25 h. ago Federal agencies blaming Democrats for shutdown in potentially illegal move

Departments and staff are using out-of-office emails and websites to engage in partisan political activityA growing number of federal agencies and staff are explicitly blaming Democrats for the current government shutdown. The political messaging by the agencies may be a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.Furloughed federal employees at some agencies have been instructed to set out-of-office messages explaining that they are not working because Democrats caused a shutdown. Government agency websites also have displayed messages informing site visitors the websites are temporarily on hold due to the “Democrat-led” shutdown.The Department of JusticeThe Department of StateThe Department of the TreasuryThe Department of AgricultureThe Department of Housing and Urban Development (Hud)The Department of EducationThe Department of Health and Human ServicesThe Department of CommerceThe Department of LaborThe Small Busine...

Events

43 h. ago Federal government could resume taking DACA applications for permits to live and work in U.S.

Expected changes to a six-year-old lawsuit in Texas against DACA could mean the federal government will resume taking new applications for the program that offers people without legal immigration status two-year, renewable permits to live and work in the U.S. legally

Politics

51 h. ago Federal Reserve governor will keep job for now despite Trump’s bid to remove her

Supreme court defers action on request to remove Lisa Cook from post, at least until it hears oral arguments on caseUS government shutdown – live updatesLisa Cook, the US Federal Reserve governor, will keep her job for now, despite Donald Trump’s extraordinary bid to remove her from the central bank’s board with immediate effect.The US supreme court deferred action on the Department of Justice’s request to allow the president to fire Cook, at least until it hears oral arguments on the case in January. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago Department of Justice uses federal shutdown to stonewall legal fight over domestic violence survivor funding

Survivors last month condemned Trump’s remarks dismissing intimate partner violence as a “little fight with the wife,” warning that the president’s dismissive statements send a dangerous message that normalizes abuse

Events

3 d. ago Justice Department files civil rights lawsuit against protesters in clash at New Jersey synagogue

Federal officials have sued two pro-Palestinian groups and some demonstrators involved in a heated protest last year outside a synagogue in northern New Jersey

Society

3 d. ago Trump administration targets Minnesota in latest sanctuary policy lawsuit

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Minnesota, its two largest cities, and a county over sanctuary policies

Events

3 d. ago Justice Department lawsuit alleges Los Angeles sheriff processes concealed carry licenses too slowly

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, alleging it violated the Constitution by moving too slowly to process gun licenses for people who want to carry concealed weapons

Society

3 d. ago Trump pressure tactics in Comey case ‘chilling’ – but they could backfire, experts say

Former prosecutors condemn ‘takeover of the DoJ’ but say chance of success could be tainted by president’s commentsDonald Trump’s public and private push to have ex-FBI director James Comey indicted on criminal charges is a strong sign of the US slipping into authoritarianism, but it could also taint the case’s chances of success because it is evidence of a selective and biased political prosecution, ex-prosecutors and scholars say.Trump’s retribution drive against an old foe he blames for legal and political problems notched a big win when Comey was indicted last week on two criminal counts in Virginia. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago JD Vance says ‘certainly gonna be more indictments’ coming against Trump enemies over rest of president’s term

Senate GOP leader dodges on Justice Department politicization while Trump and Vance vow openly to keep targeting enemies

Politics

6 d. ago Trump’s attack on George Soros is the next step in the autocrat’s handbook | Kenneth Roth

Having already attacked judges, lawyers, media companies and universities, the president has set his sights on civiliansAs a former federal prosecutor, I know that prosecutors should be guided by the facts. But in his determination to hound George Soros, Donald Trump wants prosecutors to become agents of his personal vendetta, facts be damned. That is the conclusion to be drawn from the instructions issued by one of Trump’s senior justice department officials to a group of US attorney’s offices across the country, telling them to investigate Soros’s foundation.This is the latest step in Trump’s implementation of the autocrat’s handbook, with the aim of chipping away at the checks and balances on presidential authority. Having already attacked judges, lawyers, media companies and universities, Trump now sets his sights on civil society. Soros, a longtime and extraordinarily generous funder of progressive causes around the world including in the United States, is Target Number 1. Trum...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump says he expects charges for other adversaries after Comey indictment

