CURRENT EVENTS APRIL 3 - 8

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Senate passes resolution to undo emergency declaration, but measure has been blocked in the House​


GIFT LINK 🎁 —> https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy...aa?st=JTGfdM&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink

“…
The Senate vote, which passed 51 to 48, took place just hours after Trump imposed a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the U.S., and higher rates for some nations.

Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined with all Democrats in backing the resolution. Paul, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, has argued that tariffs are a tax and that only Congress—not the president—can impose taxes under the Constitution. …”

——

Would have an easy vote for other Republicans wanting to pretend to break with Trump but nope.
 

How Hackers Stole Billions in Crypto to Keep North Korea’s Regime Afloat​

More than $6 billion from heists highlights the sophistication of cyber operations funneling cash to Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program​



“…North Korea is now the world’s most dangerous crypto thief.

It has swiped more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency over the past decade—a sum so large that no one else compares.

The country’s hackers are both patient and brazen, according to investigators. To get into companies’ computers, they comb through employees’ Facebook and Instagram pages and invent tailor-made stories to trick them into clicking on links with viruses. Some North Korean hackers have even become employees themselves, fooling U.S. companies into hiring them as remote IT workers and gaining access to their networks.

After grabbing their bounty, North Korean hackers are masters at escaping. At WazirX, investigators believe they used algorithms to spread funds through global crypto networks faster than any human could, making it almost impossible for authorities to catch up. Once the crypto is dispersed, North Koreans often lie low until investigators lose interest and move on, waiting months or years to convert their haul into traditional money that can be spent. …”
 
www.independent.co.uk

Judge holds ICE agent in contempt after he detained suspect during a trial

An angry judge in Boston is holding an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in contempt after he detained a suspect while he was on trial
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk

An angry judge in Boston is holding a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in contempt after he detained a suspect while the man was on trial.

ICE agent Brian Sullivan detained Wilson Martell-Lebron last week as he was leaving court. But a Boston Municipal Court judge issued a ruling Monday against Sullivan, arguing that he had deprived Martell-Lebron of his rights to due process and a fair trial by taking him into custody.


“It's a case of violating a defendant's right to present at trial and confront witnesses against him," Judge Mark Summerville said from the bench. “It couldn't be more serious.”

Summerville dismissed the charge against Martell-Lebron of making false statements on his driver’s license application -- namely that he wasn't Martell-Lebron. After that, Summerville filed the contempt charge against Sullivan, which could lead Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden review the case to determine if any charges should be filed.

“It's reprehensible,” Ryan Sullivan, one of Martell-Lebron's lawyers said. “Law enforcement agents have a job to see justice is done. Prosecutors have a job to see justice is done. There is no greater injustice in my mind than the government arresting someone, without identifying themselves, and preventing them from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to a jury trial.”

Sullivan described a tense scene, in which ICE agents pounced on Martell-Lebron without identifying themselves, put him into a pickup truck and sped away. The trial Thursday had just begun with opening statements and the first witnesses.
 
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

GOP Official Called ICE On Rep.'s Farms After She Spoke Out Against Immigration Bill

A local GOP official claimed he reported Idaho state Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen because she "bragged about hiring illegals."
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
An Idaho Republican is speaking out after a local party official boasted online about reporting her family’s farming business to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Idaho state Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen told KTVB in an article published on Monday that she is “one of the few that have stood up to the far right extremism” and because of that, she has become a target.
Mickelsen is listed online as the CFO for her family’s potato farming business. She maintained in an op-ed for the Idaho Statesman that the business complies with all “applicable federal and state laws” regarding employment and immigration.
However, she said she became “the target of intimidation tactics designed to silence ” her when Ryan Spoon, Ada County GOP vice chairman, announced Jan. 21 on X that he was reporting her businesses to ICE.

...

