Author: Robert Jones

LAS VEGAS (AP) — When Susana Pacheco accepted a housekeeping job at a casino on the Las Vegas Strip 16 years ago, she believed it was a step toward stability for her and her 2-year-old daughter. But the single mom found herself exhausted, falling behind on bills and without access to stable health insurance, caught in a cycle of low pay and little support. For years, she said, there was no safety net in sight — until now.For 25 years, her employer, the Venetian, had resisted organizing efforts as one of the last holdouts on the Strip, locked in a…

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), an independent federal agency, confirmed Saturday that it has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the former special counsel who prosecuted federal cases against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.The New York Post first reported about the investigation.The investigation centers on allegations that Smith violated the Hatch Act, a federal law prohibiting certain government officials from engaging in political activities while in office.Newsweek has reached out to the OSC and the White House via email on Saturday for comment.Why It MattersThis investigation represents a significant reversal of roles, with the former prosecutor now facing scrutiny for…

NEW YORK (AP) — The requests have come in letters, emails and phone calls. The specifics vary, but the target is consistent: The U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up an effort to get voter data and other election information from the states.Over the past three months, the department’s voting section has requested copies of voter registration lists from state election administrators in at least 15 states, according to an Associated Press tally. Of those, nine are Democrats, five are Republicans and one is a bipartisan commission. In Colorado, the department demanded “all records” relating to the 2024 election and…

Brian Burch, former longtimepresident of CatholicVote, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Saturday as the Ambassador to the Holy See.He was confirmed along party lines in a 49-44 vote, with four Republican Senators and three Democrats not voting.Newsweek reached out via email to the press teams of the four Republican senators who did not cast a vote on his confirmation on Saturday.Why It MattersBurch had been critical of decisions made by the late Pope Francis.The Chicago-based Catholic will serve as the first ambassador to the Holy See with the new American, also Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV. He is also…

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will begin trying to remove Democratic lawmakers from office Monday if they don’t return after dozens of them left the state in a last-resort attempt to block redrawn U.S. House maps that President Donald Trump wants before the 2026 midterm elections. The revolt by the state House Democrats, many of whom went to Illinois or New York on Sunday, and Abbott giving them less than 24 hours to come home ratcheted up a widening fight over congressional maps that began in Texas but has drawn in Democratic governors who have floated the possibility…

President Donald Trump in a strongly worded Truth Social post published on Saturday evening heavily criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, for his demands in exchange for ending his party’s filibuster of every nominee the president puts before the Senate.Democrats are stalling the process, dragging it out and eating into the Senate recess and frustrating their counterparts across the aisle – as well as the president, who suggested the Republicans should tell Schumer and Democrats to “GO TO HELL!”Newsweek reached out to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office by email outside of normal business hours on Saturday evening…

Sydney Sweeney has been registered as a Republican Party member in Florida since June 2024, according to publicly available voter registration records reviewed by Newsweek and multiple news outlets.The disclosure comes as the Euphoria star faces intense scrutiny over her recent American Eagle advertisement, which has sparked accusations of racist messaging and drawn defense from White House Communications Director Steven Cheung.Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for Sweeney via email on Saturday for comment.Why It MattersSweeney’s Republican registration provides new context for critics who view her recent public appearances through a political lens, while supporters argue she represents a rejection…

NEW YORK (AP) — The Smithsonian Institution has removed from an exhibit a reference to President Donald Trump’s two impeachments, a decision that comes as the White House exerts pressure to offer a more positive — and selective — view of American history. A spokesperson said the exhibit eventually “will include all impeachments.”A label referring to impeachment had been added in 2021 to the National Museum for American History’s exhibit on the American presidency, in a section called “Limits of Presidential Power.” Smithsonian spokesperson Phillip Zimmerman said Friday that the section, which includes materials on the impeachment of President Bill…

Facebook Tweet Email Link When authoritarianism encroaches, apologists often present a strongman’s power grabs as rational — even imperative for the national good. Top Trump administration aides followed that playbook on Sunday, justifying the president’s abrupt firing of the government’s top labor official in charge of employment statistics over jobs numbers that dented his proclamation of a new “golden age.” But the ouster of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, taken alongside President Donald Trump’s concurrent bid to destroy the independence of the Federal Reserve, threatens the US economy’s reputation as a bulwark of stability and integrity that has…

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History on Saturday released a statement on its website announcing that it would reinstall President Donald Trump to its exhibit about impeachments, saying that it never intended his removal to be temporary.Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment by email outside of normal business hours on Saturday evening.Why It MattersThe museum removed references to Trump’s two impeachments from its exhibit on presidential impeachments last month, igniting a debate about historical accuracy and political influence in public institutions.The controversy centered on “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden” exhibit, which included a temporary label…