Category: What We’re Reading

Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is enjoying this week.

Um…Unseemly? –  As the Obama Administration cracks down on for-profit colleges, three former officials working on behalf of an investment firm run by President Barack Obama’s best friend have staged a behind-the-scenes campaign to get the Education Department to green-light a purchase of the biggest for-profit of them all — the University of Phoenix. Read more in Politico. 

Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt – In a 5-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down the State of Texas’ requirements that abortion clinics meet certain safety standards and that providers be affiliated with nearby hospitals. Read more at Roll Call.

Hold Up – Stop what you are doing—now!—and wait for more discussion and instruction. That’s the blunt message that a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee on reforming federal regulation of U.S. research sent today to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other government agencies. In one part of a wide-ranging report on ways to reduce research red tape, the panel calls on U.S. agencies to abandon a controversial proposal to update rules that protect human research participants, then wait for the president and Congress to create a new high-level commission to recommend improvements. Read more at Science. 

Entrepnots – When Hillary Clinton unveiled a proposal to reduce the student-loan burden on entrepreneurs, higher-education policy wonks responded with a collective eyeroll. The proposal, part of a technology platform the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee announced on Tuesday, would allow entrepreneurs — and, possibly, their first few employees — to defer payment on their student loans for three years. It would also offer those starting businesses in “distressed communities” or those who form “social enterprises that provide measurable social impact and benefit” up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness after five years. Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

Trade is Garbage – Donald Trump gave a speech this week revealing his “jobs plan,” which is essentially to force renegotiations of trade deals. Read more in Politico.

Silver’s Blessing – Number’s guru, Nate Silver, predicts that Clinton will win by 79 percent in a general election. Read more in Politico. 

Now For Something Really Important – What industry might be most impacted by the Brexit? The British specialty food industry, namely booze and cheese. With Brexit, British competitors could potentially imitate foods these foods – including Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and Yorkshire Rhubarb – and sell them for less. Read more at NPR’s Marketplace. 

Liberal Arts – American undergraduates are flocking to business programs, and finding plenty of entry-level opportunities. Students are clamoring for degrees that will help them secure jobs in a shifting economy, but to succeed in the long term, but businesses require an individuals with an education that allows them to grow, adapt, and contribute as citizens—and to build successful careers. Read more in The Atlantic. 

Now You Know –The House Benghazi Committee has issued its final report this week. What did the Bengazi report tell us that we didn’t know a few years ago? Not much. Read more in Roll Call. Vox has a reminder of what Benghazi was all about, incase you forgot.

Most Likely To… – While Senator Elizabeth Warren is one of the most talked about possibilities for Secretary Clinton’s Vice President, there are several other individuals, both well-known and no so, that have a chance. Read more in The Hill. 

More Legal Than Illegal – In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court threw out the corruption case against former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, who had accepted more than $175,000 in gifts and loans from Johnnie R. Williams Jr., the CEO of a dietary supplement company looking to do business with the commonwealth of Virginia. Although McDonnell made calls and set up meetings for him, the court ruled that these did not constitute “official acts” under federal statute and that the prosecution’s interpretation of bribery law was “boundless.”  Prosecutors had failed to prove he had done favors for a wealthy donor that he might not have done for any constituent. Read more in Governing. 

SCOTUS 2016 – Who are the winners and losers in this year’s Supreme Court decisions? Vox takes a look. 

Eur(He)ka! – Experts have been warning of a looming shortage of helium for years, as the known reserves are being depleted. Now British researchers have discovered a large reserve of helium gas in Tanzania, using a new exploration method that offers hope for the future. Read more in Gizmodo.

History Repeating? – Brexit + Donald Trump / John Oliver = A Lesson in THERE ARE NO DO OVERS. Read more at Slate.

Explosive Finale – Game of Thrones ended it’s sixth season this week with a revealing and shocking episode. Slate has a salute to Margaery Tyrell, one of the strongest and most morally interesting characters on the show, and the ONLY ONE to figure out that Cersei was up to something. Read more in Slate. 

 

Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations Team is enjoying this week.

Sit In (You Can’t See) – The D.C. political world riveted its attention on a rare sit-in on the House floor Wednesday afternoon by House Democrats, but the closest C-SPAN’s cameras could get to the action was the steps of the Capitol building.That’s because the news organization that chronicles every sneeze on the Hill doesn’t control the cameras recording live feeds of the House chambers — the Republicans in the House majority do.  Read more at Roll Call.

Shut It Down – The House erupted into deafening shouts as Republicans attempted to end Democrats’ sit-in on the Floor with a vote unrelated to gun control. Read more at The Hill. 

Flag Issue Is Back – The issue that decimated the FY 2016 appropriations process in the House is back. An amendment barring the flag imagery’s display in Veterans Affairs cemeteries was added to the FY 2017 Military Construction-VA spending bill last month.  When the conference report was released, however,  the amendment was gone. Read more in Roll Call.

Watching the Watchdog – This week, the private accrediting group that allowed Corinthian to stay open for business will face its own existential threat, when federal regulators decide whether to shut it down. That decision will go a long way toward determining whether education companies will continue to have free rein to profit from government financial aid programs. Read more in the New York Times. 

Income v. Revenue – Donald Trump spent more money than he raised in the month of May, and ended the month with $1.3 million in the bank. Read more in the Washington Post. 

Counselor – For 13 years, the lawyer who had infamously whispered in McCarthy’s ear whispered in Donald Trump’s. In the process, Roy Cohn helped deliver some of Mr. Trump’s signature construction deals, sued the National Football League for conspiring against his client and countersued the federal government — for $100 million — for damaging the Trump name. Read more in the New York Times. 

