Cornyn targets lawmakers’ airport fast pass as TSA lines grow during DHS shutdown

The Senate quietly passed legislation that would require lawmakers to join the general public in airport security lines, ending a long-held privilege, as the Homeland Security shutdown continues. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, pushed the End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act, which unanimously passed the upper chamber. The bill comes the DHS shutdown snarls … Read more

DOJ accuses courts of undercutting executive power in high-stakes Supreme Court border case

The Department of Justice will argue Tuesday that lower courts are undermining the federal government’s ability to manage the southern border in a closely watched Supreme Court case about how migrants make asylum claims. DOJ lawyers wrote in court papers ahead of the arguments that an appeals court was wrong to restrict the government’s ability … Read more

Biden-appointed judge rejects Trump HHS declaration on transgender treatments for kids

A federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2023 has ruled that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overreached in his December declaration that “sex-rejecting procedures” for children were “neither safe nor effective.” U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai in Oregon ruled that RFK Jr. exceeded his authority and failed to … Read more

Why going to an HBCU might be better for Black students’ health

A study found correlation between the environment and long-term wellness in sample of 1,978 who attended college between 1940-80 Attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU) as a young adult may be linked with better later-life cognitive outcomes for Black Americans, according to a recent study. The authors sampled 1,978 Black American adults who … Read more

Reporter’s Notebook: GOP eyes DHS deal funding ICE probes, but not removals, as shutdown drags

This is cobbled together talking to senior Senate Republican sources. Senate Republicans are developing a plan to fund most aspects of DHS — leaving out controversial programs like certain ICE operations — to end the five-and-a-half week partial government shutdown. This emerged after a meeting at the White House last night. There is a lot … Read more