Thousands were ordered back to work to process refunds without pay during the shutdown, but hundreds have permission not to work because of financial hardship, and union leaders expect absences to surge as part of a coordinated protest.
The 800,000 furloughed federal workers are an extreme example of a tactic the president has used repeatedly: He threatens a calamity and insists he’ll address it only if his adversary capitulates to a separate demand.
Caution about taking liberal positions has given way to confidence that voters either will support sweeping changes or will vote for anyone other than President Trump.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says Trump is proof that incendiary comments about women or minorities don’t need to stand in the way of taking power. (Getty Images)
Viktor Orban, Hungary’s increasingly autocratic leader, said Trump represents “permission” from “the highest position in the world.” (Getty Images)
Behavior by governments has deteriorated, experts say, in countries such as Saudi Arabia, whose Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is shown above. (Reuters)
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales abolished the mandate of a U.N.-backed commission known as an effective watchdog in curbing corruption. (EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
After two years in office, the president’s affection for autocrats and disregard for democratic values abroad has affected how others govern, experts say.
After a viral video and a presidential tweet put a group of Covington students in the national spotlight, their Catholic school was shut down Tuesday because of security concerns, and demonstrators gathered outside the diocese.
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The money spent by Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft reflects the industry’s souring political fortunes in Washington — and the policy battles still on the horizon.
The outbreak prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue an unusual warning urging travelers to avoid surgery at a hospital linked to eight of the infections until Mexican authorities confirm its safety.
At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the former senator and secretary of state was asked what he would say to the president if he were seated next to him. After hesitating, Kerry said he’d tell Trump: “Resign.”
Russell Baker
1925–2019 Baker wrote the Observer column for 36 years in the New York Times. He won Pulitzers for the columns and for his Depression-era memoir, “Growing Up.”
Farmers in India are incensed as growing numbers of stray cows — considered sacred in Hinduism — threaten crops. So to force government action, they’ve been locking the animals in schools.
Williams, seeking a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title, was stunned by seventh-seeded Karolina Pliskova.
Gigi Wu gained social media fame for scaling more than 100 peaks and changing into a bikini to document each climb.
