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From @theathleticfc.bsky.social: Which nation is most likely to win the 2026 World Cup? We ranked all 64 teams.
The Minnesota representative bashed the president after he spent days disparaging her.
Organizers behind the Eurovision Song Contest, the fun-filled pop music spectacle that draws millions of viewers globally, are meeting on Thursday to discuss Israel’s participation in next year’s comp...
NEW EPISODE: "Homeland" and “The Beast in Me” actor Claire Danes joins @nicollewallace.bsky.social on "The Best People" podcast, to discuss her career, the moment we are in as a country and what she thinks about speaking out politically. WATCH the full convo on YouTube here:
This should be a cool party trick, but it's not.
Not every piece of culture intends to “take a side” or make a bold political statement. This myopic way of consuming films might be useful in a debate online, but it’s not how you get the most out of a movie. Read more:
Trump and Hegseth are attacking the very character and identity of the American military.
"Do you hate to be cold? Then these are the leggings you need!"
CDC advisers postpone vote on changing hepatitis B vaccine recommendation to Friday morning
CDC advisers meet to weigh major change to the childhood vaccine schedule. @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social reports on the mood inside the meeting and Dr. Amesh Adalja reacts.
The Somali community in Minneapolis express fear as ICE begins enforcement operations. Administration officials say ICE in Minneapolis are not targeting the Somali community and is enforcing deportation orders already issued by judges.
The Government Accountability Office will investigate whether Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte misused his authority to spur mortgage fraud investigations into president Donald Trump’s political enemies. The GAO sent Senate Banking ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) a letter, released publicly Thursday, accepting Senate Democrats’ request to investigate Pulte’s referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage fraud. The independent and nonpartisan congressional watchdog said in its letter that it will review “recent actions undertaken at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to determine whether the agency and its employees misused federal authority and resources.” Democrats and the targets of Pulte’s DOJ referrals have accused the FHFA director, who is also chair of the boards of government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, of leading politically motivated and improperly conducted investigations into public figures who have opposed the president. The FHFA’s top internal watchdog position has been vacant since early November, when Reuters reported that Pulte had circumvented the previous Inspector General Joe Allen to make the criminal referrals. The cases spurred by Pulte’s allegations have faced recent setbacks. The cases against Comey and James were dismissed last month when a federal judge ruled that the case’s prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed to the position. Speaker Mike Johnson is racing to finalize a Republican health care plan in time to present it to his conference at their weekly meeting Tuesday, but his team still needs to decide on major contours of the plan, according to three people granted anonymity to describe internal conversations. GOP leaders are meeting Thursday to nail down what will go in the package, according to the three people. One major decision still to be made is whether to offer multiple individual bills for floor consideration or to assemble them into one piece of legislation. But top Republicans want to have a GOP alternative to vote on as Democrats hammer them over expiring Obamacare subsidies that will spike premiums for millions of Americans in the new year. If Johnson and fellow GOP leaders don’t make decisions about the way forward Thursday, one senior House Republican said, “it’s going to be bad.” The package is likely to be an assemblage of various GOP bills that have been working through House committees that are largely aimed at providing more options for health care coverage outside of the Affordable Care Act framework. One likely to be included would provide for “association health plans” allowing smaller businesses to join together to offer plans rather than going through ACA exchanges. Leaders are also likely to include options for expanding the use of health savings accounts, something President Donald Trump has endorsed but Democrats have generally opposed. It’s also likely to include bipartisan legislation overhauling the role of pharmacy benefit managers and potentially other bills that could lower prescription drug prices — something Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio advised a group of House Republicans to focus on as Democrats seize on the expiring tax credits. Johnson said in a brief interview that he and leaders plan to walk House Republicans through the health care plan through this weekend and then circulate the framework early next week. He also confirmed what GOP leaders have said in private — they want to vote on a health care package before the end of the year. But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who had been coordinating the health care deliberations, wouldn’t commit to that timeline shortly after Johnson spoke. Party leaders are facing massive pressure from GOP centrists who are assembling their own compromise plans to extend the expiring subsides with new eligibility requirements. But Johnson, Scalise and many House Republicans have no interest in continuing with the Obamacare framework. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), who coauthored a new plan that would provide a one-year extension of the subsidies that has been endorsed by more than two dozen members in both parties, said “we need to act on this issue.” “To do nothing is the wrong answer,” she said. