Gaspard Le Dem

A new state initiative launched last week by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity allows residents to earn college credits at state institutions at no cost, and without needing to take coursework. Through a partnership with two educational non-profits, the state will offer free... Read More

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats are calling for more oversight into the 2020 U.S. Census after officials in charge of the once-a-decade population count announced they would stop collecting survey responses earlier than planned. In a letter sent Monday, members of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related... Read More

D.C. may have a new furry resident on the way. The National Zoo announced on Friday that its giant female panda, Mei Xiang, appears to be pregnant, and could be giving birth to a new cub over the weekend. After conducting an ultrasound on the panda... Read More

After much deliberation from party leaders, the Democratic National Convention will be happening virtually this year. Rather than the usual all-day programming, speeches will be packed into two-hour televised segments across four nights, from Monday, August 17, to Thursday, August 20. Former Vice-President Joe Biden and... Read More

Christy Murrell had doubts about the education her teenage son was getting at a public school in Fairfax County, Virginia.  The mother of three, who calls herself “a very hands-on parent,” was struggling to communicate with teachers at Westfield, one of the largest high schools in... Read More

A new tool, designed to help U.S. voters navigate the task of voting by mail by streamlining the process of applying for an absentee ballot, is now available. The free tool, which can be accessed at VoteByMail.io, first asks users to enter their zip code. Then,... Read More

New data shows that a growing number of children across the country are testing positive for the coronavirus as many schools prepare to resume in-person classes this fall. Over the last two weeks of July, the U.S. reported 97,078 new cases of COVID-19 among children, according... Read More

WASHINGTON - New polling data shows that while younger U.S. voters are increasingly interested in voting by mail, many aren’t prepared to do so in 2020. According to a survey released this week by public affairs firm Global Strategy Group, 38% of young voters say they’re... Read More

WASHINGTON - District of Columbia officials on Thursday announced that D.C. public schools will hold all classes remotely until the end of the fall semester’s first term on November 6. The decision comes after several neighboring school districts, including Montgomery County, Fairfax County, and Loudoun County,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee on Monday urged Iowa election officials to block counties from sending out absentee ballot request forms with pre-filled voter information. In a letter, the RNC’s chief counsel asked Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to issue an order prohibiting local... Read More

WASHINGTON - Just a few months ago, Braudilia Mendez had four employees to help care for the toddlers at Curious Mind, a bilingual child care center in Washington, D.C.’s Petworth neighborhood. But when the pandemic struck, Mendez was forced to shut the small day care center... Read More

WASHINGTON - The amount of plastic entering the world’s oceans could nearly triple within the next two decades, according to a report by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C., called “Breaking the Plastic Wave.”  By 2040, 29 million metric... Read More

U.S. Space Command on Wednesday said it had proof that Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon from outer space last week. The agency, which is in charge of U.S. military operations in space, said that a Russian satellite by the name of Cosmos 2543 had “injected” an... Read More

WASHINGTON - The NAACP is adding its voice to a broad legal challenge of a rule by the U.S. Department of Education that diverts COVID-19 relief aid away from public schools to benefit private education.  The powerful civil rights organization on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Nurses from National Nurses United gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday morning to honor the lives of fellow health care workers who have died from the coronavirus, and to urge Congress to pass legislation to protect them on the job. In 90+-degree heat,... Read More

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized Quest Diagnostics, an American clinical laboratory, to start processing COVID-19 tests in batches in an effort to speed up testing amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases. The technique, called specimen pooling, allows labs to test several vials... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Despite an increasing number of coronavirus cases in all but a handful of U.S. states, school districts across the country are pushing ahead with plans to resume in-person classes this fall. With the pandemic continuing, minimizing the risk of transmission between students and staff... Read More

The city of Berkeley in Northern California will become the first U.S. city to remove police from traffic stops in an effort to reduce racial profiling and avoid deadly run-ins between law enforcement and Black drivers. On Wednesday morning, the Berkeley City Council passed a sweeping... Read More

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday unveiled an unusual plan to encourage Chicagoans to participate in the U.S. government’s once-a-decade push to count every U.S. resident: a cowboy on a horse.  The mayor was speaking at a press conference when a man in torn denim and... Read More

WASHINGTON - The vast majority of state legislators in the U.S. are white and male, while first and second-generation immigrants tend to lack representation, according to a new report by New American Leaders, a nonprofit organization working for diversity in political leadership. Roughly 82% of the... Read More

WASHINGTON - After mounting pressure from activists, sponsors, and politicians, Washington’s NFL franchise announced on Monday that it would drop its controversial name, “The Redskins”, and start working on redesigning its logo. “Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon... Read More

The Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population is going strong despite shrinking significantly this year, according to a report issued last week by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The environmental watchdog found no signs of overfishing in the bay in 2020, though the number of blue crabs decreased... Read More

Health officials are investigating a COVID-19 outbreak in Mississippi's state legislature after several lawmakers tested positive for coronavirus last week. House Speaker Philip Gunn, a Republican, announced on Sunday that he had contracted the virus after coming into contact with another member of the state’s lower... Read More

WASHINGTON - A group of moderate House Democrats wants the U.S. government to track down potential attempts by the Chinese government to use the coronavirus crisis to its advantage. The Blue Dog Coalition, an alliance of 26 centrist lawmakers, introduced a bill on Thursday requiring U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON - Amy McGrath successfully fended off a late surge from progressive challenger Charles Booker last month in Kentucky’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.  After a week of painstaking ballot counting, McGrath prevailed against Booker by just 15,000 votes out of more than 544,000 votes cast,... Read More

A new virtual map unveiled this week provides a comprehensive and precise look at the risk of flooding across America through a free online tool called Flood Factor. The website, developed by the First Street Foundation, a non-profit research and technology group based in Brooklyn, N.Y.,... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The House on Monday voted to block the Trump administration from overhauling rules that affect how banks make loans to people in lower to moderate-income communities. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters, challenges a recent ruling by the Office of the Comptroller of... Read More

WASHINGTON - New polling shows former Governor John Hickenlooper taking a dominant lead over Andrew Romanoff in Colorado’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, just days before voters cast their ballots on June 30. In a survey published on Thursday by Survey USA, 58% of respondents said... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives on Friday will vote on historic legislation that would grant statehood to the District of Columbia, making it the 51st U.S. state. The bill -- aptly named H.R. 51 -- is expected to pass with little to no friction, having... Read More

WASHINGTON -- With fall around the corner and coronavirus cases surging in some states, U.S. colleges are scrambling to figure out their gameplans for the upcoming school year.  Public health experts have repeatedly warned of a potentially massive second wave of the pandemic if cases aren’t... Read More

WASHINGTON -- D.C.’s non voting delegate Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton on Monday renewed her call for the National Football League to scrap the name of D.C.’s football franchise, the Washington Redskins, which has long been criticized for being racist. “I again call on Dan Snyder, the... Read More

WASHINGTON –– A massive plume of dust from the Sahara Desert is slowly making its way from the west coast of Africa towards North and South America, creating drier-than-usual atmospheric conditions over the Atlantic Ocean. The cloud, which astronauts have spotted all the way from the... Read More

WASHINGTON -- New polling released on Thursday shows Charles Booker outpacing Amy McGrath in Kentucky’s Democratic primary for U.S Senate just days ahead of Election Day on June 23. In a survey published Thursday by Democratic pollster Civiqs, 44% of respondents said they’d pick Booker, while... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A new report by the Congressional Budget Office found that D.C. statehood would carry a price tag for taxpayers, but could also result in significant savings if the District takes on costs currently covered by the federal government. Admitting the District of Columbia as... Read More

Roughly three in five college students in America are struggling to meet basic living needs like food and housing during the coronavirus crisis, according to a new report by The Hope Center. The study, which surveyed more than 38,000 students across 28 states, found that 58%... Read More

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced on Monday that absentee ballot requests will be mailed to the state’s 7.8 million registered voters ahead of the November election. “For nearly a decade, Ohioans have received an absentee ballot request ahead of the presidential and gubernatorial general... Read More

WASHINGTON - Thousands of people called on the D.C. Council to defund the Metropolitan Police Department on Monday during a six-hour virtual hearing that drew an unprecedented response from local activists and community leaders. In an impressive show of unity, nearly 100 witnesses provided testimony to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Secretary of Education Betsy Devos issued a new rule on Thursday that would prevent colleges from granting coronavirus relief funds to undocumented students and non-citizens, including recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. After weeks of back and forth, the rule... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Representatives Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, and Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., introduced a bill on Thursday to give District of Columbia officials new titles matching those of leaders in U.S. states. The proposed measure, dubbed the District of Columbia Government Title Equality Act, upgrades the... Read More

WASHINGTON - Election season got off to a rocky start in Georgia on Tuesday with voters across the state facing long lines and technical glitches with new ballot machines during the primaries, which had been delayed twice due to the coronavirus. The widespread irregularities quickly led... Read More

WASHINGTON - A panel of scientists on Tuesday slammed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to overhaul accounting methods used to evaluate the various economic and social costs of clean air regulations. Last week, the agency proposed a new set of guidelines that it said would... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Friday that Chinese airlines would be limited to just two weekly roundtrip flights between Chinese and American soil until further notice. Two days earlier, the Trump administration had issued a decision to suspend all passenger flights between... Read More

