Parents group calls on Congress to examine fed funding of science academies

ANACONDA, Mont. – Officials with the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center reported that an investigation has been launched into a shooting that occurred Saturday evening on East Third Street.

The incident took place at Carmel’s Bar, located in the 600 block of East Third.

Authorities reported that a suspect has been taken into custody, and confirmed that no ongoing threat to the community remains.

Residents were urged to avoid the area through Saturday night, as law enforcement works at the scene to continue their investigative efforts.

No further information has been provided at this time.

More than 57,000 pet owners will see their pet insurance premiums rise sharply following the California Department of Insurance’s approval of substantial rate increases for Lemonade pet insurance policies. The CDI green-lighted an overall increase of 14%.

Currently, Californians with Lemonade pet insurance pay an average of $710 annually for their coverage. With the approved rate increase, the average premium will jump to $827 per year.

The rate increase will take effect on Nov. 24, 2024, and will affect all new policies and 57,471 existing policies.

Why the increase?

Inflation and the rising cost of veterinary care are driving pet insurance rate increases across the country. “Pet insurance firms have been increasing premiums to offset the rising cost of claims,” Srimukh Oddiraju, licensed insurance agent and CEO of Fletch, a technology provider to several leading insurance firms, told Insurify in May.

But in its state filings requesting the increase, Lemonade pointed out that its situation is more complex.

Lemonade — which also sells renters, homeowners, auto, and term life insurance — cited rising claims costs due to older pets. “As pets age, they are more likely to require veterinary care, and therefore have a higher premium,” the insurer said in its filing. “This is also evident in our higher loss trend when compared to competitors, as it anticipates more frequent and potentially more costly veterinary visits.”

What’s next: Preparing for higher insurance costs

Earlier this year, the CDI approved rate increases of 56% for MetLife and Embrace and 23% to 46% for American Modern Home. And Nationwide, one of the largest pet insurers in the country, has said it won’t renew 100,000 policies across the country.

Lemonade’s higher pet insurance rates take effect on Nov. 24, 2024, so policyholders have some time to comparison shop for cheaper pet insurance. But be sure to understand the terms, conditions, and limitations of any policy you consider buying, Oddiraju warned.

Most pet insurance doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions. So pet owners who decide to switch insurers and whose pets have pre-existing health conditions should comparison shop with caution. “Switching from one pet insurance firm to another ‘cheaper’ firm can be risky if certain existing conditions don’t get covered,” Oddiraju said.

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SHREVEPORT, La. -- Miami Dolphins wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. was back in the Shreveport-Bossier area hosting a youth football camp, Saturday.

The former Parkway Panthers and LSU Tigers star partnered with Caddo Parish Parks and Recreation to host the camp at Lee Hedges Stadium.

It was for high schoolers in grades 9-12 with a focus on wide receivers and defensive backs.

Marshall's been in the NFL since 2021 and said this wouldn't be possible without help from others in the 3-1-8.

"It's specifically wide receivers and DBs, so I got Ar'Darius Washington, Robert Rochell, those guys are notable names in the city, guys that's in the NFL playing DB... I'm obviously going to be teaching the wide receivers, me and Marquez Stevenson.

"We just want to teach them as much as possible. We've been through different stuff in this game and we just want to give that back to the youth in the best way possible," he explained.

Marshall signed with the Dolphins in February.

Mizzou baseball has acquired infielder Ethan Moore through the transfer portal, Moore announced on X. Moore redshirted at Tennessee last season and will have all four years of eligibility remaining.

A switch hitter, Moore was rated the No. 2 shortstop and No. 5 overall prospect in the state of Illinois by Perfect Game before signing with Tennessee.

In 2025, he was a class 4A All-State honoree after his senior season at his Oak Park, Illinois high school. He will look to help fill the void in Mizzou's middle infield following the departure of Blaize Ward and the possibility Kam Durnin will sign following next month's MLB draft.

Between Moore and the pickup of Wilfred Gonzalez earlier in the offseason, the Tigers have prioritized the middle infield. Other positions are still in need of pickups.

In the outfield, Donovan Jordan is likely to see major playing time. The sophomore started in 25 games last season and provided a .255 average with 18 RBI. The other two starters, however, have yet to be named. Head coach Kerrick Jackson will likely look to target those replacements soon.

