LEGISLATION

Apr 17 2026POLITICS

Why Ohio’s New Bills Could Put Kids’ Mental Health at Risk

Ohio lawmakers are pushing two bills that have mental health experts raising eyebrows. One would let schools bring in untrained religious volunteers to counsel students, while the other would make it harder for teens to get therapy without their parents’ permission. Critics say the first bill’s defi

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Apr 16 2026POLITICS

Sports betting giants quietly pour millions into local politics

Three major sports betting companies have quietly dropped $41 million into a new political fund called Win for America, filing paperwork that shows their real goal: shaping who makes laws in key states. Instead of focusing on big national races, this fund is splitting its cash between three smaller

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Apr 16 2026EDUCATION

How Alabama handles school transfers and sports eligibility

Alabama has recently made changes to how students using CHOOSE Act funds can play high school sports. The AHSAA announced that these funds won't be counted as financial aid, so students can still join sports teams. This decision follows a new law signed by the governor that ensures these students ca

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Apr 15 2026POLITICS

California Faces Big Fight Over Fraud and Free Speech

The state’s fight against fake medical services has just stepped up. A task force headed by a senior U. S. official halted 447 nursing homes and 23 home‑care centers in Los Angeles, claiming they were involved in dishonest practices. The estimated loss from these activities tops $600 million,

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Apr 15 2026POLITICS

Melania Trump Tackles Foster Care on Capitol Hill

Melania Trump is preparing to speak before the House Ways and Means Committee, where she will push a new bill that seeks to strengthen protections for children in foster care. The proposal is described as “landmark” because it aims to lock in reforms across education, housing and technology that hav

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Apr 15 2026POLITICS

Senate Pushes for Fast Funding of Border Agencies Amid Political Tensions

Next week, the U. S. Senate might start voting on a bill to give billions more to two key border security groups—Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U. S. Border Patrol. Senate leaders want this done quickly, before senators take a week-long break in early May. The money would keep the

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Apr 15 2026HEALTH

Virginia makes a quiet but meaningful change after a decade of grief

Ten years after a Fairfax County firefighter was found in Shenandoah National Park, her family sees a small but significant shift in how the state views suicide. A bill signed this week removes suicide as a crime under Virginia law, even though no one was ever actually punished for it. The change wo

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Apr 13 2026POLITICS

Fair Housing Month: A Year‑Long Call for Equality

In April, the United States remembers the signing of a pivotal law in 1968 that outlawed discrimination when buying or renting homes. This rule, now almost six decades old, stops bias based on race, color, religion, gender, disability, family status and ethnicity. Each year the Department of Housing

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Apr 12 2026POLITICS

Virginia Governor Faces Legal Threat Over Gun Bills

The Department of Justice has warned Virginia’s governor that it will sue if she signs new gun‑control laws. A letter from the Civil Rights Division says any bill that limits law‑abiding citizens’ right to own firearms could trigger a lawsuit. The letter cites an executive order from the Trump

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Apr 10 2026HEALTH

Ottawa joins growing list of places banning kratom sales

Ottawa just became the latest city to stop shops from selling kratom, a plant that comes from Southeast Asia. The city council made the call official in early April after seeing how people sometimes misuse it. Officials worry that unchecked sales could put residents at risk since the substance isn’t

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