Washington, D.C. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved six state waivers on Dec. 10 that will change the SNAP definition of “food for purchase” to exclude sugary beverages and select sweets, effective in 2026 in most states nationwide. States include Tennessee, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Hawai'i and Virginia; implementation...
Jennings, Louisiana and Washington, D.C. — Louisiana State Rep. Troy Romero submitted a resignation effective December 14 to accept a federal agriculture position, prompting Speaker Phillip DeVillier to schedule a special primary for Feb. 7, 2025, with a March 14 runoff if necessary; in Washington, D.C., a judge ruled an...
WASHINGTON U.S. Customs and Border Protection published a Federal Register notice this week proposing that Visa Waiver Program travelers provide five years of social media history and additional data, including certain biometrics, as mandatory elements of ESTA applications. The agency opened a 60-day public comment period on the proposal, which...
San Francisco, a federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to stop deploying California National Guard members in Los Angeles to protect federal facilities and return command to Gov. Gavin Newsom. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted a preliminary injunction after California officials challenged federal Title 10 calls that...
RALEIGH, N.C. Gov. Josh Stein announced Wednesday that his administration will restore Medicaid reimbursement rates that were reduced Oct. 1 by 3% to 10%. The move follows judicial rulings requiring some rates be returned and legal challenges to the cuts. Stein cited ongoing funding shortfalls after a summer stopgap left...
Washington Senate leaders set dueling votes this week on competing measures to address expiring COVID-era Affordable Care Act subsidies. Republicans unveiled the Cassidy-Crapo proposal to redirect federal funds into health savings accounts for bronze-plan enrollees, while Democrats proposed a three-year extension of enhanced tax credits. Majority Leader John Thune said...
Chicago — Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday that restricts federal immigration enforcement near courthouses, hospitals, colleges and day care centers. The law bans civil immigration arrests inside or within 1,000 feet of courthouses, limits information sharing by hospitals and schools, and requires facility protocols. It creates legal remedies including...
Los Angeles. Governor Gavin Newsom urged the Trump administration this week to approve a $33.9 billion federal disaster aid request for victims of January wildfires, toured affected communities, and pressed Congress for funds. He also appeared on national podcasts and media forums this week, criticizing President Trump’s policies, defending pro‑trans...
MIAMI — Democrat Eileen Higgins won the mayoral runoff on Tuesday, defeating Republican Emilio Gonzalez in a race watched nationally and by both parties ahead of the 2026 midterms. Higgins, a former county commissioner who led all city districts in the Nov. 4 election, converted a mail-ballot edge into a...
Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania — President Donald Trump traveled to the Mount Airy Casino Resort on Tuesday to present his administration's record and steps to ease Americans' cost-of-living pressures. He asserted prices for beef, eggs and coffee are falling and repeated that inflation is 'essentially gone,' while critics and some polling...
