Spotlight

An Urban Institute survey covering the first year of the coronavirus pandemic found that despite a steep drop in employment, the share of young adults reporting food insecurity or problems paying utility and medical bills actually declined compared to previous... Read More

Just as corporations and tax practitioners are beginning to adjust to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Biden administration’s proposed changes would introduce further complexities into an already complicated system, according to three U.S.-based tax attorneys. Biden’s proposal... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit surged to a record high in February as the nation’s economic activity rebounded more quickly than that of other nations carefully shaking off the economic hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The trade deficit... Read More

WASHINGTON - With 7.4 million job openings and 5.7 million new hires across the U.S. in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover report paints a brighter picture for the country’s employment situation more than a... Read More

President Joe Biden unveiled his plan Wednesday for a $2.2 trillion government investment into improving the nation’s infrastructure. Biden described the plan as an effort to create jobs and make the United States more competitive while recovering from the economic... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., are leading a bipartisan effort to award so-called “Dust Off” crews of the Vietnam War with the Congressional Gold Medal.  Dust Off crewmembers - helicopter air ambulance pilots, crew... Read More

WASHINGTON - If 94% of individuals completing a Registered Apprenticeship program through the Department of Labor are retained by their employers, U.S. Navy Officer Michael Pruitt asked yesterday, why are there not more veterans or transitioning military service members taking... Read More

ATLANTA — On Sunday, NASCAR joined the list of places using coronavirus-sniffing dogs as a tool to battle the virus's spread. The dogs can be taught to speedily screen large, busy crowds. This, together with the low cost involved in... Read More

WASHINGTON – “It’s not supposed to be that way …” the chorus of an old Willie Nelson song begins. It is a melody a lot of Republicans on Capitol Hill may be finding all too familiar. Five months removed from... Read More

WASHINGTON – It used to be that veterans’ organizations were simply part of the landscape of small-town America.  You might cross the threshold of an American Legion or VFW hall as a child – somehow most likely in connection with... Read More

WASHINGTON – Is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell working behind the scenes with allies in the Kentucky legislature to assure he’s replaced by a Republican should he decide to retire?  That’s been the speculation since the filling of Senate Bill... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas – It was a dire situation that Lloyd Armbrust can almost laugh about now.  A global pandemic had swept across the United States, a baby was on the way, and Armbrust, hard as he tried, could not find... Read More

WASHINGTON – All six conservative justices on the Supreme Court appeared inclined Tuesday to support voting restrictions imposed in Arizona that critics say discriminate against racial minorities.  The case, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (Consolidated), is one of the most... Read More

BOISE, Idaho – To the outsider, it seems like a movie that has a bizarre twist just as the heroine should be taking her victory lap.  Lauren Stein McLean, an entrepreneur who had served on Boise, Idaho’s city council for... Read More

WASHINGTON - Two former chairs of the Federal Elections Commission -- one a Democrat, the other a Republican -- have thrown their support behind the election reform provisions of the For the People Act. In a letter to the leaders... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House Budget Committee approved reconciliations to President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion novel coronavirus relief legislation Monday, setting in motion the bill’s final vote in the full House of Representatives expected to follow this week.  If enacted,... Read More

Simon Winchester has spent a lot of time thinking about land. As a student in his native Great Britain, he read geology at St. Catherine's College and, having become involved in the University Exploration Club, soon found himself a member... Read More

WASHINGTON — Attitudes toward American colleges and universities may have started evolving before the pandemic set in, but COVID-19 truly upended the higher ed system in ways that are sure to have an impact for years to come.  Through a... Read More

A new study suggests that a genetic variant associated with reduced COVID-19 severity is inherited from Neanderthals. Previously, a genetic factor associated with increased risk of contracting severe COVID-19 was shown to be inherited from Neanderthals. Hugo Zeberg and Svante... Read More

WASHINGTON - A new lobbying firm in town hopes to seize what its principals call a "unique opportunity" to advance moderate-driven, bipartisan policy solutions on Capitol Hill and beyond. Called the SMART Policy Group, the firm brings together more than... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden Administration’s priorities for clean energy, climate, and infrastructure will necessitate some ambitious legislation which may be problematic in the closely divided 117th Congress. One Democratic Senator will undoubtedly be the linchpin playing a decisive role in... Read More

WASHINGTON - Even a month removed from the event, Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., still talks of the foreboding surrounding Jan. 6 with a sense of urgency. "You knew something was going to happen," he told The Well News recently. "I... Read More

WASHINGTON — Although sparingly used since its ratification in 1996, the Congressional Review Act is expected to be utilized by congressional Democrats to reverse a number of Trump administration rules.  The CRA was enacted to fast-track congressional oversight of the... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday it is "closely monitoring and evaluating" the extreme price volatility of certain stock trading prices over the past several days. The announcement came at the end of a week when amatuer... Read More

WASHINGTON - It's the buzzword of everyone wanting to bypass GOP resistance and pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, and it could upend decades of precedent when it comes to the federal budget process. The word is... Read More

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden’s executive order Monday to boost American manufacturing is receiving a warm welcome from some major industry associations but words of caution from U.S. trade partners. The order requires federal agencies to purchase more of their... Read More

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — Polling data from Monmouth University found that 56% of Americans approve of the House of Representatives impeaching former President Donald Trump for his role in inciting a violent mob to storm the United States Capitol. ... Read More

WASHINGTON — New Census Bureau estimates show 16 states saw population declines last year as the nation experienced its slowest overall growth since the Great Depression, a new Pew Charitable Trusts analysis shows. According to the analysis, which first appeared... Read More

WASHINGTON - More than 136 million ballots passed through U.S. Postal Service facilities and were delivered to state election officials during the 2020 election cycle, a new report from the USPS says. The data includes mail-in ballots sent in by... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Capitol Police on Friday pushed back at multiple media reports that the agency had banished National Guard troops to nearby parking garages following the Biden inauguration. According to Politico, thousands of National Guardsmen were allowed back... Read More