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Holed-Up Philippine Senator Courts Support Over Police Standoff
Two days after he dramatically re-emerged into public view, a Philippine politician with an outstanding arrest warrant is holed up in the Senate with police massed outside, one of the more bizarre episodes in the country’s politics in recent years.
Takeaways from the nation’s oddest Senate primary
Nebraska Democrats knew they couldn’t unseat a GOP senator, so they backed an independent and fielded a candidate who promised to drop out if she won. Then it got complicated.
Louisiana senators unveil proposed voting map for Congress. See what it looks like here.
See the first draft of a plan to redraw districts that has stirred a ferocious battle over voting rights in Louisiana.
Cindy Burbank Wins Senate Primary in Nebraska, but Plans to Drop Out to Help Dan Osborn
Cindy Burbank has said she intends to exit the general-election race, clearing the field for Dan Osborn, an independent candidate, to face Senator Pete Ricketts, a Republican.
Schumer backs GOP's plan to bring the pain during future shutdowns: 'I'm going to vote for it'
Chuck Schumer says he will vote for a Republican-backed Senate resolution to withhold senators' paychecks during any future government shutdown.
Fetterman weighs in after PA Supreme Court justice apparently splits from Democratic Party over antisemitism
Sen. John Fetterman responds after Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht sounds alarm about antisemitism in the Democratic Party.
Louisiana senators address heated exchanges during tense redistricting debate
Tensions are high in the State Capitol as Republicans push to redraw the congressional map to eliminate one or both majority-Black districts.
Ernst Celebrates National Small Business Week with Iowa Entrepreneurs | U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa
RED OAK, Iowa – In celebration of National Small Business Week, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)...
Chairs Ask President to Raise Political Prisoner Cases in China
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), the Chair and Co-chair respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released a letter today calling on the President to personally raise the cases of Americans, U.S. lawful permanent residents, and their family members, who have been unjustly detained in the People’s Republic of China, during his next meeting with General Secretary Xi Jinping.The Chairs were joined on the letter by CECC Ranking Members Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative James McGovern (D-MA).
Politics, Pubs, Parades, + the Parish: Senator Bernie Kenny Part II
Former Senator Bernie Kenny of Hoboken in this second edition of Politics, Pubs, Parades, + the Parish talks about his roots in politics.
John Cornyn’s Inexplicably Deep-Lore Campaign Against Ken Paxton
Are there enough persuadable Texas-politics junkies for the U.S. senator’s obscure posts to matter?
A reflective Sen. Lamar Alexander puts value on character over politics
“The Education of a Senator” goes on sale May 19. Knox News joined the former senator at his home in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Hegseth calls for Sen. Mark Kelly to be investigated by Pentagon for second time
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday called for Sen. Mark Kelly to be investigated over comments he made about US weapon stockpiles, marking the second time the Pentagon chief has opened a review into the Democratic senator.
Power & Politics: One-on-one with Sen. Cory Booker; Congressman Josh Gottheimer discusses latest resolution; AI data center protests continue
Senator Cory Booker and Congressman Josh Gottheimer join the show.
Mitt Romney returns to political fundraising, backs Susan Collins at Salt Lake City event
Former Massachusetts governor and Utah Senator Mitt Romney made his first foray back into national politics since retiring.
Hearing over Louisiana redistricting turns fiery as senators spar over racism accusations
The chairman at one point cut off a senator’s microphone and paused the hearing to restore order.
Corker calls for business leaders to rally around new vision for Chattanooga economy
In comments to manufacturing leaders this week, former Chattanooga mayor and Republican U.S. senator Bob Corker highlighted his behind-the-scenes work to shape the city's economy and pointed to a technology-driven future he believes area executives should rally behind.
Fetterman Says He Has ‘No Plans’ to Leave the Democratic Party
In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, the Pennsylvania senator wrote that while he was “at odds” with the party’s approach to some issues, his values had not changed.
GOP Senator’s Health Reveal Proves Trump, 79, Can’t Hide Much Longer
This is a moment of intensified scrutiny over aging politicians and their health conditions. What are voters going to do about it?
