Author: Press Room

Elon Musk has promised to take a chain saw to the federal government with his Department of Government Efficiency. It has been difficult, though, to figure out exactly how many jobs have been, or will be, cut.For a department that loves to post its receipts (inaccurate as they can be), there is no single, public count.There are a few numbers we do know. The federal government has about three million employees, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 75,000 federal workers took Musk up on his offer of deferred buyouts — a figure that represents only about half the…

North Queensland need a massive shift in form to compete with Brisbane which is why coach Todd Payten had no choice but to elevate three of his most influential players to the top side.Forward leader Jason Taumalolo got through 56 minutes for Mackay on Sunday in the Queensland Cup and takes his place at prop after recovering fully from off-season foot surgery.Halfback Jake Clifford, who had groin surgery in pre-season, replaces rookie Tom Duffy and Queensland forward Jeremiah Nanai returns on the bench after being axed following the dismal round-one loss to Manly.Nanai’s attacking wares will be vital to putting…

The federal judge’s ruling was clear: The Trump administration could not use an obscure wartime law from the 18th century to deport people without a hearing.If any planes were already in the air, the judge said, they should turn back.That did not happen. Instead, the Trump administration sent more than 200 migrants to El Salvador over the weekend, including alleged gang members, on three planes.A New York Times review of the flight data showed that none of the planes in question landed in El Salvador before the judge’s order, and that one of them did not even leave American soil…

A B.C. small business is speaking out about a hit its taking to its bottom line due to tariffs placed on goods imported from the U.S. John Sanders is the owner of Origins Coffee Roasters, a wholesale coffee company established in 1999 on Granville Island that sells to cafes and the general public. It currently has two employees.“We have to import everything that we use in this business,” said Sanders, whose company recently picked up a big client, OEB Breakfast Co., which has 20 locations across Canada and two in the United States.“[The contract] requires us to bring in over…

JOHOR BAHRU: At least two Malaysian ministers have slammed the actions of a man who allegedly confronted and slapped a non-Muslim for eating in public at a shopping mall in Johor Bahru on Sunday (Mar 16) during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in an incident which has since gone viral on social media.  National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang called it a “provocative act” that went against the spirit of unity and harmony in Malaysia’s multicultural society while Religious Affairs Minister Na’im Mokhtar said that the incident “does not reflect the true teachings of Islam”.  “I strongly condemn any…

At least 342 Palestinians have been killed as Israel launched a massive assault on Gaza, shattering the fragile two-month-old ceasefire with Hamas. Those killed in Tuesday’s attack included at least 77 people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and at least 20 people in Gaza City in the north, medical sources told Al Jazeera. Israeli strikes also hit locations in central Deir el-Balah and Rafah in the south. Many of them were children, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the military to take “strong action” against Hamas over its refusal to release captives taken…

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reside just a few blocks from one another as you traverse from Prospect Heights to Park Slope in Brooklyn.But political observers suspect there’s practically a bridge of political distance spanning between the two Brooklyn Democrats now. Schumer decided to help Republicans break a filibuster and forestall a government shutdown last week. Schumer’s decision triggered howls of derision from House Democrats who were practically unified in their opposition to the GOP spending package. Schumer and nine other Democrats voted to break the filibuster. That sent many Democrats into…

A note made in a woman’s phone and a series of text messages have been examined by a jury in a rape trial involving a former Socceroo.

Lewis Hamilton says his Ferrari race debut felt like a “crash course” in learning about his new car after finishing a chaotic Australian Grand Prix in 10th place.Hamilton spent the first half of the race running eighth, stuck behind Williams driver Alex Albon, before a mid-race safety car period bunched up the field ahead of a heavy rain shower. When most teams opted to pit their drivers, Ferrari kept Hamilton out, informing him over the radio that it would be a short shower. He initially rose to third and then briefly led the race before conditions became too slippery, forcing…

Harvard University announced it will now offer free tuition to students whose families make $200,000 or less per year.”Putting Harvard within financial reach for more individuals widens the array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that all of our students encounter, fostering their intellectual and personal growth,” Harvard President Alan M. Garber said in a statement on Monday.”By bringing people of outstanding promise together to learn with and from one another, we truly realize the tremendous potential of the University.”The Ivy League university added that students of families making $100,000 or less per year would qualify for free housing, food, and health services in addition to…