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What could a second Trump presidency mean for Massachusetts? [Video]
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What could a second Trump presidency mean for Massachusetts? [Video]

Massachusetts’ all-Democratic state leadership and all-Democratic congressional delegation could put the Bay State at odds with President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.Many local political leaders say they are gearing up for a return to a contentious relationship with the White House. They’re also already acknowledging the role that economic concerns played in Vice President Kamala Harris’ electoral defeat. “We’ll make sure that we are doing everything within our power as an administration to take steps necessary to bring about the very best for residents (and) for our economy here,” Gov. Maura Healey said. Adversarial history with TrumpEight years ago, after Trump’s first election, then-Attorney General Healey quickly emerged as an adversary of the Republican’s policies. Within a week of Trump’s first win, Healey announced the creation of a hotline for the victims of discriminatory harassment after the election. A few weeks later, Healey also announced that she was prepared to take the Trump administration to court if he followed through on certain campaign promises. While she was the state’s attorney general, Healey led approximately 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration on subjects including immigration, contraception rules, firearms decisions, the Endangered Species Act, defending the Consumer Financial Protection Board, supporting greenhouse gas emissions standards and more. In fact, the Associated Press described Healey in 2017 as one of the leaders in the effort to litigate against the Trump administration.Healey became governor in 2023 and enjoyed a close relationship with the Biden-Harris administration. She spoke at the Democratic National Convention and campaigned on behalf of Kamala Harris in the closing days of the campaign. Massachusetts received more than $8 billion in federal funding for infrastructure, housing and climate under the Biden administration. No one seems to expect that degree of investment will continue over the next four years.Video below: Healey discussed lawsuits against Trump administration in 2018Looking ahead to the next 4 yearsWhen Healey spoke about the results of the election, she appeared to strike a more pragmatic tone for the state and her party. “As governor, I will continue to do everything in my power to advocate for, fight for, take care of and nurture residents and businesses in Massachusetts,” Healey said. After Trump’s latest election victory became clear, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a statement urging citizens to respect the transition while also saying she would be prepared to take up the mantle of legal challenges against the next administration.”We have been working to identify prospective threats under a Trump administration as well as strategies to best address those threats, should they arise,” Campbell said. NewsCenter 5 asked Healey how she would work with the newly elected administration, given their litigious history.”I think I’ve spoken quite a bit about Donald Trump and my feelings about him,” Healey said. “We have to see whether he makes good on what he promised and ran on in terms of Project 2025 or other things.”Karen Spilka, president of the Massachusetts State Senate, said that state leadership will use lessons learned during the first Trump term. “We have faced an anti-democratic presidency before, and we responded by doubling down on defending reproductive freedom, protecting the health care of all our residents regardless of gender or gender identity, strengthening voter protections, and creating comprehensive climate policy to protect our stateand our nationfrom the devastating effects of climate change,” she said. “The Massachusetts State Senate stands ready to fight for the fundamental values our Commonwealth holds dear once again.”Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who was reelected this week, remained optimistic that Democrats could take control of the U.S. House after the party lost its majority in the Senate. With races for several seats still undecided, however, that Democratic victory is not guaranteed. “With a Democratic majority in the House, we would be able to check his worst impulses on taxes, on tariffs, on spending, on gutting social security, on medicare,” Auchincloss said. Rep. Seth Moulton, who was also reelected, took a darker view of the years ahead. “I think it’ll be much worse because he’s now more empowered. He knows better how to work the levers of power, and he’s not going to be constrained by good people,” Moulton said. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, who served in the U.S. House during the first Trump administration, said the results of this election should cause the Democratic party to make some changes.”The result of that has to be kind of a deep breath and back to basics and some introspection and, get back to the fundamentals of what I think politics is all about about: Just listening to people and knocking on doors and taking what they’re telling you and building a coalition around that,” Kennedy said. While Trump did not win in Massachusetts, he did improve on his 2020 performance in the state. Kennedy said that should also give pause to local Democrats despite their local dominance.”There was also a very clear message that was sent across Massachusettsand former President Trump in a number of places across our Commonwealthwhere people saying, ‘Hey, they want our political perspective here to pivot,'” he said.

Dual enrollment courses facing financial threat in Louisiana [Video]
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Dual enrollment courses facing financial threat in Louisiana [Video]

