Author: rpnadmin

A coalition of 20 states, most led by Democrats, filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration on Tuesday after it threatened to withhold billions in funding unless the states followed its demands on immigration enforcement.The states called the threats, which would cut federal money for transportation, counterterrorism and emergency preparedness, “blatantly illegal” and a “hostage scheme.” They argued that the administration was usurping Congress’s authority over spending and using the power of the purse to force states to adopt its policies.“By hanging a halt in this critical funding over states like a sword of Damocles, defendants impose immense harm on…

Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson were reinstated by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making both eligible for the sport’s Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports gambling scandals.Manfred announced Tuesday that he was changing the league’s policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expire at death. Rose and Jackson were among 17 total players reinstated Tuesday.Rose’s permanent ban was lifted eight months after his death and came a day before the Cincinnati Reds will honor baseball’s career hits leader with Pete Rose Night.Also included in Tuesday’s reinstatement were Arnold “Chick” Grandel, Eddie Cicotte,…

A struggling technology company that has ties to China and relies on TikTok made an unusual announcement this week. It had secured funding to buy as much as $300 million of $TRUMP, the so-called memecoin marketed by President Trump.GD Culture Group, a publicly traded firm with a Chinese subsidiary, has only eight employees, its public filings show, and recorded zero revenue last year from an e-commerce business it operates on TikTok, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.But on Monday, GD Culture Group became the latest business with foreign ties to seize on Mr. Trump’s crypto venture, which channels profits directly to the…

You can often find the eldest brother of the Successor of the Prince of the Apostles down at the Twisted Fork restaurant in Port Charlotte, Fla., where, on Honky-Tonk Thursdays, he is most likely boot-scooting along with the rest of the line dancers.His ringtone plays the opening riffs of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” He incurred $20,000 in roof damage from Hurricane Ian. And until recently, anyone could read his Facebook posts, which included vulgar potshots at Nancy Pelosi and her husband and a pronouncement that supporters of Joseph R. Biden Jr. suffered from a “mental affliction.”Nearly a week after the…

Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who the Trump administration admitted was mistakenly included in a group of accused gang members sent to a prison in El Salvador, accused the government of having “stonewalled” the court-ordered facilitation of his return to the U.S.”Plaintiffs have sought discovery to uncover the truth as to the Government’s efforts (or lack thereof) as well as its abilities to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return—the essential issue in this case. Over and over, the Government has stonewalled Plaintiffs by asserting unsupported privileges— primarily state secrets and deliberative process—to withhold written discovery and to instruct witnesses…

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been carrying out President Trump’s vision to shrink government. On Monday, they announced an executive order aimed at drug prices. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Since taking the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services in February, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved quickly to shrink the agency, firing thousands of agency staffers. He’s canceled billions in grants to universities and public health departments, purged some leadership and shaken up the norms of the scientific review process. Both the firings and grant…

Advocates for private-school choice celebrated this week as a federal schools voucher bill moved closer to becoming law, a major milestone that eluded their movement during President Trump’s first term.The House Republican budget proposal that advanced on Monday would devote $5 billion to federal vouchers for private-school tuition, home-schooling materials and for-profit virtual learning.The program in the budget bill could bring vouchers to all 50 states for the first time, including Democratic-leaning ones that have long rejected the idea.Supporters hailed the proposal as “historic” and a “huge win,” but some cautioned that there was still much legislative haggling ahead.“Ultimately, every…

  1m ago Court back from lunch break Court resumes for the afternoon shortly after 1:15 p.m.Ventura remains on the stand and is being questioned by the prosecution.  By Alice Gainer https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live-updates/diddy-trial-live-updates-day-2/#post-update-ac43f8bb   Updated 9m ago Can I watch the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial live? Photos and videos from inside federal court are prohibited, so there is no live stream or broadcast of the trial. Courtroom sketches, however, are allowed.  A courtroom sketch shows Sean “Diddy” Combs on Day 2 of his sex trafficking and racketeering trial in New York City. Jane Rosenberg CBS News New York’s Alice Gainer is at…

Boys don’t cry… A call to action… The war party… Traveling to Cuba… Bill vs. Hill… Burning questions… The best medicine… Correction… Ad Policy This article appears in the June 2025 issue. Boys Don’t Cry Re “Are Men OK?,” by Eamon Whalen [April 2025]: I was taken with Richard Reeves’s idea that some boys and men might benefit from a boys’ and men’s support culture that is not built around toxic models of manhood but instead recognizes that some boys and men need more help with adapting to cultural changes or learning so-called “soft skills” than others. I take issue,…

During President Trump’s first term, the idea that special interests and governments were buying meals and booking rooms at his hotels set off legal and ethical alarms about the potential for corruption.Mr. Trump’s second term is making those concerns look trivial.The administration’s plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet from the Qatari royal family is only the latest example of an increasingly no-holds-barred atmosphere in Washington under Trump 2.0. Not only would the famously transactional chief executive be able to use the plane while in office, but he is also expected to transfer it to his presidential foundation once…