Latest in Politics
Why potential leaders are walking away from state legislatures
Some state legislature races are expected to be uncontested in 2026, following a consistent decline in local leaders running for statewide office.
read moreDems want ICE to wear body cameras, but there’s no guarantee that will change their conduct
WASHINGTON — Wes Powers can see the Bishop Henry Whipple Building from his dining room window. In January, the Navy veteran left his house for the federal complex — the hub of the sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown in Minnesota — to join what began as a peaceful protest.
But Powers said the demonstration quickly escalated. At one point, an ICE agent fired a chemical agent at close range, covering him and others in the substance. When he tried to get the name and emergency contact information of a protester pinned to the ground by ICE agents, agents tackled him, knelt on his head, placed him in handcuffs and took him into custody, he said.
Powers, a U.S. citizen, said he was held in a cell where chemical irritants lingered in the air. He recalled ICE agents taking photos of him on their personal phones and photographing the IDs of other detained citizens. He said he was denied privacy when speaking with his lawyers and was never asked about his citizenship status while he was detained. Nine hours later, he said, he was released without charges.
“I feel frozen, scared and angry,” Powers said. “But this is not just my story.”
The Department of Homeland Security has arrested more than 4,000 people in Minnesota since the start of Operation Metro Surge, the largest federal immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history. Powers is just one of the hundreds of U.S. citizens who immigration agents have taken into custody and released without charges since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. In most of these cases, DHS has no video documentation of the detainment.
Now, as Congress debates how to rein in the agency, Democrats say incidents like Powers’ highlight a key problem: Many encounters between immigration agents and civilians happen without an official record. Lawmakers have stood by a list of 10 reforms they want Homeland Security to implement before voting to fund the agency and end its month-long partial shutdown, which has left more than 100,000 federal employees working without pay, according to the White House.
Despite the shutdown, Homeland Security has continued paying much of its roughly 260,000-person workforce using funds from last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated more than $190 billion to the agency, including roughly $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for Customs and Border Protection.
Congressional Republicans have largely opposed cutting department funds. But one proposal has drawn rare bipartisan interest: requiring agents to wear body cameras. A recent funding proposal included $20 million to equip ICE and CBP officers with body-worn cameras, a provision Republicans left intact even as negotiations over the broader DHS budget stalled.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the beginning of February started requiring every DHS officer on the ground in Minnesota to wear body cameras.
Supporters say the cameras could provide a record of encounters between agents and civilians. Some Democrats don’t think the reform is enough.
“DHS, ICE and CBP need to be dismantled,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said after exiting a March 4 hearing in which she questioned Noem. “That is why I have refused to give another cent to these agencies without significant reform.”
Jayapal added that she doesn’t think requiring immigration agents to wear body cameras alone will stop them from “violating people’s rights.”
Evidence mixed
Research on police body cameras suggests the devices may not be a cure-all. Studies have found mixed evidence that cameras reduce misconduct, raising questions about whether the technology would meaningfully change how federal immigration agents operate in the field.
Scot Haug, a retired Idaho chief of police who helped lead the implementation of body-worn cameras within his agency in 2008, said he focused his 32-year career in law enforcement on using technology to improve service and transparency.
“Every law enforcement officer — no matter if they’re federal, state or local — should be wearing a body-worn camera,” Haug said.
He noted that cameras often help investigators reconstruct encounters between officers and civilians and can provide evidence that aids both criminal cases and internal reviews. Departments that adopted the technology have also seen fewer complaints against officers and more training material for recruits, he said.
But Haug added that cameras themselves can’t root out larger issues in how law enforcement officials interact with the community.
“Cameras provide a camera’s perspective,” Haug said. “Just because an officer has a body-worn camera on doesn’t provide the whole context of what’s going on.”
When body-worn cameras were first introduced to police departments in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Haug said many officers were skeptical about the technology. Some worried the devices would be used primarily to discipline them or second-guess split-second decisions made in the field. But several years after their implementation, he said, many officers began to see the cameras as a form of protection.
Michael White, a former Pennsylvania police officer who now teaches at the Arizona State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, said his research has produced similar findings. By the mid-to-late 2010s, body-worn cameras had become an “almost routine” part of local policing.
Body-worn cameras protect officers just as much as the civilians they interact with, White said. Recordings can hold law enforcement accountable, but they can also protect against unfounded claims of misconduct.
“You’d be hard pressed to go anywhere in the country and find large numbers of officers who are opposed to body-worn cameras,” White said. “Officers who have them don’t want to give them up, and officers who don’t have them want them.”
Roughly 80% of local police departments require their officers to wear body cameras today. In 2022, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring federal law enforcement officers to do the same. When Trump took office last year, he removed the requirement.
The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Cameras do not equal culture change
In White’s view, body-worn cameras would offer the same benefits for federal immigration agents as they do for local police.
But White warned against relying on cameras to resolve systemic issues he sees within DHS. He said the technology is a “very good first start,” but not enough to produce the level of reform sought by Democratic lawmakers and a majority of Americans who think ICE’s tactics have gone too far.
“Body-worn cameras are a tool. That’s it,” White said. “It’s relatively easy to buy cameras and to have officers wearing cameras, but if you expect to change behavior, you’re going to need a lot more than just the cameras.”
Both White and Haug said the rise of smartphones and social media has already transformed how encounters between law enforcement agents and civilians are documented. Cell phone videos of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota rapidly fueled public outrage over ICE’s actions in recent months. While videos captured by bystanders often shape public perception of controversial incidents, they said body-worn cameras are necessary to provide critical context by showing events from the officer’s perspective.
Powers said he is skeptical that requiring ICE agents to wear cameras would meaningfully change how they behave in the field. He said he doesn’t think he would have been treated any differently during his nine-hour detention if the agents had cameras on them.
If civilians are already documenting confrontations with law enforcement and misconduct still occurs, he said, adding another camera may not make much difference.
“We’re filming them, and they’re still beating people up in the streets,” Powers said. “It doesn’t matter if they have a camera or not. I don’t think their behavior is going to change.”
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Federal food policy is in limbo. Experts want Congress to ‘SNAP’ out of it
WASHINGTON — Inside the Longworth House Office Building, lawmakers on the Agriculture Committee worked until 2 a.m. one night earlier this month, until they passed a roughly 800-page Farm, Food, and National Security legislation, better known as the farm bill.
The Republican-backed bill was approved 34-17, including votes from seven Democrats, on March 5.
Farm bills typically authorize agriculture and food policy for periods of five years. But the last farm bill was passed in 2018 to govern through 2023. Congress has extended the law three times in three years, rather than passing a full reauthorization.
