DOGE says agencies cut $1.6B in federal contracts, flags spending on Somalia, HHS web services

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said Friday that federal agencies have terminated or reduced 55 contracts over the last three days with a combined ceiling value of $1.6 billion, claiming $542 million in savings. DOGE, whose name nods to Elon Musk’s high-profile involvement, was launched during the opening days of President Donald Trump’s second […]

Protests spread across Iran as regime threatens US forces as ‘legitimate targets’ after Trump warning

As nationwide protests continued to spread across Iran on Friday, the regime’s hardline Parliament speaker warned the U.S. that American forces and bases in the region would be considered ‘legitimate targets’ if Washington intervenes in the country’s ongoing political unrest. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comments after President Donald Trump said earlier Friday […]

Schumer silent as Mamdani scraps antisemitism definition, synagogue security

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., remained silent Friday when his office was asked about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s day one orders that drew backlash from the international Jewish community. Among his first actions as mayor, Mamdani revoked orders by his predecessor, Eric Adams, including Executive Order 61, which provided additional NYPD security […]

Mamdani’s inauguration fuels debate over Gen Z shift toward socialism, away from free markets

New York City’s new mayor wasted little time drawing ideological lines, using his swearing-in ceremony to double down on campaign promises filled with government-led solutions — a sharp contrast with free-market principles Republicans warn are increasingly under threat amid an evolving understanding of socialism among younger audiences. ‘We will draw this city closer together,’ Zohran […]

Iran crackdown rattles Middle East as analysts weigh US options short of military intervention

Months after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, tensions are rising again as Iran kills protesters, Israel weighs new military action and President Donald Trump signals the U.S. could intervene. Trump sharpened pressure on Tehran this week, threatening U.S. action if Iranian security forces violently suppress the ongoing protests that erupted after the country’s […]

Trump regrets handing Dems health ‘ammunition’ with October scan — clarifies it was a CT, not an MRI

President Donald Trump revealed he had received a CT scan, and not an MRI scan, during a medical checkup in October that the president and his administration have repeatedly underscored showed normal and healthy results.  ‘It wasn’t an MRI,’ Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an article published New Year’s Day. ‘It was less […]

Trump claims White House doctors report him in ‘perfect health,’ says he ‘aced’ third straight cognitive exam

President Donald Trump kicked off 2026 by claiming that White House doctors gave him another clean bill of health. ‘The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which […]

Europe bulletin: FTSE 100 surge, defense pivot, Kremlin drone claim

European markets and politics closed the year on sharply diverging trajectories. London stocks delivered their strongest performance since the financial crisis, while geopolitical and fiscal strains deepened across the continent. Germany signaled a historic break from US security dependence, Russia’s latest battlefield claims drew widespread doubt, and Hungary’s capital slid into junk territory amid a […]