Author: Surina Venkat

President Trump’s return to office has fueled the grassroots forces that have driven a spike in LGBTQ book bans in recent years, creating a notable chill in the market for queer stories, according to authors and others in the publishing industry. The effect has been most keenly felt within children’s book publishing, where editors and…

The Trump administration’s first year in office kicked off a variety of legal challenges and policy changes spanning federal spending practices to sweeping tariffs, prompting Americans to scramble to understand the size and scope of these reforms. The chaotic environment has led news outlets covering the American legal and judicial system to pivot, pursuing different…

As data centers hurtle to the forefront of the national debate over artificial intelligence (AI) and energy costs, northern Virginia offers a preview of the political fights that will play out in communities across the country seeking to cash in on the booming industry. Virginia is the unofficial data center capital of the world, with…

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) said Friday that a National Guardsman injured in last week’s shooting in Washington is “slowly healing” and that his parents reported he has begun to “look more like himself.” In a message posted on the social platform X, Morrisey announced that a vigil would be held for U.S. Air…

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said President Trump was furious with her after she signed a House petition compelling the release of all government files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.  “We did talk about the Epstein files and he was extremely angry at me that I signed the discharge petition…

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith blasted President Trump for calling the affordability crisis a Democratic “con job,” saying that he “wants to act as if there’s no concern.” “He has to say that right now because it’s an issue and a concern for the American people,” the host of SiriusXM’s “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.”…

President Trump praised a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) panel’s vote to change guidance for hepatitis B vaccinations as a “very good decision” in a Friday night post on his social platform Truth Social. “Today, the CDC Vaccine Committee made a very good decision to END their Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation for babies, the vast…

Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed an expedited motion seeking the release of the grand jury transcripts in the Jeffrey Epstein case amid an aggressive push by lawmakers to release all files related to the late convicted sex offender.  Bondi filed the motion in the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida, leveraging the enactment of…

Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub brushed off President Trump’s criticism of the National Football League’s (NFL) new kickoff rule, saying Trump has “no idea what’s going on.” “He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at,” Toub said at a Thursday press conference in response to a reporter’s question about Trump’s comments. “He…

Some lawmakers and advocates are increasingly uncertain whether critical HIV and AIDS services will survive the federal government’s funding fight. The GOP’s House-passed budget bill seeks to cut over $1.5 billion in services for people living with and vulnerable to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the U.S. — far greater than the cuts proposed by President Trump and the Senate. It’s unclear whether the Senate or White House will support the bill once it’s considered after the government shutdown ends. But some warn passing the House’s proposed cuts would result in increased infections and deaths. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the…