United States Archives

U.S. Budget Deficit FY2026 on Track to Top $2 Trillion

10Feb

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Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, United States

U.S. Budget Deficit FY2026 on Track to Top $2 Trillion

February 10, 2026—The U.S. budget deficit is on track to top $2 trillion this year. In the first four months of fiscal year 2026, which started on October 1, 2025, the federal government ran a deficit of $696 billion. Revenues increased by 12 percent with higher receipts coming into the government from individual taxes and tariffs. The customs duties saw an increase of $90 billion, four times the amount the government received in 2025. Individual income taxes are projected to reach $925 billion in FY2026. Government spending held steady in the first four months at $2.4 trillion. The largest expenditures in the first four months were: Social Security ($538 billion), Medicare ($402 billion), net interest on the debt ($351 billion), and defense ($324 billion). The data comes from the...

Banking, Cryptocurrency Industries Compete for Washington’s Attention

2Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Brief, United States

Banking, Cryptocurrency Industries Compete for Washington’s Attention

Regulation of Stablecoins: Yield is the Issue February 2, 2026—The White House hosted a two-hour meeting today with representatives from the banking and cryptocurrency industry, two sectors that are likely to compete for capital. Though the meeting was not broadcast live, it reportedly included representatives from the American Bankers Association, the Crypto Council for Innovation, Blockchain Association, PayPal, Ripple, Tether, the Independent Community Bankers of America, and others. According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, the two-hour meeting resulted in a “constructive discussion” on the risks and rewards of stablecoin yield. “Issues were framed so that both sides know where boundaries are,” Terrett posted on X on Monday. Regulations & The CLARITY Act Sinc...

America on the Brink of Turmoil, Tyranny and Perhaps Even Civil Conflict

26Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Democracy, Immigration, Migration, Types of News: Analysis, United States

America on the Brink of Turmoil, Tyranny and Perhaps Even Civil Conflict

Photo pulled from YouTube video by NYT photographer David Guttenfelder about Jan. 24, 2026 the Minneapolis shooting. Federal Immigration Crackdown Incites Fear, Killings, and Civil Protests January 26, 2026—The United States is on the brink of a national crisis and a government shutdown after the second killing by gunfire of an American citizen by federal forces. Conflict over immigration in the United States is adding to the pressures of growing inequality, corruption, and a national debt above $38 trillion. Tensions are rising due to the deployment of federal forces in U.S. cities who are now targeting U.S. citizens as well as immigrants. ‘Under Siege and Occupation’ Citizens in some cities and states report across social media that they feel under siege or occupation by U.S...

United States: Democratic Dysfunction Creates Costs, Uncertainty for Defense, GAO Says

23Jan

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Democracy, United States

United States: Democratic Dysfunction Creates Costs, Uncertainty for Defense, GAO Says

January 23, 2026—In the United States, Congress has the authority and responsibility to manage the nation’s finances. It is tasked with passing 12 annual appropriations bills into law. More often than not, Congress fails to do its job. It routinely relies on continuing resolutions (CRs), which package several funding bills into a single bill to extend federal funding to agencies. In a recently released report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) looked at the impact of Congress’s use of CRs on defense planning. In all but four years of the last 49 years, funds for the Defense Department (A.K.A. War Department) were wrapped into CRs, creating uncertainty in planning. The GAO said the result is “delays, increased costs, operational challenges, spending challenges, and administrativ...

Jamie Dimon Played It Safe in Comments; Trump Sued Him Anyway

22Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Brief, United States

Jamie Dimon Played It Safe in Comments; Trump Sued Him Anyway

Five Years After Bank Closed His Accounts, Trump Sues Bank and CEO Jamie Dimon spoke at the World Economic Forum on January 21, 2026. January 22, 2026—A day after JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon gave an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in which he was largely deferential to President Donald Trump, Trump sued both the bank and Dimon for $5 billion. Trump’s complaint alleges libel and unfair and deceptive trade practices. He accused the Wall Street firm, one of the world’s largest private investment companies, of debanking his bank accounts without warning on February 19, 2021. Debanking is a term used to describe the sudden closure by a financial institution of a client’s account, often based on non-financial reasons for risk management. Critics refer ...