Meanwhile, former MU catcher Mateo Serna on Friday announced via Instagram that he is signing with Alabama. The Crimson Tide last season finished 42-21 and made it to the NCAA College World Series, where they lost games to Oklahoma and Texas to be eliminated.

(The Center Square) – Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller says Gov. J.B. Pritzker should address the political motivations behind a Grant Park cross burning after the University of Illinois Chicago student accused in the incident said it was intended as a protest against the Trump administration.

Pritzker condemned the June 10 incident on social media after reports emerged that a burning cross had been found in Chicago's Grant Park.

"Let me be clear that hate has no home here in Illinois," Pritzker wrote. "This symbol has one purpose: to stir up intimidation and terror. We will not be silent — those responsible must be held accountable."

Authorities later identified 21-year-old University of Illinois Chicago student Merlin Lu as the person responsible.

Lu told media outlets he placed a red MAGA-style hat on top of the cross before setting it ablaze as a protest against what he described as "MAGA Christian nationalist" politics. He said he was unaware of the historical racial significance associated with cross burnings and insisted the demonstration was not racially motivated.

Speaking with The Center Square, Miller said the incident was clearly political and questioned whether Pritzker would condemn anti-Trump sentiment with the same force he used to denounce the initial reports of a cross burning.

"I look forward to J.B. Pritzker holding Merlin Lu accountable for MAGA hate because MAGA hate shouldn't have a home here in Illinois, right?" Miller said.

Miller argued that the student's actions were influenced by political rhetoric directed at President Donald Trump and his supporters.

"Obviously, this wasn't intended to be a hate crime. This was politically motivated, and it's all the direct result of the dangerous rhetoric that's been spewed by these people," Miller said.

The Republican lawmaker also blamed what he described as ideological influences on college campuses, saying young people are often more susceptible to political activism because of their lack of life experience.

Asked whether Pritzker should specifically condemn the anti-Trump message behind the protest, Miller said, "I think it's a no-brainer," arguing the governor reacted before all the facts surrounding the incident were known.

Miller further contended that the controversy has distracted from issues Illinois residents care more about, including taxes, energy costs and public safety.

"I would guess that a very, very small percentage of Illinoisans would even care that this guy burned a MAGA hat," Miller said. "They're worried about how they're going to pay their real estate tax bill. They're worried about the high escalating cost of energy. They're worried about safer communities."

Pritzker's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the governor's position changed after Lu publicly explained his motivations.

Cross burnings have historically been associated with racial intimidation and white supremacist groups in the United States, particularly the Ku Klux Klan. However, Lu has publicly stated that his actions were intended as a political protest against the Trump administration rather than a racially motivated act.

(The Center Square) – A U.S. Senate bill would give the federal government a 50% ownership stake in the largest artificial intelligence companies, creating a sovereign wealth fund its sponsor estimates would be worth $7 trillion. One policy analyst called the idea "nutty" while others said it would put American AI companies at a combative disadvantage and would lead to offshoring.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would impose a one-time 50% tax on AI company stock and deposit those shares into a fund that could pay every American more than $1,000 annually.

Sanders said AI was built on "the collective knowledge of humanity and the creative work of tens of millions of people" and that the public deserves a direct ownership stake in the companies that have profited from it.

The fund would be managed by a seven-member independent commission, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, with authority to use its voting shares to block corporate decisions it determines hurt the American people.

The bill would also require large companies that operate both AI and non-AI businesses to separate those operations, with the public receiving an ownership stake in the AI side.

The bill would apply to AI companies with at least $200 million in annual revenue, and any new company that reaches that threshold would also be subject to the stock transfer. OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google each reported well over $200 million in AI-related revenue in 2025, according to public financial reports and company statements.

The largest AI companies named in the legislation did not respond to questions about how the bill would affect their operations by deadline.

The bill had not been assigned a number or referred to committee as of Friday afternoon. No cosponsors were listed.

Sanders said his proposal goes further than what President Donald Trump or AI company executives have suggested, describing their approach as offering "5% of our profits back into the government" rather than direct public ownership.

Trump said June 5 that a government stake in AI firms could be "a partnership with the American public" and that his administration would "look into" the concept.

Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 directing his administration to develop a plan for a sovereign wealth fund, though no fund has been established.

