U.S. Rep. Keith Self, R-McKinney, abruptly adjourned a congressional hearing after being confronted for misgendering U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, and later stated that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.”
Category: Local
Posted inTexas
How state lawmakers are trying to crack down on illegal immigration
Texas lawmakers are filing bills to further cement the state’s role in immigration enforcement, including requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, forcing state contractors to use E-Verify, and giving property tax breaks to landowners who allow the state to build border barriers on their property.
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Trump’s EPA Just Declared War on Environmental Justice
The White House is trying to claw back $20 billion in federal funds meant to help underserved communities with the effects of global warming, while the nonprofits that received the funds are fighting back in court.
Posted inHealth
Will lawmakers let Texas’ maternal mortality committee review abortion deaths?
Texas lawmakers are considering bills to lift restrictions on the state’s maternal mortality review committee, allowing them to review abortion-related deaths and near-misses, and to improve confidentiality and timeliness of their work.
Posted inHealth
5 Years Later: Black Health Care Workers Reflect on COVID-19
Black health care workers reflect on the toll of the pandemic, highlighting the importance of resilience, gratitude, and the need for systemic change to address health inequities and racial disparities.
Posted inEducation
California’s Black Student Crisis Is Everyone’s Problem
Black students in California are six decades away from reaching proficiency in reading and math due to systemic failures in the education system, and the state’s education system is a microcosm of how public education is failing one of its most vulnerable student groups.
Posted inBlackPressUSA.com
Stopgap Bill Advances as Congress Moves to Prevent Shutdown
A newly introduced stopgap bill in Congress aims to extend government funding through the end of the 2025 fiscal year, but concerns persist that flat funding levels will not account for rising costs, leaving states and local governments to bridge potential gaps in affordable housing efforts.
Posted inHealth
With crumbling public health infrastructure, rural Texas scrambles to respond to measles
Texas is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in decades, and rural communities are struggling with outdated infrastructure, a lack of primary care providers, and long distances between testing sites and laboratories, highlighting the need for more proactive public health efforts.
Posted inPolitics
Federal Firing Leaves Gaping Holes
Contractors working on a federally funded program dealing with race and gender were fired and still have government devices and equipment, as well as active government emails, raising concerns about potential harm.
Posted inEducation
Title I Funding in Limbo: What’s at Stake for Black Students
A Baltimore judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s DEI ban, but experts warn that federal funding may still be at risk for schools serving low-income and predominantly Black students.