Exclusive: Trump fires both Democratic commissioners at FTC, sources say  —  President Donald Trump fired the two Democratic commissioners at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the situation said, in another major test of the independence of regulatory agencies.

Trump Moves to Settle the Fascism Debate  —  Plus: A supposedly fun thing Chuck Schumer will never do again.  —  President Donald Trump took another step in an openly fascist direction over the weekend when he skirted a federal court order to cancel or turn back deportation flights carrying …

Judge says dismantling of USAID was unconstitutional, orders Musk to restore access for employees  —  The judge ordered a pause on any efforts to shut down USAID.  —  Elon Musk's attempt to unilaterally dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development likely violated the United States Constitution …

Kennedy's Alarming Prescription for Bird Flu on Poultry Farms  —  The health secretary has suggested allowing the virus to spread, so as to identify birds that may be immune.  Such an experiment would be disastrous, scientists say.  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's top health official …

Federal judge indefinitely blocks Trump's ban on transgender service members, saying it's ‘soaked in animus’  —  A federal judge has indefinitely blocked President Donald Trump's ban on transgender service members, dealing a major defeat to a controversial policy the president resurrected from his first term.

GOP leaders call on Sen. Eichorn to resign after arrest for allegedly soliciting a minor  —  Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn was arrested Monday in Bloomington for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution.  —  Bloomington police said Eichorn was arrested near the 8300 block …

JFK Assassination Records - 2025 Documents Release  —  In accordance with President Donald Trump's directive of March 17, 2025, all records previously withheld for classification that are part of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection are released.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sues Trump administration over canceled contract  —  Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to try to block it from terminating all federal funds for the U.S.-backed broadcaster.  —  In a federal lawsuit …

Trump to declare “illicit” fentanyl “Weapon of Mass Destruction,” per draft EO  —  The Handbasket is subscriber-funded.  If you want to support independent media during these dark times for democracy, become a paid subscriber today!  —  Video  —  The heads of the US Departments of Commerce …

NASA astronauts return after unexpected nine months in space  —  Problems with Boeing's Starliner capsule forced Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to stay on the International Space Station far longer than planned.  They're finally home.  —  NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have finally returned to Earth.

Judge bars Trump's EPA from taking back $20B in climate grants — for now  —  The ruling orders EPA and climate change groups to return to court to argue about the fate of the money.  —  A federal judge temporarily blocked the Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to recoup $20 billion …

Putin Rejects the Trump Cease-Fire  —  The Russian wants much bigger concessions that would cripple Ukraine.  —  Click For Sound  —  President Trump and Vladimir Putin talked on the phone on Tuesday, and neither side is divulging many details of their chat.

Trump admin considers giving up NATO command that has been exclusively American since Eisenhower  —  The move is being discussed as part of a possible restructuring of combatant commands that would help the Defense Department cut costs.  —  For nearly 75 years, it has been a distinctly …

Pelosi shivs Schumer: 'Don't give away anything for nothing'  —  The former House speaker offered a sharp critique of the Senate minority leader over his decision to allow a vote on Republicans' government funding bill.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered …

This is why Kamala Harris really lost  —  Democrats have spent months debating how and why they lost the 2024 election.  But the full picture of what happened on Election Day is only now coming into view.  —  The most authoritative election analyses draw on a variety of different data sources …

U.S. could lose democracy status, says global watchdog  —  Trump has escalated an authoritarian turn in last few days  —  A just-released annual report on the global state of democracy makes for depressing reading.  But what's even more depressing is what might appear in next year's edition.

Judge Slams Trump For Putting Fired Probationary Workers On Paid Leave  —  Reinstated workers should be back on the job, not on administrative leave, the judge warned in an order.  —  A federal judge slammed the Trump administration Monday for putting fired workers entitled to reinstatement …

‘Segregated facilities’ are no longer explicitly banned in federal contracts  —  After a recent change by the Trump administration, the federal government no longer explicitly prohibits contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms and drinking fountains.

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting.  Others should follow  —  The news business isn't just any business — it serves a vital role in our democracy, recognized by the First Amendment.  But media outlets can't serve that role if they're bankrupt.

DOGE Rampage May Have ‘Immediate,’ ‘Long-term’ Effects For Courts, Judicial Branch Warns  —  The federal court system warned its employees that DOGE's cuts to building services and to executive branch staff could cause “immediate and long-term effects on court operations,” according to a Monday memo obtained by TPM .

German man with green card ‘violently interrogated’ by US border officials  —  Berlin checking if US immigration policy has changed after Fabian Schmidt becomes third German to be detained  —  Berlin is investigating whether US immigration policy has changed, after a German national …

Some Americans Have Already Been Caught in Trump's Immigration Dragnet.  More Will Be.  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  About a week after President Donald Trump took office …

Pentagon is cutting up to 60,000 civilian jobs.  About a third of those took voluntary resignations  —  Roughly 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs will be cut in the Defense Department, but fewer than 21,000 workers who took a voluntary resignation plan are leaving in the coming months, a senior defense official told reporters Tuesday.