Trump's Big Bet: Americans Will Tolerate Economic Downturn to Restore Manufacturing  —  The president offers many reasons for imposing tariffs, including revenue, leverage over competitors and job creation.  But history suggests a more complex history.  —  President Trump's simultaneous trade wars …

Scoop: White House to pull CDC director nomination  —  The White House is withdrawing the nomination of Dave Weldon to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), per a source close to Senate health committee and another source familiar.

Judge orders DOGE and Elon Musk to turn over documents, answer written questions  —  The demands for information are designed to clarify the “parameters of DOGE's and Musk's authority.”  —  A federal judge has ordered that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency turn …

Putin Aide Rejects Plan for Ukraine Cease-Fire  —  Moscow says it is close to ousting Kyiv's forces from Russia's Kursk region  —  A Russian negotiator dismissed a U.S.-brokered proposal for a cease-fire in Ukraine, as the Kremlin said its forces were in the final stages of ousting Ukraine's army from Russia's Kursk region.

'They're Totally Screwed': White House Taunts Democrats on Shutdown  —  The administration thinks the opposition is about to eat crow.  —  Senate Democrats haven't even surrendered yet on a government shutdown — but already White House officials are gloating about making them eat crow, almost taunting them to vote “no.”

Robert Morris, Texas megachurch pastor and former Trump adviser, indicted for child sex crimes  —  Morris is a former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, and Gateway — one of the nation's largest megachurches — has been particularly active in Dallas-area GOP politics.

Trump Family Has Held Deal Talks With Binance Following Crypto Exchange's Guilty Plea  —  Discussions for stake in Binance's U.S. arm come as founder Changpeng Zhao has pushed for the administration to pardon him for his own 2023 guilty plea  —  Representatives of President Trump's family …

Pete Buttigieg, a Possible 2028 Contender, Won't Run for Senate in Michigan  —  The former transportation secretary, who moved to Michigan from Indiana in 2022, had been seen as the most prominent potential candidate in next year's marquee contest.  —  Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary …

NH's new ID requirements send some would-be voters home to grab passports, birth certificates  —  It took three trips, but Brooke Yonge was finally able to cast her ballot.  —  On her first trip to the Derry polls Tuesday morning, Yonge didn't bring proof of her U.S. citizenship …

DOGE Makes Its Latest Errors Harder to Find  —  Elon Musk's group obscured the details of some new claims on its website, despite promises of transparency.  But The Times was still able to detect another batch of mistakes.  —  Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency …

U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer deported to Mexico with undocumented parents  —  The Texas family was on their way to an emergency medical checkup, they said, when they were detained at an immigration checkpoint.  —  A family that was deported to Mexico hopes they can find …

Former lawmaker says Trump pardoned him 2 weeks into campaign finance scheme sentence  —  President Trump pardoned a former Tennessee Republican lawmaker who was two weeks into his 21-month prison sentence for a campaign finance scheme.  —  Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey announced his pardon in a post online.

Top IRS lawyer pushed aside as DOGE seeks tax records, staffing cuts  —  Elon Musk's team has provoked concern among career staff over requests for tax records of undocumented immigrants.  —  The acting chief counsel of the Internal Revenue Service has been removed from his position …

Trump's FBI Moves to Criminally Charge Major Climate Groups  —  The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like Habitat for Humanity for receiving grants from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration.  —  Citibank revealed in a court filing Wednesday that it was told …

America First Policy Institute's “100-year plan” for Trumpism  —  Well-funded MAGA forces close to the White House are preparing a “100-year plan” to try to sustain Trumpism long after President Trump leaves office.  —  Why it matters: Top executives at the America First Policy Institute tell Axios …

Fox's Laura Ingraham Advises Viewers to ‘Ignore’ Tumbling Stock Market Because Trump ‘Is Good for Business’  —  Fox News host Laura Ingraham advised her viewers to “ignore” the tumbling stock market and “sky is falling reports in the regime press,” Wednesday, because President Donald Trump is “good for business.”

Biggest Federal Employee Unions Says Shutdown is Preferable to Elon/Trump CR … Federal workers obviously don't like government shutdowns.  Most of them are furloughed.  Others are forced to continue working without pay.  But in a letter addressed to members of the Senate, which I obtained …

Federal Workers Return to the Office.  Custodial Staff Doesn't.  —  There are reports of clogged sinks, overflowing trash cans, and a lack of toilet paper.  —  With the Capitol shut down to tourists, a workman performs a routine cleaning of surfaces in the Capitol Visitor Center, March 13, 2020, in Washington.

Pete Hegseth to overhaul US military lawyers in effort to relax rules of war  —  The defense secretary has empowered his lawyer Tim Parlatore to remake the judge advocate general's corps  —  The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is expected in the coming weeks to start a sweeping overhaul …

Trump White House has asked U.S. military to develop options for the Panama Canal, officials say  —  Potential plans range from partnering more closely with the Panamanian military to a less likely option of U.S. troops seizing the canal by force, according to two U.S. officials..

‘People Are Scared’: Inside CISA as It Reels From Trump's Purge  —  Employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency tell WIRED they're struggling to protect the US while the administration dismisses their colleagues and poisons their partnerships.