Each time, lawmakers continued essential programs through temporary extensions. Most recently, in 2025, the budget reconciliation package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed many programs that would be covered in a “normal” farm bill. One notable change was cutting funding for the anti-hunger program SNAP by $186 billion through 2034, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Because that 2025 law already altered portions of agricultural and food policy, the new farm bill proposal focuses largely on programs that were not addressed in last year’s budget legislation.
Several Washington policy experts said that while they supported passing a farm bill this year, they were concerned about how last year’s budget law reshaped the proposal expected to face votes on the House floor later this spring. The bill would still have several hurdles after that, including consideration by a Senate committee, the Senate and then approval by President Donald Trump.
Conservation programs
A chunk of every farm bill goes toward “conservation,” helping farmers better care for their land through methods such as soil health improvements and water-quality protections.
For example, conservation funds might be used to limit the environmental harm of fertilizer.
Fertilizer is both costly and essential for crop production, which often takes a financial toll on farmers, said Precious Tshabalala, a researcher for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Tshabalala said reducing the impact of fertilizer is a win-win because it reduces the monetary strain on farmers while protecting the environment.
Conservation programs in the proposed bill would receive $6 billion annually, which is not dramatically different from the allocations in the 2018 farm bill. However, experts were concerned that the funding would not keep up with inflation. Tshabalala warned that the proposal could shift money away from scientifically backed conservation practices and shrink the amount of conservation work that the programs can support.
Tshabalala said a lot of farmers front the cost of conservation projects themselves.
“These programs are in demand. Farmers actually want to implement these programs,” Tshabalala said.
As they submit for reimbursement through these programs, a lot of them could be deemed ineligible for funding because there would be less money to go around, Tshabalala said.
Commodity programs
The 2025 budget bill changed the federal payments for 23 crops labeled “covered commodities,” including corn, soybeans, wheat and rice.
“This particular farm bill that was just passed out of committee has been referred to as a ‘skinny farm bill’ and ‘hollow farm bill,’ because it’s missing some of the largest programs, including commodities,” said Duncan Orlander, a policy specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
But the proposal would raise reference prices in safety net programs for farmers, most importantly the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs. This helps farmers when their crops fail or cannot be sold at a profit. According to the bill, these updated prices were supposed to reflect the years of rising production costs and years of inflation since 2018.
The proposal also would expand disaster assistance programs. In the case of the Tree Assistance Program, more growers would become eligible for help if their orchards and nurseries were hurt by natural disasters. The proposal would direct the Agriculture Department to develop a framework for delivering this emergency aid.
The committee bill also would expand access to federal crop insurance and disaster relief programs, which lawmakers said had become more important as farmers experience more extreme weather events due to climate change.
Nutrition assistance
SNAP usually accounts for as much as three-quarters of farm bill spending, making it the largest component of this legislation.
This time around, though, the SNAP fight already happened in the 2025 budget law. The current bill simply would tighten oversight of how SNAP benefits would be distributed and used.
In the 2025 law, Republicans supported cutting the SNAP budget in favor of supporting farms. But this approach doesn’t lower food prices, said Taryn Morrissey, a public policy professor at American University. She researches how SNAP benefits affect food insecurity in children and families.
“So it’s not that food is going to get less expensive. It’s going to be that low-income families shoulder that burden instead of the federal government,” Morrissey said.
Orlander said his team at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition tried but failed to make improvements to SNAP in the farm bill proposal.
Morrissey’s research has shown SNAP benefits reduce food insecurity and health care delays, she said.
Morrissey said she would closely watch whether Congress will successfully pass a five-year farm bill before Sept. 30, when the temporary extension of the 2018 farm bill is scheduled to expire.
“It’s a heavy lift, so it doesn’t often happen on schedule, which is true of many, many other things (in Congress),” Morrissey said.
Latest in Education
Repubs and Dems clash over parental opt-out rights in education after Supreme Court ruling involving LGBTQ+ books
A House subcommittee debated parents’ right to opt their children out of lessons because of religious conflicts in public schools, after Mahmoud v. Taylor ruling.
read moreHouse conflicted over One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes to federal student loans and solution to rising college costs
WASHINGTON — In a debate over how to best address rising college tuition, the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee discussed the consequences of recent changes to federal student loan policy on American families.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Republicans blamed administrative bloat for the college affordability crisis. Democrats pointed to a lack of state and federal investment in higher education, unchecked privatization and for-profit colleges.
Average tuition for both public and private four-year colleges has essentially doubled over the last 30 years, after adjusting for inflation, according to CollegeBoard. Both parties emphasized the importance of higher education for a strong American workforce and economy.
“We all agree there is a college affordability crisis in this country,” said Alma Adams, D-N.C., the subcommittee’s top Democrat. “Where we disagree is on the solution.”
Republicans praised their work to change federal loan policy in H.R. 1, now commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or The Working Families Act. The law imposes new borrowing caps, restructures the repayment system, reduces Pell Grant eligibility and reduces safety nets.
“The Working Families Tax Cuts simplified student loan repayment plans from over 50 options down to just two: a fixed ‘mortgage’ style plan and a ‘repayment assistance plan’ that provides targeted relief to borrowers in need,” committee Chairman Burgess Owens, R-Utah, said.
Owens said that the law will also hold schools accountable for student outcomes and ensure that their degrees improve their financial prospects. He said he is confident that restoring market incentives in higher education will lead to better pricing for students.
“The title of this hearing really should be about working families getting run over by the One Big Beautiful Bill,” Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said. “Again, I know they’re trying to rebrand the H.R. 1 to a different title, but the fact of the matter is, most people in this country have sort of figured out what a scam it is.”
Witness Julie Margetta Morgan is president of The Century Foundation and previously worked in the U.S. Department of Education. She said that the bill leaves students with two options: not attending college because it is too expensive or taking on risky private loans.
“These loans are going to have a higher interest rate, and they are going to have fewer options for people when they get in trouble on paying their loan,” Morgan said. “They don’t have the forgiveness option, they don’t have the income-based repayment options.”
Columbia economics and education Professor Judith Scott-Clayton said, in general, federal student loans have been a safe option for students because they offer many protections, including income-based repayment options, interest rate subsidies and very low default rates.
“All that being said, I think we’re definitely at a moment right now where there is so much chaos going on in the student loan repayment world,” Scott-Clayton said.
Scott-Clayton said families’ hesitation and anxiety about taking on student debt are not unreasonable at this time.
She said universities are feeling pressured because they can’t necessarily count on a guaranteed supply of families willing to pay what they charge every year, especially since the education sector is under fire and students are very price-sensitive.
Wellesley College Economics Professor Phillip Levine created MyinTution, which gives families access to a projected cost of attendance once financial aid is factored in, called the net price.
“It relies on very basic financial characteristics, how much money did you make last year, a few basic asset categories, what do you have in the stock market, that sort of thing,” Levine said. “It is very valuable for the institution to make it possible for prospective students to get off of the sticker price.”
