Wed, December 18, 2024

by: News Tribune

Meet Simone Carter, McClatchy's new Washington state government reporter

Reporter Simone Carter, a Texas native who previously worked for the Dallas Observer and Newsweek, has joined The Olympian to cover Washington state government for the state capital's newspaper as well as McClatchy's three other sites in the state.

by: Business Insider

Elon Musk bashes Congress' government funding bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke with Musk about his displeasure Tuesday night, though the DOGE cohead said on X that the bill shouldn't pass.

by: The New York Times

Trump's Criticism of Spending Deal Raises Fears of Government Shutdown

The president-elect weighed in against the mammoth spending package after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy had spent the day attacking it and warning Republicans not to support it.

by: The Daily Signal

Trump, Vance Throw Curveball Into Spending Fight as Hill Scrambles to Fund Government

The continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown by funding the government until March is not being received well on Capitol Hill.

by: NBC News

Trump opposes funding bill, pushing government closer to a shutdown

Elon Musk joined a wave of right-wing fury against a bill to keep the government open. Now, the president-elect says he wants big changes too before this weekend's deadline.

by: BizPac Review

'This is an early test': Ramaswamy dissects 1,500 pg. spending bill, says it 'should fail'

DOGE is getting a test run as Vivek Ramaswamy read all 1,500+ pages of a spending bill and then gave his advice.

by: ABC

Editorial Roundup: United States

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Dec. 12 The Washington Post says Joe Biden shouldn't use preemptive pardons

by: The New York Times

Inside a Huge Spending Deal: Disaster Money, a Football Stadium and More

The mammoth year-end federal funding measure congressional leaders agreed on does far more than just keep the government running. It is stuffed with all manner of policy and other changes.

by: Mother Jones

Trump's Billionaire Cabinet Is Unprecedented

The president-elect has tapped five reported billionaires for cabinet posts: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for interior secretary, hedge funder Scott Bessent for treasury secretary, Cantor Fitzgerald chief Howard Lutnick for commerce secretary,

by: PBS

Senate defense bill to raise troop pay and bar trans care for minors to receive final vote

Lawmakers said those were key to improving the quality of life of service members at a time when many military families rely on food banks and other government assistance programs to make ends meet. "It includes major quality of life improvements ...

by: Governing

Who Depends Most on Washington? Rural Counties That Voted Heavily for Trump

More than anything it's the simple result of Americans growing older, a fact of life we haven't come to grips with politically.

by: The Daily Telegraph

Scottish Labour leader attacks Starmer's 'deeply disappointing' Waspi women decision

Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, said: "Anas Sarwar thought he would stroll into Bute House in 2026, but Sir Keir Starmer is wrecking Scottish Labour's campaign by breaking every promise he made before the general election and betraying pensioners, farmers, businesses and workers."

by: USA Today

Larry Bucshon says he's figured out his post-Congress career

It's a well-worn and not necessarily surprising path 8th District Rep. Larry Bucshon will follow when he leaves Congress next month after 14 years.

by: ktvq

Congress would get pay raise if lawmakers pass government funding bill

If the funding bill passes, members of Congress could receive a raise of up to 3.8%, or about $6,600 annually. Congress has to pass the bill, which also includes $100 billion for disaster relief, before Saturday to avoid a partial government shutdown.

by: Sydney Morning Herald

Why my bosses are both out of a job. But spa builders are doing OK

What's in a job title? Everything, if your job just happened to disappear as part of a major revamp by the bureau of statistics of the nation's thousands of occupations.

by: The Hill

Congress strikes deal to avert government shutdown

Congressional leaders have struck a bipartisan deal to keep the government funded beyond a looming Dec. 20 shutdown deadline. Legislation rolled out by leadership on Tuesday would kick the Friday

by: Yahoo News UK

Why has Elon Musk met Nigel Farage and what could it mean for Reform UK?

