POLITICS/GOVERNMENT

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in New York's primaries
Read full article: AP Decision Notes: What to expect in New York's primariesVoters across New York state Tuesday will pick nominees in municipal primaries that include high-profile comeback bids in New York City by a former governor and a former congressman who both left office mired in scandal.

‘Living on pins & needles’: Father grateful for Florida’s help returning family to US amid ongoing Israel-Iran conflict
Read full article: ‘Living on pins & needles’: Father grateful for Florida’s help returning family to US amid ongoing Israel-Iran conflictWith the escalating conflict in Iran, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is moving quickly to get Floridians in Israel out of harm’s way and to safety.

Trump is silent about Juneteenth on a day he previously honored as president
Read full article: Trump is silent about Juneteenth on a day he previously honored as presidentPresident Donald Trump honored Juneteenth in each of his first four years as president, before it became a federal holiday.

Some US restaurants and servers oppose Republicans’ ‘no tax on tips’ budget proposal
Read full article: Some US restaurants and servers oppose Republicans’ ‘no tax on tips’ budget proposalSome segments of the U.S. restaurant industry don’t support President Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate federal taxes on tips.

Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for a third time, without clear legal basis
Read full article: Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for a third time, without clear legal basisPresident Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 90 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership.

New Florida law requires teens to take driver’s education course to get learner’s permit
Read full article: New Florida law requires teens to take driver’s education course to get learner’s permitStarting July 1, Florida teenagers will have some new requirements to earn their learner’s permit thanks to a new state law. One big change is that they will have to take a driver’s education course beforehand.

ICE raids and their uncertainty scare off workers and baffle businesses
Read full article: ICE raids and their uncertainty scare off workers and baffle businessesFarmers, cattle ranchers and hotel and restaurant managers breathed a sigh of relief last week when President Donald Trump ordered a pause to immigration raids that were disrupting those industries and scaring foreign-born workers off the job.

Voice of America and Radio Farda's Persian services cover the Israel-Iran conflict despite cutbacks
Read full article: Voice of America and Radio Farda's Persian services cover the Israel-Iran conflict despite cutbacksDespite the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle or sharply cut back on U.S. government-run news outlets like Voice of America, two Persian-language services have been called into duty to report on Israel's war with Iran to Iranian audiences.

These are 5 things the UN does that you may not have known
Read full article: These are 5 things the UN does that you may not have knownThe United Nations’ vast system has tackled everything from delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to providing crucial peacekeeping operations in conflict zones.

Party like it's 2018: Democrats look to 1st Trump midterms for 2025 races and 2026 momentum
Read full article: Party like it's 2018: Democrats look to 1st Trump midterms for 2025 races and 2026 momentumDemocrats have spent the early months of Donald Trump's second presidency trying to find the right messages and messengers to counter an aggressive administration.

President Donald Trump's latest judicial pick is someone that Joe Biden almost nominated
Read full article: President Donald Trump's latest judicial pick is someone that Joe Biden almost nominatedPresident Donald Trump says he plans to tap Chad Meredith, a former state solicitor general in Kentucky, for a federal judgeship in the state.

Longtime DEA informant charged in alleged scheme to extort high-level cocaine traffickers
Read full article: Longtime DEA informant charged in alleged scheme to extort high-level cocaine traffickersA drug informant who helped the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration build some of its biggest cases has been arrested and charged with scheming to extort major cocaine traffickers facing extradition from Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

Josh Weil announces 2026 Senate run to challenge Ashley Moody in Florida
Read full article: Josh Weil announces 2026 Senate run to challenge Ashley Moody in FloridaDemocrat Josh Weil, who raised millions of dollars for an unsuccessful U.S. House campaign in Florida, said Wednesday that he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

Families of trans kids worry about what's next after Supreme Court rules on gender-affirming care
Read full article: Families of trans kids worry about what's next after Supreme Court rules on gender-affirming careA U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors is leaving transgender children and their parents uncertain and anxious about its impact.

