Florida
Immigration drives nation’s population growth
A recent immigration surge brought newcomers to every state this year, helping to offset a continued drop in U.S. births while contributing to a national upswing of about 3.3 million new residents, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Texas and Florida continued to dominate state population growth, together adding more than 1 million people […]
Judges topple gun restrictions as courts chart an uncertain path forward
More than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally expanded its interpretation of the Second Amendment, federal courts throughout the country continue to strike down state restrictions on gun ownership. Since the high court’s 2022 decision — in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen — that firearm regulations must have […]
Despite Trump’s claim, deportations likely wouldn’t ease housing crisis, most experts say
The mass deportations of immigrants that President-elect Donald Trump has promised aren’t likely to make a dent in the nation’s housing crisis, many experts say, despite what he and his supporters claimed during his campaign. Experts say the reasons for that are many. Immigrants in the U.S. without documentation are more likely to live in […]
Judge blocks DACA recipients from getting subsidized health insurance
This story first appeared in the North Dakota Monitor. A North Dakota federal judge’s ruling temporarily will keep some immigrants in 19 states from getting federally subsidized health insurance. U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor on Monday granted a request from a coalition of Republican attorneys general to suspend a new federal rule from the U.S. […]
Trump migrant deportations could threaten states’ agricultural economies
If President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to deport millions of immigrants, it could upend the economies of states where farming and other food-related industries are crucial — and where labor shortages abound. Immigrants make up about two-thirds of the nation’s crop farmworkers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and roughly 2 […]
Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies
A major U.S. Supreme Court decision this summer was hailed as a conservative court’s broadside against a Democratic administration, giving red states more backing to delay or overturn policies they don’t like, such as transgender protections and clean energy goals. But the ruling in the Loper Bright case, which granted courts more power to scrutinize […]
States go after ‘claim sharks’ that charge vets for help with disability claims
For-profit consultants across the country make millions each year by charging military veterans for help in filing their disability claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The practice exists in a legal loophole: It’s illegal under federal law for companies that aren’t accredited by the VA to charge veterans fees for helping file their […]
Election denialism has staying power even after Trump’s win
President-elect Donald Trump may have quieted his lies about widespread voter fraud after his win earlier this month, but the impact of his effort to cast doubt on the integrity of American elections lingers on. Although this post-election period has been markedly calmer than the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, there were isolated flare-ups […]
Abortion bans could reverse decline in teen births, experts warn
Houston OB-GYN Dr. Hillary Boswell says she has seen how abortion bans affect teenage girls: More of them are carrying their pregnancies to term. “These are vulnerable girls, and it’s just heartbreaking to see the number of pregnant 13-year-olds I’ve had to take care of,” Boswell said, referring to the change since Texas prohibited abortions […]
New abortion-rights measures in 7 states could trigger legal, legislative challenges
Widespread support for abortion rights continued to defy partisan labels in Tuesday’s election, but several of the ballot measures that voters approved may face legal and legislative challenges in the coming months. And supporters worry that federal efforts could eventually override the state measures. Voters in seven states — including deep-red Missouri and Montana — […]
Voters in several states support reducing property taxes
Voters in half a dozen states approved ballot issues aimed at lowering property taxes, but a measure in North Dakota that would have completely repealed the property tax proved to be a bridge too far. Ballot measures to cut taxes for some or all property owners passed in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Virginia and […]
After a bruising 4 years, a hope for normalcy in American elections
America’s voting system was under siege for four years. Former President Donald Trump’s false claims about fraud in the 2020 election exposed the people who operate our elections to threats and harassment in the run-up to this one. They fortified their offices against potential violence, adjusted to last-minute, politically driven changes in election laws, and […]