The decision by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to not seek reelection next year could give Republican leaders headaches as he looks forward to wielding his newfound political freedom.
Tillis announced his retirement amid the GOP's dash to pass the party's tax and spending package, having cropped up as a surprise "no" vote in the final weeks of negotiations.
Now, questions are swirling about what's to come from Tillis, who had been a reliable ally of Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) during his tenure as Republican leader, as he faces the next year-and-a-half untethered from what was to be a tough electoral fight and free to speak his mind. That could spell trouble for leaders as they work to keep the conference united on government funding, judicial nominations and other top priorities. |
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Senate Democrats are warning the Trump administration's effort to claw back funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting programs threatens bipartisan negotiations to fund the government ahead of a September shutdown deadline.
Republicans are ramping up efforts to try to pass a package of more than $9 billion in funding cuts requested by President Trump last month. But the push faces staunch opposition from Democrats, who say the efforts by the executive branch to undercut previous funding decisions made on a bipartisan basis by Congress could further erode trust between the two sides in current talks. |
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio began mass firings at the State Department on Monday, part of a reorganization plan to form a leaner foreign policy force that, he argues, will allow the United States to respond more nimbly by removing layers of bureaucracy.
The department sent reduction in force (RIF) notices Friday morning to about 1,100 civil servants and 250 foreign service officers stationed in the U.S., with plans to cut its workforce further. |
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Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is at the center of internal fighting in the Trump administration about the handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, leading to questions about Bongino's future in his role.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill that Bongino is furious over the handling of the Epstein documents and has clashed with Justice Department leaders over the issue this week. |
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South Carolina is already setting the stage for the shadow 2028 presidential primaries as potential White House hopefuls from both parties travel to the Palmetto State.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) traveled through rural South Carolina during a two-day tour this past week, while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are expected to head to the state later this month.
Over on the Republican side, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is speaking at a South Carolina GOP fundraiser next month, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) recently made trips to South Carolina and Iowa, according to Axios reports. |
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BY ALEJANDRA O'CONNELL-DOMENECH |
Planned Parenthood stands to lose a huge portion of its federal funding under President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which could result in the closure of up to 200 clinics, according to the organization.
Not only will many Americans lose access to abortion care if those clinics close, but millions of people treated by the provider may delay or go without primary health care.
"It's going to pretty devastating if that happens," said Nisha Verma, senior adviser of reproductive health policy and advocacy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. |
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A federal judge seemed inclined to limit the Trump administration from again swiftly deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was previously mistakenly removed to El Salvador.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis at a Friday hearing expressed concern that Abrego Garcia would be almost immediately deported if he is released before facing his criminal trial in Tennessee and transferred to immigration custody, which could occur as soon as Wednesday. |
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Republicans are showing a growing appetite for long-threatened sanctions that would seek to cut off Russia from vital trading partners like China, India and possibly Europe, as President Trump looks for leverage to stop the Ukraine war.
Trump earlier this week sided with Ukraine hawks in Congress when he said the U.S. would continue providing crucial Patriot air-defense missiles and other weapons to Kyiv, apparently overruling a Pentagon directive days earlier pausing those shipments. |
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A staffer with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has now taken on a key role at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which President Trump has sought to reduce and reform despite its independent status.
David Wright, whom Trump has renominated for a spot on the commission, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that "there is currently one staff member detailed to the NRC from [the Department of Energy]." |
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BY DAVID J. KRAMER AND STEPHANIE S. STREETT |
OPINION | As we approach America's 250th birthday, our country faces complex challenges. A 2025 Marist survey found that Americans are concerned — 77 percent say the issues that divide us are a serious threat to the future of our democracy.
Yet our common humanity is much deeper and more powerful than our differences.
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OPINION | This last week was not one of celebration for me, but of heartbreak.
While others celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks and family gatherings, I was forced to furlough more than 800 low-income older adults from a program that offers them purpose, community and the ability to survive. |
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Even after President Trump announced sweeping global tariffs in April, some investors and supporters comforted themselves by arguing that the president's goal was still to open global markets, not close them off.
The belief, promoted by Trump himself, was that he was using his tariffs as a lever to crack open foreign markets and the administration would soon deliver dozens of deals that would increase U.S. exports and help American businesses flourish abroad. |
BY MICAH MAIDENBERG AND BECKY PETERSON |
Collapsing electric-vehicle sales, political fallout and an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot publishing antisemitic posts — much of Elon Musk's business empire is in disarray.
But the executive's rocket-and-satellite company remains as dominant as ever, riding high on the strength of technologies that rivals haven't mastered and deep relationships with U.S. government officials.
Privately held SpaceX has been working on a sale of employee shares that would value it at $400 billion, up 14 percent from six months ago, according to people familiar with the situation. |
BY CHARLOTTE KRAMON AND SEJAL GOVINDARAO |
Deja Foxx celebrated her April birthday in a way most 25-year-olds don't. The extra candle meant she was now eligible to represent Arizona in Congress, and Foxx marked the occasion with a fundraiser.
She's part of a wide-ranging group of young Democratic candidates, many running to replace older incumbents, who have grown restless waiting for their turn to lead their party back to power.
After a crushing 2024 election loss, they say the party desperately needs a rebranding — and young leaders should steer it. |
BY AZI PAYBARAH, ÁLVARO VALIÑO AND KEVIN SCHAUL |
When President Trump's Cabinet convened for its first public meeting in late February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had two additional titles. So did Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins.
By the second such meeting in late April, Collins was down to one job, and Rubio had four. Trump's vow to shrink the federal government appears to rely, at least in part, on top officials doing multiples jobs simultaneously. |
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