers to 2020’s practice of proxy voting in the House, which enables lawmakers of either party to cast votes even when they are not at the Capitol. The […]
Republican convention spotlights N.C as ‘ground zero’ for 2020 election
The decision by Republicans to host their national convention in Charlotte this week was always a politically risky one: North Carolina is famously unpredictable when it comes to which party’s candidates it will support. But it also underscored how much is at stake for the GOP in North Carolina this year, with control of the […]