Featured Story
Zacharia names Scarlett Johansson as actress she wants to play her on ‘SNL’
US News
Politics · Economy · Military · Security · TechZacharia names Scarlett Johansson as actress she wants to play her on ‘SNL’
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, who made headlines for her rocky debut at the podium this week, has a certain Hollywood star in mind to portray her on the NBC sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”). “Maybe a Scarlett Johansson-type character,” she said in an interview with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec. Johansson has…
Live updates: Zacharia downplays bar exam; Trump quashes Hegseth’s plan to livestream execution
President Trump said Thursday the plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former U.S. Army major who killed 13 people in the 2009 attack on Fort Hood, would not go forward. Trump cited the substantial criticism that had accompanied Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan, saying that while Hasan deserved to be executed, it…
Why your health insurance is dropping GLP-1 coverage
The promise of GLP-1 drugs has always depended on people being able to afford them. These drugs still cost hundreds of dollars per month if you’re paying cash, at which point access becomes a privilege: The higher-income executive who wants to trim a few pounds might be able to afford them either way, but the low-income worker who needs the drug to lose significant weight might not be able to afford them — unless their health insurance covers it. For a while, the trend lines for GLP-1 insurance coverage were positive. As of 2026, roughly two-thirds of private employer plans, which insure half of Americans, were covering GLP-1 medications for weight loss to treat obesity. Over the summer, Medicare launched a new $50-per-month prescription program. The US has struggled with an obesity epidemic for decades, but it looked like powerful drugs to treat it were finally starting to be more seamlessly integrated into the health system. At least that’s how things appeared earlier this year. But
5 GOP House members join letter urging Trump to cancel Russia diesel deal, up sanctions
Five House Republicans signed on to a letter Thursday urging President Trump to cancel the Russian diesel deal he announced last week. GOP Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Michael McCaul (Texas), Dan Newhouse (Wash.) and Joe Wilson (S.C.) joined 17 of their Democratic colleagues in writing they were “particularly concerned” about the deal.…
Hinojosa stages empty lectern at Texas governor’s mansion amid Abbott debate snub
Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa (D) spoke next to an empty lectern in front of the Lone Star State’s governor’s mansion Thursday after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) did not accept her debate invitation. “I guess the governor is a no-show, which is not surprising because he has been a no-show for Texans for years,” Hinojosa…
Noem ‘confident Ilhan Omar will finally be held accountable’
Kristi Noem, the former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said she was assured that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) would be “held accountable” if the lawmaker is found to have committed immigration fraud after federal agents raided her home Monday. Noem, whom President Trump fired in March after a tumultuous stint leading the…
International
World · Middle East · Asia · Europe · Russia · China · Diplomacy
Can Ukraine Afford Its Own Defense?
Ukraine has leaned on Europe for support so far, but that may get more complicated in the coming years.
USAID’s Destruction Left Nepal Dangerously Exposed
Funding cuts ended critical flood-detection programs.
Maduro, wife plead not guilty to U.S. torture conspiracy charge
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, denied new U.S. charges of conspiracy to commit torture Thursday.
Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
A collection of some of this year’s winning and honored images, selected from more than 65,000 submissions from 121 countries and territories
The US Air Force Is Paying $49 Billion for … Balloons?
The valuable part of the Air Force’s contract with WindBorne is not the balloons themselves, but the long-term atmospheric data they provide. The post The US Air Force Is Paying $49 Billion for … Balloons? appeared first on The National Interest.
Algeria’s New Bid for Regional Influence
A sharp break with the UAE underscores the North African country’s ambitions to reassert its presence on the international stage after decades on the periphery.