US president issues executive order as longest partial government shutdown in US history enters 49th dayDonald Trump issued an executive order Friday that declares all Department of Homeland Security employees will receive pay and benefits during the agencyâs partial shutdown.The âLiberating the Department of Homeland Security From the Democrat-Caused Shutdownâ memo is similar to Trumpâs executive order from last week which called for issuing pay to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents during the shutdown.In the order, Trump directed the homeland security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, to âuse funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to the functions of DHSâ to pay âeach and every employee of DHSâ. Continue reading...
People receive rehab only three to four days a week in hospital â and one to two days once they are discharged, data suggestsThe NHS is failing stroke patients and limiting their chances of recovery because of a shortage of rehabilitation care staff, health leaders have said.More people are surviving strokes than ever before in the UK. But their hopes of getting better are being dashed because of a lack of physiotherapists and other specialist staff, according to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology. Continue reading...
⢠The CDC temporarily halted testing for rabies and pox virusesâincluding those for smallpox and mpoxâto assist state labs, as part of an agency-wide review started in late 2024.
⢠By July, the rabies team will have only one advisor left for states, while the pox virus team will have none due to dwindling staff from resignations and layoffs.
⢠Experts express concern over reduced clinical expertise, potentially weakening national responses to outbreaks.
Federal agency, which normally supports state and local public health labs, has been hobbled by staff departuresSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US federal agency responsible for monitoring diseases has temporarily halted certain diagnostic testing, including those for rabies, human herpesvirus and several other infectious illnesses.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a list on Monday showing that more than two dozen types of testing are now unavailable. Continue reading...
Group cuts costs as shares plunge while it grapples with impact of Iran war on property market Business live â latest updatesOne of Britainâs biggest housebuilders has said it will stop buying new land and hiring new staff, as it grapples with the impact of the Iran war on the property market.Berkeley, a London-focused housebuilder, said it would cut costs as it warned that âgeopolitical volatilityâ and âreduced potentialâ for interest rate cuts could weigh on the business. Continue reading...
⢠Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen stated on March 31, 2026, that companies are 75% overstaffed from COVID-era overhiring, using AI as a 'silver bullet excuse' for layoffs.
⢠In an interview on the 20VC podcast, Andreessen argued AI productivity fears mask long-standing business issues rather than genuine job displacement.
⢠The comments highlight tensions in tech hiring amid AI advancements driving economic growth but fueling employee concerns over job security.
⢠Two House Democrats introduced a bill mandating nursing home staffing levels exceeding even the failed federal regulations.
⢠The legislation responds to ongoing concerns over care quality and resident safety in U.S. facilities.
⢠It aims to enforce higher minimum staff-to-resident ratios nationwide.
National Education Union poll finds 89% feel class sizes in England are too big to be âproperly inclusiveâOversized classes and inadequate staffing levels are hindering teachersâ capacity to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), according to a large survey of state school teachers in England.Nine out of 10 (89%) of the 10,000 teachers who took part in the poll by the National Education Union (NEU), before its annual conference in Brighton which starts on Monday, said class sizes were too big to be âproperly inclusiveâ. Continue reading...
Negotiations to end funding standoff sparked by Trump administrationâs immigration crackdown fail to find a breakthroughSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.There was no breakthrough in talk to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday as the shutdown extends to almost six weeks with no end in sight.The acting head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Wednesday that airports across the country are experiencing the âhighest wait times in TSA historyâ, as the partial shutdown of the DHS enters its sixth week. At a House homeland security committee hearing, Ha Nguyen McNeill said her agency has been shut down for 50% of the fiscal year so far â a stretch that includes last yearâs record-breaking 43âday lapse in federal funding. She told lawmakers that by Friday, TSA employees will have missed $1bn in paychecks as a result of the closures. More here.The US has launched another strike on a vessel in the Caribbean, killing four people, the US Southern Command said. The command, which oversees combatant operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, announced on X that it had conducted a âlethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizationsâ. More here.Progressive lawmakers have unveiled a new policy to place a moratorium on the construction of AI datacenters. The policy, announced by Bernie Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democratic representative, aims to ensure the AI boom protects the environment and communities, and benefits workers instead of harming them. More here.The Trump administrationâs federal housing director Bill Pulte is asking prosecutors to investigate New York attorney general Letitia James for insurance fraud, according to criminal referrals reported by MS Now and CBS News. The referrals to prosecutors in Florida and Illinois allege that James may have committed mortgage insurance fraud. The allegations center on applications made to Universal Property Insurance company, which is based in Florida, and Allstate in Illinois. More here. Continue reading...
Ha Nguyen McNeill testified before House committee about airport wait times amid DHS funding shutdownThe acting head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Wednesday that airports across the country are experiencing the âhighest wait times in TSA historyâ, as the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enters its sixth week.At a House homeland security committee hearing, Ha Nguyen McNeill said her agency has been shut down for 50% of the fiscal year so far â a stretch that includes last yearâs record-breaking 43âday lapse in federal funding. She told lawmakers that by Friday, TSA employees will have missed $1bn in paychecks as a result of the closures. Continue reading...
