A new report shows American students are lagging in U.S. history and civics education. Also in the news: The Fed is meeting today and may announce another hike in interest rates and a four-day manhunt in Texas has closed after officials arrested and charged a suspect in the shooting deaths of five neighbors. |
Now, here we go with Wednesday's news. |
US history, civics scores drop for nation's 8th graders |
Nearly all of the nation's eighth graders fell behind in U.S. history and civics in 2022 compared with 2018 on the National Assessment for Education Progress, also called the Nation's Report Card, according to scores released Wednesday. Declines were expected because of the shift to remote teaching and the loss of instruction time at the onset of the pandemic. But for these subjects, experts also worry friction over what students are taught in American history classes, especially about race and slavery, are a factor. The test results follow a national plunge in reading and math performance among fourth- and eighth-grade students from the same year. Read more | The "Don't Say Gay" law originally focused on limiting talk of gender and sexuality among younger children, has now been expanded through 12th grade. Patrick Colson-Price, USA TODAY |
Will the Fed raise interest rates? |
The latest Federal Reserve meeting is happening Wednesday, and Fed officials have indicated another increase in interest rates could be coming. But the bigger question looming as Fed officials meet is whetherthey'll hint another increase will be the central bank's final rate bump of the year. Policymakers are waiting to see how much lending tightens following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which may also slow the economy and curb inflation. Read more |
House Dems move forward with secret plan to pay America's bills |
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is moving forward with a plan to "stop right-wing extremists from triggering a dangerous default on America's debt." The move comes days after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned the government could default on its debt for the first time in U.S. history as soon as June 1. |
House Democrats are using a discharge petition, a rarely used procedural move to get a bill out of committee, to force a vote on their bill to increase the debt limit − if they can get a handful of Republicans to join them. |
| • | Biden is also making moves. He invited House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to meet on May 9 to discuss the debt limit. Republicans want to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts, while the president wants to raise the government's borrowing limit without conditions. | | • | McCarthy's position remains unchanged after the House passed their debt limit bill last week with $4.5 trillion in spending cuts. |
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Pentagon to send 1,500 active-duty troops to US-Mexico border |
The Pentagon will deploy 1,500 active-duty troops to the southwest border to help deal with an expected surge in migrants seeking to enter the United States. The troops will not be involved in law enforcement activities but will fill a request by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol for detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support. The troops will be sent there for 90 days until the Department of Homeland Security can hire contractors to fill those gaps. In a tweet, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suggested he was unimpressed by the announcement, saying "This does nothing to stop illegal immigration." Read more | U.S. National Customs and Border Protection Port of Brownsville held a full-scale readiness exercise at Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Miguel Roberts, AP |
Gunman who killed 5 neighbors in a Texas home is caught after manhunt |
The man accused of killing five neighbors in a rural Texas home was taken into custody Tuesday after a four-day search, authorities said. Francisco Oropeza, 38, was arrested in Montgomery County, Texas, and charged with five counts of murder. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Oropeza will be transported back to the San Jacinto County jail and held on a $5 million bond. Hundreds of law enforcement officers from local and state agencies, the FBI and U.S. Marshals were using drones and scent-tracking dogs in the search, as well as doorbell camera footage and an identity card to identify Oropeza. Read more |
Photo of the day: Writers strike 2023 |
At 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, the Writers Guild of America, the union representing most of Hollywood's scribes behind your favorite TV shows and films, went on strike. Now the people behind everything from network series like CBS' "NCIS" to Marvel movies to streaming series including Netflix's "Stranger Things" will hit the picket lines for the first time in 15 years. Read our explainer on the strike and what it means for your streaming. | Members of the Writers Guild of America picket outside the CBS Television City in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Damian Dovarganes, AP |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | | |
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