POLITICS

Top US health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employees
Read full article: Top US health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employeesMost of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment.

Musk and DOGE try to slash government by cutting out those who answer to voters
Read full article: Musk and DOGE try to slash government by cutting out those who answer to votersConservatives have long talked about cutting government, but Republicans in Congress have shied away from approving deep reductions because of fear of how voters would react.

Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy is a driving force on the world stage
Read full article: Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy is a driving force on the world stageDonald Trump's style of diplomacy is a whole lot like a high-stakes business deal, and his No. 1 goal is to come out of the transaction on top.

Facing competition from Big Tech, states dangle incentives and loosen laws to attract power plants
Read full article: Facing competition from Big Tech, states dangle incentives and loosen laws to attract power plantsFacing spiking energy demand, U.S. states are pressing for ways to build new power plants faster as policymakers try to protect residents from higher electric bills and keep their economies on track.

South Dakota law raises questions about future of massive Midwest pipeline
Read full article: South Dakota law raises questions about future of massive Midwest pipelineA new law in South Dakota prohibiting the use of eminent domain to acquire land for carbon capture pipelines challenges the viability of a proposed project snaking through five Midwest states.

China learned from Trump's first trade war and changed its tactics when tariffs came again
Read full article: China learned from Trump's first trade war and changed its tactics when tariffs came againThe leaders of both Canada and Mexico got on the phone with President Donald Trump this past week to seek solutions after he slapped tariffs on their countries, but China’s president appears unlikely to make a similar call soon.

FEMA cancels classes at national fire training academy amid federal funding cuts
Read full article: FEMA cancels classes at national fire training academy amid federal funding cutsThe National Fire Academy, the country's preeminent federal fire training academy, has canceled classes effective immediately amid the ongoing flurry of funding freezes and staffing cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration.

House GOP campaign chairman says voters will 'reward us' for the Trump-Musk DOGE cuts
Read full article: House GOP campaign chairman says voters will 'reward us' for the Trump-Musk DOGE cutsThe chairman of the House Republican campaign committee is already predicting his party will pick up seats in the midterm election that are some 20 months away.

Trump is forcing a generational shift in GOP foreign policy. Here's how Republicans are responding
Read full article: Trump is forcing a generational shift in GOP foreign policy. Here's how Republicans are respondingRepublicans in Congress have long been intent on countering America’s rivals and spreading U.S. influence abroad.

Unions ask court to stop DOGE from accessing Social Security data of millions of Americans
Read full article: Unions ask court to stop DOGE from accessing Social Security data of millions of AmericansA group of labor unions are asking a federal court for an emergency order to stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans.

Universities are facing big cuts to research funding. At Duke, it's a time for 'damage control'
Read full article: Universities are facing big cuts to research funding. At Duke, it's a time for 'damage control'Facing the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, Duke University is preparing for the worst.

House Republicans unveil bill to avoid shutdown and they're daring Democrats to oppose it
Read full article: House Republicans unveil bill to avoid shutdown and they're daring Democrats to oppose itHouse Republicans have unveiled a 99-page spending bill that would keep federal agencies funded through Sept. 30.

US economic worries mount as Trump implements tariffs, cuts workforce and freezes spending
Read full article: US economic worries mount as Trump implements tariffs, cuts workforce and freezes spendingPresident Donald Trump's flurry of tariffs, government layoffs and spending freezes may be doing more to harm the U.S. economy than to fix it.

Trump has begun another trade war. Here's a timeline of how we got here
Read full article: Trump has begun another trade war. Here's a timeline of how we got hereLong-threatened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump have plunged the country into a trade war abroad — all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty.

Tribes and Native American students sue over Bureau of Indian Education firings
Read full article: Tribes and Native American students sue over Bureau of Indian Education firingsThree tribal nations and five Native American students say in a lawsuit that the Trump administration has failed its legal obligations to tribes when it cut jobs at Bureau of Indian Education schools.

