News and updates

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.