President says ‘I think there’ll be others’ as justice department condemned for enacting retribution campaign Donald Trump said on Friday that he expected more people whom he considers his political enemies to face criminal charges, a day after the justice department indicted former FBI director James Comey and faced a torrent of criticism for enacting the president’s campaign of retribution.“It’s not a list, but I think there’ll be others,” Trump said as he departed the White House to travel to the Ryder Cup golf tournament. “I mean, they’re corrupt. They were corrupt radical left Democrats.” Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Elon Musk and Peter Thiel mentioned in Epstein documents released by Democrats

Prince Andrew and Steve Bannon also referenced in six-page batch of documents made public with redactionsDemocratic lawmakers on Friday released documents from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein that may show interactions between the disgraced financier and prominent conservatives, including Elon Musk, Steve Bannon and Peter Thiel.The six pages of documents made public with redactions come from a batch provided by the justice department to the House oversight committee, which is investigating how the sex-trafficking charges against Epstein, who died in 2019 in federal custody, were handled. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Justice Department sues states for voter info as fears grow GOP won’t let midterm losses stand

Critics fear Trump administration will probe sensitive data to purge eligible voters ahead of 2026 elections

Politics

7 d. ago The Latest: Former FBI Director Comey indicted on charges of making a false statement, obstruction

Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged with making a false statement and obstruction in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute him and other perceived political enemies

Events

7 d. ago Federal Bureau of Prisons moves to end union protections for its workers

The federal Bureau of Prisons it is canceling a collective bargaining agreement with its workers and stripping them of union rights, the latest move by the Trump administration to gut labor protections for federal employees

Events

7 d. ago US justice department hits former FBI chief James Comey with criminal charges

Trump’s political opponent accused of obstructing a Congressional investigation and making a false statement

Events

7 d. ago Former FBI director James Comey indicted for making false statement to Congress and obstruction of justice

Indictment comes after Trump instructed US attorney general to prosecute Comey and others he considers political foesUS politics – latest updatesJames Comey, the former FBI director and one of Donald Trump’s most frequent targets, was indicted on Thursday on one count of making a false statement to Congress and one count of obstruction of justice, according to a person familiar with the matter, in the latest move in the president’s expansive retribution campaign against his political adversaries.“No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case,” Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, tweeted on Thursday. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Lisa Cook urges supreme court to reject Trump’s bid to fire her from Fed board

Cook’s lawyers say president’s unprecedented move would destroy Fed’s independence and disrupt financial marketsFederal Reserve governor Lisa Cook urged the US supreme court on Thursday to reject Donald Trump’s attempt to fire her, telling the justices the Republican president’s unprecedented move would destroy the central bank’s independence and disrupt financial markets.Lawyers for Cook filed a written response opposing the justice department’s 18 September emergency request to lift a federal judge’s order that blocked Trump from immediately removing Cook, an appointee of Democratic former president Joe Biden, while her legal challenge continues. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago George Soros foundation hits back at Trump after report that DoJ plans to target group

NYT reports that justice department is pushing attorneys to investigate organization as Trump ramps up attack on rivalsThe Open Society Foundations (OSF), the major philanthropic group funded by George Soros, criticized the Trump administration on Thursday for “politically motivated attacks on civil society” after a report that the justice department had instructed federal prosecutors to come up with plans to investigate the charity.The New York Times reported Thursday that a lawyer in the office of Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, sent a memo to several federal prosecutors in attorney’s offices in California, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, and Detroit, offering a range of charges to consider against OSF. Those charges included racketeering, arson, wire fraud and material support for terrorism, the Times reported. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Tax raids and spending cuts may be  'insufficient' fiscal black hole, economist warns

Measures announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' upcoming Autumn Budget are unlikely to be enough to fill the so-called fiscal black hole, St James's Place's chief economist has warned.

Events