National News - Page 40

Texas National Guard Deployed to Chicago Amid Legal Fight

By Erin Hooley National Guard members from Texas were getting settled at an Army Reserve center in Illinois on Tuesday, the most visible sign yet of the Trump administration’s plan to send troops to the Chicago area despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has accused President Donald Trump of using troops as “political props” and “pawns,” said he didn’t get a heads-up from Washington. The Associated Press saw military personnel in uniforms with the Texas National Guard patch at the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Elwood, 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

Student Loan Forgiveness Restarts for IBR Borrowers

By Susan H. Greenberg The Education Department last week quietly restarted student loan forgiveness for some borrowers on an income-based repayment (IBR) plan, The Washington Post reported Saturday. The process had been on hold since July due to legal challenges. IBR borrowers who have made on-time payments for 25 years received emails from the department saying their balances would be forgiven, unless they opt out by Oct. 21. Otherwise, most discharges will be processed within two weeks of that date, the letter said. Student loan servicers confirmed to the Post that the department had told them about the impending cancellations. Of course, the government shutdown may delay

Illinois, Chicago Sue Trump Over National Guard Deployment

By Nate Raymond The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago sued President Donald Trump on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federalized National Guard troops to Chicago, as hundreds of National Guard troops from Texas headed to the nation’s third-largest city. Trump then escalated the widening clash with Democratic-led states and cities over the domestic use of military forces, threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act as a means to circumvent court restrictions on deploying troops where they are unwanted by local officials. Illinois had sued in response to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s orders over the weekend to bring 300

Medicaid Cuts in NC and Idaho Threaten Patient Care Access

By Bram Sable-Smith Every day for nearly 18 years, Alessandra Fabrello has been a medical caregiver for her son, on top of being his mom. “It is almost impossible to explain what it takes to keep a child alive who should be dead,” said Fabrello, whose son, Ysadore Maklakoff, experienced a rare brain condition called acute necrotizing encephalopathy at 9 months old. Through North Carolina’s Medicaid program, Maklakoff qualifies for a large slate of medical care in the family’s home in Chapel Hill. Fabrello said she works with staffing agencies to arrange services. She also learned to give the care

Supreme Court Delays Trump Bid to Fire Fed Governor Cook

By Lawrence Hurley The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred action on whether President Donald Trump can immediately fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, instead agreeing to hear oral arguments in the case early next year. The move means that Cook can remain in office while the consequential legal question is decided. The court will hear oral arguments in January, the brief order said, with a ruling likely before the end of June. Trump had asked the court to allow him to immediately fire Cook while litigation continued in lower courts. The court’s move indicates that there was not a majority

Des Moines Students Protest ICE Arrest of Superintendent

By Tyler Kingkade  On Tuesday, hundreds of students walked out of middle and high schools across the city to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention of Ian Andre Roberts, the now-former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district. In the afternoon, several dozen students gathered at the State Capitol, calling for Roberts’ release from the Sioux City jail where he’s being held, and holding signs reading “Radical Empathy,” a tagline he frequently used. “I don’t think anyone really cares about the fact he’s illegal,” said Gabriel Doyle Scar, 17, who helped organize the protest. “We’re just sad about the fact that

NIH Fires Four Institute Directors Amid DEI Crackdown

By Katherine Knott Four directors at the National Institutes of Health who were placed on administrative leave earlier this year have now been fired, Science reported. The ousted leaders led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the National Institute of Nursing Research. Tara Schwetz, the deputy director for program coordination, planning and strategic initiatives, was also fired. The directors were put on leave in the spring around the same time that the administration laid off thousands at the Department of Health and

Union Sues Trump Admin Over Partisan Shutdown Emails

By Shannon Bond A federal workers union is suing the Trump administration for inserting language into Department of Education employees’ out-of-office email messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. “Forcing civil servants to speak on behalf of the political leadership’s partisan agenda is a blatant violation of federal employees’ First Amendment rights,” said the complaint, which was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees in federal district court in Washington, D.C., on Friday. The lawsuit is the first to challenge the administration’s unusual use of partisan messaging in government communications during the shutdown, which legal experts told NPR may violate federal ethics laws.

Gov. Kay Ivey Declares October as HBCU Month in Alabama

Governor Kay Ivey announced on social media on Wednesday that she has signed a proclamation declaring October as HBCU Month in the state of Alabama. “Our 14 HBCUs are a cornerstone of excellence, shaping leaders who strengthen our state and nation,” Ivey said. “Alabama is proud to celebrate their legacy and support the students who call these institutions home.” HBCU Month celebrates the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and “promotes higher education through increased public awareness of the celebration of the tremendous economic, cultural, and social impact of HBCUs in our state,” according to the proclamation. This marks the

2026 Government Shutdown: Impact on Black Americans Explained

By Shannon Dawson For the first time in six years, the federal government has officially shut down after Congress failed to pass a funding bill for fiscal year 2026. It’s unclear how long the shutdown will last, but we’ve seen this tense moment before. The most recent government shutdown lasted from Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019 (35 days under the Trump administration), making it the longest in U.S. history. Here’s everything we know about the current shutdown and what could happen for Black Americans if both sides don’t reach an agreement soon. What is a Government Shutdown? A government shutdown

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