LABOR, ECONOMY & THE CLIMATE - page 34

On Monday evening, the US Senate voted to approve the nomination of Dr. John King Jr. as Secretary of Education—a position that grants him unique authority to grant relief to the wide swath of Americans who have been defrauded by for-profit colleges. King has thus far declined to act, despite having served as the acting Secretary of Education since January. He has subsequently become the subject of ire of thousands of debt-saddled college students who have appealed to the department to forgive their obligations to for-profit schools that fraudulently lured them into traps One… Keep Reading

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is shirking its responsibilities to protect schools for roughly 50,000 indigenous American students, a federal watchdog reported on Friday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that Indian Affairs inspectors last year failed to conduct reviews at 69 of the 180 agency-run schools, in defiance of federal policy that requires all facilities to be inspected annually. “As a result, Indian Affairs cannot effectively determine the magnitude and severity of safety and health deficiencies at schools,” GAO stated. The oversight agency’s own… Keep Reading

A prominent European Union envoy called for a sweeping trade liberalization deal between the US and the EU to be finalized before the next presidential election—one that is looking likely to give rise to a President skeptical of its benefits. European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom made the remarks about the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on Wednesday in Washington. Talks on TTIP were launched in 2013. “We are determined to try to push this, if possible, to finalize it, being aware that there will… Keep Reading

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday night pulled off one of the biggest upsets in modern electoral history, claiming victory in the Michigan Democratic Primary after polls showed him trailing by double-digits heading into the contest. With 99 percent of the vote counted in the Wolverine State, Sanders bested the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 50 to 48 percent. He collected the lion’s share of the 130 delegates up for grabs in the primary. Ahead of voting, data showed Clinton with a commanding lead… Keep Reading

The number of US Senators blocking aid to the residents of Flint, Mich. and communities that might be afflicted by lead-contaminated drinking water shrunk to one on Tuesday. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is now the last lawmaker standing in the way of the $250 million assistance program receiving a vote on the floor of the Senate. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) dropped his hold on the legislation Tuesday, The Hill reported. Presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had also temporarily thwarted the bill, but backed off his… Keep Reading

A short-handed Supreme Court heard opening arguments on Wednesday in a case that could make it much easier for states to impose stringent rules on abortion clinics. The court will almost certainly fail to set a nationwide restrictive precedent in the wake of Antonin Scalia’s death, according to observers. But it might either keep alive Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt or uphold a precedent that would impact clinics in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. With all four liberal justices strongly opposing the law, and only three… Keep Reading

After the votes were counted across a dozen states late Tuesday night, the Republican and Democratic presidential primary frontrunners extended their lead over the field, but not by enough to claim total victory just yet. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton nabbed seven states on Tuesday, securing landslide victories in Southern contests. She won handily in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Clinton also claimed a narrow edge in the liberal haven of Massachusetts, besting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) by one point, 50 to… Keep Reading