Author: Robert Jones
CNN — At the start of his first term, President Donald Trump filled several top jobs with retired generals — high-ranking veterans who served in leadership positions during the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, a collection of grunts, foot soldiers and young officers who carried out rather than planned America’s so-called global war on terror (GWOT) are among Trump’s top advisers and officials. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were all low- to mid-ranking soldiers when they deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Only Waltz,…
Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The…
When Mary Fox went to apply for a passport, she brought copies of her birth certificate, certificate of legal name, driver’s license, and a check, because the State Department website said passport fees had to be paid by check or cash. “They took Apple Pay,” Fox, a transgender woman, told Vox. “I was worried about the wrong things.”Fox handed over the documents, paid, and received a slip for pickup of her passport after January 28 — in time for travel she had planned in early February. But when Fox returned on the 29th, the agency official said there was a…
Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, admitted on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that criticism of the Democratic Party’s “over-the-top wokeism” is a “valid attack.”Newsweek reached out to Warner’s office and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) via email for comment on Sunday morning.Why It MattersThe Democrats lost the House, the Senate and the presidency to Trump and his fellow Republicans in the 2024 election after they lost the House in the 2022 midterm election. In the wake of last November’s crushing defeat, Democrats have been re-evaluating their party, and some have even called for a re-branding.A…
President Donald Trump speaks while signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Feb. 10, 2025.Kevin Lamarque | ReutersPresident Donald Trump could announce his reciprocal tariff plan before he meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, the White House said Wednesday.”I do believe it will come before the prime minister’s visit tomorrow,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House when asked about Trump’s forthcoming announcement.She added, “I will let the president discuss the details on the reciprocal tariff front, but this is something he believes strongly in.”Trump said Sunday that he planned…
MUNICH, Germany (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on U.S. interests.The proposal, which was a key part of Zelenskyy’s talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks.Zelenskyy’s decision not to accept the proposal, at least for now, was…
A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. CNN — President Donald Trump has hit his second term at a full sprint, marking each day with a flurry of activity meant to rebrand the country and remake the government. It’s been a dizzying onslaught of activity that may have people’s heads spinning. Did all of the people who voted for Trump really want all of this? On Thursday, it was a promise to impose new tariffs on foreign automobiles despite a spike in inflation data. Inflation…
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump is attending Sunday’s Daytona 500, a race that he said is a unifying event with a spirit that will “fuel America’s Golden Age.”In a presidential message released as he flew to Daytona Beach, Florida, Trump said the opening event of the NASCAR series brings together people from all walks of life in a “shared passion for speed, adrenaline and the thrill of the race.”“From the roar of the engines on the track to the echo of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ soaring through the stands, the Daytona 500 is a timeless tribute to the speed,…
Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The…
The Logoff is a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.Welcome to The Logoff. Today I’m focusing on new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’ll now run some of the government’s largest agencies — and whose policy decisions will affect the health of every American. (Special thanks to Dylan Scott, who helped me wrap my head around this unconventional nominee.)What’s the latest? The Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Kennedy. All Democrats and both independents voted no, as did Republican Mitch McConnell. The…