Government

"Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday vigorously defended firing large numbers of Interior Department staff because he said too many work in offices and too few in national parks."

"China has pledged to give $500 million to the World Health Organization as the country is set to replace the United States as the group’s top state donor, expanding Beijing’s global influence in the wake of Washington’s retreat from international cooperation."

"President Donald Trump’s administration is trying to merge the government’s wildland firefighting efforts into a single agency, a move some former federal officials warn could increase the risk of catastrophic blazes and ultimately cost billions of dollars."

"For at least half a century, the National Weather Service has been an around-the-clock operation. But after the U.S. DOGE Service led efforts to shrink the federal government, that is no longer possible in some parts of the country."

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency should be renamed as the agency is reformed to increase the burden on states to respond to natural disasters, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a meeting on reforming FEMA on Tuesday."

"A federal judge said Monday he would order the Trump administration to restore $176 million granted by Congress to 13 nonprofit groups and six municipalities nationwide."

"As Hurricane Helene barrels toward Yancey County in North Carolina, the predictions are grim. Communities along the Cane River in the Black Mountains are particularly vulnerable. But there are no evacuation orders, even for the people living in homes along these rivers and creeks. Few grasp what’s coming."