US politics

US politics

Crockett announced her Senate campaign at an event in Dallas, drawing parallels between her effort and Barack Obama's upstart 2008 presidential campaign. Her campaign played a video at the event featuring President Trump repeatedly referring to Crockett as a "low-IQ person." Driving the news: Her announcement came just hours after Texas Democrat Colin Allred said he was dropping out of the race, opting instead to run for a U.S. House seat.

Trump officials have been especially aggressive in targeting offshore wind projects, including ones already approved or even under construction. Driving the news: Judge Patti Saris, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, ruled Monday that Trump's Jan. 20 order is "arbitrary and capricious" under administrative law. The ruling came in a case brought by New York and other states, and the nonprofit Alliance For Clean Energy New York.

While the original architect of Donald Trump's ever-expanding ballroom steps down and preservationists panic over the fate of New Deal murals inside the Social Security Administration building, the president gushes about painting the granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building white, fixing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and erecting his own Arc de Triomphe. To peruse the plans for a Trump-era capital district alongside the General Services Administration's list of assets identified for accelerated disposition the federal buildings slated for off-loading is to discern a diagram of Trump's values.

The president said such leases "may lead to grave harm" including negative effects on national security, transportation and commercial interests, among other justifications. U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris, for the District of Massachusetts, ruled that the ban is "arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law," and said the concern about "grave harm" was insufficient to justify the immense scope of a moratorium on all wind energy.

US President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his criticism of Europe, saying the continent was "going in some bad directions" as he condemned a multimillion-euro EU penalty against Elon Musk's social media platform X. Here are the key points: Trump slams EU's 120 million ($140 million) fine on X Warns Europe is heading in "bad directions" Musk denounces the penalty US officials say EU is targeting American firms EU cites transparency and data-access breaches New US strategy warns of democratic "erosion" in Europe

Florida's governor has designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a foreign terrorist organisation. Ron DeSantis posted his executive order to list the United States-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy group on social media on Monday. The move follows a similar declaration by the Republican governor of Texas last month. CAIR has rejected the labelling by both states and mounted legal challenges.

"Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support,"

I know the companies very well. I know what they're doing, but I have to see, I have to see what percentage of market they have.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

"I have to be honest with you, I bear some responsibility for this because it was me, 10 years ago - mainstreaming homosexuality in the Republican Party is the great regret of my life, more so than anything I've done to my own soul, which is a lot," he said. "I was not intending to give birth to this huge generation of gay Republicans who now think it's openly fine to traffic in babies and to be a gay Republican, and I feel a great deal of responsibility for that. I hate myself for that a little bit."

From his inauguration to last month's glitzy White House dinner for the Saudis, Trump basks in the support, gifts and affirmation of the most famous AI leaders and companies in the world. The big picture: Trump has essentially fused Silicon Valley and government in a race to both beat China to all-powerful AI and rescue an economy that's treading water outside of the AI boom. He has rolled back regulations, awarded huge contracts, and downplayed concerns about AI safety or downside risk.

In explaining his decision, Trump - who usually grants clemency to people based on their loyalty to him - claimed, without evidence, that Cuellar was targeted by the Biden administration over the right-wing Democrat's views on immigration, which are similar to Trump's views on the issue. At the time, some political observers speculated that the pardon was issued with hopes that Cuellar, who is running for reelection, would switch parties and become a Republican.

The U.S. House of Representatives may soon see a mass "exodus" of Republican lawmakers who are frustrated with their party's inability to pass legislation and are anticipating Democrats retaking the chamber next year. Multiple Republican lawmakers and aides have said they expect the retirement announcements to start pouring in over the coming weeks, with one insider estimating as many as 20 House Republicans throwing in the towel, according to a recent report in .

Trump Cabinet members have also started to draw a skeptical eye from some Republicans. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth to testify under oath over the operation that killed alleged drug smugglers, while Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said that members on the of the House Armed Services Committee were "very concerned" by the strikes. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has at times been more skeptical of Hegseth than other Republicans, called his tenure "bumpy" this week.

"This Department of Justice has no tolerance for undemocratic judicial activism," Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Blanche wrote on X. "We will continue fighting for public safety in courtrooms across the country, and we will not be deterred by rogue judges who fail to live up to their obligations of impartiality because of their own political views."

We have, after all, been warned over and over that organizations like ICE have been wanting to vastly expand their online operations, using the same vastly expanded budget that recently saw them purchase a new $7.3 million fleet of (Canadian made) armored vehicles. The online expansion of ICE, meanwhile, is not just in the name of locating more groups of undocumented immigrants to target, but also to compile sprawling digital enemies lists, creating databases of those who have expressed anti-ICE sentiment.

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett launched a campaign Monday for the U.S. Senate in Texas, bringing a national profile to a race that may be critical to Democrats' long-shot hopes of reclaiming a Senate majority in next year's midterm elections. Crockett, one of Congress' most outspoken Democrats and a frequent target of GOP attacks, jumped into the race on the final day of qualifying in Texas.

Well, I say that if you don't have a better plan, then get on board with ours, he said. But doing nothing is not an option, right? He continued: I mean, I've heard so many people in the Republican conference rail on the Affordable Care Act, rail on Obamacare, rail on the premium tax credits. And if you want to criticize something, that's okay as long as you have a better alternative. They have never offered a better alternative.