Wednesday, April 2
Transgender service members challenge Trump’s military ban
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Transgender service members challenge Trump’s military ban

President Donald Trump's executive order prohibiting transgender individuals from serving and enlisting in the military was challenged in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by two major LGBTQ legal organizations. Six trans military members on active duty and two trans individuals looking to enlist were the parties to the lawsuit. Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), stated in a statement that this prohibition violates core American principles of fair opportunity and evaluating individuals based on their merits. To forward a political agenda, it shuts the door on eligible patriots who fit all the requirements and merely wish to serve their nation. Not only is that un-American, but it also undermines our nation by a...
Caroline Kennedy calls RFK Jr. a ‘predator’ and urges Senate to reject his nomination
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Caroline Kennedy calls RFK Jr. a ‘predator’ and urges Senate to reject his nomination

The Senate should reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination as secretary of health and human services, Caroline Kennedy said in a letter on Tuesday, calling her cousin a "predator." President John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, a former U.S. ambassador to Australia, claimed that RFK Jr. was unfit to head HHS, which is in charge of 13 federal agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In her letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Kennedy made numerous accusations, including the claim that brothers and relatives Bobby pushed toward substance usage died from addiction, sickness, and other causes. She further said that her cousin had haza...
Trump administration will offer all 2 million federal workers a buyout to resign
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Trump administration will offer all 2 million federal workers a buyout to resign

Every federal employee will have the opportunity to accept a "deferred resignation" with a severance package consisting of around eight months' worth of pay and benefits under President Donald Trump's administration. According to a senior administration official, they anticipate that 5–10% of the federal staff will leave, which may result in savings of almost $100 billion. According to a statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, "American taxpayers pay the salaries of federal government employees, so they deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, which are also paid for by taxpayers." "If they don t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a diffe...
Karoline Leavitt holds first briefing as Trump’s White House press secretary
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Karoline Leavitt holds first briefing as Trump’s White House press secretary

WASHINGTON – In her first White House briefing room appearance, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt supported President Donald Trump’s intentions to cut federal spending and its mass deportation activities. The youngest White House press secretary, Leavitt, was frequently questioned about the decision to abruptly suspend federal help on Monday night. She said that the most recent acts by Trump's administration are merely carrying out a commitment that the American people made when they elected him. "Being good stewards of tax dollars is what this pause is focused on," she said. Leavitt frequently emphasized that the federal aid halt does not extend to individual help and stated that it is not a general halt to federal assistance and grant programs. She said, "I'll check back on that," when as...
Trump’s funding freeze creates widespread confusion
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Trump’s funding freeze creates widespread confusion

Washington The Trump administration's sudden announcement on Monday night to stop federal grants and loans has caused a great deal of consternation among Congress, the government, state programs, and nonprofits that depend on the financing. All federal agencies received a two-page, ambiguously written document from the Office of Management and Budget on Monday night instructing them to temporarily halt all operations pertaining to the obligation or distribution of any federal financial assistance that might be in opposition to President Donald Trump's objectives. Nonprofits said the next morning that they couldn't access a system that allows them to obtain federal cash for things like rent and salaries. White House attempts to clarify affected programs Although the specific progra...
Trump’s effort to withhold federal funding triggers constitutional showdown
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Trump’s effort to withhold federal funding triggers constitutional showdown

Washington A long-running court dispute over the fundamental constitutional premise that Congress has the authority to determine how to spend taxpayer money is being fueled by the Trump administration's attempt to withhold government funding. Similar to President Donald Trump's recent executive order on birthright citizenship, the dispute is igniting legal action that may soon reach the Supreme Court, with some Democrats already indicating that they intend to file a lawsuit. The confrontation began when Trump's Office of Management and Budget released a statement on Monday ordering an immediate halt on spending on federal programs and aid. Even though the financing was authorized by Congress and signed into law, the administration stated that the goal is to assess such programs to make s...
Vans transporting 26 Chinese migrants stopped in Florida, 2 smugglers detained
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Vans transporting 26 Chinese migrants stopped in Florida, 2 smugglers detained

Officers in Coral Gables, Florida, stopped two vans carrying over two dozen Chinese migrants Tuesday morning, sparking an investigation. Just after 8 a.m., Coral Gables police said they got a report from a vigilant citizen who was concerned about migrants being transported in vans. When officers arrived, they pulled over two vans: one at 11600 Old Cutler Road and the other around 88th Street and Old Cutler Road. According to authorities, there were 26 Chinese migrants—17 men and 9 women—between the two vehicles who were being taken to an unidentified destination. Police Chief Ed Hudak stated, "We think they arrived by boat and entered a remote area near the southern end of Coral Gables." Police arrested the two smugglers, a Puerto Rican and a Cuban, and found a gun, Hudak added. Law offici...
Tuberculosis outbreak that has killed 2 in Kansas continues to grow
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Tuberculosis outbreak that has killed 2 in Kansas continues to grow

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports that the number of TB cases connected to an outbreak in the Kansas City area is still rising. Jill Bronaugh, the director of communications for the health department, said in an update Tuesday that the outbreak, which started a year ago, claimed two lives in 2024. In Kansas, at least 67 people were receiving treatment for active TB as of Friday. Of those, all but seven occurred in Wyandotte County, which is home to Kansas City; the remaining occurrences occurred in Johnson County, which is nearby. The health agency has also verified 79 dormant TB infections in the two counties, which means the host is not communicable and does not exhibit symptoms. Approximately 5% to 10% of inactive cases progress to active disease if treatment is no...
White House freeze on federal aid will not affect student loans, Education Department says
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White House freeze on federal aid will not affect student loans, Education Department says

According to Amemo, the White House placed a halt on federal grants and loans on Monday. However, the Department of Education stated that the freeze would not impact student loans or college financial aid. There is an exception for Social Security and Medicare in the freeze, which could impact billions of dollars in funding. The email states that help given directly to people is not included in the pause. According to Matthew J. Vaeth, interim director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, the delay allows the White House to examine government funding for initiatives that don't align with President Donald Trump's policy agenda. Financial support for international aid, non-governmental groups, DEI, awakened gender ideology, and the green new deal were all particularly mentione...
Why DeepSeek is different, in three charts
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Why DeepSeek is different, in three charts

DeepSeek, a little-known Chinese AI business until recently, has been the buzz of the tech industry after releasing a number of huge language models that surpass the capabilities of many of the best AI engineers in the world. On January 20, DeepSeek unveiled R1, its most talked-about large language model. In recent days, the AI assistant rose to the top of the Apple App Store, pushing OpenAI's long-dominant ChatGPT to the number two spot. As the Chinese company boasts that its model was produced at a fraction of the cost, Silicon Valley is in a frenzy about its unexpected domination and its ability to outperform top U.S. models across a variety of criteria. A reckoning in the industry has been sparked by the shock in U.S. tech circles, suggesting that perhaps AI developers don't require en...