Bob Onder, R-Mo., emphasized bipartisan legislation to improve college price transparency. His Student Financial Clarity Act creates a universal net price calculator and expands the college scorecard for students to compare costs across institutions.
Evan Bertis-Sample is a Northwestern University student from a low-income family. He receives the maximum financial aid package from Northwestern and also takes out a subsidized federal student loan each quarter to cover housing costs.
“I’m a first-generation student, so no one in my family before me has really had to deal with this type of stuff,” Bertis-Sample said. “So I had no advice given to me, so navigating what student loans look like, what financial aid packages are, and how to interpret them was definitely a big struggle.”
The committee has approved the Student Financial Clarity Act, and Onder said he is hopeful the bill will be brought to the House floor soon.
Repubs, Dems divided over school choice solution amid struggling education system
WASHINGTON — In a debate over how to fix the struggling American education system, senators disputed policies that allow public education funds to follow students to schools of their choice, including private schools.
“Traditional schools work for many students, what we’re asking though is to give the parent the choice if it does not,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
During the committee’s Wednesday hearing on school choice, senators discussed the implications of giving taxpayer dollars to private schools that can discriminate and deny admission to certain students. While Republican senators argued that the majority of Americans supported school choice, Democrats said voters had historically opposed private voucher initiatives.
The hearing came during National School Choice Week, an opportunity for the Trump administration to celebrate the return of education to the states through investment in charter school expansion and a federal tax credit for education scholarships. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the committee’s top Democrat, also released a report Wednesday detailing how Trump’s privatization of public education threatens public schools and working-class students.
“We should not be creating a two-tier education system in America,” said Sanders. “Private schools for the wealthy and well-connected, and severely underfunded and under-resourced public schools for lower-income disabled and working-class kids. Unfortunately, that is precisely what the Trump administration and my republican colleagues in Congress are doing.”
Among its provisions, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” created the first federal school voucher program at a cost of up to $51 billion a year, which Sanders said is more than the bill gives to the Title I program, which serves low-income students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act combined.
Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association and middle school social studies teacher, said that the rapid expansion of school privatization in Arizona has led to schools losing funding because Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program draws directly from the public schools’ general fund.
“There is no cap on it, so it’s almost like turning on a water faucet and letting it go,” Garcia said to the committee. “This year alone, it will be $800 million out of our general fund.”
Garcia said she believes taxpayer money should go to schools that have some accountability and transparency to ensure that every student is accepted and treated fairly.
While public schools are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, disability, religion and sexual orientation, private schools are not subject to the same admission requirements.
Of the private schools analyzed in Sanders’ report, 48% did not provide all students with disabilities with the services, protections and rights provided to those students in public schools, and 17% charged different tuition based on a family’s religious beliefs.
Vice President of Advocacy and Development for Oakmont Education, Cris Gulacy-Worrel, called concerns over private schools turning away students a “red herring,” saying she wants to see the focus shift to addressing the systemic failure to teach students reading and math.
“I think that’s a distraction from the real question, are kids really safe in a district school that has been failing them, that has a reading proficiency of say 0% like Baltimore,” she said.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., noted that on a busy day for the Senate, there is still nothing more important than the future of American children’s education.
“I hope that’s something we can continue to engage in and have that substantive, thoughtful conversation about education and not let our kids’ education get caught up in just the partisan bickering and the arguing that so often encapsulates this building, unfortunately,” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said.
Health & Science
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read moreMedical schools commit to increased nutrition education at RFK Jr.’s request
WASHINGTON – Fifty three medical schools will dedicate at least 40 hours of students’ degree requirements to nutrition education beginning next fall, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced on Thursday.
In a survey of 133 U.S. medical schools, a 2015 study from the Journal of Biomedical Education found that medical students typically receive about 19 hours of nutrition education across the four years of their education.
The schools’ commitment to the initiative, which was developed with the Department of Education, marks the latest advancement of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. He said it is one of his “proudest days” at the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Today represents a mutual recognition that HHS and leaders in American medicine can come together to advance shared goals and interests,” Kennedy said.
In an August 2025 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy said he believes poor nutrition is the root of the “chronic-disease epidemic” and called on medical education organizations to include “rigorous” nutrition education in medical training.
Kennedy also said HHS will provide $5 million through a National Institutes of Health “nutrition education challenge” to support curriculum development and clinical training. The program will extend to medical schools as well as nursing residency, nutrition science and dietitian programs.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon echoed Kennedy’s statement that the initiative does not mean the Trump administration dictates what medical schools teach and said her department will “never mandate curriculum.”
“That’s not our job,” McMahon said.
American Medical Association President Bobby Mukkamala, who spoke at the event, told Medill News Service that he thinks the push for more nutrition education will spread “contagiously, in a good way.”
“When I talk to people involved in medical education… it’s a no-brainer,” Mukkamala said. “It’s wonderful to be that aligned on something where (for) everybody now, this should be more on their compass than it is.”
According to the New York Times, Kennedy worked for months to secure partnerships from schools across the country and at times threatened funding eligibility if schools did not teach enough about nutrition.
Schools involved were listed on the HHS website as a “committed partner,” including Tulane University School of Medicine, University of Texas Houston McGovern Medical School and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Kennedy encouraged participation from schools that did not join the initiative.
“If your school is not on today’s list, that does not mean the door’s closed,” Kennedy said. “We expect you to step forward.”
Senators question surgeon general nominee Casey Means on vaccine and autism beliefs
WASHINGTON – Surgeon general nominee Casey Means said at a confirmation hearing Wednesday she believes “vaccines save lives” but stopped short of saying she would encourage Americans to receive specific vaccines.
“I do believe that each patient, mother or parent needs to have a conversation with their pediatrician about any medication they’re putting in their body or their children’s bodies,” Means said.
As a leader of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, Means, if confirmed, would join Human and Health Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s administration, which has sowed skepticism about vaccines and changed the recommended U.S. childhood vaccine schedule.
Means, if confirmed to be surgeon general, would be responsible for providing Americans with scientific information on improving their health and decreasing the risk of illness and injury. The role also includes overseeing over 6,000 officers in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, according to the HHS website.
Means is a wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur. She graduated from the Stanford School of Medicine but did not complete her residency. Means has an inactive medical license in Oregon, according to the Washington Post.
In his introduction of Means, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said she did not complete her residency because she was “disillusioned” by what she saw as the focus on treating symptoms rather than addressing underlying causes of health issues.
“As a physician, I have always been inspired that the root of the word ‘healing’ means ‘to return to wholeness,’” Means said in her opening remarks. “Nothing is more urgent than restoring wholeness for Americans physically, mentally and societally.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the committee chair, probed Means on how she would communicate health advice to Americans.
