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POLITICS

White House Christmas ornament honors 150 years of culinary diplomacy practiced at state dinners
Read full article: White House Christmas ornament honors 150 years of culinary diplomacy practiced at state dinnersThis year's official White House Christmas ornament honors more than 150 years of culinary diplomacy practiced at state dinners.

Texas Senate to consider bill that could reshape how history and race are taught in state universities
Read full article: Texas Senate to consider bill that could reshape how history and race are taught in state universitiesAn overhauled version of Senate Bill 37 would also allow anyone to file complaints that could lead schools to lose funds.

Budget day in the House: Texas lawmakers take up $337 billion spending plan
Read full article: Budget day in the House: Texas lawmakers take up $337 billion spending planAmong hundreds of amendments are ones that focus on school vouchers, the attorney generalโs office, and the lottery commission.

Sales tax receipts will be closely watched as Texas tracks economic jolt of tariffs
Read full article: Sales tax receipts will be closely watched as Texas tracks economic jolt of tariffsAs the Texas House prepares to vote on the budget, officials and other experts monitor national policy and state tax revenue.

Johnson vows to try again after GOP holdouts block action on Trumpโs โbig, beautifulโ budget bill
Read full article: Johnson vows to try again after GOP holdouts block action on Trumpโs โbig, beautifulโ budget billHouse Speaker Mike Johnson is vowing to try again to pass the Republican budget framework after abruptly postponing Wednesday night's vote.

The week that Trump pushed the global economy to the brink with tariffs โ and then pulled back
Read full article: The week that Trump pushed the global economy to the brink with tariffs โ and then pulled backIt was one week after Donald Trumpโs big tariff announcement when the president pulled back from the import taxes that he had imposed on many U.S. trading partners.

Trump's new energy order puts states' climate laws in the crosshairs of the Department of Justice
Read full article: Trump's new energy order puts states' climate laws in the crosshairs of the Department of JusticeA new executive order from President Donald Trump that's part of his effort to invigorate energy production launches the possibility that his Department of Justice will go to court against state laws aimed at slashing planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels.

53 international studentsโ immigration statuses revoked at four more Texas universities
Read full article: 53 international studentsโ immigration statuses revoked at four more Texas universitiesNineteen students at the University of Texas at Dallas, 27 at the University of North Texas and others now face uncertainty about their ability to stay in the U.S.

Republican-led House passes bill to limit nationwide orders from federal district judges
Read full article: Republican-led House passes bill to limit nationwide orders from federal district judgesThe House has passed a bill that limits the authority of federal district judges to issue nationwide orders.

Trump targets โAnonymousโ author and former top cybersecurity official in escalation of retribution
Read full article: Trump targets โAnonymousโ author and former top cybersecurity official in escalation of retributionPresident Donald Trump is intensifying his efforts to punish his critics by signing a pair of memoranda directing the Justice Department to investigate two officials from his first administration and stripping them of any security clearances they may have.

Trump's 'buy' tip on social media before his tariffs pause made money for investors who listened
Read full article: Trump's 'buy' tip on social media before his tariffs pause made money for investors who listenedPresident Donald Trump offered some financial advice on Wednesday morning that ended up making a lot of money for any lucky investor who listened to him.

Trump lets the water flow โ again โ as he reverses Biden rule restricting showerheads
Read full article: Trump lets the water flow โ again โ as he reverses Biden rule restricting showerheadsPresident Donald Trump has long complained about modern rules that limit water flow for showerheads, making it harder for him to wash his โbeautiful hair."

Options for Trump's space-based 'Golden Dome' missile defense shield head to Hegseth for approval
Read full article: Options for Trump's space-based 'Golden Dome' missile defense shield head to Hegseth for approvalU.S. Space Command says it's finalized options for President Donald Trumpโs โGolden Domeโ missile defense system and has sent its recommendations to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his review and approval.

Another U-Turn: Trump reverses tariffs that caused market meltdown, but companies remain bewildered
Read full article: Another U-Turn: Trump reverses tariffs that caused market meltdown, but companies remain bewilderedPresident Donald Trump delivered another jarring reversal in American trade policy Wednesday, suspending for 90 days import taxes heโd imposed barely 13 hours earlier on dozens of countries while escalating his trade war with China.

State offers specific measles guidance for 10 West Texas โoutbreakโ counties
Read full article: State offers specific measles guidance for 10 West Texas โoutbreakโ countiesState health officials added four more counties to what they consider โoutbreak areasโ and advise those visiting or living in those counties to consult measles vaccination guidance for those areas.

