Politics Election category, Page 61
What is the Office of Personnel Management? Trump is relying on this agency to reshape government
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s new tool for reshaping the federal government is a relatively obscure agency, the Office of Personnel Management. The agency has offered millions of federal workers eight months of salary if they voluntarily choose to leave their jobs by Feb. 6. The unconventional plan shows both...
Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal grants after widespread confusion
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s budget office on Wednesday rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal grants, less than two days after it sparked widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country. The Monday evening memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget sparked uncertainty over a crucial...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles to answer questions on Medicare, Medicaid at confirmation hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — In a contentious confirmation hearing to become the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled to answer questions about Medicare and Medicaid, programs that affect tens of millions of Americans, or to provide details about how he would work to drive down health care costs. Kennedy...
After rebuke from legislative leaders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledges to veto immigration bill
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised Wednesday to veto a sweeping immigration bill, in the latest escalation of a statehouse showdown between the governor and the state’s Republican legislative leadership, who have sparred over whose proposals would best carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The bill, which...
After talking tough during campaign, Trump appears to ease up on China at start of presidency
WASHINGTON — On the campaign trail last year, President Donald Trump talked tough about imposing tariffs as high as 60% on Chinese goods and threatened to renew the trade war with China that he launched during his first term. But now that he’s back in the White House, Trump appears...
Defense secretary pulls Trump critic Gen. Milley’s security clearance, protective detail
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pulling security protections and clearance for Gen. Mark Milley, retired Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and has ordered the Pentagon’s inspector general to review Milley’s actions while serving as the nation’s top uniformed officer to determine if a demotion is warranted. The inspector...
Trump makes moves to expand his power, sparking chaos and a possible constitutional crisis
Just a little over a week into his second term, President Donald Trump is taking steps to maximize his power, sparking chaos and what critics contend is a constitutional crisis as he challenges the separation of powers that have defined American government for more than 200 years. The new administration’s...
Trump fires 2 Democratic commissioners of agency that enforces civil rights laws in workplace
ARLINGTON, Va. — President Donald Trump fired two of the three Democratic commissioners of the federal agency that enforces civil rights law in the workplace, an unprecedented move aimed at implementing his crackdown on certain diversity and gender rights policies. The two commissioners of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Charlotte...
Trump order aims to end federal support for gender transitions for those under 19
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country. “It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund,...
Brazil to set up deportee reception center after contentious flight from U.S.
RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian government Tuesday said it will create a reception center for deported migrants from the United States following controversy over conditions on a recent deportation flight. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gave the green light to establish a humanitarian reception post at Confins, a...
Canada inquiry found no evidence of ‘traitors’ in parliament, but warns against disinformation
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A public inquiry on foreign interference in Canada concluded Tuesday that while some foreign entities tried to interfere in the country’s elections, its democratic institutions remain “robust,” but warned against the danger of misinformation. The final report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference found “no...
Trump social media claim of using troops to force water flow refuted by California
President Donald Trump on Monday night heightened his battle with California over water policy by suggesting U.S. military troops had arrived in the state to turn on pumps and send more water flowing — something state officials quickly denied. On Monday evening, Trump wrote that the military “just entered the...
Sean Duffy confirmed by Senate to lead the Transportation Department
NEW YORK — Sean Duffy was confirmed Tuesday as transportation secretary, giving him a key role in helping President Donald Trump cut regulations and fix the nation’s infrastructure. The former Wisconsin congressman has promised safer Boeing planes, less regulation and help for U.S. companies developing self-driving cars — while not...
Snoop Dogg responds to ‘hate’ for performing at Trump’s inauguration
Snoop Dogg has addressed the “hate” he’s faced for performing at a Trump inaugural event earlier this month. The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper, 53, who performed at Trump’s Crypto Ball ahead of the inauguration, said that regardless of aligning himself with Trump, he’s “still a Black man, still...
Selena Gomez, who sobbed over ICE raids, spars with critic over family’s immigration storyVideo
LOS ANGELES — Selena Gomez was moved to tears over the weekend as the Trump administration fast-tracked policies to deliver on the president’s mass-deportations campaign promise. Her show of emotion did not sit well with many. The “Only Murders in the Building” and “Emilia Pérez” star, who is of Mexican...
Trump offering federal workers buyouts with about 8 months’ pay in effort to shrink governmentVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is offering buyouts to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by next week — an unprecedented move to shrink the U.S. government at breakneck speed. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources agency,...
Western Pa. leaders react to federal funding freeze
Residents of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties could be hurt by a move to halt the federal funding stream to state and local governments, especially those who rely on social service programs and public housing, some of the area’s elected officials said. Others defended President Donald Trump’s directive Tuesday to pause...
Caroline Kennedy warns senators that cousin RFK Jr. a ‘predator’Video
WASHINGTON — Calling Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “predator” who is addicted to power, Caroline Kennedy urged the U.S. Senate in a Tuesday letter to reject the nomination of her cousin to be President Donald Trump’s health secretary. In a letter to Senators, Ms. Kennedy, who previously served as a...
Some Trump voters are skeptical of his opening moves to embrace fellow billionaires
MESA, Ariz. — Enrique Lopez votes sporadically but bought into Donald Trump’s vows to fight for everyday workers, helping the Republican flip Arizona last year. Then the home construction contractor watched how the billionaire president opened his second administration. “So, the rich control the poor, I guess. They do whatever...
Oklahoma proposal requires parents to provide immigration status when enrolling students
OKLAHOMA CITY — Parents enrolling children in Oklahoma public schools will be required to provide proof of their child’s U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status under a proposal rule approved Tuesday by the State Board of Education. The board voted unanimously to approve the rule aimed at helping President Donald...
Immigration officers are operating with a new sense of mission. Now, ‘nobody gets a free pass’
SILVER SPRING, Md. — A week into Donald Trump’s second presidency and his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, federal officers are operating with a new sense of mission, knowing that “nobody gets a free pass anymore.” A dozen officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement gathered before dawn Monday...
Trump fills his government with billionaires after running on a working-class message
ATLANTA — President Donald Trump’s brash populism has always involved incongruence: the billionaire businessman-politician stirring the passions of millions who, regardless of the U.S. economy’s trajectory, could never afford to live in his Manhattan skyscraper or visit his club in south Florida. His second White House is looking a lot...
Trump’s tariff threat worked on Colombia, but his plans for Canada and Mexico carry higher stakes
WASHINGTON — Having already forced Colombia to accept deportees by threatening a 25% tariff, President Donald Trump is readying the same move against Canada and Mexico as soon as Saturday. But this time, the stakes are higher and many economists surveying the possible damage doubt Trump would be comfortable with...
U.S. places dozens of senior aid officials on leave, citing possible resistance to Trump orders
WASHINGTON — At least 56 senior officials in the top U.S. aid and development agency were placed on leave Monday amid an investigation into an alleged effort to thwart President Donald Trump’s orders. A current official and a former official at the U.S. Agency for International Development confirmed the reason...
John Fetterman nearly doubles his approval rating among Republicans, according to a recent analysis
Sen. John Fetterman, D.-Pa., has nearly doubled his approval rating among Republicans while continuing to bolster his job performance rating among all Pennsylvania voters, according to an analysis from Morning Consult published recently. The analysis points to how the Democratic senator’s frequent outreach to the GOP — enough to help...
