Author: Olive Metuge

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. What Happened: A trio of lawmakers demanded transparency from the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday, saying the Trump administration continues to “stonewall” requests for details on the agency’s recent cancellation of hundreds of service contracts. The group, which included Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Angus King, as well as Rep. Mark Takano, said that despite repeated requests, the agency has disclosed incomplete and inaccurate lists that failed to specify exactly which contracts have been canceled. Blumenthal and Takano…

Tom BatemanBBC State Department CorrespondentGetty ImagesUS Black Hawk helicopters flying over Baghdad in December 2024Non-essential US embassy staff and their dependants in Baghdad are to be evacuated from Iraq due to heightened security risks, US government sources have said.Officials did not say exactly what prompted the removal, however, on Wednesday, US officials were told Israel was ready to launch an operation into Iran, the BBC’s US partner CBS reported, citing officials familiar with the matter. The officials said this was part of the reason the US advised some Americans to leave the region, and that the US anticipated Iran could…

U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday named eight members to serve on a key panel of vaccine advisers after abruptly firing all 17 sitting members of the independent panel of experts.They will sit on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). Eight is the minimum number allowed by law.Four of the new members have previously worked on committees associated with either the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, or both.Kennedy named Joseph R. Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Robert W. Malone, Cody Meissner, James Pagano, Vicky Pebsworth and Michael A. Ross.Meissner…

On June 7, 2024, a large group of reporters covering the Supreme Court (including this reporter) sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, asking him to consider live-streaming the audio of the court’s opinion announcements. They have not received a response to the letter, which they are now publicly releasing. The letter appears below. (In an article we ran on June 3, Kit Beyer of Fix the Court also urged the justices to livestream opinion announcements.)  Posted in Featured, What’s Happening Now Recommended Citation: Amy Howe, Reporters call for live-streaming opinion announcements, SCOTUSblog (Jun. 11, 2025, 1:33 PM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/06/reporters-call-for-live-streaming-opinion-announcements/…

Dad deserves more than another tie this Father’s DayThis Father’s Day, go beyond the usual gifts and treat Dad to something he’ll truly remember. Whether he’s into teeing off on the green or chasing thrills in the desert, we’ve rounded up the best ways to celebrate across Dubai. From relaxed experiences to high-energy adventures, there’s something here for every kind of dad.Topgolf, Emirates Golf ClubCelebrate the real MVPs with some friendly competition at Topgolf Dubai’s father & child tournament. Tee off for two hours of gameplay, enjoy 10% off food and drinks, and make memories that go beyond the scorecard.…

ProPublica announced on Wednesday a new call for proposals to select the next five partners in its Local Reporting Network. These newsrooms will be chosen to be part of the organization’s 50 State Initiative, a commitment to partnering with one newsroom from each state by 2029. The deadline for applications is July 21 at 5 p.m. Eastern. Reporters selected for the one-year program will begin work on Oct. 1, 2025. Through this partnership, ProPublica will reimburse news organizations for the salary of the selected reporter (up to $75,000 plus a benefits stipend) so they can spend a year working full…

Peter Hoskins & Natalie ShermanBBC NewsGetty ImagesTalks aimed at cooling tensions between the US and China have ended in a “deal”, according to US President Donald Trump.He said China had agreed to supply US companies with magnets and rare earth metals, while the US would walk back its threats to revoke visas of Chinese students.”Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval from President Xi and me,” Trump wrote his media platform Truth Social. It followed two days of intense talks in London to resolve conflicts that had emerged since the two sides agreed a truce in May,…

Austrian authorities were searching on Wednesday for answers to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country’s modern history.Police said the man, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, acted alone. They are scouring his home and the internet for clues as to why he opened fire on the school in Graz, Austria’s second largest city, on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom.The incident was hard to properly take in, said a religious studies teacher at the school,…

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Monday morning read: Coming up: On Thursday, June 12, the court expects to issue one or more opinions from the current term. We’ll be live at 9:30 a.m. EDT that day for the opinion(s). Recommended Citation: , The morning read for Monday, June 9, SCOTUSblog (Jun. 9, 2025, 9:00 AM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/06/the-morning-read-for-monday-june-9/ Source link

When “away” is just a table away…Summer is here. You want out but can’t go far. You didn’t book a flight. You stayed. But that doesn’t mean you want to feel stuck. Maybe you’re just a little homesick – for a pace, a place, a feeling. So you start choosing spots that feel slightly off the map – not literally, but figuratively. A little quieter, a little slower. That kind of energy where lunch turns into golden hour and “one glass” becomes five. It’s not Greece, or Italy, or Thailand, or Brazil – but it almost could be. You get…