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☆ South Africa’s democracy is turning 30 – but a silent crisis threatens its hard-fought gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Soweto, South Africa CNN —Seth Mazibuko strides into the intersection of Moema and Vilakazi Street in Soweto, gesturing to the spot that changed South African history. Cars are used as roadblocks on June 21, 1976, during unrest in Soweto, South Africa, stemming from protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools. But as South Africans celebrate 30 years of democracy this week, many educators and activists believe that there is a crisis hollowing out the country’s education system – a crisis that threatens democracy’s hard-fought gains. Despite substantial education funding, South African students consistently rank among the lowest in global assessments of literacy and numeracy skills. South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world and many university graduates struggle to enter the workforce.

Persons: South Africa CNN — Seth, ”, Mazibuko, Mike Mizleni, Prince Mulwela, Angie Motshekga, Motshekga, Nelson Mandela, Walter Dhladhla, it’s, Ann Bernstein, Bernstein, Morris Isaacson, “, ‘, ’, General, Mbali Msimanga, Atlegang Alcock, Mandela Organizations: South Africa CNN, Black South, Getty, Keystone, Hulton, “, Morris Isaacson High School, CNN, South, Basic, African National Congress, ANC, of Development, Enterprise, Corruption, South African Democratic Teachers Union, Cape Town Locations: Soweto, South Africa, Moema, gesturing, AFP, Africa, Canada, Kenya, Oshlange, Black, Durban, South Africa's, Johannesburg, Robben, Cape

☆ EPA designates two ‘forever chemicals’ as hazardous substances
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US Environmental Protection Agency designated two widely used “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances under the United States’ Superfund law on Friday. This ruling will allow the EPA to investigate and clean up leaks and spills of these harmful chemicals, according to the official news release. Exposure to “forever chemicals” has been linked to cancers, heart and liver disease and immune and developmental damage to infants and children, according to the news release. There are more than 12,000 forms of PFAS chemicals in the environment. The designation comes just weeks after the EPA announced new limits for “forever chemicals” in drinking water in the United States.

Persons: Michael S, Regan, Dr, David Andrews, ”, Sanjay Gupta, ” Lisa Frank, Harris, CNN’s Jen Christensen Organizations: CNN, Environmental Protection Agency, United, EPA, Environmental, CNN Health, PIRG, Fund, Environment America Research, Policy, Biden Locations: United States, U.S, Washington

Now, faced with unprecedented attacks in state legislatures, transgender rights leaders acknowledge they are playing defense — and two of the biggest groups are joining forces to counter the onslaught. “This is going to be a defense game — and a movement-strengthening game,” said Andy Marra, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. Many of laws ban gender-affirming medical care for trans minors or bar trans athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s scholastic sports teams. The national political environment — in regard to LGBTQ+ rights — has changed dramatically since then. Marra, who has been active in the LGBTQ+ rights movement for 20 years, says she remains optimistic in the face of current setbacks.

Persons: —, ”, Andy Marra, Rodrigo Heng, Lehtinen, Marra, Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott, Abbott, ” Marra, Heng, “, Lehtinen —, “ We’ve, He’s, Ileana Ros, Ros, Rodrigo, ” Ros, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney Organizations: Transgender Legal Defense, Education Fund, Republican, National Center for Transgender Equality, Trans, Texas, Gov, GOP Locations: U.S, New York, Washington, North Carolina

☆ South Dakota lawmakers want to preemptively ban 'socialist' guaranteed income program
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Allie Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A South Dakota Senate bill would ban local governments from creating guaranteed income programs. A sponsor of the bill called guaranteed income programs a "one-way ticket to government dependency." AdvertisementSouth Dakota lawmakers are taking steps to ban guaranteed basic income programs preemptively. Guaranteed basic income gives qualifying residents monthly no-strings cash payments — typically between $500 and $1,000 — to spend as they choose over a set period of time. Guaranteed basic income programs have become increasingly popular among state and local governments as a solution to widespread housing and food insecurity.

