Washington
Trump’s mail voting crackdown tests Postal Service leader who says he’s ‘not political’
WASHINGTON | Long before he was the top official at the U.S. Postal Service, David Steiner was a corporate executive surfing mid-oughts television when he came across Donald Trump on “The Apprentice.” He was unimpressed. “If that is leadership, if that’s what we’re telling people that our culture and our media portrays as leadership, we’re […]
Trump administration moves to limit fixes for systemic racism in schools
WASHINGTON | For decades, a key principle underpinned civil rights enforcement in American schools: Not all discrimination was intentional. Even if a school policy was written without overt racial bias, it might unfairly hurt one group of students over another, the understanding went. The concept is known as systemic racism, and Republican and Democratic administrations […]
8 sailors in Lincoln carrier group attempted suicide on extended deployment, Navy leader says
WASHINGTON | Eight sailors attempted suicide while deployed with the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war, the Navy’s top civilian leader said this week. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao provided the information to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a letter dated Tuesday after […]
Claims for unemployment benefits drop to 197,000, the lowest since mid-July as layoffs remain rare
WASHINGTON | Fewer people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, as U.S. jobless claims remain at historically low levels and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department said Thursday that 197,000 applied for unemployment checks last week, the fewest since mid-July and down from a revised 198,000 the week before. The four-week average […]
FBI investigates hackers’ claim to have stolen sensitive employee data, compromised jobs website
WASHINGTON | The FBI said Wednesday it was investigating a criminal hacking group’s claims that it had stolen “very sensitive data” belonging to thousands of agents and applicants and that it had compromised the bureau’s jobs website. “The FBI is aware of a cyber-criminal enterprise group claiming a compromise of the FBIJobs.gov portal and alleged […]
Republicans dump cash into red states as they try to hold the line against Democrats in the midterms
WASHINGTON | Republicans are growing increasingly grim about their chances in November, with aligned groups pumping money into reliably GOP states and candidates scrambling to distance themselves from unpopular White House policies. From Texas to Ohio and Alaska to Iowa, campaigns are grappling with a fed-up electorate that is sour on the president and angry […]
China’s Xi kicks off state visit to Washington on Wednesday with a rare planeside welcome from Trump
WASHINGTON | When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday, he’s expected to get a rare greeting from President Donald Trump, who will be on the tarmac to welcome his counterpart instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House. Trump’s decision to greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews just […]
Economic frustration tests Trump’s standing with rural voters, new AP-KFF poll finds
WASHINGTON | About half of rural American voters believe the economy is worse off now than when President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a new survey that points to economic frustration among a key group that has backed him and other Republicans in recent elections. The Associated Press, in partnership with KFF, polled more […]
Telehealth companies keep exposing their customers’ medical data. What should they do?
WASHINGTON | The appeal of telehealth is easy to explain: Instead of calling a doctor, booking an appointment and hoping to eventually get a prescription, you can log onto an app or website and get approved for a new medication within minutes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, scores of online health services have launched with the […]
Trump’s ‘grand conspiracy’ probe presses on with subpoenas after the lead prosecutor’s exit
WASHINGTON | Before taking over the sprawling Justice Department investigation into foes of President Donald Trump, Joe diGenova decried the lack of progress in bringing indictments. Five months later, diGenova has left his position without charging a single case, clouding the future of an investigation that has animated right-wing commentators eager to prove an ill-defined […]