With the Voting Rights Act facing more threats, advocates renew a push for state laws
By Hansi Lo Wang With Republicans set to control Congress and the White House starting next year, some voting rights advocates are renewing their focus on protections against racial discrimination in elections that don’t rely on the federal government. Several states have enacted state-level voting rights acts over the past two decades, and Democratic-led Michigan may be next. This week a state House committee voted to refer a set of state Senate-approved bills to the House floor. Supporters of this emerging type of law see it as a bulwark at a time when Democratic-led efforts to bolster the federal Voting Rights Act are likely to remain
DeSantis’ political future widens as Trump dangles Defense chief job
By Gary Fineout Nearly a year ago, the political future of Ron DeSantis appeared to be buried in the snow alongside the highways of Iowa he had spent weeks criss-crossing, ahead of a second-place thumping at the hands of Donald Trump in that state’s crucial caucuses. Now, Trump’s trip back to the White House is helping revitalize DeSantis’ fortune, giving him an opportunity to further cement his legacy in Florida — or even hand the governor a prestigious spot in his administration running the Pentagon. Either path could put him in a place for another run for president in 2028,
House Republicans Aim to Pass Higher Ed Overhaul
By Jessica Blake House Republicans are making a final attempt to pass sweeping legislation in this Congress that aims to lower the cost of college and hold institutions accountable. The House has considered few bills related to higher education in the last two years, so a floor vote on the College Cost Reduction Act would mark a significant achievement for its sponsor, Representative Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican and chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee. Foxx has long sought to pass comprehensive legislation to overhaul higher education, and she’s worked for the last two years on a piecemeal
Rev. Jesse Jackson asks president to pardon his son
By Craig Dellimore As President Joe Biden was pardoning his son Hunter, the Rev. Jesse Jackson wrote to him, seeking a pardon for his son, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. In a two-page letter to President Biden, Rev. Jesse Jackson wrote he wants to see both the president’s son and his own son to have full and absolute pardons. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in 2013 to using campaign money for personal expenses. He spent 30 months in prison for wire and mail fraud and tax evasion. The letter, first reported by Politico, mentions Hunter Biden more than
Baltimore Mayor M. Brandon Scott sworn in for a second term
By Tashi McQueen Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) was sworn in by Xavier A. Conaway, clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, on Dec. 3 for his second term. The well-attended ceremony included numerous current and past Maryland leaders such as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07) and former Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake (D). Scott won his bid for re-election on Nov. 5 during the general election with 82.15 percent of the vote, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections. During the Democratic primary, he beat out former Mayor Sheila A.
Congress braces for first 100 days
By Alexis Simendenger As Republican lawmakers gear up for the 119th Congress, the House and Senate are bracing for differing challenges in the first 100 days of President-elect Trump’s administration. Senate Republicans must contend with a slate of controversial Cabinet nominees. Chief among them: Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth; former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence; and FBI director nominee Kash Patel. Hegseth, especially, has drawn increased criticism from Republican senators after skepticism about his qualifications for the job and allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement in previous roles. Hegseth faces a very tough path to confirmation in the
Biden isn’t the first president to pardon a relative. Here’s how the power works
By Rachel Treisman The topic of presidential pardons is back in the spotlight this week after President Biden announced he signed a “full and unconditional” one for his son. Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this year of federal gun charges for lying about his addiction to crack cocaine when he purchased a gun, and separately pleaded guilty to tax offenses for failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes. Sentences in both cases were scheduled to be handed down later this month. The president has said publicly that he would not pardon his son — but reversed that promise in an announcement on
Why Trump’s HUD pick is a red flag for housing advocates
By Jennifer Porter Gore President-elect Trump recently announced his nomination of Scott Turner to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Turner, a former NFL player and Texas legislator, would be the first — and so far, only — Black appointee in Trump’s second cabinet. But for housing advocates, his nomination and Trump’s anti-fair-housing agenda raise plenty of red flags. Indeed, while most housing advocates know little about Turner, they’re amply aware of and concerned about what the second Trump administration has signaled will be its housing policy. Trump’s Housing Policies Weren’t Great During Trump’s first term, HUD
Government efficiency goals are great — but not at the expense of the American people
By William S. Becker Donald Trump will not be the first elected leader who wants to fix inefficiencies and waste in government. But will he do it to benefit the American people or the authors of Project 2025? The two motives would produce vastly different outcomes. Waste and inefficiency are present in any large organization, and the U.S. government is one of the biggest. Its 2024 budget was $6.75 trillion; it spends over $760 billion annually on goods and services, making it the world’s largest single consumer. Other national leaders have attempted to ferret out waste. In 1975, Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wisc.) introduced his monthly Golden Fleece
Biden just gave Trump a new pardon playbook
By Kyle Cheney In his sweeping pardon of Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden did not just protect his son. He also handed President-elect Donald Trump a template to shield his own allies and stretch the pardon power even further. Legal experts say Trump now has fresh precedent — and political cover — to issue expansive pardons absolving his allies not only of specific offenses, but even any undetermined crimes they may have committed. With the singular exception of Gerald Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon, no modern American president had ever issued such a broad grant of clemency until Joe Biden’s “full and