In Las Vegas Arts District, Cortez Masto, Small Business Owners Shine Light on Trump Tourism Slowdown - Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
***VIDEO AVAILABLE*** FTPs for TV stations is available here. Las Vegas, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Las Vegas small business owners put a spotlight on the tourism slowdown caused by President Donald Trump’s economic policies. Over the past year, the Trump Administration has placed blanket tariffs on our allies, increased costs and made it more […]
Bill Would Stop Sports Blackouts
New legislation led by democratic Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin would stop professional sports leagues from blacking out games for fans and end the complicated, costly web of streaming services. The […]
Graham Platner and Susan Collins Duel in High-Stakes Maine Senate Race Ads
In strikingly different ads, Graham Platner argued that “Susan Collins’s charade is over” while Senator Collins highlighted the economic benefits she has brought to Maine.
Susan Collins Says She Has Long Had a Benign Tremor
The Republican senator from Maine, running for re-election at age 73 in one of this year’s top Senate races, made the disclosure after mounting online scrutiny on the left.
Map passed by North Texas Senator upheld by U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld controversial Texas Congressional maps, ruled there there can be nearly limitless gerrymandering in the states for partisan reasons, and took a chunk out of the Voting Rights Act. Lone Star Politics speaks with Senator Phil King, R-Weatherford, chair of the redistricting committee in the Texas Senate.
FBI searches business, other locations associated with Democratic Virginia state senator
Lucas, the president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, has recently focused her attention on redrawing the state’s congressional maps
Office of Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas Raided by F.B.I. Agents
Two people familiar with the case said the search of a Democratic lawmaker’s office was related to a Biden-era investigation of possible corruption and bribery related to marijuana businesses.
FBI presence at Senator Lucas’ office in Portsmouth
10 On Your Side’s Andy Fox is currently in front of Senator L. Louise Lucas’ office in Portsmouth, where he observed multiple FBI units.
Trump strikes back: GOP lawmakers who opposed president on redistricting pay price
President Trump scored major victories in Indiana's GOP primary as his endorsed challengers defeated state senators who blocked his redistricting push.
Patients and providers share stories of health care despair as worries mount over coverage and costs
Higher premiums and losses in coverage weigh on patients as Denver Health physicians expect to see more uninsured patients.
Senate Bill Intends to Strengthen the Science Used for TSCA Risk Evaluations
The Sound Science Act (S. 4397), introduced by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) on April 27, 2026, would strengthen the science used for risk reviews and
Trump largely succeeds in upending Indiana state Senate over redistricting
President Trump had backed challengers to Indiana state senators who voted against his redistricting plan — and on Tuesday, most of them won.
Trump Posts Meme of Top Democrats in Sombreros
The fake image of Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was similar to a post from September that was widely denounced as racist.
Trump Posts Meme of Top Democrats in Sombreros
The fake image of Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was similar to a post from September that was widely denounced as racist.
7 Indiana state senators face Trump-backed primary challengers after bucking him on redistricting
Trump's intervention has shined a bright national spotlight on what are usually quiet Republican primaries for Indiana state Senate seats.
Tucker Carlson compares Ted Cruz to extremist, feud escalates
The long-running feud between Tucker Carlson and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz escalated, with the podcaster comparing the senator to a white nationalist.
Ernst Marks National Small Business Week, Honors American Entrepreneurs | U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)...
What to watch in Tuesday's elections in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan
President Donald Trump's campaign to politically punish Republicans who stand in his way moves through Indiana on Tuesday, when seven state senators face Trump-backed primary challengers.
Trump's influence tested in Indiana primaries after failed redistricting push
Indiana's primary will test President Donald Trump's enduring power over the Republican Party as he tries to dislodge state senators who refused to go along with his call to redraw the state's congressional map.
Live Results: Indiana state primaries
Seven GOP state senators who blocked President Donald Trump's push to redraw the state’s congressional districts now face primary challengers endorsed by him.
Politics Now: May 2, 2026
This week on Politics Now with host John Langeler: Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen reacts to being at the White House Correspondents Dinner assassination attempt. SNAP food benefits restrictions kick in…
In Mississippi, a Democrat Challenges the Senator Who Blocked His Judgeship
Scott Colom, a state prosecutor, is running against Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican who denied him a seat on the federal bench. In a tough year for the G.O.P., Democrats see hope for his long-shot bid.
