When Elon Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" took its chainsaw to the federal bureaucracy last year, it created bottlenecks that may have hampered the fight against the screwworm infestation currently menacing the southwest while making it much more expensive. The annual US Department of Agriculture (USDA) spending to combat the flesh-eating insects only amounted to about $15 million per year. But along with about $382 million aimed at combating animal-borne illnesses around the globe, it was terminated in March 2025 as part of DOGE's effort to root out what it described as government "waste." But now, with the pests bearing down on Texas and New Mexico, and at least 12 infections already identified in the US as of Tuesday, the Trump administration is spending at least $1 billion to fight the outbreak.
President Donald Trump told the New York Times over the weekend that President Xi Jinping of China and Russian leader Vladimir Putin helped him to secure a peace deal with Iran to end the war. The Times diplomatic correspondent Edward Wong pointed out on Monday just how remarkable a claim that truly was, given that both Russia and China helped Iran to attack U.S. troops in the region during the conflict. "What he didn't mention: the State Dept. has imposed sanctions on companies for sending Chinese arms to Iran. And Russia has given intelligence aid to Iran," Wong wrote, while sharing the report on social media. read more
Frustrated with mounting losses in court, key officials in Donald Trump's administration were seriously considering the suspension of a centuries-old constitutional right to speed up the president's anti-immigration campaign to deport tens of thousands of people from the country. read more
The U.S. supply of emergency oil has hit its lowest level since 1983, according to newly released federal data. read more
President Donald Trump signaled a deepening rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by claiming "there would be no Israel" without him in a stinging rebuke at the G7 (Group of Seven) summit. Trump has displayed increasing frustration with his ally in recent weeks as the United States attempted to strike a peace deal with Iran, before an agreement was eventually reached on Sunday. Trump and Netanyahu ordered joint United States and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 with the stated aim of destroying the Islamic Republic's ability to make a nuclear weapon. Speaking alongside Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the summit of the world's biggest economies in vian-les-Bains, France, Trump said: "Without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did."
Serial Child Rapist Slowed Screwworm Response
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