Economists warn that the 47th president’s new tax law, now in effect as the 2026 filing season begins, entrenches economic inequality by delivering the largest benefits to the wealthiest Americans while raising taxes and cutting supports for low-income households. Analyses show Black families are disproportionately harmed, as the law expands tax breaks tied to wealth and inheritance while offering limited, often inaccessible relief to working-class and poor households.
Category: U.S. Government
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Longtime DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is ending her reelection campaign for Congress
Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s longtime nonvoting delegate to Congress and a Civil Rights Movement veteran, has filed paperwork to end her reelection campaign, signaling the close of her 35-year tenure on Capitol Hill. Her retirement opens a competitive Democratic primary in the overwhelmingly Democratic city as questions had mounted about her effectiveness amid heightened federal intervention in Washington.
Posted inU.S. Government
Deadline looms as Congress risks another shutdown
With federal funding set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 30, Congress is again on the brink of a government shutdown, just months after a prolonged lapse disrupted essential services and deepened hardship for families nationwide. As Republicans push a single sweeping funding vote, Democrats warn that no viable agreement exists, leaving negotiations stalled and the risk of another shutdown growing as the deadline approaches.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
National Guard troops to stay on Washington, D.C. streets through 2026
National Guard troops will be on the streets of Washington, D.C. until the end of 2026, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press, signed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and dated Jan. 14.
Posted inU.S. Government
Department of Education calls back civil rights staff amid massive discrimination case backlog
After hundreds of civil rights employees were placed on administrative leave last year, the U.S. Department of Education called staff back to its Office of Civil Rights amid a massive backlog of discrimination complaints. Workers and union leaders say the disruption left tens of thousands of cases unresolved and students without timely civil rights protections.
Posted inPOLITICS
47th president can’t block child care money for 5 Democratic-led states for now, judge says
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the 47th president’s administration from freezing billions of dollars in child care and family support funding to five Democratic-led states, ruling that the states met the legal standard to preserve the status quo while the dispute plays out in court. The decision comes as the administration claims—without providing evidence—that the states improperly provided benefits to undocumented immigrants, a move the states argue is unconstitutional and politically motivated, with immediate consequences for low-income families and child care providers.
Posted inPOLITICS
Hoyer laments House ‘is not living up to the Founders’ goals’ as he tells colleagues he’s retiring
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the longest-serving Democrat in Congress, announced he will retire at the end of his term, using a House floor speech to warn that today’s Congress is falling short of the Founders’ vision. The 86-year-old Maryland lawmaker reflected on decades of bipartisan work, urged colleagues to renew their commitment to democratic norms, and said he will spend his final year seeking bipartisanship and avoiding a government shutdown.
Posted inPOLITICS
CBC slams U.S. intervention in Venezuela, citing lack of legal authority
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are condemning the United States’ military action in Venezuela, calling it an illegal act of aggression carried out without congressional authorization or a clear plan. Lawmakers warn the operation risks destabilizing the region, undermining international law, and drawing the country into another open-ended conflict.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Five years later, former Capitol Officer Harry Dunn says Jan. 6 was ‘worst day’ of his life
By Stacy BrownNNPA Newswire On the fifth anniversary of Jan. 6, a date now fixed in the American conscience, former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn returned to the moment that altered his life and the nation’s course. Appearing on “Let It Be Known,” Dunn spoke about the unforgettable day that’s shaped by time, pain, and […]
Posted inU.S. Government
How the Monroe Doctrine factors into US arrest of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro
The White House cited the Monroe Doctrine as justification for U.S. military action that led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, reviving a two-century-old policy long used to rationalize American intervention in Latin America. Scholars say the 47th president’s framing follows a historical pattern of invoking the doctrine to advance U.S. strategic and commercial interests, particularly energy, while raising questions about prolonged U.S. involvement in Venezuela and tensions within the “America First” movement.
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
U.S. strikes Venezuela, says its leader has been ‘captured’ and flown out of the country
Legal experts are examining military action taken by the United States in Venezuela on Jan. 3 to determine if the “capture” of the country’s president and first lady can be legally justified. The two are said to be in U.S. custody to face charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons charges in New York.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Blacks vets share mixed views as Department of Defense eliminates shaving waivers
Black military veterans are expressing mixed reactions to the Department of Defense’s decision to strictly enforce facial hair grooming standards and significantly limit medical shaving waivers. While some veterans view the policy as part of the military’s long-standing emphasis on uniformity and discipline, others worry it will disproportionately affect Black service members who suffer from medical conditions like pseudofolliculitis barbae, potentially forcing some out of the armed forces.