Persons: — Organizations: South, South Dakota Senate, Austin, Service, Business Locations: South Dakota, Boston, Denver , Minneapolis, Dakota, Denver, Durham , Minneapolis

The state Supreme Court's brief order Tuesday shutting down the suit said legislators have fulfilled promises of annual increases in aid to the state's 286 local school districts as outlined in a 2019 law. But closing the case gives the Legislature more leeway on school funding issues in the short term. Educators who feel legislators aren't providing enough money or distributing it fairly enough were able to take their complaints directly to the state Supreme Court while the case was open. Four school districts sued the state in 2010, and the Supreme Court issued seven rulings from 2010 to 2019. The first six told lawmakers that they needed to increase spending or distribute the money more fairly or both.

Persons: backtracked, Vic Miller, Eric Rosen, ” Leah Fliter, Laura Kelly, Kelly, “, Dan Hawkins, Sen, Molly Baumgardner, Kris Kobach, Kobach, ” Kobach, Alan Rupe, ” Organizations: Republican, GOP, Republicans, Kansas House, Kansas Association of School, Democratic Gov, Wichita Republican Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, —, Wichita, Kansas City

(AP) — Conservative lawmakers who want to intertwine religion with school curriculum in Republican-dominated Nebraska presented a slew of bills Monday to the state Legislature’s education committee. Another measure would change school funding to loop in private school tuition while forbidding the state from interfering in private schools’ curriculum or beliefs. The bill introduced last year was among those that stalled as conservatives focused on passing a bill to allow taxpayer money to be used to fund private school scholarships. Others argued Erdman’s bill would hurt funding for rural school districts like his own, which has fewer than 350 students. Under the bill, out-of-state teachers could gain Nebraska certification by taking a knowledge-testing exam they must pass.

Persons: LINCOLN, Sen, Dave Murman, Steve Erdman’s, Erdman, ” Ron Cunningham, Lincoln, Loren Lippincott’s, “, Omaha Sen, Kathleen Kauth —, Jim Pillen Organizations: — Conservative, Republican, Nebraska Legislature’s, Democratic, Omaha, Gov Locations: Neb, Nebraska, Glenvil, Arizona

☆ Court blocks Florida law barring Chinese citizens from owning property
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A U.S. appeals court has blocked Florida from enforcing a ban on Chinese citizens owning homes or land in the state against two Chinese nationals who were in the process of buying property when the law was adopted. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Thursday the individuals were likely to prevail on claims that Florida's ban violates a federal law governing real estate purchases by foreign nationals. A Florida federal judge in August had declined to block the law, prompting an appeal by the plaintiffs. Lawmakers in several Republican-led states including Texas, Louisiana and Alabama are considering similar restrictions on Chinese citizens owning property. It also bars most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia and North Korea from owning property near military installations and infrastructure such as power plants and airports.

Persons: Ashley Moody, Bethany Li, Li, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Circuit, Appeals, Republican, Constitution, Asian American Legal Defense, Education Fund, Republican Gov, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Miami , Florida, U.S, Florida, Atlanta, Texas , Louisiana, Alabama, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, North Korea

☆ US Court Blocks Florida Law Barring Chinese Citizens From Owning Property
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Daniel Wiessner(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court has blocked Florida from enforcing a ban on Chinese citizens owning homes or land in the state against two Chinese nationals who were in the process of buying property when the law was adopted. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Thursday the individuals were likely to prevail on claims that Florida's ban violates a federal law governing real estate purchases by foreign nationals. A Florida federal judge in August had declined to block the law, prompting an appeal by the plaintiffs. Lawmakers in several Republican-led states including Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama are considering similar restrictions on Chinese citizens owning property. It also bars most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia and North Korea from owning property near military installations and infrastructure such as power plants and airports.

Persons: Daniel Wiessner, Ashley Moody, Bethany Li, Li, Ron DeSantis, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Circuit, Appeals, Republican, Constitution, Asian American Legal Defense, Education Fund, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Florida, Atlanta, Texas , Louisiana, Alabama, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Albany , New York

Tennessee is among 35 states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes that have opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or Summer EBT, for this summer. "Established during the pandemic, Summer EBT was intended to supplement existing food assistance programs in extraordinary circumstances. “I think it is a mistake to not continue with Summer EBT in 2025 and beyond,” Anderson said in an interview. Under the federal program, some 644,000 Tennessee children can receive $77.3 million more in aid this summer, creating a multiplied economic impact, according to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. All 50 states administer the existing Summer Food Service Program, which provides sites where kids can eat for free.