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field ‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field A field that once seemed like a direct path to stable, lucrative work is becoming less certain under AI, students and faculty told Spectator. By Ria Vasishtha and Arjun Menon May 3, 2026 Shanying Liu / Deputy Illustrations Editor Asia Genawi, SEAS ’29, first encountered artificial intelligence during her sophomore year at her high school in Indiana. Back in 2023, policies on AI varied widely—even within the same district—and some schools had no guidance at all. As Genawi began to see the effects of AI trickle into her classroom, she turned to guidance from her home state’s Department of Education, which she said she found “outdated and inaccessible.” Genawi spent the rest of her high school career dedicated to the issue, including writing a 15-page memo exploring varying AI policies across Indiana schools, which she sent to every Indiana state senator and representative whose contact information she was able to find. She later helped draft a bill that would have required public high schools to establish and share their own AI policies with students in an accessible format. But with so many other bills already awaiting referral, hers never made it to committee. When Genawi arrived at Columbia to study computer science, she found that the gaps she had spent years trying to address in Indiana had followed her there. Many students and professors were also grappling with what AI meant for the field. Across Columbia’s undergraduate schools, computer science has become the most popular major—accounting for around 11 percent of degrees awarded in Columbia College, 32 percent in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and 12 percent in the School of General Studies in 2024. While the number of computer science majors in SEAS grew from 166 to 173 during the 2024-25 academic year, the total number across the three schools fell around 4.5 percent from 393 to 375, driven by declines at Columbia College and General Studies. At Barnard, it has grown to become the second most popular major as of 2025, up from third the year prior. The number of degrees awarded have grown fivefold since 2016. Faculty members and students in the department told Spectator that the surge in the major’s popularity has been driven in large part by its apparent promise of a secure, well-paid career path. However, they noted that the recent rise of generative AI has compromised the sense of stability that once defined the field, even as interest in technical skills among students persists. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2024, out of 74 majors tracked, computer science had the fifth highest unemployment rate among majors at 7 percent, while computer engineering had the second highest at 7.8 percent. “Anecdotally, people are moving away from CS as a major,” Daniel Bauer, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, said. “They’re still taking some of our classes, right, because they think they need that, but they’re instead majoring in other things.” Bauer described a field that had shifted from what he called a “nerdy outlier discipline” to one that “everyone needs,” a sign that technical skills have become a baseline expectation across industries with the emergence of AI. “A lot of people thought, ‘Oh, it’s a guaranteed path to a stable income. You get a six-figure job right out of your undergrad,’” Bauer said. Now, companies may see AI as a way to reduce demand for entry-level programmers, especially in what he calls “code monkey jobs,” roles where a large number of employees are “just writing out code nine-to-five.” Chris Murphy, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, described the current moment as the convergence of two forces: the downturn of the job market and generative AI coming onto the scene. “Things kind of started to really pick up in 2014, 16,” he said, recalling the years after the weaker 2010 market. Murphy added that this was also a period where “students were getting more experience outside of class than they were inside of class” through internships, jobs, and side projects. Murphy suggested that the earlier momentum helped make computer science feel like both an academic program and a reliable pathway into work. That feeling is harder to sustain now as the industry reconfigures, which is a shift that students are seeing firsthand. Rebecca Yu, SEAS ’27, said that during a recent internship in Big Tech, she saw that “every single tech company was racing to integrate” large language models. She added that her manager said her intern class was the first to complete their assigned projects, which she attributed to the increased efficiency that comes with AI. Frank Liu, SEAS ’29, said that with AI lowering the barrier to coding, companies now expect everyone to write code. “A lot of companies outright say if you’re not using coding in your job, you might get fired for not being productive enough,” Liu said. Yu similarly expressed that students increasingly have to accept AI being a part of industry workflow, adding that many also “make use of it to maximize their productivity.” Richard Li, CC ’28, described a “franticness” among his peers as the pace of change accelerates. He explained how “some new tool” is released regularly, noting