October 22, 2025

Hegseth’s Pentagon gag order triggers Senate pushback on military nominees

The Senate is considering a hold on Pentagon nominees if Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new congressional communications memo is fully implemented. According to the memo obtained by NBC News, Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will now have to get approval from the legislative affairs office before […]

October 22, 2025

Demolition at the White House East Wing begins without key approval: Report

Absent from the White House’s continued demolition of the facade of the East Wing is necessary approvals from the office that oversees similar projects at most federal buildings in the Washington area, the Associated Press reported. Images began circulating Monday of machinery ripping away a portion of the East Wing that will connect with a $250 […]

October 22, 2025

Mortgage rates stabilize as fed eyes further cuts

Mortgage rates have recently started to stabilize, which is generally good news for people who want to buy homes. Since the beginning of 2025, the 30-year mortgage rate fell from 7.04% to 6.27% by mid-October, according to data from Freddie Mac. The Fed is set to meet two more times before the end of the […]

October 22, 2025

Memoir by Britney Spears’ ex-husband puts spotlight on conservatorship

In 2007, paparazzi swarmed around the Los Angeles salon where pop star Britney Spears shaved off her hair. This scene occupied the pop culture imagination ever since. It also kicked off a chain of events that led to a California court placing the Princess of Pop under a conservatorship that gave her father control over […]

October 22, 2025

California law aims to study access to sports, including transgender youth

Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, signed the “Youth Sports for All” Act into law last week, creating a commission to study inequalities in youth sports. The legislation is opposed by Republicans who say it’s a disguise to eventually allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. What will the new law create? Assembly Bill 749 requires […]

October 22, 2025

Trump’s tariffs are hurting farmers as Chinese soybean imports drop to zero

China didn’t import any U.S. soybeans in September, a decrease from 1.7 million metric tons the year prior. This was the first time since November 2018 that China didn’t import any U.S. soybeans. It was the same reason then as it is now — China imposed retaliatory tariffs on the United States.  “It’s a big […]

October 22, 2025

Media coverage of Venezuela boat strikes paints incomplete picture

The U.S. military is conducting strikes off the coast of Venezuela, targeting what the Trump administration calls “narcoterrorists” and drug-carrying vessels. President Trump’s decision to authorize these actions has become a central story in the media, with news outlets framing it in very different ways depending on their partisan lean. This week on Bias Breakdown, […]

October 22, 2025

See if you can answer Trump’s new naturalization test questions

The naturalization process for soon-to-be U.S. citizens is expected to get harder after Homeland Security’s citizenship office unveiled an overhaul of citizenship standards. The revision included new questions on the civics test, making the assessment longer to “restore integrity” to the naturalization process, the office said.  A new citizenship test rolled out Monday for Green […]

October 22, 2025

‘Unaffordable burden’: More Americans are missing their car payments

Data shows more Americans are struggling to afford their cars. Economists are concerned it could be another indicator of a potentially incoming recession. A study from VantageScore showed car payment delinquencies have increased by 50% in the last 15 years. Car loan issues That shows car loans have gone from one of the most secure […]

October 22, 2025

Security failures at Louvre exposed after heist of priceless Napoleonic jewels

Priceless jewels were stolen from the Louvre in Paris over the weekend, raising serious questions about security at the world’s most visited museum. The stolen Napoleon-era jewels were not privately insured, France’s Ministry of Culture confirmed to Le Parisien. A preliminary report from France’s Court of Auditors found security issues at the Louvre. The report […]