Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sent messages to all members of Congress terminating their positions, stating “Your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment.” All Democratic and independent members of Congress, as well as two Republicans, found themselves locked out of their offices after everything inside had been confiscated.   read more

Contrary to popular belief about Rupert Murdoch’s conservative slant, the media mogul’s support for politicians has included huge sums for Democrats as well as Republicans.   The Sunlight Foundation says Murdoch’s flagship company, News Corp.,...   read more

Franz Gayl spent 35 years working as a civilian science adviser for the U.S. Marine Corps…until he opened his mouth about the Department of Defense dragging its feet to help protect Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan.   Last fall, Gayl lost his s...   read more

One of the most overlooked nations in the world, Equatorial Guinea popped onto the international scene after large reserves of oil were discovered there in 1995. Between 1968 and 1979, the nation was controlled by a dictator, Francisco Macías Ng...   read more

Partisan gridlock in Congress over the budget extended this week to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), resulting in 4,000 government employees getting furloughed without pay and lawmakers blaming each other for the failure to act.   Fo...   read more

It may seem shocking that Amy Winehouse died at the early age of 27, but in the world of music such deaths are not that unusual. Here are eleven other musicians who died when they were 27 years old.   1. Kurt Cobain—The lead singer of Nirvana,...   read more

Research and extension outreach programs, a key source of support for small farmers across the United States, are in danger of closing up as federal and state government funding dries up.   The American Agriculturist reports that many publicly...   read more

When times are tough and people are angry, even God has a tough time pulling down high approval ratings.   A new survey by Public Policy Polling found that only 52% of American voters approve of God’s performance. Nine percent disapprove, and ...   read more

After serving as an ambassador and handling other foreign affairs roles since the 1980s, Dato Paduka Haji Yusoff bin Haji Abd Hamid became ambassador of Brunei to the United States in November 2009.   Born on March 1, 1949, in Kuala Belait, Ha...   read more

Despite his election on a pro-choice platform, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon permitted two anti-abortion bills to become law this week.   Conservative lawmakers in the state legislature sent Nixon two identical abortion-restriction laws, one fro...   read more

On the surface it appeared last week that eight small banks repaid the Department of the Treasury more than $100 million for loans received during the 2008 bailout of the financial industry. But the Project on Government Oversight found somethin...   read more

In the wake of Japan’s worst-ever civilian nuclear catastrophe, the government failed to take precautions against radiated feed being consumed by cattle as a result of the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant meltdown. The result has alarmed the populat...   read more

A six-year board member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Martin J. Gruenberg was nominated to be chairman of the FDIC by President Barack Obama in June 2011. He will function as acting chairman until his confirmation hearing in the ...   read more

A retired utilities executive, John E. Bryson was considered a low-profile choice as President Barack Obama’s next secretary of commerce. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t room for controversy when Obama named Bryson in May.   For starters, Bry...   read more

Military veterans suffering from serious mental health problems were left on waiting lists last year instead of receiving immediate assistance through the Department of Veterans Affairs, resulting in multiple suicide attempts.   The news surfa...   read more

It’s bad enough when foreign aid dollars headed for a war zone are siphoned off by government insiders and their wealthy friends before reaching the impoverished people it is meant for. But it’s doubly frustrating when it ends up in the hands of...   read more

Nearly 150 years after the Civil War, Alabama is still paying taxes that originated in response to that conflict. And it’s aggravating historic site lovers across the state.   In an effort to finance care for about 60,000 Confederate veterans,...   read more