US starts evacuating some diplomats from its embassy in Israel as Iran conflict intensifies
Read full article: US starts evacuating some diplomats from its embassy in Israel as Iran conflict intensifiesThe U.S. State Department has begun evacuating nonessential diplomats and their families from the U.S. embassy in Israel as hostilities between Israel and Iran intensify and President Donald Trump has warned of the possibility of getting directly involved in the conflict.

US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts
Read full article: US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accountsThe U.S. State Department says it’s restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but says all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for review.

Lawmakers on edge as statehouse security tightens after Minnesota shootings
Read full article: Lawmakers on edge as statehouse security tightens after Minnesota shootingsAnxious lawmakers are convening under heightened security in Wisconsin’s state Capitol, one of the most publicly accessible statehouses in the country.

California senators demand Trump immigration officials stop using Medicaid data
Read full article: California senators demand Trump immigration officials stop using Medicaid dataThe Trump administration’s decision to provide deportation officials with personal data — including the immigration status — on millions of Medicaid enrollees prompted two California U.S. senators on Wednesday to demand that the data sharing “cease” and for Homeland Security officials to “destroy” the records.

Trump says supporters ‘more in love’ with him than ever, as MAGA world splits over Iran
Read full article: Trump says supporters ‘more in love’ with him than ever, as MAGA world splits over IranPresident Donald Trump is downplaying any notion that his supporters are cooling on him amid uncertainty over whether he will order a U.S. strike on Iran.

What to know about the impacts of the Supreme Court's ruling on transgender care for youth
Read full article: What to know about the impacts of the Supreme Court's ruling on transgender care for youthThe U.S. Supreme Court said Tennessee did not violate the constitution by banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

Former US ambassador to Ukraine who resigned in protest launches run for Congress in Michigan
Read full article: Former US ambassador to Ukraine who resigned in protest launches run for Congress in MichiganBridget Brink, who stepped down as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine this year in protest of what she said was President Donald Trump’s unfair treatment of the the war-torn country, says she’s running for Congress in one of Michigan’s most competitive districts as a Democrat.

Supreme Court work goes on with 10 cases to decide, including birthright citizenship
Read full article: Supreme Court work goes on with 10 cases to decide, including birthright citizenshipThe Supreme Court is in the homestretch of a term that has lately been dominated by the Trump administration’s emergency appeals of lower court orders seeking to slow President Donald Trump’s efforts to remake the federal government.

Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates pushed up to 2034 due to rising health care costs, new SSA law
Read full article: Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates pushed up to 2034 due to rising health care costs, new SSA lawThe go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security’s trust funds have moved up as rising health care costs and new legislation affecting Social Security benefits have contributed to closer projected depletion dates.

Trump says he's 'not looking for a fight' with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary
Read full article: Trump says he's 'not looking for a fight' with Iran but stands ready to act if necessaryPresident Donald Trump says he doesn’t want to carry out a U.S. strike on Iran but suggested he stands ready to act if it’s necessary to extinguish Iran’s nuclear program.

Nippon Steel finalizes $15B takeover of US Steel after sealing national security agreement
Read full article: Nippon Steel finalizes $15B takeover of US Steel after sealing national security agreementNippon Steel and U.S. Steel say they've finalized their “historic partnership,” a year-and-a-half after the Japanese company first proposed its deal to buy the iconic American steelmaker for nearly $15 billion.

Joe Biden to attend Juneteenth celebration at historic AME church in Texas
Read full article: Joe Biden to attend Juneteenth celebration at historic AME church in TexasFormer President Joe Biden will be attending a Juneteenth celebration at a historic African Methodist Episcopal church in Galveston, Texas.

Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights
Read full article: Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rightsThe Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a jolting setback to transgender rights.

Supreme Court clears the way for temporary nuclear waste storage in Texas and New Mexico
Read full article: Supreme Court clears the way for temporary nuclear waste storage in Texas and New MexicoThe Supreme Court has restarted plans to temporarily store nuclear waste in rural Texas and New Mexico, even as the nation is at an impasse over a permanent solution.

