Toxic level

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox News @ Night,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) reacted to a draft recommendation for a permanent “quick reaction force” for Washington, D.C. by stating that members of Congress “have not been told anything about threats that justify this level of security.” Blackburn said, [relevant remarks begin around 2:20] “We have not been told anything about threats that justify this level of security. And I find it so interesting, Shannon, they don’t think the border works — wall works at the border, but they do think it works here in D.C. and they want to make it permanent. It needs to come down. The fencing needs to come down. The Capitol is the people’s house to watch democracy in action. And we know that January 6 was an intel. failure. So, it sends a bad message to our foreign adversaries. We need to spend the money hiring, training, and equipping Capitol Police. But we do not need to keep this militarized zone up in the middle of … [Read more...] about Blackburn: We Haven’t ‘Been Told Anything’ about Threats Justifying Level of Security at Capitol

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced Tuesday he will introduce two pieces of legislation this week targeting institutions of higher education, one of which would put universities on the hook financially if its students are unable to repay their student loans. Americans hold nearly $1.5 trillion in outstanding student debt, 10.9% of which is over 90 days delinquent, according to the latest figures available by the New York Fed . Hawley’s proposal would require universities to pay off 50% of the debt incurred by their students facing default. The Missouri senator’s proposal would also prohibit universities from increasing their tuition rates to offset their increased liability. Fox News host Tucker Carlson explicitly called on congress in March to pass a law forcing colleges to shoulder a portion of the liability on defaulted student loans. “Colleges get all of the benefit and none of the risk,” Carlson, who is the co-founder of the Daily Caller News … [Read more...] about Josh Hawley To Introduce Bill That Would Hold Universities Financially Liable For Defaulted Student Loans

Noël Flynn is spending more than 80 percent of her income to pay back tens of thousands of dollars in debt for her Art Therapy degree. In 2016 alone, the Department of Education loaned $25.9 billion to students who, like Flynn, chose degrees under the umbrella of the liberal arts and humanities , an analysis by The Daily Caller News Foundation found. A significant portion of those students are unlikely to have the means to pay back their debt after graduating. “I find myself struggling financially, and the biggest reason why is student loans,” said Flynn, 23, who says she was told the loans “wouldn’t be overwhelming” once she graduated. Most federal student loan programs do not require a credit check , nor do they require a cosigner. Rather, the loans are backed by nothing more than the borrower’s future earnings with a college degree, but the kind of degree isn’t a consideration in the loan process. “What you make depends on what you take,” Anthony Carnevale, … [Read more...] about Students Pursuing Risky Degrees Draw More Than $25 Billion In Yearly Federal Loans

Legislators in more than half the states are debating bills to limit access to sports or medical care for transgender people, opening a new front in the wars over LGBT rights that threaten to spill into the courts. Across the nation, at least 35 bills have been introduced to ban transgender students from playing sports in leagues that conform to their gender identity. Another 25 bills would prohibit access to gender-affirming medical care, in some cases with criminal punishments for parents who approve the care or doctors who perform it. ADVERTISEMENT © Flourish/Human Rights Campaign Only one state, Idaho, has passed a bill banning students from participating in sports under their gender identity, in 2020. None have passed measures that would block minors’ access to medical care, which usually involves medication to delay puberty. But for the first time this year, anti-transgender legislation is making significant progress in multiple states at the same time. The … [Read more...] about Majority of states considering bills limiting transgender access

Pope Francis Pope Francis Religious leaders reassure faithful over Johnson & Johnson vaccine Biden can build on Pope Francis's visit to Iraq Bishops discourage Catholics from receiving Johnson & Johnson vaccine if alternatives available MORE is set to make history as he embarks on an apostolic journey to Iraq. The focus of his visit, entitled “ You are all brothers and sisters ,” signifies a clear objective of reconciliation between Iraqis. The nation since 2003 has been defined by Sunni-Shia conflict over domestic politics and finds itself struggling to recover after the genocide that ISIS committed against Christians, Yazidis, Shia Turkmen and Shabaks. The situation for these communities is particularly dire. Iraqi Christians numbered more than 1.5 million before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and, by 2017, their numbers had fallen to fewer than 250,000 because of sectarianism and genocide. It was a little over five years ago when ISIS targeted … [Read more...] about Biden can build on Pope Francis’s visit to Iraq