The Center Square Daily

California's $1.1 B Capitol Annex, Democrats' Wealth Tax proposals

On this edition of the Center Square Radio Hour, The California Capitol Annex Project is costing taxpayers at least $1.1 billion, but there’s only so much lawmakers are allowing the public to know about it. Democratic senators are advancing a series of proposals to tax America's wealthiest households, with supporters projecting trillions in new federal revenue but critics aren't so sure. As student walkouts and protests tied to immigration enforcement increase nationwide, education experts are raising concerns about declining civics proficiency among K-12 students and the growing role of political activism in schools. A handful of Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are asking for a second chance to vote on the proposed tax deal that died last week. And some are asking if Seattle's economic growth is stalling as their housing market appears to be cooling. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

$90M Minnesota childcare & Medicaid fraud | The Center Square Daily

Federal prosecutors say a massive Medicaid and childcare fraud scheme in Minnesota stole more than $90 million from taxpayers, marking what officials describe as the largest autism fraud case ever charged by the Department of Justice. Investigators allege defendants billed for services never provided, paid kickbacks to parents, and used taxpayer-funded programs to finance luxury purchases including cars, jewelry, and real estate.  Meanwhile, the United States Environmental Protection Agency is rolling back refrigerant regulations in a move the Trump administration says could lower grocery costs, protect jobs, and reduce compliance burdens for supermarkets and small businesses. Critics argue the rollback weakens climate protections and could create long-term economic and environmental consequences after companies already invested heavily to comply with earlier federal standards.  Also in today’s episode:  Illinois: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_0420a047-8714-4616-a271-ee890fa6ae89.html  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_0420a047-8714-4616-a271-ee890fa6ae89.html] Texas: https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_3d63f2f7-f2e8-4ad5-bd85-d856bfc9dbb0.html  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_3d63f2f7-f2e8-4ad5-bd85-d856bfc9dbb0.html] Pennsylvania: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_26c459cc-7a20-4846-8dcd-251ed0f294f0.html  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_26c459cc-7a20-4846-8dcd-251ed0f294f0.html] Wisconsin: http://thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_9ea19de8-f401-43a6-a411-f8a3dbd5701a.html [http://thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_9ea19de8-f401-43a6-a411-f8a3dbd5701a.html] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

California’s $1.1B Capitol Project: 2,000 NDAs and Growing Questions | The Center Square Daily

Illinois lawmakers are raising questions about highly paid diversity commissioners and outside consulting work after new disclosures tied to the state’s $6 million Commission on Equity and Inclusion. Critics say the agency’s reported contracting progress may be misleading while the number of certified minority- and women-owned businesses eligible for state contracts has sharply declined amid ongoing system failures. Meanwhile, California’s controversial $1.1 billion Capitol renovation project is drawing renewed scrutiny over more than 2,000 non-disclosure agreements tied to lawmakers, contractors, and state officials. Republican Assemblyman Josh Hoover is pushing legislation to ban secrecy agreements on public projects, arguing taxpayers deserve transparency on rising costs, delays, and unusual contracting decisions tied to the decade-long construction effort.  Also in today’s episode:  • Natural gas, energy storage projects line up en masse to plug into power grid [https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_d7ae8ce2-048a-47a4-a91d-d72b9dfaf36a.html] • Michigan Republicans call for federal probe into Governor Gretchen Whitmer over taxpayer-funded grant scandal  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/michigan/article_45bbd901-298b-4c7a-8037-b9bc63eefa9e.html] • North Carolina expands tax-credit support for private school donations  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/north_carolina/article_ce493eb5-87aa-4dfd-a008-041b9b2f48bc.html] • Washington pension officials warn retirement fund transfer could increase long-term liabilities  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_fba8e7b4-48bd-4b51-9796-d9c626cae185.html] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wealth Tax Proposals in Congress | The Center Square Daily

