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College student suit results in eased voting rules in Michigan

Voting requirements will be loosened a bit in Michigan after college students went to federal court arguing the rules were designed to keep them from turning out.

The changes announced Wednesday will be in place in time for next year's election, when Michigan's 16 electoral votes will be among the most intensely contested in the presidential race. Donald Trump carried the state by a scant 11,000 votes last time, breaking a six-election winning streak for the Democratic nominees.

College Democrats at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University sued the state before the 2018 midterm alleging that the election laws were restrictive, confusing and otherwise stacked against the state's youngest voters.

One requirement held that residents have the same address on their driver's license and their voter registration. Another required first-time voters to cast ballots in person if they registered by mail or through a third-party organization. The students argued these rules have a heavier impact on their generation.


To resolve the suit, Michigan Live reported, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the state will share voting information with college students and other first-time voters through a website and on social media, including information about where students may register and highlighted emphasis on the rules for matching addresses.

The in-person voting requirement will no longer be enforced, said Benson, because the state recognizes it puts an unnecessary burden on student voters.

Benson is a Democrat. When the suit was filed two years ago the top elections official in the state was a Republican.

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Kennedy Confirms Intent To Fund Head Start for FY26, but Illinois Providers Remain Concerned

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies in front of Congress, defending HHS FY26 budget. May 14, 2025.

Annabelle Gordon/UPI/REX/Shutterstock

Kennedy Confirms Intent To Fund Head Start for FY26, but Illinois Providers Remain Concerned

Testifying in front of Congress this May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assured lawmakers funding would not be cut for Head Start, a child care program that serves nearly 28,000 low-income children and families across Illinois.

Kennedy said during the meeting that he “fought very, very hard” to ensure Head Start would not be cut from next year’s budget. The Trump administration is committed to “preserving legacy programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start as the foundation of the MAGA agenda,” he said. DHHS will work to ensure Head Start “continues to serve its 750,000 children and parents effectively.”

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D-Day Proclamation Day: Honoring Sacrifice, Reflecting on History

Written in the sand the date of the landing of Normandy on the same beach where the troops landed on D-day.

Getty Images, Carmen Martínez Torrón

D-Day Proclamation Day: Honoring Sacrifice, Reflecting on History

June 6 marks D-Day Proclamation Day, a time to solemnly commemorate the historic landings in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. On this day, we honor the extraordinary bravery and sacrifices of the Allied forces, whose decisive actions helped liberate Europe and turn the tide of World War II.

D-Day was a pivotal moment in history—the beginning of the Allied effort to reclaim Western Europe from Nazi control. Over 156,000 troops from the United States, Britain, Canada, and other nations stormed the beaches of Normandy in Operation Overlord, an unprecedented amphibious assault that ultimately shaped the course of the war. Though the battle came at a great cost, it remains a lasting symbol of courage, resilience, and the fight for freedom.

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English as the New Standard: Understanding Language Policies Under Trump

Writing "learn english"

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English as the New Standard: Understanding Language Policies Under Trump

English as the Official Language of the U.S.

On March 1st, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order declaring English as the official language of the United States. This marks the first time the country has ever designated an official language in its nearly 250-year history. Currently, thirty states have already established English as their official language, with Alaska and Hawaii recognizing several native languages as official state languages in addition to English.

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Blank Checks and Empty Promises: The Collapse of Congressional Fiscal Power

A politician counting money in front of the US Capitol Building.

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Blank Checks and Empty Promises: The Collapse of Congressional Fiscal Power

From Governing to Grandstanding

There was a time—believe it or not—when Congress actually passed budgets the old-fashioned way: through debate, compromise, and the occasional all-night session, not theatrics designed to appeal to cable news and social media. The process, while messy, followed a structure: hearings, markups, votes, and compromises. That structure—known as regular order—wasn’t just congressional tradition. It was the scaffolding of democratic accountability. It has also been steadily torn down.

Deadlines and dysfunction better define today’s Congress. Instead of the back-and-forth of healthy deliberation, Congress relies on continuing resolutions and last-minute omnibus bills. Budget gimmicks that were once used only during fiscal emergencies—backloaded cuts, timing shifts, reconciliation sleight-of-hand—are now the rule, not the exception. Congress has shifted from prioritizing policy to prioritizing the message and crafting political narratives.

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