Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Even before Green New Deal, advocates were getting minimal energy industry support

Opponents of the Green New Deal have on average received 24 times more campaign cash from big oil and gas interests than sponsors of the proposal, which aims to slow the American contribution to climate change by remaking the domestic economy and launching an enormous federal public works effort.

An analysis for Fast Company by MapLight, which researches the consequences of the current campaign finance system, found the 90 Democratic sponsors of a non-binding House measure sketching out the idea have received just $37,175 in campaign donations – an average of $413 each – from the 10 largest publicly traded U.S. oil and gas companies since 2017. Meanwhile, the 344 other members cumulatively received 91 times more money. Those 197 Republicans and 145 Democrats took almost $3.4 million from the energy companies, an average of $9,876 per lawmaker.


Read More

ICE Director Requests Additional $5.4 Billion at Congressional Budget Hearing

CBP Chief Rodney Scott (left), Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons (middle) and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow (right) testify at budget hearing.

Jamie Gareh/Medill News Service)

ICE Director Requests Additional $5.4 Billion at Congressional Budget Hearing

WASHINGTON- The acting director of ICE on Thursday told Congress that while the Trump administration pumped $75 billion extra into ICE over four years, many activities remain cash starved and the agency needs about $5.4 billion in additional funding for 2027.

There’s misinformation with the Big Beautiful Bill that ICE is fully funded,” said Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, whose resignation was announced later that day.

Keep ReadingShow less
People sitting at desks in an office.

A policy-driven look at AI-era job displacement and how “Transition Launch Pads” can speed reemployment through local hubs, retraining, and employer collaboration.

Getty Images, Bill Pugliano

Layoff Headlines Keep Coming, Policy Answers Don't. Here’s One Solution

Every week brings another round of displacement announcements. Tech companies, logistics firms, financial institutions, retailers — cutting headcount at a pace that no longer surprises anyone. The headlines are routine. What isn't routine — in fact, what is conspicuously absent — is any serious account of what comes next. Not for the companies. For the workers.

That absence is a policy failure, and it is getting more expensive for us all by the quarter. The longer folks remain unemployed, the greater the costs. The individual and their loved ones obviously suffer. The community does as well due to that productive individual sitting on the sidelines and the high costs of sustaining unemployment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Illinois House Passes Bill to Restrict Construction of Immigration Detention Centers in Communities

The Illinois State Capitol Building, in Springfield, Illinois on MAY 05, 2012.

(Photo By Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Illinois House Passes Bill to Restrict Construction of Immigration Detention Centers in Communities

The Illinois House passed a legislative proposal in a 72-35 partisan vote that would restrict where immigration detention centers can be built, located or operated in the state.

House Bill 5024 would amend state code so that an immigration detention center cannot be located, constructed, or operated by the federal government within 1,500 feet of a home or apartment complex, as well as any school, day care center, public park, or house of worship. Current detention facilities in the state would not be affected by the legislation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Newspapers folded over.

Nearly 40% of Maryland newspapers question whether they will be able to operate without more funding within the next two years.

Adobe Stock

MD Bill To Support Local News Appears Unlikely To Pass This Session

As Maryland’s legislative session winds down, a bill in the General Assembly intended to support local newspapers across the state appears unlikely to pass.

The Local Newspapers for Maryland Communities Act would have required the state government to spend 50% of their print and digital advertising budget on local outlets in the state. The bill does not favor any particular news outlets, rather stipulating that organizations must produce original local content and have at least one reporter in or around Maryland.

Keep ReadingShow less