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  • New clues about long COVID’s cause could unlock treatments

    New clues about long COVID’s cause could unlock treatments

    Why some people experience long-lasting physical and mental effects from COVID-19 could be linked to chronic inflammation, according to new research that experts say could help develop new treatments for the confounding condition that continues to afflict millions.

    Some early research on the condition has suggested that long COVID’s symptoms linger because the virus persists in people’s bodies. But the new study published Friday in Nature Immunology found that people with long COVID had activated immune defenses and heightened inflammatory responses for more than six months after initial infection compared with those who fully recovered.

    The latest research “leads to a hypothesis that there might be therapeutic targets related to inflammation that might be worth exploring in clinical studies,” said Dan Barouch, the study’s lead author and director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

    The study’s findings signal progress in understanding a condition that is estimated to affect more than 400 million individuals around the world as the coronavirus continues to infect people every day, said Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis who studies long COVID. There are no drugs approved for treatment of long COVID, leaving doctors to tackle individual symptoms with various therapies.

    “This is one piece of the puzzle,” said Al-Aly, who was not involved in the new study. “It’s eye-opening in the sense that it gives us more information that these pathways seem to be upregulated or activated in people with long COVID.”

    What does the new research mean?

    Anyone, regardless of their age or severity of their original symptoms, can develop long COVID, though some people have a higher risk, according to the World Health Organization. People have reported a constellation of symptoms, as many as 200 different ones, including brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, gastrointestinal problems, heart palpitations, and issues with sexual desire. The effects can be present four or more weeks after infection with SARS-CoV-2 and can last weeks, months, or even years.

    Researchers studied people during the early years of the pandemic from 2020 to 2021 as well as another cohort between 2023 and 2024. The 180 participants included people who were healthy, people infected with the coronavirus but recovered fully, and people with long COVID. Scientists analyzed protein levels, gene expression levels, immune responses, and viral measurements to see if there were differences between people who went on to develop lingering symptoms.

    Across both groups, the researchers saw multiple inflammatory pathways — how the body responds when it is injured or fighting infection — were triggered and stayed activated in people with long COVID.

    “We would speculate that the initial COVID infection triggered chronic inflammation in the host and that it’s probably not the only factor, but probably one of the factors that was associated with long COVID afterward,” Barouch said. He noted that while the researchers did not have access to data before patients were infected, they had “no reason to suspect” that those people already had chronic inflammation.

    Barouch said the findings of his study were limited, in part, by a small group of participants. While the researchers documented similar observations between both groups, which suggests that the findings could be generalized, he noted the need for larger studies of more diverse populations followed over a period of time.

    Based on the study’s data, Barouch said he started a clinical trial to test an anti-inflammatory drug that is typically used to treat eczema which targets one of these pathways. The trial has enrolled 45 participants and is ongoing, he said.

    A randomized trial of a drug commonly used to treat gout that reduces inflammation found that the medication did not help people with long COVID. This medication targets inflammation in a different way than the anti-inflammatory therapies Barouch said he and his team are studying.

    He also cautioned that more research needs to be done. Questions still remain, he said, about whether using a drug on one pathway is enough to treat long COVID when multiple pathways are activated.

    “But I do think that in the broader sense, identification of chronic inflammation as associated with long COVID will lead to therapeutic strategies that include anti-inflammatory drugs,” he added.

    What’s the latest on treatments?

    Understanding the biological causes of long COVID is critical for developing treatments, Barouch and other experts said.

    Because some research has suggested that the coronavirus could be lingering in people with long COVID, there have been studies of the antiviral Paxlovid, which is used to treat acute COVID infections. At least two initial studies using the drug for long COVID treatment showed no therapeutic efficacy, but other research is ongoing.

    Barouch emphasized that his research doesn’t contradict any existing theories, but adds data that can be used to support more studies of other therapies.

    The new study marks a welcome shift toward more investigation of alternative treatments, said Alba Azola, a rehabilitation physician and the co-director of the Long COVID/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Clinic at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

    “For too long in the field of long COVID a lot of attention has gone to viral persistence and viral specific kind of interventions,” said Azola, who was not involved in the latest research. “It’s important to look at, but also not the only pathway.”

    Long COVID could have different biological pathways and responses to treatments.

    “If we can get to a place where we can potentially find specific biologics that are going to be effective against the pathways that we’re seeing in common, that may give us a bigger gun to target more of those symptoms that are presenting,” Azola said.

  • Pentagon plan calls for major power shifts within U.S. military

    Pentagon plan calls for major power shifts within U.S. military

    Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, in a major consolidation sought by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, people familiar with the matter said.

    If adopted, the plan would usher in some of the most significant changes at the military’s highest ranks in decades, in part following through on Hegseth’s promise to break the status quo and slash the number of four-star generals in the military. It would reduce in prominence the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Africa Command by placing them under the control of a new organization known as U.S. International Command, according to five people familiar with the matter.

    Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine is expected to detail the proposal, which had not previously been reported, for Hegseth in the coming days. Such moves would complement other efforts by the administration to shift resources from the Middle East and Europe and focus foremost on expanding military operations in the Western Hemisphere, these people said. Like others interviewed for this report, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the effort before it is conveyed to the secretary.

    Hegseth’s team said in a statement that it would not comment on “rumored internal discussions” or “pre-decisional matters.” Any insinuation that there is a divide among officials over the issue is “completely false — everyone in the Department is working to achieve the same goal under this administration,” the statement said.

    Pete Hegseth faces deepening scrutiny from Congress over boat strikes

    The Pentagon has shared few, if any, details with Congress, a lack of communication that has perturbed members of the Republican-led Senate and House Armed Services Committees, according to two people familiar with how the panels have prepared for the proposal. Top officers at the commands involved are awaiting more details as well, officials said.

    The plan also calls for realigning U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Northern Command, which oversee military operations throughout the Western Hemisphere, under a new headquarters to be known as U.S. Americas Command, or Americom, people familiar with the matter said. That concept was reported earlier this year by NBC News.

    Pentagon officials also discussed creating a U.S. Arctic Command that would report to Americom, but that idea appears to have been abandoned, people familiar with the matter said.

    Combined, the moves would reduce the number of top military headquarters — known as combatant commands — from 11 to eight while cutting the number of four-star generals and admirals who report directly to Hegseth. Other remaining combatant commands would be U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Space Command, U.S. Strategic Command, and U.S. Transportation Command.

    Those familiar with the plan said it aligns with the Trump administration’s national security strategy, released this month, which declares that the “days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over.”

    ‘Baghdad Pete’ tries to prevent fact-based press from covering dire changes to U.S. security doctrine | Trudy Rubin

    The proposal was organized by the Pentagon’s Joint Staff under the supervision of Caine, and is due to be shared with Hegseth as soon as this week as the preferred course of action among senior military officials. It grew from a request made by Hegseth in the spring to look for ways to improve how troops are commanded and controlled, a senior defense official familiar with the discussion said, adding that Hegseth has kept in touch with Caine about the issue over the last several months.