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who is assembling a separate compromise bill that would include a longer subsidy extension, said his party’s leaders were not going down a path that will prevent a spike in American’s health care costs. “Is it a Republican-only solution? That’s not a serious solution,” he said. “The million-dollar question is, is it bipartisan or not?” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer officially unveiled Democrats’ plan for a health care vote next week, saying Thursday on the chamber floor his caucus will propose extending soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years. “This is the bill, a clean three-year extension of ACA tax credits, that Democrats will bring to the floor of the Senate for a vote next Thursday, and every single Democrat will support it,” Schumer said. “Republicans have one week to decide where they stand.” The strategy aligns Senate Democrats with their counterparts in the House — and gives the party a message with which to hammer Republicans heading into next year’s midterms. But the Democratic bill is guaranteed to fail. While many GOP senators say they would back a two-year extension, they’ve said income caps and other new restrictions would need to be added in order to garner sufficient Republican support. Senate Republicans are still mulling whether or not to put up a counterproposal on health care for a vote next week. They are likely to discuss the issue during their closed-door lunch Thursday afternoon. Matt Van Epps was sworn in on the House floor Thursday morning, less than 48 hours after he won a surprisingly competitive special election in Tennessee. The Republican’s arrival brings the GOP House majority to 220 opposite 213 Democrats, still a strikingly narrow margin for Speaker Mike Johnson to navigate as his conference grows increasingly restive. Van Epps replaces former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who retired in July. Thursday could determine whether the Lone Star State gets five more Republican-leaning seats next Congress. Yet the state’s Texas-sized influence is beginning to wane. The Texas GOP delegation is losing its clout due to a combination of redistricting, retirements and bids for higher office. The group is on track to lose the seniority and committee gavels it once wielded to influence key decisions in the House. With six retirements looming and another five new GOP-leaning seats in the proposed map — the Supreme Court could decide as soon as Thursday whether to approve it — the state is looking at potentially 11 new members in a 30-member delegation. “There’s going to be a lot of introductory lunches, that’s for sure,” Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Texas) told POLITICO, noting it’s going to be a “drastic change.” For decades, the GOP delegation was known for guarding its influence, holding weekly lunches to strategize, amassing seats on the influential steering committee that determines committee assignments and often voting as a bloc on key matters. But the fact that President Donald Trump started his aggressive redistricting campaign with Texas — and that it proceeded at all — reflects the state’s relative impotence in Trump’s Washington. Republicans wary of the effort eventually folded under pressure from the president, and since then, a fifth of the delegation has announced plans to leave. Those retirements include Budget Chair Jodey Arrington and Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on two key committees for over a decade. At the start of Trump’s first term, Texas had seven gavels, including influential Armed Services, Financial Services and Ways and Means panels and three coveted Appropriations subcommittee chairs. Now, Texans hold only three committee gavels — including Arrington — and no Texans serve in the House GOP’s elected leadership. “We were powerful,” said Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), who chairs the House Small Business Committee, recounting what the delegation was like when he first arrived in 2013. “But that all cycles.” What else we’re watching: — Van Epps seated: Speaker Mike Johnson will swear in Rep.-elect Matt Van Epps (R-Tenn.) on the House floor at 9 a.m., giving the GOP a 220-213 majority. — Health care talks: Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) plan to introduce a new framework at 9:30 a.m. to reduce health premiums as lawmakers scramble to figure out what to do about expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. It includes a one-year extension of the subsidies with new guardrails to crack down on fraud and a menu of separate pay-for options — not in the form of subsidies — to keep premiums low. Senate Democrats are expected to propose a three-year extension of the subsidies, which Senate Majority Leader John Thune said was “designed to fail.” — NDAA hurdles: Final legislative text on the annual defense authorization bill was originally expected Thursday but has been delayed as GOP leaders work through eleventh-hour intraparty issues that could put its passage in jeopardy. Leaders are now aiming to unveil bill text by the end of the weekend. Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney, Connor O’Brien and Joe Gould contributed to this report.
Spotify Wrapped is bluntly telling users their "listening age," which in many cases is several decades older or younger than their actual age. It's a calculated strategy.
An impeachment of Hegseth has been seen as a long-shot effort.
European Union negotiators reached a deal on new rules that pave the way for gene editing, a technique that will help farmers produce healthier animals and crops as they adjust to climate change.
The telecom giant owes millions a slice of its settlement fund, but time is running out to file a claim.
The Haas Formula 1 team will get a new name next season, further showcasing its relationship with Japanese automaker Toyota.
President Trump suggested Americans won't have to pay personal income taxes "in the not-too-distant future" because of rising U.S. tariffs.
