Eighteen years after the original Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, was introduced, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Dream and Promise Act — a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for nearly 2.1 million immigrants brought to the United States by their parents as children.
The bill passed with a 237-187 vote. The vote was mostly along party lines, and only seven Republicans voted in favor of the bill.
What i...
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The Religious Right holds a special day to pray ‘Trump’s enemies’ away
The National Day of Prayer is held on the first Thursday of May every year, which in 2019 fell on May 2.
But last week, Franklin Graham, Jr. called for Sunday, June 2, to be a “special Day of Prayer for the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”
In a statement on Facebook, Graham said, “President Trump’s enemies continue to try everything to destroy him, his family, and the presidency. In the history of our country, no president has been attacked ...
Navy acknowledges request to hide USS John S. McCain from Trump’s view
The U.S. Navy admitted that it received a request, presumably from White House aides, to hide the USS John S. McCain during President Donald Trump’s recent state visit to Japan.
But Rear Admiral Charlie Brown, chief of information, said in a statement released to NBC news on Saturday morning that although a request was received, Navy officials didn’t act on it, and insist nothing was done to obscure the battleship.
“A request was made to t...
Facing a close 2020 race, Martha McSally suddenly wants to defend John McCain’s honor
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), who was appointed to fill the vacant Senate seat of John McCain, is demanding an investigation to find out which administration official ordered the U.S.S. John S. McCain be hidden during the president’s visit to Japan last weekend. While this is far from the first slight by the Trump administration against the late senator, it is the first time Sen. Martha McSally has shown any interest in criticizing it.
The story, which might be a bigger scandal ...
Austin shows how cities in conservative states can move forward on climate action
AUSTIN, TEXAS — This month, the capital of Texas threw its support behind the Green New Deal resolution, a bold proposal that aims to tackle both climate change and social inequities in one fell swoop. In supporting the resolution, lawmakers and advocates hope Austin can lead the way for other cities in Republican-controlled states to chart their own path.
Turning the symbolism of supporting the Green New Deal into concrete action will take significant work, however, even as t...
As WNBA season tips off, star players speak out against anti-abortion bills
On Friday night, the 2019 WNBA season tips off with a contest between the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings. It’s a pivotal season for the league’s future. Last fall, the WNBA Player’s Association opted out of its current collective bargaining agreement, and players will be spending their spare time during the season fighting for better wages, resources, and support.
But while the league-wide drama both on and off the court remains the utmost importance to the league&...
Trump administration has now dismantled every major transgender protection it can
The Trump administration announced Friday morning sweeping changes to the rules protecting transgender people from discrimination in health care. Combined with an announcement earlier this week ending gender identity protections in homeless shelters, the administration has now taken steps to exclude transgender people from almost every aspect of public life, including employment, housing, health care, education, prisons, and the military.
The Trump administration has been forecastin...
Trump uses 1996 welfare reform bill to go after immigrants who use public benefits
President Trump is getting serious about going after immigrants who use public benefits.
In a presidential memorandum issued Thursday, Trump announced he will direct federal agencies to enforce a longstanding rule requiring the sponsors — usually U.S. citizen family members — of immigrants to reimburse the government for any public benefits they use, including Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
“Financial sponsors who...
Health Department announces new rule weakening nondiscrimination protections for trans people
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new rule Friday that would seriously harm transgender people’s access to health care.
The department announced a revision to the nondiscrimination section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as “Section 1557.” That provision prevented discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, and sex. Under the Obama administration, the department interpreted sex discrimination to ...
Cory Booker would put an ‘Office of Reproductive Freedom’ in the White House
Amid a nationwide onslaught of anti-abortion bills whose reach and cruelty seem to be, like the universe, expanding at ever-increasing rates, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced Wednesday that, if elected president, he would create a White House Office of Reproductive Freedom on his first day in the White House.
“Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country are mounting a coordinated attack on abortion access and reproductive rights,” he said in a statement.
“A ...