Mike Johnson’s Chief of Staff Arrested on D.U.I. Suspicion After Trump’s Address

The U.S. Capitol Police said the chief of staff to Speaker Mike Johnson was arrested for drunken driving on Tuesday night after the top aide backed his car into a parked Capitol Police vehicle. The arrest came soon after President Trump, with Mr. Johnson presiding behind him, finished delivering his first address to a joint … Read more

Trump Administration Told to Reinstate Nearly 6,000 USDA Workers

Thousands of Agriculture Department employees who were fired last month must be reinstated in their old positions for at least 45 days, a board that handles federal worker disputes ordered on Wednesday. The fired employees were on probationary status and relatively new in their positions, swept up in the Trump administration’s push to rapidly reduce … Read more

Afghan Charged in 2021 Kabul Attack That Killed 13 U.S. Service Members

The F.B.I. arrested an Afghan national charged with playing a role in the deadly 2021 attack on U.S. service members as they carried out a tumultuous evacuation of civilians at Afghanistan’s main airport, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday. The man, Mohammad Sharifullah, is accused of helping a suicide bomber approach the Hamid Karzai International … Read more

National Endowment for Democracy Sues Top Trump Aides Over Funding Freeze

The National Endowment for Democracy, a nonprofit that has had bipartisan support over decades for its work promoting democracy abroad, is suing the U.S. government and cabinet officials for withholding $239 million in congressional appropriations. Members of the group’s board, which includes current and former Republican and Democratic politicians, said the organization filed the lawsuit … Read more

Supreme Court’s Ruling a Victory for Foreign Aid Groups, but How Big Is Unclear

The Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling that the Trump administration must heed a lower court’s order to release frozen foreign aid was a welcome but confusing development for humanitarian and development organizations around the world, as they waited to see if thousands of canceled contracts would be restarted. For weeks, the Trump administration has worked to … Read more

‘Hamilton’ Cancels Kennedy Center Run Over Trump’s Takeover

“Hamilton,” the musical theater juggernaut about the birth of American democracy, is canceling plans to perform next year at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, citing President Trump’s moves to impose his ideological and cultural values on the long-cherished venue. The musical had been slated to be part of the … Read more

Guarded N.I.H. Nominee Faces Sharp Questions on Vaccines and Research Cuts

Under hostile questioning from senators of both parties, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Trump’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, said on Wednesday that he was “convinced” vaccines did not cause autism even as he urged more research on the question, which scientists say has long been settled. The hearing became a battlefield for … Read more

Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Bid to Freeze Foreign Aid

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected President Trump’s emergency request to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid in a closely divided decision indicating that the justices will subject his efforts to reshape the government to close scrutiny. The court’s brief order was unsigned, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. It … Read more

Trump to Pause Auto Tariffs for One Month as Other Levies Continue

President Trump said on Wednesday he would pause tariffs on cars coming into America from Canada and Mexico for a period of one month, after a 25 percent tariff that he placed on America’s closest trading partners a day earlier roiled stock markets and caused pushback from industry. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, … Read more