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White House allows Ukrainian nationals to stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is granting temporary protected status to shield Ukrainian nationals living in the United States from deportation, following pressure from members of Congress. “Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries,” DHS […]
U.S. House panel hears from DHS about problems with ‘remain in Mexico’ immigration policy
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials told House members on Wednesday that there are major problems with a Trump-era immigration policy that federal courts are forcing the agency to follow. One of the Department of Homeland Security officials, Blas Nuñez-Neto, said that the court-ordered Migrant Protection Protocols is a flawed policy program and […]
Biden in State of the Union urges ‘unmistakable’ support for democracy in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night to reassert America as a leading global voice for democracy and condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for starting an unprovoked war in Ukraine. “Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for […]
Before any U.S. troops are sent to Ukraine, some in Congress want a say
WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a Democrat, and Warren Davidson of Ohio, a Republican, are leading a broad, bipartisan coalition of nearly 50 lawmakers urging the president to not send U.S. troops into Ukraine, or declare war, before receiving authorization from Congress. Among them are two Virginia Republicans: U.S. Reps. Ben Cline […]
Biden warns of U.S. energy price spikes if Russia invades Ukraine
WASHINGTON — American service members will not deploy to Ukraine in the event of a “distinctly possible” Russian invasion, but strong economic sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies could reverberate and prompt energy price spikes, President Joe Biden said in a live address from the White House Tuesday. Biden urged Russian President […]
HBCU leaders decry waves of bomb threats as federal investigators probe origin
WASHINGTON — Hours before the Southern Poverty Law Center held a virtual panel Tuesday about recent bomb threats made to dozens of historically Black colleges, yet another bomb threat was reported — this one to Spelman College, a historically Black institution in Georgia. “This was a racist attack that aims to not only disrupt the start of Black History Month, […]
Biden says answer to gun violence ‘is not to defund the police’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland traveled Thursday to New York City, where two police officers were killed in a recent shooting, as the administration unveiled a new initiative to combat gun violence. A senior administration official told reporters that the White House is focusing on ghost guns, which are homemade guns that […]
USDA to send out $1.4 billion to boost rural economies in the states
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that the agency is investing $1.4 billion into rural economies through job training, business loans and the expansion of technical assistance. “It’s a good day for rural America,” Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, said during a call with reporters. Eight programs will dole […]
Biden cites 40-day timeline for Supreme Court confirmation
WASHINGTON — The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, and the panel’s top Republican, Chuck Grassley, met with the president Tuesday afternoon to discuss a 40-day confirmation timeline for a new Supreme Court pick. “The Constitution says, ‘advise and consent, advice and consent,’ and I’m serious when I say that I want the […]
Reports: Supreme Court Justice Breyer to step down
WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is planning to announce his retirement in the coming days, according to multiple press reports Wednesday. The decision by the 83-year-old justice, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994, would give President Joe Biden his first chance to nominate a member of the Supreme Court, […]
With voting rights stalled, some senators mull an update to the Electoral Count Act
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators is exploring legislation to overhaul how Congress counts Electoral College votes, but backers of stalled voting rights legislation are lukewarm on the effort as a substitute. The Electoral Count Act is an obscure law that has come under recent scrutiny, a year after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol […]
Online orders for free at-home COVID tests to begin Jan. 19
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday launched a new website for Americans to request up to four free COVID-19 tests per household. The administration is buying 1 billion at-home rapid COVID-19 tests, and Americans will be able to begin ordering the tests online on Jan. 19 at COVIDtests.gov. This is part of the administration’s […]