Cassidy asked if she believes people should have an in-person visit with a doctor before receiving a mifepristone prescription.
Means repeatedly said she would encourage Americans to have thorough discussions with their doctor to understand risks and benefits that may come with birth control or other medications, but she did not commit to saying those discussions should be in-person. She also said she “absolutely” thinks oral contraception should be “widely accessible.”
Republicans have previously shown interest in requiring in-person consultations for mifepristone prescriptions and are generally against mail-order abortion drugs.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., agreed with Means on the dangers of processed food but pressed her to clarify her position on vaccines.
“I think the answers you gave us were a little bit political and not to the point,” Sanders said.
On autism, Means said she believes it’s important to continue to study causes of rising rates of the condition but said she is “not here to complicate the issue” of vaccines.
“We have a situation where autism is rising. This is a huge problem,” Means said to Sanders. “As a biomedical researcher and physician, I am not going to sit here and say that we should not study something in the future.”
President Donald Trump nominated Means for surgeon general in May 2025, stating in a Truth Social post at the time that she has “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials” and would work closely with RFK Jr.
Her confirmation hearing was originally scheduled for last October but was postponed after she delivered a baby, according to Reuters.
Means’s brother, Calley Means, is a senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and sat in the audience during the hearing.
The committee is expected to vote on whether to send her nomination to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.
Latest in Environment
Wondering How to Talk About Climate Change? Take a Lesson from Bad Bunny
Discussing climate change can make a difference. Focusing on the impacts in everyday life is a good place to start, experts say.
read moreSupreme Court weighs pipeline deadline fight with stakes far beyond the Straits of Mackinac
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Potomac sewer spill remains ‘active incident’ one month later
WASHINGTON — Exactly one month after a major sewer line collapsed, pouring raw sewage into the Potomac River, environmental advocates and experts warned the public health threat could continue for months.
The initial spill occurred on Jan. 19 when a section of the Potomac Interceptor, a regional sewer system, collapsed along the Clara Barton Parkway in Montgomery County, Md. According to DC Water, which operates and manages the sewer system, approximately 243 million gallons of wastewater have overflowed from the collapse site.
Since the collapse, government and independent researchers have monitored the quality of the water around the rupture, specifically testing for E. coli. This bacterium indicates sewage contamination, which could cause vomiting and diarrhea for anyone who comes into contact with the water. Experts say water conditions can change day by day, making consistent monitoring critical.
Despite a temporary remedy, the effects of the enormous spill will likely be prolonged because of the limitations of the fix and the weather conditions. That creates uncertainty, inconvenience and possible health risks for the many people who enjoy recreation by the river.
Betsy Nicholas, the president of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a local environmental advocacy group, said the weather conditions immediately following the spill could prolong its impact.
“The entire Potomac was completely frozen just a few days after this spill started,” Nicholas said. “So all of that [sewage] was contained in the ice, and the river is going to thaw more slowly than we’d see on our streets.”
As the ice melts gradually, she said, contaminants trapped beneath the surface could continue affecting water quality for weeks or even months.
“I can’t imagine going through the warm months into the summer without being able to get in and kayak and swim and all of those things in the Potomac,” Nicholas said. “Hopefully, we will get enough information to do that and stay safe.”
The Potomac Riverkeeper Network’s latest findings suggested people should avoid areas closest to the rupture site, particularly around Lock 10 and the adjacent C&O Canal, where contaminated water has reached the banks. Walking along the waterfront in places such as Georgetown or National Harbor was considered low risk, Nicholas said, but kayaking, rowing or other activities that involve direct contact with the water should be avoided for now.
DC Water Chief Engineer Moussa Wone said permanent repairs of the pipe would take up to nine months. A temporary bypass structure was installed to reroute wastewater back into the sewer system.
“There’s also the potential, until it’s fully repaired, that we’re going to have small overflows there,” Nicholas said. “Ultimately, we would like to see daily monitoring and posting of the results so that we can make sure that everyone stays safe.”
Hedrick Belin, President of the Potomac Conservancy, an environmental non-profit organization, called the spill “an active incident.” He said public access to up-to-date water quality data is critical to protecting public health and safety.
“Until [the] 40 to 60 million gallons of sewage that’s flowing every day is back in a pipe, fully contained, risks to public health, to the environment, to recreation continue,” Belin said.
DC Water is conducting daily water quality tests and posting the results online, while the Potomac Riverkeeper Network is working with the University of Maryland to publish weekly updates on Instagram. Nicholas said it’s essential to have multiple independent sources sharing and verifying data.
Nicholas and Belin both said that they believe local and federal governments have not adequately warned the public. Washington did not issue an advisory urging people and pets to avoid the river until Feb. 12, nearly a month after the spill began.
“People should be calling for stronger leadership at the local, state, and federal level about this ongoing incident, demanding more accountability, more communication, more information, and ultimately urgency to get this crisis under control,” Belin said.
Latest in National Security
Senators discuss new legislation on foreign financial gifts to American universities, amid national security concerns
Senators discussed new legislation to increase federal oversight of foreign financial gifts to American universities during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing Thursday.
read moreRepublicans want to see Iran’s nuclear program destroyed. Democrats are asking if an end to the war is in sight.
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats Tuesday demanded clarity on an exit strategy for the Iran war. Republicans said their focus remains on what the military campaign would ultimately accomplish.
On Feb. 28, the U.S and Israel initiated strikes against Iran, killing the country’s Supreme Leader Ayotollah Ali Khamenei. On Monday, President Donald Trump held a press conference for the first time since the war began, pushing back against criticisms of the operation and suggesting the campaign was nearing an end.
“We’re achieving major strides toward completing our military objective. And some people could say they’re pretty well complete,” he said from his golf resort in Doral, Fla. “We’ve wiped every single force in Iran out, very completely. Most of Iran’s naval powers have been sunk.”
The following day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth showed no indication that strikes against Iran would slow down. He told reporters at the Pentagon the U.S. was ramping up to make Tuesday the “most intense day” of American strikes against Iran since the start of the war. The Senate Armed Services Committee received a closed briefing on the Iranian military action Tuesday morning.
Amid mixed messaging from the Trump administration, Democrats are questioning the reasoning and timeline for the war, although many Republicans expressed support for Trump’s decision to engage.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said after leaving the briefing that she remains concerned the Trump administration has not explained why it entered the war without congressional approval, the military strategy behind the operation or its broader goals in the region.
“I’m very worried about how long this will drag on. We are hearing no logistical estimates about when it will be over,” Warren said. “This is not a war that’s supported by this country, and this is not a war that makes us safer.”
Republican lawmakers seemed less concerned about when the operation would end and expressed approval for the war. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., said he has never been more impressed with a military operation than he is with Epic Fury, and argued the strikes were necessary because of Iran’s capability to develop nuclear weapons.