    Any changes would need the approval of Hegseth and President Donald Trump. The moves would come in the Pentagon’s Unified Command Plan, which lays out the roles of the military’s major headquarters.

    Lawmakers have taken the extraordinary step of requiring the Pentagon to submit a detailed blueprint that describes the realignment’s potential costs and impacts on America’s alliances. The measure, included in Congress’ annual defense policy bill, would withhold money to enact the effort until at least 60 days after the Pentagon provides lawmakers with those materials.

    The bill has cleared the House and is expected to pass the Senate this week.

    The senior defense official said the proposed realignment is meant to speed decision-making and adaptation among military commanders. “Decay” had been observed in how the U.S. military commands and controls troops, he added, suggesting that the need for sweeping change is urgent.

    “Time ain’t on our side, man,” the senior defense official said, describing internal conversations around the plan. “The saying here is, ‘If not us, who, and if not now, when?’”

    The potential reorganization comes as Hegseth has begun broader efforts to cull the number of generals and admirals across the military. He also has fired or otherwise forced out more than 20 senior officers, threatened others with polygraph tests to determine whether they have leaked information to the news media, and told those remaining that if they do not like the administration’s policies they should “do the honorable thing and resign.”

    Chuck Hagel, who served as defense secretary during the Obama administration and as a Republican member of the Senate before that, expressed concerns about the Trump administration’s ambitions. There are different dynamics, needs, and security threats throughout the globe, he said.

    “The world isn’t getting any less complicated,” Hagel said in an interview. “You want commands that have the capability of heading off problems before they become big problems, and I think you lose some of that when you unify or consolidate too many.”

    Senior military officials considered about two dozen other concepts, the senior defense official said. At least one discussion called for a reduction to six total combatant commands. Under that plan, Special Operations Command, Space Command, and Cyber Command would be downgraded and placed under the control of a new U.S. Global Command, said other officials familiar with the discussion.

    Caine is expected to share at least two other courses of action with Hegseth, people familiar with the matter said. One concept calls for creating two commands to house all of the others, with all major geographic organizations such as Central Command and European Command placed under the control of an entity that would be called Operational Command. Other major headquarters, such as Transportation Command and Space Command, would fall under an organization called Support Command.

    One proposal suggested the creation of a new headquarters unit, Joint Task Force War, to be based at the Pentagon. It would focus on planning and strategy when the United States was not at war, and be capable of controlling forces anywhere in the world when there was a conflict, people familiar with the matter said.

    The idea didn’t “test well” in exercises with military officials and appears unlikely to be adopted, the senior defense official said. Top military officials expressed concerns that such an organization would not possess the same regional expertise and relationships inherent to the military’s current construct.

    Even if you have “some of your best people” in such a task force, the senior official said, “you don’t have a fingertip feel” for what is occurring in a region. A second official said it seemed “very confusing” to have top commanders in a region prepare for a conflict there, only to hand those plans over to another commander when something occurred.

    Another plan sought to reorganize the military by domain, with operations organized and led by whether they occurred on land or in air, sea, space, or cyberspace, people familiar with the matter said. The idea had supporters in the Space Force but had few other proponents, people familiar with the matter said. It also limited the Marine Corps’ influence, with it falling under the control of the Navy Department even as the other branches of service were elevated.

    Military officials involved in the reorganization effort also considered whether to elevate the chairman’s role to allow him to command forces, rather than serving as the senior military adviser to both the president and the defense secretary. That could have occurred through the Joint Task Force War framework, two officials said, but the concept seemed murky.

    The idea also could have been complicated by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, landmark legislation that reorganized the military and defined the chairman’s role. Under the law, the chairman is considered the “principal” military adviser to the president, the defense secretary, and other senior officials. Operations are controlled through a chain of command that runs from combatant commanders to the defense secretary and then to the president.

  • The stocks to watch when the Supreme Court rules on Trump’s tariffs

    An upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the sweeping tariffs that President Donald Trump rolled out in April — briefly sending markets worldwide into a tailspin — could be the next test for stocks that have been flying high.

    The S&P 500 Index has since rallied 39% from the lows hit that month. It closed at a record high Thursday, in part because tariffs have settled lower than Trump’s highest threats, while support has come from an artificial-intelligence investment boom and a U.S. economy that has kept expanding fast enough to throw off record corporate profits.

    If the nation’s top court says Trump exceeded his authority with the blanket tariffs on countries around the globe, there will still be significant uncertainty. The White House could use other laws to reimpose some new levies, for example. Bond traders could push up yields over worries about the deficit, and that concern could spread into the equity market.

    A ruling this year is increasingly unlikely. The court held its last scheduled public session of the year on Wednesday and isn’t scheduled to sit again until Jan. 9. The court’s standard practice is to issue decisions in argued cases from the bench, generally a day or more after making a public announcement that opinions are likely.

    But when a decision does come, market participants say the initial reaction, at least, would likely be positive for stocks should the court strike down the tariffs. A ruling upholding the tariffs would likely have the opposite effect.

    There are a few reasons why. Striking down the tariffs would eliminate a tax that many businesses haven’t completely passed along to customers, resulting in a drag on the bottom line. Refunds on what they’ve already paid could provide a windfall. And consumer spending may get a boost, too, given that Democrats in Congress estimate tariffs have cost the average American family some $1,200 over the past 10 months.

    Overall, a ruling against the tariffs would boost the earnings of companies in the S&P 500 Index, before interest and taxes, by 2.4% in 2026 compared to current-year levels, Wells Fargo & Co. chief equity strategist Ohsung Kwon estimated in October.

    “That’s good for the market generally, because they look at tariffs as a tax,” said James St. Aubin, chief investment officer at Ocean Park Asset Management. “This will be a catalyst for a little bit of a rally.”

    Some companies, and their stocks, stand to benefit more than others. The tariffs have been particularly painful for those that are heavily dependent on imported goods, such as apparel companies and toymakers. Financial firms, for their part, stand to benefit from a more confident or flush consumer.

    “On the flip side,” said Haris Khurshid, chief investment officer at Karobaar Capital, “materials, commodities, and domestic producers that benefited from protectionism might lag a bit.”

    Here’s a look at some of the sectors and companies with the most at stake when the decision does come.

    Consumer

    Clothing and toy companies — both heavily dependent on imports from China and other Asian countries targeted with some of the highest tariffs — are seen as clear winners, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Nike Inc. and Mattel Inc. are potential standouts.

    Others include Deckers Outdoor Corp., Under Armour Inc., Crocs Inc., and American Eagle Outfitters Inc., all of which have struggled with tariff-related uncertainty. Home furnishing stocks have been volatile too, including Wayfair Inc., Williams-Sonoma Inc., and RH.

