US politics

US Labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns amid misconduct probe

The Labor Department’s inspector general is nearing the end of a months-long investigation into a whistleblower’s allegations of professional misconduct by Chavez-DeRemer.

|ByREUTERS
U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer speaks with fellow cabinet members before an event for MLS champion Inter Miami CF at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 5, 2026.
Amir Makled, a pro-Palestinian candidate for University of Michigan board of regents, addresses the crowd at a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Ann Arbor, April 7, 2026. Makled, who had praised Hezbollah's leader in a past social media post, bested Jewish incumbent regent

Michigan Democrats back pro-Palestinian candidate for university board

Amid national polls showing that Democratic voters largely disapprove of Israel, Makled’s selection adds to signals that the pro-Palestinian wing of the party appears to be ascendant in Michigan.

|ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) attends a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing for Casey Means, nominated to serve as the next US Surgeon General, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, February 25, 2026.

Senate rejects blocking military aid to Israel, but bills gain majority Democrat support

Senate joint resolutions 32 and 138, both introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders in March, were rejected 40 to 59 and 36 to 63, respectively.

|ByMICHAEL STARR
A judge ruled in 2026 that Amedeo Modigliani's "Seated Man with a Cane," shown here in part, must be returned to the family of the man who owned it before the Holocaust.

Congress removes deadline for Holocaust-looted art claims, opening door to more restitution

The controversial "sunset clause" of a 2016 law led watchdogs to believe that those owning looted works were purposefully obscuring them from public view until the deadline had passed.

|ByJACKIE HAJDENBERG/JTA

A force of nature: Janet McCain Huckabee on faith, family, and standing with Israel - interview

From an avid extreme sports participant to a dedicated teacher and mother, the first lady of Arkansas is no shrinking violet

MARCH 14, 2026ByJUDITH SEGALOFF
Visiting the Western Wall with daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders, governor of Arkansas. Sarah is following in the footsteps of her father, Ambassador Mike Huckabee (at far right), who served as Arkansas governor from 1996-2007.

At Republican antisemitism confab, Tucker Carlson is the villain, JD Vance the unspoken question

Attendees clapped when Sen. Ted Cruz called Carlson “the single-most dangerous demagogue in the country,” and speakers praised US President Donald Trump for recently casting him aside as “not MAGA.” 

MARCH 12, 2026ByJOSEPH STRAUSS/JTA
Some Jewish Republicans are losing patience with Vice President JD Vance, who has not condemned Tucker Carlson.

US estimates Iran war cost at over $11 billion in six days, source says

That figure, from a closed-door briefing for senators on Tuesday, did not include the entire cost of the war, but was provided to lawmakers as they have clamored for more information on the conflict.

MARCH 12, 2026ByREUTERS
An EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft prepares to launch from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 2, 2026.

SpongeBob, Iron Man, and Call of Duty: Inside the US meme war against Iran

Video clips regarding Operation Epic Fury, released by the White House and the Pentagon, are packed with pop culture references, pulse- pounding music, and clips from action movies.

MARCH 7, 2026ByREUTERS
Smoke rises from what US Central Command (CENTCOM) says is an Iranian drone carrier that was struck by US forces, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, at an unknown location, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on March 5, 2026.

Florida politicians condemn Miami Young Republican leaders for antisemitic group chat

The WhatsApp chat’s racist and antisemitic content was first reported this week by the Miami Herald and the Floridian, a local conservative outlet.

MARCH 7, 2026ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
The Florida Historic Capitol sits near the 22-story New Capitol building, which together are part of the Capitol Complex on July 26, 2023 in Tallahassee, Florida. Tallahassee became the state's new capital city in 1824.

Lev Parnas, Jewish Trump ally turned critic, running for Congress as a Democrat

He will be running as a Democrat in Florida’s 27th Congressional District, joining an already crowded race of Democrats seeking to unseat Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar.

MARCH 7, 2026ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani, arrives to testify during the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing titled "Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden's Abuse of Public Office," in Rayburn Building on March 20, 2024.

Israel’s war? Trump faces narrative battle shaping American support against Iran

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: That battle over perception – over whether this is Washington’s war or Netanyahu’s – may shape the level of support the war receives in the US.

MARCH 6, 2026ByHERB KEINON
AS THE Trump administration pushes back against claims that Israel ‘dragged’ the United States into war with Iran, officials have worked to frame the conflict as driven by American strategic interests. Here, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington

Donald Trump fires Kristi Noem as Homeland Security chief, taps Senator Mullin as replacement

Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, became one of Trump's most high-profile Cabinet secretaries with social media posts that portrayed immigrants in harsh terms

MARCH 5, 2026ByREUTERS
US President Donald Trump looks at US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as he participates in a roundtable on antifa, at the White House, October 8, 2025; illustrative.

Pastor who embraced Farrakhan wins Texas Dem primary, as Nazi-gun enthusiast advances to GOP runoff

Brandon Herrera, a gun-rights YouTuber and firearms manufacturer whose videos included reviews of Nazi weapons and recreations of Hitler’s suicide, will advance to a runoff.

MARCH 5, 2026ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
The Rev. Frederick Haynes III

Trump and Mamdani meet for second time, discuss housing, detention of student

Mamdani has previously criticized Trump's hardline immigration crackdown, in particular his use of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, along with the president's policies towards Israel.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026ByREUTERS
US President Donald Trump meets with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (L) in the Oval Office of the White House on November 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.