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New York and New Jersey sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for freezing USD 16 billion in federal funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River between the two states, seeking a quick ruling because construction that has been underway could be forced to shut down as early as Friday. The administration put a hold on the funding in September, citing the government shutdown. The White House budget director, Russ Vought, said on the social platform X at the time that officials believed the spending was based on unconstitutional diversity, equity and inclusion principles, and the US Department of Transportation said it was reviewing any "unconstitutional practices." The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan by New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, asks a judge to declare the funding suspension unlawful and order payments to resume immediately so construction can continue without interruption. "Allowing this
Denmark and Greenland's envoys to Washington have begun a vigorous effort to urge US lawmakers as well as key Trump administration officials to step back from President Donald Trump's call for a takeover of the strategic Arctic island. Denmark's ambassador, Jesper Mller Srensen, and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland's chief representative to Washington, met on Thursday with White House National Security Council officials to discuss a renewed push by Trump to acquire Greenland, perhaps by military force, according to Danish government officials who were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting. The envoys have also held a series of meetings this week with American lawmakers as they look to enlist help in persuading Trump to back off his threat. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet next week with Danish officials. Trump, in a New York Times interview published ..
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he plans to meet with Danish officials next week after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over Greenland, the strategic Arctic island that is a self-governing territory of Denmark. Since the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicols Maduro, President Donald Trump has revived his argument that the United States needs to control the world's largest island to ensure its own security in the face of rising threats from China and Russia in the Arctic. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenland counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, had requested a meeting with Rubio, according to a statement posted Tuesday to Greenland's government website. Previous requests for a meeting were not successful, the statement said. Rubio told a select group of US lawmakers that it was the Republican administration's intention to eventually purchase Greenland, as opposed to using military force. The remarks, first reported by The
States have major decisions to make in 2026 about the social safety net and taxes in the aftermath of a sweeping law President Donald Trump signed last year. The federal government is shifting more responsibilities to states over the next few years, and states must prepare for greater costs in the Medicaid health care and SNAP food aid programs. They also must decide whether to offset upcoming federal funding cuts with state tax dollars. And they must weigh whether to cut state taxes on tips, overtime wages and other items to remain in line with Trump's big bill. Though most states still have ample rainy day funds, the extra burdens are coming as many states face their tightest budgets since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. There's a big storm coming for state budgets the radar is clear and it's going to hit almost every state, said Tim Storey, CEO of the National Conference of State Legislatures. It's going to mean some hard choices. In most states, those determinatio
Denmark and Greenland are seeking a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over the strategic Arctic island, a Danish territory. President Donald Trump has argued that the US needs to control the world's largest island to ensure its own security in the face of rising threats from China and Russia in the Arctic. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a select group of lawmakers that it was the administration's intention to eventually purchase Greenland a self-governing territory of Denmark and part of NATO rather than use military force. The remarks, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, were made in a classified briefing Monday evening on Capitol Hill, according to a person with knowledge of his comments who was granted anonymity because it was a private discussion. On Wednesday, Rubio told reporters that Trump has been talking about acquiring Greenland since his first term. He was on Capitol Hill for
President Donald Trump has said that he wants Republicans to reach a deal on health care insurance assistance by being willing to bend on a 50-year-old amendment that bars federal money from being spent on abortion services. You have to be a little flexible" on the Hyde Amendment, Trump told House Republicans on Tuesday as they gathered in Washington for a caucus retreat to open the midterm election year. You gotta be a little flexible. You gotta work something. You gotta use ingenuity. With his suggestion, Trump, who supported abortion rights before he entered politics in 2015, is asking conservatives to abandon or at least ease up on decades of Republican orthodoxy on abortion and spending policy. At the same time, he is demonstrating his long-standing malleability on abortion and acknowledging that Democrats have the political upper hand on health care after Republicans, who control the White House, the Senate and the House, allowed the expiration of premium subsidies for people
The annual defence policy bill of the US has highlighted broadening America's engagement with India, including through the Quad, to advance the shared objective of a free and open Indo-Pacific region and address the challenge posed by China. The National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2026, released by Congressional leaders Sunday, outlines the sense of Congress on Defence Alliances and Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region'. It states that the Secretary of Defence should continue efforts that strengthen US defence alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region to further the "comparative advantage of the US in strategic competition" with China. Among other things, these efforts comprise "broadening US engagement with India, including through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to advance the shared objective of a free and open Indo-Pacific region through bilateral and multilateral engagements and participation in military exercises, expanded defence trade, and .
Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of US military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a September 2 attack. The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week's Washington Post report was true, and some Republicans were sceptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns. This rises to the level of a war crime if it's true, said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no long able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate have opened investigations. Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be