POLITICS

Things to know about the US Mine Safety and Health Administration and the coal industry
Read full article: Things to know about the US Mine Safety and Health Administration and the coal industryThe federal government wants the number of offices that oversee U.S. mine safety laws to align more with a shrinking coal industry.

Voices from coal country say closures of MSHA offices will endanger mine safety
Read full article: Voices from coal country say closures of MSHA offices will endanger mine safetyStanley “Goose” Stewart, who survived the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster that killed 29 workers 15 years ago Saturday, calls a recommendation by the Trump administration to close three dozen offices of the Mine Safety and Health Administration across the country “idiotic.”.

In the race to save lives after the Myanmar quake, US rescuers are notable by their absence
Read full article: In the race to save lives after the Myanmar quake, US rescuers are notable by their absenceDay after day, Chinese rescue teams haul children and elderly people from collapsed buildings.

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s former aides win $6.6 million in whistleblower case
Read full article: Attorney General Ken Paxton’s former aides win $6.6 million in whistleblower casePaxton vowed to appeal the “bogus ruling” that found he improperly fired the four plaintiffs after they reported him to the FBI on allegations of corruption.

Prosecutors seek 7 years in prison for disgraced ex-US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case
Read full article: Prosecutors seek 7 years in prison for disgraced ex-US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud caseProsecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for disgraced former congressman George Santos after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges.

IRS plans to cut up to 25% of staff, starting with closing its civil rights office, AP sources say
Read full article: IRS plans to cut up to 25% of staff, starting with closing its civil rights office, AP sources sayThe IRS plans to cut as many as 20,000 staffers as part of layoffs that began Friday.

Georgia bill would compensate the wrongfully convicted and let Trump recover costs of election case
Read full article: Georgia bill would compensate the wrongfully convicted and let Trump recover costs of election caseGeorgia lawmakers passed a bill that would change how wrongfully convicted people are compensated.

Maya Angelou memoir, Holocaust book are among those pulled from Naval Academy library in DEI purge
Read full article: Maya Angelou memoir, Holocaust book are among those pulled from Naval Academy library in DEI purgeBooks on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, and Maya Angelou’s famous autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” were among the nearly 400 volumes removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library this week.

Columbia must give 30 days' notice before sharing student records with Congress' antisemitism probe
Read full article: Columbia must give 30 days' notice before sharing student records with Congress' antisemitism probeA Manhattan federal judge says Columbia University must give detained activist Mahmoud Khalil and other students 30 days' notice before handing over any more documents to Congress as it investigates antisemitism on college campuses.

Trump administration ends key grant program that helps communities prepare for disasters
Read full article: Trump administration ends key grant program that helps communities prepare for disastersThe Trump administration is ending a key program used by communities to pay for projects designed to help them prepare for natural disasters like flooding and fires.

Retirees keep their eyes on the economy as Trump's tariffs roil financial markets
Read full article: Retirees keep their eyes on the economy as Trump's tariffs roil financial marketsWith financial markets roiling as President Donald Trump unveiled his latest tariffs this week, the economy has been top of mind for many retirees.

Washington and Oregon sue over Trump elections order, saying mail voters could be disenfranchised
Read full article: Washington and Oregon sue over Trump elections order, saying mail voters could be disenfranchisedWashington and Oregon have become the latest states to ask a court to reject President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul elections in the U.S., a day after Democratic officials in 19 others filed a similar lawsuit.

Interior secretary orders national parks to be open and accessible as workforce is cut
Read full article: Interior secretary orders national parks to be open and accessible as workforce is cutU.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is directing national parks to remain open and accessible despite staff cuts, And he says officials will ensure proper staffing to let that happen.

Supreme Court allows Trump administration to cut teacher-training money, for now
Read full article: Supreme Court allows Trump administration to cut teacher-training money, for nowThe Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration’s plea to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher-training money as part of its anti-DEI efforts.

