National News - Page 65

Pope Francis lying in state for 3 days ahead of his funeral at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica

By Tucker Reals Pope Francis‘ funeral has been scheduled for 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. eastern) on Saturday in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican announced Tuesday, following a meeting of the College of Cardinals at the Catholic Church’s city-state headquarters in the heart of Rome. The coffin carrying the pope, who died Monday morning after suffering a stroke and heart failure at the age of 88, was brought in a procession on Wednesday morning to the basilica from his residence at Casa Santa Marta, where he died. The late pontiff will lie in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica for three days ahead of

HBCU Green Fund Launches Bold Earth Day Initiative: Road to Belém — One Struggle, One Future

On Earth Day 2025, the HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network convened a powerful virtual gathering of youth leaders from 16 African countries and across the African Diaspora. United under the banner “Road to Belém: One Struggle, One Future (#Road2Belem),” the youth launched a bold Call to Action and announced the launch of a workplan to develop a collective African Youth Climate Justice Statement to present at COP 30 in Belém this November. HBCU Green Fund’s Sustainable Africa Future Network in Dubai during COP28. “As we head toward COP 30 in Belém, African and African Diaspora youth are building a common platform that demands climate equity, economic

Over 3,000 evacuations ordered and portion of Garden State Parkway is closed as wildfire explodes in New Jersey

By Taylor Romine and Taylor Ward A fast-moving wildfire in New Jersey expanded to 8,500 acres Tuesday afternoon, causing over 3,000 evacuations and threatening more than 1,300 structures while also closing a portion of the Garden State Parkway in the southern portion of the state. The fire started in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area of Ocean County Tuesday morning and 10% of the fire has been contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. The cause is under investigation. No injuries have been reported, but several businesses in an industrial park in Lacey Township have burned, Ocean County Undersheriff Jon Lombardi told

Historically Black colleges are promoting climate-resilient farming

In response to growing threats of drought, extreme temperatures and other climate-related natural disasters, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established several funding programs to support innovative practices that could lead to more resilient food ecosystems and science-backed steps to reduce U.S. farming’s carbon footprint. These funds stem from broad grant programs such as USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and its Sustainable Agricultural Systems Program, as well as the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)’s 1890 Land-grant Institutions Programs, which are specifically earmarked to support the work of researchers at America’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Between 2021

Harvard University sues Trump administration to stop funding freeze

By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration claiming that its freezing of federal grants worth billions of dollars is unlawful. Its president, Alan M Garber, announced the action on Monday in a letter to the university community which said the $2bn funding freeze would hamper critical disease research. Harvard, the world’s richest university, last week rejected a list of demands that the Trump administration said was designed to curb diversity initiatives and fight anti-semitism at the school. In response to the lawsuit, the White House said the “gravy train of federal assistance” was

Rep. Byron Donalds’ town hall turns contentious over questions about DEI and Gaza

By Zoë Richards and Rebecca Kaplan Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., defended tech billionaire Elon Musk at a town hall Monday night at which he was grilled about the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting measures and the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives and its approach to the Israel-Hamas war. Donalds, a member of the House Oversight Committee, was pressed at one point about what the Republican-led panel was doing to ensure oversight of Musk and DOGE as the administration moves to dramatically reshape the federal government and slash spending. “If you’re going to talk about what Oversight is doing, we actually have to let

NAACP sues U.S. Education Department over DEI school funding cuts

The NAACP sued the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday to stop its alleged illegal effort to cut off funding to schools that use diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and prevent Black students from receiving equal education opportunities. In a complaint filed in Washington, D.C., the largest U.S. civil rights group faulted the Trump administration for targeting programs that offer “truthful, inclusive curricula,” policies to give Black Americans equal access to selective education opportunities, and efforts to foster a sense of belonging and address racism. It also said the policies “advance a misinterpretation” of federal civil rights laws and Supreme Court precedent that undermine NAACP members’

Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says

By Annie Ma The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans. The Trump administration ’s announcement marks an end to a period of leniency that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. No federal student loans have been referred for collection since March 2020, including those in default. Under President Joe Biden, the Education Department tried multiple times to give broad forgiveness of student loans, only to be stopped by courts. “American taxpayers

Pentagon chief Hegseth shared sensitive Yemen war plans in second Signal chat, source says

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details of a March attack on Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a message group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday. The revelations of a second Signal chat raise more questions about Hegseth’s use of an unclassified messaging system to share highly sensitive security details and come at a particularly delicate moment for him, with senior officials ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak investigation. In the second chat, Hegseth shared details of the attack similar

US Supreme Court to hear clash over Obamacare preventive care

By John Kruzel and Andrew Chung The U.S. Supreme Court is set on Monday to consider the legality of a provision of the Obamacare law, formally called the Affordable Care Act, that helps ensure that health insurers cover preventive medical care such as cancer screenings at no cost to patients. The federal government has appealed a lower court’s determination that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which under Obamacare has a major hand in choosing what services will be covered, is composed of members who were not validly appointed. Its 16 members are appointed by the U.S. secretary of health and human services without Senate

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