that tools rise and fall in prominence within weeks. He has come to believe that he doesn’t need to “match that speed all the time” and keep up with every development. Li has learned that AI tools allow him to “take a breath” and “get back into the loop much easier than before” when he needs to. While some companies specifically target Columbia when hiring, sending representatives to campus career fairs and recruiting large numbers from Columbia, a computer science degree cannot be treated as a static credential, Yu described. “You can’t just get your degree and stop learning after that. You have to always be learning,” Yu said. “That is something you basically have to expect for your job.” AI has not only affected students’ decisions to major in computer science, but also reshaped how the subject is taught. Across departments, faculty members no longer treat work done outside the classroom as a reliable measure of understanding, shifting instead toward in-person exams, quizzes, and attendance checks. While homework once made up as much as 60 to 70 percent of a student’s grade in computer science classes, Murphy said that breakdown has since flipped, with exams and quizzes now accounting for the majority. “The assumption—especially among pessimists—is that they’re using it to do their homework,” Murphy said. “They take the homework assignment. They put it into generative AI. Out comes the solution. Submit solution. The end.” Murphy said that faculty members ranged in their responses from fully prohibiting AI use to actively teaching students how to effectively work with AI. He said he shifted his approach this year after his teaching assistants called his belief that students weren’t using the technology “naïve,” and now permits students to use AI on assignments. His surveys of students in his introductory classes have told a more complicated story than the one so-called pessimists offer: Around 60 to 70 percent of students who reported using AI said they used it to have concepts explained to them, to clarify assignment instructions, to generate test cases, or to create practice questions. “Those are all ways that you might have had a tutor in the past to do that, and now you have this AI essentially as your tutor,” he said. Bauer has taken a different approach, teaching students how to use AI productively without sacrificing the core principles of the discipline. “People who are trained to actually use AI tools productively, while being in charge of designing the overall project, will be very much in demand in the next couple of years,” he said. Over the past year, a working group of computer science faculty has been redesigning the introductory and intermediate programming sequence to integrate generative AI as both a subject and a tool, representatives from SEAS wrote in a statement to Spectator. The effort is “coordinated” across the department, “not course-by-course,” with a systematic assessment of how AI integration is affecting student outcomes underway to shape the next round of changes. The goal, the department explained, is for students to be able to “read, verify, and reason about code, whether they or a model wrote it.” Tony Dear, senior lecturer in the computer science department, is piloting individualized AI feedback in a discrete mathematics course, while a machine learning course is also testing a Socratic AI dialogue system designed to “guide inquiry rather than supply answers,” the statement reads. Beyond individual courses, SEAS funded seven cross-departmental faculty projects in generative AI this past academic year, spanning biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and computer science, according to the statement. This phenomenon extends beyond the computer science department. SEAS’ new AI minor, which it announced in November 2025, reflects the University’s attempt to adapt. The minor is specifically designed for noncomputer science majors and aims to provide “essential AI knowledge” while emphasizing practical and responsible use across disciplines, according to the SEAS website. At the center of the minor is AI in Context, a course taught by a team of faculty from the departments of computer science, applied mathematics, philosophy, music, literature, and the Writing Center, the representatives told Spectator. Bauer described it as targeted at students who want to bring AI into fields like economics or biology, rather than as a path into software engineering itself. At the graduate level, SEAS announced a new Master of Science in artificial intelligence in February, with the inaugural cohort starting in the fall. While recognizing how AI has helped them navigate coursework, students also described its rise as isolating, even among members of the Application Development Initiative, one of Columbia’s largest computer science clubs. “As people start to ask AI for questions that they would normally ask students and members, it starts to isolate people” Li said. Alexa Kafka, BC ’27, echoed Li’s sentiment, pointing out that computer science has always been a collaborative discipline with code reviews and pull requests, even as AI makes independent work easier. Despite this, Kafka noted that she hasn’t been to office hours “in at least a year.” Bauer added that faculty are exploring long-term solutions to the assessment problem. “One