“We did this in the nick of time,” he said. “Thank god President Trump acted.”
In a video released on social media the morning after the U.S. and Israel struck Iran in February, Trump said the country had continued to develop nuclear missiles that could “soon reach the American homeland.” He said the threat persisted after the United States first initiated strikes against three nuclear sites in June 2025.
A 2025 Defense Intelligence Agency assessment contradicted these claims, reporting that Iran is years away from the ability to produce long-range missiles.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., expressed little concern about the length of the war, describing the conflict as a “short-term phenomenon.” He said he expects the United States to leave the region soon.
Graham argued the timeline of the war matters less than its outcome.
“It’s not when it ends, it’s how it ends,” Graham said. “There’s no way you can say you won this war with an Ayatollah in charge.”
He said that a sustainable victory would require Iran’s future leaders to abandon the pursuit of nuclear weapons, which he believes could open the door to peace in the region.
Democrats, meanwhile, questioned Trump’s decision to launch strikes without congressional authorization. Senator Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M, said the president should have sought approval from Congress before initiating military action.
“When it comes to reducing costs in America, everything should be on the table,” Luján said.
“Make no mistake: When President Trump decided to go to war in Iran on his own and refused to ask his Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate to give him authorization for use of force, he really doesn’t care.”
Some Republicans have indicated they would support funding the war effort if additional resources are needed. Kennedy said lawmakers have not yet been asked to approve additional funding.
Democrats say they will put up a fight if asked to financially support the war. Warren said she’d be a “hard no” if asked to approve supplemental funding to continue the military campaign.
“The one thing Congress has the power to do is to stop actions like this through the power of the purse,” she said. “The military already has $1 trillion.”
In Photos: From anti-war pleas to celebrations of a broken regime, two marches show a nation divided over Iran
WASHINGTON — Surrounded by a sea of white, green, and red, hundreds of Iranian protesters waved the Iranian flag on their march to Farragut Square Saturday afternoon to celebrate the fall of the Iranian regime. Two blocks over, anti-war protesters held signs calling for no new wars in the Middle East.
Many demonstrators at the National Solidarity Group of Iran’s anti-regime rally praised President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their initiation of the war, and for killing Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last week.
At the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s “Stop the War on Iran” protest, organizers condemned the Trump administration for prioritizing foreign conflicts over the needs of the American people.
“Money for jobs and education. Not for war and occupation,” protesters chanted.
Latest in Living
In photos: Lion dancing, drums fill D.C. Chinatown at midnight for Lunar New Year kickoff
Lunar New Year celebrations began in Chinatown late Monday evening, as performers led onlookers through a parade filled with lion dancing and drums.
read moreAmid anti-ICE protests, peace-marching Buddhist monks deliver a non-controversial message to thousands in DC
WASHINGTON — Tears welled in Cynthia Flanders’ eyes Wednesday as she reflected on a group of Buddhist monks’ walk to promote peace. Wearing a beanie that read “it’s okay not to be okay,” Flanders traveled from her Michigan hometown to the Washington region solely for this experience.
“When I heard that they were marching to remind us of the peace that each one of us has, every time I say that, it brings tears to my eyes because I’m so touched by that reminder, you know?” Flanders said. “I’m here to get back in touch with a warm, soft, less brutal heart, and remember we’re all connected.”
The monks’ 4-month, 2,300-mile walk journey to DC came at a time when anti-ICE protests have popped up around the country, but the monks avoided political comments about ICE or anything else, Brandon Dotson, a Georgetown University professor of Buddhist studies, said in an interview with the Medill News Service.
“I think we can interpret it in that context and say, ‘Well, this is an opportune time to talk about non-violence, to talk about peace, when we do have so many voices in our country that are promoting violence,” Dotson said. “But I don’t think that [the monks] are necessarily leading us to that conclusion.”
In fact, their public statements at a Lincoln Memorial ceremony on Wednesday afternoon did not advocate particular religious principles, but rather urged kindness and mindfulness practices.
“Love and kindness does not need power, money, or a title,” said Walk for Peace leader Bhikkhu Pannakara as he stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial. “It is simply the choice to stop before hurting, to sharpen before speaking, If each person takes just one second to ask, will this hurt anyone? The world would already be kinder.”
Dotson said this nonpolitical approach may protect them from potential criticism.
“For their sake, I hope that they’re not going to be too politicized, just because it is dangerous in our country, especially as an immigrant and as a foreigner, to be putting your head above the parapet,” Dotson said. “So I think what they’ve done has been very skillful.”
Regardless of what prompted them, Flanders said she was touched by the monks’ reminders of peace during this moment in politics that has frustrated her.
“I’ve been really, quite filled with anguish about what is happening in our country and how people feel so divided,” Flanders said. “My heart has felt very brittle and in anger about things that I feel are unjust.”
Flanders and longtime friend Amy Moore have engaged in transcendental meditation, a practice that draws from Buddhist principles, since attending Iowa’s Maharishi International University 50 years ago. Moore, who lives in Utah, was compelled to travel across the country to support the monks. After meeting up in DC, the two friends spent three days walking alongside the monks.
“I’ve been following the monks and I have been praying for peace forever,” Moore said, arm in arm with Flanders.
Moore was one of the first people to arrive at the monks’ first DMV appearance at Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday. She said that as she watched the crowd grow, a warm and joyful energy was “palpable.”
After concluding their march in Maryland on Thursday, the marchers posted to Facebook: “Every welcome, every smile, every offering, every prayer, and every step you took with us brought us to this beautiful moment of completion today.”
In Photos: ‘Walk for Peace’ Buddhist monks complete Unity Walk on Embassy Row
WASHINGTON — On the 108th day of their walk across much of the U.S., a group of Buddhist monks arrived in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday for the final leg of their ‘Walk for Peace’.
The monks, who began their pilgrimage in Fort Worth, Texas, described the walk as a spiritual journey promoting peace, compassion and unity.
After an interfaith ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral, the monks were joined by others for a Unity Walk down Embassy Row.
D.C. police escorted the monks down the street with cars, motorcycles and police bikes.
Latest Business
Trump administration plays favorites as antitrust cases climb in value
WASHINGTON — His top hat, fake mustache and the thick wad of cash he used to wipe his brow made it clear who was sitting behind Netflix’s Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at a Senate hearing in February. An attendee dressed as Mr. Monopoly stood out in the packed room as the...
read moreWATCH: Pop-ups become D.C.’s new path to storefronts
WASHINGTON — From a coffee cart inside the Cannon House Office Building to a pop-up inside a vintage clothing store, Washington entrepreneurs are rethinking how to start a business by turning to temporary setups instead of traditional storefronts.