Persons: won’t, Joe Biden's, Bill Lee's, ”, Elizabeth Johnson, Lee, EBT, Signe Anderson, she's, ” Anderson, Jim Pillen, Tom Vilsack, he’s Organizations: —, . Tennessee, Republican, Republican Gov, “ Tennessee, Tennessee Justice Center, U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, Assistance, Nebraska Gov, USDA Food, Nutrition Service, Food Service Program, Associated Locations: Tenn, — Tennessee, ., Tennessee, “, Nebraska, ” Tennessee

Beshear's national profile rose after his convincing reelection win over GOP challenger Daniel Cameron last November. The newly formed 501(c)(4) group called “Heckbent” will promote key Beshear proposals by supporting grassroots advocacy, said Eric Hyers, his chief political strategist. There was no such group to promote Beshear's agenda during his first term, when his notable legislative successes often were overshadowed by his many policy disputes with GOP lawmakers. The governor's record of legislative achievements is more checkered — something the new group will try to change with messaging that could focus on areas represented by GOP lawmakers. He's so far failed to persuade lawmakers to appropriate state funds to provide preschool for every Kentucky 4-year-old.

Persons: Andy Beshear, Daniel Cameron, Beshear, Eric Hyers, ” Hyers, Donald Trump, He's, David Osborne Organizations: —, Gov, Republican, State, GOP, supermajorities, GOP House Locations: FRANKFORT, Ky, Kentucky

☆ Portland Teachers’ Strike Ends After More Than Three Weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Sarah Mervosh | More About Sarah Mervosh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The NewsThe union representing teachers, counselors and other school employees in Portland, Ore., reached a tentative deal with the city's public school district on Sunday, ending a strike that has kept nearly 45,000 students out of classes for more than three weeks in Oregon’s largest district. That is about in the middle of what the district had offered and what the union had asked for at the start of the strike. The strike has drawn attention to public school funding in Oregon. (Minneapolis students missed 14 school days during a strike last year.) The strike, which kept students out of school for nearly the entire month of November, could risk amplifying that message in Portland.

Persons: —, Thomas Dee, “, Dr, Dee Organizations: Hollywood, Portland Public Schools, Oregonian, Veterans, Minneapolis, Public Schools, Stanford University, Students Locations: Portland ,, Oregon’s, Oregon, Portland

LONDON (AP) — Russia's State Duma took a step forward Wednesday towards approving its biggest-ever federal budget which will increase spending by around 25% in 2024, with record amounts going on defense. Part of the Russian budget is secret as the Kremlin tries to conceal its military plans and sidestep scrutiny of its war in Ukraine. Analysts suggest Russia is in third place globally for defense spending behind China and the United States, which spends around $850 billion a year. The main driver of that growth is Russia's war in Ukraine, which is now as important to the Kremlin economically as it is politically. If there is a reduction in military spending, or a need to reduce spending which impacts living standards, it could send shockwaves through the Russian economy and significantly impact ordinary people.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Richard Connolly, Farida Rustamova, Maksim Tovkaylo, Alexandra Prokopenko, Anton Siluanov, “, Connolly, they’ve, ” Prokopenko, Prokopenko, — — David McHugh Organizations: —, Duma, Kremlin, Royal United Services Institute, Independent, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Russian Central Bank, Finance, Defense, Central Bank Locations: — Russia's, Russia, Ukraine, London, China, United States, Russian, West, India, Berlin, Frankfurt

☆ Republicans are dealing a 'devastating blow' to student-loan borrowers through a funding proposal that could 'severely' strain customer service support, Biden's administration says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Republicans proposed a spending bill that would cut funding for student aid administration. If passed, the legislation would further strain customer service as borrowers navigate repayment. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementPresident Joe Biden's administration made clear Biden would not sign Republicans' funding proposals for education and labor in the upcoming fiscal year. AdvertisementThe House is voting on the GOP amendments on Tuesday, prior to a vote on Johnson's government funding bill which would keep the Education Department funded through February 2.

