The State Department instructed United States embassies around the world to start planning for staff reductions on Wednesday, sources told ABC News. Senior embassy officials were asked to provide comprehensive lists of all employees and their employment status as part of the process, sources said, explaining that the request includes […]
ABC News
Doctor charged with arson for allegedly setting another doctor’s home on fire: Police
An Ohio doctor has been charged with arson after allegedly setting fire to another doctor’s house, officials said. Andrew Campbell, 33, was arrested following an investigation into the Dec. 7 blaze, which police told ABC News they “determined to have not been accidental in nature.” On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted […]
Journalist among those freed from Belarus
Belarusian journalist Andrei Kuznechyk was released from prison on Wednesday after being detained for more than three years, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Kuznechyk, who U.S. officials had dubbed a political prisoner, was among four individuals released in recent weeks. The terms of the deal were not immediately clear. […]
Trump’s mass deportation plan ‘could be possible’: former ICE official
President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan “could be possible” if he can achieve everything he has sketched out in his executive orders, a former immigration official from the Obama administration told ABC News on Wednesday. John Sandweg served as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during […]
Hegseth visits NATO as allies await US Ukraine plans
BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and in sweeping remarks suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace settlement to be backed up by international troops. Hegseth’s strident […]
Trump says he spoke with Putin about ending war in Ukraine
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. “I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on his conservative social media platform. “We discussed Ukraine, […]
Musk staffer ‘mistakenly’ given ability to edit Treasury payment system, filings say
A 25-year-old associate of Elon Musk and former Treasury Department employee was “mistakenly” given the ability to make changes to a sensitive federal payment system, officials with the Bureau of the Fiscal Service disclosed in a series of court filings late Tuesday. Treasury Department officials said the “error” was quickly […]
Trump’s comments won’t affect interest rate decisions by the Fed, Powell says
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s calls for lower interest rates won’t lead the central bank to change its rate decisions. “People can be confident that we’ll continue to keep our heads down, do our work, and make our decisions based on what’s […]
Trans youth care ban vetoed by Kansas governor again
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has vetoed Senate Bill 63, which would have restricted gender-affirming care for transgender youth. “Right now, the legislature should be focused on ways to help Kansans cope with rising prices,” Kelly said in a statement emailed late Tuesday. “That is the most important issue for Kansans. […]
Inflation increased in January, posing obstacle for Trump tariff plans
Consumer prices rose 3% in January compared to a year ago, ticking up from the previous month and posing an obstacle for Trump administration tariff policies that many economists expect to raise some prices, government data on Wednesday showed. The inflation reading came in higher than economists had predicted. The […]