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FEMA head among more than 70 nominees confirmed

The Senate on Friday confirmed Cameron Hamilton as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, returning the former Navy SEAL to the embattled agency he led temporarily last year only to be fired after he publicly opposed eliminating it. Hamilton was among a group of 74 nominations approved by the Senate, including President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Transportation Security Administration, David Cummins, and his choice for ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Perez. Upon his swearing in, Hamilton will take over an agency whose future has been uncertain since Trump threatened to ...

Senate passes Russia sanctions bill

WASHINGTON — The Senate overwhelmingly approved a punishing Russian sanctions package Friday, the result of a yearlong campaign by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham to reinforce U.S. support for Ukraine and try to force President Vladimir Putin’s hand as the grinding war drags on. The bipartisan legislation, which passed 86-11, would penalize countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports seeking to deprive Putin of revenues fueling the war. It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Capitol last week following Graham’s funeral, met with ...

Court: Trump can’t build ballroom

WASHINGTON — A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must stop construction of the $400 million White House ballroom because Congress has not approved the project, a decision he blasted as “unjust” while vowing to appeal it to the ...

AG nominee wins support from GOP holdout

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said on Friday that he will back Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche’s confirmation to lead President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. The Louisiana senator announced his support on the Senate floor after Blanche’s confirmation was thrown into doubt over opposition from two other Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Cassidy said Blanche “is not perfect,” citing concerns over a proposed $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies, a tax audit ...

Life in Cuba revolves around small bursts of power

A 20-minute burst of electricity is a small miracle in Havana nowadays — a miracle that sometimes comes at 3 a.m. That’s when 72-year-old Leidis Rodriguez frantically cooked beans after the lights switched on this week following hours of uninterrupted blackouts. “The power has come ...

Trump trying again to fire Fed governor

The Trump administration is moving ahead with its efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, two months after the Supreme Court allowed her to retain her job while she fights the president’s effort to terminate her over mortgage fraud allegations that she has denied. The justices in a 5-4 decision in June said Cook, who was nominated to the Fed’s Board of Governors by President Joe Biden, could remain in her post at least as long as her lawsuit challenging her firing goes on. The Trump administration is appealing a lower-court ruling in Cook’s favor. Supreme Court ...