Author: News Room

President Trump signed an executive order instructing administration officials to alter a student loan forgiveness program for public servants to exclude nonprofit organizations that engage in activities that have what he called a “substantial illegal purpose.”His order to restrict the program appears to target groups supporting undocumented immigrants, diversity initiatives or gender-affirming care for children, among others, as the Trump administration has sought to eliminate federal support for efforts that have drawn right-wing ire.The order, made public on Friday, is the latest of many attempts to overhaul the loan forgiveness program, which has often whipsawed borrowers with rule changes and…

To hear Dan Bongino describe it, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is “the single most corrupt law enforcement institution” in America and a “full-blown leftist political action committee” devoted to covering up Democratic crimes and withholding the truth from the American people.“It is time for an absolute housecleaning,” he said in 2023.Now Mr. Bongino — the longtime right-wing pundit, podcaster and vocal ally of President Trump — has been tapped to serve as the agency’s new deputy director. His podcast and radio show will end production on March 14.The job, which does not require Senate confirmation, has traditionally been filled…

The Justice Department is in the early stages of investigating major egg producers in the United States over possible antitrust violations as the price of eggs skyrockets, two people familiar with the matter said.The department’s lawyers are preparing to send civil investigative demands — effectively subpoenas for civil investigations — to several producers, including Cal-Maine Foods and Rose Acre Farms, one of the people said. Investigators are looking at whether the companies are sharing sensitive information about pricing and supply, contributing to a spike in prices.The inquiry is being run out of the antitrust division’s Chicago office, the people said.A…

President Trump’s family business sued Capital One on Friday for “unjustifiably terminating” more than 300 of its bank accounts after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the latest sign that the president and his allies are seeking retribution against those who once shunned them.In a complaint filed in state court in Florida, the Trump Organization accused the bank of arbitrarily closing its accounts in June 2021 in violation of various consumer protection laws. The accounts held millions of dollars at the time, according to the lawsuit.“By filing this lawsuit, we seek to hold Capital One accountable for the…

Sitting beneath a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, more than two dozen of the most powerful figures in the U.S. cryptocurrency industry, together worth many billions of dollars, gathered in the White House on Friday for an audience with President Trump.When Mr. Trump entered the ornate State Dining Room after a short wait, the executives rose to applaud him.“Many of you have been fighting for years for this,” Mr. Trump said as the room quieted. “It’s an honor to be with you at the White House.”Mr. Trump was holding a first-of-its-kind “crypto summit,” meeting face to face with the leaders of…

Consulting with a lawyer who has ties to President Trump. Reaching out to Washington lobbyists. And sitting for a jailhouse interview with Tucker Carlson.Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced cryptocurrency mogul who was once a top Democratic donor, has embarked on a long-shot campaign to secure a pardon from the Trump administration, six people with knowledge of the matter said.The effort has been driven by a small group of Mr. Bankman-Fried’s supporters, including his parents, Joe Bankman and Barbara Fried, who are trying to help their son escape the 25-year prison sentence he received after he was convicted of fraud, conspiracy and…

A month ago, President Trump announced that he would impose sweeping tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico before reaching a last-minute deal to delay them for 30 days.This week, after markets revolted when the tariffs were put in place, Mr. Trump watered them down with a monthlong reprieve for automakers.And then on Thursday, he opened up even broader exemptions for many other products that are imported from America’s neighbors to the north and south after intense lobbying from business groups that warned of rising prices.Mr. Trump has spent last month or so bouncing between imposing sweeping tariffs on imports…

A day after landing on the moon, the robotic Athena spacecraft built by Intuitive Machines of Houston is dead.In an update on its website on Friday, the company confirmed that Athena had tipped onto its side — the same fate that befell its first lunar lander, Odysseus, last year. With its solar panels unable to face the sun, the spacecraft’s batteries could not recharge.The company said it did not expect the spacecraft to revive.Before the spacecraft fell silent, “mission controllers were able to accelerate several program and payload milestones,” Intuitive Machines said. It did not provide details about what had…

Jerome H. Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, said the central bank is focused on the “net effect” of President Trump’s sweeping economic agenda amid high uncertainty about which policies will actually be enacted, as he reiterated that officials are still not in a “hurry” to adjust interest rates.“As we parse the incoming information, we are focused on separating the signal from the noise as the outlook evolves,” Mr. Powell said at an event on Friday. “We do not need to be in a hurry, and are well positioned to wait for greater clarity.”If inflation stays sticky but the economy…

Damon Hininger, the chief executive of CoreCivic, which operates private prisons and immigrant detention centers, opened an investor call last month on a buoyant note.“I’ve worked at CoreCivic for 32 years, and this is truly one of the most exciting periods in my career,” he said, adding that the company was anticipating in the next several years “perhaps the most significant growth in our company’s history.”CoreCivic, GEO Group and some smaller private prison companies are becoming a key cog in the Trump administration’s plan to hold and then deport vast numbers of undocumented immigrants. Already in the past week, CoreCivic…