WASHINGTON - A group of lawmakers in the House and Senate urged congressional leaders on Wednesday to support the clean energy sector in future coronavirus stimulus legislation. In a letter signed by 57 members -- all Democrats or independents -- the lawmakers called on Congress to... Read More

As the U.S. struggles to fight off a lingering coronavirus pandemic, the full impact of the crisis on the lives of Americans is just starting to come into view. But for the veteran community -- as for many other groups -- the crisis has already taken... Read More

WASHINGTON - The New Democrat Coalition, an alliance of centrist Democrats in Congress, condemned racially motivated police violence on Wednesday in the wake of nationwide unrest following the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minnesota. “The murder of George Floyd has brought... Read More

A Monmouth University poll out Tuesday found a majority of Americans think that anger over police killings of African-Americans is justified, though fewer agree with the actions carried out by some of those protesters. According to the poll, around 57% of people said that police are... Read More

WASHINGTON - A coalition of hundreds of national civil rights organizations urged Congress on Monday to address systemic police violence against African-American people in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis last week. In a letter co-signed by... Read More

WASHINGTON - Polls are set to open on Tuesday for the District of Columbia’s primary election despite ongoing civil unrest and a lingering coronavirus outbreak in the nation’s capital. For the past three nights, the District has been rocked by violent clashes between police and demonstrators... Read More

WASHINGTON - District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Friday that the default speed limit on local D.C. roads will be lowered from 25 to 20 mph. The decision to lower the speed limit was prompted by an uptick in speeding on D.C. roads during... Read More

WASHINGTON - In the past decade, many U.S. states have faced labor shortages that have placed a financial strain on local businesses and economies.  With fewer skilled immigrants entering the country and young people losing interest in blue-collar jobs, key industries like construction, health care, and... Read More

WASHINGTON - The coronavirus pandemic has reignited a longstanding debate on the issue of unequal access to broadband internet in America, also known as the “digital divide.” With thousands of businesses shut down, having access to a reliable internet connection is critical -- whether it’s to... Read More

WASHINGTON - Federal funding for U.S. highway projects could soon run out, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency that gives lawmakers advice on economic and budgetary matters. The Highway Trust Fund -- a government funding pool that helps states... Read More

New polling shows that a majority of female Trump supporters in 2016 who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic would vote for him again, however, 48% of women still hold a very unfavorable view of him as opposed to  31% very unfavorable for Biden. ... Read More

WASHINGTON - Advocates called on the Environmental Protection Agency to raise its standards on particle pollution -- also known as soot or PM2.5 -- at a public hearing on Thursday held by phone due to the coronavirus crisis. In April, the EPA announced it did not... Read More

Thousands of Michigan residents were forced to evacuate their homes on Wednesday after heavy rains caused two dams to fail in Midland county, about 120 miles northwest of the city of Detroit. The breaches of the Edenville and Sanford Dams sent a deluge of water into... Read More

Vermont’s Republican Gov. Phil Scott announced a $400 million coronavirus relief package on Wednesday that taps into some of the $1.25 billion in funding the state received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. In March, Congress passed the first round of coronavirus... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Experts say that injecting federal money into America’s higher education system amid the coronavirus crisis could unintentionally lead to more profiteering in the industry. The pandemic has taken a significant toll on U.S. colleges and universities, shutting down college campuses and forcing teachers and... Read More

The natural world has gotten a boost from the coronavirus pandemic.  With fewer cars on the roads and planes in the sky, the world has benefited from clearer skies and an unprecedented decline in carbon emissions.  Daily CO2 emissions decreased by 17% between January and early... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced on Thursday that it had finalized new rules to give truckers more flexibility on their driving hours. The announcement comes after two years of intense public debate over how to give truckers more leeway on required rest... Read More

Over the last few months, the coronavirus crisis has forced colleges and universities across America to close down campuses and teach students entirely online. Now, the new school year is around the corner, and they face another daunting challenge -- how to reopen safely amid the... Read More

With the Iowa primaries less than three weeks away, an unprecedented number of voters have applied to vote by mail in the state’s June 2 election. As of Tuesday, 356,315 voters had requested an absentee ballot, with 96,311 ballots already sent in, according to data from... Read More

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Tuesday urged Congress to provide funding for the U.S. automobile industry in future coronavirus stimulus packages. “America’s motor vehicle industry must remain the heart of our nation’s manufacturing capability,” wrote the lawmakers in a letter to House... Read More

