As G.O.P. Eyes Medicaid Cuts, States Could be Left With Vast Shortfalls
By Noah Weiland and Sarah Kliff House Republicans hunting for ways to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts have called for cutting the federal government’s share of Medicaid spending, including a proposal that would effectively gut the Affordable Care Act’s 2014 expansion of the program. Cutting Medicaid spending, which is expected to be central to fulfilling the budget plan that House Republicans adopted Tuesday night, could result in millions of Americans across the country losing health coverage unless states decide to play a bigger role in its funding. Federal and state governments share the costs of Medicaid, which is a public health insurance program
Black History Month Forum: “The Story of Mrs. Recy Taylor, a Working-Class Black Woman’s Fight for Justice and Accountability!”
Courtesy of Alabama State University Alabama State University’s National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture (National Center) will host a special Black History Month forum, featuring a panel discussion of an infamous case involving a sexual assault against a South Alabama Black woman, Mrs. Recy Taylor. A number of Mrs. Taylor’s family members will be in attendance. The case involved the 1944 rape of Mrs. Recy Taylor, a 24-year-old wife, mother and sharecropper. The attack took place in Abbeville, Alabama, by a gang of six white males. The forum is based on this year’s national Black History
Black Lawmakers Blast USDA For Cancelling HBCU Scholarship Via Trump’s Anti-DEI Executive Order
By Sherelle Burt Reps. Alma Adams (D-NC) and Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL) are calling out the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for abruptly canceling the 1890 Scholars Program, a key initiative that supported HBCU students in the agricultural fields since the early 90s. After the agency eliminated the program due to the anti-DEI executive order signed by President Donald Trump, Adams, a North Carolina A&T State University alumnus, released a statement condemning the decision. “It is infuriating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended the 1890 Scholars Program ‘pending further review,” Adams said. “This is a clear attack on an
Musk gives all federal workers 48 hours to explain what they did last week or face consequences
By Steve Peoples Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been given little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week, sparking confusion across key agencies as billionaire Elon Musk expands his drive to slash the size of federal government. Musk, who serves as President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting chief, telegraphed the extraordinary request Saturday on his social media network. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted on X, which he owns. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” Shortly afterward,
Kamala Harris receives prestigious Chairman’s prize at NAACP Image Awards
By Jonathan Landrum, Jr. Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump. “While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us,” Harris said after receiving the NAACP’s Chairman’s Award. “The American story will be written by you. Written
HBCU gymnastics coach surprisingly resigns after historic program start
By Chris Stevens Less than three years into their program’s history, the Fisk University gymnastics team will have a new leader for the remainder of the season. The university announced that Nuriya Mack will serve as interim head coach following Corrine Tarver’s sudden resignation. Mack was hired by Tarver as the program’s meeting director and social media manager upon their 2023 beginning. Bulldogs athletic director Valencia Jordan said in a statement, “Fisk has built a strong gymnastics program that has become a beacon of light for the university and young ladies nationwide. The future of Fisk University’s gymnastics program remains bright and
Justice Department broadens Jan. 6 pardons to cover gun, drug-related charges
Written By Tom Dreisbach The Department of Justice has widened the scope of President Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 riot defendants to include separate but related gun charges. The charges stemmed from FBI searches executed during the sprawling investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, which allegedly turned up evidence of other crimes not directly connected to the Capitol breach. In legal filings this week, federal prosecutors asked judges to dismiss cases against two former Jan. 6 defendants, who had both faced federal gun charges. This week’s legal filings represent a more expansive understanding of Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons than was initially clear. Trump’s
Senate adopts $340 billion budget blueprint for Trump’s agenda after marathon ‘vote-a-rama’
By Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong, Frank Thorp V and Kate Santaliz WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled Senate on Friday morning adopted a $340 billion budget blueprint designed to boost funding for President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, energy production and the military. The mostly partly-line vote came just before 5 a.m. ET following an all-night “vote-a-rama,” where senators cast votes on 33 amendments over the course of a 10-hour span. The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., as the lone Republican to join all 47 Democrats in voting against the budget resolution. “Without this bill passing,” said Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., “there
Federal judge temporarily halts the firing of 11 intelligence officers
By Dan De Luce and Raquel Coronell Uribe A federal judge Tuesday ordered spy agencies to put on hold for five days the firing of 11 CIA and other intelligence officers who had been told to resign or face imminent dismissal because of their temporary assignments working on diversity, equity, inclusion and access programs. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga’s order gives the Trump administration until Thursday to file its response to a request from the intelligence officers for a temporary restraining order on their firing. The judge’s decision allows for the intelligence officers to continue to receive full pay and benefits while on administrative leave. The judge’s
Civil rights groups sue Trump over anti-DEIA executive orders
By Corky Siemaszko A trio of civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday charging that three of President Donald Trump’s executive orders attacking diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal government violate their free speech rights and hinder their ability to help marginalized communities. Through Trump’s orders barring references to transgender people or support of DEIA programs within the federal government, public funding for several nongovernment organizations, including the three plaintiffs, are at risk of being cut. As a result, the civil rights organizations — the National Urban League, the National Fair Housing Alliance, and AIDS Foundation Chicago — said in