Politics
- USAssociated Press
Tennessee GOP passes school voucher expansion bill with backing from Trump
Tennessee lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation drastically expanding the number of families who can use taxpayer money on private schools regardless of income, a long-sought victory for Republican Gov. Bill Lee with some help from President Donald Trump to win over GOP holdouts. Tennessee would join a dozen other states that have eliminated traditional strict income requirements for families seeking to access public dollars to fund alternatives to public education for their children.
4 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Trump says tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming Saturday, and he's deciding whether to tax their oil
President Donald Trump said his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming on Saturday, but he’s still considering whether to include oil from those countries as part of his import taxes. “We may or may not,” Trump told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office about tariffing oil from Canada and Mexico.
3 min read - BusinessAssociated Press
Civil rights activists call for a Target boycott after retailer backs away from diversity programs
Civil rights activists gathered outside the headquarters of Target Corp. on Thursday to call for a national boycott of the retailing giant over its decision to phase out its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Target announced last Friday that it would join competitor Walmart and a number of other prominent American brands in scaling back their DEI initiatives, which have come under attack from conservatives and the new White House of President Donald Trump. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a v
4 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump sparks outcry with implication that DEI policies are at fault in D.C. midair collision
In his first news conference since the aircraft collision over the Potomac River, President Donald Trump on Thursday implied that diversity, equity and inclusion programs could be the cause, although an investigation has only just begun into the fatal disaster.
4 min read - USNBC News
Trump's DEI policy threatens already thin share of women and minorities in STEM, workers say
While President Donald Trump’s executive orders have labeled DEI as “discriminatory,” several women who occupy STEM-related positions in the federal government slammed his directives.
5 min read - USThe Guardian
Leaderless FAA begins investigation of Washington plane crash
Former chief resigned 10 days ago, after Elon Musk, a close adviser to Donald Trump, called for him to quit
3 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Tulsi Gabbard Grilled By Skeptical GOP Senators In Senate Confirmation Hearing
Donald Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence refused to call Edward Snowden a "traitor" under questioning by senators on Thursday.
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Trump was challenged after blaming DEI for the DC plane crash. Here's what he said
President Donald Trump began his White House briefing Thursday with a moment of silence and a prayer for victims of Wednesday's crash at Reagan National Airport. Trump on Thursday variously pointed the finger at the helicopter’s pilot, air traffic control, his predecessor, Joe Biden, and other Democrats including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whom he labeled a “disaster.”
6 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Sen. Maggie Hassan Gets Emotional In Rebuke Of RFK Jr. ‘Sowing Doubts’ About Vaccines
The New Hampshire Democrat described raising a son with severe cerebral palsy and ripped Kennedy for "relitigating" settled science on autism.
3 min read - USAssociated Press
Big Oil wants a lot from Trump. It has an ally in Doug Burgum, the president's Interior pick
When North Dakota's petroleum association was going to hold a banquet honoring top fracking executives last year, it turned to Gov. Doug Burgum. The two-term Republican, now President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Interior Department, co-hosted the event — at the governor's mansion. In an email to Burgum's office seeking the legal heft the state could provide, an industry lobbyist argued that “combating” such regulations required “a one-two punch" from industry and government.
8 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Senators Take RFK Jr. To Task Over His Vaccine Safety Dodge
“The data is there,” GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy bluntly told the nominee for secretary of health and human services.
4 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
Trump reportedly considering halting New York’s hard-won congestion pricing
Three-week-old program to curb vehicle emissions received approval from Biden administration, which Trump may pull
2 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Panama's president says there will be no negotiation about ownership of canal
Panama President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday there will be no negotiation with the United States over ownership of the Panama Canal, and he hopes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s upcoming visit will allow them to focus on shared interests including migration and combating drug trafficking. Being the destination for the first overseas visit by the top U.S. diplomat would have been big for Panama in any case, but Rubio comes as the emissary of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeated
2 min read - BusinessAssociated Press
Pennsylvania governor rolls out plan to fast-track and subsidize power plants, hydrogen projects
Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday that he wants to fast-track big energy projects in Pennsylvania and offer hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks for projects that provide electricity to the grid and make hydrogen. Shapiro's announcement comes a few days before he delivers his third budget proposal to lawmakers amid an energy crunch that threatens to raise electricity bills across Pennsylvania, the nation's second-biggest natural gas-producing state. Shapiro, a Democrat, said he wants to
3 min read - USHuffPost
Andy Ogles Asks If DEI Played A Role In Tragic DC Plane Crash
The Republican congressman suggested without evidence that hiring preferences for nonwhite candidates contribute to a fatal aviation accident.
2 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
How US states are leading the climate fight – despite Trump’s rollbacks
Officials are making clean-energy moves in California, New York and beyond, and Republican states will be integral too
10 min read - PoliticsThe Guardian
Trump begins term with historically low approval rating, poll shows
With 47% approval rating Republican is only president to have sub-50% reading at start of term, Gallup poll indicates
4 min read - BusinessBusiness Insider
Trump is putting Tesla's $2.8 billion side hustle under threat
Tesla has made billions off electric cars its rivals aren't selling, but President Donald Trump's anti-EV policies put that revenue stream at risk.