    Texas Capital’s Eric Wold singled out some potential winners among the leisure-related companies he follows: boat-maker Brunswick Corp., toymaker Funko Inc., and Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.

    Industrials

    Industrial manufacturing giants Caterpillar Inc. and Deere & Co. are among the firms set to benefit the most from tariff refunds, according to Wells Fargo’s Kwon. Stanley Black & Decker Inc., Fortive Corp., and Lennox International Inc. also make the list.

    Shares of automakers General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. advanced during the Supreme Court hearing last month, when the justices’ skepticism about the administration’s arguments increased market speculation that the tariffs would be struck down. While the case doesn’t affect the industry-specific tariff on automakers, they stand to gain from a stronger consumer.

    Investment firm Hedgeye also sees positive implications for transport stocks, expecting a boost if the tariffs are struck down and importers move to snap up inventory before any new ones are imposed. That could benefit United Parcel Service Inc., FedEx Corp., and trucking companies.

    Financials

    Major banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. faced volatility earlier this year, alongside private equity giants like Blackstone Inc., amid concerns that Trump’s trade war will slow economic activity. Financial-technology companies such as Affirm Holdings Inc. and Block Inc. are prone to big swings, as are stocks linked to cryptocurrencies.

    Lower tariffs may ease pressure on U.S. consumers and support the broader economy. If inflation expectations move lower, it’ll also support the case for more rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, Clear Street analyst Owen Lau said.

    Lower interest rates encourage “loan growth, refinancing, stronger equities markets, and even higher consumer spending,” Lau said, “which will fundamentally benefit financial stocks in general.”

  • Trump’s library plan: An iconic building in Miami and a ‘fake news wing’

    Trump’s library plan: An iconic building in Miami and a ‘fake news wing’

    Eric Trump sounded triumphant after Florida officials recently approved giving away a prized piece of Miami real estate for his father’s presidential library. “I got the library approved yesterday,” Trump said on a podcast, adding that “we just got the greatest site in Florida and I’m going to be building that.”

    Then, speaking on another program, Trump said he would take the host’s suggestion to create a “fake news wing” — paid for with money from lawsuit settlements with ABC, CBS, and other sources. It would run clips from 60 Minutes and other programs that he said were evidence of the media organizations’ animus against his father.

    These little-noticed statements by the president’s son provide a revealing look into the zeal of President Donald Trump and his family to build a likely high-rise with a museum that they say will be unlike any other presidential library — and which could tell the story of his presidency only as he wants it to be told.

    Much about the process is secretive, with no federal rules requiring disclosure of the donors — some of whom may have interests affected by White House policy — who are expected to provide hundreds of millions of dollars. A recent filing, for example, says the Donald J. Trump Library Foundation raised $50 million this year but doesn’t provide any donor names. It says $6 million has been spent for “program services” but doesn’t provide specifics.

    The White House referred questions to the foundation, which did not respond to an emailed list of queries and has not said whether Trump might use some of the site for a hotel or other development.

    It is also unclear whether the Trump library will function as the name implies — providing a center for research of presidential papers — or whether museum exhibits would be reviewed by government historians. Trump might follow the example of former President Barack Obama, who created a private foundation that is building his Chicago center where the museum exhibits will not be subject to government review.

    Running a center under the Obama model would require huge sums of money, which might be why Trump’s strategy of using money from lawsuits against media companies and many other sources has become a crucial component.

    Trump hasn’t said whether he will follow Obama’s example, but if he does, experts said, he would be free to tell his own version of his presidencies — including his false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen. That would be in contrast, for example, to the library of former President Richard M. Nixon, where the National Archives created an exhibit on Watergate that was vetted by nonpartisan government historians but is decried by some Nixon supporters.

    Tim Naftali, who helped create that Watergate exhibit in his former role as the National Archives-appointed director of the Nixon library, said he is concerned that Trump could create a museum that tells a misleading story about his presidency without oversight.

    “If they are going to have a ‘fake news wing,’ it would be awfully hard for nonpartisan library professionals at the National Archives to swallow,” said Naftali, now a senior research fellow at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

    But if Trump follows the Obama model, the National Archives would be powerless to object, he said. The archives would still control the presidential papers, which belong to the federal government and would gradually be made available online after undergoing review for classified material.

    That model will become clearer once the Obama Presidential Center, as it is called, opens in June. Asked how Obama’s center will tell his story, a spokesperson said in a statement that Obama and his foundation consulted with leading independent historians and “take the study of history and the U.S. Constitution seriously, and these values are reflected in the work at the center — and in particular, the Museum.”

    But Curt Smith, a former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush who wrote a book on presidential libraries, said in an interview that the Obama model “is a terrible example to follow” because it allows a former president to write whatever script they choose. “I would be truly alarmed if the Trump library followed that model,” he said.

    There is no law requiring the construction of a presidential library; with or without it, presidential papers and artifacts are the property of the federal government and controlled by the National Archives. Indeed, after Trump’s first term, he did not establish such a center. When Trump took some classified presidential papers to Mar-a-Largo in Palm Beach, Fla., he was charged with willful retention of national defense secrets. The case was dismissed.

    From the earliest days of his second administration, however, Trump has focused on raising millions of dollars for his center, while Eric Trump focused on gaining land for the project. Once President Trump decided to build his center, he had no choice other than to raise private funds because Congress does not provide taxpayer money for construction.

    The rules say not only that the construction funds be privately raised, but also that an additional 60% of that cost be provided as an endowment if the government maintains the facility. That requirement was enacted because the National Archives is spending $91 million annually to cover expenses of most earlier presidential libraries, almost one-fourth of its congressional budget. As a result, the Archives has been negotiating deals that would transfer much of that cost to foundations.

    “Today, preserving the presidential library system requires acknowledging these facts and addressing mounting expenditures across the system,” Jim Byron, senior adviser to the archivist of the National Archives, said in a statement to the Washington Post.

    If Trump keeps his center private, as is widely expected, his foundation would be responsible for maintenance and would not cede control of the museum to the National Archives — saving taxpayer money while enabling him to write his own story.

    That has led to the current situation in which Trump is raising funds from the settlement of lawsuits against the media and other sources.

    “We gave away very valuable land”

    On Sept. 16, a vague ad appeared in the Miami Herald announcing that Miami Dade College would hold a public hearing to “discuss potential real estate transactions.” There was no indication that a 2.6-acre property in downtown Miami — which is appraised at about $60 million but which real estate brokers have said could be worth $300 million or more — was about to be donated to Trump’s library foundation.

    Seven days later, at 8 a.m. Sept. 23, the meeting of the college board of trustees convened. Chairman Michael Bileca called for approval of Agenda Item A, a proposal to convey an unnamed piece of property to an entity known as the “Internal Trust Fund of the State of Florida.” Again, there was no mention of land being given for a Trump library. Bileca opened the floor for discussion; there was none. The motion was passed unanimously by the seven members. Bileca did not respond to a request for comment.

