Medicaid may face big cuts and work requirements
WASHINGTON — With Republicans set to control Washington, conservative lawmakers and policy experts who could advise the next Trump administration are discussing long-sought cuts to Medicaid, the government health program that covers roughly a fifth of all Americans and makes up about 10% of the federal budget.
Republicans block release of ethics report on Gaetz
WASHINGTON — House Republicans voted Wednesday to block the release of an Ethics Committee report about sexual misconduct and illicit drug use allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for attorney general, setting up a possible constitutional clash between the House and the Senate.
Nation and world news in brief for November 21
Senate blocks bid to halt some Israel military sales
Ukraine launches UK cruise missiles into Russia, a day after using US ATACMS
KYIV — Ukraine fired a volley of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia on Wednesday, the latest new Western weapon it has been permitted to use on Russian targets a day after it fired U.S. ATACMS missiles.
Lower turkey costs set table for cheaper US Thanksgiving feast this year
Inflation-weary consumers should see the cost of their classic Thanksgiving dinner gobble less of their paychecks this year, largely because Americans are buying less of the meal’s centerpiece dish, turkey. The price tag of the traditional holiday meal, which also includes cranberries, sweet potatoes and stuffing, has dropped for a second consecutive year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual survey released on Wednesday.
Migrant gets life sentence for Laken Riley murder highlighted by Trump
A Venezuelan migrant was convicted on Wednesday and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student whose killing became a rallying cry for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as he attacked illegal immigration during the campaign.
Deadly storm pounds Northwest US, leaving half a million without power
A powerful storm clobbered Washington state on Wednesday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people while disrupting road travel and causing at least two deaths and two injuries.
Texas offers ranch adjacent to Mexico border to Trump administration for deportation plans
DALLAS — The Texas General Land Office is offering President-elect Donald Trump its recently acquired 1,400-acre ranch on the state’s border with Mexico “for the construction of deportation facilities and staging areas” to deport illegal immigrants starting next year.
Trump plans to nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz to oversee Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz, the author and former television host, to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a powerful agency that oversees health insurance programs covering more than 150 million Americans.
Manhattan DA suggests freezing Trump’s case while he is president
NEW YORK — Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday rebuffed President-elect Donald Trump’s request to dismiss his criminal conviction in the wake of his electoral victory, signaling instead their willingness to freeze the case while he holds office.
SpaceX Starship launch ends with a dramatic water landing
SpaceX’s latest test flight of its Starship vehicle Tuesday got off to a sobering start, as the company was unable to recover the enormous booster stage of the rocket, the most powerful ever built. But about an hour later, the vehicle’s upper stage was more successful with the completion of a daring maneuver to splash down in the Indian Ocean.
For minority working-class voters, dismay in Democrats led to distrust
The working-class voters Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign needed were not moved by talk of joy. They were too angry about feeling broke.
House Republicans target McBride with Capitol bathroom bill
WASHINGTON — When Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., won her race for the House this month, becoming the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, she knew she would face attacks from hard-right Republicans over her identity.
Ukraine fired US-made missiles into Russia for first time, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military used American-made ballistic missiles Tuesday to strike into Russia for the first time, according to senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials, just days after President Joe Biden gave permission to do so in a major shift of U.S. policy.
A nostalgic Biden fades out of the picture in talks with world leaders
RIO DE JANEIRO — World leaders at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro were discussing plans to confront poverty and war when President Joe Biden acknowledged the obvious — this was most likely his last time attending such an elite meeting.
Asheville gets drinkable tap water back after Hurricane Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Jeff Watts, 57, barely followed the incremental updates on his city’s water distribution system after Hurricane Helene knocked it offline in September. All he knew was that life in Asheville, North Carolina, had become more difficult and dirty.
Hacker is said to have gained access to file with damaging testimony about Gaetz
WASHINGTON — An unidentified hacker has gained access to a computer file shared in a secure link among lawyers whose clients have given damaging testimony related to Matt Gaetz, the former Florida member of Congress who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be attorney general, a person with knowledge of the activity said.
Trump confirms plans to use the military to assist in mass deportations
President-elect Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he intended to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military in some form to assist in his plans for mass deportations of immigrants who do not have legal residency status.
How Tulsi Gabbard became a favorite of Russia’s state media
In 2017, when she was still a Democratic member of Congress, Tulsi Gabbard traveled to Syria and met the country’s authoritarian president, Bashar Assad. She also accused the United States of supporting terrorists there.
SpaceX Starship’s Sonic Boom Creates Risk of Structural Damage, Test Finds
WASHINGTON — SpaceX’s new Starship rocket far exceeds the projected maximum noise levels, generating a sonic boom so powerful it risks property damage in the densely populated residential community near its South Texas launch site, new data suggests.
