North Carolina General Assembly Overrides Governor's Vetos to Pass Laws
Although Stein, a Democrat, won by a 14-point margin in the 2024 election, the General Assembly's makeup remained largely unchanged, with Republicans retaining a three-fifths majority in both the Senate and House.
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Chicago Tribune
21 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Erika Watkins chosen as Valparaiso School Board president for her second term
The Valparaiso City Council selected childcare center director Erika Watkins in May to have a second term appointment to the Valparaiso School Board, and at her first new term meeting on July 30, she was voted unanimously by the trustees to serve as school board president. Like Watkins, Valparaiso attorney John Peluso was also sworn in by the board as the new school board appointment from the Center Township Trustee Advisory Board. Watkins' first term was as the Center Township appointee. The July 30 meeting was the first meeting sans Robert Behrend, who served as the previous school board president and completed two four-year terms on the board. The final year of Behrend's time on the board was fraught with controversy after questions were raised at the start of the year about whether Behrend, a practicing dentist, spent more of his time in Valparaiso or a second address in Hartland, Wisconsin, assisting his son start his dental practice. Behrend's final school board meeting on June 20 included public complaints about his social media posts about low-income housing. While the other school board members publicly condemned his opinions, the board and Valparaiso Schools Superintendent Jim McCall also thanked him for his service and time on the board. Democrat Watkins was publicly vocal in January to the Valparaiso City Council about her disappointment about not having an opportunity to serve as school board president. Watkins said her appointment to the school board came at the same time as Behrend's start for his second membership term. 'Usually, during the four-year term, you serve as school board member, then move to secretary, vice president and then presidency,' Watkins said during the Jan. 27, 2025, Valparaiso City Council meeting. 'That's how the cycle usually takes place. Somehow, though, in my tenure, it did not happen that way. I'm not going to force something that was not to be. I had asked Robert, since he had already had his term as president, if I could have that position and it was not granted.' For this second term, Watkins competed with finalists Brett Miller and Ron Donahue, both Republicans vying to fill the seat vacated by Jon Costas when he left the board to begin his term as mayor. The fourth finalist was Democrat Curtiss Strietelmeier, who was also an unsuccessful finalist for an open Valparaiso School Board seat in 2023. New member Peluso had competed against fellow applicants Ruth Vance, Jerome 'Jerry' Ezell and Lisa Gonzales during the May 19 interviews held at the Porter County Administration Building. The rest of the school board includes Kaye Frataccia-Seibert, who was selected by the school board in December 2023 to complete the term of Costas, appointed by the city council in 2022. The board selected Frataccia-Seibert as secretary. Ashley Kruse, appointed by the city council in 2024, is vice president, and Karl Cender, who was appointed by the city council in 2023, will serve his membership term. The first day of student classes for Valparaiso Community Schools is Wednesday, Aug. 13. The next Valparaiso Community Schools board of trustees meeting is at 6 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the Valparaiso Community Schools administration building.
Axios
21 minutes ago
- Axios
Trump says he's ordering a new census. Here's what the Constitution says
President Trump on Thursday called for "a new and highly accurate" census that excludes undocumented immigrants, an unusual move that could set up another legal challenge of the U.S. Constitution. The big picture: Though it doesn't exactly spell out a methodology, the Constitution has a pretty clear vision for when the census should happen and how it should calculate population totals. Trump's push for a new census comes as the president urges red states to draw new congressional maps more favorable to Republicans. Driving the news: Trump said his new census would be "based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024." "People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS," he wrote in a TruthSocial post. It's unclear if Trump is trying to tweak the current plan for the 2030 census or start a new one altogether. The White House and the U.S. Census Bureau did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment. Reality check: The Constitution laid out the Founding Fathers' vision for the census and how populations were meant to be counted. What the Constitution text says about the census The Constitution's Article 1, Section 2 stipulated how the population would be counted, though it also featured the " three-fifths compromise." The Constitution says the census should happen "within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." How it works: The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, requires the "whole number of persons in each state" to be counted in the census. "Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed," the amendment reads. The text gave the government a tool to help empower the people according to the United States Census Bureau. "The plan was to count every person living in the newly created United States of America, and to use that count to determine representation in the Congress," the bureau says on its website. Yes, but: There's debate about how the "actual enumeration" for the census is meant to happen. Some contend the language gives Congress a wide net for its methodology. Who is included in census population counts? Zoom in: The US Census Bureau says the resident population includes "all people (citizens and noncitizens) who are living in the United States at the time of the census." "People are counted at their usual residence, which is the place where they live and sleep most of the time," the bureau explains. The intrigue: Defenders of the census say the current process helps states represent and serve everyone in their state. But critics contend that the Constitution was written "before tens of millions of migrants resided in the country illegally," according to Benjamin Weingarten of RealClearInvestigations. Can Trump order a new census? It's unclear. Trump said in his TruthSocial post Thursday that he urged the Department of Commerce to start working on a new census without specifics. Preparing for the census count is an arduous process that can take several years of planning. The Census Bureau has already started preparing a test census for 2026 and a rehearsal in 2028. "This iterative approach will give the Census Bureau an evidence-based design for the 2030 Census," the bureau says. Flashback: Trump floated a similar idea during his first term. He tried to erase unauthorized immigrants from population counts, while also moved to add a citizenship question a citizenship question to the census. The latter act was blocked by the Supreme Court. says that questions about one's immigration status could lead to faulty self-reported data, which could mess with population totals. Trump also signed a memo in 2020 that aimed to omit undocumented immigrants from the census count. A lower court deemed the policy unlawful. The Supreme Court later dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the Trump administration's plans.