of the things that we’re trying to do at the department or school level is to maybe move towards computerized testing facilities,” Bauer said, referring to ideas in the department to revitalize computer labs as an alternative to pen-and-paper exams. “We have to accept that this is the reality, for better or worse.” But more exams, students say, does not mean better learning, nor does it reflect how computer science is actually done. “Code is so variable and can be approached in so many directions, there’s never just going to be one correct answer. There can be multiple optimal solutions,” Kafka said. Students also expressed concern that the shift toward exam-heavy grading pulls focus away from the applied, project-based work that better reflects both discipline and industry expectations. ADI has tried to respond more quickly than the curriculum can. Through a vibe coding workshop this past semester, club members said they wanted to help students understand not just that AI exists, but how to use it deliberately. “Vibe coding” refers to the practice of prompting AI to write code for a task or project, and has become widespread enough that ADI felt the gap in formal instruction was worth addressing, according to Sophia Huang, BC ’29. The workshop introduced students to the concept of context engineering, which Shaina Sahu, SEAS ’27, described as not just writing a prompt, but optimizing “the rest of the relevant information that you would feed into the model.” Without that, students said that AI-generated code can fail at scale or introduce difficult-to-detect bugs. Genawi said the shift toward AI has changed what it means to be good at computer science. “I think the shift has kind of gone towards what can you create and what can you do, instead of, what do you know,” she said. Indeed, during ADI DevFest, its annual hackathon, Li said more teams are trying to complete their projects than in years past. While sign-ups have historically outpaced submissions, Li said this is beginning to change because teams “have a tool that completes the vision for them.” While many students see AI as an equalizer that lowers the barrier to entry for coding and technical work, Murphy said it also creates new equity concerns inside the classroom around who can afford stronger tools and who already knows how to use them. “The equity issues I worry about are students who have access to paid versions of things versus free versions of things,” he said. Although popular AI models like ChatGPT and Claude have free versions available, both have paid models that can reach over $100 per month, which output different qualities of code. Murphy also pointed to differences in prior exposure to AI literacy itself. “Students who go to high schools or K-12 education, where they’re taught AI literacy, prompt engineering, context engineering, they understand how to do this, as opposed to students who go to schools who don’t teach that,” he said. “Then they come in, and then they’re somehow expected to know how to use these tools.” For Genawi, those disparities begin long before students arrive on campus. “It’s very interesting to consider how lucky you were geographically,” she said. “To be born where you were is influencing your ability to get access to these spaces.” Students like Yu, though broadly apprehensive about the future of computer science, are not without hope. “I’m optimistic, because I think if you’re truly passionate about CS, there will definitely be a place in the field to do something you want to do,” she said. Senior Staff Writer Ria Vasishtha can be contacted at ria.vasishtha@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Staff Writer Arjun Menon can be contacted at arjun.menon@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter and like Spectator on Facebook. Produced with Spectate by Emily Ta
Power & Politics: Gov. Sherrill speaks on her first 100 days in office; Sen. Joe Cryan and Sen. Jon Bramnick discuss civility in politics
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, Democratic Senator Joe Cryan and Republican Senator Jon Bramnick join Power & Politics.
What the Maine Senate Race Feels Like on the Ground
The anti-establishment mood is palpable in the state, home to one of the country’s top Senate contests. But Senator Susan Collins has some strengths.
Senate Bans Prediction Markets for Its Members and Staff
Senators voted unanimously to prohibit betting practices in the chamber after some users made hundreds of thousands of dollars online by accurately predicting U.S. military actions.
Sen. Tim Scott introduces Catherine Dority at Small Business Committee hearing on 250 years of American entrepreneurship — U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) yesterday delivered an introduction for South Carolina’s Catherine Dority at the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing. Sen. Scott’s remarks, as delivered: It is my pleasure to introduce my dear friend, Cat Dority, who is with us today as we celebrate 250 years of American entrepreneurship. There […]
Mills Exit Is a Blow to Schumer as Democrats Question His Strategy
Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and minority leader, considered the Maine governor his top recruit for winning the majority. Critics said her collapse showed he is out of touch with the party’s voters.