Justice Dept. says ending Louisiana petrochemical case helps 'dismantle radical DEI programs'
Read full article: Justice Dept. says ending Louisiana petrochemical case helps 'dismantle radical DEI programs'The Justice Department is celebrating its decision to drop a federal lawsuit against a Louisiana petrochemical plant accused of worsening cancer risks for residents in a majority-Black community.

Trump will lead task force preparing for 2026 World Cup
Read full article: Trump will lead task force preparing for 2026 World CupPresident Donald Trump created a task force Friday to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which will bring the globe’s premier soccer tournament to North America at a time when Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs have ratcheted up tensions across the continent.

Trump tells crypto leaders at White House summit he's committed to helping their industry
Read full article: Trump tells crypto leaders at White House summit he's committed to helping their industryPresident Donald Trump said Friday that he’s committed to making the U.S. a world leader in cryptocurrencies as industry leaders heaped praise on him for reversing what they said had been unfair attacks on digital assets by the previous administration.

Freedom Caucus in Wyoming claims victory with approval of most priorities
Read full article: Freedom Caucus in Wyoming claims victory with approval of most prioritiesFreedom Caucus leaders in the Wyoming House of Representatives are claiming victory after a legislative session in which most of their priorities got passed.

A single day of Trump and Musk's cost-cutting campaign remakes huge sections of government
Read full article: A single day of Trump and Musk's cost-cutting campaign remakes huge sections of governmentPresident Donald Trump and Elon Musk's campaign of disruption is engulfing the federal government.

States sue President Trump’s administration over mass firings of probationary federal workers
Read full article: States sue President Trump’s administration over mass firings of probationary federal workersMaryland and 19 other states are suing multiple federal agencies in a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump’s administration has illegally fired thousands of federal probationary workers.

Mexican cartel leader’s son is sentenced to life in prison for role in major drug trafficking plot
Read full article: Mexican cartel leader’s son is sentenced to life in prison for role in major drug trafficking plotThe son of a Mexican drug cartel boss has been sentenced in Washington to life in prison for helping his father run one of the country’s largest and most violent narcotics trafficking organizations.

Ukraine supporters focus on hope and resilience as US relations sour and war carries on
Read full article: Ukraine supporters focus on hope and resilience as US relations sour and war carries onReligious leaders, scholars and diplomats have gathered at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana for a conference on Ukraine studies with a theme of hope.

Trump order denies student loan relief to nonprofit workers engaged in 'improper' activity
Read full article: Trump order denies student loan relief to nonprofit workers engaged in 'improper' activityPresident Donald Trump is ordering changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that would disqualify workers of nonprofit groups deemed to have engaged in “improper” activities.

Trump administration throws hundreds of affordable housing projects into limbo after contract cuts
Read full article: Trump administration throws hundreds of affordable housing projects into limbo after contract cutsThe Associated Press has found that the Trump administration has stalled at least $60 million in funding intended largely for affordable housing developments nationwide.

What to know about Social Security office closures driven by Musk's DOGE
Read full article: What to know about Social Security office closures driven by Musk's DOGEAcross-the-board cuts at the Social Security Administration are prompting questions about how the benefits of millions of recipients may be affected.

Out of the lab and into the streets, researchers and doctors rally for science against Trump cuts
Read full article: Out of the lab and into the streets, researchers and doctors rally for science against Trump cutsResearchers, doctors, their patients and supporters are venturing out of labs, hospitals and offices across the country to stand up to what they call an attack on life-saving science by the Trump administration.

New EPA guidance says spending items greater than $50,000 must get approval from DOGE
Read full article: New EPA guidance says spending items greater than $50,000 must get approval from DOGEThe Environmental Protection Agency has issued new guidance directing senior staff to submit spending items greater than $50,000 for approval from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump weighs new sanctions on Russia, days after pausing military aid and intel sharing with Ukraine
Read full article: Trump weighs new sanctions on Russia, days after pausing military aid and intel sharing with UkrainePresident Donald Trump says he is “strongly considering” levying new sanctions and tariffs on Russia for its war against Ukraine.

