skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MA: Civic Engagement & Voting

Every registered voter in Massachusetts received an official 2024 Vote by Mail application in January. In addition to the March 5 presidential primaries, voters can also use that application to apply for mail-in ballots for the Sept. 3 state primary and Nov. 5 state election. (Adobe Stock)
MA voters urged to register, complete mail-in ballots ahead of upcoming primary

Voters in Massachusetts are being encouraged to complete their applications for mail-in ballots ahead of next month's presidential primary. The …

play audio
Supporters of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution said it is needed to protect future generations from crippling federal debt but opponents countered it could limit lawmakers' ability to cope with economic recessions or respond to national emergencies. (Adobe Stock)
Voting rights groups call constitutional convention efforts a threat to democracy

Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering a resolution to convene a Convention of States, a process voting rights groups said could put civil …

play audio

The Jan. 6 Committee's final report revealed members of the Oath Keepers and other Trump allies stockpiled weapons near Washington, D.C., as they waited for the former president to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military for domestic law enforcement. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Social media's 'networked incitement' the latest challenge to democracy

The use of social media to organize the Jan. 6 insurrection marked a turning point in American political protest, according to a leading media and …

play audio
Studies show the development and dissemination of vaccines have saved millions of lives and played a critical role in historic increases in average life expectancy - from  47 years in 1900 in the U.S. to 76 years in 2023. (Adobe Stock)
Vaccination rates decline as health misinformation spreads online

Public health experts say the rapid spread of health misinformation online is contributing to a dangerous decline in vaccination rates. Surveys …

play audio

Uninsured people are more likely to support public health insurance programs, but are less likely to vote than people with health insurance. Studies show this trend has contributed to a lack of Medicaid expansion in states that could benefit from it. (Adobe Stock)
Doctors say voting is critical to improving U.S. health care system

Voting is not only good for democracy - it's also good for your health, according to one of the nation's largest medical associations. The American …

play audio
A 2021 poll conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found 65% of residents support same-day voter registration, compared to 28% who oppose it. (Adobe Stock)
MA groups push same-day voter registration to replace provisional ballots

Voting rights groups in Massachusetts say provisional ballot data from the 2022 statewide election highlight the need for same-day voter registration…

play audio

In 2020, in states that went from
Study finds youth voter turnout higher with mail-in voting

States in which all eligible voters are automatically mailed ballots had significantly higher youth voter turnout rates in 2020, according to a new …

play audio
Media experts say to avoid being duped by disinformation, double and even triple check the source of a story, and then try to find this information elsewhere in other reputable places, like mainstream news outlets. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Tech Companies Scale Back Efforts to Control Election Disinformation

Introduced federal legislation aims to counter the growing threat of election disinformation as social media platforms scale back efforts to control i…

play audio

When voters sit down and talk to each other about electoral reform, their support for ranked-choice voting increases to nearly 60%, both for state primary and general elections, according to a poll by Stanford University's Deliberative Democracy Lab. (Adobe Stock)
Boston Joins National Ranked-Choice Voting Movement

The push for ranked-choice voting is gaining momentum in cities across the country, including Boston - where organizers say it will help increase …

play audio
Legislatures in 14 states have introduced bills this year that would implement ranked-choice voting. New York City had its first election using ranked-choice voting in 2021. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br /><br />
Empower Act in MA Extends Voting Rights, Allows for Ranked Voting

Legislation dubbed the Empower Act in Massachusetts would allow municipalities to lower the voting age and use ranked choice voting for local election…

play audio

In a Pew Research Center survey, 57% of Americans cited reducing the budget deficit as a top priority for the president and Congress to address this year. That's up from 45% a year ago. (Adobe Stock)
MA Activists Urge Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling, Resist Spending Cuts

Local activists will rally in Boston Common tomorrow to urge Congress to lift the debt ceiling without cuts to social programs in return. President …

play audio
Democratic lawmakers are calling for term limits to ensure each president has the opportunity to appoint the same number of Supreme Court justices each term, in an effort to make the high court more democratically representative. (Adobe Stock)
MA Lawmakers Call for Expansion of U.S. Supreme Court

Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress are calling for an expansion of the U.S. Supreme Court due to what they said are "ethical lapses" and "partisan …

play audio

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021