Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has opted Nebraska into a federal program to use taxpayer dollars for private school tuition. This comes despite Nebraska voters repealing a similar state law last year. The federal program is part of the federal tax and budget bill passed in July. It allows taxpayers to direct up to $1,700 in federal income taxes they owe to scholarship groups for private school expenses. Critics argue this undermines the will of the voters. Pillen insists the measure won't affect public school funding, saying it benefits both public and private schools.

A federal judge has blocked Trump administration restrictions on federally-funded services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics and adult education. The order from the judge in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island applies to 20 states and the District of Columbia, whose attorneys general, all Democrats, sued the administration. Individual public benefits, such as food stamps and college financial aid, have been largely unavailable to people in the country without legal status, but the new rules and guidance from the administration curbed their access to community-level programs that receive federal money.