National News - Page 67

Social Security Ends Phone Applications for Retirement Claims

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 Chief Steps Down Over Trump-Era Immigrant Data Deal

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

Student Visas Revoked at Harvard, 15+ Universities Affected

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By ByEly Brown, Erica Morris, and T. Michelle Murphy The student visas of five individuals currently attending or recently graduated from Harvard University have been revoked, according to Harvard. It’s one of more than a dozen higher education institutions that is actively tracking and reporting the number of affiliated people who have been targeted by President Donald Trump’s administration in recent weeks. These incidents are part of what appears to be mass targeting of international students by Trump’s administration over alleged violations of their visa or green card conditions, ranging from minor legal infractions to participating in demonstrations. In other cases, the

Trump Freezes Billions in Funding to Top U.S. Universities

By Samantha Waldenberg, TuAnh Dam and Taylor Romine, The Trump administration is freezing $790 million in federal funding to Northwestern University and more than $1 billion in funding to Cornell University, a White House official told CNN. ”The money was frozen in connection with several ongoing, credible, and concerning Title VI investigations,” a Trump administration official said, referring to a federal statute that prohibits discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funding. The New York Times first reported the freeze on Northwestern and Cornell funding. The move adds to similar actions the administration has taken against several elite universities, either demanding changes to their diversity,

Trump Fires NATO’s Only Female Admiral Over DEI Support

By Lolita C. Baldor U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee, was fired over the weekend by the Trump administration, U.S. officials said Monday. Although no reason was given, officials said it was apparently tied to comments she has made that supported diversity in the force. According to the officials, Chatfield got a call from Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was told the administration wanted to go in a different direction with the job. The officials said they believe the decision was made last week by

Congresswoman Alma Adams Introduces HBCU Arts Act

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus and an HBCU art professor of 40 years, introduced the HBCU Arts Act, investing in arts education and conservation at HBCUs. “Art is a universal language that allows people everywhere to experience and celebrate unique cultures and communities. It expands our worldview,” said Congresswoman Alma Adams. “Unfortunately, art programs and departments are often among the first ones cut when schools face financial hardship. Through the HBCU Arts Act, we can provide a historic investment to our HBCUs and ensure these programs remain

Global Markets Crash as Trump Tariffs Spark Trade Turmoil

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Global markets plunged Monday following last week’s two-day meltdown on Wall Street, and U.S. President Donald Trump said he won’t back down on his sweeping new tariffs, which have roiled global trade. Countries are scrambling to figure out how to respond to the tariffs, with China and others retaliating quickly. Trump’s tariff blitz fulfilled a key campaign promise as he acted without Congress to redraw the rules of the international trading system. It was a move decades in the making for Trump, who has long denounced foreign trade deals as unfair to the U.S. The higher rates are set to be collected

Cory Booker Breaks Senate Speech Record to Defend Democracy

By Curtis Bunn After 20 hours of standing on the Senate floor, delivering what would become a record-breaking speech about the need for resistance against the Trump administration, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said, in a weary voice: “Don’t let this be just another day in America.” By many indications, it was not. With 25 hours and 5 minutes in total, Booker broke the Senate speech record held by Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who argued for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which established voting rights protections for Black people. Southerners “should

Trump fires NSC officials a day after far-right activist raises concerns to him about staff loyalty

By Matthew Lee  President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s fired “some” White House National Security Council officials, a move that comes a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty. Trump downplayed Loomer’s influence on the firings. But Loomer during her Oval Office conversation with Trump urged the president to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently loyal to his “Make America Great Again” agenda, according to several people familiar with the matter. They all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel manner. “Always we’re letting go of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as

Texas Launches First-Ever HBCU Legislative Caucus

Texas has launched the state’s first-ever HBCU Legislative Caucus, a bipartisan coalition dedicated to strengthening and advancing the nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the Lone Star State. Led by Representative Ron Reynolds, this historic initiative emerges as HBCUs face unprecedented attacks on diversity initiatives, public education, and academic freedom. The formation comes at a critical moment as the Department of Education shutdown threatens institutions already receiving disproportionately less funding, resources, and support. These challenges directly impact Texas HBCUs, which generate an estimated $1.5 billion in economic impact annually while achieving remarkable graduate retention rates exceeding 70%. The caucus

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