Multiple FEMA staff who signed an open letter criticizing the Trump administration's budget cuts to disaster preparedness were placed on leave Tuesday, the Washington Post first reported.
The big picture: Among the workers who signed the letter are "individuals who were directly helping relief efforts in Kerr County, Texas" following July's deadly floods, said a spokesperson for Stand Up for Science, the nonprofit that publicized the declaration, in a Tuesday night email that called the administration's action "illegal."
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday said "masked ICE agents" have "not worked" andcalled National Guard troops sent from other states inefficient under President Trump's federal takeover.
The big picture: Despite the critique, Bowser's 20-day review of the crackdown was overwhelmingly positive — a significant toneshift for the mayor, who suggested she and Trump are on the same page when it comes to "priorities around safety and investment in infrastructure."
Packing a few beach reads ahead of the holiday this weekend? You're one of a diminishing few.
The share of Americans who read for pleasure has been falling for the past two decades, finds a new comprehensive analysis of Census Bureau data on time use.
Why it matters: Reading is pretty great — with benefits for literacy, logical reasoning, your job prospects and health, the researchers point out.
The first casualty of mid-decade Republican redistricting, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) told Axios on Wednesday he worried a reelection bid would have caused an intense intraparty fight.
Why it matters: Doggett, 78, says he thinks he could have won a primary against U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin), the 36-year-old Progressive Caucus chair, but with retirement nearing anyway, he decided not to.
Why it matters: Patients who now want to get the COVID vaccines will first have to consult with their doctor rather than booking directly with a pharmacy, adding another step to the process.
The Department of Transportation will take over management of Washington, D.C.'s train hub, Union Station, multipleoutlets reported on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Union Station has been a focal point for the Trump administration's military deployment in D.C. Top members of the Trump administration — including Vice President Vance — bashedthe station's management and cast it as crime-ridden at an Aug. 20 press conference.
A forthcoming Trump administration plan to make Cold War-era plutonium available to power companies for reactor fuel deserves a close look, nuclear industry officials said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Experts in arms control and nuclear safety say the idea — which would repurpose plutonium from dismantled warheads — is costly and dangerous.
President Trump's attempt to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook is the latest example of the president using mortgage fraud investigations as a cudgel to threaten his political adversaries.
Why it matters: Trump could be setting a precedent that gives the president significant discretion to decide what meets the "for cause" standard for firing federal officials who have historically been protected from political intervention.
A grand jury rejected federal prosecutors' bid to indict a man accused of throwing a sandwich at a federal agent this month, multipleoutlets reported.
Why it matters: The grand jury's denial was another sign of D.C. residents pushing back on President Trump's mobilization of National Guard troops and federal agents to the streets of Washington.
President Trump called for billionaire George Soros and his son to face charges under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for supporting nationwide protests in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.
U.S. infrastructure investing is becoming unstable, particularly when it comes to renewable energy projects.
Driving the news: The Trump administration last week ordered a stop to work on an offshore wind farm in Rhode Island, even though 65 of the 85 turbines already are installed.
Denmark's foreign minister summoned a top U.S. diplomat on Wednesday following reports that Americans linked to President Trump allegedly carried out covert influence operations in Greenland, multipleoutletsreported.
Why it matters: Trump has been insistent about his desire to take control of the Danish territory, and has not ruled out military force to seize the world's largest island from one of the U.S.'s longtime allies.
The Trump administration has no plans to pursue a stake in Nvidia, but does intend to invest in industrial companies, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday.
Why it matters: The White House has made clear it intends to take positions in companies across the economy, as it did with Intel.
Decades of experiencehave been wiped from the highest levels of the U.S. military, the result of retirements and removals in the first year of the second Trump administration.
Why it matters: Ask anyone — seriously, anyone — in the national security space and they'll tell you: Expertise greatly matters, especially at this precarious moment in history.
The U.S. has for almost a decade been on a cross-country nuclear weapons odyssey known as plutonium pit production.
The project to pump out cores for nuclear warheads in South Carolina and New Mexico, as drawn up in 2018, is now years behind schedule and billions beyond budget estimates.
Why it matters: A memo this month from Energy Department leadership reignites questions about the future of the effort, which has become a punching bag for critics and a pea among the mattresses of nuclear modernization.
President Trump is gradually testing, stretching and gutting the independence of America's major institutions, leaving few stones unturned in his pursuit of unchecked power.
Why it matters: In Trump's vision of America, authority flows only from his consent. The firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook — a first in modern history — shows that even the central bank's legendary independence is no longer untouchable.
Senior Democratic officials want to hold a rare national convention before the 2026 midterms to showcase candidates and emerging leaders of the party, people familiar with the conversations tell Axios.
Why it matters: The event — a smaller version of the national conventions the party holds in presidential election years — would allow the party to fundraise and get media attention as it tries to win back both chambers of Congress next year.
President Trump's 50% tariffs on India took effect on Wednesday amid Indian officials urging citizens to buy more products made in the country.
Why it matters: The long-standing U.S. ally now faces some of the highest tariffs that Trump has imposed anywhere in the world, and the highest in Asia, over India's purchases of Russian oil.
Cracker Barrel is dropping its new logo and returning to the "Old Timer" design after criticism from some customers, including MAGA figures who decried the switch as a "woke" gesture.
Why it matters: The Lebanon, Tennessee-based chain's announcement came hours after President Trump weighed in on the corporate culture war clash and called on Cracker Barrel to "go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response."
What he's saying: "Instead of saying, 'Trump's right about crime, it's really bad in Chicago, you have ... the governor of Illinois saying that crime has been much better in Chicago recently and Trump is a dictator," the president said. "Most people say, 'If you go with dictator, if he stops crime, he can be, he can be whatever he wants — I'm not a dictator, by the way."
