National News - Page 36

San Antonio Food Bank Ramps Up Aid Amid Federal Shutdown

By Christian Riley Dutcher The president of the San Antonio Food Bank said he is prepared to take extraordinary measures to ensure food needs are met amid the ongoing federal shutdown. The food bank is expecting a 50% increase in demand after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said federal food aid will not be issued on Saturday. The notice came after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November, the Associated Press reports. “Nobody should go to bed hungry,”

Shutdown Crisis Deepens: SNAP, ACA, and Pay at Risk

By Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong and Brennan Leach The pain of a U.S. government shutdown is poised to intensify this week as the funding lapse nears a full month with no resolution in sight. A series of deadlines in the coming days could have negative consequences for ordinary Americans, cutting off food assistance for low-income Americans, raising health insurance premiums for millions on Obamacare and depriving air-traffic controllers, TSA agents and other federal workers of paychecks. Here are four ways the pain is about to hit Americans: Food assistance will be cut off SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, are slated to dry up

States Sue Trump Admin to Protect SNAP Amid Shutdown

By Nate Raymond A coalition of Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, seeking to avert what would be a historic lapse in food aid for millions of Americans that is set to begin November 1 amid an ongoing government shutdown. The lawsuit represents a critical challenge, opens new tab to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision not to use $6 billion in contingency funds to pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, which costs about $8 billion monthly. At stake is whether more than 41 million low-income Americans will receive their November benefits, which

Trump Replaces ICE Leaders With Border Patrol Officials

By Julia Ainsley and Laura Strickler  The Trump administration is planning to replace some regional leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement with Border Patrol officials in an attempt to intensify its mass deportations effort amid growing frustration with the pace of daily arrests, according to two Homeland Security Department officials, one former DHS official and one federal law enforcement official. President Donald Trump’s top aides have welcomed Border Patrol’s more aggressive tactics to secure arrests, such as rappeling into apartment buildings from Black Hawk helicopters and jumping out of rental trucks in Home Depot parking lots, as they’ve become disappointed with ICE, the officials said. “The mentality is

Lawmakers Propose South Carolina Bipartisan HBCU Caucus

State lawmakers are pushing for a move that would invest more and help elevate South Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which would make it the state’s first bipartisan HBCU Caucus. On Tuesday, October 21, education leaders from South Carolina’s eight HBCU schools and lawmakers met to discuss consistent challenges the schools face and potential solutions that could be drafted at the state level to help solve those issues. “What we walked away with is that whether they are private or public, these are South Carolina students, they are paying tax dollars while they’re here, and we have the responsibility

USDA Halts SNAP Benefits Nov. 1 Amid Government Shutdown

By Kevin Shalvey, Megan Forrester, Ivan Pereira, and Alexandra Hutzler The Department of Agriculture has posted a notice on its website warning that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits won’t be issued on Nov. 1. “Bottom line, the well has run dry,” reads the notice, which also blames Democrats for the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history. Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain at a stalemate on finding a government funding solution. The Senate has continued to fail to advance bill that would reopen the government until Nov. 21. The House remains out of session next week. USDA says it won’t issue SNAP benefits on

The Ayers Case: Mississippi’s $503M HBCU Settlement Legacy

In the summer of 2001, faculty leaders at Mississippi’s historically Black colleges wanted a meeting with the state’s governor, Ronnie Musgrove.[1] On the table was a proposed $503 million deal to address Mississippi’s legacy of discrimination in higher education that fell far short of the goal. The presidents of the faculty senates at Jackson State, Alcorn State, and Mississippi Valley State Universities had joined alumni and community members in the Mississippi Coalition on Black Higher Education to fight it. “[It] does not compensate for the past treatment of African Americans,” they wrote in a letter to the governor, “and the institutions which

Trump Critics Fear Retaliation After New DOJ Indictments

By Peter Nicholas and Natasha Korecki Fear is spreading among some who’ve run afoul of President Donald Trump. A foreboding that grew out of Trump’s election victory last November has deepened, several people told NBC News, after the Justice Department secured indictments against two public figures who’ve long been in his crosshairs: New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. Some said they worry that the Trump administration will target them for prosecution, draining their life savings and potentially landing them in jail. In a time of heightened political violence, others said they fear that the president’s most zealous followers may try to do

Court Questions Trump’s Power to Deploy National Guard

By Gary Grumbach and Doha Madani A three-judge panel appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s arguments that the president has judicially unreviewable power when it comes to the deployment of the National Guard on the streets of Los Angeles. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Wednesday after a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that President Donald Trump violated a 19th century law barring the use of soldiers for civilian law enforcement. California’s case against the administration could influence other states’ fights against the deployment of guard members in their cities, including in Oregon and Illinois. Through the tone of questioning,

South Carolina Launches First Bipartisan HBCU Caucus

South Carolina lawmakers have launched the state’s first bipartisan HBCU Caucus to support its eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The caucus was announced Tuesday during a meeting in Columbia. Lawmakers from both parties joined leaders from each of the state’s HBCUs to address challenges such as underfunding, infrastructure needs, and student support. Legislators in attendance included Rep. Hamilton Grant (D-Richland), Rep. Bill Taylor (R-Aiken & Lexington), Sen. Deon Tedder (D-Charleston & Dorchester), and Sen. Jason Elliott (R-Greenville). They were joined by leaders from Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Clinton College, Denmark Technical College, Morris College, South Carolina State

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