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Child injured in Northern California school shooting may not regain use of legs, family saysWashington Commanders facing unexpected dilemma at key position | Sporting NewsWASHINGTON — When Elon Musk first suggested a new effort to cut the size of government, Donald Trump didn’t seem to take it seriously. His eventual name for the idea sounded like a joke, too. It would be called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a reference to an online meme featuring a surprised-looking dog from Japan. But now that Trump has won the election, Musk’s fantasy is becoming reality, with the potential to spark a constitutional clash over the balance of power in Washington. Trump put Musk, the world’s richest man, and Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, in charge of the new department, which is really an outside advisory committee that will work with people inside the government to reduce spending and regulations. Last week, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would encourage Trump to make cuts by refusing to spend money allocated by Congress, a process known as impounding. The proposal goes against a 1974 law intended to prevent future presidents from following in the footsteps of Richard Nixon, who held back funding that he didn’t like. “We are prepared for the onslaught from entrenched interests in Washington,” Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. “We expect to prevail. Now is the moment for decisive action.” Trump has already suggested taking such a big step, saying last year that he would “use the president’s long-recognized impoundment power to squeeze the bloated federal bureaucracy for massive savings.” It would be a dramatic attempt to expand his powers, when he already will have the benefit of a sympathetic Republican-controlled Congress and a conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court, and it could swiftly become one of the most closely watched legal fights of his second administration. “He might get away with it,” said William Galston, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank. “Congress’ power of the purse will turn into an advisory opinion.” Right now, plans for the Department of Government Efficiency are still coming into focus. The nascent organization has put out a call for “super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.” Applicants are encouraged to submit their resumes through X, the social media company that Musk owns. In the Wall Street Journal, Musk and Ramaswamy provided the most detailed look yet at how they would operate and where they could cut. Some are longtime Republican targets, such as $535 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Other plans are more ambitious and could reshape the federal government. The two wrote that they would “identify the minimum number of employees required at an agency for it to perform its constitutionally permissible and statutorily mandated functions,” leading to “mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy.” Civil service protections wouldn’t apply, they argue, because they wouldn’t be targeting specific people for political purposes. Some employees could choose “voluntary severance payments to facilitate a graceful exit.” But others would be encouraged to quit by mandating that they show up at the office five days a week, ending pandemic-era flexibility about remote work. The requirement “would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome.” Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said such cutbacks would harm services for Americans who rely on the federal government, and he suggested that Musk and Ramaswamy were in over their heads. “I don’t think they’re even remotely qualified to perform those duties,” he said. “That’s my main concern.” Kelley said his union, which represents 750,000 employees for the federal government and the city of Washington, D.C., was ready to fight attempts to slash the workforce. “We’ve been here, we’ve heard this kind of rhetoric before,” he said. “And we are prepared.” There was no mention in the Wall Street Journal of Musk’s previously stated goal of cutting $2 trillion from the budget, which is nearly a third of total annual spending. Nor did they write about “Schedule F,” a potential plan to reclassify federal employees to make them easier to fire. Ramaswamy once described the idea as the “mass deportation of federal bureaucrats out of Washington, D.C.” However, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would reduce regulations that they describe as excessive. They wrote that their department “will work with legal experts embedded in government agencies, aided by advanced technology,” to review regulations that run counter to two recent Supreme Court decisions that were intended to limit federal rulemaking authority. Musk and Ramaswamy said Trump could “immediately pause the enforcement of those regulations and initiate the process for review and rescission.” Chris Edwards, an expert on budget issues at the Cato Institute, said many Republicans have promised to reduce the size and role of