Student walkouts tied to immigration protests, growing concerns over civics education and classroom activism, and billionaire tax proposals in Congress.  For The Center Square Daily host Esther Wickham looks at schools seeing a sharp increase in student demonstrations connected to immigration enforcement and deportation policies. According to data highlighted by education researchers, school protest incidents have climbed from just 58 nationwide in 2022 to more than 400 in 2026. At the same time, national academic performance data continues to show major learning gaps, with more than 70% of K-12 students below proficiency in math and reading and only a small percentage of eighth graders demonstrating civics proficiency. Critics argue schools are increasingly encouraging political activism before students develop a strong understanding of constitutional government, immigration law, and public policy.  The Center Square's Brett Rowland joins to discuss tax proposals from Democrats in Congress aimed at billionaires and ultra-wealthy Americans as lawmakers search for ways to address rising federal deficits and debt. Proposals backed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren would impose annual wealth taxes on billionaires and multimillionaires, with supporters arguing the plans could generate trillions in federal revenue. Critics, however, point to mixed results from similar policies in Europe, warning that tax avoidance strategies and constitutional challenges could limit the effectiveness of the proposals while taxpayers continue carrying the broader burden of federal spending.  Plus America's Talking with headlines from across the country:   Arizona: Gov. Hobbs faces scrutiny over China-related bills [https://www.thecentersquare.com/arizona/article_fb303529-ba7c-4195-ba95-5ad0413f395d.html] Louisiana: Louisiana’s revamped orphan well cleanup program takes shape  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/louisiana/article_f848c2e1-369b-4848-bb5f-d2ba7b16f840.html] New York: Mamdani touts first city-owned grocery store [https://www.thecentersquare.com/new_york/article_eeb8babb-934a-4c05-a4c4-1399cd80502b.html] Illinois: Consumer advocates say Nicor’s rate hike is unreasonable, profit-driven  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_ce1916b2-fb00-4215-bdd4-ae101e8ec1cc.html]   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Center Square Daily | May 14, 2026 | Tax-Exempt, Elite University Presidents' Pay Topping $1M

Private nonprofit universities pay leaders millions of dollars, Louisiana students surpass pre-pandemic levels in reading and math, and a bill to protect the elderly from fraud languishes in Illinois legislature. Top private nonprofit universities that receive government funding pay some of their top leaders millions of dollars and one even received a $20 million longevity bonus, an investigation by The Center Square found. That is despite political leaders and others questioning the way the schools are funded and their political policies. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to revoke the tax-exempt status of the country's elite private universities, most recently alleging that some harbor "radical left" policies and stoke antisemitism. Others have long questioned the fairness of federal policies that allow the schools to skirt tax liabilities while they amass tens of billions of dollars in assets, develop patented technologies with government support that are worth hundreds of millions and pay their leaders handsomely. Louisiana officials on Wednesday touted the state’s continued rise in national education rankings, after a new scorecard placed Louisiana first in reading growth and second in math growth. The report, produced by researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth, found Louisiana was the only state where average student performance has surpassed 2019 pre-pandemic levels in both reading and math. State officials credited literacy and math reforms, tutoring, school improvement efforts, high-quality instructional materials and a new statewide student attendance strategy. Gov. Jeff Landry also pointed to a return “back to the basics” and removal of “woke, DEI material” from curriculum.  Plus America's Talking with headlines from across the country:   Illinois: Bill to prevent fraud on elderly, disabled opposed by financial institutions  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_3e58355a-2e09-4038-9a69-3d21df16acdb.html] Arizona: Mexican national sentenced in major Middle East-Mexico-Arizona smuggling scheme  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/arizona/article_33dc9b37-2505-4d81-b5cf-02f7193293ac.html] North Carolina: Cooper gets $31.4M share of $111.2M spend  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/north_carolina/article_b88df6e9-73cf-4065-9d16-67a98d8d27ba.html] Ohio: Proposal would force agencies to ‘start over’ with budget every decade  [https://www.thecentersquare.com/ohio/article_aa84e1c1-8ae7-4fec-b418-40d31148b7ae.html] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.