Trump's first second-term vetoes reject bipartisan bills  —  President Trump issued his first two vetoes of his second term, rejecting bills with bipartisan support that would have aided a Colorado water project and expanded tribal land in Florida. … While he said his vetoes protected taxpayer dollars …

Trump says construction of the ‘Triumphal Arch’ to begin in ‘2 months’ … The proposed structure — modeled loosely on European victory monuments — is one of several high-profile projects Trump has personally championed as part of the semiquincentennial celebrations, a sprawling effort expected …

ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires … U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are planning to spend $100 million over a one-year period to recruit gun-rights supporters and military enthusiasts through online influencers …

House Republicans release transcript and video of Jack Smith's closed-door testimony before Judiciary Committee  —  The former special counsel who brought charges against Trump during the Biden administration had wanted to testify in public, but Republicans refused his request.

Trump says he's dropping push for National Guard in Chicago, LA and Portland, Oregon, for now  —  President Donald Trump said he's dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks hung up the effort.

U.S. Finds Ukraine Didn't Target Putin in Drone Strike  —  Disclosure of the findings come as Trump appeared to play down the Russian claim of an attempted drone attack  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. national-security officials said Wednesday that Ukraine didn't target Russian President Vladimir Putin …

Department of Justice is reviewing more than 5.2 million documents related to Jeffrey Epstein  —  The Department of Justice has expanded its review of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to 5.2 million as it also increases the number of attorneys trying to comply …

Future of D.C. golf courses uncertain as Trump administration terminates lease  —  National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has run the courses since 2020, objects to Interior Department's assertion that it hasn't fulfilled its obligations.  —  The Trump administration terminated …

Exclusive: Drugmakers raise US prices on 350 medicines despite pressure from Trump  —  Drugmakers plan to raise U.S. prices on at least 350 branded medications including vaccines against COVID, RSV and shingles and blockbuster cancer treatment Ibrance, even as the Trump administration pressures them for cuts …

U.S. vaccination rates are plunging.  Look up where your school stands.  —  Rocked by pandemic politics, the nation's shield against infectious disease is shrinking.  —  Before the pandemic, roughly half of counties had kindergarten vaccination rates high enough to prevent measles outbreaks.

Venezuela Detains Americans Amid Growing U.S. Pressure  —  The number of American citizens held in Venezuela has grown since the start of the U.S. military and economic campaign against President Nicolás Maduro.  —  Venezuelan security forces have detained several Americans …

Kennedy Center changed board rules months before vote to add Trump's name  —  The new rules say only trustees appointed by the president can vote, barring other members, including Democrats who hold seats, from decisions.  The center said the change reflects “longstanding precedent.”

Stephen Miller Is The New Republic's 2025 Scoundrel of the Year  —  Is Stephen Miller failing?  —  True, Miller has amassed unprecedented power for a deputy White House chief of staff.  He exerts extraordinary influence over an unusually large swath of the government …

Research Library at NASA's Goddard Space and Flight Center to Close Friday  —  Holdings from the library at the Goddard Space Flight Center, which includes unique documents from the early 20th century to the Soviet space race, will be warehoused or thrown out.

Brigitte Bardot's Legacy of Racist Rhetoric  —  The actress, who died this week at 91, was an icon of 1960s cinema.  She was also a hero to the French far right.  —  For a certain France, Brigitte Bardot incarnated the lost idyll of the country's supposed golden years after World War II …

Mamdani Will Be First N.Y.C. Mayor to Use the Quran at His Swearing-In  —  Zohran Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim mayor, will use two family Qurans and one that belonged to the writer Arturo Schomburg at his two swearing-in ceremonies.  —  When Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor …

Phone Searches at U.S. Borders: What Travelers Need to Know  —  Customs agents have broad authority to search the electronic devices of travelers entering and leaving the U.S. Here are tips for keeping your data safe.  —  When U.S. border agents turned away a French scientist in March …

I Counted Trump's Censorship Attempts.  Here's What I Found.  —  “We took the freedom of speech away.”  —  That was part of President Trump's explanation in October of his executive order that purports to criminalize burning the American flag.  Though his words fail as a constitutional rationale …

Killing in the name of... nothing … In a good and just society, it would have been possible to bury Charlie Kirk without either threatening mass violence toward his enemies or making light of his death with a furry sex meme.  But America in 2025 did not remotely resemble a working society …

Here's everything Elon Musk promised in 2025 - and failed to deliver … By now, everyone knows that Elon Musk is very much an optimist when it comes to making predictions.  —  That's the nice way to put it.  To be blunt, Musk is a “bullshit artist.”  He makes promises he can't keep.

Treasury Targets Oil Traders Engaged in Sanctions Evasion for Maduro Regime  —  WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned four companies for operating in Venezuela's oil sector and identified four associated oil tankers as blocked property.

The many ways Zohran Mamdani's mayoralty could go wrong — fast … “Just like with FDR, it's the first 100 days that people remember,” said George Arzt, a lobbyist and public relations doyen who was the longtime spokesperson for the late Mayor Ed Koch.  “Everyday, I walked into City Hall and wondered what's going to happen.”

Trump administration retreats in Newsom lawsuit over National Guard deployment  — 3 min Click here to listen to this article  — Trump administration backs down from defending its control of California National Guard, withdrawing opposition to court order returning troops to Gov. Newsom.

Most of Iran Shuts Down as Government Grapples With Protests and Economy  —  Amid mounting street protests, businesses, universities and government offices stayed closed Wednesday under government orders, in 21 of 31 provinces, including Tehran.  —  Businesses, universities …

Minn. Somali-run day care bizarrely reports their documents were stolen in mysterious break-in — but cops tell a different story  —  A Somali-run day care in Minneapolis is claiming somebody broke in and stole “important documents,” but cops say the facility didn't report anything was actually taken.

Trump Mobile delays plan to launch gold-coloured smartphone this year  —  Move marks latest setback for project that originally promised to sell a US-made device  —  Trump Mobile, the phone company launched by the Trump Organization, has delayed plans to ship its gold-coloured smartphone by the end of this year.