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The Trump administration will halt a program designed to help detained immigrants navigate the United States' complex immigration court system, a move some analysts warn flies in the face of the administration's promises to slash the massive immigration court backlog . On April 30th, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will halt the Legal Orientation Program, which offers guidance through the Vera Institute of Justice , a legal aid group, to detained immigrants, helping them determine whether...

Over the weekend, a video circulated on the Internet of police handcuffing and removing two black men from a Starbucks in Philadelphia last Thursday, April 12. The incident is illustrative of what pains many African Americans about the threats of gentrification: The men were reportedly charged with trespassing, and for a neighborhood like Philly’s Rittenhouse Square, where the trespassed Starbucks is located, that may have been true in the eyes of a cafe manager trying to interpret the...

Every year, scores of gifted students have their college prospects hampered by life circumstances. Imagine a teenager attending a high school where few of his peers make it to graduation, much less college. This student, however, is a high achiever. His grade-point average and test scores show it. In fact, they’re good enough to get into some of the best institutions in the country. But he doesn’t go to any of those institutions—let alone apply for them. Actual high-schoolers like this...

Black Lives Matter leaders took the megaphone at a UC Davis medical education building in Sacramento Tuesday, miles from the downtown intersection where they’ve been protesting for weeks following the deadly police shooting of Stephon Clark. They again demanded police accountability and changes to use of force protocols, this time addressing a group of young faces in green scrubs and white coats. The students laid on the ground in what they called a “white coat die-in” — an event organized...

What is State Interference? While attention focuses on Washington, aggressive corporate and special interests are systematically working at the state level to close critical avenues of power-building for poor people, people of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and immigrants. Their strategy: targeting local governments, which provide essential hubs of innovation, protection and progressive political power. The Koch Brothers-backed American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the architect of...

By this fall, 24 former foster youth will attend classes at the nation’s first college specifically for former foster youth. Riverbend Center for Higher Education, operated by nonprofit child welfare service provider KVC Health Systems , will open in Montgomery, West Virginia, in July, enrolling students for the fall semester. Operating in partnership with BridgeValley Community and Technical College, a community college with two locations in in the state, Riverbend will offer programming...

Leaders of the Senate health committee on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation designed to help combat the nationwide opioid epidemic through the increased collection, analysis and sharing of data to track controlled substance prescribing and the effects of drug abuse. The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (S. 2680) , which includes 40 wide-ranging proposals, puts a premium on leveraging information technology such as electronic health records, telemedicine and Prescription Drug...

Since 2003, we have been developing the first camp in America focused on children with high ACE Scores -- Camp HOPE America. It began as a program of the San Diego Family Justice Center, but it has grown rapidly. This summer Camp HOPE America will operate in 15 states. Our goal is to see Camp HOPE America in every state in the country within the next five years. Our evidence-based outcomes published by the Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma have established that increasing...

1. Thanks to the Trump tax deal, taxes are way down for corporations and billionaires. In 2017, individuals and corporations were still paying taxes under the old system. The Trump tax plan that Congress passed in December 2017 hadn’t yet taken effect. In 2018, the rules have changed. The new tax plan favors billionaires and corporations, while leaving poor and middle income Americans essentially where they are. The richest 1 percent of Americans will receive a total of $85 billion in tax...

Widowed older adults can reduce the loneliness that results from the death of a spouse by volunteering 100 hours per year, which is about two hours per week, according to a recent study. The study examined whether becoming a volunteer at the time of widowhood is associated with reducing the risks of loneliness, which is a significant public health concern, particularly for those who have lost a spouse, linked to poorer physical health, depression and even earlier mortality. The findings are...

As school districts around California scramble to tackle a teacher shortage in the face of rising housing costs, the West Contra Costa school district hopes a new program that offers home down payment assistance will help its efforts to recruit and retain teachers. “This is just one of the innovative opportunities we have worked on to assist our teachers to stay in our communities and continue to help our students thrive,” said district Superintendent Matthew Duffy. “West County, and...

Art with Heart resources are based on various therapeutic modalities, including art, cognitive, and narrative therapies.