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POLITICS/GOVERNMENT
US agency for African development will ask court to prevent its closure
Read full article: US agency for African development will ask court to prevent its closureA small U.S. federal agency that invests in African small businesses is expected in court on Tuesday to fight for control over its operations and existence.
Florida lawmakers propose bill requiring cities to allow ‘granny flats’ to address lack of affordable housing
Read full article: Florida lawmakers propose bill requiring cities to allow ‘granny flats’ to address lack of affordable housingA Senate committee Tuesday approved a bill (SB 184) that would require cities and counties to allow adding what are technically known as accessory dwelling units — but are often known as granny flats — in single-family residential areas.
Trump says TikTok deal is in the works. Here's where things stand with the company
Read full article: Trump says TikTok deal is in the works. Here's where things stand with the companyIn less than a month, TikTok could have one or a few new owners, be banned again, or simply receive another reprieve to continue operating in the U.S. Questions about the fate of the popular app has continued to linger since a law requiring its China-based parent company to divest or face a ban took effect on Jan. 19.
US hasn't determined who was behind cyberattack that caused outage on Musk's X
Read full article: US hasn't determined who was behind cyberattack that caused outage on Musk's XU.S. officials have not determined who was behind an apparent cyberattack on the social media site X that limited access to the platform for thousands of users.
China's shipbuilding dominance poses economic and national security risks for the US, a report says
Read full article: China's shipbuilding dominance poses economic and national security risks for the US, a report saysA report details how China in two decades has grown to be the dominant global player in shipbuilding, dwarfing the U.S., which now has only 0.1% of the global market.
Politics & Power: Florida’s governor takes a page from Musk’s playbook & serves up DOGE DeSantis-style
Read full article: Politics & Power: Florida’s governor takes a page from Musk’s playbook & serves up DOGE DeSantis-stylePolitical analyst Sean Freeder joins News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton on this week's Politics & Power to talk about the issues surrounding DOGE -- both DeSantis & Musk style.
Trump doubles tariffs on Canadian metals, causing Ontario to back down on electricity price hikes
Read full article: Trump doubles tariffs on Canadian metals, causing Ontario to back down on electricity price hikesPresident Donald Trump says he will double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% for Canada.
Trump overstepped his constitutional authority in freezing Congress' funding for USAID, judge says
Read full article: Trump overstepped his constitutional authority in freezing Congress' funding for USAID, judge saysA federal judge says President Donald Trump overstepped his authority in freezing almost all spending on U.S. humanitarian and development work abroad.
The Latest: Trump administration resumes aid to Ukraine as Kyiv shows openness to 30-day ceasefire
Read full article: The Latest: Trump administration resumes aid to Ukraine as Kyiv shows openness to 30-day ceasefireThe Trump administration said Tuesday that it would immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv, more than a week after imposing the measures to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces.
Parents, what do you think? Proposed bill could ban cellphones in Florida schools during entire school day
Read full article: Parents, what do you think? Proposed bill could ban cellphones in Florida schools during entire school dayA bill introduced in the Florida Legislature could make a big change to Florida's policy for cellphones in schools. It would keep students from using their cellphones at ALL on school property (no matter what time) and during school activities, even if they’re off grounds.
Republicans advance a government funding bill despite Democratic opposition
Read full article: Republicans advance a government funding bill despite Democratic oppositionHouse Republicans passed a critical test of their unity on legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown, teeing up a final vote for a measure that keeps federal agencies funded through September.
Supreme Court seems intent on taking small steps in dealing with challenges to Trump's agenda
Read full article: Supreme Court seems intent on taking small steps in dealing with challenges to Trump's agendaThe Supreme Court has weighed in twice on President Donald Trump’s rapid-fire efforts to remake the federal government.
How the White House hired Republican political firms to launch an anti-migrant ad campaign
Read full article: How the White House hired Republican political firms to launch an anti-migrant ad campaignThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security skipped a fully competitive bidding process to give two Republican-linked firms the first part of a $200 million anti-immigration ad campaign.
Trump administration halts funding for two cybersecurity efforts, including one for elections
Read full article: Trump administration halts funding for two cybersecurity efforts, including one for electionsThe Trump administration has cut millions of dollars in federal funding from two cybersecurity initiatives, including one dedicated to helping state and local election officials.
Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud
Read full article: Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraudElon Musk says Social Security and other federal benefit programs will be targeted in his hunt for fraudulent spending.
Confronting backlash against women's rights, 193 nations commit to speed action on gender equality
Read full article: Confronting backlash against women's rights, 193 nations commit to speed action on gender equalityThe U.N.’s 193 member nations have made a commitment to accelerate action on more than a dozen fronts to achieve gender equality.
Federal official recounts chaos inside consumer agency after Trump fired its director
Read full article: Federal official recounts chaos inside consumer agency after Trump fired its directorA federal judge overseeing a lawsuit aimed at stopping the Trump administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has heard testimony about the chaos that erupted inside the agency last month after government employees were ordered to stop working.
An office known for enforcing special education is now focused on Trump's political priorities
Read full article: An office known for enforcing special education is now focused on Trump's political prioritiesThe Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is best known for enforcing disability rights across America’s schools, but under President Donald Trump it’s being reshaped into a frontline figure in the president’s political battles.
