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June 20, 2026
U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Trump Admin From Enacting New Plans To Slash Consumer Watchdog Staff
Jun 19, 2026, 08:03 PM EDT June 19 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday blocked the Trump administration's plans to immediately slash the workforce at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by about two-thirds, delivering a setback to the White House's protracted efforts to shrink the consumer watchdog. The order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit came in response to a revised plan the Justice Department submitted in late March following repeat ...
Go to discussionIsraeli strikes kill 10 in Lebanon after truce, with prospect of U.S.-Iran talks unclear
June 19, 2026 10:32 PM EDT Updated 24 mins ago ZURICH/DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - Israeli strikes killed at least 10 people in Lebanon on Saturday, hours after a truce took effect, Israel saying it was reacting to attacks from Hezbollah and the Iran-backed group saying it would not allow Israel "freedom of movement" in Lebanon. A halt to the fighting in Lebanon is a condition for starting 60 days of U.S.-Iranian talks to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear p ...
Go to discussionPlanned Trump border wall near Texas national park could create flooding risk, suit says
Friday 19 June 2026 21:12 EDT Trump administration plans to build parts of the border wall near Big Bend National Park could expose a small town to “potentially devastating” flooding, a federal lawsuit argues. The suit, filed Wednesday by the municipal development district of Presidio, Texas, against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, claims that the administration plans to replace an existing earthen levee protecting the area with segments of the 30-f ...
Go to discussionCuba pushes through sweeping free-market reforms in biggest economic shift since the revolution
June 19, 2026, 8:34 PM EDT HAVANA — Observers on Friday called Cuba’s new free-market reforms the most sweeping economic overhaul of the island’s communist economy since the Cuban revolution, as the grandson of former President Raúl Castro said in an interview that Cuba must seek to move its economy forward. The 176 measures aim to further decentralize Cuba’s state-run economy, which has been left gasping by a tightened embargo under President Donald Trump. Under the island’s current economic ...
Go to discussionKennedy Center says it isn't required to reschedule shows after judge blocks 2-year closure
Kennedy Center says it isn’t required to reschedule shows after judge blocks 2-year closure The Associated Press June 19, 2026, 10:05 PM WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center’s management isn’t making a commitment to scheduling new shows or building up its staff even as the performing arts venue considers options short of a full two-year closure that a federal judge blocked last month. In a court filing Friday, Kennedy Center lawyers said the institution plans to “maintain an operational model ...
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