5 mins read

North Korea unveils a new plant to produce fuel for nuclear weapons

SEOUL, South Korea | North Korea on Thursday unveiled a new facility to produce nuclear bomb fuels, with leader Kim Jong Un announcing plans to bolster the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.” Some experts still question whether North Korea has functioning nuclear missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. But the nuclear plant’s […]

5 mins read

Republicans won the redistricting battle. Now voters will decide whether they win Congress

A no-holds-barred bout of partisan redistricting has been won by Republicans. Now it’s up to voters to decide whether it matters for control of Congress. Republicans could net about 10 additional U.S. House seats in the November elections if redrawn voting districts perform as they were intended. The question is whether that’s enough for the […]

8 mins read

Trump administration seeks new path forward with tariffs after first attempt hit legal roadblocks

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump is in a hurry to rebuild the tariff wall the Supreme Court tore down less than four months ago. The administration this week has proposed slapping double-digit tariffs on products from dozens of major U.S. trading partners after an investigation into imports of goods allegedly made with forced labor. And […]

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent refuses to say whether Trump remains exempt from IRS audits

WASHINGTON | Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent refused to say Wednesday whether President Donald Trump and his family would still get immunity from IRS audits after the administration abandoned plans for a $1.776 billion compensation fund that would have benefited the president’s allies. “There’s continuing litigation, and I’m unable to comment on ongoing litigation,” Bessent told […]

9 mins read

With Trump in a holding pattern on Iran war, allies and critics worry he risks getting boxed in

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump is facing warnings from foes and allies alike that he’s getting boxed in on the Iran war, a conflict he sold as a brief military incursion but that has since settled into a holding pattern. It’s been nearly a week since U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement to […]

6 mins read

House votes to halt US military action in Iran, rebuking Trump’s war strategy

WASHINGTON | The House for the first time Wednesday approved a war powers resolution that would halt the U.S. military action against Iran, defying President Donald Trump as a handful of Republicans joined with Democrats to end the three-month-long conflict that has reordered politics at home and abroad. “The President’s war with Iran has been […]

8 mins read

The White House as a stage: Trump’s hosting streak meets America’s 250th birthday and the World Cup

WASHINGTON | When nearly all the scheduled musical performers pulled out of a concert series marking America’s 250th anniversary — fearing the event had become too closely tied to President Donald Trump — he responded by making it official. Trump announced he’d now be the headlining act of the Great American State Fair. That put […]

4 mins read

Blanche is set to return to Capitol Hill as Trump reconsiders plans for his $1.8 billion fund

WASHINGTON | Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after the Trump administration signaled it was pausing contentious plans to move forward with a nearly $1.8 billion fund that could compensate allies of President Donald Trump who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. The hearing before […]

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Trump administration pauses $1.8B fund amid legal, fierce political backlash

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump is reconsidering whether to move forward with a $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate his allies, a person familiar with his thinking said Monday, as the Justice Department also said it would temporarily pause the program’s implementation in compliance with a court order. The potential retreat is a nod to […]

3 mins read

Pentagon policy illegally banned transgender troops from military service, appeals court panel rules

WASHINGTON | A Pentagon policy illegally banned transgender troops from military service, a divided panel of federal appeal court judges ruled on Monday in another legal setback for President Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda. The majority opinion — by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit — held […]