FDA cancels meeting to select flu strains for next season's shots  —  The canceled meeting comes just days after a CDC vaccine advisory committee meeting was abruptly postponed.  —  A Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for March to select the strains …

Trump administration says it's cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts  —  The Trump administration said Wednesday it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world …

Gene Hackman, Hollywood's Consummate Everyman, Dies at 95  —  The winner of two Oscars, he was hailed for his nuanced performances in films like “The French Connection,” “Unforgiven” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”  —  Gene Hackman, who never fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star …

Democrats should make Elon Musk the face of the GOP budget  —  📊 🔥 📊 With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever.  Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.

Andrew Tate and brother leave Romania for US after travel ban lifted  —  Self-styled ‘misogynist influencer’ and brother Tristan had been banned from leaving Romania since December 2023  —  The self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, have left Romania …

She hoped Trump's victory would change her life, but not like this  —  Ryleigh Cooper is normally more focused on motherhood than politics.  Then came DOGE.  —  BALDWIN, Mich. — Ryleigh Cooper exhaled as she slid onto the couch after nine hours of work for the U.S. Forest Service …

FAA targeting Verizon contract in favor of Musk's Starlink, sources say  —  Turning the $2.4 billion project over to Musk's company would be a major test of conflict-of-interest rules in government contracting.  —  Just now  —  The Federal Aviation Administration is close to canceling …

RFK Jr. Has Horrific Response to Measles Death  —  An unvaccinated child in west Texas died of measles on Wednesday, marking the first time that someone has died from the viral illness in the U.S. in a decade.  —  So far, 18 people have been hospitalized for the disease around Lubbock …

Musk claims DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort.  Officials disagree.  —  USAID's initiatives to fight Ebola and other diseases have been gutted, current and former agency officials said  —  Elon Musk on Wednesday acknowledged that the U.S. DOGE Service “accidentally canceled” …

In Trump's Washington, a Moscow-Like Chill Takes Hold  —  A new administration's efforts to pressure the news media, punish political opponents and tame the nation's tycoons evoke the early days of President Vladimir V. Putin's reign in Russia.  —  She asked too many questions that the president didn't like.

Federal agencies given deadline for plans to move offices out of D.C. area  —  A Trump administration memo directed agency heads to submit by April 14 plans to move offices and bureaus to “less-costly parts of the country.”  —  The Trump administration is giving federal agencies until mid-April …

Some European Allies Fear Trump Is Out to Destroy Them  —  Debate is building over just how deep the Trump administration's antagonism runs, and whether the real goal is to destroy the European Union.  —  During his first term in office, President Trump described the European Union “as a foe …

Trump officials race to rehire bird flu employees as egg prices skyrocket  —  USDA supervisors are being asked to justify rehires and some employees still haven't gotten their laptops back.  —  The Trump administration touted a nearly $1 billion plan Wednesday to combat the spread of avian flu …

U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Strain From Trump's Tariffs and Spending Cuts  —  Consumer and business sentiment is wobbling as fiscal support fades and fears rise that tariffs will lead to higher prices.  —  The United States economy is starting to show signs of strain as President Trump's abrupt moves …

Jeff Bezos is muzzling the Washington Post's opinion section.  That's a death knell  —  'I couldn't be more sad and disgusted,' says former top editor Martin Baron  —  Owners and publishers of news organizations often exert their will on opinion sections.  It would be naive to think otherwise.

No, the Defense Department Did Not “Ignore” a Judicial Order in 1973 Cambodia Bombing Case  —  In an otherwise thoughtful article about many of the complex separation of powers issues raised by President Donald Trump's blitzkrieg against the structure and personnel of his own government …

VA pauses billions in cuts lauded by Musk as lawmakers and veterans decry loss of critical care  —  The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans' health services …

Who Is in DOGE?  Tracking Its Staffers and Allies in the Federal Government  —  The New York Times identified 45 people within the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a group formed by Elon Musk that in a short few weeks has radically upended federal agencies.  Few members have formal Washington experience.

Implementing the President's “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Purpose.  This order commences a transformation …

Top Social Security deputies leave amid rumored staff cuts  —  Most of the Social Security Administration's regional commissioners have decided to retire at the end of this week, following mysterious meetings with agency leaders about plans to slash its workforce.

Today I am ending my professional association with The Washington Post.  Since my decision to step down as senior managing editor in 2023, I have been privileged to work on contract as a senior associate editor, helping to oversee investigative projects and undertaking other tasks at the behest …

Chief Justice John Roberts pauses order for Trump admin to pay $2 billion in foreign aid by midnight  —  Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a court-imposed midnight deadline that would have required the Trump administration to spend $2 billion in frozen foreign aid …

Dozens of DOGE ‘receipts’ saved no money and killed contracts meant to boost efficiency  —  Many of the receipts published by Elon Musk's DOGE aren't receipts at all — they're negotiated deals with vetted vendors who might do future government work.  —  Take a quick look at the Department …

Austrian Parties Reach Deal to Form Government Without Far Right  —  The announcement was a victory for mainstream political parties, after earlier talks involving the hard-right Freedom Party broke down.  —  Three mainstream political parties in Austria said on Thursday that they had reached …

Jobless claims spike, in worrisome sign for the US labor market  —  First-time applications for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, indicating that cracks may be forming in America's long-solid labor market.  —  There were an estimated 242,000 jobless claims filed last week …

Democrats Need to Clean House  —  The problem with the party goes way beyond the $10 words.  —  At the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics last week, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was nearly apoplectic about the diversity spectacles at the recent Democratic National …

5th Circuit rebuffs ruling against Planned Parenthood  —  The unanimous ruling overturns a decision by Texas U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Donald Trump appointee.  —  A three-judge panel at the conservative-leaning 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed …

Trump to make Christmas great again at the Kennedy Center  —  Having taken over the Kennedy Center as chairman of the Board, President Donald Trump intends a major cultural retrograde.  His Christmas improvement — “a big, huge celebration of the birth of Christ,” per new Kennedy Center …