President Trump has used the first 100 days of his second term to dramatically transform government, using executive action to shift the nation’s position on trade, immigration enforcement, foreign policy and government spending to meet his goals. The second Trump administration has moved quickly to implement the president's agenda across government, including leveraging billionaire adviser... ... Read full Story
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, President Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, called the Russian proposal for a three-day ceasefire next week “absurd” and said the U.S. wants a more lasting peace deal in Ukraine. "A three-day ceasefire is absurd. What the president wants is a permanent, comprehensive ceasefire — sea, air, land, infrastructure — for... ... Read full Story
The Trump administration has dismissed all of the scientists working on the sixth National Climate Assessment — a major congressionally-mandated climate report that details the way the changing climate impacts the U.S. Scientists who were working on the assessment received an email on Monday saying, “we are now releasing all current assessment participants from their... ... Read full Story
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., appeared with fellow Democrats to stump for the Equality Act in a press conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. ... Read full Story
A congressional watchdog group is investigating President Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) after some Senate Democrats requested the agency examine the ongoing actions and attempts to remove nearly all its staff. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) replied to Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Andy Kim (N.J.) after they requested... ... Read full Story
A pro-energy group is calling on Puerto Rico's governor to act against what it calls climate lawfare that it warns could continue to cripple the grid in the U.S. territory. ... Read full Story
In a tense moment during a disability case, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch sharply criticized a seasoned lawyer – a rare display of ire in the typically restrained courtroom. ... Read full Story
The United Parcel Service (UPS) said Tuesday that it will cut approximately 20,000 jobs in 2025 as part of a longer-term initiative to boost efficiency and lower costs. UPS also said it plans to close 73 leased or owned buildings by the end of June, and “may identify additional buildings for closure” as officials review... ... Read full Story
President Donald Trump is reshaping U.S. foreign policy with tough nuclear talks, soaring tariffs and a demand for allies to pay up — redrawing the global balance of power. ... Read full Story
Recent polling shows President Donald Trump's approval rating on the economy take a hit amid trade negotiations over this reciprocal tariff policies. ... Read full Story
Top Democrats are accusing Trump administration of freezing nearly $437 billion in congressionally approved funds, potentially violating constitutional spending powers in a major budgetary dispute. ... Read full Story
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker reignited speculation about his 2028 presidential ambitions this weekend, but his call for "mass protests" dominated headlines as Republicans accused him of "inciting violence." ... Read full Story
Former Sen. David Perdue faced his confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday; after passing cloture by a relatively wide margin Monday evening. ... Read full Story
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat, indicated that he will mount another U.S. Senate bid if Texans want him to run for the role again. ... Read full Story
Lawmakers passed the REAL ID law in 2005 after 9/11 hijackers used fake driver's licenses to board flights but delayed its implementation until May 7. ... Read full Story
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) announced Monday he filed seven articles of impeachment against President Trump, after serving just one complete term in office. The alleged impeachable actions include the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man mistakenly sent to El Salvador, and funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) without congressional approval. Thanedar also cites... ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 30, 2025 is:
insouciance \in-SOO-see-unss\ noun
Insouciance is a formal word that refers to a feeling of carefree unconcern. It can also be understood as a word for the relaxed and calm state of a person who is not worried about anything.
// The young actor charmed interviewers with his easy smile and devil-may-care insouciance.
“Gladiator II is OK when Denzel’s off-screen, but sensational when he’s on it. ... What makes the performance great is its insouciance; it’s both precise and feather-light. And it’s what a great actor can do when he’s set free to have fun, to laugh at himself a little bit. ... Denzel’s Macrinus is gravitas and comic relief in one package.” — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 22 Nov. 2024
Did you know?
If you were alive and of whistling age in the late 1980s or early 1990s, chances are you whistled (and snapped your fingers, and tapped your toes) to a little ditty called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin, an a cappella reggae-jazz-pop tune that took the charts by surprise and by storm. An ode to cheerful insouciance if ever there was one, its lyrics are entirely concerned with being entirely unconcerned, remaining trouble-free in the face of life’s various stressors and calamities. Such carefree nonchalance is at the heart of insouciance, which arrived in English (along with the adjective insouciant), from French, in the 1800s. The French word comes from a combining of the negative prefix in- with the verb soucier, meaning “to trouble or disturb.” The easiness and breeziness of insouciance isn’t always considered beautiful, however. Insouciance may also be used when someone’s lack of concern for serious matters is seen as more careless than carefree.