National News

John M. Kinder, Oklahoma State University and Jennifer Murray, Shepherd University The negative public reaction to Operation Metro Surge – the violent immigration dragnet in Minnesota – was “MAGA’s Gettysburg,” wrote New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie on Jan. 28. Bouie, of course, was comparing ICE’s setbacks to the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, the battle

Gibbs Knotts, Coastal Carolina University and Christopher A. Cooper, Western Carolina University Holding hands with other prominent Black leaders, the Rev. Jesse Jackson crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 9, 2025, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Like several survivors of that violent day in 1965, when police brutally

Hengrui Liu, Tufts University and Kelly Sims Gallagher, Tufts University At the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, the spotlight quietly shifted. Electric vehicles, once framed as the inevitable future of the industry, were no longer the centerpiece. Instead, automakers emphasized hybrids, updated gasoline models and incremental efficiency improvements. The show, held in January, reflected an industry

by Anna Claire Vollers, Pennsylvania Capital-StarJanuary 20, 2026 In a win for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, a recent court ruling has cleared the way for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to resume using states’ Medicaid data to find people who are in the country illegally. A masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent knocks

by Atra Mohamed, Minnesota ReformerJanuary 19, 2026 Sahra Sharif, a mother of 16 and owner of an apparel shop at Madina Mall in Minneapolis, said her new routine is to open at 3 p.m. and stay open for about four hours, hoping to cover the month’s rent.  Due to a fear of immigration agents, “The

Tarah Williams, Allegheny College and Andrew Bloeser, Allegheny College Each year on the holiday that bears his name, Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered for his immense contributions to the struggle for racial equality. What is less often remembered but equally important is that King saw the fight for racial equality as deeply intertwined with

D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University and Brandy Hadley, Appalachian State University The U.S. economy heads into 2026 in an unusual place: Inflation is down from its peak in mid-2022, growth has held up better than many expected, and yet American households say that things still feel shaky. Uncertainty is the watchword, especially with a

Deborah Lee, Mississippi State University Three years ago, if someone needed to fix a leaky faucet or understand inflation, they usually did one of three things: typed the question into Google, searched YouTube for a how-to video, or shouted desperately at Alexa for help. ChatGPT has become the go-to app for hundreds of millions of

Leila Amineddoleh, New York University The high-profile heist at the Louvre in Paris on Oct 19, 2025, played out like a scene from a Hollywood movie: a gang of thieves steal an assortment of dazzling royal jewels on display at one of the world’s most famous museums. The tiara of Empress Eugénie was one of

Morgan Marietta, University of Tennessee The most influential cases before the U.S. Supreme Court this term, which begins on Oct. 6, 2025, reflect the cultural and partisan clashes of American politics. The U.S. Supreme Court building at dawn in Washington, D.C. Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images The major cases in October and November address the

by Ariana Figueroa, Jennifer Shutt, Ashley Murray, and Shauneen Miranda, Pennsylvania Capital-Star WASHINGTON — The first federal government shutdown in seven years has left hundreds of thousands of workers furloughed and members of the public struggling to understand what’s open, what’s closed and what might be delayed. A sign on the entrance to the U.S.

Gonzalo Maturana, Emory University; Andrew Teodorescu, Stanford University, and Christoph Herpfer, University of Virginia As the federal fiscal year draws to a close, an increasingly familiar prospect is drawing near in Washington, D.C.: a possible government shutdown. And for federal workers, it couldn’t come at a worse time. A sign indicates the closure of federal

Charles J. Russo, University of Dayton With the start of another high school football season around the corner, a long-simmering dispute has heated up: prayers at games. Private schools want to pray over the loudspeaker – at a public facility, during games run by a state association. John Coletti/Photodisc via Getty Images Kennedy v. Bremerton,

Paul Bierman, University of Vermont Look closely at your mobile phone or tablet. Touch-screen technology, speech recognition, digital sound recording, and the internet were all developed using funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The National Science Foundation funds America’s next great innovations, including space-related research. Heritage Space/Heritage Images/Getty Images No matter where you live,

by Linggong Kong, Auburn University When Donald Trump pulled back on his plan to impose eye-watering tariffs on trading partners across the world, there was one key exception: China. While the rest of the world would be given a 90-day reprieve on additional duties beyond the new 10% tariffs on all U.S. trade partners, China

Charlie Hunt, Boise State University Facing a threat of imminent government shutdown, nine Democrats joined GOP Senate colleagues to defeat a filibuster, moving the six-month government funding bill to final passage in a late-day vote on March 14, 2025. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was one of 10 Democrats who voted to break the

Katherine A. Foss, Middle Tennessee State University As the pandemic accelerated in 2020, U.S. hospitals – including this one in New York City – set up tents to diagnose patients with COVID-19. Misha Friedman via Getty Images Five years ago, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a global

Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, University of Pittsburgh Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship,

