US politics

US politics

Among the slew of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump during his first few weeks of his second term was one that ordered the U.S. Mint to cease minting pennies, because each one literally cost us more than 2 cents, which he described as so wasteful! Unlike some of his other nominations and actions, this move was far less controversial and even garnered bipartisan praise.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued California on Monday to block newly passed laws that prohibit law enforcement officials, including federal immigration agents, from wearing masks and that require them to identify themselves. The laws, passed by the California Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, came in the wake of the Trump administration's immigration raids in California, when masked, unidentified federal officers jumped out of vehicles this summer as part of the president's mass deportation program.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, declined to discuss Border Patrol's plans. "Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations," McLaughlin said in a statement.

What he's saying: "Sure I would. Let the Senate look at it. Let anyone look at it, but don't talk about it too much," Trump said Monday in the Oval Office in response to a question from a reporter. Trump went on to call Epstein "a Democrat problem. The Democrats were Epstein's friends, all of them. And it's a hoax. The whole thing is a hoax."

'There could be a little bit of, almost, quiet time in the labor market,' Hassett told show host Joe Kernen, 'Because firms are finding that AI is making their workers so productive that they don't necessarily have to hire the new kids out of college and so on.' Hasset, however, maintains the position that AI will eventually create more jobs in the long run.

Van Hollen isn't pursuing Schumer's job, a source familiar told Axios, but he does want a "serious discussion on how to more effectively fight back" against President Trump. Between the lines: Van Hollen has quietly been building his national profile, and some progressives want him to run for president. Progressives say they are open to other leadership hopefuls. Talking points privately circulated by the progressive groups last week argued Van Hollen is "uniquely prepared for this moment."

We have it down to a low level, but we're going to get it a little bit lower. We want perfection.

On his website, Telos News, Lizza published a piece titled, Part 1: How I Found Out. Surprisingly, the post contains no mention of Kennedy. Instead, Lizza claims he found out that Nuzzi slept with Sanford, now 65, who in 2009 resigned as governor after it was revealed he had cheated on his wife at the time. Sanford later went on to serve in Congress from 2013 to 2019 before launching an ill-fated 2020 presidential run, which Nuzzi covered.

President Donald Trump said on Monday he will not rule out sending U.S. soldiers to attack Venezuela. Trump has ordered a series of bombings on Venezuelan and Colombian boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean in recent months, killing at least 80 people. Trump has alleged the boats were full of narcoterrorists trafficking drugs. The administration has provided no evidence to justify the bombings, which are legally suspect, according to experts.

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.

By this point, I was used to cleaning up Olivia's messes. Not that long ago, I had helped her untangle herself from an unusual relationship with Keith Olbermann, Lizza recalled. She had messaged him out of the blue. They started talking, and soon after, she fled her unhappy home in suburban New Jersey and started living with Keith in Manhattan.

Ashurst and Perkins Coie agree to merger. [ Financial Times]

PSA: A vehicle is a deadly weapon, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a social media post. Using it against law enforcement justifies their use of deadly force in self-defense. Essayli alleged the man who was shot had rammed his car into vehicles driven by immigration agents trying to arrest him, causing agents to worry for their safety, and prompting one of them to discharge his weapon, wounding the man and, inadvertently, a deputy US marshal.

"people were extremely frustrated last week"

Chaofeng Ye, a Queens resident, was arrested in Pennsylvania back in January for alleged credit card fraud. Because he was a Chinese national, he was transferred into ICE custody and locked up in a Keystone State detention center. On Aug. 5, Ye was found hanging inside a shower at the Mohannon Valley Detention Center.

➡️ The Epstein emails released by Democrats include a bizarre reference to President Trump allegedly performing a certain sex act on someone called "Bubba." Rep. Robert Garcia tells The Advocate, "There's a massive cover-up at the White House and the DOJ right now over the files." Our reporter Christopher Wiggins has the latest. Meanwhile, Texas A&M has banned its universities from teaching "race or gender ideology," a transgender TSA officer is suing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and a Michigan state senator is pushing to protect marriage equality.

The chair of the House Select Committee on China called it "digital fentanyl" that brainwashes young Americans into supporting Hamas. A former national security adviser said letting TikTok remain in the US under its Chinese owner "would be akin to allowing Soviet control of several major American newspapers and TV channels during the Cold War." Lawmakers left classified national security briefings about TikTok sharing grave concerns.

The northern suburbs are swinging left but there's one last Republican stronghold where GOP officials still hold every government seat - a red town rowing right in a sea of blue. Leaders in the southern Westchester County town of Eastchester say they've stayed Blue Wave-proof just a few miles from the Bronx by rejecting "wokeism" and embracing traditional values while some locals say they're perfectly happy in the right-leaning "bubble."

A Department of Homeland Security agent stands as protesters demonstrate against raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside the DHS office in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 16, 2025. PETER ZAY / AFP via Getty Images Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news - make a quick donation to Truthout today! In Charlotte, North Carolina, the Trump administration's latest anti-immigration crackdown garnered headlines over the weekend both for

A congressperson investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case accused the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of hiding from his committee's request to sit for a deposition, as Congress moves closer to a key vote on forcing release of US government files related to the alleged sex trafficker. Suhas Subramanyam is among the Democratic members of the oversight committee in the House of Representatives who earlier this month asked Mountbatten-Windsor to sit for a deposition as part of its investigation