Legislation aims to upgrade infrastructure at Arkansas’ HBCUs
by: Annie Glasco Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) recently joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing legislation aimed at improving aging infrastructure at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Arkansas’ four HBCUs. Arkansas is home to four HBCUs: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Philander Smith College Arkansas Baptist College Shorter College The proposed Institutional Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education (IGNITE) for HBCU Excellence Act will establish a competitive federal grant program within the U.S. Department of Education to help HBCUs rebuild, modernize and improve campus facilities, a release said. Boozman said Arkansas’ HBCUs play an important role in providing educational opportunities
Republicans scramble to find a replacement for Sen. Lindsey Graham ahead of the midterm elections
By Alexandra Marquez, Frank Thorp V and Melanie Zanona Republicans are starting to scramble to find both a temporary and a permanent replacement for Graham, who in June won the GOP Senate primary in South Carolina and was expected to cruise to re-election to a fifth term in November. Hours after GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had a preferred replacement in mind but declined to share a name out of respect for Graham. “I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because it’s just, you know, it’s too soon with Lindsey,”
Trump ousts members of bipartisan election commission ahead of midterms
By Aaron Pellish President Donald Trump has ousted the remaining commissioners from a bipartisan federal agency charged with helping state and local officials conduct elections in an apparent move to assert control over voting ahead of the midterms. The president removed the two Democratic members of the Election Assistance Commission on Thursday while a Republican was allowed to resign, according to a White House official and three other people familiar with the dismissals. The White House’s move leaves the commission, which was created by Congress in 2002, without any leaders heading into the midterms. The EAC, which is headquartered in Washington, does
Maryland lawmakers to meet in August for special session on redistricting
By The Associated Press Maryland lawmakers will meet for a special session next month to consider a constitutional amendment dealing with future congressional redistricting, legislative leaders announced Tuesday, following a failed effort earlier this year to redraw the state’s maps to boost Democrats. The move is the latest in the national battle over partisan redistricting, which has reshaped the U.S. House map ahead of this year’s midterms and in states, including Maryland, and could carry into the 2028 election cycle. The Democratic-led General Assembly will meet beginning Aug. 3, legislative leaders said, to consider sending a constitutional amendment to voters this November intended to help clear the way later
Bowie State University Lands Japan-U.S. Grant to Expand Global Opportunities for Students
Bowie State University’s Japan partnership just got official funding — and students across multiple disciplines are about to benefit. Bowie State University received a $10,000 planning grant from the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission to develop a new institutional partnership and expand global engagement opportunities for students. The Bowie State University Japan partnership will support the university’s efforts to collaborate with the Commission’s Summer Institute while strengthening academic and cultural exchanges between the United States and Japan. Moreover, it builds directly on a foundation that Bowie State has been quietly constructing for years. A Relationship That Started in 2022 This is not Bowie State’s first
Democratic rising stars who spoke at the party’s 2024 convention keep losing
By Allan Smith When Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow ended her Senate campaign Sunday, it marked the end of a bid for a candidate who entered with considerable fanfare and a national brand, seen by many as a rising star in the party. The organizers of the 2024 Democratic National Convention gave McMorrow a coveted speaking slot to take aim at Project 2025. She received loud cheers in the arena for her passionate address — which memorably included a large copy of the pro-Trump policy blueprint — and was able to introduce herself to millions more Americans nationwide as a young and up-and-coming
After White House meeting, Mike Johnson says he and Trump are on ‘the same page’ to end legislative gridlock
By Julie Tsirkin, Rebecca Shabad, Kyle Stewart and Kyla Guilfoil WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Thursday that he and President Donald Trump are “on exactly the same page” following their White House meeting to discuss a path forward on breaking a legislative impasse. “He wants to ensure that we stop any blockade in the House,” Johnson said of Trump. “Congress has work to do, and that’s what we’re going to do.” The sit-down came a day after Trump suddenly canceled the signing ceremony for major housing legislation that passed Congress with broad bipartisan support. The president told Senate Republicans on Wednesday that they must first pass the SAVE America
Trump leaves major housing bill in limbo, demanding Congress pass the SAVE Act
By Brennan Leach, Kyle Stewart, Melanie Zanona and Alexandra Bacallao WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump abruptly canceled his plans to sign a major, bipartisan housing bill Wednesday, saying he will not do so until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, a sweeping elections bill that has become a focal point of his second term. “Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” he said on Truth Social. It was not clear whether he still plans to sign the housing bill or veto it. Trump did not
Senate passes bill to lower housing costs and restrict Wall Street from buying homes
By Sahil Kapur WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to pass a sweeping housing affordability bill aimed at lowering costs, putting Congress on the brink of a rare bipartisan victory in President Donald Trump’s second term. The vote was 85-5. Several senators missed the vote due to severe thunderstorms in the Washington area that led to a ground stop at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The legislation, which would make it easier to build homes and slap limits on Wall Street investors’ buying up houses, now goes to the House, which hopes to vote on it in the next few days. Then, it would go
Sen. Cory Booker says people should be ‘very worried’ about Trump and Israel upending peace in the Middle East
By Megan Lebowitz Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday that people should be “very worried” about President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upending viable pathways to peace in the Middle East as fragile ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran are underway in Switzerland. Asked whether he believed Israel was a reliable partner in peace negotiations with Iran, Booker criticized the leaders of both countries. “Between Israel and America, we have two criminal presidents,” Booker said, pointing to Trump’s prior conviction and Netanyahu’s corruption trial. “These are two failed world leaders,” he added later. “And