OpenAI proposed in its April policy paper "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age" a public wealth fund that would provide every citizen "a stake in AI-driven economic growth." Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote recently that universal basic income "could be financed through taxes on relevant companies."

Elon Musk, owner of xAI, said in an April post on X that "universal HIGH INCOME via checks issued by the Federal government is the best way to deal with unemployment caused by AI."

Sanders estimates the fund would be worth about $7 trillion at current valuations. A 5% annual dividend could generate direct payments of more than $1,000 to every American – about $1,045 per person, based on 5% of the estimated $7 trillion fund divided by the current U.S. population – with additional gains directed toward health care, education and housing. If AI company valuations decline, Sanders said, the companies would bear the losses, not the federal government.

Sanders said the bill would ensure AI wealth benefits the public rather than shareholders.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., said in opening remarks at a June 11 Banking Committee hearing on AI that the committee's primary objectives are "protecting consumers and American workers, supporting domestic innovation, and ensuring that AI technology is developed by American companies with American values rather than ceding leadership to China."

Scott's office and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.

Tad DeHaven, a Cato Institute policy analyst who studies government taxation and spending, wrote this month that Sanders "wants political control" over AI companies through voting shares and board representation, and warned that Trump's own pursuit of government equity stakes in private companies had "opened the door" for the Sanders proposal.

Phillip Magness, an Independent Institute economist who studies taxation and capital markets, said the one-time stock transfer carries its own capital flight risks.

"Since the tech industry tends to be highly mobile and under intense competition from abroad, a tax of this type could trigger offshoring to reduce the tax burden, or could place AI companies that remain in the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage against the rest of the world," he told The Center Square.

"Legislators seeking to justify new and expansive forms of taxation almost always overestimate their ability to raise revenue," he said. "Sanders is likely basing his AI company tax proposal on current market valuations, which would also be adversely affected by the implementation of the same measure."

Bruce Schneier, a Harvard fellow and security technologist who has written extensively on AI policy and technology governance, called the approach "absolutely nutty," saying the bill would not achieve Sanders' goal of democratic control over AI development.

"Control will be maintained by the tech oligarchs," Schneier told The Center Square. "The only difference is that the government will now have a conflict of interest when it comes time to regulate them."

Schneier said the better approach is to tax AI companies directly to return profits to the public, and separately create a government-run public AI option that operates outside the for-profit market.

"Let government do what it does best, and create a thing that lives outside of the for-profit market system," he told The Center Square. "The goal here isn't to replace corporate AI, but to provide an alternative."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-6-26 in May directing state agencies to evaluate policies to address AI-related job losses, including whether residents should receive direct ownership stakes in companies or funds generating AI-driven income.

(The Center Square) – Most Americans say they do not trust artificial intelligence to provide accurate and unbiased information about politics and current events, according to a new poll.

The Center Square’s Voters Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, found 57% of American voters either trust AI “not very much” or “not at all” when it comes to providing accurate and unbiased information. Among the split, 29% of voters said they did not trust it “very much” and 28% of voters said they did not trust it “at all.”

The poll, conducted June 1 to June 4, surveyed 2,585 respondents about their opinions on a wide range of issues, including artificial intelligence. Among respondents, 915 identified as Republicans, 1,013 identified as Democrats, and 297 identified as true independent voters, which means they did not lean toward either party when asked.

Across partisan divides, respondents showed relatively similar stances on trust in AI for information. About 39% of Republicans said they trust AI “a great deal” for information on politics and current events, while 34% of Democrats said the same.

About 28% of True independent voters said they would trust AI “a great deal” for information on politics and current events.

The biggest divide in trust of AI came between younger and older respondents. About 54% of respondents ages 18-29 do not have much trust for AI, compared to 64% of respondents older than 65.

Mike Noble, founder of Noble Predictive Insights, said the difference in trust between younger and older generations comes down to the prevalence of technology.

“There’s a big gap between the two on their technological experience,” Noble told The Center Square. “Older folks are definitely much less trustworthy when it comes to AI being able to deliver the news.”

However, Noble noted that trust for AI to deliver the news overall is extremely low, regardless of the demographic.

Respondents with greater educational backgrounds and higher household incomes were more likely to trust AI “a great deal” to deliver information on politics and current events. About 40% of respondents with a college degree said they trust AI “a great deal” to deliver news and events, compared to 34% of respondents with no college degree who said the same.