About 500 law firms sign brief challenging Trump's executive orders targeting the legal community
Read full article: About 500 law firms sign brief challenging Trump's executive orders targeting the legal communityPresident Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting the legal community pose “a grave threat to our system of constitutional governance and to the rule of law itself."

Hegseth is to travel to Panama for meetings following Trump's demands for the canal
Read full article: Hegseth is to travel to Panama for meetings following Trump's demands for the canalDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week to meet its leaders following recent U.S. allegations of Chinese interference in the operations of the critical Panama Canal shipping lane.

Billionaires Musk and Soros push Wisconsin Supreme Court race spending over $100M
Read full article: Billionaires Musk and Soros push Wisconsin Supreme Court race spending over $100MSpending by billionaires including Elon Musk and George Soros has helped push total spending on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race won by the Democratic-backed candidate over $100 million.

Chemical industry seeks exemptions from US pollution rules as part of Trump administration offer
Read full article: Chemical industry seeks exemptions from US pollution rules as part of Trump administration offerIndustry groups representing hundreds of chemical and petrochemical manufacturers are seeking blanket exemptions from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.

Judge blocks Trump from dismantling agency that funds community groups in Latin American countries
Read full article: Judge blocks Trump from dismantling agency that funds community groups in Latin American countriesA federal judge agreed on Friday to block the Trump administration from dismantling an independent agency that distributes grant money to community development groups in Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Congress has the power to halt Trump's tariffs. But Republicans aren't ready to use it
Read full article: Congress has the power to halt Trump's tariffs. But Republicans aren't ready to use itRepublicans in Congress are watching with unease as stock markets tumble in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

China hit brakes on TikTok deal after Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs, AP source says
Read full article: China hit brakes on TikTok deal after Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs, AP source saysPresident Donald Trump says he is signing an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 75 days.

The Energy Department identifies thousands of nonessential positions at risk of DOGE cuts
Read full article: The Energy Department identifies thousands of nonessential positions at risk of DOGE cutsThe Energy Department has identified thousands of federal workers it deems "nonessential" and would not be protected if there is a large-scale reduction in force.

Senate GOP approves framework for Trump's tax breaks and spending cuts after late-night session
Read full article: Senate GOP approves framework for Trump's tax breaks and spending cuts after late-night sessionSenate Republicans plugged away overnight and into early Saturday morning to approve their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks and spending cuts framework.

As stock market continues plummeting over tariffs, Trump spends the day at his golf course
Read full article: As stock market continues plummeting over tariffs, Trump spends the day at his golf coursePresident Donald Trump says his trade policies will never change despite sending the global economy into a tailspin by announcing tariffs on foreign imports.

Bondi announces charges in MS-13 killing as the Trump administration highlights its gang crackdown
Read full article: Bondi announces charges in MS-13 killing as the Trump administration highlights its gang crackdownAttorney General Pam Bondi says three alleged MS-13 gang members have been federally charged in connection with a killing a decade ago in Florida.

Trump administration issues demands on Harvard as conditions for billions in federal money
Read full article: Trump administration issues demands on Harvard as conditions for billions in federal moneySome alumni want Harvard to resist Trump administration demands the university must meet to receive $9 billion in federal grants and contracts being threatened during an investigation into campus antisemitism.

US electric vehicle industry is collateral damage in Trump's escalating trade war
Read full article: US electric vehicle industry is collateral damage in Trump's escalating trade warOne big loser in President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war is likely to be the U.S. electric vehicle industry.

Europe and Canada say they'll spend more on defense, but are cool on US demands
Read full article: Europe and Canada say they'll spend more on defense, but are cool on US demandsEuropean NATO allies and Canada say they will ramp up defense spending but are cool on U.S. demands for the size of their military budgets.

Texas bills requiring air-conditioned prisons languish despite temperatures being ruled unconstitutional
Read full article: Texas bills requiring air-conditioned prisons languish despite temperatures being ruled unconstitutionalThe five bills that would require complete air conditioning in state prisons haven’t had a hearing yet, and the money set for the upgrades falls short of the estimated cost.