With commercial vacancy rates nearing 23 percent and federal spending cuts reshaping the District’s economy, many small business owners are starting with pop-ups as a lower-risk path to building permanent storefronts. The pop-up model allows business owners to test ideas, build a community, and generate revenue without committing to costly long-term leases.
Black Crown Collective started as a simple coffee cart inside the Cannon House Office Building. Today, it operates as a permanent storefront serving customers on Capitol Hill, which is a model many entrepreneurs are now trying to replicate.
Watch the video report here:
Senators fault tax policy, Iran war spending for climbing national debt
WASHINGTON – Senators from both parties raised concern over both Iran war spending and how future generations will be impacted by the national debt in a Finance subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.
Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., called out past Democratic and Republican administrations for increasing the rate of the climbing debt. He said he was not satisfied with tax cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, calling the current deficit an “aberration” enabled from both sides of the aisle.
“We still have not taken the first step in solving the problem, which is admit we have one,” Johnson said.
The Congressional Budget Office’s Feb. 11 report predicted that the budget deficit for the 2026 fiscal year would be $1.9 trillion with debt held by the public as 101% of GDP, which is about equal to the value of annual economic output. By 2036, the nonpartisan research office predicted the annual deficit to be $3.1 trillion with debt rising to 120% of GDP.
These projections were based on the assumption that the government would not take legislative action to dramatically cut taxes or reduce spending.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized how the Department of War’s spending in Iran is contributing to the national debt. In the first week of the war alone, the Pentagon spent more than $11.3 billion, according to the New York Times.
“It seems to me, that when we’re talking about money here, that the way we can save the most money would be to stop bombing Iran now,” she said. “Just as a side benefit, we could save a lot of lives.”
The rising deficit should cause significant concern to government leaders, considering the relative strength of the economy, Dr. Phillip Swagel, Congressional Budget Office director, said. His office projects the unemployment rate will remain below 5% over the next 10 years, which signals a healthy economy.
Ultimately, Swagel said today’s young generation will not be able to avoid making hard economic choices to sustain programs like Social Security, and may also face more difficult economic conditions.
“Future generations will bear the burden of the deficit that will have to come in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, the mounting national debt exacerbates the affordability crisis, according to Maya MacGuineas, the president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonprofit advocacy group.
She said the spiralling deficit raises inflation and costs, stifles economic opportunity and makes it harder to take out loans for mortgages and start-ups since interest rates remain high.
The U.S. has been able to spend at such a rate despite its debt by relying on other countries, which have historically borrowed against the U.S. because it has the largest economy. However, in the future, when it becomes commonplace for other countries to borrow against each other rather than the U.S., national markets will collapse, predicted Martha Gimbel, executive director of Yale University’s Budget Lab.
Gimbel compared the U.S. to a boyfriend at the beginning of a Hallmark movie, who only exists as a precursor to when the main character finds a better alternative.
“The girlfriend is still going out with him even though she knows it is wrong,” Gimbel said. “But, at some point she’s going to go home to the small town and find the nice firefighter and realize that there is another option.”
SOTU: Health Care
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Congress should approve his plan to replace Obamacare with a new health care program that would provide “affordable alternative” insurance options and criticized Democrats for trying to impose “a socialist takeover of our health care system.”
“A good life for American families requires the most affordable, innovative and high-quality health care system on earth,” Trump said in his third State of the Union address.
Trump said he has proposed health care plans that would be up to 60% cheaper than the Affordable Care Act plans. Both the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services did not respond when asked if a specific replacement plan has existed or ever will.
The president blamed Democrats for not providing the American people with the health care reforms he has promised.
“As we work to improve Americans’ health care, there are those who want to take away your health care, take away your doctor, and abolish private insurance entirely,” said Trump, referring to the Democrats.
Democrats stood up at this comment, pointed their fingers at Trump and shouted “YOU.”
Trump said 130 Democrats endorse legislation to impose a “socialist takeover” of the health care system by “taking away the private health insurance plans of 180 million.”
Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are pushing for a “Medicare for All” plan that would end private health insurance while other candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., are pushing to expand on Obamacare.
“We will never let socialism destroy American health care,” Trump said.
Trump emphasized the administration’s efforts to protect patients with pre-existing conditions, to which Democrats threw up their hands and shook their heads in disagreement. Led by House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate and House Democrats brought more than 80 patients, doctors and health care advocates from across the country as guests to the speech.
“President Trump will speak to an audience filled with Americans who are suffering because of his broken promises on prescription drug costs and his all-out assault on Americans with preexisting conditions,” Pelosi said in a press release Tuesday morning.
The president also called upon Congress to pass legislation to lower prescription drug prices.
“Get a bill to my desk, and I will sign it into law without delay,” the president said.
Democrats responded to this by booing and holding up three fingers to represent H.R. 3, legislation proposed by the late Rep. Elijah E. Cummings that would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to negotiate certain drug prices. The bill has been on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s desk for over a month after being passed in the House.
Generic prescription drug prices dropped 1% in 2018, the first price drop in 45 years, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump said it was the first time in 51 years. Brand-name drug prices, however, are still increasing.
Trump said the administration will continue to make health care more transparent by requiring hospitals to make their prices negotiated with insurers public and easily accessible online. He also pointed to the passage of administration-backed legislation called “Right to Try,” which allows terminally ill patients access to drugs not fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration if they feel they have tried all other options.
He also said he has launched new initiatives to improve care for Americans with kidney disease, Alzheimer’s and those struggling with mental health challenges, in addition to pursuing new cures for childhood cancer and AIDS.
The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday afternoon to further discuss Trump’s health care policies and overcoming pharmaceutical barriers in particular.
Trump Sticks By Wall in State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s call for a wall to secure America’s southern border in his State of the Union address Tuesday night was no surprise to opponents.
Jennifer Johnson, the policy director at the Southern Border Communities Coalition, said Trump continually characterizes the southern border as a violent area.
“More of a reality check, these are families and children seeking protection, fleeing spiraling violence and poverty,” she said.
Chris Montoya, who served as a Customs and Border Protection agent for 21 years, said that “crime rates are pretty low in border cities. Being a border patrol agent is one of the safest law enforcement jobs. All those things together means a safe border.”
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., invited as his guest a mother who had been separated from her children at the border.
Other Democrats brought undocumented immigrants as their guests, including Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
Rep. Sheila Jackson, D-Texas, was enthusiastic about their attendance at the address. “Their presence here today is representative of the big tent that America is,” she said.
In his address, Trump attributed what he called at crisis at the border to America’s “reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools, and hospitals that are so crowded you can’t get in.” He referenced San Diego and El Paso as being cities that were once violent, and now safe with the addition of physical barriers.
Trump also mentioned the prevalence of MS-13 within the country. “They almost all come through our Southern border,” he said.
