Voters nationwide approved seven of 10 ballot initiatives preserving abortion rights.
Read MoreReferendums: Abortion Measures Pass in Seven States
Author: The Center Square
‘Inspiring and Eye-Opening’: Gen Z’s Interest in Skilled Trades Rises
Social media’s influence is causing Gen Z’s interest in skilled trades to rise, according to a report by Thumbtack – something a trade organization co-director said is “inspiring and eye-opening.”
“55% of Gen Zers are considering a skilled trade career (up 12% from last year) – including 72% of those with a college degree,” Thumbtack’s report stated.
Read MoreTexas Sees 51 Percent Drop in Border Apprehensions After Operation Lone Star Expands
Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal border crossers in Texas dropped 51% in one year, according to federal data. The stark decline comes after Gov. Greg Abbott expanded Operation Lone Star border security efforts in the state.
In fiscal 2023, Border Patrol agents reported 1,045,655 apprehensions of illegal border crossers in five U.S. Customs and Border Protection sectors in Texas, excluding those apprehended in New Mexico which fall into one of these sectors, in fiscal 2023. In fiscal 2024, the number dropped to 534,333, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and exclusive data obtained by The Center Square.
Read MoreOver 3 Million Border Crossers from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela Have to America During Biden-Harris Administration
Of the 14 million illegal border crossers reported under the Biden-Harris administration, more than 3 million are from four countries whose citizens were granted expanded entry through a parole program created by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV).
At least 2,496,080 illegal border crossers from CHNV countries were reported under the Biden-Harris administration, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. The data represents fiscal years 2021-2024, excluding the first three months of fiscal 2021 under the previous administration. The federal fiscal year is from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Read MoreVA Reports Housing Nearly 48,000 Homeless Vets in 2024
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday it housed 47,925 veterans experiencing homelessness in fiscal year 2024, besting an earlier goal.
That’s the largest number of veterans experiencing homelessness the federal agency has housed since fiscal year 2019 and 16.9% over its goal of 41,000.
Read MoreExisting Home Sales Drop as Presidential Election Approaches
The upcoming presidential election might keep some would-be homebuyers on the sidelines, according to a real estate economist.
Existing-home sales declined 1% in September as prices continued to climb higher, according to figures released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.
Read MoreReport: Immigration Courts Broke Records in Fiscal 2024
The number of cases before federal immigration judges totaled nearly 1.8 million, a record, in fiscal 2024, according to the latest analysis by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonpartisan, independent research organization.
Federal immigration courts fall under the Department of Justice and are located in 28 states, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. The DOJ’s fiscal 2024 year was Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024.
Read MoreTexas Sues Administration for Not Verifying Voter Registration Citizenship Info
Following Florida, Texas sued the Biden-Harris administration Tuesday after requesting citizenship status information about registered voters in Texas, and not receiving it from federal agencies as required by law.
Last week, a coalition of attorneys general, including from Florida and Texas, called on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to provide the requested information. They made the requests as multiple states removed thousands of noncitizens from their voter rolls. After not receiving the information, Florida sued last week. Other states in the coalition are also expected to sue.
Read MoreNew Rule Proposed for No-Cost Over-the-Counter Birth Control
The Biden administration said Monday it wants to expand contraception access as women’s reproductive rights remain a focal issue in the 2024 election.
On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris said the proposed changes would cover over-the-counter daily contraception without a prescription, emergency contraception, condoms and spermicide at no cost. Private insurance would also be required to inform women about no-cost contraception options and could no longer claim moral exemptions on religious grounds.
Read MoreVoters Overwhelmingly Say Schools Should Not Keep Student Gender Transitions Hidden
The overwhelming majority of Americans do not believe schools should hide a student’s gender change at school from parents, according to a recent poll of over 2,200 likely voters.
The issue of parental notification regarding a student’s gender transition has been hotly contested in recent years, especially in California, where the state has sided against school districts that have passed policies to let parents know students are using different names or pronouns.
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