The billionaire owner of X is reportedly keen to influence UK politics, but would the current rules allow him to?

by: WLRN

'Culture for Service and Service for Humanity': Phi Beta Sigma Way touches down in Miami Gardens

The City of Miami Gardens will rename a section of Northwest 191st Street "Phi Beta Sigma Way" on Dec. 19. The Rho Sigma Chapter, established in 1927, has played a pivotal role in South Florida, advocating for education and social justice.

by: The Daily Mirror

Map shows how many WASPI women missed out in your area and how much they would have got

Keir Starmer faces fury over Labour's decision to reject compensation for over 3.5million women in spite of a bombshell watchdog report calling for payouts of nearly £3,000

by: BBC

Badenoch attacks PM over 'cruel' Winter Fuel Payment cuts in final PMQs of year

by: KXXV News Channel 25

Texas school districts asked to return $16 million in federal funding for special education services

The request comes after an audit found Texas improperly billed the federal government for reimbursements related to Medicaid-eligible students.

by: WESA

Pa. casts 19 Electoral College votes for Donald Trump

Pennsylvania's 19 Republican electors submitted ballots in support of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on Tuesday at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The largely ceremonial vote brings the country one step closer to a nationwide congressional certification in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.

by: The Scranton Times-Tribune

Musk and Trump are viewed roughly the same by Americans, new poll finds

Musk's attachment to Trump has created an alliance between America's most powerful politician and its richest businessman — and roughly the same percentages of Americans have favorable views of each, according to a new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

by: syracuse.com

Congress unveils funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid

Washington — Congressional leaders have unveiled a stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

by: Daily Express

Lee Anderson's scathing two-word attack on Keir Starmer after PM 'told lies to pensioners'

The outspoken Reform MP spoke out as details Labour backtracking on pledges to pensioners and WASPI women have emerged.

by: The Independent

Musk and Farage have handed Starmer a golden chance to clean up political murky money

It's in the Labour Party's interest to have a cap on individual donations, otherwise Musk's attempt to buy votes could put Reform in the running for the next election, writes Andrew Grice

by: PBS

Congress nears funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid, avoiding government shutdown

Congressional leaders have unveiled legislation that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

by: ABC News

Democracies across the globe are at a crossroads, as authoritarians seek to chip away at freedoms

Still, there is a clear silver lining for democracy. The same Pew poll that found its appeal slipping also found that it remains by far the preferred system of government worldwide. And people turned out to demonstrate that, during elections and in protest ...

by: Florida Politics

Bill Posey looks back at accomplishments and sudden close to years of service

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey spent decades urging greater transparency and accountability in government. Heading into 2024, he felt optimistic he could serve one last term with President-elect Donald Trump back in the White House.

by: USA Today

Trump is promising deportations on 'day one.' Who is he targeting and what can he do?

Donald Trump wants to deport millions as soon as he takes office. But there are laws that could slow him down.

by: Sacramento Bee

Union membership continues slow decline as California hires more rank-and-file employees

At SEIU Local 1000, 456 fewer members paid dues in October 2024, compared to the previous year's payroll period. Meanwhile, the state hired nearly 3,000 more employees among the nine units represented by SEIU Local 1000, which resulted in a two point decrease in the union's due-paying membership.

by: KGOU

Mangione charged with murder as act of terrorism. And, path to unionizing reality TV

by: MSN

4 ways American states and cities can meet the CCP threat to our way of life

With the 2024 elections behind us and power in D.C. determined, it's time to turn our collective focus to the greatest external threat to the American way of life: Communist China.

by: MSN

US Congress lines up stopgap bill to avert partial government shutdown

By Richard Cowan, Katharine Jackson and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress unveiled a stopgap measure on Tuesday to keep federal agencies funded through March 14,

by: The New York Times

Who Is Friedrich Merz, a Leading Candidate to Be Germany's Next Chancellor?

