The U.S. national debt hit crossed 100 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of March, with signs that it might cross the record of 106 percent of GDP reached immediately after World War II. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released data on the national debt reaching 100.2 percent of GDP on Thursday,...

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) on Thursday suspended the May 16 primary elections for the House in his state, a day after the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s addition of a second majority-Black congressional district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Landry signed an executive order suspending the elections, for which early voting was set to...

President Trump joked about the possibility of him wearing a bulletproof vest in the future on Thursday in the aftermath of a third assassination attempt, joking that he does not know if he “can handle looking 20 pounds heavier.”  The comment elicited laughs in the Oval Office where Trump was fielding questions from the press. ...

The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that new caps on federal loans for graduate school programs will go into effect July 1.  The department said this decision is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the costs of postsecondary education and streamline the student loan repayment process. Last July, President Trump signed the...

US president faced a 60-day deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it

A US-Iran ceasefire that began in early April has “terminated” hostilities between the two sides for the purposes of an approaching congressional war powers deadline, a senior official of the Trump administration said on Thursday.

Donald Trump faced a deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it, but the date was most likely to pass without altering the course of the war.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

© Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

CNBC host Jim Cramer on Thursday slammed the newest inflation report signaling financial gloom for the coming months. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index, which reflects changes in the prices of goods and services purchased by consumers in the U.S., rose by 0.7 percent from February to March. The index is compiled by the Commerce Department's...

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) accused Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) of making fun of President Trump, noting that the New York Republican “hated” the president. “He hated Donald Trump, made fun of him constantly, mimicked him, making fun of his voice,” Greene told conservative media personality Tucker Carlson in an interview released Wednesday, in...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is back in the hot seat Thursday, facing questions from senators over the ongoing Iran war and President Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget request a day after clashing with House Democrats. The House on Thursday passed a bill by voice vote to fund the bulk of the Department of Homeland Security...

President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that expands retirement benefits for employees who do not have access to such benefits through their employers. The executive order does not create a new government retirement plan, but it helps match workers with existing plans from private companies. Under the order, the Treasury Department will launch TrumpIRA.gov, where...

President Trump said Thursday that he is removing tariffs on Scotch whisky after the visit from King Charles III and Queen Camilla. “I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland...

Four months after US capture of Nicolás Maduro, officials hail repairing of ties as airliner touches down in Caracas

US and Venezuelan officials have hailed a new era in diplomatic relations as the first direct commercial flight between the two countries in more than seven years landed in Caracas.

Nearly four months ago, US special forces attack helicopters and planes swept into the skies over Venezuela’s capital after Donald Trump ordered the capture of its president, Nicolás Maduro.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

© Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

© Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

A conservative TV host pressed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Thursday about rising fuel prices across the U.S. as the war in Iran stretches past 60 days. The average cost of gas has skyrocketed amid the ongoing conflict, hitting the highest level in four years on Tuesday. The national average as of Thursday morning...