National

Listen to this articleThe United States government was designed as an elegant system of checks and balances. Power is negotiated among federal, state, and local authorities, as well as among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. However, during his second term, which began in 2025, President Donald Trump has frequently bypassed both federal and state… Read more: Power and pushback: Who can stop a president?

Listen to this articleFederal policy, courts, and power struggles shaping 2026 National news at the start of 2026 is defined less by single votes or speeches and more by structural fights over power, budgets, rights, and enforcement that are setting the tone for the rest of the year. Congress Faces a Narrow Path on Spending… Read more: TCO National Bi-Monthly News Brief

Listen to this articleAn Explainer for Young Readers Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights leader who advocated for equality and justice during the 1950s and 1960s. He worked to end racial segregation and discrimination against Black Americans through nonviolent protest and civil disobedience. King led a movement that challenged laws… Read more: Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Leader and Advocate for Justice

Listen to this articleBy MICHAEL WARREN Associated Press Writer ATLANTA (AP) — A historical marker from the site of a 1918 lynching that was repeatedly vandalized in recent years is now safely on display in Atlanta in an exhibit that opens Monday. It memorializes an event that some people in rural southern Georgia have tried hard to… Read more: Bullet-pocked marker memorializing 1918 lynching goes on display in Atlanta

Listen to this articleBy Ron Albert The Cleveland Observer Oil, sanctions, military pressure, and defense financing show how U.S. foreign policy can test public trust, even without a declared war. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves—about 301 billion barrels—surpassing Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Canada, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Sanctions, tanker… Read more: Venezuela, Oil, and Power: How Foreign Policy Strains a Democracy Built on Trust