If polls are correct, Olaf Scholz's successor could be Friedrich Merz, 69, leader of the Christian Democratic Union. He is offering to get the German economic engine humming again.

by: MSN

Italy's premier defends her friendship with Musk and asserts her independence

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday defended her friendship with U.S. tech billionaire and Trump confidant Elon Musk, telling Italian lawmakers that she would not be influenced in areas where he has economic interests.

by: MSN

Elizabeth Warren demands Trump answers for Elon Musk's 'conflicts of interest' in the government

by: MSN

Uber and Its CEO Donate $2 Million to Donald Trump's Inauguration

The world's premier ride-hailing app has paid fealty to the incoming Republican president despite its executives' long-standing contempt for his policies. Uber Technologies and the group's CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi,

by: Florida Politics

Orange County government picks up the tab for Glen Gilzean's employees

In court and public meetings, the Orange County government is openly feuding with Gilzean over allegations of mismanagement and misspending. The Orange County Commission voted earlier this month to withhold Gilzean's December budget payment but agreed Tuesday to pay Gilzean's $250,000 payroll to payroll company ADP.

by: MSN

Why Corruption in Kenya is Rooted and What Needs to be Done

by: MSN

Escudero, Poe on deferred 2025 budget signing: Part of checks and balances

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero and Finance committee chairperson Grace Poe on Wednesday tagged as part of checks and balances of government and sign of healthy democracy the decision of Malacañang to defer the signing of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

by: MSN

Wishaw MSP blasts UK Government's "betrayal" of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners

Work & Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced the government would refuse the recommendation to award between £1,000 and £2,950 to women affected by the change in the state pension age.

by: MSN

Olaf Scholz loses confidence vote and gears up for snap elections

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost his confidence vote and is now preparing for early elections scheduled for next February. The leader expected to lose the vote but hopes to inject new momentum into his party,

by: StamfordAdvocate

What Americans think of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his health stances

That's why Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pledge to "Make America Healthy Again" as he campaigned alongside Donald Trump caught her attention. She liked the questions Kennedy raised about the role of processed foods in America's obesity epidemic.

by: American Banker

Politics, history, hubris: why agency consolidation isn't easy

Proposals to streamline U.S. banking regulators have resurfaced with the Trump administration's focus on efficiency, but experts and history suggest such changes are unlikely amid political and industry resistance.

by: MSN

Political reaction as UK government ordered to hold inquiry into murder of GAA chairman Sean Brown

Use precise geolocation data and actively scan device characteristics for identification. This is done to store and access information on a device and to provide personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. List of Partners (vendors)

by: MSN

Trump says US subsidies to Canada make 'no sense,' suggests Canadians want 'to become the 51st State'

President-elect Trump continued trolling of Canada early Wednesday by slamming U.S. subsidies and again claiming that Canadians supposedly want to become the 51st U.S. state.

by: The Daily Mirror

PMQs watch live - WASPI women fury as Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch go head-to-head

On Tuesday the government was accused of betraying the 3.5million women born in the 1950s who missed out pension payments. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who previously supported the WASPI campaign in opposition, defended the decision not to pay out ...

Texas school districts asked to return $16 million in federal funding for special education services

The request comes after an audit found Texas improperly billed the federal government for reimbursements related to Medicaid-eligible students.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has requested that 11 school districts in Texas return approximately $16 million in federal funding due to improper use of these funds for special education services. The funds, part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), were intended to support students with disabilities but were misallocated. The TEA identified issues such as the use of these funds for general education purposes, lack of proper documentation, and failure to adhere to federal guidelines. Districts involved include major ones like Houston and Dallas ISDs. The TEA has given these districts until the end of the month to either return the funds or provide evidence that the money was used appropriately. This situation has raised concerns about oversight and the potential impact on special education programs, prompting discussions on improving accountability and training for managing federal grants.

Read the Full KXXV News Channel 25 Article at:
https://www.kxxv.com/news/texas-news/texas-school-districts-asked-to-return-16-million-in-federal-funding-for-special-education-services