April 3, 2025 at 11:24 AM EDT
'Record-setting': DOGE layoffs fueling worst unemployment surge since first Trump admin

Critics of President Donald Trump, including liberal economists Paul Krugman and Robert Reich, are warning that between steep new tariffs, mass deportations and mass layoffs of federal government employees, the United States may be in for a painful economic downturn. Krugman argues that the layoffs, which the Trump Administration is carrying out with the help of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are problematic not only because so many skilled workers are being laid off, but also, because putting so many people out of work at once isn't healthy for the economy.

April 3, 2025 at 11:13 AM EDT
Embattled MAGA schools chief now at the center of several lawsuits

OKLAHOMA CITY -- In a litigious week for Oklahoma's top education official, state Superintendent Ryan Walters has both sued and been sued by advocacy groups. The Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Walters, his administration and the state Board of Education in Oklahoma County District Court.

April 3, 2025 at 11:06 AM EDT
Swing state Republican literally phones it in to town hall as voters express fear

As Republicans face increasingly critical crowds in town halls or avoid them altogether, Rep. Scott Perry (R-10) held a telephone town hall to answer constituents' questions. Perry's event came a week after a Democratic state Senate candidate won a special election in a Trump+15 District in Lancaster County, not far from his own congressional district. And on Tuesday, a liberal candidate for Wisconsin's state Supreme Court beat a conservative opponent. It was a race widely seen as a referendum on Trump's agenda, and in particular the role of billionaire megadonor Elon Musk, who poured millions into the contest.

April 2, 2025 at 9:54 PM EDT
'Even Mike Pence knows': Internet erupts after Trump's former VP skewers his new tariffs

Shortly after President Donald Trump issued Wednesday's announcement of new tariffs, four Senate Republicans joined Democrats to extend a lopsided bipartisan rebuke to his trade policy. The Senate adopted a resolution by a 51 to 48 vote to block his proposed tariffs on imports from Canada, a longtime US ally. Now, former Vice President Mike Pence is further infuriating Trump supporters by calling out his new tariffs as "a tax."

April 2, 2025 at 9:01 PM EDT
'Cracks are starting to form': 4 GOP senators join Dems to deal huge blow to Trump's power

Several Senate Republicans have broken from the rest of their conference on a major vote that could limit some of President Donald Trump's authority over trade. In a Wednesday post to Bluesky, Aaron Fritschner -- the deputy chief of staff for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) -- announced that a resolution by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) narrowly passed the Senate on a 51-48 vote. That resolution would end the state of emergency Trump declared to justify his tariffs imposed on imported goods from Canada. In addition to all 47 Democrats, Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also voted yes.

April 2, 2025 at 7:45 PM EDT
'Can't afford that': Car dealer reveals how much your payment may jump under Trump tariffs

President Donald Trump's newly announced tariffs are already causing a strong reaction among American car dealerships, who warn that their new import duties are about to translate to higher prices for buyers. David Auto Group President David Kelleher told CNN on Wednesday that monthly car payments could easily bounce almost $200 a month for buyers under Trump's new tariffs on imports.

April 2, 2025 at 7:25 PM EDT
'Stocks getting destroyed': Investors panic after Trump tariffs 'made the stock market tank'

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he would be imposing broad new tariffs, referring to April 2 as "Liberation Day" for American companies. But financial markets are so far reacting with shock. Trump declared a state of emergency in order to put in place 10% across-the-board tariffs on all imported products, in addition to targeted tariffs on specific countries in Asia and Europe. CNBC reported that Trump's 46% tariff on goods imported from Vietnam is specifically wreaking havoc on the apparel sector. The furniture and toy sectors are also being impacted by the new trade duties.

April 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM EDT
'What are you doing?' Fired federal worker responds to GOP senator who called him a 'clown'

Former US Department of Health and Human Services employee Mack Schroeder got his chance to snap at Sen. Jim Banks' (R-Ind.) support of spending cuts affecting roughly 10,000 full-time federal employees. Schroeder, who was fired in February, confronted Banks in the halls of Congress, but found an unsympathetic ear from the Indiana senator.

April 2, 2025 at 4:48 PM EDT
A 'bitter night for Trump'

Although the 2026 midterm elections are still 19 months away, Democratic and GOP strategists are keeping a close eye on 2025 elections to get a possible preview of what lies ahead. And the outcome of elections held on Tuesday, April 1 gave Republicans both good and bad news. In deep red districts in Florida, GOP candidates enjoyed double-digit victories in two special elections for U.S. House of Representatives seats. But in a Wisconsin Supreme Court election, Republicans suffered a major disappointment when liberal Judge Susan Crawford defeated conservative Judge Brad Schimel by roughly 10 percent.

April 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM EDT
'Not answering the question': Surprise guest shows up as House Dems blast education cuts

WASHINGTON -- A press conference by a dozen U.S. House Democrats outside the U.S. Department of Education took an unusual turn on Wednesday when the subject of their criticism -- Education Secretary Linda McMahon -- unexpectedly joined them. The Democrats had met with the Trump administration appointee a few minutes earlier to press her about the sweeping shifts at the U.S. Department of Education, where she and President Donald Trump are seeking to dismantle the agency.

April 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM EDT
'Parade of incompetence' revealed with new Trump security bombshell

Less than two weeks ago there was SignalGate, the Trump administration's national security scandal that potentially endangered the lives of U.S. service members, and risked exposing military plans, by using an insecure channel to discuss, map out, and announce progress of an attack in Yemen. Then there was the Trump administration's passwords scandal, where passwords, email addresses, and phone numbers of top Trump national security officials were easily found online. And just yesterday, GmailGate, the Trump administration's use of the even less-secure commercial email app, to conduct government business.

April 2, 2025 at 4:19 PM EDT
'Freak the world out': Pollster warns Trump tariffs will cause 'explosion on Wall Street'

Frank Luntz -- a renowned polling expert and longtime messaging guru for the Republican Party -- is cautioning that President Donald Trump's tariffs could be particularly harmful to the economy and consumer confidence. During a Tuesday interview on CNN, Luntz said that Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs may cause significant shock to financial markets after they've been rolled out. He observed that Trump moved his tariff announcement from 3 PM to 4 PM, "because the markets are closed" at that point.