Trump says surgeon general nominee will continue to fight for MAHA health movement
U.S. President Donald Trump said his nominee to become surgeon general, Casey Means, will continue to fight for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement despite opposition from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to the nomination.
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Cassidy Highlights Local Business Owner’s Journey from Uncertainty to Entrepreneurship | U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), for his monthly Local Spotlight, recognized Amanda Ratcliff for her resilience and entrepreneurial spirit in turning life’s challenges into opportunity. Her business, Buttery Spell, features uniquely crafted products that reflect her creativity and the unmistakable flavors and culture of New Orleans. Each month, Cassidy highlights a local story that truly […]
Janet Mills, Governor of Maine, Suspends Senate Campaign
Her withdrawal paves the way for Graham Platner to challenge Senator Susan Collins, and reflects the energy of the Democratic Party’s left as well as voters’ unease with older candidates.
Rally for Science Funding
Official website of Senator Scott Wiener, representing California Senate District 11.
Trump wants to turn Fed into another 'political animal': Sen. Warren
The Senate Banking Committee will vote on Wednesday, April 29, over whether to confirm Kevin Warsh's nomination as the next chair of the Federal Reserve. This comes on the same day as Jerome Powell's last FOMC meeting as the head of the US central bank. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma.) — the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee — speaks with Yahoo Finance Senior Fed Reporter Jennifer Schonberger about her questioning of Warsh, the likelihood that Powell will stay on the Fed's Board of Governors, and her perspective on President Trump's economic agenda.
Peters, Slotkin, Walberg, and Huizenga Call on Small Business Administration to Approve Disaster Declaration to Assist Communities Impacted by Southwest Michigan Tornadoes
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), alongside U.S. Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI-05) and Bill Huizenga (R-MI-04), are urging the Small Business Administration (SBA) to support Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s request for an administrative disaster declaration following the devastating tornadoes in Southwest Michigan this […]
This Week in Missouri Politics - April 26, 2026
Scott Faughn is joined by State Senator Jason Bean. OnContinue Reading
Stankoven scores again, Hurricanes complete 4-game sweep of Senators
Logan Stankoven scored his fourth goal in four games, and Frederik Andersen made 25 saves for Carolina.
Inside Iowa Politics: Emotional farewell speech from Sen. Jack Whitver
State Senator Jack Whitver gave his retirement speech as he prepares to leave office to continue his treatment for a brain tumor.
Inside Iowa Politics: Emotional farewell speech from Sen. Jack Whitver
State Senator Jack Whitver gave his retirement speech as he prepares to leave office to continue his treatment for a brain tumor.
Inside Iowa Politics: Emotional farewell speech from Sen. Jack Whitver
State Senator Jack Whitver gave his retirement speech as he prepares to leave office to continue his treatment for a brain tumor.
Inside Iowa Politics: Emotional farewell speech from Sen. Jack Whitver
State Senator Jack Whitver gave his retirement speech as he prepares to leave office to continue his treatment for a brain tumor.
Sen. Hawley calls for end to federal funding for Missouri reproductive health nonprofit
A Missouri senator called for the government to end funding for a state nonprofit that provides free reproductive health care.
'Inflicting' politics on others
During his failed campaign to become one of Indiana’s U.S. senators, Republican candidate Richard Mourdock gave us a taste of what was to come.
Two Crows’ ‘Chesapeake’ lets the dogs out at the Slowpoke Lounge
Elizabeth Ledo plays all the parts in Lee Blessing’s 1999 play about a performance artist who goes to great lengths to fight a conservative senator.
ICYMI: U.S. Senator John Fetterman Joins Meghan McCain to Talk Family Life, Mental Health, Psychedelics, Politics - U.S. Senator John Fetterman
Watch the full interview here. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joined Meghan McCain on Citizen McCain for a conversation around mental health and his own struggles with depression, being a family man, what it means to represent all Pennsylvanians, and working across the aisle at a time when politics has become […]
U.S. Senate votes to advance $70 billion funding plan for ICE, Border Patrol
Two Republicans - Senators Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski - opposed the measure.
Churn in the Statehouse should make for interesting, and crowded, legislative races
With five state senators and 19 House members either retiring or running for other offices in 2026, there will be significant Statehouse turnover come 2027, which means you don’t have to look too far down the ballot to find interesting battles in the primaries.
