HBCU commissioners reach out to congress about future
The commissioners of the four NCAA HBCU conferences—CIAA, MEAC, SIAC, and SWAC—sent a letter to the Congressional Black Caucus urging action to protect the future of HBCU athletics. Representing 48 institutions and 15,000 student-athletes, the commissioners expressed concern about the evolving landscape of college sports, particularly regulatory decisions and lawsuits that could disproportionately harm HBCU programs. A primary concern is the push to classify student-athletes as employees. The commissioners argue that, unlike major athletic programs, most HBCUs do not generate significant revenue from sports and rely on institutional funding. If student-athletes were reclassified as employees, it could force many HBCU
Judge Denies Bid to Block Elon Musk’s Federal Access
By Devan Cole and Tierney Sneed A federal judge declined on Tuesday to temporarily block Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from accessing federal data systems at a slew of executive branch agencies. The decision by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan is an early blow to efforts by a group of Democratic state attorneys general to hamstring Musk and DOGE as they undertake efforts to upend the federal workforce. But the judge also indicated she was skeptical about the Trump administration’s statements about Musk and his powers in DOGE. Musk and DOGE’s access to closely guarded government data – including sensitive information it
Four NYC Deputy Mayors Resign Amid DOJ Adams Deal
By William K. Rashbaum, Dana Rubinstein and Emma G. Fitzsimmons Four top New York City officials said they would resign after the Justice Department moved to dismiss Mayor Eric Adams’s corruption case in apparent exchange for his help with President Trump’s deportation agenda. The four officials — Maria Torres-Springer, the first deputy mayor, and Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom and Chauncey Parker, all also deputy mayors — oversee much of New York City government, and their departure is poised to blow a devastating hole in the already wounded administration of Mayor Eric Adams. Hours later, Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the authority to remove
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Fire Whistleblower Watchdog
President Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to allow him to fire the head of an independent ethics agency that protects whistleblower federal employees. He has filed an emergency appeal to the country’s highest court to rule on whether he can fire Hampton Dellinger, head of the US Office of Special Counsel. It is thought to be the first case related to Trump’s blizzard of executive actions to reach the highest court. Trump has also cut more than a dozen inspectors general at various federal agencies and fired thousands of employees across the US government. Mr Dellinger, who
Ayanna Pressley Revives Reparations Bill H.R. 40 in 2025
By Michela Moscufo Rep. Ayanna Pressley will reintroduce H.R. 40, federal legislation to study reparations for slavery, on Wednesday as the Trump administration leads a wide-scale rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the federal government. The bill, which had 130 co-sponsors in the last session, is not likely to advance under the Republican-controlled Congress, and the White House has previously been opposed to any reparations efforts. “We find ourselves in a moment of emboldened white supremacy and anti-Black racism, and a weaponized Supreme Court that is actively gutting protections and progress that has been made,” Pressley, D-Mass., said in
Rep. Goldman Slams DOJ Over Dropped Eric Adams Bribery Case
By Amanda Friedman Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) disparaged the Justice Department’s dismissal of the criminal bribery case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams — expressing deep concern about what he described as the “politicization” of the federal government’s legal arm. “It is an outright extortion. … This is way, way, way outside the bounds of the Department of Justice,” Goldman said on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sunday. “It’s the, I think, the most significant event since the ‘Saturday Night Massacre’ in the Department of Justice,” referencing the 1973 firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox during the Watergate
14 States Sue Musk, DOGE Over Federal Data and Power Grab
A lawsuit filed on Thursday by attorneys general from 14 states challenges the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to access sensitive government data and exercise “virtually unchecked power.” The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., argues President Trump violated the appointments clause of the Constitution by creating a federal department without congressional approval. DOGE, which isn’t an official government agency, was tasked by Mr. Trump to produce recommendations on trimming federal outlays, with billionaires Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, before he departed, saying they aimed to cut about $500 billion in annual expenditures. Musk’s team
IRS Prepares to Grant Elon Musk Team Access to Tax Data
By Alan Rappeport, Andrew Duehren, and Maggie Haberman The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to give a team member working with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive taxpayer data, people familiar with the matter said. The systems at the I.R.S. contain the private financial data tied to millions of Americans, including their tax returns, Social Security numbers, addresses, banking details and employment information. “Waste, fraud and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long,” Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said. “It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it.” Mr.
Veterans Worry as Trump Cuts Hit VA and DEI Programs
By Bianca Holman With daily executive orders and changes from the White House, some veterans are concerned about the impact on the military. More than 70,000 federal workers are taking President Trump’s buyouts. As the new administration focuses on reducing the government workforce, some veterans are worried about what that means for their benefits and services at the VA hospital. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins addressed concerns that veterans’ benefits might be targeted for cuts. The Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement more than 1,000 new workers were dismissed as part of the new wave of layoffs. Veteran Scott
WVSU Reviews DEI Amid State, Federal Executive Orders
By Amelia Ferrell Knisley West Virginia State University, in Institute, was one of 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities designated as land-grant institutions to receive funding from the United States Department of Agriculture. Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion executive order is prompting West Virginia State University to review its programs. WVSU, located in Institute, is one of the state’s historically Black colleges and universities. The university does not have a dedicated DEI office, which Morrisey has said must not exist in state government or within entities receiving state funds, like universities. “Like all institutions of higher education in