Vox explains BrExit. 

To the Interwebs! – Eight hours after voting to leave the European Union, Google reported that searches for “what happens if we leave the EU” have tripled in Britain. Read more in The Washington Post. 

 

Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is enjoying this week.

No Credit – The Education Department on Wednesday recommended that the organization that accredits many of the nation’s for-profit colleges and vocational schools shouldn’t be recognized, a step that could threaten access to nearly $5 billion in federal financial aid for more than 800,000 students. The decision also has the potential to hasten the consolidation of the for-profit college sector as it could drive out of business many schools that lose access to student loans as well as students leery of attending schools under the regulatory microscope. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

Game Over – Russia’s track and field team has been barred from competing in this summer’s Rio Games because of a far-reaching doping conspiracy, an extraordinary punishment that might be without precedent in Olympics history. Read more in The New York Times. 

Gun Control – After a 15 hour filibuster this week, the Senate is set to begin a series of gun-related votes as early as  Monday, with Democrats pledging to work through the weekend to secure GOP support.  Read more in Roll Call. 

Terrorists and Guns via the New York Times. 

Perks – When public college or university presidents are hired, their salaries always attract attention. But new research suggests the real growth in executive costs may be due to expenses and benefits, which these days go beyond the charge to live in the president’s mansion. Presidents’ contracts have become long, complex and stuffed with extra benefits going far beyond base salary and a place to live, according to new research from James Finkelstein, a public policy professor at George Mason University who has been analyzing presidential contracts for several years. Finkelstein is scheduled to share his findings at the American Association of University Professors’ annual conference Thursday in Washington. Read more at Inside Higher Ed. 

Zika – The Senate agreed by voice vote Wednesday night to join the House in formal negotiations over a Zika virus response package, the latest incremental step toward clearing a bill for President Barack Obama’s signature. Read more in Roll Call. 

Yughly Terrible – GOP insiders said Trump’s response to the incident was “only fair” or “poor” — with nearly half of all Republicans rating it poor. Read more at Politico. 

 

Here’s a selection of articles Federal Relations is reading this week.

Top 10 – Senate Republicans are in a tough position this year to defend their majority. While Senate Democrats only have to defend 10 seats, Republicans have to defend 24 seats — most of them in blue or purple states. The Hill has the top 10 most likely to flip Republican seats. 

No 2 – Here’s a look at who Hillary Clinton could pick as her running mate. Read more at NBC. 

BAD Idea – For the first time this year, colleges are required to publicly disclose the number of rapes, broken out from sexual assaults, reported on their campuses. That means it’s possible to create a list of the most rape-ridden colleges in the US. Read more at Vox. 

ReBrand – For the second time in less than a decade, the industry association representing colleges and universities has changed its name, part of a three-year plan to reverse dramatic enrollment declines that have resulted in closings and bankruptcies. The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities will become Career Education Colleges and Universities, or CECU, it announced at its annual convention here. The new group, which has lost several of its for-profit members, will also welcome nonprofit institutions for the first time. Read more in The Hechinger Report. 

No Agreement in Sight – Sexual assault is a huge problem in the US military. And for many victims, the process of reporting their crime and seeking justice can be as traumatic as their assault. Congress, Americans, and the military agree something needs to change, but there’s a profound disagreement on how, and how much, the system needs to change. Read more at Vox. 

History Lesson – A similar scenario to Donald Trump’s candidacy unfolded in 1848, when General Zachary Taylor conquered the Whig Party as nominee…and it broke the party. Read more in Politico. 

First to Fall – Several states held primaries on Tuesday. While, a Democratic incumbent has already lost the primary, Tuesday saw the fall of the first GOP member, the embattled Renee Elmers, who’s endured a series of unfortunate events including a scandal over an affair, the Tea Party turning against her, and redistricting. Roll Call had the preview. 

A Day in the Life – Official White House photographer Pete Souza has chronicled the most intimate, candid and comical moments of Barack Obama’s two-term presidency. See the photos and story at The Guardian. 

 

 

 

Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is enjoying this week.

VP Picks – Now that Trump has locked down the nomination, the latest speculation is who will be named his running mate. Read more at The Hill. 

Pell – The federal Pell Grant program, a federal financial aid offering earmarked for the neediest college students, is expected to have a $7.8 billion surplus next year. The fight is on to claim that money. Read more at the Wall Street Journal.

Opioids – Prince died of an overdose from opioid painkillers, becoming the latest high-profile victim of America’s opioid epidemic. Read more at Vox. 

No Enforcement – Last week, the University of North Carolina system told a federal court that it won’t enforce a law requiring transgender students to use bathrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates. Read more at the Associated Press. 

Tricky, Tricky – The Third Way is out with a new report on the low graduation rate of these students attending private nonprofit colleges. Only 55 percent graduate within six years and of the 1,027 private colleges studied, 761 have graduation rates of less than 67 percent. Read more at The New York Times. 

“It’s okay to max out your credit card.” – A spate of stories on Trump University have hit the media this week from, admittedly, disgruntled employees about the for-profit institution being an unscrupulous business that relied on high-pressure sales tactics, employed unqualified instructors, made deceptive claims and exploited vulnerable students willing to pay tens of thousands for Mr. Trump’s insights. Read more at The New York Times. Read more at Vox. 

 

Only in DC, both from the Washington Post:

Maryland congressman’s daughter uses dad’s car — and congressional license plates — to drive for Lyft. 

A warning left on a nanny’s car. License plates stolen. And a top Pentagon official in big trouble.