4 min read - USNBC News
The conservative ex-FBI agents who have Kash Patel's ear
When Donald Trump announced he wanted Kash Patel to be the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, one of Patel’s first moves was reaching out to three conservative former special agents who have been critics of the bureau and its sprawling investigation into the Jan. 6 riot.
7 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
US cybersecurity agency's future role in elections remains murky under the Trump administration
The nation’s cybersecurity agency has played a critical role in helping states shore up the defenses of their voting systems, but its election mission appears uncertain amid sustained criticism from Republicans and key figures in the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has not named a new head of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and for the first time since it was formed, there are no plans for anyone in its leadership to address the main annual gathering of t
5 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to oversee US spy agencies, grilled about Snowden, Syria and Russia
Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's pick to be director of national intelligence, faced sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike Thursday during a fiery confirmation hearing focused on her past comments sympathetic to Russia, a meeting with Syria's now-deposed leader and her past support for government leaker Edward Snowden. Gabbard started her hearing by telling lawmakers that big changes are needed to address years of failures of America’s intelligence service.
5 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump signs sweeping executive order to expand school choice
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Wednesday that would prioritize and free up federal funding to expand school choice programs.
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
El Salvador's Congress clears hurdle to speed constitutional reforms
El Salvador’s Congress ratified a constitutional reform Wednesday that will make it easier and faster to make constitutional changes in the future, a change critics say will allow President Nayib Bukele and his party to further consolidate power. Previously, constitutional reforms had to be proposed and approved in one legislature, then ratified in the subsequent Congress following elections. Christian Guevara, who leads New Ideas in the Congress, signaled the new expedited reform mechanism wo
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Biden criticized for failing to ban menthol cigarettes after Trump withdraws proposal
The Biden administration never finalized a ban on menthol cigarettes, and the Trump administration withdrew the proposal. The American Lung Association is criticizing Biden's inaction.
5 min read - PoliticsWashington Post
‘People are afraid’: Trump’s actions targeting trans rights lead to confusion, fear
May Anderson had expected that President Donald Trump would target transgender people upon taking office. Anderson, a 29-year-old trans woman who lives in California, had followed Trump’s campaign closely. She watched his speeches and read Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint for the Trump administration. They promised a war on what Trump and his allies described as “transgender insanity.” When Trump won, Anderson ordered an expedited passport that listed her as female, and she applied
11 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle Trump lawsuit over suspended accounts
Meta said it would pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit from President Donald Trump over the social media company’s decision to suspend Trump’s accounts.
2 min read - USBusiness Insider
Meet RFK Jr., Trump's controversial Cabinet pick known for his anti-vaccine conspiracy theories
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Learn about his political beliefs, wife, kids, and more.
7 min read - USNBC News
Justice Department drops classified documents case against Trump co-defendants
The Justice Department moved to drop its appeal of a federal court order dismissing the criminal charges against President Donald Trump's former co-defendants in the classified documents case, which would effectively end the case.
5 min read - USNBC News
Here are the cities where ICE raids are taking place
Following President Donald Trump's return to office, immigration enforcement operations have started to sweep through major U.S. cities.
9 min read - PoliticsNBC News
What the polls say about the start of Trump's second term
President Donald Trump made quick work of his first week-plus back in office — ticking off a number of campaign-trail promises, issuing a boatload of pardons (some controversial) and enacting retribution on his political opponents.
7 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump administration rescinds order attempting to freeze federal aid spending
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday rescinded an order putting a widespread freeze on most federal grants and loans amid significant criticism, according to a new memo a source provided to NBC News.
4 min read - PoliticsBusiness Insider
Meta agrees to pay $25 million in settlement to Trump, with most going to his presidential library
President Donald Trump signed a settlement agreement to end a 2021 lawsuit he brought against Meta after it suspended his Facebook account.
2 min read - PoliticsNBC News
Trump signs the Laken Riley Act into law
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an immigration detention measure into law, marking the first legislative win of his second term as the Republican-led Congress angles to execute his agenda.
4 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle lawsuit from Trump after Jan. 6 suspension
Meta has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against the company after it suspended his accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to three people familiar with the matter. It's the latest instance of a large corporation settling litigation with the president, who has threatened retribution on his critics and rivals, and comes as Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, have joined other large technology companies in trying to ingra
3 min read - USAssociated Press
Texas man pardoned over Jan. 6 attack is wanted by prosecutors over 2016 charge
A Texas man released from prison under President Donald Trump's sweeping pardons over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is wanted by authorities on a 2016 charge of soliciting a minor online, prosecutors say. Taake was released from a federal prison in Colorado after Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Trump rescinds funding freeze but uncertainty lives on for wide array of environmental programs
A chaotic back-and-forth over President Donald Trump's freeze on federal grants and loans has farmers, activists, organizations and businesses wondering whether they will receive the funding they rely on. It's funding that among many other things is being used to address environmental problems or tackle climate change. The White House ordered the freeze on Monday evening, naming some 2,600 programs.
