National News - Page 54

GOP Cuts Threaten Local NPR, PBS Emergency Alert Systems

By Megan Lebowitz and Raquel Coronell Uribe When a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck off southern Alaska on Wednesday, officials were concerned about a potential tsunami. It was local public media that helped relay a tsunami alert, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said. But now, looming GOP-led funding cuts are concerning media allies that local public broadcasters would be forced to downsize or shutter, damaging news operations and hurting locals’ ability to get timely emergency alerts like the one issued in Alaska. “Their response to today’s earthquake is a perfect example of the incredible public service these stations provide,” Murkowski, of Alaska, one of two Republican senators to oppose

Judge Rules Medical Debt Can Stay on Credit Reports

By Alana Wise A federal judge has ruled that medical debt can remain on Americans’ credit reports, cancelling a policy set in place by the Biden administration to help relieve the burden of healthcare expenses weighing on nearly a third of the population. The ruling — handed down by U.S. District Court of Texas’ Eastern District Judge Sean Jordan on Friday — was a major blow to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has fought against medical debt as a metric of credit worthiness. In the waning days of the Biden administration in January, the federal banking and financial

Native American Radio Stations Face Shutdown Over CPB Cuts

Dozens of Native American radio stations across the country vital to tribal communities will be at risk of going off the air if Congress cuts more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to industry leaders. The U.S. Senate is set to vote this week on whether to approve the Department of Government Efficiency’s plan to rescind previously approved public broadcasting funding for 2026 and 2027. Fear is growing that most of the 59 tribal radio stations that receive the funding will go dark, depriving isolated populations of news, local events and critical weather alerts. The House already approved the cuts

Court Upholds Arkansas Ban on Critical Race Theory in Schools

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Arkansas can enforce its ban on critical race theory in classrooms, ruling the First Amendment doesn’t give students the right to compel the state to offer its instruction in public schools. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a preliminary injunction issued against the ban, one of several changes adopted under an education overhaul that Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed in 2023. The prohibition is being challenged by two teachers and two students at Little Rock Central High School, site of the 1957 desegregation crisis. A federal

UNITE 2025 Gathers HBCU Leaders to Shape Bold New Future

More than 1,300 HBCU leaders, faculty, students, and advocates will gather in Atlanta next week for UNITE 2025, the nation’s most influential annual convening dedicated to advancing sustainability and excellence in historically Black colleges and universities. Hosted by the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building from July 20-24 at the SIGNIA by Hilton Atlanta, this year’s gathering operates under the theme “Together We Lead” and will bring together 54 current and former HBCU and PBI presidents, along with representatives from more than 300 organizations and mission-aligned partners. Diverse is the national media partner. The convening promises significant announcements that could reshape the HBCU

Senate Advances Cuts to NPR, PBS in $1.1B Funding Rollback

By Ted Johnson The Senate voted on Tuesday evening to advance a package that would roll back $1.1 billion in funding to PBS, NPR and public media that had already been allocated over the next two years. Vice President JD Vance had to break a tie, 51-50, to move the rescissions package to the floor. Three Republicans — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — joined with all Democrats and independents against it. A final vote is expected in the next couple of days. The cuts would zero out federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity

Stacey Abrams Defends DEI, Urges Companies to Stand Firm

By Phenix S. Halley Ever since President Donald Trump officially banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the federal level, companies around the world have been scrambling to adjust to this new way of life. Now, former gubernatorial candidate and author Stacey Abrams is breaking down exactly why companies should take a second thought before terminating DEI completely. Abrams most notably took on MAGA during the 2018 and 2022 elections for governor in the state of Georgia. Although she lost to current Gov. Brian Kemp, Abrams is still regarded as one of the few politicians who never backed down from MAGA… Now,

Federal Aid Cut for Undocumented in Career Education

The U.S. Department of Education announced it will no longer allow federal funds to support career, technical, and adult education programs for undocumented students, rescinding a nearly three-decade-old policy that permitted such access. The department said it is rescinding a 1997 “Dear Colleague Letter” from the Clinton administration that allowed undocumented immigrants to receive federal aid for career, technical, and adult education programs. The interpretive rule, published in the Federal Register, clarifies that federal programs under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act are “federal public benefits” subject to the

Kristi Noem: Trump Plans to Reshape, Not Remove FEMA

By Megan Lebowitz Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that President Donald Trump wants the Federal Emergency Management Agency “remade” rather than dismantled entirely. “I think the president recognizes that FEMA should not exist the way that it always has been. It needs to be redeployed in a new way, and that’s what we did during this response,” Noem said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” referring to the federal government’s response to the Texas floods. “It’s not just FEMA that can respond in these situations. The federal government has all kinds of assets, and we deployed them,”

FEMA, NOAA Cuts Raise Concerns After Texas Flood Tragedy

By Oren Oppenheim In the wake of the flooding event in central Texas, some governors and mayors are raising concerns over how current or potential cuts to agencies that are part of the federal government’s response to major weather events will impact how effectively the government can respond in the future. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the latter of which oversees the National Weather Service — have lost hundreds of staff members through layoffs or early-retirement programs, and both face the potential of budget cuts. Budget cuts to NOAA are mostly directed at

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