The NewDem Action Fund, the political arm of the New Democrat Coalition, endorsed two new candidates as part of their effort to flip Republican-held seats in the House of Representatives in 2020. The fund announced on Friday that it would back the campaigns of Christy Smith... Read More

Republican lawmakers in Michigan’s state legislature are suing Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer over her move to extend stay-at-home orders last week amid the coronavirus crisis. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday by House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, alleges that Whitmer’s emergency orders... Read More

WASHINGTON - Top federal lawmakers argued for multi-billion dollar investments in new technology to test for coronavirus and develop vaccines against it during a Senate hearing Thursday. They also agreed with government health administrators they face an uncertain outcome for their efforts. “Our country will soon... Read More

A new poll released on Tuesday by Montana State University puts Democratic Governor Steve Bullock seven points ahead of Republican Senator Steve Daines in the state’s Senate race. In the online poll, which surveyed 738 registered voters, more than 46% of respondents said they’d pick Bullock,... Read More

WASHINGTON - As state governments weigh their responses to the coronavirus pandemic, religious groups across America have voiced concerns that lockdown measures could infringe on their constitutional rights. Last month, police broke up a gathering of 16 people at Lighthouse Fellowship Church, a small congregation on... Read More

WASHINGTON - The coronavirus pandemic has made life harder for Americans, but one of the few upsides of the crisis has been a massive reduction of traffic across the country. With fewer cars on the roads, Americans have enjoyed cleaner air, more room for outdoor exercise,... Read More

A group of North Carolina voters backed by a Democratic non-profit group is suing the state in an effort to ease restrictions around mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed by Democracy Docket, a non-profit founded by Marc Elias, former counsel to Hillary Clinton’s... Read More

WASHINGTON‌ ‌-‌ ‌House‌ ‌Democrats‌ ‌urged‌ ‌the‌ ‌Trump‌ ‌administration‌ ‌on‌ ‌Friday‌ ‌to‌ ‌resume‌ ‌funding‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌Pan‌ ‌American‌ ‌Health‌ ‌Organization,‌ ‌a‌ ‌regional‌ ‌branch‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌World‌ ‌Health Organization‌ ‌that‌ ‌operates‌ ‌in‌ ‌Latin‌ ‌America.‌ ‌ In‌ ‌a‌ ‌letter‌ ‌to‌ ‌Secretary‌ ‌of‌ ‌State‌ ‌Mike‌ ‌Pompeo,‌ ‌Rep.‌ ‌Eliot‌ ‌Engel,‌ ‌D-N.Y.,‌... Read More

WASHINGTON -- GOP lawmakers in Michigan’s state legislature want to take Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer to court over her decision to invoke emergency powers during the coronavirus crisis. The dispute started in March when Whitmer declared a state of emergency as Michigan was reporting its first... Read More

WASHINGTON - Amid growing concerns that the coronavirus crisis could disrupt America’s food chain, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to keep meat and poultry processing plants open during the pandemic. Citing the Defense Production Act, which gives the president broad authority over... Read More

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of House lawmakers endorsed a bill on Monday to create a new congressional task force to scrutinize the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic.  The Made in America Emergency Preparedness Act, introduced in early April by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. and... Read More

The coronavirus crisis has dominated headlines in 2020, but research shows some Americans are paying more attention than others. According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, nearly all U.S. adults -- about 92% -- say they’re keeping a close watch on COVID-19 news. ... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives approved a new coronavirus relief package on Thursday, replenishing funds for small business loans, hospitals, and to expand virus testing. The bill, signed by President Trump Friday afternoon, adds $310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program, a popular lending initiative... Read More

It’s a big year for the planet. April 22, 2020, marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a celebration of the environmental movement that is honored around the world. But many are celebrating Earth Day indoors this year. The coronavirus has confined millions of people to... Read More

In 2014, Susan Collins was looking at an easy victory in Maine. The veteran Senator was well-funded, well-liked, and faced little competition in her bid for re-election. Her main challenger, Shenna Bellows, was a young progressive with no name recognition and limited experience in public office.... Read More

WASHINGTON - Congress made little progress on immigration reform last year, but state legislatures are keeping the ball rolling. Nearly every U.S. state passed legislation related to immigration in 2019, according to a report by the National Council on State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that researches... Read More

WASHINGTON - Scores of public health experts responded with shock and anger this week to the decision by the White House to halt U.S. funding to the World Health Organization. The move, announced by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, comes as the world struggles to contain... Read More

When the coronavirus started shutting down livestock markets, Darvin Bentlage knew his farm would take a hit. Springtime cattle sales usually bring in about a third of his ranching income, and cattle prices were already at a low, he said.  “I think we’ll be playing it... Read More