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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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Insider trading in Washington, DC

U.S. senators and representatives with access to non-public information are permitted to buy and sell individual stocks. It’s not just unethical; it sends the message that the game is rigged.

Getty Images, Greggory DiSalvo

Insider Trading: If CEOs Can’t Do It, Why Can Congress?

Ivan Boesky. Martha Stewart. Jeffrey Skilling.

Each became infamous for using privileged, non-public information to profit unfairly from the stock market. They were prosecuted. They served time. Because insider trading is a crime that threatens public trust and distorts free markets.

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Supreme Court Changes the Game on Federal Environmental Reviews

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Getty Images, Daniel A. Leifheit

Supreme Court Changes the Game on Federal Environmental Reviews

Getting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now.

In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has changed a big part of the game.

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Growing Up Latina in Georgia, We Feared More Than ICE

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(Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Growing Up Latina in Georgia, We Feared More Than ICE

Last month, about an hour north of where I grew up in suburban Georgia, 19-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a mistaken traffic stop. Though granted bond on May 21, Ximena Arias-Cristobal is still facing deportation despite residing in Georgia since she was four years old.

While supporters nationwide have rallied around Ximena Arias-Cristobal, raising nearly $100,000 for her legal defense, this case serves as a solemn reminder that Latinos, especially in the South, are being surveilled. As someone who grew up Latina in a predominantly white suburb of Georgia, I also know that this surveillance isn’t limited to that by the state but ingrained into the fabric of our everyday lives.

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Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

Scam incoming call alert screen on mobile phone.

Getty Images/Stock Photo

Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

WASHINGTON–When my phone rang and I saw the familiar DC area code, I picked up, and a man with a slight Indian accent said: “Ma’am, this is the Indian Embassy.”

Expecting a response from the Indian Embassy for an article I was working on, I said, “Is this in regards to my media inquiry?” He said no. He was calling about a problem with my Indian passport. I asked who he called, and when he said a name I didn’t recognize, I informed him he had the wrong person and hung up, figuring it was a scam.

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