Lawsuit Challenges Trump’s Closure of Unit Meant to Resolve Police-Protestor Disputes

17Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Democracy, Legal Battles, International Law, Justice, Types of News: Brief, United States

Lawsuit Challenges Trump’s Closure of Unit Meant to Resolve Police-Protestor Disputes

Before Its Closure in October, CRS Mediated Racial and Ethnic Tensions One of the many cases in U.S. courts today over Trump’s policies is one about the Justice Department’s elimination of a program meant to peacefully resolve racial and ethnic tensions. Editor's Note: The following story is noteworthy due to the ongoing tensions in the United States over immigration, racial profiling, and the federal government's use of force in American cities. Democracy and civil society are being tested. The following story is one footnote in the series of unfolding events. January 17, 2026—One of the many cases in U.S. courts today over Trump’s policies is one about the Justice Department’s elimination of a program meant to peacefully resolve racial and ethnic tensions. The Community Relat...

U.S. Courts Conflict over Free Speech, Immigration, Habeas Corpus

16Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Domestic Politics, Legal Battles, International Law, Justice, Types of News: Analysis, United States

U.S. Courts Conflict over Free Speech, Immigration, Habeas Corpus

Mahmoud Khalil's Legal Battles Demonstrate the Divides January 16, 2026—U.S. courts are struggling to find clarity amid immigration actions that push the limits of constitutional rights. One of the cases that depicts the chaotic scene of mixed signals is the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident detained by ICE in March 2025 due to his speech on Israel-Palestine. As a graduate student at Columbia University, Khalil was a leading voice in the movement to assert that Palestinians have rights at a time of genocide, occupation, and apartheid. He was one of several legal residents and students detained after speaking up for Palestinian rights. Photo by Reena Rose Sibayan New Jersey Monitor. https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/01/15/mahmoud-khalil-arrested-court-ruling/ Backgro...

16Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Domestic Politics, Globalization, Disintegration, Nationalism, Populism, United States

An America Redefined: ‘Patriots’ First

January 16, 2026—In a column on The Dispatch, conservative journalist Jonah Goldberg writes about a notable change in what defines America under the Trump administration. Goldberg reviews the Labor Department’s digital marketing campaign and finds a consistent theme: it emphasizes a fight for “patriots” born in the United States, features photos of white workers, and mixes them with references to “heritage” and “homeland.” Photo from the Department of Labor in reference to the new America of "patriots." Fascist Flavor? Goldberg looks at specific phrases and notes the resemblance to 1930s-style propaganda in fascist European countries like Germany and Italy. Looking directly at the DOL feed, you can see that the department’s messages are clearly anti-immigration, including H-1B ...

Do Elections Alone Make American Democracy Strong? Supreme Court Justice Alito Weighs In

14Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Democracy, Types of News: Brief, United States

Do Elections Alone Make American Democracy Strong? Supreme Court Justice Alito Weighs In

Editor's Note: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, nominated by former President George W. Bush, has been called “the court’s most consistent conservative” on the 6:3 U.S. Supreme Court. At a time when many observers are looking to the Judicial Branch as a potential backstop against unchecked power, it is worth hearing what he has to say the state of U.S. democracy and the unchecked power of the presidency. January 14, 2026—In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito suggested that American democracy is “still strong” because “we have elections.” “The institutions are working at a certain level. But I think there are serious strains. I hope it’s the product of a particular era that is going to end when things settle down. But ri...

Gold and Silver Hit Record Highs As Trump’s DOJ Squeezes the Fed

12Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief, United States

Gold and Silver Hit Record Highs As Trump’s DOJ Squeezes the Fed

U.S. Central Bank Independence Questioned January 12, 2026—The price of precious metals soared to new heights as the U.S. central bank's independence came under greater political pressure. Gold and silver reached record highs, at $4,600 a troy and $86 an ounce, respectively. It comes as global investors grow wary of the increased political pressure by President Donald Trump on the Federal Reserve. Investors fear the central bank is losing autonomy to curb long-term inflation in the United States. Intensifying geopolitical tensions are also weighing on the markets. Year on year, gold prices increased by 70 percent, up from $2,715 a troy. Silver, meanwhile, swelled by 183 percent, from $30 an ounce in January 2025 to $86 an ounce today. Investors are placing bets on whether or not t...