Montoya said MS-13 members do enter through the southern border on rare occasions, but it is uncommon for CBP agents to make an arrest.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin is the ranking member on the Senate Subcommittee for Border Security and Immigration. He said nothing changed in Trump’s rhetoric. “If we’re waiting on him, we’re not going to get this solved,” he said.
Washingtonians alternately protest, celebrate the State of the Union
WASHINGTON – DC-area residents had very different reactions to President Donald Trump’s second State of the Union address Tuesday night. But whether they celebrated or denounced the event, emotions were strong.
Around 40-50 people gathered at each of two intersections near the Capitol ahead of the address — far fewer than the 400 people who protested last year, according to Resist DC, the community action group that organized both years’ protests.
People lined the sidewalks along the streets that President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump cabinet members’ motorcades were expected pass by. They held homemade signs lit with string lights so they would be visible to government officials in their cars and chanted anti-Trump messages to music and drums.
Eileen Minarick, 70, said she was protesting simply “because the state of our union is terrible.”
Elsewhere in the city, local bar patrons gathered to drink beer, compete in presidential bingo and watch the State of the Union.
Grassroots activist group CODEPINK hosted a number of guest speakers, including actor Danny Glover, for a lively discussion before the main event. Topics ranged from the Bolivarian revolution to ending domestic violence.
Anita Jenkins, spokeswoman for Stand Up for Democracy, riled the crowd with a call to establish the District of Columbia the 51st state in the United States.
“The people of D.C. have no representation… We have nobody to speak for us,” she said. Modifying the words of America’s early founders, she said, “Taxation without representation is a rip-off.”
As President Trump appeared on the projector, shouts of disapproval rose from the bar patrons. The State of the Union 2019 had begun and the energy was energetic in its moroseness.
Across town, the atmosphere was also charged. Members of DC Young Republicans and Arlington Falls Church Young Republicans filled a restaurant for a celebratory viewing party.
“In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall… but the proper wall never got built,” said Donald Trump. He paused and then said, “I’ll get it built.” Hoots and hollers erupted in the bar and two girls were seen smiling and hugging each other.
Though Trump stressed unity in his national address, DC-area residents remained divided in their reactions.
2020 Candidates Alternate Cheers, Hisses to Trump Wall, Immigration Proposals during State of Union
WASHINGTON – Several Democratic 2020 presidential candidates expressed their displeasure with many of President Donald Trump’s policies during the State of the Union address Tuesday.
Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., could be seen shaking their heads when Trump mentioned controversial topics such as his commitment to building a border wall and the dangers of migrant caravans heading to the U.S. southern border.
Harris, who announced her candidacy on Jan. 21, shook her head and visibly mouthed, “They’re not,” as Trump said, “Large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States.”
In a Facebook Live address before the State of the Union, Harris told viewers, “It’s a moment for a president to rise above politics and unite the country with a vision that includes all Americans, not just the ones who may have voted for them. It’s a moment to bring us together.”
Early in the address, Harris was often reluctant to give Trump a standing ovation, asking her colleagues, “Really?” as they cheered the president’s comments about space exploration.
The candidates and their Democratic colleagues booed and hissed as Trump labeled the numerous investigations into his campaign finance and relationship with Russia “ridiculous partisan investigations.”
“If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation,” he said. “It just doesn’t work that way!”
Democrats cheered later as Trump mentioned that women have filled 58 percent of new jobs in the past year. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has formed a presidential exploratory committee, pointed at the newly elected House Democrats, who stood up and chanted, “USA, USA.”
“I think he didn’t realize that all the female jobs he created were for [congresswomen],” Gillibrand said after the speech.
The Democratic candidates stood and applauded with everyone in the chamber when Trump recognized World War II veterans, a SWAT team member and a childhood cancer survivor.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., sat stoically as Trump denounced socialism. Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist, is widely considered likely e to enter the presidential race. Unlike Sanders, Gillibrand and Harris stood and applauded as Trump said, “America will never be a socialist country.”
TRUMP STRIKES CHORD WITH WOMEN, FALLS FLAT ON BIPARTISAN BORDER WALL PITCH
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump got one of his biggest rounds of applause during his State of the Union address Tuesday night when he noted that Congress now has a record-high number of elected women, but it wasn’t lost on the crowd that when the women rose to cheer they were mostly on the Democratic side of the aisle.
“Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before,” Trump said as the women lawmakers rose to clap and celebrate. He then advised them “Don’t sit. You’re going to like this.”
“Exactly one century after the Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the Congress than at any time before,” he said. There were 117 women elected to Congress in 2018.
Bipartisan chants of “USA! USA!” filled the chamber as both the Democrats and Republicans broke into uproarious applause. Many of the Democratic women wore white and donned pins that read “ERA YES,” in a nod to the women of the suffragette movement.
Trump called his list of priorities “the agenda of the American people” in his second State of the Union address Tuesday, which was delayed a week because of the 35-day government shutdown, which didn’t end until the previous Friday. The address was the first the president has delivered before the new Democratic majority in the House.
The president remained on-script for the duration of the 84-minute speech and touted his administration’s achievements from the past two years. He also laid out several legislative priorities going forward, including a “smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier,” an infrastructure bill and the eradication of HIV and AIDS.
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., was glad that health care was a topic in the speech, while Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., described the speech as “terrific.”
“We haven’t gotten that right when it comes to protection our citizens with pre-existing conditions, correcting all the problems and costs associated with the ACA,” French said. “I like that he kept an emphasis on that while also tackling the prescription drug process.”
For Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., laying out these broad initiatives wasn’t enough.
“I wrote down a number of initiatives — defense spending, cancer research, transportation, infrastructure — and never heard anything of how we’re going to pay for them,” he said.
The president also pushed his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and to reduce drastically the number of troops in Afghanistan.
Among Democrats, reactions were mixed as Trump highlighted his achievements. When Trump lauded the U.S. increase in gas and oil production, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who has championed a Green New Deal to address accelerating climate change, remained seated.
Many Democrats applauded Trump’s push for a new infrastructure bill and decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who sat behind Trump with Vice President Mike Pence, was clearly following a printed version of the speech. She applauded when Trump mentioned criminal justice reform and bipartisan efforts on lowering drug costs and furthering women’s rights.
After praising a recent bipartisan effort to secure criminal justice reform, Trump shifted to a project he said would require the same bipartisan effort: a southern border wall.
“Simply put, walls work and walls save lives,” he said. “So let’s work together, compromise and reach a deal that will truly make America safe.”
However, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was not encouraged by the president’s attempt to strike a bipartisan tone.
“I just don’t think he is to be trusted,” she said. “This is not a president who is working for the middle class of this country.”
Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said that while parts of Trump’s speech were good, he was too combative at times.
“There should have been more emphasis on the fact that the government was shut down and we all need to work together to bring it back,” he said. “Blaming the Democrats is not going to keep the government open.”