Persons: Biden, —, Joe Biden's, hasn't, Mike Johnson's, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mary Miller, Andy Biggs Organizations: Republicans, Management, Budget, Service, of Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, OMB, Congress, GOP, Education Department, Reps Locations: America

☆ Why did Democrats win the Kentucky governor's race but come up short in Mississippi? It was an election cycle of unique contrasts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Andy Beshear won reelection, but Brandon Presley lost the Mississippi governor's race. Kentucky is also a conservative Southern state where voters generally back Republicans in most statewide races, yet Democratic Gov. AP Photo/Timothy D. EasleyIn Kentucky, Beshear ran an ad featuring Hadley Duvall, a young woman who had been raped by her stepfather at age 12. In Louisville, which is consolidated with Jefferson County, Beshear won 70% of the vote. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn Mississippi, Presley relied more on an urban-rural coalition.

Persons: Andy Beshear, Brandon Presley, —, Tate Reeves, Presley, Daniel Cameron, Roe, Wade, Beshear, Cameron, Timothy D, Hadley Duvall, Duvall, Reeves, David Goldman Lexington, Donald Trump, Steve Beshear, Elvis Presley Organizations: Mississippi, Service, Virginia, Delegates, Republican Gov, Democratic, GOP, Beshear, AP, Easley, Mississippi Democrats, Fayette County Locations: United States, Ohio, Mississippi, Kentucky, Southern, Easley In Kentucky, In Louisville, Jefferson, Jefferson County, Louisville, Fayette County, Fayette, Gulf, Jackson, Delta, Hinds County

☆ In Texas, Key Opposition to School Vouchers Is Rural and Red
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Elizabeth Findell | Photographs Emil T. Lippe For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CUSHING, Texas—The word spread parent-to-parent during a Little Dribblers basketball game in the school gymnasium. The superintendent had sent emails—several—warning that school-choice efforts under way wouldn’t be good for their East Texas school district of 554 students. The target of Superintendent Brandon Enos ’s advocacy was a special session of the Texas Legislature called by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to pass a measure to allow Texas children to receive state funding to attend private schools. Superintendents statewide have feared the measure would drain money from the state’s already lean public-education funding.

Persons: CUSHING, Brandon Enos ’, Greg Abbott Organizations: East, Texas, Republican Gov Locations: Texas, East Texas

The Monday ruling from Carson City District Court Judge James Russell sided with two lobbyists affiliated with trade unions that favor the public financing for the A's stadium. Russell sent the teachers union-backed Schools over Stadiums political action committee back to the drawing board in their attempts to thwart the public funding that the state Legislature approved this year. "We’re undeterred and still committed to giving Nevada voters the opportunity to decide whether their tax dollars are used to subsidize a billionaire’s stadium” — a reference to A's owner John Fisher. The stadium financing debate in Nevada mirrors those happening nationwide over whether public funds should be used to help finance sports stadiums. Political Cartoons View All 1234 ImagesA’s representatives and some Nevada tourism officials have said the public funding could add to Las Vegas’ growing sports scene and act as an economic engine.

Persons: CARSON, James Russell, Russell, Alexander Marks, “, it’s, ” Marks, We’re, John Fisher, Bradley Schrager, “ Nevadans, ” Schrager, Marks Organizations: CARSON CITY, Oakland Athletics, Las, Nevada Supreme, Nevada State Education Association Locations: Nevada, Carson City

Previously, Democratic governors who had backed school choice measures had done so in compromise deals with Republican-controlled legislatures. Vouchers have long been viewed in stark partisan terms: Democrats and public school allies say they drain critical resources from public schools. Republicans and school choice advocates say they give freedom to families who may not like their local public schools. That had motivated public school advocates and Democrats to demand billions more for the poorest public schools, a quest that Shapiro has said he supports. Those fluent in the history of school vouchers could think of no other Democratic governor who had embraced them.

Persons: Josh Shapiro —, Shapiro, ”, Robert Enlow, ’ ”, Matthew Brouillette, Christopher Borick, Jeffrey Yass, Jeff Yass, Charlie Gerow, ” Shapiro, Joshua Cowen, Peter Schweyer, —, recriminations, “ cowering, Shapiro shrugged, we've, Marc Levy Organizations: —, Republican, Pennsylvania, Democratic, Republicans, Roman Catholic, Muhlenberg College Institute of Public, GOP, Fox News, Michigan State University, Republican Party, Senate Republicans, Lehigh . Teachers, AFSCME, SEIU, AFL, House Democratic, Wall Street Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Indianapolis, Pennsylvania, statehouses, Yass, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “, Philadelphia

☆ Opinion: The ‘rising superpower’ myth about China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Opinion Peter Bergen | Joel Rayburn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

