Politics Jul 09 What is an earmark? Examining the pros and cons of the congressional provision A congressional provision both relished and reviled that benefits lawmakers' constituents is making a comeback — the earmark. An earmark is congressional funding for a specific local project. As old as the nation itself, they have often been pet projects…
Politics Jul 08 How the Supreme Court’s ruling on Arizona may embolden Texas’ attempts to restrict voting The Texas legislature gaveled in a special session Thursday to address many Republican priorities. Chief among them: updating voting laws, including I.D. requirements for mail-in ballots and a ban on 24-hour and drive-through voting. Lisa Desjardins speaks to State Representative…
Politics Jul 06 What we’ve learned about the Capitol attack in the last 6 months Tuesday marks six months since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's election win. Judy Woodruff and Lisa Desjardins take a deeper look at the investigations…
Nation Jun 30 Rainbow capitalism raises questions about corporate commitments and Pride Month’s purpose Throughout the month of June, LGBTQ communities in the U.S. have been celebrating Pride in cities and states around the country. And corporate America has made itself a part of that, too, by increasingly tapping into Pride Month and trying…
Politics Jun 24 Understanding the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the fight for reconciliation In Washington, President Joe Biden's push for a sweeping infrastructure bill took a giant step forward Thursday after months of arduous negotiations on the president's top legislative priority. After much back-and-forth with members of Congress, Biden announced bipartisan agreement on…
Politics Jun 23 What every Senate Democrat has said about filibuster reform To end or change the filibuster, Democrats need 50 votes. But by our count, they don’t yet have half of that number firmly ready to roll back the procedure. …
Nation Jun 16 What exactly is Congress doing on infrastructure? A new bipartisan Senate agreement on infrastructure has fueled debate among lawmakers around what the best avenue is to getting a deal. While Republicans consider a smaller scope bill, some Democrats nervous about losing key priorities are hoping to go…
Nation May 27 Why greenlighting the Jan. 6 commission still remains an uphill battle Senate Democrats pushing to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection had the help of powerful advocates Thursday — the family and former partners of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died a day after responding…
Economy May 26 With PPP fund empty, can other programs to help small businesses provide relief? Over the past 14 months, the U.S. Government has allocated hundreds of billions of dollars to help small businesses survive the pandemic's economic hurdles. All that funding has been managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, but many of the…
Nation May 21 The bigger battle at stake in the Apple and Epic Games showdown The high stakes court battle between Apple and Epic Games, the maker of the globally popular video game Fortnite, is nearly over. Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stand Friday to defend the company's app store against monopolization charges. Lisa…