NOAA, transportation nominees clear Senate panel
The panel advanced Neil Jacobs by voice vote, but Democratic Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, all of whom represent states facing acute risk from sea-level rise and intensifying coastal storms, asked to be recorded as opposing the pick.
Ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), however, expressed support for Jacobs despite continued reservations about the nominee, who also served as NOAA administrator in the first Trump administration.
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'The NOAA position could never be more important, and while we may have some differences with Dr. Jacobs … I believe that he is in agreement on what NOAA's priorities should be,' Cantwell said.
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Another ‘Florida man' scandal presents danger for Mike Johnson and the House GOP
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Trump orders colleges to prove they don't consider race in admissions as three UCs face probe
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Conservative arguments — including lawsuits against UC — accuse universities of continuing to consider race through proxy measures. The executive order makes the same argument. 'The lack of available admissions data from universities — paired with the rampant use of 'diversity statements' and other overt and hidden racial proxies — continues to raise concerns about whether race is actually used in admissions decisions in practice,' said a fact sheet shared by the White House ahead of the Thursday signing. The first year of admissions data after the Supreme Court ruling showed no clear pattern in how colleges' diversity changed. Results varied dramatically from one campus to the next. Last fall, number of Black students enrolled at Johns Hopkins University fell by 66.1% and Latinos by 51.2% compared with the average during the previous two years. Both demographic groups declined at MIT by 64.3% and 26.7%, respectively, and at Stanford by 37.5% and 11.8% during the same time. 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The Hill
11 minutes ago
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Paxton asks Illinois court to enforce Texas arrest warrants against state House Democrats
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democrats who fled to the Prairie State over GOP efforts to redraw the Texas's congressional maps. On Monday, the Texas House approved arrest warrants for Democratic state lawmakers that state troopers can locate. However, those warrants are only enforceable within Texas. Paxton's petition to Illinois's Eighth Judicial Circuit Court asks for the 'enforcement of the rule of law in Illinois, the assistance of Illinois law enforcement officials, and this Court's assistance, to lawfully return to Texas the Respondent legislators who fled to Illinois to evade their duties to participate in the ongoing Special Session of the Texas Legislature.' The Democrats fled the state Sunday to deny the GOP a legislative quorum in an effort to prevent the redrawing of Texas's congressional maps. President Trump is aiming to pick up five seats there ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Paxton's request comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said earlier Thursday that the FBI is 'tracking down' Democratic state lawmakers who fled. 'Texas DPS and the FBI are tracking down the derelict Democrats. They will be taken directly to the Texas Capitol,' Abbott wrote on the social platform X. 'Those who received benefits for skipping a vote face removal from office and potential bribery charges,' he continued. 'In Texas, there are consequences for your actions.' Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) also on Thursday said the FBI had approved his request for them to help law enforcement agencies track down the Democrats. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Sunday that his state would protect Texas Democrats who fled to his state. 'They're here in Illinois. We're going to do everything we can to protect every single one of them and make sure that — 'cause we know they're doing the right thing, we know that they're following the law,' Pritzker told reporters at a press conference Sunday night held alongside the Texas state lawmakers. 'It's Ken Paxton who doesn't follow the law. It's the leaders of Texas who are attempting not to follow the law,' he continued, calling out Texas's Republican attorney general by name. 'They're the ones that need to be held accountable.'
