Politics

A collection of 242 posts

Politics

Proposed California wealth tax has some billionaires weighing a move out of state

Billionaires including Peter Thiel and Larry Page are considering cutting ties with California because of a proposed ballot measure that could tax the state’s wealthiest residents, according to five people familiar with their thinking. Mr. Thiel has explored opening an office for his firm, Thiel Capital, in another state

Politics

Congress divided after briefing on U.S. raid that captured Maduro

Congressional leaders emerged divided after a classified briefing about a U.S. military raid in Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro, with lawmakers split along partisan lines over the legality, scope and objectives of an operation carried out without consultation with Congress. Top Republicans said they were satisfied with the

Politics

Justice Department drops claim that ‘Cartel de los Soles’ was an organization

The Justice Department has revised an indictment against Nicolás Maduro and abandoned its prior claim that the term “Cartel de los Soles” referred to an actual drug trafficking organization, the new document shows. The revised indictment still accuses Mr. Maduro of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy but says the

Politics

Defense secretary seeks to downgrade Sen. Mark Kelly’s retired Navy rank and pay

People reports that on Jan. 5 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he intends to downgrade Sen. Mark Kelly’s military retirement rank and reduce his retired pay, taking administrative action in response to a November video in which Kelly and five other Democrats urged service members to refuse illegal

Politics

Twenty states sue to block $100,000 H-1B visa fee

The attorneys general of 20 states, including California and New York, sued the Trump administration on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to block a $100,000 fee on visas for skilled foreign workers. President Trump signed a proclamation in September imposing the fee,

Politics

DHS says Minneapolis-area Hilton canceled ICE agents' room reservations

People reported that the Department of Homeland Security alleged on Monday, Jan. 5, that a Hilton hotel in Minnesota canceled reservations for a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. DHS wrote on X that the hotel chain "launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS

Politics

Many pardoned Jan. 6 defendants remain angry and press new conspiracies and claims

In the first hours of his second administration, President Trump issued clemency to nearly 1,600 people implicated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Some of those pardoned have since been rearrested, others returned to poverty or continue to struggle with mental health challenges, and many remain

Politics

Trump administration to freeze $10 billion in aid to five Democratic states

The Trump administration plans to freeze about $10 billion in federal funding for child care subsidies, social services and cash assistance to low-income families in five Democratic-controlled states: Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois and Colorado. Two people familiar with the matter told The Times that roughly $7 billion of the

Politics

Arizona Supreme Court evacuated after package with homemade explosives found

People reports the Arizona Supreme Court and several surrounding buildings were evacuated on Monday, Jan. 5, after the Arizona Department of Public Safety was notified at about 8 a.m. and tested a suspicious package that it said contained "multiple vials" of homemade explosive substances. A letter sent

Politics

Six major political questions open as 2026 midterm season begins

As the 2026 midterm season opens, a string of recent developments — the United States toppling the leader of Venezuela, President Trump saying the U.S. will “run” the country and declaring “We’re in charge,” and Tim Walz, the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee less than two years ago, bowing out of

Politics

Stephen Miller says U.S. could seize Greenland, claims control over Venezuela

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said on Monday in a CNN interview with Jake Tapper that Greenland rightfully belonged to the United States and could be seized if the administration chose to do so. “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future

Politics

Trump administration eases protections for greater sage grouse on 50 million acres

On Dec. 22, 2025, the Trump administration weakened protections for the greater sage grouse, making it easier for oil and gas drilling, mining and grazing on about 50 million acres of land across eight Western states. The Bureau of Land Management, which oversees Western lands critical to sage grouse habitat,

Politics

David R. Young, Nixon National Security Aide and Plumbers Overseer, Dies at 89

David R. Young, a White House national security official who helped lead the investigative unit known as the “Plumbers” during the Nixon administration, died on Dec. 24 at his home in Oxford, England. He was 89; his death from heart failure was confirmed on Monday by his son, David K.

Politics

Prominent figures amplified false claims after Brown University shooting

Prominent business and government figures amplified false and politically charged claims after a Dec. 13 shooting on Brown University’s campus that killed two students, the New York Times reported. The spread of rumors reignited questions about accountability in online discourse. Among the falsehoods were claims that one of the

Politics

Hortman children urge Trump to remove post promoting conspiracy theory

The children of Melissa and Mark Hortman asked President Trump on Sunday to remove a social media post that gave credence to a conspiracy theory about the shooting that killed their parents in Minnesota last June. Melissa Hortman, the former Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House, was killed on June

Politics

New Haven police chief Karl Jacobson retires amid theft allegations

Independent.co reported that New Haven’s police chief, Karl Jacobson, abruptly retired after Mayor Justin Elicker said on Monday that Jacobson admitted taking money from a department account. Elicker said the chief acknowledged taking funds from a city account that compensates confidential informants for helping police solve crimes when

Politics

Trump declines to back Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado

President Trump decided not to back Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado after the U.S. raid that ended with Nicolás Maduro in U.S. custody, instead settling on Maduro’s vice president to take the helm. Officials and people close to the decision said Mr. Trump reached that

Politics

Appeals court rules Trump administration cannot cap NIH overhead funding

A federal appeals court — the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit — ruled on Monday that the Trump administration could not make drastic cuts to funding distributed by the National Institutes of Health. In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel upheld a lower court’s April judgment that

Politics

DHS alleges Hilton cancelled immigration agents’ hotel reservations

Independent.co reports that the Department of Homeland Security says its immigration agents were denied hotel rooms in Minneapolis by Hilton Hotels. DHS alleged that reservations were "maliciously cancelled" once officers' identities as government immigration agents were revealed. Screenshots shared by DHS showed messages referencing "immigration

Politics

Trump distances himself from María Corina Machado as a post‑Maduro option

Time reports President Trump distanced himself from Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado when asked if she could run the country after he launched a massive military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and fly him to New York to face drug trafficking charges; he said it would be "very

Politics

Democratic Socialists hold Bushwick rave to celebrate Mayor Mamdani

Hundreds of Democratic Socialists gathered at Paragon, a checkerboard‑floored dance club in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to celebrate the inauguration of Zohran Mamdani as mayor with what the paper described as a low-key rave. The sold-out event was hosted by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Politics

Sen. Mark Kelly vows to fight after Pentagon moves over video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders

Time reports that Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona vowed he would “fight” after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced administrative actions against the retired Navy captain for participating in a video that urged U.S. troops to refuse unlawful orders. Hegseth said the Department of Defense is initiating proceedings that could

Politics

White House downplays November rise in unemployment, highlights private gains

The White House on Tuesday sought to recast a dour November jobs report as a sign of economic progress, shrugging off an uptick in the nation’s unemployment rate and other potential hints of weakness. The government reported the jobless rate rose to 4.6 percent in November, up from

Politics

U.S. begins formal review of seabed mining application in international waters

The federal government said it had received an application from the Metals Company to explore seabed mining in international waters, marking the first formal step in the administration’s effort to encourage the controversial industry. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted the company’s applications for public comment and

Politics

Jury Selection in Trial of Former Uvalde Officer Adrian Gonzales

Jury selection is set to begin in Corpus Christi, Texas, for the criminal trial of Adrian Gonzales, one of the first officers to arrive at Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022. The families of victims and survivors are preparing to