IRS ‘prepared’ for 2025 filing season, but potential spending cuts loom for the agency

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing for a tax season that will look quite different for 2025, with the coming expansion of the agency’s Direct File program and other modernization efforts — but also a looming possibility of further IRS spending cuts led by Republican lawmakers. For the 2025 tax filing season, the IRS’ Direct File program will be available in 25 states, more than doubling the 12 states where the IRS-run online filing system was an option for taxpayers in 2024. The IRS will begin accepting tax returns on…

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The Potential Backlash to Trump Unbound

Donald Trump will return to office facing far fewer constraints than when he entered the White House in 2017. The political, legal, institutional, and civic forces that restrained and often frustrated Trump during his first term have all palpably weakened. That will be a mixed blessing for him and for the Republican Party. There’s less chance that forces inside or outside his administration will thwart Trump’s marquee campaign proposals, such as mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, big tariffs on imports, and sweeping rollbacks of climate and other environmental regulations. But…

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Fourth Circuit Decision Sets Up Next Potential 2A Showdown at Supreme Court

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” earlier this month, likely setting the stage for the next major Second Amendment showdown at the Supreme Court. The case, Bianchi v. Brown, features Maryland residents who challenge the constitutionality of a 2013 state law that generally prohibits them from buying or possessing any firearm deemed an “assault weapon.” The statute defines that term to include hundreds of specific models of semiautomatic rifles, as well as any other semiautomatic rifle that either (1) has…

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You heard right, the next potential government shutdown is coming into view

With Republicans in charge of the house and Democrats the Senate, you can bet on sharp disagreements over the budget. In fact, it’s not too early to worry about an impasse leading to a government shutdown. To get a look into this possibility, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Mitchell Miller, WTOP’s Capitol Hill Correspondent. Interview transcript: Mitchell Miller It really is, Tom. It’s incredible that we’re here in January and already talking about it. And it’s very serious discussions taking place right now. And that is all of…

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Did the U.S. president greenlight a potential Chinese crackdown in Hong Kong? – The Washington Post

Did the U.S. president greenlight a potential Chinese crackdown in Hong Kong?  The Washington Post There are growing signs that something truly horrific is about to happen in Hong Kong. President Trump has essentially given China’s rulers a green light to … “us president” – Google News

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