National News - Page 3

UNCF Announces Support for HBCU Students and Children of Alumni Affected by LA Wildfire Disaster

In the wake of the devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires, UNCF and the UNCF Los Angeles office are stepping in to provide a lifeline for HBCU students and children of alumni, ensuring that education remains a beacon of hope amidst the crisis. With critical financial support from partners and donors, UNCF is making it possible for affected students to continue their education and families to stay on track with their rebuilding process. To help alleviate hardships confronting impacted students and families, UNCF has launched the UNCF Los Angeles Area Wildfire Relief Fund through three specific programs, offering critical financial assistance

Trump freezes $2bn in Harvard funding after university rejects demands

By Brandon Drenton The Trump administration has said it is freezing more than $2bn (£1.5bn) in federal funds for Harvard University, hours after the elite college rejected a list of demands from the White House. The White House sent a list of demands to Harvard last week which it said were designed to fight antisemitism on campus. They included changes to hiring, admissions and teaching. Since Donald Trump was re-elected, his government has tried to reshape elite universities by threatening to withhold federal funds, mostly spent on research. Harvard became the first major US university to reject the administration’s demands

A federal website watered down the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman’s descendant wants to know why.

By Curtis Bunn Rita Daniels learned at 9 that she is the great-great-great-grandniece of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who led countless enslaved Africans to freedom through the Underground Railroad. It was a moment that changed how she viewed herself and American history for the rest of her life. So when Daniels, now 70, learned in recent days that the National Park Service drastically altered its webpage on Tubman and the Underground Railroad in February, she was devastated. “It tore me apart when I saw the news clip flash across my phone,” said Daniels, who recently co-authored a book about Tubman’s life. In elementary school,

New York helicopter company shutting down following crash that killed 6

By Patrick Smith The company that operated the helicopter that crashed into the Hudson River in New York last week, killing all six people on board, will shut down immediately, the Federal Aviation Administration said late Sunday. New York Helicopter Tours is “shutting down their operations immediately,” the FAA said in a statement on X, adding that it would launch a review of the company’s license and safety records. The company is already subject to an investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board, which said on Saturday that the helicopter was not fitted with any flight recorders or on-board cameras. A family of five visiting from

Lauren Sanchez’s all-female space flight is about to blast off – and will challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX

By Edward Helmore Jeff Bezos is blasting his bride-to-be Lauren Sánchez and her “guests” to space on Monday – a plan that might, under other circumstances, contain mixed messages. A crew of six women – Amanda Nguyen, a civil rights activist who will become the first Vietnamese woman to fly to space; the CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King; the pop star Katy Perry; film producer Kerianne Flynn; entrepreneur and former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe; and Sánchez, a journalist and philanthropist – will blast off on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket from the company’s launch site, 30 miles north of Van

Smartphones and computers are now exempt from Trump’s latest tariffs

By Azuinea Bacon Electronics imported to the United States will be exempt from President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, according to a US Customs and Border Protection notice posted late Friday. Smartphones, computer monitors and various electronic parts are among the exempted products. The exemption applies to products entering the United States or removed from warehouses as early as April 5, according to the notice. The exemption, which comes after the Trump administration on Wednesday imposed a minimum tariff rate of 145% on Chinese goods imported to the United States, does not include the 20% tariff on Chinese goods for the country’s role

Maya Angelou memoir, Holocaust book are among those pulled from Naval Academy library in DEI purge

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Books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, and Maya Angelou’s famous autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” were among the nearly 400 volumes removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library this week after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office ordered the school to get rid of ones that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. The Navy late Friday provided the list of 381 books that have been taken out of its library. The move marks another step in the Trump administration’s far-reaching effort to purge so-called DEI content from federal agencies, including policies, programs, online and

Helicopter crash in Hudson River kills all 6 aboard

By Jesse Zanger Six people died when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon. The incident happened at around 3:17 p.m. near the Holland Tunnel ventilation shaft in Jersey City, not far from River Drive South and Newport Parkway, near the Water’s Soul sculpture. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said three adults and three children were killed, including a family of five from Spain and the pilot. Their bodies have been recovered, he said. “Our hearts go out to the family of those who were on board and all six who were on board of the helicopter,” Adams

New Social Security rules will create hurdles for millions of seniors, report finds

By Ashley Lopez Americans seeking retirement or survivor benefits from the Social Security Administration will no longer be able to apply over the phone, starting on Monday. Instead, they will have to seek services online or travel in-person to a local Social Security field office, which a new analysis from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP, found amounts to a “45-mile trip for some 6 million seniors.” The group wrote this change “will close off an important mode of service for millions of people” who are eligible for services. “More than 4 in 10 retirees apply for their Social Security

IRS acting commissioner is quitting over deal to share immigrants’ tax data with ICE to help with deportation efforts

By Daniel Hampton The acting head of the IRS is reportedly stepping down over a deal her agency struck with the Trump administration, according to reports. Melanie Krause has been serving as the acting commissioner of the IRS since Feb. 28, following the retirement of Doug O’Donnell. The New York Times reported Tuesday night, citing three people familiar with the matter, that she is stepping down after the agency agreed to share the tax information of undocumented immigrants with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. The move fundamentally changes how the agency uses its strictly regulated records. Krause will participate in the deferred resignation program the government offered to agency employees