The Latest: Stock market suffers worst week since 2020 after China retaliates against Trump tariffs
Read full article: The Latest: Stock market suffers worst week since 2020 after China retaliates against Trump tariffsMarkets are facing their worst crisis since the COVID crash after China matched President Donald Trump’s big raise in tariffs in the U.S. president’s escalating trade war.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gears up for potential Senate run after bribery probe dismissed
Read full article: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gears up for potential Senate run after bribery probe dismissedAfter months of hinting at a run for U.S. Senate, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's path has become clearer since the dismissal of a federal investigation.

Federal officials are quietly terminating the legal residency of some international college students
Read full article: Federal officials are quietly terminating the legal residency of some international college studentsA crackdown on foreign students is alarming college leaders, who say the Trump administration is using new tactics and vague justifications to push some students out of the country.

The US must return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison, a judge says
Read full article: The US must return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison, a judge saysA federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to arrange for the return of a Maryland man to the United States after he was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison.

Trump abruptly fires the 4-star general who headed the National Security Agency
Read full article: Trump abruptly fires the 4-star general who headed the National Security AgencyU.S. officials and members of Congress say President Donald Trump has abruptly fired the director of the National Security Agency.

Brown University to see half a billion in federal funding halted by Trump administration
Read full article: Brown University to see half a billion in federal funding halted by Trump administrationA White House official says the Trump administration is planning to halt more than half a billion dollars in contracts and grants awarded to Brown University.

Republicans moving ahead with Trump's 'big' bill of tax breaks and spending cuts amid tariff uproar
Read full article: Republicans moving ahead with Trump's 'big' bill of tax breaks and spending cuts amid tariff uproarAfter a long wait, the Senate is launching action on President Donald Trump’s ”“big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts.

A look at Laura Loomer, longtime Trump ally criticized for racist posts and Sept. 11 conspiracies
Read full article: A look at Laura Loomer, longtime Trump ally criticized for racist posts and Sept. 11 conspiraciesLaura Loomer, a right-wing personality known for her incendiary social media presence, appeared to have President Donald Trump's ear again.

States sue to block Trump's election order, saying it violates the Constitution
Read full article: States sue to block Trump's election order, saying it violates the ConstitutionThe White House is criticizing Democrats' lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s attempt to reshape elections.

Tariffs creating uncertainty in Texas as report shows slower revenue growth since late 2024
Read full article: Tariffs creating uncertainty in Texas as report shows slower revenue growth since late 2024Respondents to a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas survey expressed concern about a reduction in consumer demand and a potential recession.

Ken Paxton’s legal woes are lifting, clearing a path for a likely Senate run
Read full article: Ken Paxton’s legal woes are lifting, clearing a path for a likely Senate runThe federal criminal investigation into corruption allegations was the most serious inquiry Paxton faced. Its end nearly clears his slate of numerous legal battles.

San Antonio mayor’s race: Meet the candidates interviewed in KSAT’s ‘3 Questions’ series
Read full article: San Antonio mayor’s race: Meet the candidates interviewed in KSAT’s ‘3 Questions’ seriesKSAT’s “3 Questions” series features interviews with mayoral candidates in the May 3, 2025, election.

South Texas county leaders will lose some authority over SpaceX launches under new bill
Read full article: South Texas county leaders will lose some authority over SpaceX launches under new billThe lawmakers behind the bill promised there would not be an increase in the number of days the beach is closed.

Despite Texas defendant’s death in Louisiana prison, lawmakers unlikely to end reliance on out-of-state lockups
Read full article: Despite Texas defendant’s death in Louisiana prison, lawmakers unlikely to end reliance on out-of-state lockupsLawmakers are pursuing legislative changes that would keep more people locked up in overcrowded county jails while awaiting resolution to their cases.

Trump says things are 'going very well' after worst stock market drop in years over tariffs
Read full article: Trump says things are 'going very well' after worst stock market drop in years over tariffsPresident Donald Trump is sounding an upbeat note about his tariffs even as the stock market reacted by falling more than 1,600 points.