He was the US Special Envoy for Syria and the senior director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon on the National Security Council staff during the Trump administration. After that, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said it would suspend publishing youth unemployment data in the future. What does it signify that China’s national power, which today is vast, is almost certain to be weaker in the future? If Xi and his strategists have a feasible plan for nimbly averting China’s demographic doom, they are keeping very quiet about it. This brings us back to the question of national security strategies for the United States and its allies.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Peter Bergen ”, Joel Rayburn, Trump, Biden, Saddam Hussein’s, Lloyd Austin, China’s, Xi Jinping, Stephen Shaver, ”, Ng Han Guan, Xi, China “, ” Trump Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, American Center for Levant Studies, New America, US, National Security Council, CNN, Strategy, Pentagon, of Defense, Development Research Center, Communist Party, UPI, Manpower, Census Bureau, National Bureau of Statistics, Financial, China’s Southwestern University of Finance, Economics, Rocky, United Nations, Beijing, Pew Research Center, Communist, Trump administration’s National Security, Twitter, Trump Locations: New America, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Washington, China, United States, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, al Qaeda, Ukraine, People’s Republic of China, Beijing, India, Yarkent County, China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Saudi Arabia, USSR, Russia, Russia’s Ukraine, Vietnam, Korea, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong

Open Society Foundations said Tuesday that it will spin off its support for Europe's Roma communities into a new foundation and pledged €100 million, around $107 million, for that work. The Roma Foundation for Europe, which will be independent of OSF, launches in January and will be based in Brussels, said the foundations. Under Alex Soros' leadership, the foundations announced in July that it would significantly retool its structure and layoff 40% of its staff globally. “We will also keep up — and dramatically increase — our efforts to secure equal treatment for Europe’s largest ethnic minority, the 12 million Roma (who mostly live in Eastern Europe),” Alex Soros wrote. OSF will not have representatives on the board of the Roma Foundation for Europe, said Jovanovic, adding that the decision to start the foundation was made last year, independently of the restructuring.

Persons: Zeljko Jovanovic, ” Jovanovic, Alex Soros, George Soros, Soros, ” Alex Soros, Jovanovic, Alex Organizations: Roma, Roma Foundation for Europe, OSF, OSF's, Office, Associated Press, European Union, European Commission, AP, “ POLITICO, Central European University, Roma Foundation for, European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, Roma Entrepreneurship Development, Democracy, Roma Education Fund, Associated, Lilly Endowment Inc Locations: Brussels, Roma, Europe, Berlin, “, Ukraine, Moldova, Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Roma Foundation for Europe

Instead, the student population at West Virginia University has dropped 10% since 2015, while on-campus expansion continued. Lawmakers recently approved a higher education funding formula rewarding schools for degree attainment, workforce outcomes and graduate wages. Mary Manspeaker, an English Ph.D. student, said she left her home state at 18 because she didn't see opportunity in West Virginia. He said the conflict reflects the fundamental question in higher education right now: How do we assess value? "And it might be in cash, endowment and buildings, but it could arguably be in other things.”___Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia.

Persons: Jim Justice, “ We’ve, ”, Gordon Gee, “, Gee, Joey Demes, Demes, Craig Blair, Marshall, hasn’t, Eric Tarr, Lisa Di Bartolomeo, Di Bartolomeo, ’ ”, Mary Manspeaker, Peter Lake, Lake, ” ___ Raby Organizations: West Virginia's, Gov, Marshall University, West Virginia University, Lawmakers, Marshall, WVU, —, American Federation of Teachers, ”, GOP, Republican, Center, Excellence, Higher Education Law, Florida's Stetson University Locations: MORGANTOWN, W.Va, West, East Coast, Morgantown, U.S, West Virginia, Appalachia, Charleston , West Virginia

☆ Biden back to school as Republicans fight education culture war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Biden, who returned on Saturday from a week-long vacation, will mark the time of year when U.S. parents send children back to school with his own trip to Washington's Eliot-Hine Middle School. The Biden administration has pushed Congress to hike funding for public schools, including those that hire mental health professionals, through a bipartisan gun safety law last year. Public education is largely funded and run locally in the United States and typically takes a back seat in the presidential campaign to jobs and prices at the gas pump. The largest U.S. labor union, the National Education Association, a group of public school teachers numbering 3 million, endorsed him just a day after he announced his re-election bid. Republicans are closely tied to efforts to steer more public education funding to parochial institutions and independently run charter schools.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Washington's Eliot, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Trevor Hunnicutt, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Major Economies, White, REUTERS, Rights, Hine Middle School, George Washington University, Republican, of Education, National Education Association, Thomson Locations: Energy, Washington , U.S, United States, Florida