government over the years, often to little effect. Sometimes it feels like every budget item and tax provision, no matter how obscure, has people dedicated to its preservation, turning attempts at cuts into political battles of attrition. “Presidents always seem to have higher priorities,” he said. “A lot of it falls to the wayside.” Although DOGE is scheduled to finish its work by July 4, 2026, Edwards said Musk and Ramaswamy should move faster to capitalize on momentum from Trump’s election victory. “Will it just collect dust on a shelf, or will it be put into effect?” Edwards said. “That all depends on Trump and where he is at that point in time.” Ramaswamy said in an online video that they’re planning regular “Dogecasts” to keep the public updated on their work, which he described as “a once-in-a-generation project” to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse.” “However bad you think it is, it’s probably worse,” he said. House Republicans are expected to put Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump ally from Georgia, in charge of a subcommittee to work with DOGE, according to two people with knowledge of the plans who were not authorized to discuss them publicly. Greene and Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, have already met with Ramaswamy, the two people said. Musk brought up the idea for DOGE while broadcasting a conversation with Trump on X during the campaign. “I think we need a government efficiency commission to say like, ‘Hey, where are we spending money that’s sensible. Where is it not sensible?’” Musk said. Musk returned to the topic twice, volunteering his services by saying “I’d be happy to help out on such a commission.” “I’d love it,” Trump replied, describing Musk as “the greatest cutter.” Musk has his own incentives to push this initiative forward. His companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, have billions of dollars in government contracts and face oversight from government regulators. After spending an estimated $200 million to support Trump’s candidacy, he’s poised to have expansive influence over the next administration. Trump even went to Texas last week to watch SpaceX test its largest rocket. DOGE will have an ally in Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has railed against federal spending for years. He recently told Fox News that he sent “2,000 pages of waste that can be cut” to Musk and Ramaswamy. “I’m all in and will do anything I can to help them,” Paul said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged in a lawsuit on Thursday that the largest U.S. distributors of wine and liquor engaged in illegal price discrimination by giving an advantage to large chains over mom-and-pop grocery stores. The FTC complaint alleges that Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, the tenth largest privately held company in the country, deprives small businesses of access to discounts and rebates, making them less competitive to larger national and regional chain stores. The antitrust agency’s lawsuit claims that the distributor violated the Robinson-Patman Act by giving “steep discounts” without market justification to some retailers. FTC Chair Lina Khan wrote in a statement, “When local businesses get squeezed because of unfair pricing practices that favor large chains, Americans see fewer choices and pay higher prices — and communities suffer.” “The law says that businesses of all sizes should be able to compete on a level playing field. Enforcers have ignored this mandate from Congress for decades, but the FTC’s action today will help protect fair competition, lower prices, and restore the rule of law,” the FTC chair continued. CNBC News reported: The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accuses Southern of price discrimination since at least 2018 up to now. Southern distributes wine and spirits for many big suppliers, including Pernod Ricard, the supplier of Jameson Irish Whiskey and Absolut Vodka; Bacardi U.S.A., the supplier of Patron Silver Tequila, Grey Goose Vodka, and Bacardi Rum; Diageo, the supplier of Smirnoff Vodka; and Beam Suntory, the supplier of Jim Beam Bourbon and Makers Mark Whiskey, according to the FTC. Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits generates roughly $26 billion in revenue from sales to retail customers in 2023. Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3 .
