National News

Cassidy clashes with RFK Jr. on vaccines and abortion medicine

By Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Aria Bendix Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., clashed with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a Senate hearing Wednesday afternoon, criticizing the secretary over his vaccine policy and abortion medications and debunking an interpretation of a scientific study. It was a change in tone from the senator, who had at a Finance Committee hearing earlier in the day limited his questions for Kennedy to fraud and health care costs. Kennedy’s afternoon hearing was before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which Cassidy chairs. It was the health secretary’s first appearance before the committee in nearly a

Navy Secretary John Phelan fired from administration amid Iran war

By Raquel Coronell Uribe, Gordon Lubold, Courtney Kube and Monica Alba Navy Secretary John Phelan will leave the Trump administration “effective immediately,” the Pentagon announced Wednesday, marking the latest departure of a top defense official this year. “On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement posted on X. Parnell did not provide a reason for Phelan’s exit, but said that the new acting Navy secretary will be Undersecretary Hung Cao. The abrupt firing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came after

Senate passes budget plan for ICE and Border Patrol in bid to reopen Homeland Security

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Senate took the first steps in a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security early Thursday, voting to adopt a budget plan that would fund ICE and Border Patrol over Democratic objections and sending it to the House. The entire department has been shut down since mid-February as Democrats have demanded policy changes in the wake of fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents. Republicans are now trying to fund the two agencies through the complicated, time-consuming process called budget reconciliation, a maneuver that they also used to pass President Donald Trump’s package of

Democrats want FBI Director Kash Patel to fill out alcohol use screening test

By Rebecca Shabad, Ryan J. Reilly and Corky Siemaszko Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding that FBI Director Kash Patel fill out a screening test used to assess “harmful patterns of alcohol consumption and routinely used by individuals to help identify hazardous drinking behaviors,” following allegations published in an Atlantic article. In a letter to Patel on Tuesday, ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and more than a dozen other Democrats suggested the alleged behavior could harm U.S. national security. Some of the screening questions, attached to the letter, ask “How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are

U.S. News and World Report ranks Langston University’s Rehab Counseling Program 10th in nation

 U.S. News and World Report named Langston University’s Rehabilitation and Counseling Program as the 10th best program in the United States, making it the highest ranked Historically Black College or University (HBCU) on the list. “We are incredibly proud to see our Rehabilitation Counseling Program break into the Top 10 nationally,” said Dr. Corey Moore, the Founding Director of the Rehab Counseling program. “While the ranking is a high honor, the true reward is watching our graduates enter the workforce fully equipped to lead, and seeing our research translate into better outcomes for the communities we serve.” Last year, Langston

Los Angeles becomes the first major school district to require screen time limits

By Tyler Kingkade The Los Angeles Unified School District’s board voted Tuesday to restrict students’ use of laptops and tablets in class and encourage pen-and-paper assignments instead, making it the first major American school system to do so. The sweeping resolution, which passed 6-0 with one recusal, requires the district to create a screen time policy for each grade and subject, prohibit students in first grade and younger from using devices, clarify the process for parents to opt their child out of using technology at school, and audit its education technology contracts. “We have responsibility as one of the largest districts

In rare interviews, George W. Bush hails the First Amendment and Obama says America doesn’t have ‘kings’

By Sahil Kapur Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary this summer, former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton each shared a message about what they value about the country and how it can emerge from a difficult era. “The fact that you can speak in the public square without being jailed. The fact that we have a press that’s willing to hold the powerful to account,” Bush said in an interview with NBC News, referring to the First Amendment. “I mean, these are all things that should and generally do unite us.” He voiced optimism about the future of

Trump administration begins refunding more than $166bn in tariffs

By Joseph Gideon The Trump administration has begun accepting applications from businesses seeking refunds for more than $166bn in tariffs, months after the supreme court ruled that the president had no legal authority to impose them. The administration launched on Monday the digital claims system, named Cape, which they said in court filings could handle about 63% of affected import filings, with the remainder to follow. Writing for the majority in February, Chief Justice John Roberts said the 1977 emergency statute Trump had invoked provided no such sweeping authority to implement the tariffs. Two of the president’s own appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney

Two Southwest Airlines planes came dangerously close in Nashville and had to take evasive action

By The Associated Press Two Southwest Airlines planes had to take evasive action to avoid colliding Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee, after an air traffic controller directed one pilot to turn into the path of the other plane. Last year, an American Airlines jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. That crash on Jan. 29, 2025, put the spotlight on midair collisions, which are rare in commercial flights where the planes are equipped with systems to alert pilots about a potential collision. Most of the close calls that happen every year involve small

Oil prices jump amid renewed tensions over the Strait of Hormuz

By Steve Kopack The price of oil jumped sharply and stock futures tumbled Sunday evening as traders digested renewed tensions between the U.S. and Iran over the critical Strait of Hormuz. U.S. crude oil jumped more than 7%, to about $90 per barrel, and international Brent crude oil rose 5%, to around $95 per barrel. S&P 500 futures dropped nearly 0.8%, Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.7%, and Dow futures tumbled 500 points, or 0.7%. Russell 2000 futures slid 1.4%. Wholesale gas prices also rose by more than 4%, and heating oil futures, which are a proxy for jet fuel prices, also

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