Daniel J. Olson, Purdue University English should be the official language of the United States, says a new executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 1, 2025. The move follows the Trump administration’s termination of the Spanish-language version of the White House website and its Spanish-language account on X, formerly Twitter. The Obama

Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald Trump’s special commission tasked with slashing federal spending, continues to disrupt Washington and the federal bureaucracy. According to published reports, its teams are dropping into federal agencies with a practically unlimited mandate to reform the federal government in accordance with

by Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-StarJanuary 23, 2025 WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture said during her confirmation hearing Thursday that she has “a lot to learn” about highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu, the virus that’s wreaking havoc on the country’s poultry industry and dairy farms. Brooke

by Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-StarDecember 20, 2024 U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — Congress finally approved a stopgap spending bill early Saturday that will keep the government open for

Katrina Burgess, Tufts University While campaigning in Iowa last September, former President Donald Trump made a promise to voters if he were elected again: “Following the Eisenhower model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” he said. Trump, who made a similar pledge during his first presidential campaign, has recently

by Ashley Murray, Pennsylvania Capital-StarMay 1, 2024 WASHINGTON — Families gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to “make a fuss for babies,” who they believe are being left behind by lawmakers who direct only a fraction of U.S. resources to young children. Sabrina Donnellan of Girdwood, Alaska, sits with her 13-month-old, Blakely, on the lawn

by Jacob Fischler, Pennsylvania Capital-StarApril 25, 2024 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Thursday of former President Donald Trump’s argument he is immune from criminal charges that he tried to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. Dozens of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, while the

Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences As artificial intelligence creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But behind the calls for a pause on the development of AI is a suite of

Many families that receive government assistance for child care still pay a lot out-of-pocket. A new Biden administration rule will lower those costs and improve payments to daycare providers. Originally published by The 19th For more than a decade, Erin Farias has watched the low-income families who send children to the daycares she runs navigate

by Casey Quinlan, Pennsylvania Capital-StarMarch 30, 2024 Americans are still worried about their financial stability even as their recession fears lessen. High prices at the grocery store and consumers’ memories of their pre-pandemic budgets may be playing a role. Here’s what financial and economic experts have to say about what this week’s economic indicators tell

Lee D. Han, University of Tennessee A container ship rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore around 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024, causing a portion of the bridge to collapse into Baltimore Harbor. Officials called the event a mass casualty and were searching for people in the waters of the busy port.

by Ashley Murray, Pennsylvania Capital-Star WASHINGTON — One of the cheapest provisions aimed at helping low-income families has become a main sticking point for Republican senators as they negotiate a bipartisan tax package that attracted broad support in the U.S. House. A tax package that includes an expanded child tax credit passed the U.S. House

Jonathan Wynn, UMass Amherst and Daniel Skinner, Ohio University Does living near a hospital make you more likely to get the health care you need? Scholars interviewed people living near the University of Colorado Hospital to assess whether it’s a good neighbor. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images Even though the federal government requires nonprofit hospitals

Robin Kundis Craig, University of Southern California The Supreme Court heard oral argument on Jan. 17, 2024, in two cases that center on fisheries management but could have broad impacts on federal regulatory power. Two cases centered on Atlantic herring could have widespread impacts on federal regulation. Joe Raedle/Getty Images The question at the core

Mark A. Graber, University of Maryland In 2024, former President Donald Trump will face some of his greatest challenges: criminal court cases, primary opponents and constitutional challenges to his eligibility to hold the office of president again. The Colorado Supreme Court has pushed that latter piece to the forefront, ruling on Dec. 19, 2023, that

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is telling President Joe Biden the numbers of migrants arriving to Chicago from the southern U.S. border are accelerating. The situation is overwhelming, untenable and uncoordinated, he added.  President Joe Biden greets Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, from left, Rep. Mike Quigley,

Eric Gable, University of Mary Washington and Richard Handler, University of Virginia Of all the debate over teaching U.S. slavery, it is one sentence of Florida’s revised academic standards that has provoked particular ire: “Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” A Black actor in

by Jennifer ShuttSeptember 21, 2023 WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans were unable for a third time Thursday to begin debate on the Defense funding bill, throwing another wrench into Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership tenure. The Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt, States Newsroom) The 212-216 vote that rejected the rule for the $826 billion Defense spending measure was

Erica Neuman, University of Dayton The Internal Revenue Service is getting a funding boost thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. The IRS has relied on technology for decades, as this 1965 photo taken in its Philadelphia office shows. US News & World Report Collection/Marion S Trikosko/PhotoQuest

Judith Stepan-Norris, University of California, Irvine and Jasmine Kerrissey, UMass Amherst More than 323,000 workers – including nurses, actors, screenwriters, hotel cleaners and restaurant servers – walked off their jobs during the first eight months of 2023. Hundreds of thousands of the employees of delivery giant UPS would have gone on strike, too, had they