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Why public schools nationwide are facing a massive drop in student enrollment
LOS ANGELES — Long before the Trump administration started deporting hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many with school-age children, public schools nationwide faced a massive and accelerating drop in student enrollment caused mostly by shrinking families.
“Birth rates here in Los Angeles County have been declining for decades, which means fewer children enrolled in our schools,” said Kelly Gonez, a board member in the LA Unified School District (LAUSD), the second largest in the country, which lost more than 300,000 students over the last two decades.
LA isn’t alone. The population of children under age 18 began to fall nationwide after 2010, according to U.S. Census data, dropping by roughly 2.1 million kids through 2025. Click here to read more.
How Canada Inflicted Maximum Midterms Pain on Trump
A trade deal was imminent. Top negotiators from the United States and Canada were holed up in a dreary building in southwest D.C., working on the details of an agreement to finally end hostilities that had wreaked havoc on both countries’ economies and a once close diplomatic and military relationship. But then, two hours before the Aug. 22 tariff deadline, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney instructed his negotiators to walk away. That night, the U.S. responded, imposing a 50% tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods like wood pulp, hockey equipment and industrial machinery.
Carney’s government had been watching the trade negotiation deadline with an eye to a different clock ticking down: two months until Trump’s constituents went to the polls. For Canadian leaders who had spent a decade testing strategies to confront an increasingly adversarial neighbor, the electoral calendar was a new source of bargaining power to explore. Click here to read more.
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Illinois is about to lock in a new map of tax-favored neighborhoods for the next decade.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has until Oct. 28 to identify which areas it will propose to become part of the federal Opportunity Zones 2.0 initiative. Approved areas will qualify for a federal program that allows investors to defer taxes in exchange for investing in economically distressed areas.
Congress created Opportunity Zones in 2017 to draw private money into low-income neighborhoods. Investors who sell stocks, real estate or other assets at a profit can put that money into a fund that invests in a zone. In return, they can delay paying tax on the original profit, and if they hold the investment for at least 10 years they owe no federal tax on what the new investment earns.
The new zones take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and last 10 years. Click here to read more.
Hakeem Jeffries: I’m a ‘Hard Yes’ on the Hegseth Impeachment Resolution
Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he is a “hard yes” on impeaching Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Host Jonathan Karl said, “Let me ask you about Pete Hegseth, because Thomas Massie, of course, a Republican, tells me that he intends to introduce a resolution of impeachment of Hegseth as defense secretary as soon as tomorrow. Are you going to support that? Will Democrats vote in favor of that impeachment resolution?”
Jeffries said, “I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution. The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermine our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe. Pete Hegseth has got to go. ” Click here to read more.
President Trump, UFC President Dana White to discuss press secretary job Monday
President Donald Trump let the world know Saturday who he wanted to be the next White House spokesperson.
What we know:
The president posted that he offered the press secretary role to Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White but did not say if the man whose current job is running the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion had accepted. Trump’s post also included a list of names of people the president would like White to bring with him.
Will Dana White be press secretary?
What we don’t know:
Whether White becomes the next face of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. may not be known for at least a couple of days. White is currently in London for a boxing event. He told reporters during a news conference that he would be flying to Washington for a Monday meeting with Trump. Click here to read more.
