Contributing Writers

The State Department informed U.S.-based employees on Thursday that it would soon begin laying off nearly 2,000 workers after the recent Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to move forward with mass job cuts as part of its efforts to downsize the federal workforce.The agency’s reorganization plan was first unveiled in April by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to eliminate functions and offices the department considered to be redundant.

The White House maintains that last month’s Operation Midnight Hammer “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites despite a new report from The New York Times suggesting Israeli officials have concluded some enriched uranium survived the targeted U.S. attack.

Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), dismissed concerns over NYC Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s unwillingness to explicitly condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” adding in an interview with PBS that the key to developing a winning coalition is through welcoming people with whom you disagree.

Details about the shooter who opened fire on Border Patrol agents at an annex in McAllen, Texas, Monday remain scant days later as assaults against federal immigration officials are on the rise. Authorities identified Ryan Louis Mosqueda, 27, as the suspect Monday, confirming Mosqueda was killed at the scene. “Both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Monday.

Republican state lawmakers in Minnesota have not held back with criticism after news Gov. Tim Walz spent $430,000 in taxpayer money to prepare for a House congressional hearing probing blue state governors on their “sanctuary city” policies.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is tapping Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as interim administrator of NASA, a move the president said reflects the growing importance of space in national priorities.”I am pleased to announce that I am directing our GREAT Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to be Interim Administrator of NASA,” Trump posted to Truth Social.

The Justice Department on Wednesday said it has subpoenaed more than 20 doctors and clinics that are involved in providing minors with sex change procedures.The agency is investigating healthcare fraud, false statements and more, it said. “Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called for a special session to consider legislation to improve warning systems and emergency response in flood-prone areas across the state.The proclamation comes days after more than 100 people died, and nearly 200 others went missing, in the July Fourth Texas Hill Country floods.The floods, which were caused by excessive rainfall near the Guadalupe River, swept away people and homes across multiple counties early Friday morning.

Zohran Mamdani’s democratic socialist allies may be eyeing primary challenges next year against some congressional Democrats in New York City, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.But a senior political advisor to Jeffries is promising that anyone who tries to oust the top Democrat in the House in next year’s primaries will face a “forceful and unrelenting” response.

While debate over why the Texas floods were so deadly has centered around President Donald Trump’s cuts to key weather agencies, left-wing critics have also complained that policy inaction and “climate denialism” were major factors.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Florida after Palm Beach County approved renaming a busy stretch of roadway after the commander-in-chief.The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution that would rename a 4-mile stretch of Southern Boulevard that runs from Palm Beach International Airport to the president’s home at the Mar-a-Lago resort.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday announced that her city will be joining the class-action lawsuit to stop what she says is “the unconstitutional reckless raids in the LA region.”Bass said Los Angeles was joining the lawsuit because the Trump administration is treating the city “as a test case for how far it can go in driving its political agenda forward while pushing the Constitution aside.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani clinched a historic, and deeply polarizing, victory by officially receiving the most votes ever recorded in a New York City mayoral primary.After three rounds, Mamdani received 565,639 votes, surpassing the previous record of 547,901 votes held by David N. Dinkins in 1989, according to updated ranked-choice voting totals released Tuesday by the NYC Board of Elections.

The Cato Institute is warning that the federal government is testing the outer limits of executive power with President Donald Trump’s use of emergency tariffs, and it wants the courts to put a stop to it.In a new amicus brief filed in V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump, Cato argues that the president overstepped his legal authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by imposing steep tariffs on imports from countries including China, Mexico and Canada.

Former President Joe Biden’s persistent use of a teleprompter during public events, including during a fundraiser with just a couple dozen supporters, left donors complaining for months and dashed their expectations of hearing from the 46th president, a new book claims.

As Elon Musk moves forward with forming a third party in hopes of rocking the nation’s longstanding two-party system, the world’s richest person is reaching out to a one-time presidential candidate who has started his own independent party.

After Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s leading mayoral candidate, pledged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city, Netanyahu responded to questions about whether he’s worried. In December, Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist and is the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City mayor, said, “as mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.

A federal judge on Monday prevented the Trump administration from enforcing part of a massive tax and spending bill that would block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood health centers.The temporary restraining order by Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts blocks the “big, beautiful bill’s” provision to defund the family planning provider.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he had sent a letter to the Nobel Prize Committee to nominate President Donald Trump for the peace prize.Trump and Netanyahu met at the White House on Monday to discuss developments in the Middle East.While speaking to reporters, Netanyahu spoke about the relationship between Israel and the U.S.

The U.S. Navy will drop from 11 to 10 aircraft carriers for about a year once the USS Nimitz is decommissioned next year, as recent budget documents show a new carrier will be delayed from its original delivery date.According to the Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget estimates, Newport News Shipbuilders was expected to deliver the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) to the Navy by July 2025, but that has since shifted to March 2027.

Fighter jets intercepted at least three aircraft on Sunday, which violated temporary flight restriction (TFR) airspace over Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Trump was spending the holiday weekend, according to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).With one aircraft being intercepted in the morning, and two others being intercepted later in the day, NORAD said there were a total of 11 unauthorized aircraft incursions in the TFR airspace over the weekend.At about 10:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump slammed former first buddy Elon Musk for starting a third political party, saying such parties have “never worked” while also calling the move “ridiculous.”Trump spoke with reporters before boarding Air Force 1 in Bedminster, New Jersey, when he was asked about Musk’s move to start a third party.”I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party,” Trump said from the tarmac.

A Jewish advocacy group is blasting Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani for sharing a video mocking Hanukkah Jewish traditions on social media.The organization, Stop Antisemitism, says Mamdani posted the “sick” video to his X account last year. The video is originally from the Geeta Brothers Duet Group, a satirical and comedic duo who dressed themselves in stereotypical Jewish garb for the performance.

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s father, a longtime academic and Ivy League professor, said during a 2022 panel discussion about one of his many books that Adolf Hitler drew his inspiration for the Holocaust from Abraham Lincoln.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., says he disagrees with Zohran Mamdani when it comes to his positions, but said his fellow Democrats could learn something from the democratic socialist — something that reminds him of President Donald Trump.”You have to recognize that he tapped into something,” Suozzi said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

After a Texas flood killed at least 32 people Friday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem addressed criticism about notification prior to the flood, saying the administration is working on updating the National Weather Service and NOAA’s “neglected” and “ancient” systems.