Politics
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Trump reverses Biden action to replace plastic straws with paper
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order reversing an effort by his predecessor, Joe Biden, to phase out the use of plastic straws within the federal government and replace them with paper products, targeting an environmental reform that has long drawn the Republican’s ire.
“I don’t think that plastic is going to ...Read more

Trump says 'no' when asked if ready to name Vance as successor
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said “no” when asked if he viewed Vice President JD Vance as his successor, saying it was too early to make such a determination.
“No, but he’s very capable,” Trump told Fox News anchor Bret Baier in an interview taped last week, excerpts from which were released Monday.
“I think you have a lot...Read more

Trump wants more military money as DOGE eyes big cuts elsewhere
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he wants to increase the amount of money for the U.S. military, a goal that runs counter to efforts from his top ally — Elon Musk — to slash trillions of dollars of federal spending.
“We want to raise defense spending. I think we have to have it,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ ...Read more

Republicans are confident in Trump's leadership -- but fewer like his ethics, poll finds
President Donald Trump nears the one-month mark of his second term with confidence from Republicans about his leadership skills and mental capacity to take on the highest office, a recent poll says.
While 76% of Republicans tout his leadership skills, the poll found a significant drop in his ability to act ethically.
The Pew Research Center ...Read more

Trump says he spoke with Xi since inauguration, unclear when
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he has spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping since his Jan. 20 inauguration, amid a brewing trade war between the two nations.
“Yeah, I’ve talked to him, and I talked to his people, too,” Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview taped last week that aired on Monday. “His people come...Read more

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace accuses AG Wilson of not prosecuting heinous crimes against her and other women
COLUMBIA, S.C. — In an indication of how bitter the 2026 race for the GOP nomination for governor of South Carolina will be, Congresswoman Nancy Mace took to the U.S. House floor Monday night and accused state Attorney General Alan Wilson of not prosecuting specific rape, voyeurism and other heinous crimes against women.
The speech ...Read more

Massachusetts federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration's NIH funding cuts after 22 state AGs sue
BOSTON — A Massachusetts federal judge has temporarily blocked cuts to health care research funding for universities and scientific institutions after 22 state attorneys general Andrea Campbell sued the Trump administration on Monday.
The AGs filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and ...Read more

Q&A: Television Academy to raise AI with lawmakers: 'We want to focus on its ethical use'
The Television Academy has long existed to celebrate industry excellence, handing out Emmy Awards each fall.
But the North Hollywood, California-based group has been branching out. Dramatic shifts in television platforms, production and technology — including the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence — have spurred the nonprofit ...Read more

Judge temporarily blocks NIH research cuts after 22 states sue
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Massachusetts late Monday granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health research funding after 22 states filed a lawsuit challenging that order.
District Court Judge Angel Kelley of the U.S. District of Massachusetts gave the administration ...Read more

GOP senators fall in line behind Trump's nominees, even the contentious ones
WASHINGTON — Efforts by conservatives to pressure Republican senators to support President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees have largely been successful so far, as the Senate appears set to maintain its fast rate of confirmations this week.
Since Trump’s victory last fall, an array of conservative outside groups and activists launched ...Read more

Will prices be affected by Trump removing penny from circulation? Economists weigh in
President Donald Trump said he directed the U.S. Treasury Department to stop manufacturing pennies, citing rising costs.
“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents,” the president said in a Feb. 9 post on Truth Social, announcing the new policy. “This is so wasteful!”
It is true. In...Read more

Trump sets 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum as trade war grows
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ordered a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, escalating his efforts to protect politically important U.S. industries with levies hitting some of the country’s closest allies.
The tariffs will apply widely to all U.S. imports of steel and aluminum, including from Canada and Mexico, the country’s ...Read more

Trump directed to release all funds after defying last order
The Trump administration must immediately unfreeze all $3 trillion in federal funds, a judge ruled Monday, finding it violated his temporary restraining order by keeping some of the dollars paused.
Blue state attorneys general showed evidence that the administration is still refusing to let funds flow, despite the federal judge’s Jan. 31 ...Read more

22 states sue Trump administration over NIH cuts
WASHINGTON — Twenty-two states sued the Trump administration Monday seeking to block a change by the National Institutes of Health that would cut payments to universities, medical centers and researchers studying cancer, rare diseases and other health issues.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, ...Read more

Trump outlines game plan to end congestion pricing, threatens NY federal funding: report
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump has floated a supposed a game plan for ending congestion pricing, saying he “will be able to kill it off in Washington through the Department of Transportation” — but said he was nonetheless discussing the plans with Gov. Kathy Hochul “out of respect.”
In a weekend interview in the N.Y. Post, Trump ...Read more

Ecuador bonds plunge as socialist candidate forces runoff
Ecuador’s dollar bonds tumbled the most in two years after socialist challenger Luisa González did better than forecast in this weekend’s presidential election, likely forcing President Daniel Noboa into an April 13 runoff.
Bonds slumped across the curve, with notes due 2030 down more than 8 cents on the dollar to about 70 cents, on track...Read more
Judge rejects Republican candidate's effort for a redo Georgia House election
ATLANTA — A Democrat in a disputed state House race will keep his east Georgia seat after a judge ruled Monday against his Republican challenger’s claims that the November election was tainted by dozens of voters who were given incorrect ballots.
The decision upholds the victory of Democratic state Rep. Mack Jackson, who received 48 more ...Read more

NYC Mayor Adams tells city officials to refrain from publicly criticizing Trump, sources say
NEW YORK — Mayor Adams instructed his top advisers Monday to not criticize President Trump or his administration in public, arguing that any feuding with the Republican president’s team could result in the city being stripped of federal funding, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The mayor conveyed the new directive ...Read more

Sen. Schumer warns of 'Trump shutdown,' vows pushback on Elon Musk cuts
Sen. Chuck Schumer Monday warned that Republicans are driving the nation toward a government shutdown and vowed Democrats will unite to push back against President Trump’s slash-and-burn spending cuts.
The Senate minority leader told fellow lawmakers he plans to use their leverage to slow or stop Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk from ...Read more

22 state AGs sue Trump administration over NIH funding cuts
BOSTON — Twenty-two state attorneys general are suing the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health over the funding cuts for universities and research institutions.
The AGs are challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to cut “indirect cost” reimbursements at every ...Read more
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