The Government Accountability Office will investigate whether Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte misused his authority to spur mortgage fraud investigations into president Donald Trump’s political enemies. The GAO sent Senate Banking ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) a letter, released publicly Thursday, accepting Senate Democrats’ request to investigate Pulte’s referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage fraud. The independent and nonpartisan congressional watchdog said in its letter that it will review “recent actions undertaken at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to determine whether the agency and its employees misused federal authority and resources.” Democrats and the targets of Pulte’s DOJ referrals have accused the FHFA director, who is also chair of the boards of government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, of leading politically motivated and improperly conducted investigations into public figures who have opposed the president. The FHFA’s top internal watchdog position has been vacant since early November, when Reuters reported that Pulte had circumvented the previous Inspector General Joe Allen to make the criminal referrals. The cases spurred by Pulte’s allegations have faced recent setbacks. The cases against Comey and James were dismissed last month when a federal judge ruled that the case’s prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed to the position. Lead Art: Democrats accuse FHFA Director Bill Pulte of leading politically motivated and improperly conducted investigations into public figures who have opposed the president. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Vaccine advisers complained that they hadn't been given enough time to consider the policy change.
Canada's main stock index rose toward record highs on Thursday, outperforming U.S. stocks, after the latest round of bank earnings underscored resilience in the economy despite tariff uncertainties.
Grants being restored after a Trump and DOGE firestorm are being hailed as "a massive win for libraries."
Following a nearly 5-year-long investigation, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest of Brian Cole Jr., the suspect accused of placing multiple explosive devices in Washington, D.C., before the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol. More:
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that he is “deeply” troubled by the Pentagon’s double-tap strikes on suspected drug runners in the Caribbean, saying it’s clear U.S. forces targeted survivors who posed no threat to American security.
There had been calls for Israel to be excluded over the conduct of the war in Gaza.
The Oracle chairman fell in the ranks among the world’s wealthiest during a weekslong rally for the Google parent’s stock.
The U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged around 4.4% in November, the Chicago Federal Reserve estimated on Thursday, while closely watched data from a private provider added to the evidence that the U.S. labor market is slowly weakening.
There are several myths when it comes to driving in the winter.
Although the storm will move out of the region quickly, its impacts could cause widespread disruptions to daily life.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) called a federal vaccine advisory committee “totally discredited” ahead of a vote on whether to change hepatitis B vaccine guidelines, an issue very close to the Louisiana physician.
Ukraine’s anticorruption bureau is turning theatrical as it competes for attention with news of the front line of Russia’s nearly four-year-old invasion.
The New York Times has filed a federal lawsuit against the Pentagon’s rules on press coverage, saying its restrictions on reporter access violate the newspaper’s First and Fifth Amendment rights.
On the 100th anniversary of Bobby Kennedy’s birth, Democrats should reflect on what made the late liberal icon so popular, write Richard D. Kahlenberg and Ruy Teixeira.
United States District Judge Beryl A. Howell said the Department of Homeland Security’s own statements about its policy and practice reveal an “abandonment of the probable cause standard.”
The retailer is shifting some online-order fulfillment to less-busy stores, among other methods to speed up delivery and improve the in-store experience.
Democrats, believing they have the political upper hand on a health care cliff they created, are rebuffing GOP alternatives to extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire this year.
A young revolutionary is about to come face-to-face with political reality, writes Reihan Salam for The Free Press.
Trump has sought to install loyalists as U.S. attorneys without the Senate approval required by the Constitution's Appointments Clause.
As we get older, there’s a lot to grieve. But the grieving makes way for gratitude.
In our inaugural advice column, Abigail Shrier answers: How do you live when you feel like the world is falling apart?
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who has been touted as a prospective 2028 presidential candidate, pledged his state's strong support for Israel and said he will continue to back security for the Jewish community as antisemitism rises.
Ilhan Omar blasted Trump for supposedly 'racist' remarks
Admiral Bradley denies Pete Hegseth gave 'kill them all' order after counternarcotics strike that killed survivors, telling Congress no such command.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is blasting a federal vaccine advisory panel as "totally discredited" just as it prepares to vote on changes to hepatitis B vaccine guidance — a matter important to the Louisiana physician and longtime liver specialist.
A Kansas judge ruled that former high school art teacher must stand trial on charges she groomed and had unlawful sexual relations with a student.
The U.S. Congress' watchdog said this week it will investigate whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte abused his position and government resources to accuse President Donald Trump's...
President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the signing of the "Washington Accords" peace deal at the United States Institute of Peace Thursday, saying that the U.S. agrees to buy rare earth minerals from the two nations. Trump said the Washington Accords deal formalizes the terms the two countries agreed to in June, including a permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of non-state forces, provisions for refugees to return to their homes, and justice and accountability for those who have committed illegal atrocities. _This is a breaking news story; check back for updates._
"Did not comply with DoD Instruction'
A Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no "kill them all" order from War Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinizes an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela.