All articles tagged with #us government
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Washington has seized roughly $1 billion in cryptocurrency tied to Iran, claiming the funds were pulled directly from wallets as part of a wide crackdown on Tehran’s crypto activity amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
A federal judge in Virginia temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using or processing claims in the nearly $1.8 billion payout fund for people who allege they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted, ordering that no money be released for now as a June 12 hearing in Alexandria weighs constitutional and Administrative Procedure Act challenges.
The Trump administration released a new app to manage child investment accounts, with the federal government seeding $1,000 per eligible child starting July 4; the tool, available on Apple and Google stores, includes financial literacy modules and is aimed at nearly 6 million children born between 2025 and 2028.
A Washington Post explainer outlines nearly $1.8 billion set aside to compensate people the administration says were wrongly investigated or prosecuted, clarifying how the fund would be financed (notably via the Judgment Fund), how payouts would be distributed, and the legal and transparency scrutiny it faces—including questions about whether Jan. 6 cases could be eligible.
An analysis of how the current Ebola outbreak tests U.S. pandemic preparedness, noting that the centralized interagency response built in 2014—coordinated by a White House Ebola czar with involvement from the Pentagon, CDC, USAID, DHS, state officials, hospitals and international partners—has largely faded, raising concerns about the administration’s ability to mount a fast, coordinated national response today.
The United States temporarily barred green-card holders who had traveled to Ebola-affected Congo (DRC), Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days from re-entering the U.S., a public-health measure officials say is meant to prevent Ebola from entering American borders.
A hantavirus outbreak aboard an Atlantic expedition ship has killed three passengers and is testing a slice of the Trump-era health leadership who had publicly questioned pandemic-era public health messaging as they now lead the response to a new, uncertain threat.
A jam-packed live updates roundup from Capitol Hill shows a week of partisan flashpoints: Nebraska’s Senate primary reshapes the race against Pete Ricketts, while White House pressure aims to force House Republicans to pass the Senate housing bill as written amid debates over investor restrictions and a digital‑currency ban; a heated fight over $1 billion in Secret Service funding tied to the President’s ballroom sparks intra‑party friction. The feed also tracks crypto‑ethics talks ahead of a Thursday markup, leadership rumors (including Anna Paulina Luna’s RNC chair considerations and Tom Kean Jr.’s absence), and oversight drama from Epstein‑related hearings to DOJ settlements—highlighting a tense pre‑midterm political sprint.
Palantir posted an 85% year-over-year revenue increase in the first quarter, led by strong demand from the U.S. government and commercial clients, signaling continued growth for the data-analytics software company.
The State Department announced a limited run of commemorative U.S. passports featuring President Donald Trump’s image and gold signature on the inside cover to mark America's 250th anniversary; the design shows Trump over the Declaration of Independence with an American flag, but the standard passport design remains available elsewhere and core security features are unchanged.
The State Department will issue a limited run of commemorative America250 passports that feature a large photograph of Donald Trump on the inside cover, bordered by the Declaration of Independence and the US flag with Trump’s gold signature, as part of the 250th-anniversary celebrations. The department has not disclosed the quantity. The push to spotlight Trump on various federal items continues alongside other America250 projects, including proposed coins, a large arch, and other branded memorabilia.
The Vox explainer argues that while the 25th Amendment has triggered attention, it’s not a practical route to remove President Trump: it requires a cabinet majority and a two‑thirds vote in both houses, an almost insurmountable hurdle in today’s polarized politics. By comparison, parliamentary democracies can remove leaders more easily, so the United States is unlikely to oust Trump before 2029 via the 25th Amendment.
The Trump administration announced a ban on importing newly manufactured routers from foreign companies, citing national security risks tied to supply-chain vulnerabilities and potential threats from foreign-made equipment.
Internal memos published in a lawsuit allege U.S. health officials largely ignored hundreds of studies and built the decision to end Covid vaccine recommendations for pregnant people and children on a narrow, potentially biased evidence base, sparking criticism that policy shifts were ideology-driven even as data show vaccination reduces risks in pregnancy and protects young infants.
CME Group CEO Terry Duffy warned that US intervention in oil futures to lower prices would erode confidence in price discovery and could be a biblical disaster for markets, as officials weigh measures to curb oil prices amid volatility; the administration has already released strategic reserves and is considering other options, while analysts caution that government action in markets could backfire.