Off The Press

View Source | July 9, 2026 9:34 pm In a push for fiscal accountability, members of the King County Metropolitan Council have voted to establish a new Inspector General Division to root out waste, fraud and abuse in county-funded programs. Council members approved the measure on Tuesday in response to an April 2025 audit that found possible fraud and unapproved payments to vendors contracting with the County Department of Community and Human Services.

President Donald Trump on Thursday night reportedly terminated the members of the Election Assistance ​Commission, which is an independent commission that assists election administration officials nationwide. All three of the remaining commissioners were removed in some way, according to Reuters, with the two Democratic commissioners, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland, notified by email. The Republican commissioner, Christy McCormick, was allowed to resign. “On behalf of President Donald J.

New York sued 3M (MMM.N), DuPont (DD.N), ‌and other companies on Thursday for harming the environment and people’s health by selling “forever chemicals” that they knew were toxic, for use in consumer products. The state’s Attorney General Letitia James accused the companies of hiding the risks of chemicals known as PFAS from ​the public for decades, even as they began phasing out some of the chemicals.

Ebola response workers in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo staged protests outside three treatment centres ‌on Thursday, saying they had not been paid all they were owed for their work. The outbreak has infected 1,759 people and resulted in 600 confirmed deaths since it was declared almost two months ago, according to the latest government data released on Wednesday.

At least 28 people were killed in ‌a fire at a shoe factory in southeastern China on Thursday, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, after flames engulfed the multi-storey building, trapping workers on the rooftop. The fire broke out at around noon local time (0400 GMT) in the city of Jinjiang in ​Fujian province at footwear manufacturer Huiteng. A total of 239 people were at the factory when the fire ​broke out, Xinhua said.

View Source | July 9, 2026 8:31 pm United States two days after shutting her center down pleaded guilty to fraud charges on Thursday. Fahima Mahamud pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to court records. Prosecutors said Mahamud ran Future Leaders Early Learning and pocketed money meant to feed children during the pandemic.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to weigh in on the latest water squabble in the West, where Nebraska has accused Colorado of violating a century-old water rights agreement. Nebraska has set aside $600 million for a new canal that would start along the South Platte River in the northwest corner of Colorado. But the state alleged Colorado has sought to impede the effort, in violation of its compact with Nebraska.

View Source | July 9, 2026 8:33 pm President Donald Trump’s plans to build a skyline-altering arch in the nation’s capital won initial approval Thursday from a key federal commission, but its members put off a decision on whether a federal law that limits building heights should be applied to this project.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Newsmax on Thursday that Rahm Emanuel’s speech in Tel Aviv, Israel, accusing the Jewish state of becoming a “territorial pariah” reflects Democrats’ eroding support for the U.S.-Israel alliance. Norman said the former Chicago mayor and potential 2028 Democrat presidential candidate is vying with California Gov. Gavin Newsom for what he described as the party’s anti-Israel lane.

Freshman House Rep. John McGuire III (R-Va.) on Thursday introduced the Birthright Citizenship Clarification Act to codify President Trump’s executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship by striking down the jus soli or “right of the soil” legal principle that grants citizenship to anyone born within a nation’s territory.