Trump has begun another trade war. Here's a timeline of how we got here
Read full article: Trump has begun another trade war. Here's a timeline of how we got hereLong-threatened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump have plunged the country into a trade war abroad — all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty.
'More than brick and mortar:' DC begins removing 'Black Lives Matter' plaza near the White House
Read full article: 'More than brick and mortar:' DC begins removing 'Black Lives Matter' plaza near the White HouseCrews have begun work to remove the large yellow “Black Lives Matter” painted on the street one block from the White House.
Michelle Obama and her brother to launch a podcast with weekly guests
Read full article: Michelle Obama and her brother to launch a podcast with weekly guestsMichelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, will host a new weekly podcast series starting this month featuring a special guest pulled from the world of entertainment, sports, health and business.
EPA froze 'green bank' funds worth billions, climate group suit says
Read full article: EPA froze 'green bank' funds worth billions, climate group suit saysA nonprofit that was awarded nearly $7 billion by the Biden administration to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects has sued the Environmental Protection Agency, accusing it of improperly freezing its account.
Supreme Court rejects Republican-led effort to halt climate change lawsuits in Democratic-led states
Read full article: Supreme Court rejects Republican-led effort to halt climate change lawsuits in Democratic-led statesThe Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states aimed at blocking climate change suits against the oil and gas industry from Democratic-led states.
Supreme Court will take up state bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children, in a Colorado case
Read full article: Supreme Court will take up state bans on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children, in a Colorado caseThe Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ children, in a Colorado case.
The Latest: Trump downplays tariff concerns as US stock sell-off worsens
Read full article: The Latest: Trump downplays tariff concerns as US stock sell-off worsensPresident Donald Trump is dismissing business concerns over the uncertainty caused by his planned tariffs on a range of American trading partners and the prospect of higher prices and isn’t ruling out the possibility of a recession this year.
Secretary of State Rubio says purge of USAID programs complete, with 83% of agency's programs gone
Read full article: Secretary of State Rubio says purge of USAID programs complete, with 83% of agency's programs goneSecretary of State Marco Rubio is signaling that the Trump administration has finished its six-week purge of programs of the six-decade-old U.S. Agency for International Development.
Young people who aspired to government service dismayed by Trump ending the federal fellows program
Read full article: Young people who aspired to government service dismayed by Trump ending the federal fellows programYoung people who aspired to federal government service are dismayed by President Donald Trump ending a program created to entice highly qualified workers to join the government.
Trump loves the Gilded Age and its tariffs. It was a great time for the rich but not for the many
Read full article: Trump loves the Gilded Age and its tariffs. It was a great time for the rich but not for the manyIn President Donald Trump’s idealized framing, the United States was at its zenith in the 1890s.
Florida lawmakers propose constitutional amendment to set county commission term limits, cement school board limits
Read full article: Florida lawmakers propose constitutional amendment to set county commission term limits, cement school board limitsHouse and Senate Republicans are proposing a constitutional amendment about eight-year term limits for county commissioners and school board members.
Meet the federal worker who went rogue: ‘I hope that it lights a fire under people’
Read full article: Meet the federal worker who went rogue: ‘I hope that it lights a fire under people’To billionaire Elon Musk and his cost-cutting team at the Department of Government Efficiency, Karen Ortiz may just be one of many faceless bureaucrats.
Drawing huge crowds, Bernie Sanders steps into leadership of the anti-Trump resistance
Read full article: Drawing huge crowds, Bernie Sanders steps into leadership of the anti-Trump resistanceAt 83 years old, Bernie Sanders has emerged as an unlikely leader of the Democratic resistance to Donald Trump.
Air Force intercepts aircraft flying in a restricted zone near Mar-a-Lago
Read full article: Air Force intercepts aircraft flying in a restricted zone near Mar-a-LagoAir Force fighter jets on Sunday intercepted a civilian aircraft flying in the temporarily restricted airspace near President Donald Trump’s Florida home, bringing the number of violations to more than 20 since Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Noem taps new ICE leaders and moves to identify leakers
Read full article: Noem taps new ICE leaders and moves to identify leakersHomeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced new immigration enforcement leadership as she pledged to step of polygraph tests on employees to identify those who may be leaking information about immigration operations to the media.
Trump downplays business concerns about uncertainty from his tariffs and prospect of higher prices
Read full article: Trump downplays business concerns about uncertainty from his tariffs and prospect of higher pricesPresident Donald Trump is dismissing business concerns over the uncertainty caused by his planned tariffs on a range of American trading partners and the prospect of higher prices.
Top US health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employees
Read full article: Top US health agency makes $25,000 buyout offer to most of its employeesMost of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment.
Musk and DOGE try to slash government by cutting out those who answer to voters
Read full article: Musk and DOGE try to slash government by cutting out those who answer to votersConservatives have long talked about cutting government, but Republicans in Congress have shied away from approving deep reductions because of fear of how voters would react.
Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy is a driving force on the world stage
Read full article: Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy is a driving force on the world stageDonald Trump's style of diplomacy is a whole lot like a high-stakes business deal, and his No. 1 goal is to come out of the transaction on top.