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Some veterans concerned over benefits following federal worker layoffs at VA

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By Bianca Holman With daily executive orders and changes from the White House, some veterans are concerned about the impact on the military. More than 70,000 federal workers are taking President Trump’s buyouts. As the new administration focuses on reducing the government workforce, some veterans are worried about what that means for their benefits and services at the VA hospital. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins addressed concerns that veterans’ benefits might be targeted for cuts. The Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement more than 1,000 new workers were dismissed as part of the new wave of layoffs. Veteran Scott

$900 Million in Institute of Education Sciences Contracts Axed

By Ryan Quinn The Trump administration canceled nearly $900 million in Institute of Education Sciences contracts Monday—a massive blow to a U.S. Education Department agency that houses the National Center for Education Statistics, funds research on how to improve higher education and provides publicly accessible data on U.S. postsecondary institutions. Researchers and higher education associations worked Tuesday to better understand the scale of the cuts, which still wasn’t clear 24 hours after news first broke. A department official said 89 IES contracts were canceled, while other organizations put the total at closer to 170. While the Education Department said that some

New Kennedy Center board makes Trump chairman, prompting Shonda Rhimes and others to resign

By Jessica Gelt The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ newly appointed board consisting of President Trump allies voted Wednesday to make him chairman and fired the center’s longtime president, Deborah F. Rutter. Trump announced his new position on Truth Social, writing, “It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees. We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!” Artists affiliated with the Washington, D.C., arts center immediately announced that they would step down from their roles, including TV producer Shonda Rhimes, a President

UCF Researcher Explores the Future of Political Messaging: Closing the Engagement Gap for Black Youth Voters at HBCUs Post-2024 Election

By Dr. Amanda Wilkerson Dr. Amanda Wilkerson, a University Assistant Professor and Higher Education Researcher specializing in Black student civic engagement, is calling for a major shift in how political leaders engage youth voters at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Her research on political socialization and HBCU student voters reveals that, despite their strong civic engagement, these students were largely overlooked in the 2024 election cycle. Many campaigns failed to deliver messages that aligned with their lived experiences, highlighting a critical gap in political outreach and engagement strategies. “In the wake of the 2024 election, a pressing question remains,” Dr.

Politics Federal judge blocks Trump administration cuts to medical research funding

By Alexander Tin A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the National Institutes of Health from implementing steep cuts to how medical research grants are funded, after 22 states sued to stop the change. The ruling by District Judge Angel Kelley, who was nominated by President Biden in 2021, halts the policy pending further court arguments from states and the Trump administration. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 21. “We will not allow the Trump Administration to unlawfully undermine our economy, hamstring our competitiveness, or play politics with our public health,” had said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in a statement announcing

Homes Of Local Civil Rights Activist’s Family Lost In Eaton Fire

By Robert J. Hansen A local community activist and his family are desperately trying to escape the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles. The fire has already claimed two family homes and the remains of his mother. Just weeks before the fires, Rory Kaufman had been discharged from the hospital, battling his own health issues that required regular dialysis three times a week. Despite these challenges, he sought comfort and togetherness by traveling to Los Angeles to spend the holidays with his family. But what should have been a time of solace turned into a cascade of heartbreak. The day after

Sonya Massey’s family reaches $10M settlement over fatal shooting

By Janelle Griffith and Minyvonne Burke Sonya Massey’s family has reached a $10 million settlement more than six months after she was shot and killed in her Illinois home by a deputy responding to her call about a possible prowler. Lawyers for Massey’s family and attorneys for Sangamon County reached the agreement last week after mediation, according to documents obtained by NBC News. The settlement must be approved by the county board, which was scheduled to meet Tuesday evening. The county’s board chairman, Andy Van Meter, said in a memo to board members obtained by NBC News that the settlement was part of the county’s

St. Paul woman expands access to higher education, one college tour at a time

By Reg Chapman Making sure young people have access to a quality education has been the mission of one St. Paul woman for more than 35 years. Jo Ann Clark founded the Thinking College Early Fair and, for the past 20 years, she has taken more than 1,000 young Black students on a tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities or HBCUs. “I want them to understand how important an education is and that education can be a four-year, two-year, trade school or they may go into service as long as they are doing something they like,” said Clark. Progressive

Bill Gates defends USAID’s work after meeting with Trump and White House chief of staff

By Megan Lebowitz  Billionaire Bill Gates, a philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, said he met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday to advocate for continuing foreign aid disbursements from the U.S. Agency for International Development. “I went by the White House because there’s a lot in this transition, what we keep, in terms of foreign aid, what we keep — it’s all kind of up in the air,” he told NBC’s “TODAY” show anchor Savannah Guthrie in an interview. “And I’m doing my best to make sure we keep the things that I think are very value-based.”

Trump is reversing the Justice Department’s civil rights policies

By Chloe Atkins and Daniel Barnes Donald Trump kicked off his second presidential term with dozens of executive orders, many of which focus on hot-button culture war issues, from transgender and abortion rights to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The job of enforcing the administration’s position on those issues will largely fall to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. During past handovers between Democratic and Republican administrations, the Civil Rights Division has undergone major policy shifts. During the George W. Bush administration, for example, the division focused resources on fighting religious discrimination. After Barack Obama took office, the division prioritized preventing racial and ethnic discrimination.

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