Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
How far does $100 get you? According to the Tax Foundation, which monitors tax policy at the federal, state, and local levels, that depends on where you live. In Tennessee, for example, $100 buys residents what would cost $110.25 in another state where prices are closer to the national average. “You can think of this…
Post by George W. Bush. Video yourself dumping a bucket of ice on your head, challenge your friends and post it on social media, or donate $100 to help fund research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gerhig’s disease. “You have 24 hours.” This is the viral #StrikeOutALS message that’s dominating Facebook…
NASHVILLE — About a quarter of Tennessee’s public school districts, 33 in all, spend more on administrative costs — such as principals and school directors — than the statewide average of 10.5 percent, according to a new comptrollers’ report. The report, written by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Offices of Research and Education Accountability, examined the 2012-13 school…
Pennsylvania’s large transportation system is getting old. Nearly 6,000 of the state’s bridges were deemed structurally deficient in 2008. Its 40,000 miles of state-maintained highway — making it No. 5 in the nation — shows critical signs of wear. Truck traffic on 1,754 miles of interstate highways is more than double the national average. Last…
On Saturday, Aug. 9, in a suburb of St. Louis, a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown. The death of the unarmed teenager sparked riots in Ferguson, reignited old controversies and exposed tensions in the community and around the country. Now, as police and protesters clash in Ferguson, President Obama has ordered Attorney General Eric Holder…
Most Americans say that things would be different in Ferguson, Mo., if the racial roles had been reversed. According to a Rasmussen Poll released today, many believe the media’s coverage of the incident would differ if a black police officer had shot a white teenager. A majority, 54 percent, agree the media would have reported the…
Public support for the national education standards known as Common Core is falling, though a slight majority remains in favor, a new poll finds. Less than half of teachers surveyed back Common Core, however. The poll by Education Next, a journal from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, found that public support for the Common Core standards…
Pay your protection money. Do the secret handshake. And kiss the ring. Otherwise, forget having green activists attach their environmental seal of approval to the wood products harvested from your forest. That’s essentially the message organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace will be in a position to…
Amid heightened attention about the militarization of police, law enforcement agencies across Mississippi are continuing to stock up on military-grade armored vehicles from federal surplus. Two sheriffs in Mississippi who are beefing up their vehicle fleets with armored vehicles say they’re doing so to protect officers and save tax dollars by acquiring the vehicles at little…
For years, the federal government has been providing surplus military equipment to local law enforcement through the 1033 Program. Since its inception in 1997, the program has delivered $5.1 billion in weapons, Humvees, 30-ton Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and even helicopters and drones to cities and towns across the country. The pace of the military equipment dispersal…
Virginia’s bleak financial outlook just got gloomier. Gov. Terry McAuliffe told members of the General Assembly that Virginia is projected to take in $2.4 billion less than it’s budgeted to spend during a three-year period. That’s almost $1 billion more than the shortfall state officials had projected earlier this year. That means there will be…
Osama bin Laden is dead but terrorism remains a real threat, Bob Schieffer told viewers yesterday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” Schieffer defended Hillary Clinton’s recent criticism of President Obama’s foreign policy. “I think she’s got that right,” the longtime TV anchor said. “What we need to be talking about is how to combat…
Biofuel manufacturer KiOR’s financial struggles might leave Mississippi holding the title to another failed green energy project. According to the company’s quarterly report, without additional financing KiOR won’t be able to meet its financial obligations past Sept. 30. One of its biggest creditors is the state of Mississippi. The company owes the state $69.275 million on a no-interest loan…
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who yesterday said he was “thunderstruck” to learn how militarized police in Ferguson had become, signed off as recently as January on statewide participation in a Pentagon program providing local police departments with surplus equipment. In authorizing Ferguson police and other local law enforcement agencies to apply for firearms and other equipment, Nixon…
A Dover, Wis., couple has filed a lawsuit in state court in which they allege their property was assessed in 2013 at an “excessive, arbitrary and discriminatory level” after they told an employee with the government-contracted Gardiner Appraisal Service he was not allowed to enter their house. Tom Kamerick, an attorney with the Wisconsin Institute…
What is the cost to enforce minimum wage hikes in cities across California? It is an important question in Oakland and San Diego, which are considering increasing the minimum wage within their jurisdictions. San Francisco and Washington, D.C., which have city minimum wage laws, have spent millions and hired a group of full-time employees to…
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said on ABC’s “This Week” that he was “thunderstruck” by the “overmilitarization” of law enforcement in Ferguson. After taking heat for his response to the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a local officer, the Democratic governor acknowledged the push for heavily armored police pointing guns at folks was “a little…
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said local police were “clearly attempting to besmirch” Michael Brown by releasing images of the 18-year-old strong-arming a man during a robbery shortly before he was fatally shot Saturday by a town officer. On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the Democratic governor said the decision had “an incendiary effect,” making the situation in Ferguson…
Gov. Rick Perry said today on “Fox News Sunday” that he would “make exactly the same decision” that led to a grand jury indictment Friday. Speaking to the felony charges and potential 100 years in prison he could face, the Texas Republican said he’s “certainly taking it very seriously,” but added, “I stood up for the…
For 14 years, film producer Micheal Flaherty made it his mission to bring "The Giver," Lois Lowry’s award-winning 1994 novel, to the big screen. Flaherty, president and co-founder of Walden Media, today can call “The Giver” the “crown jewel” of his production company, which specializes in family entertainment such as the “Chronicles of Narnia” movies, “The Bridge to…