Colorado Considers Ban On Preteens Owning Cell Phones

A campaign in Colorado seeks to stop kids under 13 years of age from spending too much time on smartphones by banning retailers from selling smartphones for use by children. "Eventually kids are going to get phones and join the world, and I think we all know that, but little children, there's just no good that comes from that," Tim Farnum, a Denver-area anesthesiologist told The Coloradoan .

LUPICA: GOP won’t budge on gun debate – even after Va. shooting

This is how Sen. Rand Paul, who was at the ballfield in Alexandria, Va., when the shooting started early Wednesday morning, described the first moments of an active shooter firing away, this time at members of Congress: "The first shot was kind of an isolated shot and everybody kind of looks up and says, 'Hey, what's that?'" It was the sound of more gunfire in America, is what it was. It was gunfire that will now command the attention of not just some politicians in Washington, but all of them.

Trumpa s cuts could see hungry kids in vulnerable California GOP districts

In this May 23, 2017, photo, Budget Director Mick Mulvaney holds up a copy of President Donald Trump's proposed fiscal 2018 federal budget as he speaks to members of the media in the Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. Trump's $4.1 trillion plan for the budget year beginning Oct. 1 generally proposes deep cuts in safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly known as food stamps.

Chicago court stays deportation of pizza worker to Mexico

A Chicago-based appeals court has halted the deportation of a Mexican immigrant in Ohio to give the court time to assess whether his deportation might seriously harm his three children who are U.S. citizens. The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reports the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found Ricardo Sanchez made plausible arguments he couldn't support his family on Mexican wages.

Big Bird’s finances come under scrutiny at House budget hearing

The director of the Office of Management and Budget said Wednesday during a House hearing on the president's proposed budget that Sesame Street 's Big Bird "makes more money than anybody in this room." Mick Mulvaney was discussing the phasing out of support for public broadcasting, which President Trump proposed in the draft budget released Tuesday .

The Montana Kid

Mary and I are in Montana with the Conservative Campaign Committee working to defeat Pelosi's latest "impeach Trump" minion, Rob Quist, who is running for Congress. A small incident brought a smile to my face and my spirit.

On further reviewA a oeMorning Editiona report last week offered 13…

A "Morning Edition" report last week offered 13 million NPR listeners results from Indiana's largest-in-the-nation school voucher program: Per-pupil education spending, adjusted for inflation, less than 2009 as the state picks up tuition bills for more families who always intended to send their children to religious schools Early research finding ... (more)

States are finally letting kids bring sunscreen to school without a doctor’s note

Susan Grenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the fair-skinned 10-year-old can't bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor's note. Many school systems categorize sunscreen as an over-the-counter medication requiring special paperwork, but several states have been pushing to loosen restrictions to make it easier for kids to protect themselves from skin cancer.

More states allow sunscreen at schools without doctor’s OK

Susan Grenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the fair-skinned 10-year-old can't bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor's note. Many school systems categorize sunscreen as an over-the-counter medication requiring special paperwork, but several states have been pushing to loosen restrictions to make it easier for kids to protect themselves from skin cancer.

Senator Collins Honored at 2017 Common Sense Awards

U.S. Senator Susan Collins was honored for her work on issues that help children and families by Common Sense Media, the nation's leading non-partisan, non-profit children's media anda Z advocacy organization. U.S. Senator Susan Collins was honored for her work on issues that help children and families by Common Sense Media, the nation's leading non-partisan, non-profit children's media anda Z advocacy organization.

School Choice ‘Is What Winning for Young Children’ Looks Like in DC

President Donald Trump signaled his support for education choice at a Wednesday event celebrating the achievements of charter school students and school voucher recipients in the nation's capital. It was an honor to be at this White House event to watch Trump, along with Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, applaud the students who participate in the District of Columbia's school choice programs.

Ted Rall: Sheryl Sandberg Is The World’s Most Annoying Person

Invariably promoted as launching a "movement" - as opposed to shilling books - the Facebook executive's publicity blitzes are impossible to avoid. There's the inevitably self-involved New York Times op-ed; she's in Time, Fortune, USA Today, The Washington Post and Huffington Post , which tells us "Why Sheryl Sandberg Decided To Speak Openly About Losing Her Husband .

Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio: ‘We Can End Hunger In This Country’

House of Representatives minority leader Nancy Pelosi and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio discuss the farm bill as part of the Plate of the Union campaign, April 27, 2017, in Washington, D.C. Hunger in America can often seem invisible, but recent studies have shown that it is a problem that affect millions of people, many of them children. An estimated 13.1 million kids live in homes with insufficient food, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

NYC mayor wants free preschool for 3-year-olds, too

In this Sept. 4, 2014, file photo, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio visits the Inner Force Early Tots Childhood Learning Center, a community-based organization that's part of the pre-K program, in the Brooklyn borough of New York on the first day of the mayor's expansion of early childhood education.