A DFL senator is facing backlash after admitting betting on his own political race
A DFL senator is faced backlash Wednesday night after admitting he placed a bet in his own political race. All while pushing a bill to ban the very same platforms that took his wager.
John Seymour, California’s last Republican US senator, dies at 88
After losing his Senate race, the Orange County politican returned to housing work with renewed intensity.
Graham Platner lays out what kind of senator he would be: From the Politics Desk
Plus, the on-again, off-again negotiations with Iran.
Senators extend partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment
As part of the new agreement, Aramark will work with the Senators on improving the fan experience by upgrading some of the dining and concession areas inside the Canadian Tire Centre.
Senate Passes Ward Bill to Protect Fairness in Women’s Sports
Sens. Judy Ward (R-30) and Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-28) announced today the Senate approved legislation to preserve opportunities for female athletes at public schools and colleges by requiring scholastic sports teams to be designated based on biological sex.
Key GOP senators push back on Trump’s plan to cut NIH, reorganize HHS
Lawmakers seem poised to reject cuts to biomedical research and public health spending for a second straight year.
WATCH: Padilla Slams Energy Secretary Wright on Cuts to Science Funding in Proposed Budget, Political Cancellation of California Hydrogen Hub Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, questioned Energy Secretary Chris Wright about President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2027 proposed budget for the Department of Energy and its drastic cuts to science funding. “Your budget cuts the Office of Science’s funding by $1.1 billion. […]
Warsh vows to keep monetary policy independent of politics
STORY: :: Fed chief nominee Warsh vows to keep monetary policy independent of politics:: Washington, D.C. / April 21, 2026:: Kevin Warsh, Federal Reserve chief nominee“Monetary policy independence is essential. Monetary policymakers must act in the nation's interest. Their decision is the product of rigor, deliberation and unclouded decision-making. And as Senator Warren said, I do not believe that independence of monetary policy is threatened when elected officials state their views on rates. Fed independence is up to the Fed." // :: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Democrat on Senate Banking Committee“So, independence takes courage. Let's check out your independence and your courage. We'll start easy. Mr. Warsh, did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?”WARSH: “Um, we try to keep politics, if I’m confirmed, out of the Federal Reserve.”WARREN: “I’m just asking you a factual question. I need to know. I need to measure your independence and your courage.”WARSH: “Senator, I believe that this body certified that election many years ago.”WARREN: “That’s not the question I’m asking. I’m asking did Donald Trump lose in 2020?”WARSH: “And I’m suggesting to you in 2020…”WARREN: “I’m suggesting you can’t answer that.”WARSH: “… the Fed had a huge inflation problem, and you certified the election…[crosstalk]… let’s keep the politics out of monetary policy.” //WARREN: "Just one little place where you disagree with Donald Trump.”WARSH: “Well, I do have a disagreement actually, Senator, with the president. I think even this morning, he said that he thought I was out of central casting. I think central casting, I'd look older, grayer, maybe show up here with a cigar of sorts.”WARREN: “Quite adorable. But, you know, we need a Fed chair who is independent. That's the only way we preserve the independence of the Federal Reserve. If you can't answer these questions, you don't have the courage and you don't have the independence.”In a confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee that quickly hinted at major changes to come at a Warsh-led Fed, the 56-year-old lawyer and financier blamed the central bank for an inflation surge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to hurt U.S. households.Warsh's hearing quickly turned contentious. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren pressed Warsh on his independence and "courage", saying President Donald Trump had made clear Warsh would be his "sock puppet".
