Sen. Ted Budd and several North Carolina lawmakers say they may block the White House’s $87.6B supplemental unless Congress adds new Helene recovery money. Gov. Josh Stein has asked for roughly $10–$10.2B to finish rebuilding western North Carolina.

Stripe and Visa are among more than 100 firms backing Open USD, a dollar‑pegged stablecoin from the Open Standard coalition. The move aims to bake programmable dollars into card, treasury and on‑chain flows.

Business groups and lawmakers are clashing over a proposed ban that would bar some defense contractors from buybacks and dividends without a Pentagon waiver.

Massachusetts joined a multistate legal challenge Monday to block CMS’s new 80‑hour‑a‑month Medicaid work rule, arguing tighter exemptions and paperwork threaten MassHealth coverage.

Defense attorneys told reporters that wealthy clients were told $1–2 million could buy a presidential pardon, prompting watchdog and congressional scrutiny.

The Soros family has poured roughly $100M into the 2026 midterms, mainly through Democracy PAC, changing the cash race as the DNC lags the RNC.

Two men were shot near Peace Baptist Church in Northeast D.C.; police have closed nearby streets as investigators work the scene.

A new review maps lymphatic networks along the spine and connects spinal tissues to brain clearance and inflammation. Simple five‑minute moves may help support flow.

A D.C. judge temporarily forced the Education Department to treat many graduate nursing programs as “professional,” restoring higher federal loan access while litigation continues. Theology programs were shuffled in the process.

Newly released disclosures show Justice Sonia Sotomayor accepted $4,333 in concert tickets from Rimas Entertainment during an August 2025 trip to Puerto Rico.

The Justice Department sued Massachusetts on Monday, arguing the 2023 "High School Completers" law unlawfully extends in‑state tuition and state aid to some noncitizens.

President Trump named Keith Sonderling to lead the Labor Department; the nomination follows Lori Chavez‑DeRemer's April resignation and now faces Senate confirmation.

A Brennan Center report says Congress is overburdened and recommends expanding staff, modern committees and even a larger House to restore capacity.