“The lower education you have, the less kind of plugged in you are, the more concerned you are regarding it,” Noble said.

Roughly 42% of respondents with a household income above $100,000 per year said they trust AI “a great deal” to deliver information on politics and current events, compared to 32% of respondents with a household income under $50,000 per year who said the same.

Noble emphasized the trust among younger respondents as key to understanding the acceptance of AI. However, he said it will likely not be used to replace traditional news anytime soon.

“18-29 [year olds] grew up with it, they're just more open to it, and again, just have leaned on it more,” Noble said.

(The Center Square) – Six in 10 American voters say the country is heading in the wrong direction before this year's midterm elections, an increase from three months ago, according to a new national poll.

The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll found 60% of registered voters say the country is going in the wrong direction, up from 53% in March. Just 28% say things are going in the right direction, down from 36% in March. Eleven percent were not sure.

Among true independents, those who decline to lean toward either major party, nearly seven in 10 say the country is on the wrong track.

The generic congressional ballot has shifted from a one-point Democratic advantage in March to a six-point Democratic advantage in June. A Democratic House majority would control the chamber's floor agenda, all committee and subcommittee chairmanships and the origination of revenue legislation, giving Democrats influence over trillions of dollars in federal spending.

Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta who specializes in elections and voting behavior, said the generic ballot margin is significant.

"Where you have Democrats leading by six, seven, eight points on the generic ballot, the House of Representatives is almost certainly going to flip," he told The Center Square. "Democrats only need to pick up three seats."

Republicans currently hold a 218-215 majority in the House, with one vacant seat, according to the House Press Gallery.

Abramowitz said the bigger question is whether the wave will be large enough to give Democrats control of the Senate, which would require picking up at least four seats while holding all of their current 47, according to the U.S. Senate Press Gallery.

The shift comes as inflation and energy costs continue to weigh on American households. Gas prices have dropped to $3.97 per gallon nationally over the past week, but that's still up more than a dollar a gallon from $2.94 when Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military conflict with Iran, began in February, according to AAA and U.S. Energy Information Administration data. Overall consumer prices rose 4.2% over the past year, with energy costs up 23.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Real wages have fallen back to where they stood when President Donald Trump took office.

Mike Noble, founder of Noble Predictive Insights, which conducted the poll, said voters are feeling the economic pain acutely. Inflation is getting worse, he said. Among true independents, Noble said the economic anxiety is especially pronounced, and Republicans face a growing problem if the pain points continue or worsen before November.

Benjamin Schneer, an associate professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, said the political environment is not favorable for Republicans. It is a long-standing pattern that the party in power struggles in midterm years, he said, and 2026 appears it will not be an exception. The majority in the House is so narrow that even a modest swing toward Democrats puts it at risk of shifting hands.

Schneer said the wrong track numbers reflect voter worries about inflation and the conflict in Iran.

"I do think the direction of the change is informative," he told The Center Square. "It suggests the same forces that were already dragging on the chances for Republicans to hold onto their majority have continued. The question will be if anything meaningful changes before November."

Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a nonprofit public policy research organization, and an expert in election law and redistricting, said wrong track numbers historically reflect voter sentiment toward the party in power.

"Numbers as lopsided as those in the new poll are not unprecedented, but they are a big warning signal for the party in power," he told The Center Square. "High wrong-track numbers in 2024 prefigured voters' turn against Joe Biden and his Democrats."

Olson said the numbers suggest a bad year for Republicans under the traditional rules of politics, but questioned whether those rules still apply. Olson said Republicans benefit on the House side from what he described as aggressive mid-cycle gerrymandering. More than a quarter of all congressional seats have been redrawn mid-decade, according to a May analysis by Schneer. Republicans also benefit on the Senate side from a lack of relatively easy Democratic pickups among seats up for a vote.

Olson said one long-term trend is that races for the House and Senate keep getting more nationalized, meaning state and local issues take a back seat to national politics. The Republican Party is identified with Trump personally as never before, he said, and Trump's declining personal numbers could make things more difficult for Republican candidates across the country.

The NRCC, the congressional Republican campaign committee, said Republicans are focused on fixing problems left by the previous administration.

