Tracking Trends, Breaking News
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of former Rep. Matt Gaetz to be attorney general is his most controversial Cabinet pick yet, and the Florida Republican is likely to face obstacles in the confirmation process. But Trump is seeking an important change to the Senate confirmation process that would allow him to install some officials
Read More
Donald Trump is vowing to reduce wasteful federal spending by tapping two billionaires — Tesla CEO Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — to spearhead the initiative, which the president-elect is calling the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The appointments, announced by Trump on Tuesday, raise a host of questions about the effort, including
Read More
Suicides among military service members rose in 2023 continuing a gradual rise in suicides among active-duty forces, persisting despite prevention efforts. The Defense Department’s annual report on suicides in the military released Thursday said suicides among active-duty military rose from 331 in 2022 to 363 in 2023. “Admittedly yes, that long-term trend is gradually increasing,”
Read More
Washington — President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday in a social media post that he’ll nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS),” he said in a post on X.
Read More
The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccines official says he hopes to find common ground with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was picked Thursday by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services. “What I would ask of him is that he keep an open mind. We’re happy to try to
Read More
Automatic recount triggered in close McCormick-Casey Senate race in Pennsylvania Automatic recount triggered in close McCormick-Casey Senate race in Pennsylvania 02:20 Sen. Bob Casey is not giving up on retaining his U.S. Senate seat. The three-term Democrat is currently locked in a tight race with Dave McCormick, trailing the Republican by just over 29,000 votes
Read More
President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate longtime ally GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general — a choice that quickly prompted backlash from Democrats and some Republicans over Gaetz’s history. Gaetz, who has represented Florida’s 1st District in the House of Representatives since 2017, has been the focus of several
Read More
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday approved a ban on transgender students using bathrooms that fit their gender identities and sent the measure to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. The Republican-backed bill applies to public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. It requires the schools to designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations “for the
Read More
More than $20 billion flooded into the 2024 presidential campaign, shattering the record for political spending in a single election. In an accelerating trend in American politics, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and their allies raised colossal sums of money from billionaires. A majority of these megadonors were Republicans, according to Open Secrets, the nonpartisan watchdog
Read More
Washington — House Republicans backed Speaker Mike Johnson to lead for another two years as they voted in leadership elections on Wednesday just as they secured majority control of the lower chamber for another two years. Republicans voted to return Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both from Louisiana, to their positions in the next
Read More