    At exactly 8:03 a.m., according to board minutes, the meeting adjourned and the deal was done.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis and his cabinet then announced they had agreed to give the land to the Trump library foundation. The only requirement is that construction begins within five years and that it “contains components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center.”

    The secretive deal took many people by surprise — including at least some members of the college board of trustees — and caused an uproar among critics.

    Roberto Alonso, vice chair of the Miami Dade College board of trustees, said the governor’s office sent a letter to the college asking for the land transfer to the state, without explaining why.

    “When I found out that this was exactly what the state wanted was literally right after we voted,” Alonso said.

    Alonso said because Miami Dade is a state college, the land is owned by the state, so his board had little choice but to do what DeSantis wanted and convey the deed.

    He called the library an “incredible opportunity for our students and our community.” The college did not respond to a request for comment.

    The property is a parking lot on the downtown campus of the college. It’s next to the Freedom Tower, an iconic and recently restored landmark on Biscayne Boulevard often referred to as the “Ellis Island of the South.”

    The plan drew immediate backlash from many in the Cuban community who said Trump’s immigration policies contrast with the treatment their families received under previous administrations.

    The college board’s approval also became the target of a lawsuit filed by Miami historian Marvin Dunn, who said the vague notice about the action violated state government Sunshine Laws. The judge in the case set a trial date for next year, but the trustees held a second vote Dec. 2, this time with input from the public, that ended in the same result — a unanimous vote.

    Dunn’s lawyer, Richard E. Brodsky, said in an interview the lawsuit has succeeded in gaining a temporary injunction that prevents the conveyance of the land pending a further order of the court.

    “It’s not over yet,” Brodsky said.

    Miami mayor-elect Eileen Higgins — the first Democrat to win the office in almost 30 years — said before Tuesday’s election that she had questions about the deal.

    “We gave away very valuable land to a billionaire for free. That doesn’t make sense to me,” she said during a televised debate this month.

    Dunn said Eric Trump’s statement that the library will be an “iconic building” raises the alarming prospect of “a 47-story condominium hotel banquet hall” or other oversize structure.

    “If the argument is that this library is going to bring tourism and economic development to the wider region, that may well be true,” Dunn said in an interview. “Then why doesn’t the foundation pay for the land? Why give that to them for free?”

    DeSantis said in September that “we had worked and negotiated” other possible locations for the library, including at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, which is in Palm Beach County about 30 miles from Mar-a-Lago.

    “But their preference was for this land, next to the Freedom Tower. So you’re going to have a presidential library in the state of Florida, which I think is good for the state of Florida. I think it’s good for the city of Miami,” he said.

    “A possible tool for corruption and bribery”

    While the state filing by Trump’s library foundation doesn’t disclose funding sources, President Trump has spoken often about some of them. The largest projected donation is a gift of a Boeing 747-8 aircraft valued at $400 million from the Qatari royal family — which has many interests in Washington policy — that would replace Air Force One and then be given to his library. It is not clear how or whether the plane could be exhibited at the Trump library as Ronald Reagan’s Air Force One is exhibited at his library in California.

    Other funds for the library stem from payments from media companies — some of which have interests before the government — to settle lawsuits filed against them by Trump. These include: $22 million from Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company, part of a settlement to resolve a lawsuit over the company’s suspension of Trump from the platform in the wake of the events of Jan. 6; $16 million from CBS; $15 million from ABC; and an unspecified part of a $10 million settlement with X, formerly known as Twitter, which had banned him from the platform. In addition, millions of dollars raised from private interests left from Trump’s inauguration may be transferred to the library foundation.

    These gifts and payments, and the potential of hundreds of millions more from unknown donors, have led Democrats to introduce the Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act, which would ban fundraising until after a president leaves office, except from nonprofits. It would require a two-year delay after a president leaves before donations can be accepted from foreign nationals or foreign government, lobbyists, individuals seeking pardons, and federal contractors.

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) issued a report in support of the legislation that said Trump “may be using his future presidential library as a possible tool for corruption and bribery while still in office.” The report then listed donations intended for Trump’s library. Warren was unavailable for an interview, an aide said.

    Presidential libraries are seen as a crucial pillar for portraying the history of White House occupants and making their materials widely available. They have proven invaluable to historians and others seeking to piece together the strands of a presidency that often become clearer in hindsight; author Robert Caro used materials at Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential library in Texas for his prizewinning multivolume biography.

    But in recent years, historians have raised concerns that presidential libraries have focused more on hagiography than clear-eyed biography — particularly as increasingly large sums have come from private donors, including those who have interests before the federal government and who favor a particular storyline about a president.

    Obama’s center, backed by a $1.6 billion fundraising effort, is being built on a 19-acre site that will be run by his foundation. It is not designed to include on-site research materials, which are being digitized with the help of a $5 million payment from the foundation and will be retained by the National Archives, a foundation spokesperson said.

    Former President Joe Biden, meanwhile, is at the beginning of his effort. While he said the library would be in Delaware, he has not provided specifics and has not announced any donation of land. A tax filing says $4 million was raised for Biden’s library in 2024. A Biden spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said a board has been named and that a foundation is focused on creating a planning study and a budget for the facility. Biden plans to attend a holiday gathering today at which he will lay out his vision for his library, but it will not be a fundraiser, an associate said.

    Trump and his family, meanwhile, have been aggressive in gathering land and money for his center while he is in office. After the state authorized the land transfer, Eric Trump went on conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s show to say that he was responsible for the approval and would build his father’s facility, while ridiculing the Obama center, which he said looked like a “jailhouse.”

    Then, appearing on a podcast called The Benny Show, Eric Trump said he would take host Benny Johnson’s suggestion to create a “fake news wing of the library” — paid for with money from settlements with ABC, CBS, and other media — which would run clips that he said were evidence of the media’s animus against his father.

    “What we’ll do is, we’ll just roll the 60 Minutes clip over and over of how they doctored Kamala’s interview,” Trump said, referring to his father’s assertion that the newsmagazine show deceptively edited its interview of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Trump said creating such a wing “is a phenomenal freaking idea” and vowed, “I will do an entire floor dedicated to the fake news.”

    CBS said in October 2024 that the Harris interview was edited for time but stood by its accuracy. Paramount, the parent company of CBS, which produces 60 Minutes, settled the suit for $16 million in July; that agreement did not include an apology, according to a story posted on the CBS website. The payment was designated for Donald Trump’s library foundation. It came as Paramount was attempting to complete an $8 billion sale to Skydance Media, a deal that required FCC approval.

