The States

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to take a wide range of actions on his first day in office. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday that he supports adding conditions to any federal aid to California over the Los Angeles wildfires, citing his position that state and local leaders were “derelict in their duty.” Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Doug Burgum, Marco Rubio, and other nominees began their confirmation hearings in the Senate this week. And more...

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'Derelict in duty:' Speaker Johnson supports conditions for California bailout

Hegseth grilled on sexual assault allegations, nonprofits at confirmation hearing

Shapiro could support new U.S. Steel buyout offer

Federal court strikes down Biden admin's Title IX rewrite

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Wildfires erupted across Los Angeles as a windstorm created fire conditions the National Weather Service said are “as bad as it gets.” President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. economic security depends on controlling Greenland and the Panama Canal. The nation's first congestion pricing system got underway in New York over the weekend after a last-ditch legal challenge failed to block the controversial new tolling program. And more...

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Three major wildfires rage in Southern California, killing two and destroying homes

Blazes could break California’s last-resort insurer; plans may not cover all damage

Trump pushes ahead with plan to buy Greenland, won't rule out using force

New York's congestion pricing toll system gets underway

Madigan takes the stand in high-profile corruption case after years of silence

What states passed school choice measures in 2024, and what's in store for 2025?

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The FBI has identified the driver of a truck that plowed into a crowd of people celebrating New Year's on Bourbon Street early Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 35. A winter storm carried off the end of the Santa Cruz wharf two days before Christmas, indefinitely shutting down the tourist attraction that houses 17 stores and restaurants. The late President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday, will be honored with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9, 2025. And more...

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FBI identifies Texas man as Bourbon Street attacker

Storm collapses Santa Cruz wharf after activists resist upgrades for nearly a decade

President Carter's state funeral scheduled for Jan. 9

Homelessness spiked 18% in 2024; migrants caused record rise

Book bans or content moderation? Here's what opponents say happened in 2024

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 The Center Square's 2024 Year in Review including the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, his ensuing political comeback, wars abroad, & more.  In Pennsylvania we say headlines on the election, big legislative accomplishments, & the potential buyout of U.S. Steel.  In Illinois, the trial of former Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan began, Trump made gains in the election, gun ban case were litigated, & more.

Keep up with all of the national and state news in 2025 at The Center Square: https://www.thecentersquare.com

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The House has overwhelmingly voted against the stopgap bill presented to the House floor Thursday evening by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after a last-minute scramble. When Gov. Jay Inslee took office in 2013 after stating in the 2012 election race that new taxes weren’t “the right direction," the state Legislature approved a $38.4 billion budget for the biennium. With less than a month before stepping down from office, Inslee is proposing a $78.8 billion operating budget that comes with $4 billion in new taxes to fund it, including a wealth tax. Federal officials said Tuesday that drones spotted along the East Coast over the past month do not pose a threat to national security or public safety. And more...

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House rejects Trump-influenced stopgap bill, threatening government shutdown

Inslee proposes billions in new taxes on way out of office

Pentagon says East Coast drone sightings not a threat

Newsom claims job growth, feds say state lost 156,300 jobs in first half of 2024

Federal data: School leaders say 40% of students are behind grade level

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The manhunt for the person who gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk on December 4th ended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa. Described as a “vigilante” jaded by the commercial health insurance industry, Gov. Josh Shapiro said online support for the accused, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, leaves him sickened.  President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation strategy will include targeting so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, his new border czar, Tom Homan, says. The latest federal numbers show the U.S. deficit is soaring as President Joe Biden heads out of office. And more...

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Shapiro: UnitedHealthcare shooter ‘not a hero’

Deportation strategy to include targeting sanctuary cities, new border czar says

Deficit soars as Biden heads out the door

Small business optimism spikes after election

Report: Pennsylvania worst state for litigation bloat

Post-COVID US students score decade lows on international math, science test

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President-elect Donald Trump responded to President Joe Biden’s expansive pardon of his son, Hunter, calling it a “miscarriage of justice.” The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday began weighing its role in determining whether a Tennessee law banning medication to treat gender dysphoria for minors violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. A leading member of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet says that Canada will bolster its border security after meeting with President-elect Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary nominee, Howard Lutnick. And more...

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Biden under fire for pardoning Hunter

Supreme Court weighs ban on gender dysphoria treatment for minors

Canada pledges to improve border security after meeting with Trump official

CA agency says payroll taxes must rise 2117%  to cover 'insolvent' unemployment benefits

School districts join large-scale legal fight against social media companies

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President-elect Donald Trump’s new border czar Tom Homan is putting together an extensive deportation plan for when he hits the ground running after they are both sworn into office in January. Washington state’s trucking industry is urging Gov. Jay Inslee to reconsider a first-of-the-year commitment to align with California’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, which requires a certain percentage of so-called "zero emissions" trucks to be sold in the state. At the eleventh hour, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he found extra money for the state’s largest mass transit system in Philadelphia and its suburbs. And more...

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Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick to lead the U.S. Department of Justice as attorney general, said Thursday he was withdrawing his name from consideration to lead the federal law enforcement agency. Pennsylvania's state Supreme Court told counties on Monday that ballots with dating errors cannot be counted as valid. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, told lawmakers that she personally approved the firing of an employee who directed FEMA workers to not knock on the doors of those affected by Hurricane Helene if they had Trump signs in their yards. And more...

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Gaetz withdraws from Attorney General consideration

State Supreme Court shoots down undated ballots, again

FEMA head grilled about staffer who told others to avoid homes with Trump signs

Rays say team has suspended work on new stadium, commission delays vote again

Here's what Trump says he will deliver on education

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President-Elect Donald Trump has begun announcing his picks for his new cabinet. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and nearly 20 business groups from four states want the Biden administration to start handing out money from the CHIPS Act immediately. U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to lead the party in the Senate. And more...

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President-elect Trump begins to fill cabinet

Business groups in four states want CHIPS Act money released

Senate Republicans elect John Thune majority leader

Newsom storms DC seeking federal emissions waivers before Trump takes office

What's on the radar for education during a second Trump administration?
 

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