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Upcoming U.S. Supreme Court cases could curb colleges’ use of affirmative action
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices could fundamentally reshape the college admissions process later this year when it takes up two landmark cases challenging affirmative action in higher education. The court recently agreed to hear two cases that challenge race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and […]
Wildfire responders urge Congress to improve disaster aid process for at-risk communities
WASHINGTON — The federal government should re-examine its emergency response systems to better assist communities at risk from the growing threats of wildfire, state and local wildfire responders told members of Congress Tuesday. Wildfires across the United States have become larger, more intense and longer-lasting this century in part due to changes in the global […]
Senate Republicans again block debate on voting rights bill
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans blocked the advance of voting rights legislation Wednesday, the second time this year—thwarting again Democrats’ attempts to pass federal protections for voters amid a slew of new state elections laws. “When we are faced with a coordinated effort across our country to limit the freedom to vote, we must stand up […]
Democrats seek support services for survivors of Native American boarding schools
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers are pushing federal agencies to provide support for survivors of and communities affected by American Indian boarding school policies, the decades-long practice of forcibly sending Native American children to faraway boarding schools that rejected their tribal cultures. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) sent a request this month […]
A federal investigation seeks to uncover the painful history of Native American boarding schools
WASHINGTON —The Native American children travelled on trains, thousands of miles from their homes, to Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Indian Industrial School in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many had been forcibly taken from their parents and communities. Once there, they had to hand over their belongings, put on uniforms, cut off their braids, adopt new […]
Endangered species to get a reprieve under Biden administration plans
WASHINGTON — The lesser prairie-chicken, a rare dancing grouse once abundant on the Great Plains, could benefit again soon from the protection of the U.S. government. So could the rusty patched bumblebee, a black-headed pollinator that at one time ranged from Georgia to Maine and across the Midwest. The Biden administration is rewriting how it […]
SNWA warns Congress of a ‘real and urgent’ drought crisis
WASHINGTON–A drought crisis unfolding across the West will require short-term relief and massive, long-term federal funding to help states weather the effects of climate change, the general manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority told a U.S. House hearing on Tuesday. “The situation is real and urgent. Current conditions require us to take bold and […]
New funding to curb wildfires pushed as another fire season looms
WASHINGTON — As wildfires across the United States grow in size, intensity and duration each summer, members of Congress from the West are pushing for massive new investments in ecosystem management and wildfire mitigation. House lawmakers called for more attention to wildfire management and support for wildland firefighters at a hearing Thursday before a House […]
Yucca? That’s a no, reassures Biden’s Energy nominee
WASHINGTON — The Biden Administration will not be trying to put ship nuclear waste to to Yucca Mountain, Energy Secretary nominee former Michigan Gov. Jeniffer Granholm reassured lawmakers Wednesday. Granholm offered the reassurance during a nomination hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto joined the hearing remotely […]
Tribes ‘very close to reaching a breaking point’ in COVID-19 response
WASHINGTON – Native American tribes are facing a dire situation from the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing some of them to a breaking point, American Indian health leaders told members of Congress Wednesday. In many places, tribal leaders are scrambling to respond to disproportional illness and death in their communities. Confirmed COVID-19 cases among American Indians and Alaska […]
Horsford, House panel hear how COVID-19 exposes structural racism
WASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately harmed communities of color, laying bare the systemic racial disparities across the United States, experts told lawmakers this week. Early evidence suggests there are elevated rates of infection and death from COVID-19 in African American populations and other communities of color. Nationwide, Black Americans are dying at nearly […]
Can more conservation, less wildlife trade help prevent the next pandemic?
WASHINGTON — As the United States reels from COVID-19, scientists and environmentalists say beefing up conservation efforts could help protect humanity from future pandemics. Lawmakers and policy experts alike have been focused on the immediate health and economic concerns from the pandemic. But many environmental advocates say the global crisis has also laid bare the […]