5 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
GOP-led immigration bill signals Trump that Tennessee wants to aid his deportation crackdown
Tennessee's Republican-dominant Statehouse is on track to become the latest state to adopt immigration enforcement policies designed to assist President Donald Trump's plan to suppress illegal immigration and carry out one of the largest mass deportation efforts in U.S. history. In just three days, Tennessee lawmakers fast-tracked GOP Gov. Bill Lee's $5.5 million proposal to create a new state immigration division and allocate funding for new training grants for local law enforcement agencies s
4 min read - PoliticsPolitico
Republicans brace for a messy slog on Capitol Hill
The House GOP found progress but not unity at its Florida retreat.
5 min read - PoliticsHuffPost
Maria Shriver Commends Cousin Caroline Kennedy's 'Courage' After Scathing RFK Jr. Rebuke
Shriver shared her support for her cousin, who called Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services a "predator" in a letter to senators.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Pentagon agency pauses celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month and more
The Defense Department's intelligence agency has paused observances of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and other cultural or historical annual events in response to President Donald Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal workplace. The instructions were published Tuesday in a Defense Intelligence Agency memo obtained by The Associated Press and affect 11 annual events, including Black History Month, which begins Saturday, an
3 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
Republicans crafting Trump's big bill hit a familiar roadblock: How to pay for it
After fours years of criticizing growing government deficits under Joe Biden, Republicans now have a math problem of their own — how to offset the multitrillion-dollar cost of extending and expanding the tax cuts they passed in President Donald Trump’s first term. House Republicans attending their annual retreat at a Trump-owned golf resort here this week put up a united front, insisting they are moving quickly toward House votes in the coming weeks to kickstart work on Trump’s tax cut and bord
5 min read - USThe Guardian
Ex-senator Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years in prison for bribery conviction
Democrat from New Jersey was found guilty in July on 16 charges including bribery and fraud
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Trump's orders take aim at critical race theory and antisemitism on college campuses
President Donald Trump is ordering U.S. schools to stop teaching what he views as “critical race theory” and other material dealing with race and sexuality or risk losing their federal money. A separate plan announced Wednesday calls for aggressive action to fight antisemitism on college campuses, promising to prosecute offenders and revoke visas for international students found to be “Hamas sympathizers.” Both plans were outlined in executive orders signed by Trump on Wednesday.
5 min read - USAssociated Press
Despite chaos over Trump White House's funding pause, FAFSA forms and student loans still available
A temporary freeze imposed briefly this week by the White House on federal grants and loans left many students wondering about the impact to the FAFSA form used to apply for financial aid. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday rescinded the memo freezing spending. The U.S. Department of Education said even if the pause had taken effect, it would not have applied to direct assistance to Americans including federal student loans.
2 min read - PoliticsAssociated Press
What is the Office of Personnel Management? Trump is relying on this agency to reshape government
President Donald Trump's new tool for reshaping the federal government is a relatively obscure agency, the Office of Personnel Management. The agency has offered millions of federal workers eight months of salary if they voluntarily choose to leave their jobs by Feb. 6. The unconventional plan shows both Trump's desire to bring the bureaucracy under control and the downsizing tendencies of Elon Musk, the multibillionaire Trump supporter who is leading the president's Department of Government E
3 min read - USAssociated Press
What to know about Trump's buyout proposal for federal employees
President Donald Trump's administration is offering buyouts to federal employees to quickly reduce the government workforce. The buyouts are for all full-time federal employees except for military personnel, employees of the U.S. Postal Service and those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security. An email about the offer was sent Tuesday to more than 2 million workers, according to Katie Miller, who serves on an advisory board to the Department of Government Efficie
4 min read - PoliticsReuters
Kennedy says he will finalize rules that increase diversity in clinical trials
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's pick to lead the top U.S. health agency, told U.S. senators during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he would finalize regulations aimed at increasing the participation of diverse patient populations in clinical trials. The comment followed a purge last Friday of draft guidance and other diversity-related information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website. Kennedy is nominated to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human
1 min read - USAssociated Press
Prosecutors seek dismissal of campaign finance case against ex-Nebraska congressman Fortenberry
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to dismiss their case against a former Nebraska congressman charged with lying to authorities about a foreign billionaire’s illegal $30,000 contribution to his campaign. A one-page court filing doesn't explain why the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., is seeking the dismissal of charges against former U.S. Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry, a Republican who resigned after a related conviction in 2022. Ed Martin, a conservative activist, has serve
2 min read - USNBC News
Despite Trump's involvement, Ron DeSantis expected to veto a Florida immigration bill
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been locked in a contentious fight with the Republican-dominated state Legislature, which tried to strip away some immigration authority.
4 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Ontario leader calls for snap election to fight Trump’s threatened tariffs
The leader of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, on Wednesday triggered a snap election, saying he needs a strong four-year mandate to fight the tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump. Doug Ford, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, said the 25% tariffs threatened by Trump would devastate Canada’s economy and cost Ontario thousands of jobs.
3 min read