    Shortly afterward, in July, the agency assented to the deal. A Paramount spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

  • Higher costs push holiday shoppers toward socks, coffee, and diapers

    Higher costs push holiday shoppers toward socks, coffee, and diapers

    Shirley Spillane’s holiday shopping list is decidedly no-frills this year: cutting boards, coffee, and socks.

    The Los Angeles-based school counselor used to spend big for Christmas. But this year, with stubbornly high prices, rent, and utilities, as well as a 6-month-old baby, she’s paring back. Spillane is buying a car duster for her husband and jam for her aunt — all within her $200 budget, made up almost entirely of gifts she can pick up grocery shopping at Sam’s Club.

    “This season looks different than usual,” the 26-year-old said. “With the economy the way it is and a new baby, we’re keeping it small.”

    Across the country, Americans are putting a practical spin on holiday shopping. Another year of stubborn inflation and new tariffs that have lifted the prices of appliances, shoes, and toys has led many families to think twice about what they’re buying, and why. Early holiday spending data shows people are scooping up more necessities like appliances, clothing, and furniture than they did last year.

    On Cyber Monday alone, online sales of refrigerators and freezers rose 1,700% from average levels in October, according to data from Adobe Analytics. Other run-of-the-mill products in high demand included vacuum cleaners (up 1,300%), small kitchen appliances (up 1,250%), cookware (up 950%), power tools (up 900%), and jackets (up 850%).

    “These are items that are, in many instances, absolutely essential,” said Vivek Pandya, director of Adobe Digital Insights. “Consumers are cognizant of the broad environment and they’re being very strategic about purchases, whether it’s for themselves or gift-giving.”

    While inflation has risen modestly this year, five years of price increases have led to deepening dissatisfaction with how much things cost. That sentiment helped cement political wins last month for Democrats in Virginia, New York, and New Jersey and spurred President Trump to kick off an “affordability tour” touting what his administration has done for the economy. “Our prices are coming down tremendously from the highest prices in the history of our country,” he said at a Pennsylvania casino last week.

    But in interviews with nearly a dozen shoppers around the country, the Washington Post found that almost all of them said they had become more strategic about their holiday shopping this year. They were looking for discounts and comparing prices. Many were buying fewer gifts, and for fewer people.

    Some parents, like Meghan Orr in Austin, said they’d begun wrapping everyday items like diapers and baby shampoo to fill the space under their Christmas trees. “At this point we’re just being silly, but it’s fun to unwrap things.”

    When it came to their own wish lists, several said they wanted to do away with gifting conventions and ask family for help paying the bills — though very few thought the approach would work.

    Alecia Bencze, director of career services for a law school in Akron, Ohio, has had a good year financially. Still, she’s spending about half of the $1,000 she usually does on Christmas gifts, and is sticking to items she knows will come in handy: golf balls for her father, a barbecue set for her brother, and shoes for her sister-in-law. Her own wish list includes a skillet and measuring cups.

    “I’m not feeling the pinch as much as other people are, but this is the least I’ve ever spent on Christmas,” Bencze, 35, said. “I just went through and got one thing from each person’s list.”

    Early holiday shopping data shows a discernible shift in spending patterns, with lower- and middle-income Americans pulling back, and the wealthy trading down from luxury stores to lower-priced retailers. Although Black Friday sales were unexpectedly strong, those gains were largely concentrated at discounters, dollar stores, off-price department stores, and online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, according to Consumer Edge, which tracks transactions from more than 100 million credit and debit cards. The firm’s data showed that purchases between Black Friday and Cyber Monday tumbled 10% at high-end department stores, while luxury clothing brands saw a 5% decline from the same period last year, as even the most well-off looked for deals.

    At Twiggy, a small business that sells tote bags and other gifts in Oahu, Hawaii, more customers are veering toward everyday items like kitchen towels, reusable snack bags, and sticky notes this holiday season, owner Jessica Leong-Thomas said.

    “It started during the government shutdown, when people became hesitant to buy frivolously,” she said. “Since then I’ve seen a real shift. People come in and say, ‘I want to buy something that will be useful.’” (Leong-Thomas understands the impulse: “Personally, what I want for Christmas is for someone to buy me toilet paper and dish soap,” she said.)

    When they do shop, data shows Americans are increasingly turning to off-price retailers such as TJ Maxx, and warehouse discounters such as Costco and Sam’s Club, for discounts on basic items, according to Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president for shopper insights at the data analytics firm Kantar. Overall, she said, Americans appear to be spending more than they did last year, but on fewer items.

    “You look at what’s happening with prices, tariffs, and other inflationary pressures, and it definitely seems like people have a more practical mindset,” she said. “I see it with my own adult children: One of them asked for socks.”

    In all, holiday sales are expected to grow about 4% this year, slightly less than last year’s 4.3% increase and a notable slowdown from 13% growth in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation.

    When JoEllen Barnes’s refrigerator broke down in mid-November, she and her family made do until they could scoop up a discounted replacement on Black Friday. With food and utility costs up this year, the mother of two says it’s been tougher to cover everyday costs. Instead of splurging on a Nintendo Switch for her sons like she did last year, she’s been scouring neighborhood Facebook groups for lightly used toys.

    “I usually ask my husband for jewelry but that doesn’t feel appropriate now, given the extra cost of things,” said Barnes, a 43-year-old educator in Charlotte. Instead of their usual wish lists, they’re sticking to the utilitarian this year. She got him a discounted iPad on Black Friday; he’s already bought her gift too, though she doesn’t know what it is.

    “Part of me is like, ‘Please don’t let it be an appliance or pots,’” Barnes said. “Although, well, it would be nice to get new pots.”

  • Trump administration launches bold air-taxi push

    Trump administration launches bold air-taxi push

    The Trump administration is seeking to boost U.S. companies as they compete for dominance in the burgeoning air-taxi sector — with an eye toward showcasing the technology at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

    Through executive orders — as well as a new effort to gather data that could help fast-track adoption of these aircraft — the administration has embraced it as part of its transportation agenda.

    In September, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the launch of a pilot program aimed at exploring ways to integrate these technologies — including air taxis, more formally known as electric vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft — as well as hybrid-electric and battery-powered planes into the nation’s aviation system.

    For decades, the dream of flying above traffic-clogged roadways has been just that — a dream. But companies such as Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and BETA Technologies are pitching their battery-powered aircraft, which take off and land vertically, as a way to revolutionize the way people travel. Meanwhile, Wisk, a Boeing subsidiary, and Reliable Robotics are working on versions that can operate without a pilot — an innovation that could improve the economics of air service and cargo delivery to smaller and more isolated communities.

    BETA Technologies raised more than $1 billion when it went public on the New York Stock Exchange last month, and investors have poured millions into the sector. However, questions remain about whether it will live up to the hype. A plan for air taxis to transport spectators during the 2024 Paris Olympics fizzled, while other high-profile ventures have faltered. Lilium, a German eVTOL company, received an infusion of cash after filing for bankruptcy last year, but was still unable to continue operations, filing for bankruptcy again earlier this year.

