Author: Surina Venkat

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…

Award-winning Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara has been deported to El Salvador in what press freedom advocates alleged was done “in retaliation for his reporting.” A leader with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonprofit organization that defends worldwide press freedom, said Guevara’s deportation from the U.S. Friday morning was the first time the organization “has documented this type of retaliation related to reporting activity.”  “Make no mistake, this is not a simple immigration case as authorities would have the public believe,” said Katherine Jacobsen, the CPJ’s U.S., Canada and Caribbean program coordinator. Guevara arrived Friday in El Salvador, where…

The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the Associated Press reported late Friday.  Two sources told the AP that around 20 agents were fired, with an additional source confirming the firings. The sources also revealed that the agents had been reassigned last spring for their conduct during the protests. The photographs that led to the firings showed a group of agents kneeling during a protest in Washington that followed the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide outrage and demonstrations, which were heavily policed…

Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that President Trump won’t forget tech billionaire Elon Musk’s “negativity” during his departure from government. He said Musk was Trump’s “best friend in the administration” during an interview with NewsNation’s “Batya” and added that Trump would “forgive” but not forget the tempestuous nature of Musk’s exit. “I think Elon Musk had that, he really earned the President’s friendship, admiration, and then in his departure, he expressed a part of himself that was very negative,” Lutnick said in the interview with host Batya Ungar-Sargon. “And I don’t think the president is going to forget…

Federal Election Commission (FEC) vice chairman Trey Trainor (R) confirmed that he’s resigning from his position on Thursday as he eyes the seat of Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). Trainor has signalled his interest in running for Congress in previous months. His resignation, first reported by the Washington Examiner, comes after Roy entered the race for Texas Attorney General, leaving open his seat in the House of Representatives. “It has been an honor to serve in this role since President Trump appointed me in 2020, despite the long confirmation process that began in 2017,” he said after announcing his resignation. His…

Former Vice President Harris bashed the federal government’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, calling it “painful to see” on Friday. “It’s frustrating, but more than that, it’s painful to see,” Harris told CNN. “It’s painful to see. I mean what’s happening with Comey: Are you f—— kidding me? The United States Department of Justice?” The Justice Department indicted Comey late Thursday on federal charges of obstruction and perjury for comments he made in a 2020 Senate hearing about President Trump’s 2016 campaign’s alleged ties with Russia. The president previously called accusations of the campaign’s ties to the foreign…