"Joe Biden and Democrats left behind a massive mess, and Republicans have been laser-focused on fixing the problems they created," spokesman Mike Marinella told The Center Square. "From lowering costs to securing the border, Republicans are working every day to get the country back on the right track for American families."

Several congressional offices from both parties did not respond to requests for comment.

The DCCC, the congressional Democratic campaign committee, said Republican economic failures are driving voter dissatisfaction.

"Hardworking families are getting squeezed from the gas station to the grocery store because House Republicans broke their promise to lower costs," spokesman Aidan Johnson told The Center Square. "It's no wonder Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction, and why they're ready to elect Democrats to get it back on track."

Throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump repeatedly promised to bring prices down after taking office. Consumer prices have risen 4.2% over the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The White House said it expects prices to fall once the Iran conflict is resolved, and credited the administration's deregulation, tax cuts, and energy policies for economic progress prior to the conflict.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows real wages had fallen back to where they stood when Trump took office by May 2026.

Noble Predictive Insights conducted the poll from June 1-4, 2026. It surveyed registered voters nationally via opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages. The sample included 2,585 respondents, including 915 Republicans, 1,013 Democrats, and 297 True Independents. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.93%. It is one of the most comprehensive tracking polls in the U.S.

(The Center Square) - President Donald Trump shared a look at a new aircraft with The Center Square on Friday that will serve as Air Force One. 

The Air Force's VC-25B Bridge aircraft arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday. The aircraft will need to go through several commissioning flights that serve as the "final exam" for aircraft modification. 

The aircraft, a $400 million plane gifted from officials in Qatar last year, will be used to relieve pressure on the president's fleet. Trump said the aircraft is more than double the size of the previous model. 

"Our country has to be represented properly," Trump said. "We have the greatest aircraft anywhere in the world."

Trump said he would use the aircraft much more in the future. He said he would use it to travel to Turkey in July for a NATO summit and a meeting in China. He did not specify when the meeting in China would occur.

"The quality of the materials, the quality of the engines, is the best in the world," Trump said. "I want to thank the Emir of Qatar."

Air Force officials emphasized the aircraft was brought to relieve pressure on the president's fleet of vehicles. 

“The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority," said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. "From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission. This effort proves that the U.S. Air Force can move fast without sacrificing quality, security, or reliability."

Trump said the aircraft would lead a flyover in Washington, D.C., on July 4th. 

"This plane was transformed into a flying White House at a level of luxury nobody has ever seen before," Trump said. 

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education is reducing student loan interest rates for borrowers, but critics argue the move could cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

The Education Department announced this week that federal student loan borrowers enrolled in automatic payments will be eligible for a 1% interest rate reduction beginning July 1.

Borrowers who plan to enroll in auto pay by Sept. 30, 2026, and those who are enrolled, will receive this reduction in the interest rate through June 30, 2028. 

Federal student loan interest rates currently range from 6.39% to 7.94% for undergraduate and graduate borrowers. The average student loan balance in the U.S. is about $40,000, while the federal student loan portfolio totals approximately $1.8 trillion.

Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent said the Trump administration's temporary student loan interest rate reduction is intended to help borrowers manage repayment and explore affordable repayment plan options.

Before COVID-19, over 80% of student loan borrowers were actively in repayment plans and currently, due to the previous administration's policies on student loan forgiveness programs, only 40% are enrolled in either auto pay to active repayment. 

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, criticized the Education Department's new policy.

According to the organization, the change could cost taxpayers at least $5 billion and effectively amounts to a form of student debt cancellation because it reduces the total amount borrowers repay over the life of their loans rather than lowering monthly payments.

CRFB President Maya MacGuineas said the policy primarily benefits borrowers who are already making payments on their loans.

“Make no mistake: Quadrupling the auto-pay incentive is debt cancellation by another name. And worse, it’s targeted at people already making repayments,” MacGuineas said. “The auto-pay interest deductions don't even reduce monthly payments or improve affordability — they just wipe out debt balances, especially for high-earning professionals that are already doing quite well.”  

MacGuineas said expanding the discount could set a precedent for future administrations to further reduce or eliminate student loan interest rates through executive action.

Instead of expanding loan benefits, the CRFB said the Trump administration should focus on addressing the projected $100 billion shortfall in the Pell Grant program, which could reduce aid for low-income students.