    Experts say one key to financial success is making the leap from a novelty for the rich to a transportation option for the masses. Skeptics say the technology is still too unproven to merit government support.

    “We’re talking about spending taxpayer money on something that’s not here yet,” said Rep. Scott Perry (R., Pa.) at a House hearing last week. “The private sector is free to chase this enterprise. As I see it, it can’t beat the physics of a 1960 helicopter.”

    Pilot program hopes

    The public may soon see how these new types of aircraft could change how people and goods move.

    Dec. 19 is the deadline for submissions to the administration’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). Modeled after a similar initiative for drone operations launched during President Donald Trump’s first term, it seeks to explore how quieter, cleaner, battery-powered aircraft that take off and land like helicopters can transform aviation. At least five applicants will be chosen.

    “This program represents the launch of a new era of American aviation,” said Greg Bowles, chief policy officer at Joby Aviation, which has been working for more than a decade to bring its aircraft to market. He predicted it will “introduce Joby aircraft into the skies over major U.S. cities” starting next year.

    Sapan Shah, senior director of portfolio management for Advanced Mobility at Honeywell Aerospace, said he expects significant interest from state and local governments across the country that are eager to explore how these new types of planes can benefit their residents. The data collected from the program will offer participants an early look at how these aircraft operate in real-world conditions, and what changes will be needed to incorporate them into existing transportation systems, he said.

    Major players in the industry, including BETA Technologies and Joby Aviation, have already said they plan to apply for the pilot program. In September, Archer Aviation said it hoped to participate in the program alongside United Airlines, an early investor in the company. The selections are expected to be made in March, with operations anticipated within 90 days. The pilot programs are expected to run for three years; Joby and Archer also aim to have a fleet of air taxis flying Olympic spectators around Los Angeles in 2028.

    The state of Michigan also plans to apply, said Bryan Budds, aeronautics director for the Michigan Department of Transportation. As part of a partnership with BETA Technologies, it has installed a network of chargers for electric aircraft at four airports. While much of the focus around air taxis is on how they can move people in dense urban areas, Budds said one potential use in Michigan is moving pharmaceuticals and medical goods to the state’s rural areas.

    There’s also been movement in Congress, which included several provisions aimed at bolstering air taxis in last year’s Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The industry received another major boost that year when the FAA released standards for air-taxi pilot training and certification.

    To supporters, a main case for investing in these technologies is to ensure the U.S. continues its dominance more broadly of the global aviation industry. China, for example, has already certified an air taxi capable of carrying passengers.

    At the House hearing last week, lawmakers emphasized the importance of ensuring that lead.

    “Either we choose to embrace and unleash American innovation, or we carry on with the status quo and watch as other nations surpass us in new and emerging technology,” said Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R., Texas).

    Even in the early stages, experts say, such programs can yield valuable information.

    With a demonstration program, “we’re getting technology out into the actual markets,” said Laurie Garrow, a civil engineering professor at Georgia Institute of Technology who has followed developments in advanced air mobility.

    These real-world projects will help communities and the FAA understand how these aircraft operate in the existing air traffic system and where the pain points might be, and the data gathered will help policymakers as they attempt to scale up to larger operations, she added.

    Savanthi Syth, an aviation analyst with Raymond James, said giving manufacturers and communities an early opportunity to “try out” the technology in controlled environments means that by the time the aircraft are fully certified, they won’t be starting at square one — they’ll already have information allowing them to move into the next phase of operations.

    Said Syth: “This is a better way than ‘Oh, you have a certified aircraft but now you have to get community buy-in.’”

  • Witness describes terror inside Brown University classroom after gunman entered

    Witness describes terror inside Brown University classroom after gunman entered

    Joseph Oduro had just wrapped up a study session for the final exam in an introductory economics course at Brown University when he heard screaming outside the room and several loud bangs.

    Five seconds later, a door opened at the top of the auditorium-style classroom in the Barus and Holley engineering and physics building. A man dressed in black burst in, yelling something unintelligible. He was carrying “the longest gun I’ve ever seen in my life,” Oduro said in an interview Sunday.

    Oduro, a senior from New Jersey, is a teaching assistant in the principles of economics course, one of the most popular classes on campus. On Saturday afternoon, he was reviewing the course material with 60-odd students ahead of Tuesday’s exam.

    Oduro, 21, locked eyes with the shooter. A single thought went through his mind: Get down.

    He crouched behind the podium where only moments earlier he had been offering students words of encouragement ahead of their final exam. He heard shots, dozens of them, and screams. Students began running down the aisles to get away. Some escaped through the side doors at the bottom of the classroom while others huddled with Oduro, all trying to stay as quiet as possible.

    One of them was a first-year student from Massachusetts who had been shot twice in the leg. Oduro gave her his hand and told her to squeeze it. “I told her to put all the pain on me,” Oduro said. “I just kept telling her, ‘You’re going to be okay.’”

    The attack at the Ivy League school left two students dead and nine others wounded, officials said. Early Sunday, a person of interest was taken into custody, according to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley (D).

    Oduro doesn’t know how long it took for police to arrive. There were other victims in the classroom and Oduro got his first real look at the scene as he was escorted out by police. He didn’t want to describe what he saw.

    Oduro stayed with his wounded first-year student in the back of a police car all the way to the hospital. He wanted to make sure she would be all right. It sounded corny, he knew, but he truly loved the students in the class, where he has been a teaching assistant since his sophomore year.

    It hurt, he said, “to see them all in a state of panic and desperate pain.”

    After hours at the hospital and questioning by the police, Oduro went to stay at a friend’s place who lives off campus. His voice was quiet and full of exhaustion. He had no idea what would come next.

    On Sunday morning, Brown said that all remaining exams and classes for the semester were canceled.

  • How baby boomers got so rich, and why their kids are unlikely to catch up

    How baby boomers got so rich, and why their kids are unlikely to catch up

    Baby boomers hold more than $85 trillion in assets, making them the richest generation by far. New research explores the extraordinary rise in their good fortunes — one that experts say successive generations will be hard-pressed to replicate.

    The reasons come down to timing and time: Americans 75 and older bought homes and invested in stocks well before such assets exploded in value, according to Edward Wolff, an economics professor at New York University. In a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, he examined the four decades between 1983 and 2022 when those older boomers’ saw their wealth climb and their younger peers recorded relative declines.

    “It’s astonishing how their relative wealth has taken off in the last 30 plus years,” Wolff said. “They started out as among the poorest groups in terms of wealth back in 1983.”

    The wealth of baby boomers — especially those in retirement — is a reflection of the uniquely favorable economic conditions that occurred during their working lives, Wolff and other economists said. So much so that it would be difficult for younger generations to emulate, especially as they are more likely to be weighed down by debt or childcare costs.

