Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the House Financial Services Committee that the Federal Reserve needs greater accountability and has lost public trust after allowing inflation to soar and overseeing a costly renovation of its headquarters. He said he respected the Fed’s independence but questioned its credibility under current leadership.

A Russian comedian, Artemy Ostanin, was sentenced in Moscow to nearly six years in prison after being convicted of "inciting hatred" for a joke he made during a stand-up routine in March. The routine described a man who had lost his legs after stepping on a mine and

President Trump said on social media that he would sue comedian Trevor Noah after Mr. Noah joked while hosting the Grammys that Mr. Trump’s pursuit of Greenland made sense “because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.” Mr. Trump called

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined an emergency request from the California Republican Party and cleared the way for the state to use a new congressional map in the midterm elections. The order gave no vote count or reasoning, as is typical in such emergency decisions. The map, approved by

Educators in Minnesota filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop federal agents from conducting immigration enforcement near schools and bus stops. The suit, brought by Education Minnesota and the school districts in Duluth and Fridley, names federal agencies and officials including the Department of Homeland Security. Plaintiffs say the Trump

French authorities raided the Paris offices of X over allegations involving the distribution of child sexual images and content denying crimes against humanity, while Spain moved to bar social media for children under 16 and to make tech executives criminally liable. European prosecutors also issued summonses to American tech leaders,

President Trump’s declaration that he wants to “nationalize” voting has intensified tensions between the federal government and state election officials. While the Constitution leaves the mechanics of elections to the states, generations of secretaries of state have relied on federal intelligence, cybersecurity and other support. Election officials say Mr.

The Trump administration has slowed or halted federal approvals for onshore wind and solar projects nationwide, imposing additional reviews that developers say have effectively stalled routine permitting for projects on both federal and private land. The Jackalope Wind project in Wyoming, which had a long-term power purchase lined up, stalled

The White House has escalated an anti-fraud campaign that it says aims to protect taxpayer dollars, seizing on a federal inquiry in Minnesota and announcing freezes and reviews of billions in funds for programs such as child care, housing and food assistance. State officials and some former inspectors general say

A federal prosecutor in Minneapolis, Julie T. Le, was fired from the U.S. attorney’s office after she expressed exasperation about the caseload arising from the White House’s immigration crackdown. In a hearing in Federal District Court in St. Paul, Ms. Le told Judge Jerry W. Blackwell that

Democratic state treasurers, auditors and comptrollers from multiple states sent a letter to the president saying federal immigration enforcement tactics are hurting local businesses and tax revenues and urging a halt. Officials pointed to recent operations in Minnesota, where customers and workers have stayed away from streets and establishments out

Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from rural Indiana, died at his home in Bloomington, Ind., at 94, his daughter Deborah Kremer confirmed. He represented an 18-county farming district for 34 years and was re-elected 16 times. Mr. Hamilton led the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees and became

Melissa McCoul, a former Texas A&M lecturer, filed a federal lawsuit saying she was fired after discussing gender identity in a children’s literature class and displaying a gender unicorn. The suit, filed in Federal District Court in Houston, contends the dismissal violated her First Amendment and academic

The Epstein files are the documents prosecutors gathered after Jeffrey Epstein first came under investigation in 2005. Since a law last November compelled their release, roughly three million pages from two criminal probes spanning 2006 to 2019 have been disclosed; they include financial records, emails, text messages, photos, videos and

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said the federal government would immediately withdraw 700 law enforcement officers from Minneapolis, scaling down the administration’s immigration crackdown. He said about 2,000 agents would remain. The change followed a deployment of thousands of federal officers and agents that Immigration and

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor moved out of his Royal Lodge home in Windsor this week, a person familiar with the matter said. The departure followed the release of a tranche of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that contained new revelations about their friendship. Last October he was stripped of his titles by

A US Congressional Research Service report considers an option under which no Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines would be sold to Australia under the Aukus agreement. Instead, the report posits retaining those boats in US Navy service and operating them out of Australian bases to preserve US command options in a

Fulton County filed a motion in federal court demanding the return of ballots and other 2020 election materials that F.B.I. agents seized last week. The motion was filed under seal, county spokeswoman Jessica Corbitt said, and also seeks the unsealing of the affidavit used to obtain the search

Federal immigration enforcement actions and a deadly school shooting disrupted the school year in parts of Minnesota and Maine, bringing threats, lockdowns and a heightened law enforcement presence around schools. Families — especially immigrants and nonwhite parents — described fear about routine activities and about children being detained or witnessing arrests, and

Veterans and veteran organisations have warned the government’s plan to sell more than 60 defence properties will take at least a decade and cost billions, urging caution to avoid repeating the problems of past divestment drives. A multi-year review recommended 68 sites for disposal, with the sales expected to

Two investigative journalists, Liu Hu and Wu Yingjiao, were detained this week after publishing an article alleging corruption by a local official in Pujiang County in Sichuan Province. Police in Chengdu said a 50-year-old man surnamed Liu and a 34-year-old man surnamed Wu had been detained on suspicion of "

Yair Golan, a former general and leader of the left-wing Democrats, is the most prominent Jewish party leader still arguing for a two-state solution, which he presents as a pragmatic security imperative he calls a “cruel truth.” He has positioned his party as an alternative to centrist rivals and to

Donald Trump announced the creation of a critical mineral reserve called Project Vault, a stockpile worth nearly $12bn intended to shield American businesses and workers from shortages and to counter China’s leverage in the sector. He said the measure would ensure that "American businesses and workers are never

Bipartisan packages in the Senate and the House aim to change federal housing law by reducing regulations and rewarding new construction, moves lawmakers say could spur a building boom. The House bill is expected to reach a floor vote next week, and congressional leaders from both parties say they are

Bobi Wine, Uganda’s most prominent opposition figure, remains in hiding nearly three weeks after a disputed election. His whereabouts have been unknown since 16 January, when he said he escaped a night raid by police and military that left his family behind. According to official results the election was