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FEMA is off the chopping block. But disaster aid is still a guessing game.

Sisters watch as a skid-steer loader pulls a tree in Highmore, South Dakota, on June 29, 2026, after a severe storm that morning. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it will reimburse eight South Dakota counties and three tribes for storm-related infrastructure fixes. (Photo by Meghan O’Brien/South Dakota Searchlight) State leaders are breathing a sigh of relief that the Trump administration’s threats to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency have subsided.  But experts say there’s still confusion about President Donald Trump’s decisions to approve or deny disaster declarations, leaving states with uncertainty about whether they can expect federal recovery funds. “The foundation (at FEMA) seems stronger than it did six months ago, but this is an unreliable administration when it comes to the fair and equitable distribution of disaster funds,” said Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the Homeland Security Project at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Governm...
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NCAA eligibility lawsuit pits Louisiana, Southern elected leaders against each other

The new video display scoreboard in Tiger Stadium's north side as seen from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sept. 13, 2024. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator) Inside a Baton Rouge courtroom Thursday, a lawsuit challenging arcane NCAA eligibility rules turned into a political football with prominent elected officials involved on each side.  The case is one of two that pits the Southeastern Conference against LSU in proceedings that have captured national attention and drawn reaction from leaders from around the region watching with interest from the sidelines.  On one team, New Orleans’ District Attorney Jason Williams (who played football at Tulane) represents the SEC. On the other team, Baton Rouge-area prosecutor Tony Clayton is trying to get former NFL athletes on LSU’s roster ahead of its season-opening matchup Saturday against Clemson. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, though not a party to the case, submitted a brief to the court supporting the athlete...
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Judge criticizes Trump pressure on prosecutors on reflecting pool vandalism charges

Olympian David Hearn, center left, walks out of District of Columbia Superior Court with his attorneys after a hearing on Sept. 4, 2026. (Photo by Ariana Figueora/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — A District of Columbia Superior Court judge Friday seemed inclined to bar any new felony charges against former Olympian David Hearn, after the Trump administration accused the Maryland man of damaging part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s public pressure campaign on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, following a quiet  earlier move by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro   to dismiss the charges. Trump, who oversaw the multi-million-dollar renovation of the pool, has blamed vandals for the damage. “The president of the United States is pressuring your office… to recharge Mr. Hearn (on) what you have decided is meritless,” said Edelman, who was nominated by former President ...
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Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics

Members of Virginia Professional Firefighters association hold signs during their biannual convention in May to protest Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s veto of collective bargaining legislation. New research found a significant spike in labor union membership, but growth is highly dependent upon state politics. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states. Last year, the nation added more than 411,000 union members — the largest annual growth since 2008, according to a study published just ahead of the Labor Day holiday by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  At the end of last year, more than 14.6 million American workers belonged to a union — about 10% of the workforce, the study said.  While union membership grew across the country, t...
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Election experts see few legal options for Trump to meddle with polling places

Karen Kost took part in the North Dakota primary election early voting available June 3, 2026, at City Hall in Casselton, North Dakota. (Photo by Dan Koeck/North Dakota Monitor) WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said earlier this year he’d “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections” this fall, declining to rule out sending the National Guard or federal law enforcement officers to polling locations throughout the country. Those comments came a few months after Trump casually and briefly mentioned canceling the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.  Any such actions would lie outside the bounds of presidential power and the law, according to experts interviewed by States Newsroom. Nonetheless, one Democratic U.S. senator is sending letters to numerous members of the administration asking for commitments troops won’t be sent to the polls, and state officials are readying plans to keep voting secure. “The president can say whatever he wants, ...
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More states are putting panic alarms in schools

Three states this year have enacted laws that require or allow schools to use panic alarms to quickly summon emergency responders. Ten other states have such laws and a dozen more are considering them. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) Three states this year have enacted laws that require or allow schools to use mobile, wearable, wireless or silent panic alarms to quickly summon emergency responders. The new laws in Illinois, Virginia and West Virginia bring the number of states with such laws to 13, with 10 of them acting since 2023. Another dozen states have legislation pending. Known as Alyssa’s Law, the measures are named for 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, one of 17 people killed during the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Make Our Schools Safe, a nonprofit founded by Alhadeff’s mother, has advocated for the legislation. Although all the laws are grouped under the Alyssa’s Law name, they involve different technologies. While ...
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Women on parole face higher rates of mental health, housing challenges

Computers line the walls of a reentry center inside the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Mo. Incarcerated women preparing for release can use the computers to search for employment and other resources while on parole. (Photo by Amanda Watford/Stateline) Women on parole report higher rates of housing instability, poor health and serious mental health and substance use disorders than men on parole and than women who weren’t on parole, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan think tank Council on Criminal Justice. For people leaving prison, parole is a period of transition that can involve finding housing and work, reconnecting with family and accessing health care while also meeting the conditions of supervision. How well those pieces come together can shape whether someone successfully settles back into the community — a key part, some argue, of reducing future involvement with the criminal justice system and promoting public safety. ...
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