Author: Jack Birle

North Carolina is still rebuilding after Hurricane Helene‘s devastation, but a key piece of infrastructure partially reopened over the weekend. In the western part of the Tar Heel State, parts of various roadways vital for interstate travel and commerce, including Interstate-40, were washed away during flooding caused by the storm in September 2024. While the…

First lady Melania Trump will advocate for legislation to regulate deepfakes during a meeting on Capitol Hill Monday, her first solo engagement since returning to the White House. The bill Trump will highlight, the “TAKE IT DOWN” Act, was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), in the last…

The meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Friday got heated when the two world leaders and Vice President JD Vance had a spirited exchange. The exchange among the three men in the Oval Office was the precursor to Trump booting Zelensky from the White House, telling him…

Elon Musk pleaded for retired air traffic controllers to consider returning to work as the Trump administration attempts to fix a long-running shortage in the field following several recent air travel incidents. Air traffic controllers face mandatory retirement at the end of the month they turn 56, with an exemption available to allow exceptional performers…

The Social Security Administration is preparing for “significant workforce reductions.” As part of these changes, it has offered current employees up to $25,000 to resign. The Office of Personnel Management issued a memorandum earlier this week advising agency heads to have their reorganization plans developed by March 13, including reductions in the workforce as part…

In the Golden State, lawmakers hope to prevent Hollywood from filming movies and shows in other places by expanding current tax breaks for productions in California. State Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur and state Sen. Ben Allen, both Democrats, introduced a pair of bills, AB 1138 and SB 630, which they claim will modernize the tax…

The Department of Government Efficiency, at the direction of Elon Musk, has dominated the headlines throughout the first month of the second Trump administration, but despite blowback, efforts to cut the government are still going forward. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the next targets for staff cuts include the Labor Department, the Social Security…

House Democratic leadership is holding a press conference on Capitol Hill, days after the House GOP narrowly passed through a budget resolution to begin negotiations with the Senate GOP. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is expected to begin his press conference from Washington, D.C., at 11:30 a.m. DRAMATIC HOUSE BUDGET VOTE EXPOSES ATTENDANCE PROBLEMS…

The North Carolina House pushed forward $500 million in aid to rebuild the western part of the state from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, roughly half the amount Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) asked for. House Bill 47 passed unanimously Tuesday, authorizing funding for millions of dollars in road building, home reconstruction, and agriculture relief,…

Dolton, Illinois, Mayor Tiffany Henyard lost the Democratic primary for reelection in a landslide after a turbulent term in which she was embroiled in various scandals. Since taking office in 2021 in the village outside Chicago, Henyard’s rocky tenure has led to her being dubbed “America’s worst mayor” by critics, while she has proclaimed herself…