Associated Press
Supreme Court Takes a Close Look at USF Contributions
It was to be one hour of oral arguments about the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Universal Service Fund (USF) program, considering whether Congress delegated too much of its authority when it created the program in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Instead, U.S. Supreme Court justices spent more than two and a half hours peppering attorneys with questions about the nature of USF, whether the statute fails to set limits on the amount of funding it can collect and whether those fees are, in fact, taxes on the American public that Congress never debated.
At the Voice of America, the Trump administration is moving swiftly to assert its vision
As it has with other government agencies, the Trump administration is moving swiftly to assert its vision at the Voice of America. As it does so, a question hangs in the air: Is the news organization’s journalistic mission, which dates to World War II, in for some fundamental changes?
Ontario premier says he’s ‘ripping up’ $100 million contract with Musk’s Starlink in response to US tariffs
The leader of Canada’s most populous province of Ontario said he’s ripping up a contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink internet services in response to U.S.
Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans that could total trillions of dollars. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the action minutes before it was set to go into effect. The administrative stay pauses the freeze until Monday, Feb 3. The White House had planned to start the pause as they begin an across-the-board ideological review of federal spending. The plan sparked confusion and panic among organizations that rely on Washington for their financial lifeline.
The EU makes an urgent TikTok inquiry on Russia’s role in Romanian election turmoil (Associated Press)
Submitted by grace@benton.org on Mon, 12/09/2024 - 00:41South Korea fines Meta $15 million for illegally collecting information on Facebook users (Associated Press)
Submitted by zwalker@benton.org on Tue, 11/05/2024 - 16:05House Speaker Johnson says GOP may try to repeal CHIPS Act, then walks it back (Associated Press)
Submitted by benton on Sun, 11/03/2024 - 14:12Gov Walz unveils Harris' plan for rural voters as campaign looks to cut into Trump's edge
Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) unveiled his ticket's plans to improve the lives of rural voters, as Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) looks to cut into Donald Trump's (R-FL) support. The Harris-Walz plan calls on Congress to permanently extend telemedicine coverage under Medicare, a pandemic-era benefit that helped millions access care that is set to expire at the end of 2024.
Georgia school shooting highlights fears about classroom cellphone bans
The recent Georgia school shooting was every parent’s worst nightmare, and one that highlights potential downsides to efforts among states, school districts, and federal lawmakers to ban or restrict access to cellphones in classrooms. The moves to restrict phone use in schools have been driven by concerns about the impact screen time has on children’s mental health and complaints from teachers that cellphones have become a constant distraction in the classroom.