Freshmen members of Congress excited, disappointed at their first State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — Before attending his first State of the Union address, Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, D-N.J., felt a sense of excitement and joy, but also feared the president might once again fan partisan flames by rehashing controversial issues.
“I hope that right now, he doesn’t talk about closing the government again. I hope he doesn’t talk right now about declaring a national emergency. I would so much rather see that we try to work together and get something done. That requires flexibility on Democrats side as well. Both sides have to do this,” said Van Drew.
Partisanship is the reason the approval rating for Congress is so low, but issues like border security, and infrastructure deserve cooperation between the two parties, said Van Drew.
“Rather than just argue and disagree and investigative and be hurtful on both sides, maybe we can actually get something get done.”
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Chris Pappas, D-N.H.
Although having been full-fledged members of Congress for a little over a month, the freshmen class of senators and representatives still retains a “sense of awe” about the State of the Union address, said Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H. Pappas said he hoped Trump would strike a conciliatory tone with Democrats, allowing lawmakers to avoid a second government shutdown.
Pappas brought a transgender military veteran from his home state to hear the president as a symbol of his hope that Trump’s transgender military service ban will be lifted.
“That doesn’t make us any safer and in fact plays politics with the military,” he said.
In addition to passing social justice reform, Pappas said he would like Trump to speak about the opioid crisis, prescription drug costs and infrastructure — and Trump did.
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Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill.
In Illinois Rep. Sean Casten’s dreams, Trump’s State of the Union address would make climate change a priority, but said his expectations were low. Trump did not in fact mention the environment.
“Truth is what I hope he doesn’t say is what I fear he will say,” Casten said, “which is that he’s going to threaten to shut down the government again if he doesn’t get a wall.”
Casten’s guest was Julie Caribeaux, the executive director of Family Shelter Service, which receives federal aid and provides support for victims of domestic abuse. He said domestic violence victims are some of the “primary victims” of Trump’s rhetoric.
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Anthony Brindisi, D-N.Y.
Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-NY, was hoping for a message of bipartisanship and unity, things that “the American people are calling for.” Trump did call on Congress to act together on many issues.
Brindisi’s top priorities this year are trying to find common ground with the Republicans on immigration reform, infrastructure and lowering prescription drug costs. On infrastructure, he said he specifically wanted to hear Trump’s ideas on investing in job training programs. Trump mentioned all the issues, but with little specificity except that he wants a border wall and enforcement to stop what he called “caravans of migrants” heading to the southern border.
“Those are things that I talked about during the campaign that many people back in upstate New York are calling for and those are things I hope he does say,” Brindisi said.
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Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev.
Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., said she gets excited every time she walks onto the House floor, and Tuesday was no exception. Although there were parts of the speech she did not agree with, namely Trump’s insistence on a border wall, Lee said she appreciated the call for bipartisanship.
Lowering prescription drug prices, investing in infrastructure and a comprehensive border control strategy — these are all components of his speech Lee said she could agree with.
“These are all ideas I can get behind and they work together to produce some results for American families,” she said.
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Rep. Deb Halaand, D-N.M.
Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., said she was dismayed about Trump’s urgency regarding funding for a border wall.
“I wasn’t surprised. Let’s put it that way about the president’s speech. I mean, of course, we don’t want a wall,” said Halland. “He instilled fear and everybody about the danger, you know, the danger that’s coming across the border.”
Haaland hopes to focus on promoting awareness about climate change and wished the President would be more receptive to the diverse issues and people around the country.
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Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., said he enjoyed his first State of the Union in a historical sense, but wanted President Trump to address issues he feels are important, including raising the minimum wage and healthcare.
Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill.
He said while the president did mention lowering prescription drug costs, there was another area of healthcare that was not noted, such as the millions who do not have healthcare at all.
“He wrapped himself around a lot of patriotism and recognition of your courageous battles and victories and but in the end, I think he failed to address important things more,” Garcia said.
Post-SOTU Interviews with Illinois Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowski and Cheri Bustos
Our Alex Lederman sat down with Illinois Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowski and Cheri Bustos after the State of the Union to hear their thoughts on President Obama’s address.
Schakowski — Evanston’s congresswoman since 1999 — said “(Obama)’s vision of what makes our country strong was so human and so true.”
Bustos said Obama is focused on the future — our children and grandchildren — and working together to solve the nation’s problems.
Medill’s State of the Union night on social media
Medill on the Hill produces live State of the Union broadcast
WASHINGTON — It was the third day of reporting for the 21 students in Medill on the Hill. It also happened to be the day the president would deliver his final State of the Union address.
Months ago, buoyed by the excitement of the possibilities and the folly of youth, some of us came up with the idea of taking Medill on the Hill to a new level — producing live TV while also finding new ways of storytelling for the website and social media.
On State of the Union night, Jan. 12, the Washington web team led by Alex Duner and Celena Chong managed the flow of copy and constant web updates streaming in from reporters around Capitol Hill and elsewhere in D.C. There also was a constant stream of @medillonthehill tweets and snapchats as well as several Periscopes.
Tyler Kendall, Allyson Chiu and Shane McKeon were responsible for the main story, and Chiu said the experience was, “the highlight” of her journalism career.
“It was hectic, crazy and we were definitely all running on adrenaline by the end of the night,” she said.
Other reporters were assigned to stories on specific issues the president mentioned, or how local college students reacted to the speech. One even tweeted the speech in Spanish.
My task was to produce the Washington end of a live television broadcast.
Nine months ago Jesse Kirsch came back from 2015 Medill on the Hill with an idea for Carlin McCarthy, another producer with the Northwestern News Network, and me.
He said, with the optimism of a television anchor, that for the 2016 State of the Union we should produce a live broadcast with analysts at our home studio in Evanston and reporters in our D.C. bureau and on Capitol Hill. I said, with the skepticism of a television producer, that I thought he was crazy.
It took long nights, patience and a lot of support from the Medill faculty and staff, but we pulled it off.
Jesse opened the show in Evanston and before we knew it Isabella Gutierrez was doing a live hit from the Washington bureau. Then we were live in Statuary Hall with Noah Fromson, followed by a live report from graduate student Ryan Holmes on what to watch for just minutes before we streamed the live feed of President Barack Obama addressing a joint session of Congress for his final State of the Union.
We did a live interviews with Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, wrote scripts while we counted down the seconds until they were read and gathered quotes from senators and members of Congress. Alex Lederman also provided quick-turn video interviews with two congresswomen.
Associate Producer Geordan Tilley, who interviewed Durbin, was nervous before the show, but she said she is proud of the Medill effort.
“I thought the show was some of our best work, Tilley said. “Especially considering how many firsts were involved, not the least of which was our first time going live.”
Medill Today | Tuesday, March 10, 2026
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