Overhaul

Experts urge separate tracks for long-distance and commuter trains, among other measures, in the wake of Monday’s (Apr 27) train collision that killed 15 people and injured dozens.

• The Kennedy Center will hold its first award ceremony since President Trump overhauled the board of trustees earlier this year. • Changes aim to align cultural programming with administration priorities. • The event draws attention to federal arts funding debates and political influence on institutions.

Ministers admit carer’s allowance penalties will continue while review of more than 200,000 cases is carried outThousands of unpaid carers will continue to be hit with hefty and potentially unfair benefit repayment demands, it has emerged, as a government initiative gets under way to fix welfare injustices that have drawn comparison to the Post Office scandal.Ministers will on Monday launch an audit of more than 200,000 historical carer’s allowance benefit cases, with an estimated 25,000 carers issued with unlawful overpayments since 2015 likely to see their repayment debts cancelled or reduced as a result. Continue reading...

Campaigners welcome first update of school food standards in 13 years, which aims to help lower obesity ratesThe government is to announce an overhaul to school food standards in England that will lead to calorific classics such as fish and chips and steamed sponges being banned.The new rules of the first major update to school food standards in 13 years will apply from September. They are part of efforts to lower the rates of childhood obesity, with data for 2024 released by the NHS in January showing that 24% of nursery and primary school children were overweight or living with obesity. Continue reading...

The restructuring will close all regional offices, which manages 193m acres of land, roughly the size of TexasSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxUS public lands will “pay the price” of a drive by Donald Trump’s officials to restructure the agency that oversees them, union leaders have warned, accusing the administration of forcing workers to decide whether to relocate or resign.All regional offices of the US Forest Service, which manages 78m hectares (193m acres) of land – roughly the size of Texas – are set to close as part of an overhaul launched by the Trump administration. The service has already shed hundreds of staff members since Trump returned to power last year. Continue reading...

Tougher ethical certification process requires companies to meet standards in every one out of seven categoriesDozens of companies may be at risk of losing their coveted B Corp ethical status after the organisation behind the corporate kite-marking system raised the standards required to qualify.B Lab, which oversees B Corp certification, launched the biggest overhaul in its 19-year history earlier this month, scrapping a system under which companies must gather enough points across multiple categories to qualify. Continue reading...

• General Services Administration proposed changes to the federal grant system on March 24, 2026, potentially affecting funding distribution. • Updates could impact afterschool, summer, and educational programs reliant on grants. • Public comments accepted through March 30, 2026, shaping 2026 policy landscape.

Health department says ‘too many’ doctors have been using racist and antisemitic language, particularly on social media, without rebukeAn overhaul of the General Medical Council is expected to lead to more doctors that face accusations of racism and antisemitism on social media being struck off.The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a consultation on changes to the legislation governing the regulation of doctors, saying the move will lead to the biggest reform of the medical regulator, the GMC, in four decades. Continue reading...

Referendum result could tarnish PM’s reputation and make winning next year’s general election challenging Italian voters have rejected an overhaul of the country’s judiciary pushed by the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni,, an outcome expected to tarnish her reputation and make winning next year’s general election more challenging.In a two-day referendum, 54.63% of voters said “No” to the reforms to reorganise the judiciary compared with 45.37% for the “Yes” camp. Continue reading...

National referendum is being seen as a de facto confidence vote on the government – and the polls are neck and neckIn the run-up to a referendum in Italy on a government quest to overhaul the judiciary, a campaign flyer circulated online quoting Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, taking aim at judges and feminists. “Judges block the deportations of rapists. Where are the feminists? Vote yes – there will not be another opportunity,” it read.The flyer, posted on the Facebook page of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist roots, was subsequently removed. But its tone has defined a campaign dominated by inflammatory rhetoric rather than meaningful debate. Continue reading...

• A federal judge on Friday ruled against the Pentagon's press access overhaul that had withdrawn accreditations from prominent media outlets, ordering the restoration of media access. • The decision represents a significant legal victory for press freedom advocates challenging the Defense Department's restrictions on journalist credentials and Pentagon facility access. • The ruling underscores ongoing tensions between the Trump administration's approach to media access and constitutional protections for a free press.

• Democrats laying groundwork for major U.S. health care reforms amid political shifts in Washington. • NIH's Bhattacharya commits to full budget spending; top FDA official announces exit. • Moves signal potential policy battles over research funding and regulatory changes.

Kennedy’s appointees promoted ‘treatments’ like bleach enemas, but new committee has only one autistic memberThe first public meeting of US autism advisers – notably, since Robert F Kennedy Jr reshaped the committee – was cancelled recently with few details, coinciding with the creation of a rival organization that has prompted some questions within the autistic community about their focus.Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who has long argued for a debunked link between vaccines and autism, chose entirely new members for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in late January, with fewer autistic people and several anti-vaccine advocates. Continue reading...

• Trump 2.0 policies terminated or overhauled HHS advisory committees, including ACIP with all members replaced in January 2026 by RFK Jr., leading to weakened hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. • NIH advisory councils have not met, with the director's committee disbanded for over a year; USPSTF has not met since March 2025. • Senator Murray criticized leadership for prohibiting NIH grant processes; new ACIP includes controversial figures like an Alzheimer's patient from the withdrawn aducanumab trial.

• A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled on Monday to block Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent changes to the nation's childhood vaccine schedule, following a lawsuit by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. • The plaintiffs argued that Kennedy's alterations to vaccine recommendations and the influential vaccine advisory committee violated federal law, marking a significant setback to his health policy agenda. • This ruling highlights ongoing tensions between the Department of Health and Human Services and medical organizations over public health guidelines and federal compliance.

Unprecedented changes to routine US immunization recommendations ‘arbitrary and capricious’, court saysSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe appointment of a controversial slate of vaccine advisers by Robert F Kennedy Jr likely violated federal law, and all votes taken by the committee over the past year have been stayed, a federal judge ruled on Monday.The advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) is not able to meet later this week, since its membership has been invalidated, the judge said. Continue reading...

• Senate Republicans are preparing to vote on the SAVE America Act, President Trump's key priority for overhauling voting procedures, as Congress returns from recess. • The legislation aims to implement stricter voter ID requirements and other election integrity measures pushed by Trump. • The vote comes amid broader congressional challenges including the ongoing DHS shutdown and Middle East tensions, heightening political stakes.

• Senate Republicans are set to take up the SAVE America Act, a voting overhaul legislation that represents a key priority for President Trump as part of his political agenda. • The bill aims to make significant changes to voting procedures and election administration across the United States. • The vote marks a major legislative push by the Republican-controlled Senate to advance Trump's election-related policy priorities.