Canada's Mark Carney and Trump talk tariffs during White House meeting
Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., announced this morning that she's launching a bid to succeed Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who recently announced he will retire when his term ends in early 2027.
Kelly is the second person to announce their candidacy. Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has said she would run for the position, earning the endorsement of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Kelly's announcement is a sign that the backing by Pritzker, a billionaire, is not staving off competition.
'Every day, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Congressional Republicans are targeting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and passing policies that raise costs for Illinois families, small businesses, and farmers,' Kelly said in a statement. 'This moment requires proven leaders who have the experience to take on the toughest battles. I've never backed down — not from gun lobbyists, not from MAGA extremists, and certainly not from a fight for what's right.'
A former mental health counselor who took office in a 2013 special election, Kelly has also served as chair of the Illinois Democratic Party.
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Southern Baptist same-sex marriage resolution rings an alarm
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
GOP student loan overhaul is getting closer to becoming law
Read more: Republicans propose massive overhaul of student loans, Pell Grants The Senate's version of the legislation is less aggressive than the bill that Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced in late April. While it will likely be further watered down due to congressional budget rules, the scope of the legislation indicates big changes will be enacted soon to how Americans pay for college. Student loan caps proposed When President Donald Trump asked Republicans to find billions of dollars in federal spending cuts, GOP lawmakers in the House drew up measures to eliminate or dramatically curb many student loan programs. In April, they proposed cutting subsidized loans altogether for undergraduates. When students take out a federal direct subsidized loan, the government pays the interest while they're in school (and for a short grace period after the students complete their studies). That idea didn't survive in the Senate version of the bill, which was expected to be slightly more moderate than the House proposal. Read more: Could Trump fail on tax bill? Why going 'big' doesn't always work out as planned Other elements of the House version remain, however. Like the House bill, the Senate measure proposes cutting the number of student loan repayment plans to just two. That change would kill President Joe Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, program, which former Education Secretary Miguel Cardona repeatedly called the "most affordable repayment plan ever." SAVE has been stalled in court for months, placing roughly 8 million people in forbearance. The Senate bill would also dramatically curb lending for graduate students and parents (though at lower caps than House Republicans wanted). Ben Cecil, a senior education policy advisor at Third Way, a center-left think tank, said he was pleased to see the bill appeared to make compromises. 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However, the bill must only make changes that spend money or save money. Significant reforms to college oversight might go too far, said Jon Fansmith, the senior vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education, the main association for colleges and universities. "This process isn't designed to do complicated policymaking," he said. "I really do worry about rushing something through without understanding what we're doing." Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@ Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @
The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
'No Kings Day' protests plan to reclaim American flag amid DC parade
"We don't want to cede the narrative ground to Trump and MAGA that they they own the flag, they own patriotism," said Indivisible cofounder Ezra Levin, one of the organizers. "In fact, the most patriotic thing you can do (in) America is to show up peacefully and petition your government for something better." The rallies, named "No Kings Day" to oppose what they see as Trump's power grab, are expected to be the largest and most numerous protests since Trump's second term began, dwarfing the Hands Off protests in early April that drew as many as 1 million Americans to the streets at more than 1,000 rallies. Levin said putting American flags and American imagery front and center is "very intentional" because the protesters believe Trump's actions, from attacking universities and political institutions to holding a military parade, are "un-American." "Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Continental Army was formed to fight back against a king, and there is an opportunity right now for Americans to come out and say: 'No, wait, this isn't what America stands for. We didn't sign up for this guy to concentrate power in his own hands, to come after the pillars of political democracy.'" No Kings Day was organized by grassroots groups in cities and towns of all sizes to coincide with the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary celebration, which is also Trump's 79th birthday and Flag Day. Administration officials insist it is a coincidence that the parade falls on Trump's birthday. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office June 10, Trump warned protesters not to interrupt events in Washington. "For those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force," Trump said. "This is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force." More: Donald Trump is front and center for Army's big DC birthday parade No protest in Washington Levin said organizers intentionally avoided having a protest in Washington to avoid a narrative on the right that they are anti-veteran. "We saw Trump trying to take over this day and make it all about him, and we saw the opportunity to actually make this about the American people and the democracy we're defending," he said. The largest protest is instead scheduled for noon ET in Philadelphia, where the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. "We made that choice to not feed into any narrative that Trump might want that we're counterprotesting him directly or give him the opportunity to crack down on protesters," Levin said. Hosting organizations include long-standing groups like Indivisible, MoveOn, Human Rights Campaign, Working Families Power and Public Citizen, along with multiple unions and grassroots groups like 50501 that have formed since Election Day. The national organizers set the date and held training on how to hold an effective protest, but the planning and organizing was left to local activists. More: What is 'No Kings' protest? What to know about Trump birthday parade protests, maps, more "It comes down to normal everyday people," Levin said. "I think it's important it's not just in blue or even purple states. This isn't inherently a political act about an election. This is about our democracy. This democracy is for you, and the power that elected officials are wielding legitimately or illegitimately, unconstitutionally or illegally, it derives from you." American flag imagery is 'very intentional' The American flag should be prominently displayed at these protests, said Common Defense spokesman Jacob Thomas, an Air Force veteran. The veteran-led organization is one of about a dozen veteran groups who partnered with Indivisible to create the protests. "For some people they feel like its been co-opted by Republicans or extremists. It can feel uncomfortable to use," he said. "We have to reclaim them for their higher purpose." Patriotism is standing up for your community and your neighbors, he said. And loving your country means standing up for its values. The protests, and veterans' presence, is even more important after Trump called in the National Guard and 700 Marines in to quell immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, Thomas said. The militarized response "betrays the principles veterans and the military swore to uphold," he said. 'This is what loving your country means' Veterans carrying flags representing the different branches will lead the Minneapolis/St. Paul march, Thomas said. "This is what loving your country means ... fighting for your country and fighting to make it better," Thomas said. The group is urging veterans to identify themselves to others in the crowd by wearing service hats, shirts, pins, medals and patches. He said he has heard from veterans who plan to protest for the first time. "We think it's really important that veterans are visible in these protests," he said. The goal is to "remind people that we are here and we are speaking out against the harm that he has created." Thomas said veterans are frustrated the Trump administration is spending more than $100 million on a military parade celebrating the Army while also cutting Veterans Affairs staff. They worry less staff will mean cuts to benefits and services that veterans have earned and were promised. The group also wants to counter the narrative that all veterans are conservative and are in lockstep with a Republican administration. "We exist in all of these spaces, and we're going to show up for our communities just like we swore to do when we raised our right hand" to take the oath of service, he said. Veterans served the country to protect their neighbors from "being disappeared" and from being discriminated against, from losing social services and from losing due process, he said. He said they served to protect America from tyrants, authoritarians and kings. "This is not how things are supposed to be. This is not how things are supposed to go."
