Trump administration to launch $500M drone program ahead of World Cup

White House planners have been increasingly focused on securing airspace over stadiums. The Trump administration is moving to fortify U.S. skies against potential drone threats ahead of next summer’s World Cup and other marquee mega-events, casting the technology as necessary both to bolster security and to help outpace foreign competition for aviation technology. The administration … Read more

Obama: Trump’s troop deployment to American cities an effort ‘to weaken how we have understood democracy’

The former president accused the Trump administration of pursuing “a deliberate end-run” around the law. Former President Barack Obama decried the Trump administration’s deployment of military troops to American cities, saying the moves amount to “a genuine effort to weaken how we have understood democracy.” In an appearance on the final episode of comedian Marc … Read more

Senate tanks GOP funding patch for eighth time amid shutdown gridlock

Senate Democrats voted once again Tuesday night to reject the GOP-led funding patch, guaranteeing the government shutdown stretches beyond the two-week point. Nearly 14 days since federal funding lapsed, the failed vote marks the eighth time the Senate has failed to advance the House-passed measure. And there’s no sign the bill is on the precipice … Read more

Judge temporarily blocks transfer of downtown Miami land for Trump’s presidential library

A Florida judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the planned transfer of prime downtown Miami land for Donald Trump’s future presidential library. The move by Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz came after a Miami activist alleged that officials at a local college violated Florida’s open government law when they gifted the sizable plot of real estate to … Read more

GOP senators discouraged by Trump’s community development finance firings

“I’m hopeful that we can get that turned around,” said Sen. Mike Crapo, a co-chair of the Community Development Financial Institutions caucus. Two senior Republican senators said Tuesday they strongly support the Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund after the Trump administration moved to eviscerate the program by firing all of its staff. The … Read more

EU can cut red tape without bowing to Trump, says Denmark

Brussels should stand firm against Washington while seizing the moment to advance its own rule-cutting reforms, Danish foreign minister tells POLITICO. HORSENS, Denmark — The European Union’s deregulation drive isn’t just about pleasing Washington, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Tuesday, arguing Brussels must loosen up its own rules while defending its independence from … Read more