34 h. ago Revealed: police across US spread false rumors about Venezuelan gang threats

Claim that Tren de Aragua planned to attack officers was widely shared – only for FBI to later acknowledge it was mistaken, internal files showAn unverified rumor that Venezuelan gang members were preparing to kill police officers spread like wildfire through US law enforcement agencies last year, internal records reveal, only for federal officials to later quietly acknowledge the claim was mistaken.The intelligence report, which appears to have first been disseminated by a local New Mexico police department in July 2024, suggested that the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang had directed its members to “fire on or attack” law enforcement. The vague assertion quickly traveled among law enforcement agencies. It even made its way into a formal proclamation by Texas governor Greg Abbott, and was repeated by Republican Congress members as evidence of the dangers of Venezuelan immigrants and Democrats’ border policies. Continue reading...

Events

46 h. ago White House East Wing will be torn down ‘within days’ even as no plans filed for Trump’s new ballroom

Demolition has drawn fierce backlash, with National Trust for Historic Preservation saying plans are ‘legally required’Trump takes a wrecking ball to White House in on-the-nose metaphorTrump administration officials confirmed to various outlets on Wednesday that the White House’s East Wing will be demolished “within days”, a revelation given the administration has not submitted plans for the new ballroom to the federal agency that oversees construction of federal buildings.In discussion with reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Donald Trump was asked by Jeff Mason of Reuters to respond to the widespread surprise that the entire East Wing is being torn down. Trump said that the wing he described as a separate building “was never thought of as being much; it was a very small building”. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago White House hasn’t filed plans for Trump’s new ballroom despite demolition under way

Amid backlash over footage of East Wing being partly demolished, White House reportedly intends to send plans for new constructionUS politics live – latest updatesThe White House has not submitted plans for Donald Trump’s new ballroom to the federal agency that oversees construction of federal buildings, though demolition is already underway.On Tuesday, the White House told Reuters it intends to send plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, an agency that typically approves and monitors construction on federal buildings. Demolition began earlier this week, with reporters taking video of a backhoe ripping out chunks of the White House’s exterior. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago No plans filed for Trump’s new ballroom despite demolition being under way

Amid backlash over partial demolition of East Wing, White House reportedly intends to send blueprintsUS politics live – latest updatesThe White House has not submitted plans for Donald Trump’s new ballroom to the federal agency that oversees construction of federal buildings, though demolition is already under way.On Tuesday, the White House told Reuters it intended to send plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, an agency that typically approves and monitors construction on federal buildings. Demolition began earlier this week, with reporters taking video of a backhoe ripping out chunks of the White House’s exterior. Continue reading...

Politics

55 h. ago Karoline Leavitt blames Democrats being ‘jealous’ for outrage over White House demolition for Trump’s ballroom

‘He’s the builder-in-chief,’ the White House Press Secretary said of the president while defending his new ballroom project

Politics

59 h. ago US leaders are erasing Black history. That threatens our future | Stacey Abrams and Esosa Osa

DEI is being used as a smokescreen to roll back progress and consolidate power. The goal is to rewrite our nation’s storyDemocracy flourishes when Black Americans advance. The evidence is clear: birthright citizenship, constitutional due process, anti-discrimination laws from education to housing to employment and equitable small business investments, are all byproducts of the systemic corrections known today as DEI. Yet, in recent years, DEI has been used as a smokescreen by cynical politicians and activists to roll back progress and consolidate power. Across classrooms, museums, boardrooms and federal agencies, the key pathways to opportunity and success are under attack through a coordinated disinformation campaign of erasure, distortion and suppression.The impact of these tactics is concrete and undeniable. Since the start of this year, Onyx Impact’s research has found, 306,000 Black women have lost their jobs and $3.4bn in grant programs investing in Black communities has been ...

Politics

67 h. ago Trump Office of Special Counsel nominee accused of admitting ‘Nazi streak’ withdraws amid GOP backlash

Paul Ingrassia was tapped by Trump to lead the independent agency that investigates federal whistleblower complaints and discrimination allegations

Politics

4 d. ago Nuclear security agency begins furloughing workers as part of shutdown, energy secretary says

Furloughs have begun at the federal agency tasked with overseeing the U.S. nuclear stockpile

Events

5 d. ago Trump mulls invoking the Insurrection Act and signals he’ll send troops to San Francisco

President blames Democratic leaders for resisting crime-fighting efforts as he continues to target cities for federal takeovers

Politics

5 d. ago How are unions pushing back against Trump’s attacks on labor and layoffs?

