Washington news – Techwen

Appeals court keeps block on Trump administration’s downsizing of federal workforce

Appeals court keeps block on Trump administration’s downsizing of federal workforce

SAN FRANCISCO — An appeals court on Friday refused to freeze a California-based judge’s order halting the Trump administration from downsizing the federal workforce, which means that the Department of Government Efficiency-led cuts remain on pause for now. A split three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the downsizing could … Read more

President Trump set to give commencement address to West Point graduates

President Trump set to give commencement address to West Point graduates

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is delivering his first military commencement address since returning to office. The Republican president is set to speak to West Point’s graduating class on Saturday morning. Trump gave the commencement address at West Point in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The president urged the graduating cadets to … Read more

Trump to visit US troops in Qatar

Trump to visit US troops in Qatar

DOHA, Qatar — President Donald Trump on Thursday will visit a U.S. installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the “interventionism” of America’s past in the region. Trump plans to address troops at Qatar’s al-Udeid Air Base, which was a … Read more

Democrats pivot to talk more about the economy and less about immigration

Democrats pivot to talk more about the economy and less about immigration

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Democrats have long focused on immigration when courting Latino voters in states like Arizona, Nevada, New Jersey, and Florida, where generations of Mexican, Cuban and other Latin American immigrants have settled and gained permanent legal status. But Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election and the rightward shift of Latino … Read more

Before naming 2028 nominee, Democrats have to decide which state will weigh in first

Before naming 2028 nominee, Democrats have to decide which state will weigh in first

DES MOINES, Iowa — Before they can name their next presidential nominee, Democrats will have to decide which state will weigh in first. In 2022, President Joe Biden forced a shake-up of the 2024 election calendar, moving South Carolina’s primary ahead of contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Officials in those traditionally four early-voting … Read more

Trump plans to announce the US will call Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials say

Trump plans to announce the US will call Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials say

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the U.S. will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Arab nations have pushed for a change … Read more

Former VP Pence defends Constitution after getting Profile in Courage Award

Former VP Pence defends Constitution after getting Profile in Courage Award

BOSTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday repeatedly invoked the Constitution and said it is what “binds us all together” after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Pence received the award for his refusal to go along with President Donald Trump’s efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 … Read more

Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs

Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs

NEW YORK — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s motto is “ Make America Healthy Again,” but government cuts could make it harder to know if that’s happening. More than a dozen data-gathering programs that track deaths and disease appear to have been eliminated in the tornado of layoffs and proposed budget cuts rolled out … Read more

Trump’s pick for top prosecutor in DC is testing Republican loyalty

Trump’s pick for top prosecutor in DC is testing Republican loyalty

WASHINGTON — Most of President Donald Trump’s top nominees have sailed through the Senate with little resistance. His pick to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital could be an exception. Ed Martin Jr., a conservative activist with modest legal experience who has defended rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, … Read more

FDA scrutiny of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine sparks uncertainty about other shots

FDA scrutiny of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine sparks uncertainty about other shots

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s effort to impose new requirements on Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine — the nation’s only traditional protein-based option for the coronavirus — is sowing uncertainty about updates to other vaccines, too. Novavax said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration was asking the company to run a new clinical trial of its … Read more