Posts by Kim Browne
There May Be Enough Supreme Court Votes to Save the Government
But on examination, Vought’s interpretation plainly fails, even—especially—with a court whose members all espouse fidelity to the text of statutes they are asked to apply, for two reasons: First, Vought mischaracterizes the statutory language on which he relies. Contrary to the executive order, the statutory terms “policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating” are not equivalent to “policy-influencing.” As noted…
Read MoreThe Haunting Fiction of Han Kang
An awakening of sorts arrives when Inseon texts her from a Seoul hospital where she’s recovering from emergency hand surgery. Kyungha sprints to her bedside, and, before the day is out, she’s en route to Jeju to feed and care for Inseon’s pet bird. She understands that this request will tax her immensely. Just getting…
Read MoreThree Key Themes in Trump’s Environmental Moves So Far
“The idea that U.S. chemical regulation is so advanced that it hinders and slows down U.S. competitivity is preposterous,” said David Azoulay, director of environmental health at the Center for International Environmental Law, or CIEL, over the phone from Geneva. The U.S. has “the least stringent, least efficient, and least protective legislation compared to any…
Read MoreTrump’s Big Firing Spree Is Screwing the Working Class
The National Labor Relations Board is the main federal agency that enforces labor laws. People often think that job is done by the Labor Department (which is not an independent agency and predates the NLRB), but that’s mistaken. The Labor Department’s role regulating management-labor relations is more circumscribed, focusing on things like minimum wage and…
Read MoreTrump’s Executive Orders Leave Imprint on the Fed
President Trump has so far restrained himself from trying to meddle with the Federal Reserve on matters related to monetary policy during his second term. But some of the more than 50 executive orders he has signed since returning to the White House are leaving an imprint on the central bank. The latest evidence is…
Read MoreLuka Doncic’s Trade to the Lakers Devastates Mavericks Fans
When Matt Zerai heard that his favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks, had traded Luka Doncic, their 25-year-old superstar, to the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend, he was devastated. “It kind of did feel like I lost a family member,” Zerai said. “No one trades a franchise player in their prime like that. They want…
Read MoreEurope’s Trump Playbook: Offer Carrots but Warn That You Have a Big Stick
The European Union spent last year drawing up secret plans for what the bloc would do if President Trump made good on his threats of imposing higher tariffs on European goods and services. Now, as those threats go from hypothetical to potentially imminent, its plans are coming into broad focus. Hit specific, politically sensitive sectors…
Read MoreSenate Confirms Russell Vought as Office of Management and Budget Director
The Senate voted along party lines on Thursday to confirm Russell T. Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, putting in place one of the most powerful architects of President Trump’s agenda to upend the federal bureaucracy and slash spending that the administration thinks is wasteful. The 53-to-47 vote returns Mr. Vought to…
Read MoreGovernment Agencies Cancel Politico Pro Subscriptions
The White House is following through on its plan to cut back on news subscriptions inside government agencies. A spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department, Audra Weeks, said on Thursday that the agency had canceled its subscriptions to Politico Pro, a news and information service, after reviewing its media contracts. It was not immediately clear whether…
Read MoreTrump Met PGA Commissioner About Saudi Golf Tour Deal
President Trump met this week with the PGA Tour commissioner, the tour said on Thursday, as the Justice Department considers whether to approve a venture between the United States’ premier golf circuit and one backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The meeting at the White House on Tuesday was an unusual foray for an…
Read MoreTrump Sues His Least Favorite City Over Immigration
It seems that the more people learn about Musk, the less they like him—at least, according to a new Hart Research survey published Wednesday by Groundwork Collective and Public Citizen. The poll asked respondents about how much influence they felt Musk should have in government, explaining aspects of his role in DOGE, his lack of…
Read MoreC. Richard Kramlich, Early Investor in Silicon Valley, Dies at 89
C. Richard Kramlich, an early investor in Silicon Valley who co-founded the investment giant New Enterprise Associates, helping to fuel the booming tech industry, died on Saturday at his home in San Francisco. He was 89. His death was announced by New Enterprise Associates. Mr. Kramlich (pronounced CRAM-lick), whose career spanned more than five decades,…
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