Briefs
DeWine signs bill to deregulate construction over ephemeral streams
Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Thursday to roll back regulations surrounding the development of ephemeral streams, which flow only by way of rain and snowmelt. There are more than 36,000 miles of ephemeral streams in Ohio, according to legislative testimony from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. They channel water into larger streams and can filter […]
U.S. immigration, border agencies face funding shortfall after public health order ends
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security expects to be short on cash for border and immigration operations later this year after the federal government ends a Trump-era policy that prevents migrants from claiming asylum during a health crisis. A halt to the program, known as Title 42, has divided Democrats, some of whom […]
CDC concludes a mask mandate is still needed for travelers, clearing way for court battle
The Biden administration will fight a court decision for the authority to mandate masks on airplanes, trains and other public transit, following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation Wednesday night that a mandate was still needed. The CDC said in a statement that the mandate keeps transportation safer for immunocompromised people and the greater public. […]
Biden administration will appeal ruling on travel mask mandate — if CDC says it’s needed
The Biden administration will appeal a federal judge’s order striking down a mask mandate for air travel and public transit, subject to a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Tuesday night statement. The CDC has yet to conclude that the mandate — which applied in […]
Federal judge in Florida throws out national mask mandate for travelers
A federal judge in Florida voided the nationwide mask mandate for airline and public transportation passengers Monday, saying the requirement was beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authority. A Biden administration official said that agencies are reviewing the decision and potential next steps. “In the meantime, today’s court decision means CDC’s public transportation […]
LGBTQ community, people of color in the crosshairs of banned book movement
Students in one Pennsylvania school district were not allowed to read a biography of the first Black President, Barack Obama. (The ban was reversed following student protests.) In some Tennessee classrooms, a nonfiction comic book about the atrocities of the Holocaust is banned. And one school district in Wisconsin banned from libraries a picture book […]
Voting Rights Act is hanging by a thread; FL ruling may allow Supreme Court to cut it
In an exceedingly rare federal ruling striking down restrictions on voting that the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature approved last year, the state has effectively been placed on probation. In the March 31 ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker struck down central provisions of that law, SB 90, approved at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis. […]
Trump endorses Vance in U.S. Senate race
Former president Donald Trump has endorsed J.D. Vance for U.S. Senate. The decision comes just a week before Trump visits the state, and ratchets up the intensity in an already hotly contested race just weeks out from the May 3 primary election. Trump’s decision to back Vance was far from assured. The author and investor […]
U.S. lawmakers look for path ahead on billions in restaurant, small business aid
Restaurants and other businesses that have survived more than two years of COVID-19 restrictions could see an infusion of federal dollars in the coming months, as long as U.S. lawmakers reach final agreement on a multibillion-dollar package. The U.S. House has approved a bill with $42 billion for restaurants and $13 billion for a hard-hit industries program […]
At the White House, an emotional Ketanji Brown Jackson says, ‘We’ve made it, all of us’
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson accepted her dual roles Friday as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice and as a symbol of racial progress. Speaking outside the White House with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris looking on, and her voice at times trembling with emotion, Jackson acknowledged the historic milestone her confirmation as […]
More than 1,500 books have been banned in public schools, and a U.S. House panel asks why
A U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee panel last week examined why thousands of books, predominantly written by marginalized authors, have been banned from public schools, and the impact of those actions on students and teachers. “Most books being targeted for censorship are books that introduce ideas about diversity or our common humanity, books that […]
Biden goal for U.S. transition to electric vehicles cast into doubt at U.S. Senate hearing
A White House climate goal to transition the United States to electric vehicles is in trouble if the nation cannot produce more minerals that go into those vehicles’ batteries, U.S. senators of both parties said Thursday. Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee agreed during a hearing that more domestic production of lithium, […]