U.S. Formally Accepts Luxury Jet From Qatar for Trump  —  The Air Force has been asked to figure out a way to upgrade it so it can be put into use as a new Air Force One for the president.  —  The United States has accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from the government of Qatar …

Trump and GOP's tax bill would force cuts to Medicare, CBO says  —  Some $500 billion in cuts to Medicare could be avoided if Congress instructs the White House budget office to disregard the reconciliation package's debt impact.  —  President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans' mammoth tax …

Judge Finds U.S. Violated Court Order With Sudden Deportation Flight to Africa  —  Lawyers for some of the eight migrants deported Tuesday said they were told they were being sent to South Sudan.  People familiar with the plane said it had landed for now in Djibouti.

Justice Dept. to End Oversight of Local Police Accused of Abuses  —  Days before the anniversary of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, the Trump administration said that it would abandon efforts to reduce police violence there and in several other cities.

Gerry Connolly, congressman who protected federal workforce, dies at 75  —  The nine-term Virginia Democrat pushed back against the Trump administration's efforts to strip protections from civil servants and federal unions.  —  Gerry Connolly, a Democratic congressman who played a large part …

Diseases are spreading.  The CDC isn't warning the public like it was months ago  —  To accomplish its mission of increasing the health security of the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that it “conducts critical science and provides health information” to protect the nation.

If Justice Dept. Can't Prosecute Trump's Foes, It Will ‘Shame’ Them, Official Says  —  Prosecutors have long spoken only through court filings, to investigate crimes, not people.  That's changing as President Trump demands his administration target enemies, with little evidence of criminality.

Exclusive: Hacker who breached communications app used by Trump aide stole data from across US government  —  A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month intercepted messages from a broader swathe of American officials …

GOP hard-liners threatening late revolt over megabill  —  House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a last-minute rebellion from conservatives on Republicans' megabill, with a deal on a key tax deduction with blue-state Republicans and a lack of progress on settling other key provisions frustrating hard-liners.

Analysis of Tax Provisions in the House Reconciliation Bill: Preliminary National Estimates  —  The House of Representatives is debating major tax and spending legislation titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”  This preliminary analysis examines the bill's tax provisions as drafted on Tuesday …

Official Pushed to Rewrite Intelligence So It Could Not Be ‘Used Against’ Trump  —  An assessment contradicted a presidential proclamation.  A political appointee demanded a redo, then pushed for changes to the new analysis, too.  —  New emails document how a top aide to Tulsi Gabbard …

Journalists Attest to Experiences of Sexual Misconduct with Wesley Lowery  —  Lowery rose to prominence as a reporter and media thinker.  Women in the industry say he engaged in sexual harassment and assault.  —  Wesley Lowery—the winner of a Pulitzer Prize and a George Polk Award …

Pete Hegseth Leads Christian Prayer Service in the Pentagon  —  The event was held in the Pentagon's auditorium during working hours and featured Mr. Hegseth's pastor.  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led a Christian prayer service in the Pentagon's auditorium on Wednesday morning …

Revealed: UnitedHealth secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers  —  A Guardian investigation finds insurer quietly paid facilities that helped it gain Medicare enrollees and reduce hospitalizations.  Whistleblowers allege harm to residents  —  UnitedHealth Group …

JD Vance on His Faith and Trump's Most Controversial Policies  —  On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat interviews Vice President JD Vance about the Trump administration's deportations, the tariff backlash and how Vance's faith influences his politics.

Russian-linked Ukrainian politician shot dead in Spain  —  A former high-ranking Ukrainian politician connected to the country's ousted pro-Russian president was shot dead on Wednesday outside an exclusive international school near Madrid, according to Spanish and Ukrainian authorities.

Target cuts sales outlook as retailer blames tariff uncertainty and backlash to DEI rollback … Target on Wednesday cut its full-year sales outlook, as executives said weaker discretionary spending, consumer uncertainty about tariffs and backlash to the company's rollback of key diversity …

Weak US economic outlook persists despite brief trade truce with China: Reuters poll  —  The outlook for the U.S. economy remains weak despite a temporary cooling of the U.S.-China trade war, a Reuters poll of economists showed, with a debate over the country's fiscal health hanging in the balance.

The conspiracy theory that broke Dan Bongino  —  Trumpism is built on conspiracy theories — but it's never Trump who's accountable when they implode.  —  Dan Bongino's podcast on Jan. 4, 2024, began the way his podcasts usually did.  —  “Get ready to hear the truth about America,” …

China to donate $500 million to WHO, stepping into gap left by U.S.  —  Beijing will replace the United States as the organization's top state donor, expanding its influence as the U.S. retreats from international cooperation.  —  China has pledged to give $500 million to the World Health Organization …