Soup is a dish that wears many hats. When the weather becomes chilly, people often turn to soup to warm themselves up from the inside out. Soup, especially when soup is paired with a favorite sandwich, also can be a simple and light meal when one doesn’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. Soup has been heralded as a remedy as well, a reputation that dates back thousands of years. In the 12th century, Egyptian Jewish physician Moshe ben Maimonides prescribed chicken soup as a treatment for respiratory tract issues. And Penn Medicine suggests eating soup while ill is a good idea because the meal is nourishing, easy to digest and often full of nutritious components. People may wonder what they can do to tweak their favorite soups to make them even more nutritious, as many modern soups have gained a reputation as being sodium-heavy. These ideas can give soup a powerful boost. · Use a higher ratio of vegetables when compared to meats and grains. Vegetables are notoriously high in nutrients that the body needs to stay healthy, including antioxidants and vitamins. · Make your own soup stock from fresh ingredients. Doing so helps retain control over what goes into the soup, helping to reduce potential additives or other ingredients like sugar and sodium. · Vary the color of the vegetables. Aim for vegetables of at least three different colors. The colors of the vegetables often correspond to the nutrients and phytochemicals they contain. For example, carrots are high in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A, which is necessary for eye health, healthy skin and a strong immune system. · Replace cream with healthier ingredients. Soups that are cream-based tend to be loaded with calories and saturated fat. Instead, use Greek yogurt at the end (to prevent curdling) or even low-fat cottage cheese to amp up the protein content and give the soup a creamy consistency without the fat. Silken tofu or even a vegetable purée made from potato and cauliflower can add creaminess as well. · Swap meat for lean proteins. Lentils, for example, are a plant protein rich in flavor and nutrition. According to UC Davis Health, lentils have about 18 grams of protein per cup and also are high in fiber. Relatively inexpensive, lentils also can help keep meal budgets in check. Alternative legumes also can work in soups, as can seafood or lean poultry. · Add texture. Pumpkin seeds or flax seeds have taste and texture, and can be a healthier option for topping soups over buttery croutons or crackers. · Keep ingredients “whole.” Lean on whole grains, fibrous vegetables, fresh herbs, and lean meats to build a well-rounded soup that’s bursting with nutrition. · Add turmeric and ginger. If the flavor profile allows, incorporate some fresh turmeric and ginger to the soup. Health magazine says these ingredients are part of the same plant family and have been used in traditional medicine in India and China for centuries. Both are known for reducing inflammation and alleviating symptoms of digestive disease. Experiment with different ingredients to create soups that are not only delicious but nutritious as well.NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on the Liberal government to go back to the drawing board after learning that the Working Canadians Rebate won't apply to many seniors, people with disabilities and recent graduates. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last week that his government plans to lift the GST from some essential goods for two months to offer Canadians some relief from cost-of-living pressures. He also said his government plans to send $250 rebate cheques to Canadians who worked in 2023 and had incomes of up to $150,000. Singh told reporters Monday that the Liberals briefed the NDP on the measure and he believed that anyone earning $150,000 or less would receive the rebate. Some seniors outraged over being left out of federal plan to dole out $250 cheques Trudeau government to send $250 cheques to most workers, slash GST on some goods What the GST holiday means for consumers — and why some economists are worried "They did not specify working Canadians," he said. "We assumed obviously someone who is earning no income, they should absolutely be able to get supported." The NDP leader said it's "wrong" to exclude some of the most vulnerable from the measure and urged the government to "fix this." While Singh said the NDP still plans to support the government's GST holiday, he called on it to reconsider its plans for the Working Canadians Rebate. "The GST holiday should move ahead," he said. "Let's make that happen right away. But the Liberals need to fix the cheques." WATCH | Singh questions Working Canadians Rebate plan: 'A slap in the face': NDP says seniors should be eligible for rebate cheques 2 hours ago Duration 2:30 The NDP says it's 'cruel' for the federal government to exclude retired seniors and people living with disabilities from receiving the planned $250 rebate cheques. The Liberals are defending the eligibility requirements. New Democrat Bonita Zarrillo, MP for Port Moody—Coquitlam, said in question period Monday that seniors and people with disabilities are the "hardest hit by rising costs driven by unchecked corporate greed because they live on fixed incomes." "Will the government get real, reverse this cruel and callous decision and ensure seniors and persons with disabilities also get the relief they need?" she asked. In response, Liberal MP Terry Sheehan said "this government has done more for seniors than any other." He cited the government rolling back the retirement age from 67 to 65, an increase to the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) and an increase in Old Age Security (OAS) payments ( for Canadians aged 75 and older ) as evidence. "I ask everyone in this House to stand up for seniors and to vote for our tax breaks for all Canadians," Sheehan said.