Harris Has Championed Loan Forgiveness, For-Profit Crackdowns and Free College
By Katherine Knott President Biden’s decision Sunday to drop his re-election bid cleared the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of the ticket. It’s not yet clear how, or how much, a President Harris might differ from Biden on higher education policy. Like most vice presidents, she’s generally been in lockstep with the president and championed their administration’s policies. She’s pushed its efforts to forgive student loans and make payments more affordable for borrowers. As a senator, she signed on to legislation to make community college free (also a Biden proposal) and help colleges
Harris has support of enough Democratic delegates to become party’s presidential nominee
By Zeke Miller Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press survey, as top Democrats rallied to her in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his bid for reelection. The quick coalescing behind Harris marked an attempt by the party to put weeks of internecine drama over Biden’s political future behind them and to unify behind the task of defeating Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day. Prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly lined up
Some Black Voters Say They Wonder if a Black Woman Can Win
By Jeremy Peters President Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the Democratic ticket left some Black voters anxiously wondering whether Americans were ready to elect a Black woman to the nation’s highest office. “It’s kind of sad, but I don’t think Harris will do well nationwide,” said Kristy Smith, 42, who is from Atlanta and works in sales. As a Black woman herself, Ms. Smith said she thinks Ms. Harris is entering the race with two strikes against her. “America is just not ready for a woman president — especially not a Black woman president,”
The president of Florida’s only public historically Black university resigns after donation debacle
Courtesy of Florida A&M University The president of Florida’s only public historically Black university is resigning amid backlash over the school’s apparent failure to properly vet a multi-million dollar donation from a dubious donor. Larry Robinson submitted his resignation last week and will leave Florida A&M University at a time when state officials are scrutinizing programs at the school that they say are underperforming and as increasing political influence reshapes the state’s higher education landscape. During a graduation ceremony in May, Robinson stood on stage in his academic regalia holding a jumbo check for $237 million, a gift that would have been the single largest private
A new kind of Republican Party is forming at the RNC
by Adam Wren A new kind of Republican Party is revealing itself at its national convention. All the markers of a MAGA jamboree are on display, from hulking Donald Trump iconography inside the convention hall to rhinestone Trump cowboy hats and red Trump-Vance placards. But look closer and the party is changing — increasingly embracing economic populism at home and isolationism abroad, shifting its decades-long position on abortion and not only leery of, but hostile to, certain business interests. Trump’s newly-announced running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, has said that the GOP is in a “late Republican period,” and the party
Biden Called ‘More Receptive’ to Hearing Pleas to Step Aside
By Carl Hulse President Biden has become more receptive in the last several days to hearing arguments about why he should drop his re-election bid, Democrats briefed on his conversations said on Wednesday, after his party’s two top leaders in Congress privately told him they were deeply concerned about his prospects. Mr. Biden has not given any indication that he is changing his mind about staying in the race, the Democrats said, but has been willing to listen to rundowns of new and worrying polling data and has asked questions about how Vice President Kamala Harris could win. The accounts
Higher Ed Writers Have Questions for The Presidential Candidates
By Bob Moser For an industry that employs four million Americans and attempts to educate 15 million more, higher education is, strangely, routinely ignored in presidential elections. Every four years, higher ed types wonder if this will turn out to be the long-awaited “higher ed election.” And every November, they realize that aside from some jibes at “woke” students and the occasional proposal for free community college or Title IX reform, the topics that matter to colleges and universities barely came up at all. But there’s hope for 2024, though not for the best of reasons. Skepticism of a college degree’s
Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investments in HBCUs
Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement on the Harris and Biden administration investment in HBCUs. Harris is a graduate of Howard University located in Washington DC as the graduating class of 1986. The statement goes as follows: As a proud graduate of Howard University, I know firsthand that our HBCUs are centers of academic excellence. For generations, these anchors of our communities have played a pivotal role in building and contributing to America’s leadership at home and abroad. Today, graduates from our Nation’s more than 100 HBCUs are in every room where important decisions are made – leading in
Black Caucus largely sticks by Biden, but worries grow about whether his candidacy can survive
By Yamiche Alcindor and Scott Wong As more and more Democrats call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, a key group of allies on Capitol Hill, remain largely supportive of the president but concerned that the ongoing pressure may prove fatal for his campaign and damage the party overall. In interviews Thursday with NBC News, five members of the caucus said that while small fissures are emerging, most lawmakers remain loyal to Biden. Still, they want to see a change in campaign strategy and staffing to better position Democrats to win in November
HBCU Legend, SIAC Hall Of Famer, And Super Bowl Champion Passes At 40
By Kyle T. Moseley HBCU legend Jacoby Jones died three days after celebrating his 40th birthday. The former Lane College standout was pivotal to the Dragons football team from 2003 to 2006. He was named offensive player of the year, special team player of the year, and all-conference. Former Texas Southern head coach Johnnie Cole featured Jones in his potent offensive attack at Lane. Jones headlined a group enshrined at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame ceremony in May. Lane College and Marion Abramson High School in New Orleans inducted him into their Hall of Fame. Jones was