A Senate subcommittee decided Tuesday to send Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to the entire chamber for consideration as secretary of health and human services, clearing a significant obstacle. After Kennedy was able to calm Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., about his previous anti-vaccine views, the Senate Finance Committee pushed through his confirmation in a party-line vote. After interrogating Kennedy during two confirmation hearings last week, Cassidy, a physician, indicated he had severe doubts about his suitability to head the large agency and that he was having difficulty making up his mind. Cassidy chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in addition to the Finance Committee. Cassidy told X in a statement before Tuesday's vote that he had "very intense conversations"...

As part of a broader drive to reduce government bureaucracy, the Trump administration has threatened to close the U.S. Agency for International Development as an independent agency and possibly transfer it under the State Department, igniting a political maelstrom. At a fraction of the total federal budget, USAID sends billions of dollars in humanitarian help abroad, which advocates say is a vital lifeline to over 100 countries. However, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who leads his government efficiency program, termed USAID a criminal organization, and President Donald Trump denounced it over the weekend as being managed by a group of extremist lunatics. The future of the agency is unknown. More than a dozen individuals have told NBC News that officials in the Trump administration have talk...

Fears that America would lose its position on the international scene as competing nations scramble to fill the hole have been heightened by the Trump administration's efforts to undermine the American organization that aids in combating poverty and malnutrition abroad. In a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, George Ingram, a former senior USAID official, expressed rising concerns in Washington that temporarily suspending aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development creates an opening for China and Russia. In Africa, South America, and Asia, where it provides aid to nongovernmental groups, aid agencies, and charities, addressing everything from health care to clean water, he was among a number of experts who warned that the choice would result in a decline in American inf...

In recent court documents, two Los Angeles County prosecutors said they were demoted and subjected to reprisals for having backed Erik and Lyle Menendez's punishment. On Monday, prosecutors Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford filed government claims, claiming that they were moved out of the resentencing unit of the district attorney's office because they assisted the brothers with their resentencing and because of their alleged political affiliation with former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc. Theberge's complaint also stated that she was treated unfairly because of her gender and age. According to her petition, office leadership undermined her authority and professional status by treating her differently from their younger, male coworkers. Theberge and Lunsford had both bac...

Swedish police reported Tuesday that five individuals had been shot at a school in the central Swedish city of Rebro. The police stated that the allegations are currently attempted murder, arson, and aggravated weapons offense, but they did not identify the specific defendant. According to a press release from police, shots were fired at approximately 12:33 p.m. local time (6:33 a.m. ET), and a massive operation is currently ongoing. The extent of the injuries is unknown. There are currently ambulances, rescue services, and police on the scene, a local rescue services official told Reuters. For security reasons, kids are being housed at other local schools, and police have asked the public to avoid the V Sthaga district, where the school is situated. This story is breaking. For updates, pl...

Swedish police reported Tuesday that five individuals had been shot at a school in the central Swedish city of Rebro. Around 12:33 p.m. local time (6:33 a.m. ET), shots were fired, and police said in a news release that a big operation is in progress. The severity of the injuries is unknown, it continued. For security reasons, kids are being housed at other local schools, and police have asked the public to avoid the V Sthaga district, where the school is situated. This story is breaking. For updates, please return.