“I reported her to ICE, because she bragged about hiring illegals,” he said in an email.
He also told Investigate West that Mickelsen’s “own testimony drew attention to herself.”
That testimony, he told HuffPost, was when Mickelsen spoke out against a bill that would let local law enforcement detain and possibly deport undocumented immigrants. (Mickelsen ultimately voted for the bill, which has yet to pass the state Senate.)
 

White House fires three NSC staffers after president meets with far-right activist Laura Loomer​



“… The firings came after Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who once claimed 9/11 was an inside job,urged President Donald Trump during a Wednesday meeting to get rid of several members of his National Security Council staff, including his principal deputy national security adviser, claiming that they are disloyal. One of the sources said the firings were a direct result of the meeting with Loomer.

… The three officials include Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and a former top staffer for now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz’s legislative director in Congress; and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump’s first administration. …”



 
nycfan said:

White House fires three NSC staffers after president meets with far-right activist Laura Loomer​



“… The firings came after Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who once claimed 9/11 was an inside job,urged President Donald Trump during a Wednesday meeting to get rid of several members of his National Security Council staff, including his principal deputy national security adviser, claiming that they are disloyal. One of the sources said the firings were a direct result of the meeting with Loomer.

… The three officials include Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and a former top staffer for now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz’s legislative director in Congress; and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump’s first administration. …”



Click to expand...

 

RFK Jr. Plans to Reinstate Some Federal Workers, Programs​

Health secretary says it was ‘always the plan’ to reinstate some health workers​


GIFT LINK —> https://www.wsj.com/us-news/rfk-jr-...56?st=cBPx2R&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink

“…
He said agency leaders approached the reorganization with a willingness to make dramatic cuts even if they made errors.

“That was always the plan,” he said, referring to fixing mistakes and the Department of Government Efficiency’s approach to making federal cuts.

“Part of the DOGE—we talked about this from the beginning—is we’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstalled, because we’ll make mistakes.” …”
 
nycfan said:
“Part of the DOGE—we talked about this from the beginning—is we’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstalled, because we’ll make mistakes.” …”
Click to expand...
The plan was to fuck up, then fix the mistakes? THAT WAS THE PLAN?

I prefer plans that don't involve intentional sabotage. Figure it out first. Geez. Of course, it's probably not the case that this was the plan, but it's amazing that RFK thinks this puts him in a good light.

There's also a question of who is he going to hire to "reinstall" those positions.
 
nycfan said:

RFK Jr. Plans to Reinstate Some Federal Workers, Programs​

Health secretary says it was ‘always the plan’ to reinstate some health workers​


GIFT LINK —> https://www.wsj.com/us-news/rfk-jr-...56?st=cBPx2R&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink

“…
He said agency leaders approached the reorganization with a willingness to make dramatic cuts even if they made errors.

“That was always the plan,” he said, referring to fixing mistakes and the Department of Government Efficiency’s approach to making federal cuts.

“Part of the DOGE—we talked about this from the beginning—is we’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstalled, because we’ll make mistakes.” …”
Click to expand...
And the problem? You're not going to get the ones back that you want. They're going to find a better more stable job somewhere else ,possibly another country.
 




“… He wanted them to raise significant revenue for the government, as well as provide a durable signal for companies to invest in the U.S., according to people with knowledge of the discussions. Those goals would align with a permanent, across-the-board tariff. A universal approach would also help prevent companies from avoiding tariffs by shifting production to other countries—a key issue for Trump’s economic team.

But the president also liked the idea of reciprocity, the people said—or charging nations “what they charge us,” as Trump has put it publicly. That pointed to individualized tariff rates for nations that could be calibrated according to their tariffs and other economic policies.

A senior administration official described a “ping pong match” between universal tariffs or the reciprocal approach.

On one hand, Trump viewed the idea for a universal tariff as simple and easy to explain, this person said. On the other hand, advisers such as National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick argued the American public would understand the tit-for-tat principle underlying a reciprocal approach. …”
 
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