The Death of Public Health
During the recent measles outbreak, the largest in more than 30 years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to clearly recommend the measles vaccine, saying instead that it was a “personal decision,” and that parents should “do their own research.” Similarly, during her recent confirmation hearing for United States Surgeon General, Casey Means was questioned by Senator William Cassidy (R, La). “You’re the nation’s doctor,” said Cassidy. “Would you encourage [a mother] to have her child vaccinated!” “I’m not an individual’s doctor,” Means said. “And every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body.” In June 2025, Marty Makary, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said that COVID vaccines for pregnant women should be a “personal choice”, even though every other country in the world recommended the COVID vaccine during pregnancy due to a higher risk for severe disease. It doesn’t end there. On January 5, 2026, RFK Jr. reduced the number of routinely recommended vaccines from 18 to 10. For vaccines that protected against influenza, COVID, and rotavirus, parents were urged to speak with their doctors—to make an individual choice. (On March 16, 2026, in a ruling by a federal court in Boston, RFK Jr.’s revised schedule was invalidated.) What’s happening? Why are public health officials moving away from making recommendations for the public? The origin of this change might be rooted in the first two years of the COVID pandemic. In 2020, during the first year on the pandemic, we didn’t have anything to stop a virus that was killing hundreds of people a day and could be spread asymptomatically. We didn’t have antivirals until October, monoclonal antibodies until November, and vaccines until December. All we could do was restrict travel, close businesses, shutter schools, and mask, isolate, quarantine, test, and social distance. During the second year of the pandemic, when we had vaccines to prevent COVID, people couldn’t go anywhere without their vaccine cards. They couldn’t go to their favorite bar or restaurant or sporting event or place of worship without proof of vaccination. Some people were fired from their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated. For many, this was seen as massive government overreach and energized what has been called the “medical freedom movement.” Indeed, a headline in the New York Times declared, “How Health Freedom Became a Winning Rally Cry.” As expressed in the comments of RFK Jr., Casey Means, and Marty Makary, the medical freedom movement focuses on the individual not the community—the opposite of public health. In an article titled “Ethics and Social Value Judgments in Public Health,” ethicists from Yale University distinguished public health from medical freedom. “Public health policies,” they wrote, “are population oriented. Because individual health affects the health of others, public health measures regulate individual behavior to achieve population health goals. All raise questions about how individual autonomy and freedom should be balanced against public health interests…which respects individuals’ sovereignty over their bodies and actions as long as their actions do not harm others.” The medical freedom movement fails to recognize that it often limits the freedom of others. For example, a parent who is afraid to send a child to school where many of the students are unvaccinated. Or immune compromised children who depend on those around them to for protection. The question then becomes “Freedom for whom?” Is it your right, in the name of medical freedom, to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection—and in so doing, take away the freedom of others? In Four Essays on Liberty, Isaiah Berlin sums it up best. “Liberty for the wolves,” he wrote, “is death to the lambs.” Thanks for reading Beyond the Noise! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
Hurricanes 3, Senators 2
Jordan Martinook notched the game-winner in double overtime to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night at the Lenovo Center. The win gives Carolina a 2-0 lead in this playoff series and allows them to keep their home ice advantage. The Canes thought they had won the […]
Democratic Senators Fault Hegseth’s Leadership on Iran
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Get Real With SOMD Politics: Chuck Borges Discusses Housing Affordability, Economic Development And Tax Reform
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In the Katzmann Lecture, Senator Andy Kim takes aim at political corruption
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'Show me the money'
What happens when a former senator, a prior governor, a previous representative, and a political advocate talk about corporate money in politics? The exact scenario played out at the MSU-hosted discussion titled “Money, Transparent Elections and the Montana Experience,” at the end of last week. Audience members experienced a bipartisan glimpse into corporate influence, how it is built, spent on campaigns and challenged by voters. A candid conversation emerged between guest speakers former Montana U.S. Senator Jon Tester, former Attorney General and Governor Marc Racicot, previous state senator and representative Jeff Mangan, and political advocate Michel Beckel. The conversation between the four guests circled back to Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a landmark 2010 Supreme Court ruling allowing corporations, unions, and associations to spend unlimited amounts of money influencing elections. The decision concluded independent political spending is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment, directly leading to the rise of massive political action committees and ‘dark money’ in U.S. elections spending. Tester was the first to address the ‘black elephant’ in the room. Responses to moderator questions are edited for clarity and brevity. “We are seeing unbelievable sums of money being put out trying to influence people on how to vote,” Tester said. “Oftentimes the truth goes out the window before the campaigning even starts.”
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