Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Senators may unveil Electoral Count Act reform proposal this week

Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Joe Manchin

The bipartisan Senate group led by Susan Collins and Joe Manchin intend to reveal their plan to update the Electoral Count Act in the coming days.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

A bipartisan effort to solidify the role of Congress and the vice president in certifying election results may move forward this week, as the committee investigating the Capitol riot prepares for another primetime hearing.

The Electoral Count Act sets the rules for finalizing presidential elections; Donald Trump and some of his supporters attempted to exploit ambiguities in the law in order to keep him in the White House. When that failed, thousands of people stormed the Capitol.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is leading a partisan effort to update the ECA with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, told reporters Monday that their bipartisan group expects to offer legislation this week.


“This turned out to be a more complex task than we anticipated, as always is the case when you're delving into an 1887 law that has ambiguous and outdated language, but I do anticipate that our group will introduce the bills this week,” Collins said, according to The Washington Post.

The ECA was passed after three states submitted multiple slates of electors in the 1887 presidential contest. In order to prevent future confusion, Congress passed a law that outlines the process and procedures for counting electoral votes. But the language is vague in some areas, including the role of the vice president – which Trump attempted to exploit by having Mike Pence overturn the results.

Pence refused, Trump and many of his followers were outraged, and the insurrection ensued with some people even demanding that Pence be hanged.

According to the Post, the Collins-Manchin bill is expected to clear up ambiguities in the ECA. It will:

  • Set deadlines for states to change election rules.
  • Make clear that states cannot select electors after Election day.
  • Increase the requirement for Congress to object to a state’s slate of electors (currently one member from each chamber).
  • State clearly that the vice president’s role is purely ceremonial.

The nonpartisan group CommonSense American recently released survey data showing overwhelming support for reforming the ECA. The group found that 97 percent of Democrats and 86 percent of Republicans agree that the vice president’s role in the process must be clarified.

CommonSense American also found strong support for other elements of the ECA reform bill, including 80 percent support for barring states from changing how electors are selected after Election Day, and 76 percent backing for making it more difficult for members of Congress to object to a state’s electoral slate.

The committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot will hold its ninth – and second primetime – hearing Thursday. The panel’s members will focus on Trump’s actions on that day. Matthew Pottinger, who served on the National Security Council, and former White House press aide Sarah Matthews are both expected to testify. Both resigned their positions in response to the insurrection.

Read More

Trump Promised Healthcare Reform. Here’s How To Judge if He Delivers.
a doctor holding a stethoscope
Photo by Nappy on Unsplash

Trump Promised Healthcare Reform. Here’s How To Judge if He Delivers.

In 2016, Donald Trump promised to repeal the ACA and lower drug prices. In 2020, he claimed a plan was “two weeks away.” Now, more than 100 days back in office and facing mounting pressure to act on policy ahead of the 2026 midterms, Trump is once again pledging to fix American healthcare. Will this time be different?

Here are three tests that Americans can use to gauge whether the Trump administration succeeds or fails in delivering on its healthcare agenda.

Keep ReadingShow less
Prescribing Produce, Powering Markets: How D.C. Is Rethinking Food Access As Health Policy

hand holding vegetables

Credit: dcgreens.org

Prescribing Produce, Powering Markets: How D.C. Is Rethinking Food Access As Health Policy

In Washington, D.C., where neighborhood lines often map onto life expectancies, food insecurity has become a pressing public health issue. Wards 7 and 8, with only three full-service grocery stores, sharply contrast with affluent Ward 3’s 15 outlets. That access disparity correlates with a staggering 15-year life expectancy gap between some ZIP codes east of the Anacostia River and wealthier areas to the northwest. This inequality reflects what public health experts call the social determinants of health – non-medical factors, such as access to nutritious food, that shape physical well-being.

A recent survey by the Capital Area Food Bank found food insecurity at 37% overall, disproportionately affecting Black residents in D.C., where four in 10 have struggled to access adequate food. “Where you live in the city profoundly determines your food insecurity and, in turn, your health outcomes,” said Luisa Furstenberg-Beckman, manager for the Produce Rx program at nonprofit D.C. Greens.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Battle for Harvard and Trump’s Authoritarian Playbook
Harvard University banner
Photo by Manu Ros on Unsplash

The Battle for Harvard and Trump’s Authoritarian Playbook

President Donald Trump has escalated his standoff with Harvard University, seeking yet another path to prevent international students from entering the school, just days after a judge blocked an earlier attempt to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll them. Trump has issued a sweeping travel ban targeting nationals from 19 countries, aimed explicitly at restricting their access to Harvard. “Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” the proclamation stated, launching a bureaucratic assault that now stretches across embassies, immigration offices, and courtrooms.

In its nearly 400-year history, Harvard University has weathered religious dogmatism, civil war, global conflict, and cultural revolutions. But the latest test confronting America’s most venerated academic institution does not come from theological censure or geopolitical turbulence - it stems from the Oval Office itself. Trump has cast Harvard as public enemy number one in his populist theatre. But this is more than a political vendetta - it’s a stress test of American democracy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Support for International Students’ Mental Health Fails As Federal Visa Revocations Rise

holding hands

Support for International Students’ Mental Health Fails As Federal Visa Revocations Rise

The University of Washington’s international student population is raising concerns about the lack of mental health support provided to them by International Student Services, particularly in the context of visa revocations.

“I've personally sacrificed so much to get to UW,” first-year Kaira Wullur said. “I know my parents have also sacrificed so much. It is super draining to think that what I've been working towards could be stripped away from people who don't even know who I am.”

Keep ReadingShow less