The Latest: US says foreign students seeking visas must unlock social media accounts
Read full article: The Latest: US says foreign students seeking visas must unlock social media accountsThe U.S. State Department says it is restarting the process for foreigners to apply for student visas but says all applicants must have their social media accounts set to ‘public’ to allow review by officials.

Hegseth faces more grilling from Congress as Iran-Israel conflict escalates
Read full article: Hegseth faces more grilling from Congress as Iran-Israel conflict escalatesDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Pentagon has provided possible options to President Donald Trump as he decides any next steps on Iran.

Conservative Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez announces bid to run for US Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seat
Read full article: Conservative Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez announces bid to run for US Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seatLouisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez, a conservative Republican, has officially launched his bid to run for U.S. Senate in 2026.

Acting head of civil rights agency defends decisions undercutting transgender workers
Read full article: Acting head of civil rights agency defends decisions undercutting transgender workersThe acting chair of the federal agency that enforces workers rights acknowledged during a Senate hearing Wednesday that transgender workers are protected under civil rights laws but defended her decision to drop lawsuits on their behalf, saying her agency is not independent and must comply with President Donald Trump’s orders.

Jury finds leading proponent of 'The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employee
Read full article: Jury finds leading proponent of 'The Big Lie' defamed former voting equipment employeeA jury found Monday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of a prominent voting equipment company by calling him a traitor, telling him and his online media platform to pay $2.3 million in damages.

EPA will revisit Biden-era ban on the last type of asbestos used in US
Read full article: EPA will revisit Biden-era ban on the last type of asbestos used in USThe Environmental Protection Agency will reconsider a Biden administration ban on the last type of asbestos used in the United States.

Kristi Noem is ‘alert and recovering’ after trip to hospital over allergic reaction, official says
Read full article: Kristi Noem is ‘alert and recovering’ after trip to hospital over allergic reaction, official saysA spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department says Secretary Kristi Noem was taken to a hospital to treat an allergic reaction but is “alert and recovering.”.

Fed leaves key rate unchanged as it awaits the impact of tariffs and Trump again scolds Powell
Read full article: Fed leaves key rate unchanged as it awaits the impact of tariffs and Trump again scolds PowellThe Federal Reserve kept its key rate unchanged Wednesday as it waits for additional information on how tariffs and other potential disruptions will affect the economy this year.

Trump administration demands action from 36 countries to avoid travel ban
Read full article: Trump administration demands action from 36 countries to avoid travel banThe Trump administration has given 36 countries, most of them in Africa, a Wednesday deadline to commit to improving vetting or face a ban on their citizens visiting the United States.

A split forms in MAGA world as Trump weighs next steps on Iran, with some top stars rebuking him
Read full article: A split forms in MAGA world as Trump weighs next steps on Iran, with some top stars rebuking himThere's a split among President Donald Trump and some of his most devout MAGA supporters as Trump weighs how the U.S. should proceed in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Trump tax bill would widen deficits by $2.8T after factoring in economic impacts, CBO says
Read full article: Trump tax bill would widen deficits by $2.8T after factoring in economic impacts, CBO saysPresident Donald Trump’s tax and budget bill would increase deficits by $2.8 trillion over the next decade after factoring in other economic effects.

Senate Republicans double down and target clean energy in draft tax bill
Read full article: Senate Republicans double down and target clean energy in draft tax billA proposal by Senate Republicans would adjust the pace at which some crucial home energy efficiency and electric vehicle tax credits are phased out in timelines different from what House Republicans proposed in the multitrillion-dollar tax bill they passed last month.

Toy company challenges Trump’s tariffs before the Supreme Court in long shot bid for quick decision
Read full article: Toy company challenges Trump’s tariffs before the Supreme Court in long shot bid for quick decisionAn Illinois toy company is challenging Donald Trump’s tariffs at the Supreme Court.