The New York Times reports: The tiny African kingdom of Eswatini announced on Wednesday that it would repatriate the five migrants who had been deported there by the United States, a day after American officials said the migrants’ home countries had refused to accept them. The migrants came from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba, and had been serving time …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate narrowly approved President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and federal funding for public broadcasting early Thursday, handing the administration a victory in its ongoing power struggle with Congress over federal spending. The vote was 51-48. Two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — voted …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Coca-Cola in the United States will begin to be made with cane sugar, but the company did not explicitly say that was the case when it was asked later about Trump’s claim. Trump said Wednesday afternoon on Truth Social that he had been speaking to Coca-Cola about using cane sugar in …

ABC News reports: The largest Mars meteorite ever found on Earth was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on Wednesday for $4.3 million. The Martian rock, known as NWA 16788, weighs more than 54 pounds, is nearly 15 inches long and is 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars that has been recovered, according to the …

From the Houston Chronicle editorial board: Trump’s FEMA director failed to make any public appearances, statements or social media postings immediately following the deadly flood. (He finally showed up a week later.) This is the sort of urgency Texans can expect from a man who joked that he didn’t know there was a hurricane season. Judging by recent reporting on …

Politico reports: Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, was fired Wednesday from her job as a prosecutor in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, according to two people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Comey, who had worked in the U.S. attorney’s office for nearly a decade, …

“I think the question is, are we a nation of immigrants? Or are we a nation of settlers? And I would argue with you, Will, that we are the latter. We are a country that was forged and created by settlers. Settlers who came and formed a new identity. They created a new culture. They had customs that were very …

NBC News reports: Shares of the online firearms retailer GrabAGun — whose shareholders and board members include Donald Trump Jr. — tanked on their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange following a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. GrabAGun’s stock price fell by more than 20% in trading in the hours after Trump Jr. rang …

Jonathan Larsen reports at Substack: The preacher who leads Bible studies for cabinet secretaries at the White House — and in both chambers of Congress, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) — said in one of his lessons this month that “Israel … executed the Messiah.” In two study guides and videos, right-wing preacher …

“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so. I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!” – Trump, posting to Truth Social. There’s two possibilities here. …

Florida Politics reports: Former Republican state Rep. Karoline Amesty is facing two counts of theft of government property after being accused of illegally obtaining $122,000 in pandemic relief funds meant to help small businesses through her foundation and a car dealership. The federal complaint said she used the money to pay her credit cards, buy furniture and spend on other …

Military.com reports: A retired Army officer and conservative commentator who could not be approved for a Pentagon job during the first Trump administration because of past Islamaphobic and conspiratorial statements has been confirmed by the Senate to be the Pentagon’s personnel chief in the second Trump administration. In a 52-46 party-line vote Tuesday afternoon, the Senate confirmed Anthony Tata to …

The New York Post reports: The days of frantically chugging drinks at airport security gates may soon be over. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested Wednesday that she is pushing for the TSA to ease up on its liquids, aerosols, and gels rule now that the airport security agency has ditched its dreaded shoes-off policy. “The day I …

Axios reports: U.S. citizens aren’t supposed to be arrested or detained unless agents allege they’re breaking laws. But reports of citizens of Latino descent being detained — or stopped and asked to prove citizenship — are rippling through Latino communities nationwide. Critics say reports of ICE detaining citizens are instances of racial profiling and overzealous policing — something the U.S. …

AdWeek reports: The next time you book a flight on Delta Air Lines, artificial intelligence may play a role in determining the price you pay. The Atlanta-based carrier indicated that it will increase the use of AI in its ticket pricing model, with the goal of influencing 20% of its domestic flights by the end of 2025. Delta president Glen …

The Hill reports: A coalition of 20 states on Wednesday sued the Trump administration over its decision to shut down a multibillion-dollar grant program aimed at strengthening infrastructure before natural disasters strike. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boston, contends that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) unlawfully eliminated its Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities (BRIC) program earlier this …

Via press release from Christian Newswire: Pardon Me: The Bevelyn B. Williams Story is a bold and gripping new biographical drama that brings to light the harrowing true story of a fearless pro-life activist who paid the ultimate price for standing on her convictions. Based on real events, the film traces the rise of Bevelyn B. Williams—a passionate Christian woman …

“It’s not the same country that existed in the 1980s. We are a cluttered country. We are a overwhelmed country. We are a country that is flooded with foreigners. And secondly, where — the country is far more pricey, it’s far more expensive to exist and to have basic necessities than it was in the 1980s. “Many boomers, God bless …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday during an Oval Office press event that he was “surprised” that Jerome Powell was appointed Fed Chair, apparently forgetting that he was the individual who appointed the “terrible” appointee. It was the latest in a string of Trump’s attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Powell, whom he has criticized for his handling of interest …

Reuters reports: A gun rights lobbying group is suing the U.S. Postal Service in a bid to overturn its nearly 100-year-old ban on mailing handguns, arguing that the law wasn’t contemplated when the country’s founders drafted the 2nd Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Gun Owners of America and the Gun Owners Foundation filed the lawsuit on Monday in federal court …