Triple J signed off with the hip-hop anthem Express Yourself while other radio and TV networks filled the air with BBC broadcasts, re-runs and soothing musicSign up for Guardian Australiaâs free weekly media newsletter hereBroadcasters had warned their audiences that the ABC would look âa bit differentâ on Wednesday â and as the clock struck 11am, they werenât wrong.As more than 2,000 ABC staff walked off the job for the first time in two decades in protest of their working conditions, the public broadcasterâs news channel switched over to the BBC.Sign up to get Guardian Australiaâs weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...
Managing director Hugh Marks defiant the ABC will not back down on staff demands despite severe disruption to television, radio and digitalFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 2,000 ABC staff around Australia have walked off the job for a 24-hour strike, forcing ABC services across TV, radio and digital to use BBC World Service and repeat programming.The ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, is defiant the ABC will not back down on staff demands despite the severe disruption. Continue reading...
Triple J will air without presenters while ABC News Breakfast is not expected to air as staff walk off the job to protest pay and conditionsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for Guardian Australiaâs free weekly media newsletter hereThe ABCâs flagship news programs including 7.30 and AM will be replaced by the BBC World Service when ABC journalists walk off the job for 24 hours for the first time in 20 years on Wednesday.Staff are protesting what they say is a low pay offer from ABC managing director Hugh Marks, as well as work conditions and the broadcasterâs refusal to rule out replacing journalists with AI bots. Continue reading...
Union says belowâinflation pay rises and insecure work threaten the future of Australiaâs publicâinterest journalismFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for Guardian Australiaâs free weekly media newsletter hereMore than 75% of ABC staff will walk off the job on Wednesday for the first time in 20 years, triggering a severe disruption to the public broadcasterâs news services for 24 hours.Without producers, camera operators and directors it is almost impossible to put shows including the prime-time current affairs flagship 7.30 to air. Continue reading...
⢠Federal data reveals the National Institutes of Health has lost about 4400 employees, representing 20% of its workforce, during President Donald Trump's second term due to cuts in staff and research funding.
⢠Former NIH scientists warn the exodus could lead to fewer biomedical breakthroughs, weaker responses to disease outbreaks, and diminished U.S. public health crisis management.
⢠KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan discussed the brain drain on WAMUâs Health Hub on March 18, 2026, with departing D.C.-area workers citing tumult as a key factor for early quits or retirements.
⢠Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff for President Donald Trump, announced on Monday her diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer, caught early with no plans for leave.
⢠She will undergo several weeks of treatment in Washington, D.C., while remaining full-time at the White House.
⢠President Trump stated, 'She will soon be better than ever!' highlighting her continued role amid health challenges.
Wiles, 68, praised by president as âone of the strongest people I knowâ, to continue working while having treatmentSusie Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer but plans to continue working while undergoing treatment.The 68-year-old revealed on Monday that the illness had been detected in the past week. Both she and Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone, saying doctors expect a strong recovery. Continue reading...
⢠Meta is planning a significant workforce reduction of 20%, marking another major restructuring at the social media and technology company.
⢠The layoffs signal ongoing cost-control measures within the company as it navigates evolving market conditions and competitive pressures.
⢠The reduction would represent a substantial change to Meta's organizational structure and headcount across its global operations.
Australian Community Media says employee âwellbeingâ top priority amid âshock and deep concernâ over 59-year-oldâs chargesAustralian Community Media will hold a staff meeting on Monday afternoon to share the regional media groupâs response to the arrest of its part-owner Antony Catalano who is facing charges of assault of a woman.On Sunday the board and executive leadership team of ACM distanced itself from the 59-year-old newspaper mogul, saying they were âshocked and deeply concernedâ about the charges. Continue reading...
Trade body attends meeting with Rachel Reeves, hours after saying it was pulling out over suggestions of price gouging⢠Watchdog puts UK fuel retailers âon noticeâ over profiteering from Iran warThe trade body for the UKâs petrol station industry has got into a row with the government after claiming the âinflammatory languageâ used by ministers to describe rising pump prices may have incited abuse against forecourt staff.The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said ministers had for several days suggested that forecourts might be âprice gougingâ and âripping offâ motorists as global oil markets have surged in response to the war in Iran. Continue reading...
Three ideologically inspired attacks occurred in the past week: ISIS-inspired bombings at a New York City protest, a vehicle ramming at a Michigan synagogue by a Lebanese citizen, and a shooting at a Virginia university by a prior terrorism convict yelling 'Allahu akbar.' These incidents coincide with the US war against Iran, following strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and FBI Director Kash Patel's firings of dozens of agents, including those on Iran and Trump document cases, straining counterterrorism resources. A Pakistani was convicted last week for 2024 assassination plots against Trump under Iranian Revolutionary Guard orders, while Justice Department seized domains used by Iran for dissident killings. The threats elevate national security risks as midterm elections approach, with cyber attacks like the one on Stryker adding to concerns.
