Author: rpnadmin

Washington — Sen. Dick Durbin announced Wednesday he won’t seek reelection in 2026, kickstarting a race for his long-held seat representing Illinois — and a broader shakeup of Democratic leadership in the Senate.Durbin, 80, has served since 2005 as the Democratic whip, the second-ranking position in Democratic leadership. First under former Democratic leader Harry Reid and now under Chuck Schumer, the Illinois Democrat has shepherded the caucus through votes, while being a prominent voice on the leadership team for two decades. After the 2026 elections, the whip position will be up for grabs. And the announcement has spurred whispers about…

President Trump is approaching the 100-day mark of his second term with historically low levels of support and growing questions from voters about his use of power to advance his agenda, according to the latest poll from The New York Times and Siena College.His approval rating is 42 percent, low for a president who just took office, and he shows early signs of erosion on a signature strength: the economy.Mr. Trump’s base of Republican support remains resilient and solidly behind him. But he faces united opposition from Democratic voters and skepticism from independent ones.Here are five takeaways:Voters think Trump has…

Voters believe President Trump is overreaching with his aggressive efforts to expand executive power, and they have deep doubts about some of the signature pieces of his agenda, a New York Times/Siena College poll found.The turbulent early months of Mr. Trump’s administration are seen as “chaotic” and “scary” by majorities of voters — even many who approve of the job he is doing. Voters do not view him as understanding the problems in their daily lives and have soured on his leadership as he approaches his 100th day in office.Mr. Trump’s approval rating sits at 42 percent. His standing is…

American consumers are starting to feel the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, especially online.Since the second week in April, sellers on Amazon have raised their prices on nearly 1,000 products, according to data from SmartScout, a price analysis software tool. The average price hike — nearly 30%. Costs rose on a wide range of items, from tech accessories such as phone charges to women’s clothing, SmartScout founder and CEO Scott Needham told CBS MoneyWatch. Anker, a top-selling brand on Amazon that sells mobile charging devices, has increased prices on roughly 25% of its products on the site, for…

Danielle Waterfield was fired, rehired and fired again from her job at CHIPS for America, part of the Department of Commerce. Now, she fears her health insurance was cut off weeks ago, even though she was told otherwise. Andrea Hsu/NPR hide caption toggle caption Andrea Hsu/NPR Danielle Waterfield was already dealing with the shock and disappointment of being fired from a job she loved. An attorney recruited to the Commerce Department’s CHIPS for America program in 2023, Waterfield had felt she was part of something monumental, something that would move the country forward: rebuilding America’s semiconductor industry. Instead, nearly two…

The Wisconsin judge who was arrested on Friday morning on charges of obstructing immigration enforcement spent most of her legal career working on behalf of low-income people and marginalized groups.Federal authorities arrested the judge, Hannah C. Dugan of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, on suspicion that she “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from” an immigrant being pursued by federal authorities, Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, wrote on social media, in a post that was quickly deleted for unknown reasons. The authorities said that in March, Judge Dugan directed an undocumented immigrant through a side door in her courtroom while the…

President Trump has repeatedly shared an image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s finger tattoos in an effort to link the Maryland man, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador on March 15, to the notorious MS-13 gang. On Monday, Mr. Trump again shared a photo of Abrego Garcia’s left hand on social media, alleging he “had ‘MS-13’ tattooed onto his knuckles.” The image shows the characters “M,” “S,” “1” and “3” digitally added above Abrego Garcia’s existing tattoos — a leaf, a smiley face, a cross and a skull — along with labels describing each symbol beneath. Many people online recognized the labels as…

April 25, 2025 The current crisis builds on decades of neoliberal plunder and economic austerity authored by both conservative and liberal politicians. Ad Policy Activists hold a rally outside of the US Supreme Court Building on April 22, 2024, in Washington, DC.(Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images) This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com. The day after Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the 10 richest people in the world—including nine Americans—expanded their wealth by nearly $64 billion, the greatest single-day increase in recorded…

An American cardinal who was accused of covering up cases of sexual abuse by priests and was later stripped of some duties, is set to play an official role in the ceremonies surrounding Pope Francis’ funeral.Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the former archbishop of Los Angeles, will participate in the closing of the pope’s casket at St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday evening and in his burial at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday, according to Vatican announcements.The cardinals taking part were chosen based on seniority, a spokesman for the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, said at a news briefing on…

U.S. stocks whipsawed on Friday, signaling an end to a three-day rally that was driven by investor hopes of a de-escalation in the trade war.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, to 40,017 in early afternoon trading, while the S&P 500 inched higher 24 points, or 0.4%, to 5,509. The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.9%, thanks to boost from a handful of Big Tech stocks.Mr. Trump had adopted a softer tune on trade in recent days, allaying investors’ concerns and helping trigger a three-day relief rally following a volatile trading day on Monday. Paul Ashworth, a chief…