American colleges and universities have received $5.2 billion in foreign gifts and contracts in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. The Washington State House has passed a bill that terminates the Law Enforcement Officers’ and Firefighters’ Retirement System Plan 1, creates a new plan, and transfers $4.5 billion out of that plan. Democrats and environmentalists are sounding the alarm over the recently-released farm bill, which includes deregulatory and pro-industry provisions supported by the Trump administration. And more...

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The American Association of School Administrators hosted a members-only virtual webinar last week, providing school leaders with guidance on how to respond to potential encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on school campuses, according to materials exclusively obtained by The Center Square. California lawmakers want to study whether a per-mile tax would replace the gas tax so that electric-vehicle drivers would have to pay for using the roadways. A lawsuit has been filed by the Citizens Action Defense Fund against the Washington state House and other entities for the denial of press credentials to several independent journalists, which the suit claims violates their First Amendment rights. And more...

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Armenian-speakers in Los Angeles County utilize California’s In-Home Supportive Services program at a rate roughly 700% higher than their proportion of the county’s population, an analysis by The Center Square found — renewing attention to potential fraud concerns in the community amid the ongoing public dispute between CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The City of Atlanta paid more than $250,000 to a Chicago-based Muslim organization, which at the time was raising money for another group that's been accused of aiding Hamas. For the third time in six years, North Carolina is No. 1 for business climate and economic development in selections by Business Facilities magazine. And more...

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The U.S. Senate failed to advance a package of the six remaining federal funding bills Thursday, leaving less than 40 hours until the federal government partially shuts down. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall event in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. Several blue states appear set to lose electoral college votes while red states will make sweeping gains, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests. And more...

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President Donald Trump called off tariffs on U.S. allies opposed to his plans to annex Greenland after announcing a tentative deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for a future deal on Greenland.  Federal officials have made three arrests in connection with a protest that disrupted a Sunday morning church service last week in St. Paul. And more...

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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in two cases over whether biological males can participate in women's and girls’ sports. With the U.S. Senate sending a roughly $180 billion funding package to the president’s desk Thursday, Congress has now knocked out half of the annual appropriations bills funding federal agencies in fiscal year 2026. The administration continues to ramp up its response to the massive social services fraud in Minnesota, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent enumerating steps his department is taking to prevent similar abuses going forward. And more...

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Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty as he was arraigned in a New York court on Monday, facing federal drug and weapons charges. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the state attorney general were either “complicit” in the now-estimated $9 billion of social services fraud that has taken place in the state in recent years or “asleep at the wheel,” according to Republican Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's congressional seat will be empty at least two months, likely three, as a special election already drawing 24 candidates will not take place until March 10. And more...

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Read more:

Maduro, wife plead not guilty in first court appearance

Republicans go on attack in hearing over $9 billion of social services fraud

Special election for Greene's seat set for March 10

Ecology confirms Commerce ‘significantly inflated’ CCA emissions reductions

DOJ sues Virginia over tuition for illegal immigrants

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Budget concerns will continue to dominate Congress in 2026. The U.S. Supreme Court will head into 2026 with numerous high profile decisions to issue. Transgender athletes, birthright citizenship, presidential firing power, tariffs and redistricting are several issues that hang in the balance of the high court’s decision making. For 67 million people relying on electricity from the regional power grid, PJM, cheaper utility bills in 2026 are little more than a pipe dream. And more...

Read more:

Tariffs to transgender athletes: SCOTUS cases to watch in 2026

Don't count on lower electricity prices in 2026

Medi-Cal to stop accepting illegal immigrants as of Jan. 1

App offers alternative to classroom phone ban

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The Center Square staff discuss Pres. Trump, Congress, and tariff policy in 2025. 

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Amid a national housing crisis, the Biden administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development produced guidelines encouraging property owners to forgo some fair housing practices to favor Afghan refugees, the Trump administration argues in a new directive terminating previous guidelines. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, under fire for failing to prevent a massive welfare fraud scheme in his state, was in Seattle on Tuesday as the special guest at Gov. Bob Ferguson’s fundraising luncheon, telling those in attendance Somalis were being "demonized" and vowing to bring more into his state. The Trump administration has proposed $12 billion in federal aid to American farmers, with many undergoing what Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins described as an economic crisis. And more...

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