by Ginny Monk and Dave Altimari, The Connecticut Mirror This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Connecticut Mirror. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. The Connecticut legislature is working to overhaul the state’s towing laws to protect consumers and lengthen the time before a towed vehicle can be sold. Drivers, landlords and towing industry leaders testified at the state Capitol on Monday during a public hearing before the state Transportation Committee. It is among the early actions that House Bill 7162 must undergo in…
Author: Sarah Mitchell
The ruling UMP party of President Nicolas Sarkozy experienced a wipeout in the second round of France’s regional elections, with the Socialists and their left-wing allies winning in all but one of mainland France’s 22 regions.
Zelensky, Trump and Vance at the White House (capture X) The Ukrainian president left the White House in a hurry after an unprecedented heated exchange with his American counterpart. Despite a major diplomatic incident, Volodymyr Zelensky was keen to thank the United States on social networks on Friday, February 28. “Thank you America, thank you for the support, thank you for this visit. Thank you to the President, the Congress and the American people,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X, adding that ”Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace and we are working on that.”This conciliatory message contrasts sharply with…
by Robert Faturechi ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Earlier this year, the Air Force revealed that the general who oversaw its lobbying before Congress had inappropriate romantic relationships with five women, including three who worked on Capitol Hill. Maj. Gen. Christopher Finerty’s colleagues told investigators the relationships were “highly inappropriate” as they could give the Air Force undue influence in Congress. “I honestly felt sick to my stomach,” one said, according to a report about the investigation, “because it just felt so sleazy.”…
by Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published. A new Illinois bill aims to add some oversight of families who homeschool their children, a response to concerns that the state does little to ensure these students receive an education and are protected from harm. The measure, known as the Homeschool Act, comes after an investigation by Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica last year found that Illinois is among…
by Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. For weeks, some of the federal government’s foremost authorities on global health have repeatedly warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other leaders about the coming death toll if they carried out the Trump administration’s plan to end nearly all U.S. foreign aid around the world. In their clearest accounting yet, top officials have estimated the casualties: One million children will not be treated for severe acute malnutrition. Up to 166,000…