Tag Archives: Politics

Zelenskyy leaves White House without signing minerals deal after Oval Office blowup

Zelenskyy leaves White House without signing minerals deal after Oval Office blowup

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump berated Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting on Friday, then abruptly called off signing a deal with the U.S. that he said would have moved that country closer to ending its war with Russia. The astonishing turn of events has the potential to potentially scramble international affairs in Europe and around the globe. During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy had planned to attend sign a deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, then hold a joint news conference. Instead, Ukraine’s leader left the White House shortly after Trump shouted at him, showing open disdain.… Continue Reading

Trump administration says it’s cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts

Trump administration says it’s cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world. That’s according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press as well as court filings Wednesday. They detail the outcome of a 90-day review ordered by President Donald Trump of all the money provided by USAID and the State Department for development and aid work overseas. The move leaves few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing court battles. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court late Wednesday temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid.… Continue Reading

Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider

Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not shown it had suffered irreparable harm in the matter. But he urged the government to reconsider its two-week-old ban. He said that case law “is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.” U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling. The AP filed a lawsuit Friday saying that its First Amendment rights were being violated. President Donald Trump said it was punishment for the agency’s decision not to entirely follow his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”… Continue Reading

FDA moves to rehire medical device, food safety and other staffers fired days earlier

FDA moves to rehire medical device, food safety and other staffers fired days earlier

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is reinstating some of the hundreds of staffers it fired last week. That’s according to agency employees who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The FDA callbacks are the latest example of the chaotic fallout from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s sweeping cost-cutting effort. Many of the staffers getting their jobs back are responsible for reviewing medical devices and food ingredients. After last week’s terminations, lobbyists for the device industry warned that the cuts would hurt companies and patients. The FDA’s device program is heavily funded by companies that pay the agency to quickly review their products.… Continue Reading

USDA scholarship for students at North Carolina A&T suspended

USDA scholarship for students at North Carolina A&T suspended

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal scholarship aimed at boosting students from underserved and rural areas attending historically Black colleges and universities has been put on hold. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended the 1890 Scholars Program, which provided recipients with full tuition and fees for students studying agriculture, food or natural resource sciences at one of 19 universities, known as the 1890 land grant institutions. It’s not clear exactly when the program was suspended, but some members of Congress first issued statements criticizing the suspension of the program on Thursday. A message seeking more detail was left Saturday with the Department of Agriculture.… Continue Reading

North Carolina’s insurance commissioner is out of the hospital after heart surgery

North Carolina’s insurance commissioner is out of the hospital after heart surgery

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is out of the hospital 10 days after undergoing heart surgery. The Republican underwent what his department called “elective” surgery to “correct a congenital heart defect.” Causey told a Greensboro newspaper that he had developed an aneurysm. The 74-year-old was released Thursday. Causey said the surgery wasn’t disclosed beforehand in part because he didn’t want to alarm anybody ahead of time unnecessarily. He said the defect was discovered in late 2023. Further examination showed he had developed an aneurysm. Causey was first elected commissioner in 2016. He won a third four-year term this past November.… Continue Reading

Trump loyalist Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI director by the Senate despite deep Democratic doubts

Trump loyalist Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI director by the Senate despite deep Democratic doubts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as as President Donald Trump’s FBI director. The vote Thursday puts the Trump loyalist atop the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite Democrats’ doubts about his qualifications and concerns he’ll do Trump’s bidding and go after the Republican president’s adversaries. Patel has fiercely criticized an agency that’s now gripped by turmoil. Trump’s Justice Department has forced out a group of senior FBI officials and made a highly unusual demand for the names of thousands of agents who participated in investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.… Continue Reading

Sen. Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker

Sen. Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Mitch McConnell has announced he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce populism of President Donald Trump. The Kentucky Republican chose his 83rd birthday on Thursday to share his decision to retire when his current term ends in January 2027. McConnell is the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. McConnell helped forge a conservative Supreme Court and steered the Senate through tax cuts and presidential impeachment trials. McConnell informed The Associated Press of his decision before he addressed colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor.… Continue Reading

Senate confirms Kelly Loeffler, former Georgia senator, to lead Small Business Administration

Senate confirms Kelly Loeffler, former Georgia senator, to lead Small Business Administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kelly Loeffler, a Georgia businesswoman and former senator, to lead the Small Business Administration. The Senate approved Loeffler on a 52-46 vote Wednesday. At SBA, Loeffler will oversee an entity responsible for helping businesses satisfy debts, payroll and other expenses during times of disaster. Loeffler co-chaired Trump’s second inaugural committee and served in the Senate during the last year of his first term. During her brief stint on Capitol Hill, the former WNBA owner and executive was the Senate’s wealthiest member. She is married to Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange, the publicly traded firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange.… Continue Reading

DOGE notches courtroom wins as Elon Musk crusades to slash federal government

DOGE notches courtroom wins as Elon Musk crusades to slash federal government

WASHINGTON (AP) — Although some parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda are getting bogged down by litigation, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is having better luck in the courtroom. Labor unions, Democrats and federal employees have filed several lawsuits arguing that DOGE is running roughshod over privacy protections or usurping power from other branches of government. But judges appointed by Democratic and Republican presidents haven’t always gone along with those arguments, at least so far. Most notably, DOGE critics are failing to obtain temporary restraining orders that would prevent Musk’s team from accessing sensitive government databases.… Continue Reading

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