Leaders at the Pentagon have significantly altered how military officials will speak with Congress after a pair of new memos issued last week.
‘Your living room, but with a better bartender’: Gaming bars foster community spirit in Riverside neighborhoodWhat once was a historic Riverside theater now thrives as a modern music venue in 5 Points Read full article: What once was a historic Riverside theater now thrives as a modern music venue in 5 Points‘Like no other music experience on earth’: Riverside’s Tiger Records offers a glimpse into the musical time machine Read full article: ‘Like no other music experience on earth’: Riverside’s Tiger Records offers a glimpse into the musical time machinePresident Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during a Diwali celebration in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Oct.
21, 2025, in Washington. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, from right, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen as President Donald Trump meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, not pictured, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Monday, October 20, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during a Diwali celebration in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington. President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during a Diwali celebration in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington. In an Oct. 15 memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy, Steve Feinberg, ordered Pentagon officials — including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — to obtain permission from the department’s main legislative affairs office before they have any communication with Capitol Hill.rather than agree to the Defense Department’s new restrictions on their work, and it appears to be part of a broader effort by Hegseth to exert tighter control over what the department communicates to the outside world. According to the memo, a copy of which was authenticated by a Pentagon official, “unauthorized engagements with Congress by personnel acting in their official capacity, no matter how well-intentioned, may undermine Department-wide priorities critical to achieving our legislative objectives.”The USDA said each Farm Service Agency office will have two workers, but didn’t explain where the money will come from to pay those workers duringA USDA spokesperson said this move reflects President Trump’s commitment to helping farmers and ranchers, who are traditionally some of his strongest supporters. Recently, some of them have been unhappy with Trump’s latest moves although his support remains strong across rural America.that a $20 billion aid package for Argentina allowed that country to sell soybeans to China. Farmers are also still waiting on details of anto help them survive his trade war with China, but that aid has been put on hold because of the shutdown.The GOP speaker said other presidents have also renovated the White House and didn’t face as much criticism as Trump. At a morning news conference at the Capitol, Johnson listed off past renovations — from the swimming to the basketball court — and said Trump’s “glorious” new ballroom will be paid for by private donors.A bipartisan group of senators is putting support behind a number of bills that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism for abducting Ukrainian children, as well as threaten sanctions against China for any aggression towards Taiwan. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of the bills was a small step forward in the U.S. taking action, but represented a show of bipartisan progress at a time when Congress has often struggled to act on foreign policy. NATO Secretary NATO Secretary-Generalwas also on Capitol Hill visiting with lawmakers and some are taking the opportunity to rally support for U.S. involvement in Europe and Asia. Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the committee, said he’s hoping the legislation also enables the U.S. to seize Russian assets, “get them forfeited and get them into the fight in Ukraine.”Merkley held the chamber open all night to protest President Trump’s “tightening authoritarian grip on the country” amid the government shutdown. Merkley started speaking at 6:21 p.m. Tuesday evening and has been talking for more than 15 hours, with occasional breaks for questions from other Democratic senators who’ve joined him on the floor. Merkley’s lengthy speech comes after Democratic Sen. Cory Booker broke the all-time record for longest continuous floor speech in April. Booker, who was also protesting Trump, broke the record set 68 years ago by then-Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. By holding the floor open all night, Merkley forced Senate floor staff, security and other support workers who are currently unpaid to work overtime hours. The government has been shut down since Oct. 1 as Democrats have demanded an extension of federal health care subsidies and Republicans have refused to negotiate until the government is reopened.The U.S. Agriculture Department in September said it would scrap the annual household food security report after 30 years, stating that it had become “overly politicized” and “rife with inaccuracies.” The final report, for 2024, was scheduled for release Thursday, but all reports and data releases have ceased, an agency spokesperson said in a statement. Ending the report will make it difficult to gauge the extent of hunger in the U.S. amid deep cuts in federal food assistance programs and the effect of tariffs and immigration crackdowns on rising food prices, said Joseph Llobrera, of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet with Israel’s Netanyahu amid Gaza ceasefire efforts Rubio will travel to Israel to meet with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, the Israeli government announced Wednesday.But according to Vance’s office, other participants included his wife, Usha Vance; Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel; hostages who were returned alive under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas; and family members of deceased hostages whose remains have yet to be returned by Hamas.Vance also met separately Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday directed drills of the country’s strategic nuclear forces that featured practice missile launches, an exercise that came as his planned summit on Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump was put on hold. The Kremlin said that as part of the maneuvers involving all parts of Moscow’s nuclear triad, a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired from the Plesetsk launch facility in northwestern Russia, and a Sineva ICBM was launched by a submarine in the Barents Sea. The drills also involved Tu-95 strategic bombers firing long-range cruise missiles. North Korea performed its first ballistic missile tests in five months Wednesday, days before President Trump and other leaders are expected to meet in South Korea. South Korea’s military said it detected multiple short-range ballistic missiles that were launched from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 350 kilometers toward the northeast. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t release more specific flight details but said the missiles didn’t land in the sea. Trump is to leave for Asia at the end of the week in the first trip to the region of his second term. He plans to go to Malaysia first for a regional summit, and then head to Japan before traveling on to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, an annual summit meant to promote economic integration and trade.Japan’s new foreign minister said Wednesday his country plans to show its determination to further build up its defense to rapidly adapt to changing warfare realities and growing tension in the region when, who had spent much of past few weeks embroiled in internal political wrangling, has to face major diplomatic tests within days of taking office — Trump’s visit and two regional summits.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
World News Steve Feinberg Vladimir Putin Pete Hegseth Washington News Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Joseph Llobrera U.S. News Mark Rutte Isaac Herzog Usha Vance Jim Risch Mike Huckabee
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Hegseth changes policy on Pentagon dealings with CongressLeaders at the Pentagon have significantly altered how military officials will speak with Congress after a pair of new memos issued last week. In an Oct.
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Hegseth changes policy on how Pentagon officials communicate with CongressLeaders at the Pentagon have significantly altered how military officials will speak with Congress after a pair of new memos issued last week.
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Hegseth changes policy on how Pentagon officials communicate with CongressWASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders at the Pentagon have significantly altered how military officials will speak with Congress after a pair of new memos issued last week.
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The Latest: Hegseth changes policy on how Pentagon officials communicate with CongressLeaders at the Pentagon have significantly altered how military officials will speak with Congress after a pair of new memos issued last week.
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