The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed federal employees to use out-of-office email messages blaming "Democrat Senators" for the government shutdown. Templates provided to departments like Labor, Justice, and Education explicitly cited "Democrat Senators" blocking a resolution, leading to furloughs. Some employees reported these messages were automatically applied without...
A federal government shutdown is impacting Georgia, now on its third day. National parks are closed, and federal employees are furloughed, leading to concerns about increased demand at food banks and potential disruptions for farmers. The shutdown also affects the CDC and National Park Service, with worries about long-term consequences....
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faces significant political instability and unpopularity due to scandals and shifting voter sentiment. As the party prepares to elect a new leader, who may become prime minister, it grapples with a loss of its parliamentary majority and a rightward political tilt. Three front-runners offer different...
France experienced nationwide strikes on Thursday, causing the Eiffel Tower to close. Major unions protested spending cuts and demanded higher taxes on the wealthy. Thousands marched in Paris and other cities, with significant disruptions expected across various sectors, including some rail and public transport. Unions expressed high levels of social...
Senate Majority Leader John Thune labeled the ongoing government shutdown "stupid," asserting that negotiations with Democrats are unlikely to yield results. He urged Democrats to vote for a short-term funding bill to reopen the government. The shutdown, the first in six years, stems from disagreements over Affordable Care Act subsidies....
Two senior prosecutors in Virginia's Eastern District, Maya Song and Michael Ben'Ary, have been fired shortly after President Trump replaced the U.S. Attorney. Ben'Ary was involved in a high-profile terror case, while Song was a high-ranking official. The firings follow controversy surrounding the charging of former FBI Director James Comey,...
The Trump administration, led by OMB Director Russ Vought, has intensified its strategy to reduce federal agencies, requiring them to prepare for mass layoffs in the event of a government shutdown. This move signifies Vought's ambition to dismantle the federal bureaucracy, consolidating executive power. Democrats criticize Vought's actions as intimidation...
The White House has invited nine major universities to commit to President Trump's political agenda for federal funding benefits. The "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" proposes favorable access to grants and overhead payments in exchange for universities adopting White House priorities on admissions, free speech, and gender identity....
Furloughed Department of Education workers found their out-of-office email messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown automatically sent without their consent. Sources described the action as "compelled speech" and potentially damaging to their reputations. Similar partisan messaging blaming Democrats for the shutdown has appeared on agency webpages and in suggested...
Republicans are misrepresenting Democratic demands regarding expiring healthcare subsidies, which are central to the current government shutdown. Democrats insist on extending these subsidies, crucial for millions of middle- and lower-income Americans using the ACA marketplace. The GOP claims these subsidies fund "free healthcare for illegals," a false assertion as undocumented...