    Housing costs also factor into the widening divide between baby boomers (born from 1946 to 1964), and everyone else, experts say. Generation X (1965 to 1980), millennials (1981 to 1996), and their successors increasingly dedicate a bigger portion of their budgets to mortgage or rent.

    Without considering the historical backdrop that let many boomers buy homes and invest in stock before decades of asset appreciation, people might overstate the extent to which the generation’s wealth reflects their superior financial decision-making, said Olivia Mitchell, professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

    What happened?

    Good economic conditions

    Baby boomers “entered the labor force during decades of strong economic growth, rising productivity, and relatively high real wages,” Mitchell said. They were in their prime earning and saving years during long bull markets, namely in the 1980s and ’90s, she said, as well as the economic recovery that followed the Great Recession. They faced lower tuition and healthcare costs, and benefited from favorable tax policies, including lower capital gains tax rates, she said.

    By contrast, younger generations endured the Great Recession — which ran from late 2007 to mid-2009 — early in their careers and more volatile capital markets afterward, she said.

    And “particularly for middle-income workers, real wage gains since the 2000s have been modest, compared to the robust wage growth that boomers benefited from mid-career,” Mitchell said.

    By age 30, the average millennial had about twice as much debt as their baby boomer counterpart, said Jeremy Ney, a professor at Columbia University’s business school.

    Post-World War II, “you had this tremendous boom that many got to ride for a very long period of time,” Ney said. “And when you compare that to the bursting of the dot-com bubble, when you compare that to the 2008 housing crisis, when you compare that to the declines of COVID, it made it much more difficult for people to invest, accumulate wealth.”

    The rise of 401(k)s and stock holdings

    Some older boomers benefited from having access to defined-benefit pension plans, many of which were phased out in the private sector in the 1980s as tax-advantaged 401(k)s became commonplace. The rise of such employer-sponsored retirement plans also drove up baby boomers’ stock holdings.

    Today, about half of baby boomers’ wealth is tied up in cash, bonds, stocks, or mutual funds held directly or through retirement accounts, or other financial holdings, Mitchell said, citing 2023 survey data from the Federal Reserve. Though the generation makes up about one-fifth of the population, they hold more than half of corporate equities and mutual fund shares.

    Baby boomers have accumulated $85.4 trillion in wealth through the second quarter, according to Federal Reserve data. That’s nearly twice as much as Gen X and four times more than millennials.

    Younger generations are more likely to have debt, leaving less to save or invest, Ney said, citing student loans and childcare costs that nearly doubled between the mid-1980s and 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

    “In 1940 there was a 90% chance that you were going to earn more than your parents. To somebody born today, it is just a coin flip,” Ney said.

    Millennials and Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) also tend to be more risk-averse when it comes to investing in the stock market, compared with members of the Silent Generation (1928 to 1945), boomers, and Gen X that lived through better economies, Ney said.

    “Gen Z does not buy the dip,” he said. “They are too nervous to engage in the stock market” when prices are low.

    The big story: Housing

    Perhaps the biggest share of baby boomers’ wealth comes from their home.

    Many were better positioned to buy or refinance their homes during stretches with particularly low interest rates, including after the Great Recession and during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Annamaria Lusardi, academic director of Stanford University’s Initiative for Financial Decision-Making.

    The nation’s median home price was $410,800 in the second quarter, compared with the $327,100 recorded just before the pandemic started in 2020, Federal Reserve data show. Medians are significantly higher in the Northeast ($796,700) and the West ($531,100).

    By comparison, the median home price in the first quarter of 1976 — when the oldest boomers were 30 — was $42,800, Fed data show. That would be $242,400 adjusted for inflation.

    While higher home valuations have bolstered the net worth of existing owners, Lusardi said, they’re outpacing the earnings of younger adults. Nor are they helped by current mortgage rates, which have hovered above 6% on a 30-year loan since September 2022.

    About one-third of baby boomers’ wealth today is equity in their primary residence, Mitchell said, citing the 2023 survey. Boomers overall bought homes at younger ages than later cohorts and when prices were significantly lower, allowing them to benefit from decades of home appreciation.

    The typical age of first-time home buyers recently hit an all-time high of 40 years, up from late 20s in the 1980s, according to a 2025 National Association of Realtors survey.

    “Even when you look at that same age, you tend to see much lower rates of homeownership, and therefore much lower rates of wealth accumulation,” Ney said.

    Michael Walden, a professor emeritus of economics at North Carolina State University, said some of the divergence might be due to preference — such as younger adults preferring to rent rather than assume responsibility for home repairs, or to wait for a perfect home rather than settling for a starter home they might hold onto for a few years until they had enough equity to move up.

    “Their attitude about buying housing is very different than what my parents ingrained in me which was” to ‘just get your foot in the door’ with a starter house, Walden said. “It’s probably not going to be adequate, but a few years later, you’ll be able to sell it for more and just work your way up.”

  • National Guardsman shot in D.C. making ‘extraordinary progress,’ doctor says

    National Guardsman shot in D.C. making ‘extraordinary progress,’ doctor says

    The National Guard member who was ambushed while patrolling near the White House on Thanksgiving eve is now breathing on his own and can stand with assistance, his neurosurgeon said Friday.

    Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was hospitalized Nov. 26 after a gunman opened fire on him and his colleague, Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who died of her injuries the following day. The attack left Wolfe with a “critical” gunshot wound to his head, and he was airlifted to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Jeffrey Mai said in a statement.

    Mai credited quick-acting first responders and the actions of trauma and neurosurgery teams for saving Wolfe’s life by controlling the serviceman’s bleeding and pressure on his brain. Mai called Wolfe’s recent recovery developments “important milestones that reflect his strength and determination.”

    “Staff Sgt. Wolfe has made extraordinary progress,” the doctor said. “Based on these improvements, he is now ready to transition from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation as the next step in his recovery journey.”

    Wolfe’s family, including his father, Jason, and mother, Melody, have chosen not to disclose the location of his rehabilitation, Mai added.

    Wolfe, who joined the West Virginia National Guard in 2019, and Beckstrom were among more than 2,000 Guard members deployed to D.C. after President Donald Trump’s announcement of a “crime emergency” in the city in August. Following the attack, Trump ordered an additional 500 troops to the District.

    The suspect in the attack, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who served in the CIA’s “Zero Units” that seized or killed suspected terrorists, has been charged with first-degree murder.

    Prosecutors have not given a motive for the shooting. Charging documents say Lakanwal, who settled in Washington state after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, drove across the country to carry out the attack and allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” as he shot Beckstrom and Wolfe in their heads with a .357-caliber revolver outside the Farragut West Metro station. The phrase is Arabic for “God is great.” A Washington Post investigation found that Lakanwal slipped deeper into isolation as he struggled to adapt with his wife and five children in the United States.

