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U.S. Senate Republicans again block debate on voting rights legislation
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans blocked the advance of voting rights legislation Wednesday, the second time this year—thwarting again Democrats’ attempts to pass federal protections for voters amid a slew of new state elections laws. “When we are faced with a coordinated effort across our country to limit the freedom to vote, we must stand […]
Democrats seek support services for survivors of Native American boarding schools
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers are pushing federal agencies to provide support for survivors of and communities affected by American Indian boarding school policies, the decades-long practice of forcibly sending Native American children to faraway boarding schools that rejected their tribal cultures. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) sent a request this month […]
Endangered species to get a reprieve under Biden administration plans
WASHINGTON — The lesser prairie-chicken, a rare dancing grouse once abundant on the Great Plains, could benefit again soon from the protection of the U.S. government. So could the rusty patched bumblebee, a black-headed pollinator that at one time ranged from Georgia to Maine and across the Midwest. The Biden administration is rewriting how it […]
Granholm vows to create new jobs, cleaner solutions as Energy secretary
WASHINGTON — Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm told lawmakers Wednesday she would be “obsessed” with creating new jobs if confirmed as the next secretary of the Energy Department. Granholm at her Senate confirmation hearing talked up the potential for new clean energy jobs— an effort to assuage concerns about potential job losses in the fossil […]
Biden’s presidency could open doors for environmental justice in Louisiana
WASHINGTON — The incoming Biden administration is poised to bring a new focus to environmental justice—a major policy change that could have an impact in Louisiana. Community activists and some Democratic lawmakers have long sought federal protections for environmental justice. They want to give low-income communities more latitude to challenge the cumulative effects from air, […]
Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ highlighted at congressional forum as an example of pollution’s deadliness
WASHINGTON —Louisiana activists are calling on Congress to bolster environmental justice protections at the federal level, in advance of a key vote in Congress next week. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) heard from the environmental justice advocates at an online forum Thursday on Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” part of a virtual “tour” with […]
‘This is personal to me’: Scalise calls for more law and order on opening night of RNC
WASHINGTON — Louisiana Republican Steve Scalise made a case for Donald Trump as a law and order president who will bolster law enforcement, in remarks Monday at the opening night of the Republican National Convention. Scalise, the House minority whip and second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, was one of the prime-time speakers in […]
Vaccine makers say a COVID-19 shot could be available in early 2021
WASHINGTON — Leaders of the companies working on some of the top candidates for COVID-19 vaccines predict they should have shots available by early 2021, but said they will rely on the federal government to determine how to distribute them. The heads of five biopharmaceutical companies with promising vaccine candidates told members of Congress Tuesday […]
Border officials did not follow guidelines on migrant children’s health care, government investigators find
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not consistently followed new guidelines for medical care of migrant children and spent some of the agency’s money designated for “medical care” on unrelated items like printers, speakers and their canine program, according to a new federal investigation. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, an independent “congressional watchdog,” found gaps […]