Homeland Security ends TSA collective bargaining agreement, in effort to dismantle union protections
Read full article: Homeland Security ends TSA collective bargaining agreement, in effort to dismantle union protectionsA union representing Transportation Security Administration workers calls the Department of Homeland Security's decision to end the collective bargaining agreement with them an “unprovoked attack.”.

A judge in the nation's capital declines to block DOGE from Treasury systems
Read full article: A judge in the nation's capital declines to block DOGE from Treasury systemsA federal judge in the nation’s capital is refusing to block employees of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury systems containing sensitive personal data for millions of Americans.

The Latest: Trump administration rejects the UN’s 2030 sustainability goals
Read full article: The Latest: Trump administration rejects the UN’s 2030 sustainability goalsA representative of President Donald Trump’s administration has rejected the U.N.’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing
Read full article: Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firingScrambling to replace their health insurance and to find new work, some fired federal workers are running into another unexpected unpleasantry: Relatives cheering their job loss.

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Minnesota's special state House election
Read full article: AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Minnesota's special state House electionVoters in Minnesota will choose a new representative in a heavily Democratic state House district at the center of a post-Election Day drama to control the chamber.

North Carolina Republicans seek to force top Democrats to fall in line with Trump agenda
Read full article: North Carolina Republicans seek to force top Democrats to fall in line with Trump agendaNorth Carolina Republicans who are resolved to promote President Donald Trump’s agenda want to compel the new Democratic governor to aid the president's immigration policy.

American Jews who fled Syria ask White House to lift sanctions so they can rebuild in Damascus
Read full article: American Jews who fled Syria ask White House to lift sanctions so they can rebuild in DamascusAmerican Jews who fled their Syrian homeland decades ago went to the White House this week to appeal to the Trump administration to lift sanctions on the country.

Georgia lawmakers pass bill that could let Trump, others recover costs of election meddling case
Read full article: Georgia lawmakers pass bill that could let Trump, others recover costs of election meddling caseGeorgia’s Senate has passed a bill that would allow President Donald Trump and more than a dozen people to seek compensation for legal bills stemming from an attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

Trump's interior and energy secretaries cheer on natural gas export industry in Gulf Coast
Read full article: Trump's interior and energy secretaries cheer on natural gas export industry in Gulf CoastThe planned expansion of a massive liquefied natural gas facility in southeast Louisiana is a beacon for U.S. energy policy, according to two members of President Donald Trump's cabinet who spoke to workers there.

Trump signs executive order to establish government bitcoin reserve
Read full article: Trump signs executive order to establish government bitcoin reservePresident Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing a government reserve of bitcoin, a key marker in the cryptocurrency’s journey towards possible mainstream acceptance.

The New Mexico judge who presided over Alec Baldwin's trial is set to retire
Read full article: The New Mexico judge who presided over Alec Baldwin's trial is set to retireA New Mexico state district judge who presided over the widely publicized trial of actor Alec Baldwin for a fatal movie set shooting is getting ready to retire from the bench.

War heroes and military firsts are among 26,000 images flagged for removal in Pentagon's DEI purge
Read full article: War heroes and military firsts are among 26,000 images flagged for removal in Pentagon's DEI purgeReferences to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and women and minorities are among the tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content.

Tribal nations are concerned that Trump's cuts have the potential to violate trust responsibilities
Read full article: Tribal nations are concerned that Trump's cuts have the potential to violate trust responsibilitiesTribal leaders across the United States are scrambling to respond to a directive from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to close more than a quarter of Bureau of Indian Affairs offices, which provide vital services to Indigenous communities.

Trump casts doubt on NATO solidarity, despite it aiding the US after Sept. 11
Read full article: Trump casts doubt on NATO solidarity, despite it aiding the US after Sept. 11President Donald Trump is expressing uncertainty that NATO would come to the United States' defense if the country were attacked.

Judge orders Trump administration to speed payment of USAID and State Dept. debts
Read full article: Judge orders Trump administration to speed payment of USAID and State Dept. debtsA federal judge has given the Trump administration until Monday to speed up payment toward some of nearly $2 billion owed to partners of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.

US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1%
Read full article: US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1%U.S. employers added solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald Trump threatens a trade war, purges the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants.