Author: Robert Jones

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans on Wednesday unveiled plans for a new U.S. House map that would deliver on President Donald Trump’s goal of creating more winnable GOP seats before the 2026 elections, pushing ahead with a fast and unusual summer redrawing that Democrats have few options to blunt.The new map would create five new Republican-leaning seats that Trump is seeking as his party looks to bolster its chances of maintaining its slim House majority. Republicans hope to pass it during a special 30-day session of the GOP-dominated Legislature called by GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.The state’s four Democratic-leaning major…

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with Newsweek, European Union Ambassador to the United States Jovita Neliupšienė revealed the next priorities for the 27-member bloc in navigating the challenges associated with the longstanding and evolving partnership with the U.S. and other top geopolitical issues.The conversation comes days after President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a historic trade deal, halving the 30 percent tariff rate threatened by the U.S. leader on most EU goods and spurring hopes of re-stabilizing transatlantic ties.Neliupšienė said the deal has helped to achieve a level of “predictability and certainty” in…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is freezing $108 million in research funding to Duke University as the federal government accuses the school of racial discrimination in the form of affirmative action, according to a person familiar with the matter.The National Institutes of Health halted the funding to the private university in North Carolina, said the person who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Education Department sent a joint letter alleging racial preferences in Duke’s hiring and admissions. Duke is the latest institution…

Facebook Tweet Email Link A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. Americans are used to whiplash in their climate policy. The US has been in and out and in and out again of the key Paris climate agreement over the past four presidencies. But in his second administration, President Donald Trump is not just approaching climate science with skepticism. Instead, his administration is moving to destroy the methods by which his or any future administration can respond to climate change. These moves, which are sure…

President Donald Trump on Thursday moved to reinstate the Presidential Fitness Test, a decades-old program designed to encourage healthy, active lifestyles among American schoolchildren.Why It MattersLaunched in 1966, the test once required students to run and complete exercises such as sit-ups, pull-ups or push-ups, along with a sit-and-reach flexibility assessment. It was overhauled in 2012 under the Obama administration to emphasize personal health goals rather than athletic performance.Trump “wants to ensure America’s future generations are strong, healthy, and successful,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, adding that the goal is to foster “a culture of strength…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced it is launching a new program that will allow Americans to share personal health data and medical records across health systems and apps run by private tech companies, promising that will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness.More than 60 companies, including major tech companies like Google, Amazon and Apple as well as health care giants like UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health, have agreed to share patient data in the system. The initiative will focus on diabetes and weight management, conversational artificial intelligence that helps patients, and digital tools such…

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky brought up the potential for a third Trump term while speaking about the stock trading ban on Thursday. The comments sparked backlash on social media.Newsweek reached out to Paul’s office via email for comment.Why It MattersThe 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution limits presidents to two terms in the White House. Despite this, the notion of President Donald Trump running for a third term has periodically surfaced among Trump allies and the president himself.Trump fueled speculation in a March interview with NBC News, saying there were “methods [by] which you could do it” and…

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Two of the three people killed this week in a shooting outside the largest casino in Reno, Nevada, were 33-year-old men in town celebrating a bachelor party and the third victim was a 66-year-old man who lived in the area, authorities said. The suspect, who is in critical condition after being shot by police, was identified Tuesday as Dakota Hawver, a 26-year-old Reno resident. Investigators have found no connections between Hawver and the Grand Sierra Resort or any of the victims, according to police in the neighboring town of Sparks who are leading the investigation. They…

President Donald Trump was asked on Thursday if he knew why Jeffrey Epstein “stole” young workers from Mar-a-Lago, including the late Virginia Giuffre.What To KnowThe reporter asked, “The family of Virginia Giuffre released a statement overnight in response to some of the comments that you made this week. You said that Jeffrey Epstein ‘stole’ people from Mar-a-Lago. At the time, did you know why he was taking those young women, including Virginia?”Trump responded, in part, “No, I didn’t know. I figured it would be ABC fake news that would ask that question. One of the worst. But no, I don’t…

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Senate committee voted Wednesday to advance President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency that secures the nation’s critical infrastructure, including election systems.Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 9-6 to recommend Sean Plankey ’s nomination for director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, which sits under the Department of Homeland Security.The agency has been dealing with workforce and funding cuts, as well as criticism from Republicans over some of its election-related activities.Plankey, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2023, worked in the first…