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
Socialist Zohran Mamdani has blistering response to Andrew Cuomo's alleged phone call with Trump: ‘Disqualifying'
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani quickly seized Thursday on a report that Andrew Cuomo and President Trump had a call in recent weeks — blasting such alleged coordination as 'disqualifying' for a prospective Big Apple mayor. Mamdani contended that New Yorkers won't elect a mayoral candidate who's cozy with the president after the New York Times report that Trump, a Queens native, was eyeing getting involved in the race. The Democratic candidate, during an WNYC interview, claimed Cuomo was 'coordinating with' Trump, calling it 'disqualifying' given the president's supposed attacks on the city. He carried on the critique during a hastily organized rally outside 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE agents have controversially been rounding up immigrants appearing for routine court appearances. Advertisement 'The job of mayor is not to audition to be the jester for a want-to-be king,' Mamdani railed, as he was flanked by union leaders. 'New Yorkers do not want a mayor who is working in tandem with the president to subvert the will of the people of New York City.' 4 Zohran Mamdani on Thursday blasted Andrew Cuomo for allegedly coordinating with President Trump. James Keivom Advertisement Mamdani also argued he was the only candidate worthy of being elected in deep blue New York City, given incumbent Mayor Eric Adams allegedly being compromised by the president's Justice Department scuttling his federal criminal case, and Curtis Sliwa being the GOP nominee. 'The fact is, the president has three candidates in this race,' he said. 'One that he's directly been in touch with, another that he bailed out of legal trouble and now functionally controls and the final one literally being a member of the same Republican Party.' Insiders said White House officials have been actively calling New York lawmakers and politicos this week to figure out if Trump should weigh in on the race as polls show Mamdani is the clear frontrunner. Advertisement The president himself is unsure he should, one source told The Post. Trump thinks Adams is a politically tainted likely 'loser' who cannot win re-election, the source said. He also dislikes Cuomo, despite a relationship going back decades — and ditto for Sliwa, who marches to the beat of a political drum unaligned with MAGA. Trump and Sliwa have a beef going back years that can't be reconciled, sources said. Cuomo's spokesman Rich Azzopardi, in response to the Times report, said the former governor and Trump 'have not spoken in some time.' Advertisement 4 Andrew Cuomo has a long history with Trump. REUTERS 4 President Trump is weighing whether to get involved in the Big Apple's mayoral race. Bonnie Cash – Pool via CNP / MEGA 'As far as I know, they have not discussed the race,' he claimed. Azzopardi argued that Trump would actually prefer Mamdani, whom he has labeled a 'commie,' because his far-left positions would be a boon for Republicans nationwide in the midterm elections. He also attacked Adams — who has cozied up to Trump politically, with mixed success — as a 'wholly owned subsidiary of the President.' Sliwa is also in the race, bearing the standard of Trump's GOP, Azzopardi noted. 'There is only one candidate in this race who can effectively defend New York values and take on Donald Trump – the one official who already has: Andrew Cuomo,' he said. 'We'll leave the palace intrigue to the gossip mill.' 4 Mayor Eric Adams, who has been trying to cozy up to Trump, is viewed by the president as a 'loser' who can't win re-election, a source said. James Keivom Advertisement Trump, despite making gains in New York City during the 2024 election, remains deeply unpopular in his home city. A recent poll found that Trump's unfavorability stands at 62% in the city, while Mamdani is the only mayoral candidate whose favorability wasn't deep underwater.