Unions are battling in court to halt firings and ensure workers retain their collective bargaining rightsAs Donald Trump continues his drive to cull the federal workforce and consolidate his power, labor unions have emerged as some of his staunchest opponents.Unions are battling the administration in federal courtrooms nationwide, after filing dozens of lawsuits to try to halt attempts to shed hundreds of thousands of government employees, strip collective bargaining rights from over a million workers, and gut some federal agencies. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago State attorneys general sue Trump administration for canceled solar program funding

The attorneys general of more than a dozen states on Thursday sued the Trump administration over the termination of $7 billion in funding intended for affordable solar energy projects across the U.S. The coalition argued in the lawsuit that the Environmental Protection Agency’s cancellation of the Solar for All program violated federal law governing federal agencies and constitutional doctrine on separation of powers

Politics

1 week ago Some airports refuse to play Noem video on shutdown impact, saying it's political

Some airports around the country are saying they won’t play a video with a message from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which she blames Democrats for the federal government shutdown and its impacts on operations to screen travelers

Politics

1 week ago Trump has shaken America’s faith in most government agencies since his return to White House, polls show

While certain agencies that Trump has targeted have fallen out of public favor, others have seen their approval ratings rise in line with the administration’s policies

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Substantial’ federal layoffs begin as Congress remains deadlocked over funding to end shutdown – live

No official numbers have been announced but treasury, HHS, DHS and education departments among agencies confirming cuts White House announces federal worker layoffs as government shutdown nears third weekAs the shutdown enters its 10th day, and both chambers are out of session today, House speaker Mike Johnson has defended not passing a separate bill that would keep members of the military paid throughout the shutdown.“Republicans have voted to OPEN the government and get our troops, Border Patrol, TSA, and veterans PAID,” Johnson said, before blaming Democratic leadership for refusing to pass the House-passed continuing resolution. “Chuck Schumer is terrified of a challenge from the Marxist left – so he and the Democrats voted to CLOSE the government-and to STOP PAYCHECKS from being issued.” Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago US government shutdown: Speaker rejects blame over military pay and says Senate Democrats must ‘turn lights back on’– live

Mike Johnson claims separate bill to pay military during shutdown is ‘redundant’ as Republicans double down on blaming Democrats As the shutdown enters its 10th day, and both chambers are out of session today, House speaker Mike Johnson has defended not passing a separate bill that would keep members of the military paid throughout the shutdown.“Republicans have voted to OPEN the government and get our troops, Border Patrol, TSA, and veterans PAID,” Johnson said, before blaming Democratic leadership for refusing to pass the House-passed continuing resolution. “Chuck Schumer is terrified of a challenge from the Marxist left – so he and the Democrats voted to CLOSE the government-and to STOP PAYCHECKS from being issued.” Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Senate still deadlocked over shutdown as Trump reiterates threat to Democrats

Seventh round of votes fails to yield breakthrough while president threatens to cut funds for ‘Democrat programs’ The US Senate remained deadlocked on legislation to end the government shutdown on Thursday, as Donald Trump reiterated his threat to make Democrats pay for the funding lapse that has closed federal agencies and furloughed workers nationwide.The Senate took its seventh round of votes on competing Democratic and Republican proposals to restart the funding, but neither won enough bipartisan support to clear the 60-vote threshold for advancement in the chamber. In a sign that neither party had budged from its demands, no senators changed their votes from when the bills were last considered in recent days. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago US shutdown deadlock deepens as senators reject competing bills

Proposals from both sides fail to receive enough support as no senators change their votes from recent daysUS politics live – latest updatesThe deadlock over ending the US government shutdown deepened on Wednesday, with senators once again rejecting competing bills to restart funding as Democrats and Republicans remain dug in on their demands for reopening federal agencies.The funding lapse has forced offices, national parks and other federal government operations to close or curtail operations, while employees have been furloughed. Signs of strain have mounted in recent days in the parts of the federal government that remained operational, with staffing shortages reported at airports across the US as well as air traffic control centers. Further disruptions may come next week, when US military personnel and other federal workers who remain on the job will not receive paychecks, unless the government reopens. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘This madness needs to end’ say House Republicans as shutdown enters eighth day – US politics live

Majority leader Steve Scalise continues to blame Democrats for not passing House-passed funding bill as shutdown continuesEx-FBI director pleads not guilty on lying to Congress chargeA series of “violent” texts sent by a Democrat seeking to become Virginia’s attorney general has shaken up the state’s governor’s race, with Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears seizing on the controversy to try to reverse her opponent’s double-digit polling lead.Earle-Sears has released new campaign advertisements condemning Democratic former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, her opponenent in the governor’s race, for continuing to support Jay Jones, whose private texts three years ago speculated about a senior state Republican getting “two bullets to the head” and “breeding little fascists”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Gavin Newsom hits out at Trump over shutdown after FAA warned airport would have no air traffic controllers

Travelers hit with frustrating delays and cancellations as government shutdown affects federal agency workers

Events

2 w. ago US shutdown enters second week as Senate votes again on funding bill

Democrats and Republicans apparently no closer to deal to restart funding as Trump warns of imminent job cutsThe US government shutdown entered its second week on Monday, with Democratic and Republican lawmakers making no apparent progress towards reaching a deal to restart funding, while the Trump administration warned it was moving forward with plans to slash the federal workforce.Many agencies and departments closed their doors and told employees to stay home last Wednesday, after Congress failed to approve legislation to continue the government’s authority to spend money. Continue reading...

Economics