Stories from Washington D.C. · United States

Georgetown University announced that New England Patriots legend Tom Brady and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will serve as commencement speakers. The announcement was made by WBUR. Mayor Muriel Bowser will serve as the keynote speaker for this year's commencement ceremony. Bowser is also scheduled to receive an honorary degree during the event. Other honorary degree recipients include former Disney CEO Bob Iger. The university also noted the late gospel singer Richard Smoll as a recipient. The university did not specify the name of the institution. Howard University selected Washington D.C. Approximately 3,000 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees will be awarded during the ceremony.

The number of people receiving SNAP benefits has decreased by 4 million. This change was reported as a headline development regarding SNAP program shifts. The number of recipients for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has decreased by 4 million nationwide. This drop follows the passage of the OBVA bill in July 2025, which introduced new eligibility restrictions and additional work requirements. SNAP is the largest food aid program in the United States. Approximately 3.4 million recipients were lost between August 2025 and January 2026. The information was cited from a Newsweek article. Initial drafts of the bill projected that approximately 2.5 million people would lose benefits once all changes were implemented. Higher bureaucratic burdens on recipients are expected to further reduce the number of people receiving benefits.

An increasing number of American citizens are seeking to renounce their citizenship, according to a report by The Guardian. Reasons cited for this trend include political atmosphere, tax concerns, and security anxieties.

Republican party members are showing an increasing willingness to break with President Trump. An extension of the FISA 702 government surveillance tool is also facing difficulties. Former House Republican Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry noted that political capital was spent on a spending plan Republicans called the 'one big beautiful bill'. The difficulty is attributed to leadership being closely tethered to President Trump, who is experiencing struggles with poll numbers during an election year. These factors are amplifying existing differences within the conference, according to the report. Internal differences within the Republican conference are being amplified, making it difficult for Speaker Johnson to reach consensus among conservative members like the House Freedom Caucus.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is expected to be questioned regarding his term during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. Financial analyst Steven Cates from Bankrate.com stated that Powell will likely sidestep the question to avoid the topic dominating the conference.

The US dollar's direction depends on signaling from the Federal Reserve regarding future inflation management. Hawkish statements from the Fed could prove positive for the dollar, while a data-dependent, quiet approach may keep the dollar stable.

Global markets are monitoring the upcoming Federal Reserve interest rate decision scheduled for 21:00 Turkish time. No interest rate changes are expected from the central bank. This meeting is noted as the final interest rate meeting to be chaired by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

President Trump previously stated he would fire Jerome Powell if he did not leave as chair by May 15th. The threat is reportedly less now that the impediment to Warsh's confirmation appears to have been removed.

A proposed US legislative project titled 'NO-OPEC' was designed to attempt to dismantle the organization, according to Marcel Salekhov.

A US court is reviewing the temporary protected status of Haitian refugees.