The rule is part of a broader push by Congress and regulatory authorities to crack down on crypto users who may be failing to pay their taxes. It would also subject digital asset brokers to the same information reporting rules as brokers for other financial instruments, such as bonds and stocks, Treasury said. Brokers would need to send the forms to both the IRS and digital asset holders to assist with their tax preparation. The new requirements stem from the $1 trillion 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included a provision that aimed to increase tax reporting requirements for digital asset brokers. It instructed the IRS to define what firms qualified as crypto brokers and provide forms and instructions for reporting.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Kristin Smith, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Elizabeth Warren, Hannah Lang, Deepa Babington, Michelle Price Organizations: REUTERS, Internal Revenue Service, Treasury, Treasury Department, IRS, Investment, Jobs, Blockchain, DeFi, Democratic, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

☆ 8 US states offer free lunch for students. Here's how they pay for it, from a 4% millionaire's tax to a $0.03 property tax rate increase.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Massachusetts is the latest state to expand free school lunch since a COVID-era program ended. Here's how eight states pay for free lunch for public school students. And Vermont's free meals program, which was allowed through in June 2023 by Gov. And while only a few US states now offer free lunch, some say the momentum for future programs across the nation is growing. "The availability of universal free meals during the pandemic absolutely changed that momentum."

Persons: Maura Healey, Erin McAleer, Joe Biden's, Phil Scott, Susan Caswell, WPBN, There's, Erika Edwards, EducationWeek Organizations: Service, Gov, CBS News, Massachusetts, Associated Press, Portland Press Herald, AP, MPR, Comstock Elementary School, Jefferson County Locations: Massachusetts, Wall, Silicon, California , Colorado , Maine , Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, Colorado, California, . Maine, Mexico, Michigan, Southwest Michigan, Jefferson

The crypto industry has been in the regulatory crosshairs since investors were burned last year by sudden collapses of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, FTX and other companies. A handful of Democrats, including Reps. Jim Himes and Ritchie Torres, joined committee Republicans in voting for the bill. The bill has galvanized many in the crypto industry, who say that with Democrats' support, the bill could have a shot in the Senate. But some Democrats, including Representative Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the Financial Services committee, fiercely oppose the bill. "This bill heeds the calls from the crypto industry while disregarding the views of the administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission and consumer and investor advocates," she said.

Persons: Jim Himes, Ritchie Torres, Patrick McHenry, we've, Kristin Smith, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Maxine Waters, Waters, Sherrod Brown, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis, Mark Porter, Diane Craft Organizations: Capitol, Voyager, House Financial, Trading, Securities, Exchange, Republicans, Agriculture, Financial Services, Blockchain Association, DeFi, Securities and Exchange Commission, Democratic, Banking, SEC, Politico, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Australia, United States, McHenry, Washington

The crypto industry has been in the regulatory crosshairs since investors were burned last year by sudden collapses of Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, FTX and other companies. The markups - where legislation is debated and brought to a vote, paving the way for a full vote by the House of Representatives - are the first time crypto regulatory bills will be put to a vote in Congress, a victory for crypto lobbyists that have pushed lawmakers to provide regulatory clarity for the industry. His committee is expected to consider that bill during a markup on Wednesday, while the House Agriculture Committee will consider the same bill on Thursday. The bill has galvanized many in the crypto industry, who say that with Democrats' support, the bill could have a shot in the Senate. That effort escalated last month when the SEC sued crypto exchanges Coinbase (COIN.O) and Binance for failing to register some crypto tokens.

Persons: we've, Kristin Smith, Sherrod Brown, Patrick McHenry, McHenry, Miller Whitehouse, Levine, Maxine Waters, Waters, Hannah Lang, Matthew Lewis, Mark Porter Organizations: Capitol, Voyager, Financial, U.S ., Representatives, Blockchain Association, Democratic, Banking, Trading, Securities, Exchange, DeFi, SEC, Financial Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, Politico, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Australia, United States, McHenry, Washington

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