Stories tagged: "national"


Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks during a news conference in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
As Republicans Take Control of Congress, Divisions in the Party Erupt

Chaos behind closed doors as Trump-aligned Republicans threaten to undermine the party's agenda.

Chicago educator Tamisha Holifield spends time with her 2-year-old daughter Rian Holifield at Nichols Park, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. When Holifield and her daughter had COVID-19 in May, the toddler had to miss 15 days of child care. Bouts of colds have followed in what Holifield described as a "constant whirlwind" of sickness that has been stressful both financially and emotionally. "It's a major inconvenience. But I'm a single parent, so I don't have a choice. If I drop the ball, the game is over," Holifield said. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Move On From COVID? Child Care Disruptions Continue

A record-high 104,000 people missed work in October because of child care problems, surpassing even early pandemic levels.

Canceling student debt is very popular, especially among younger voters, new Courier Newsroom polling shows. (Shutterstock)
Canceling Student Debt Is Very Popular

Voters under 45 support student debt cancellation in overwhelming numbers.

Activist and entertainer Jon Stewart hugs fellow advocate Susan Zeier of Sandusky, Ohio, just after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., assured veterans and military family members that the Senate will vote on a bill designed to help millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. All but 11 lawmakers voted to pass the bill this week. N.C.'s Thom Tillis voted against.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
We Tried to Explain Thom Tillis’ Vote Against Veterans’ Health Care in the PACT Act. It Was Hard.

In a state with more than 13,000 veterans that have been exposed to toxic burn pits, Tillis voted against a bill that he, theoretically, supports.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., left, and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., right, walk from a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Both GOP senators voted against legislation expanding benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals in service. That includes NC vets exposed to toxic burn pits. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
U.S. Senate Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Aid Military — Without Tillis and Burr’s Support

North Carolina’s senators were two of only 14 members of the U.S. Senate to vote against advancing a measure aimed at helping members of the military exposed to toxic fumes.

Former Vice President Mike Pence in the U.S. Senate on January 6. Thursday's hearings in DC on the Capitol insurrection focused on the danger former President Trump put his vice president in that day. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP, File)
 ‘A Clear and Present Danger to American Democracy’: Five Things We Learned in the Latest Jan. 6 Hearing

Former President Donald Trump and his allies tried to pressure Vice President Mike Pence into overturning the election on Jan. 6.

People attend a protest near Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, sponsored by Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, as gun violence survivors and hundreds of gun safety supporters demand that Congress act on gun safety issues. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
A Sliver of Hope on Gun Reform? Here’s What’s in the Bipartisan Gun Bill.

Gun reform has a long way to go before it’s passed. But 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, including NC’s Burr and Tillis, are working on it behind the scenes.