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Alabama HBCU leaders join push for HBCU Research Capacity Act

Leaders from Alabama’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities joined U.S. Sen. Katie Britt this week in Washington as she unveiled bipartisan legislation aimed at improving access to federal research funding. Britt (R-Montgomery) partnered with Sen. Raphael Warnock to introduce the HBCU Research Capacity Act, a bill designed to simplify how institutions identify and apply for federal grants. More than 30 HBCU presidents participated in a roundtable discussion tied to the bill’s introduction, including several from Alabama: Dr. Daniel K. Wims of Alabama A&M University, Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr. of Alabama State University, Dr. Patricia G. Sims of Drake State Community & Technical

Trump says White House ballroom plans include ‘massive’ underground military complex

By Megan Lebowitz President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that the military is building a “massive complex” under the White House ballroom. The information “has come out recently because of a stupid lawsuit that was filed, but the military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “So we’re ahead of schedule.” News outlets previously reported that a military bunker under the East Wing would be renovated. The East Wing was demolished in October to be replaced with a $400 million ballroom, which has sparked criticism from many Democrats

Are there talks to end the Iran war? Depends on which side you ask

By Abigail Williams WASHINGTON — It has been more than a week since President Donald Trump announced the U.S. was in conversation with Iran, but despite offers by Pakistan to host in-person discussions, no face-to-face meeting has been set and Iran denies negotiations are taking place. The two sides have acknowledged exchanging messages through intermediaries, and the top diplomats of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt have held talks about possible talks. But it wasn’t clear whether anything has resulted from the discussions, as thousands more U.S. troops arrive in the Middle East and Trump threatens to attack Iranian energy infrastructure. In

DHS funding lapse is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history

By Brennan Leach and Raquel Coronell Uribe The ongoing funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security crossed into new territory Sunday when it became the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history. The DHS shutdown is now in its 44th day, breaking the previous record when the department and the rest of the federal government went without funding from October until mid-November. This time around, the rest of the federal agencies and departments are funded. Negotiations to reopen DHS were dealt a major setback Friday after House Republicans voted to pass a short-term funding bill that has no viable path in the Senate. That came hours after the Senate passed a

Trump’s signature to appear on paper currency in a first for a sitting president

By Raquel Coronell Uribe President Donald Trump is adding his name to U.S. dollar bills, the first time a sitting president’s signature will go on paper currency, the Treasury Department announced Thursday. Trump’s signature will go on the bills in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary, the Treasury said. Historically, paper currency carries the signatures of the treasury secretary and the treasurer. “The President’s mark on history as the architect of America’s Golden Age economic revival is undeniable,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Printing his signature on the American currency is not only appropriate, but also well deserved.” U.S. paper

Senate agrees to fund DHS, except ICE and Border Patrol, in bid to end 40-day shutdown

By Sahil Kapur, Owen Hayes, Brennan Leach and Lauren Zola WASHINGTON — The Senate agreed unanimously early Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a 40-day shutdown, but without funding for immigration enforcement and deportation operations. Senators approved the package at 2:20 a.m by voice vote following a marathon session, hours after President Donald Trump announced that he would sign an order to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration officers. The funding lapse has seen them go without pay, leading many to call out of work and causing extreme delays at airports of up to four hours. The deal followed arduous bipartisan negotiations that occurred

Trump housing official seeks new DOJ prosecution of Letitia James

By Kelly O’Donnell, Katherine Doyle, Gary Grumbach and Kyla Guilfoil A Trump administration official made two criminal referrals Wednesday against New York Attorney General Letitia James months after the Justice Department failed for a third time in its efforts to prosecute the longtime target of President Donald Trump. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleged in the referrals that James committed insurance fraud, saying she may have falsified information on separate homeowner’s insurance applications regarding occupancy at two homes in Norfolk, Virginia, according to documents obtained by NBC News. One referral was made to U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones in the Southern District of Florida and the other

Long airport lines are the tip of the iceberg of DHS shutdown, officials tell Congress

By Suzanne Gamboa The partial government shutdown is reaching far beyond long lines at airport security and flight cancellations, top Homeland Security officials told a House committee Wednesday. The protracted partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security means new Transportation and Security Administration workers won’t be trained in time to accommodate the surge of fans traveling throughout the country for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, disaster relief funds are dwindling, and some cybersecurity intelligence isn’t being properly shared, the officials told the House Homeland Security Committee. “We are anticipating a significant influx in passenger volume as fans travel through airports to see the

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Streamline Federal Grants for HBCUs

A new HBCU bill is trying to fix a problem campus leaders know too well A new bipartisan Senate bill is trying to make it easier for HBCUs to find and pursue federal research money. Sens. Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Katie Britt of Alabama introduced the HBCU Research Capacity Act, which would create a federal clearinghouse focused on grant opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and research-capacity support. The proposal was introduced in the Senate this week and, as of the bill text now posted, has been read twice and referred to committee rather than passed into law. Why

Tensions flare during Iran briefing on Capitol Hill

By Courtney Kube, Melanie Zanona, Jonathan Allen and Gordon Lubold WASHINGTON — Tensions flared behind closed doors Wednesday as defense and intelligence officials briefed some lawmakers about the war in Iran, with Republicans and Democrats expressing frustration about a lack of clarity and information about President Donald Trump’s strategy, according to four congressional officials who attended the briefing and a lawmaker who was briefed on it later. Much of the frustration during the briefing for the House Armed Services Committee centered on the prospect of the United States’ sending ground troops into Iran, the officials and lawmaker said, including what the troops could be used for and whether the

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