    Lakanwal, who was also shot during the attack, pleaded not guilty through an attorney at the hearing Dec. 2. He spoke through an interpreter to give brief responses and appeared remotely by video from a hospital bed.

    There had been earlier signs that Wolfe’s recovery was trending positively. On Dec. 5, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) shared publicly that Wolfe’s “parents report that his head wound is slowly healing and that he’s beginning to ‘look more like himself.’”

    Jordan Butler, a local pastor and friend of the Wolfe family, coled a vigil last week at the high school Wolfe attended in Inwood, a tight-knit West Virginia community where vigil attendees prayed and lit candles for Wolfe.

    “It’s amazing watching what’s happening,” Butler told the Post on Wednesday. “It’s almost miraculous.”

    On Friday, Wolfe’s parents said in a statement released by MedStar that they hope their son will be able to return to work in the West Virginia National Guard “and his new mission of being a light into this world.”

    “Please continue to lift Andy up in prayer as he begins a long and tough rehabilitation,” Jason and Melody Wolfe said. “We know he will continue to improve at a rapid pace.”

  • VA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of healthcare jobs

    VA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of healthcare jobs

    The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to abruptly eliminate as many as 35,000 healthcare positions this month, mostly unfilled jobs including doctors, nurses, and support staff, according to an internal memo, VA staffers, and congressional aides.

    The cuts come after a massive reorganization effort already resulted in the loss of almost 30,000 employees this year.

    Agency leaders have instructed managers across the Veterans Health Administration, the agency’s healthcare arm, to identify thousands of openings that can be canceled. Employees warn that the contraction will add pressure to an already stretched system, contributing to longer wait times for care.

    The decision comes after Veterans Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins, under political pressure from Congress, backed away from a plan to slash 15% of the agency’s workforce through mass firings. Instead, VA lost almost 30,000 employees this year from buyout offers and attrition.

    The agency hopes that the cuts will reduce the healthcare workforce to as little as 372,000 employees, a 10% reduction from last year, according to a memo shared with regional leaders last month and obtained by the Washington Post. Details of the cuts came into focus in recent days, according to 17 staffers at VA and congressional aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they didn’t have permission to share plans.

    VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz confirmed the planned cuts for unfilled positions. He said the healthcare system is eliminating about 26,400 of its open jobs, which he described as “mostly COVID-era roles that are no longer necessary.”

    “The vast majority of these positions have not been filled for more than a year, underscoring how they are no longer needed,” he wrote in response to questions. “This move will have no effect on VA operations or the way the department delivers care to Veterans, as we are simply eliminating open and unfilled positions that are no longer needed.”

    The nation’s largest government-run healthcare system has struggled to fill vacancies amid a broader national shortage of healthcare workers and a strained federal workforce. Job applications to the agency have also fallen 57% from last year, according to the agency’s workforce report last month.

    This reorganization comes in advance of an expected announcement next week that Collins plans to also shrink the network of 18 regional offices that administer the nation’s VA hospitals and medical centers, according to four people familiar with the plan. Staff at those regional offices help determine policies and manage staffing. Collins and others have been critical of the agency’s top-heavy administrative offices, arguing that staffing cuts there will free up more resources for healthcare.

    The health system grew by tens of thousands of employees under the Biden administration as more veterans enrolled in VA healthcare after passage of the PACT Act, which expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Then-secretary Denis McDonough urged veterans to be seen by VA doctors rather than request referrals to private practitioners outside the system.

    But the Trump administration has said it wants more veterans to seek treatment outside the government system. Political appointees at VA and their allies have also said they favor a leaner healthcare workforce because they think physicians and other healthcare providers could be more productive, said one former appointee who is close to the Trump team.

    Collins stood down from planned mass firings this year after a bipartisan mix of lawmakers expressed concerns about cuts affecting patient care. The agency said mission-critical positions were exempted from the buyouts and retirement offers.

    Since then, lawmakers have sought greater oversight of the agency’s staffing plans. In the agreement to reopen the government last month, lawmakers allocated $133 billion in discretionary funding for the VA with conditions, including that the agency could not reduce staffing for suicide prevention programs, would provide updates on staffing counts, and would maintain the staff necessary to meet certain thresholds for processing benefits and providing healthcare.

    The House also approved a measure Thursday overturning President Donald Trump’s executive order eliminating union rights at federal agencies, including VA, where the union had said it was harder to protect jobs without collective bargaining.

    Thomas Dargon Jr., deputy general counsel of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 320,000 VA employees, said the union has not been consulted by the agency about the cuts but has heard about concerns from its members.

    “The VA has been chronically understaffed for years, and employees are obviously going to be facing the brunt of any further job cuts or reorganization that results in employees having to do more work with less,” Dargon said.

    Sharda Fornnarino, a VA nurse in Colorado and local head of her nurses’ union, said her facility continues to lack the necessary staff to keep up with demand, and she urged lawmakers to restore collective bargaining so nurses could advocate for safer working conditions. The measure is unlikely to pass the Republican-held Senate.

    “We’re going to continue to do more with less,” Fornnarino said. “We’re going to continue to be overworked.”

    Meanwhile, at the VA’s regional offices, leadership is determining which roles they would need to cancel, and several healthcare workers said they had been warned their hospitals would be affected. Regional leaders were told to ensure their organizational charts are updated by next week, according to the memo reviewed by the Post.

    In Phoenix, 358 openings will be eliminated, including nurses and doctors, according to a nurse who said the losses will hit as they are already behind in scheduling doctors appointments.

    “They specifically said no department would be spared,” she said.

    In another Mountain West hospital, healthcare workers were told at a town hall last week that no current employees would lose their jobs, though if anyone leaves, they would need to determine whether they could keep those jobs, according to a recording of the meeting.

    The bad news arrived last Friday for employees of the VA San Diego healthcare system, in an exclamation mark-filled email from director Frank Pearson.

    He wrote that he’d been expecting this year to fill 734 job vacancies with new nurses, doctors, and other staff, to help care for the almost 90,000 veterans that the San Diego system regularly serves. But sometime this fall, he wrote, higher-ups decided to “do some housekeeping and cleanup of the books” — informing the San Diego system that it only had the budget to retain 4,429 employees going into fiscal year 2026.

    That meant, Pearson wrote in bold, all-caps, underlined letters, that “322 VACANT POSITIONS need to be eliminated.”

    One of the VA employees who received the email said that, in the mental health section alone, there were 78 open positions as of this month — about half of which will now go away. Currently, the employee noted, veterans in the San Diego area are waiting between 60 and 90 days to access VA mental health services.

    Staff are already strained and exhausted after a difficult year, the employee said, and were counting on reinforcements.

    “We are all doing the work of others to compensate,” she said. “The idea that relief isn’t coming is really, really disappointing.”