In Louisiana, 41,000 students could no longer be enrolled in their current dual enrollment program. This comes as the proposed state budget is facing a shortfall impacting higher education.Jewel M. Sumner High School junior Meredith Childers is one of 27 Tangipahoa Parish students participating in an education dual enrollment program with Southeastern University. The program allows juniors and seniors to earn college credit, putting them on a faster path to becoming teachers.Childers says she enrolled in the class understanding the dire need for teachers. “It’s important to know that one day I will be able to be that person for somebody, and I can teach to those people and let them know that we do need more educators in our lives,” she said.During the first year of the partnership, six students in the program went on to major in education. It’s a grow-your-own approach to tackling the teacher shortage taught by Kati Spalane. Spalane herself chose a career in education after participating in dual enrollment. “Every teacher I know works way more overtime than they should to make sure those gaps are being filled. I mean, there’s even a sub shortage,” said Spalane.A possible $250 million higher education budget cut is threatening the program. The state’s commissioner of higher education, Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, says without state funding, universities could cut back on dual enrollment. Reed explains the shortfall would have an impact on campuses across the board.You would see layoffs for faculty and staff, satellite campus closures, less access for student courses, less talent development; I mean, its a significant number,” said Reed.Reed says dual enrollment programs give minority students a shot at higher education and keep Louisiana citizens from taking jobs elsewhere. In a state that has poverty and equity gaps, education gaps, we need more programs that are erasing gaps, programs that expand opportunity, and dual enrollment is certainly one of those programs,” said Reed. According to Louisiana budget committee members, higher education has seen more revenue over the last few years and that is why budget cuts are hitting the agency. The November special session on taxes is expected to address the shortfall. “If we correctly fund our state, then we are not coming back here having these conversations about budget reductions in higher ed or any other agency,” said Rep. Jack McFarland. The higher education budget will be finalized sometime in the summer.In the meantime, students and teachers at the Tangipahoa advance college and career center hope dual enrollment stays put. “Without education, we don’t have anything. Education is one of the most important parts of learning,” said Scott Herrington, senior at Jewel M. Sumner High School.Spalane says the program is helping make a career in education more desirable. “It is important that we are doing things like this that promote, and it should be encouraging, and teachers should be applauded because you know it is hard,” she said.

‘America endures,’ Biden says in first remarks following Trumps win [Video]
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‘America endures,’ Biden says in first remarks following Trumps win [Video]

Yeah, it’s good to see you all. Particularly good to see my granddaughter sitting in the front row here. Hi, Finn, how are you? Honey? For over 200 years, America’s carried on the greatest experiment in self government in the history of the world. And that’s not hyperbole. That’s *** fact. We, the people, the people vote and choose their own leaders and they do it peacefully and we’re in *** democracy, the will of the people always prevails. Yesterday, I spoke with President Elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory and I assured him that I direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure *** peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve. Yesterday. I also spoke with Vice President Harris. She’s been *** partner and *** public servant. She ran an inspiring campaign and everyone got to see something that I’ve learned early on to respect so much her character. She has *** backbone like *** ramrod. She has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart and effort and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign. They ran, you know, the struggle for the soul of America since our very founding has always been an ongoing debate and still vital. Today, I know for some people it’s *** time for victory to state the obvious for others. It’s *** time of loss. Campaigns are contest of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made. I’ve said many times you can’t love your country. Only when you win, you can’t love your neighbor, only when you agree something I hope we can do uh no matter who you voted for to see each other, not as adversaries but his fellow Americans bring down the temperature. I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent and it can be trusted, win or lose. I also hope we can restore the respect for all our election workers who busted their necks and took risks at the outset. We should thank them, thank them for staffing voting sites, counting the votes, protecting the very integrity of the election. Many of them are volunteers who do it simply out of love for their country and as they did as they did their duty as citizens, I will do my duty as president, I’ll fulfill my oath and I will honor the constitution on January 20th. We’ll have *** peaceful transfer of power here in America to all our incredible staff supporters, cabinet members all the people who have been hanging out with me for the last four years. God love you as my mother would say. Thank you so much. You put so much into the past four years. I know it’s *** difficult time. You’re hurting. I hear you and I see you. But don’t forget, don’t forget all that we accomplished. It’s been an historic presidency. Not because I’m present because what we’ve done, what you’ve done *** presidency of all Americans, much of the work we’ve done is already being felt by the American people, but the vast majority of it will not be felt, be felt over the next 10 years. We have ***, we, we have legislation, we pass. It’s just only now just really kicking in, we’re going to see over *** trillion dollars worth of infrastructure work done changing people’s lives in rural communities and communities that are in real difficulty because it takes time to get it done and so much more, it’s gonna take time, but it’s there. The road ahead is clear, assuming we sustain it, there’s so much, so much we can get done and will get done based on the way the legislation was passed and it’s truly historic. You know, we’re leaving behind the strongest economy in the world. I know people are still hurting but things are changing rapidly together. We’ve changed America for the better. Now we have 74 days to finish the term. Our term. Let’s make every day count. That’s the responsibility we have to the American people. Look, folks, you all know it. Your lies. Setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable. Setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down. But the measure of our character, as my dad would say is how quickly we get back up. Remember *** defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up. That’s the story of America for over 240 years and counting. It’s *** story for all of us. Not just some of us, the American experiment endures. We’re gonna be ok, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going and above all we need to keep the faith so proud to have worked with all of you. I really mean it, I sincerely mean it. God bless you all. God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.