Interior Department staff, including those at national parks, offered buyouts and early retirement
Read full article: Interior Department staff, including those at national parks, offered buyouts and early retirementEmployees across the Department of the Interior have until the end of Wednesday to respond to the latest offer to take buyouts or early retirement.

Verifying hand-counted ballots in Texas elections may be easier under GOP bill
Read full article: Verifying hand-counted ballots in Texas elections may be easier under GOP billThe proposal would require counties who opt for hand counts to use ballots that can be scanned and tabulated by a voting machine.

Trump: Israel would be 'leader' of Iran strike if Tehran doesn't give up nuclear weapons program
Read full article: Trump: Israel would be 'leader' of Iran strike if Tehran doesn't give up nuclear weapons programPresident Donald Trump says that Israel would be the โleaderโ of a potential military strike against Iran if Tehran doesnโt give up its nuclear weapons program.

House votes to overturn Biden-era rule limiting bank overdraft fees to $5, sends to Trump to sign
Read full article: House votes to overturn Biden-era rule limiting bank overdraft fees to $5, sends to Trump to signThe House has voted to overturn a rule that would have limited bank overdraft fees to $5, following the Senate in moving to dismantle the Biden-era regulation that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had estimated would save consumers billions of dollars.

New task force to review US intelligence agencies and consider declassifying COVID-19 material
Read full article: New task force to review US intelligence agencies and consider declassifying COVID-19 materialDirector of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says she has formed a task force to consider big changes to America's spy agencies.

The United States and China are locked in a faceoff over tariffs. No one wants to blink first
Read full article: The United States and China are locked in a faceoff over tariffs. No one wants to blink firstThe tariff fight between the worldโs two largest economies has spiraled into greater peril.

House GOP holdouts threaten Trumpโs โbig, beautifulโ budget bill as Speaker Johnson postpones vote
Read full article: House GOP holdouts threaten Trumpโs โbig, beautifulโ budget bill as Speaker Johnson postpones voteHouse Republicans have abruptly postponed a late evening vote on their budget framework as grave misgivings from conservative GOP lawmakers threw it in flux.

Former Facebook executive tells Senate committee company undermined US national security with China
Read full article: Former Facebook executive tells Senate committee company undermined US national security with ChinaSarah Wynn-Williams, a former executive at Meta and author of an explosive insider account of her time at the social media giant, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, accusing the company of undermining national security and briefing China on U.S. artificial intelligence efforts in order to grow its business.

Kash Patel has been replaced by Army Secretary Driscoll as acting head of the ATF, AP sources say
Read full article: Kash Patel has been replaced by Army Secretary Driscoll as acting head of the ATF, AP sources sayFBI Director Kash Patel was quietly removed weeks ago as the acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and has been replaced with the Army secretary.

Supreme Court allows Trumpโs firings of independent agency board members to take effect, for now
Read full article: Supreme Court allows Trumpโs firings of independent agency board members to take effect, for nowThe Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to oust two board members who oversee independent agencies, for now.

Senate confirms former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as Trump's ambassador to Israel
Read full article: Senate confirms former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as Trump's ambassador to IsraelThe Senate has confirmed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as President Donald Trump's ambassador to Israel.

Justice Department sharply criticizes judge who blocked enforcement of an order targeting a law firm
Read full article: Justice Department sharply criticizes judge who blocked enforcement of an order targeting a law firmThe Justice Department is sharply criticizing a judge who halted enforcement of a White House executive order meant to punish a prominent law firm.

Trump limits tariffs on most nations for 90 days, raises taxes on Chinese imports
Read full article: Trump limits tariffs on most nations for 90 days, raises taxes on Chinese importsFacing a global market meltdown, President Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly backed off his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, but raised his tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%.

Ex-congressman Nickel launches bid to unseat North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026
Read full article: Ex-congressman Nickel launches bid to unseat North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel of North Carolina has announced himself as a candidate to try to unseat Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026.

Trump offers rare praise for Michigan Gov. Whitmer as she appears with him in Oval Office
Read full article: Trump offers rare praise for Michigan Gov. Whitmer as she appears with him in Oval OfficePresident Donald Trump has offered rare praise for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she appeared with him in the Oval Office.

The Latest: Treasury secretary says Trump will keep 10% import tariff, raise import tax on China
Read full article: The Latest: Treasury secretary says Trump will keep 10% import tariff, raise import tax on ChinaPresident Donald Trump has shared on Truth Social that he has โauthorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately.โ.