Maine settles lawsuit against USDA over $3 million in school funds  —  The Department of Agriculture agreed it will not interfere with Maine school funding based on alleged Title IX violations without following the proper procedure, according to a settlement announced Friday.

Australia's Labor Party, buoyed by anti-Trump bump, set to win reelection  —  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his ruling Labor Party were trailing in polls until recently, but his conservative rival was hurt by Trumpian tendencies.  —  SYDNEY — Australia's center-left government …

Airliners abort landings as Army helicopter makes ‘scenic’ loop around Pentagon  —  The incident occurred a week after the Army unit involved in the deadly Jan. 29 crash said it was resuming flights.  —  Two airliners abandoned landing attempts at Washington's Reagan National Airport …

Former Weather Service Leaders Warn Staffing Cuts Could Lead to ‘Loss of Life’  —  The former agency directors say current employees will face an “impossible task” to maintain service just as hurricane season begins.  —  Five former National Weather Service directors have taken the unusual step …

Harvard President Says Any Move to Revoke Tax-Exempt Status Would Be ‘Highly Illegal’  —  Alan Garber was responding to Trump's latest threat to remove the university's tax-exempt status  —  Harvard University President Alan Garber fought back against President Trump's renewed threat to revoke …

Judge strikes down Trump executive order punishing prominent law firm  —  The judge said Trump's executive order sanctioning Perkins Coie was “motivated by retaliation” and is unconstitutional.  —  President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to punish the law firm Perkins Coie …

Waltz angered Trump over conversations with Israel  —  The fired national security adviser engaged in intense coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about military options against Iran ahead of an Oval Office meeting between the Israeli leader and Trump, two people said.

Trump administration reaches settlement with family of Ashli Babbitt, rioter killed on Jan. 6, 2021  —  The Trump administration has reached a settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Trump supporter who was shot and killed while in the mob breaching the House Speaker's Lobby on Jan. 6, 2021.

Rubio rising  —  With four hats, including national security adviser, the former Trump rival is defying predictions he'd be a weak player.  —  Marco Rubio is doing big things under President Donald Trump — way more than nearly anyone expected.  —  The secretary of State was once thought …

How Trump Accidentally Sabotaged His Own Case Against Abrego Garcia  —  He has now said it right out in the open—not once but twice.  In two major interviews, President Donald Trump openly declared that he has the power to bring the wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States.

I Teach Computer Science, and That Is All  —  On Oct. 8, 2023, I was on the steps of Harvard's Widener Library, taking part in a vigil for the victims of Hamas's terrorist attack.  I'm an Israeli American tenured professor, and I felt it was my duty to stand up for Jewish and Israeli students.

Kennedy Orders Search for New Measles Treatments Instead of Urging Vaccination  —  Decades of research have turned up no miracle treatment for measles, but studies show the M.M.R. shot is 97 percent effective in preventing the disease.  —  With the United States facing its largest single measles outbreak …

‘Do I Look Like I Care?’:  AOC Shreds Trump's Border Czar In Blunt Free Speech Reminder  —  The congresswoman slammed Tom Homan after he claimed she could be in “trouble” over her “know your rights” advice.  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tore apart White House border czar Tom Homan …

Texas goes after toothpaste in escalating fight over fluoride … Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating two leading toothpaste makers over their use of fluoride, suggesting that they are “illegally marketing” the teeth cleaners to parents and kids “in ways that are misleading, deceptive, and dangerous.”

Car Prices Expected to Rise as Tariffs on Parts Kick In  —  Tariffs on imported parts will have a broad impact because all vehicles use components made abroad.  —  The United States imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported auto parts on Saturday that could sharply raise prices for new and used vehicles …

Budgets as Propaganda  —  If you are wonky enough to be reading this blog, you have probably heard the expression, “a budget is a moral document”.  Budgets are not just pages of numbers, they are also statements of values.  It is one of those insights, once learned, that seems indisputable and never to be forgotten.

Universities Deserve Special Standing … the nation's leading universities are locked in an unprecedented battle with a president and an administration that have chosen to withhold billions of dollars in vital federal research funding in order to take control of institutions for which freedom …

Voice of America staff can resume reporting next week, DOJ says  —  An email from the Justice Department said VOA staff can begin a “phased return” to the office and programming.  The broadcaster has been shut down since March.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let DOGE access Social Security systems  —  The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to clear the way for Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans.

White House posts AI image of Trump as pope  —  The White House on Saturday posted an AI-generated image of U.S. President Donald Trump depicted as the leader of the Catholic Church, a couple of days after he jokingly said “I'd like to be pope.”  —  The picture, which was first posted …

Trump plans major downsizing at U.S. spy agencies  —  The CIA plans to cut 1,200 positions, along with thousands more from other parts of the U.S. intelligence community.  —  The Trump administration is planning significant personnel cuts at the Central Intelligence Agency and other major U.S. spy units …

Trump Seeks to Eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts  —  The president's budget proposal also called for getting rid of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences.  —  President Trump proposed eliminating the National Endowment …

Federal Employees Are Now Less Likely to Work from Home Than Private Sector Workers  —  So far, we haven't seen much tangible impact from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the hard economic data.  Their claimed savings haven't materialized in federal spending figures …

I Never Lost Hope in the Principles of Democracy  —  On April 14, 2025, I was detained during what should have been my citizenship naturalization interview.  After more than two weeks of unjust imprisonment, a federal judge ruled in favor of releasing me.  In a major victory for democracy …

United Airlines Cancels Newark Flights After FAA Staff Walks Out  —  The decision came after 20% of the FAA controllers at Newark walked off the job, CEO Scott Kirby said  —  United Airlines is cancelling 35 daily round trip flights from Newark, N.J., starting this weekend after a group of air-traffic controllers walked off the job.

Trump downplays recession fears, saying the U.S. would be ‘OK’ in the long term  —  Speaking to NBC News' “Meet the Press,” Trump said the U.S. is in a “transition period” but will “do fantastically” in the long run.  —  President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed concerns about potential economic trouble …

Starmer Plots Harder Line on Migration to Counter Farage Threat  —  Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing tougher measures on immigration to stem a record flow of arrivals across the English Channel and stave off the threat posed by Nigel Farage's Reform UK party after it made sweeping gains in this week's local elections.

California Democrats gut bill making it a felony to solicit child prostitutes  —  California Democratic legislators gutted a bill that would have made it a felony to solicit any children for sex, despite support for the measure from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis.

Trump's First Judicial Pick Is... Someone Who Worked For His SCOTUS Picks  —  Progressive groups warned that Whitney Hermandorfer is proof that Trump wants judicial nominees willing to put personal loyalty over the law.  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has picked his first judicial nominee …

In Trump 2.0, ‘Free Trade’ Republicans Are a Dying Breed  —  As GOP bends to the president's populist vision, laissez-faire is out of style  —  This week, a Republican senator tried to get his colleagues to stand up for free trade—and failed.  —  Just two fellow Republicans joined …

Medical journals hit with threatening letters from Justice Department  —  The letters began arriving at medical journals around the country over the last few weeks.  —  “It has been brought to my attention that more and more journals and publications ... are conceding that they are partisans …