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nycfan said:

Order Aims to Gut 7 Agencies, Including Overseer of Voice of America​


www.nytimes.com

Trump Administration Highlights: Judge Orders Halt on Deportations of Venezuelans Under Wartime Law

www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

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President Trump signed an executive order on Friday seeking to dismantle seven additional federal agencies, including the one that oversees Voice of America and other government-funded media outlets around the world.

Mr. Trump directed the heads of the agencies, largely obscure entities that address issues like labor mediation and homelessness prevention, to eliminate all functions that are not statutorily mandated. The leaders should also “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” the order said.

Like many of the president’s moves in his wide-ranging effort to shrink the government, the order appears to test the bounds of his authority. …”

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nycfan said:
December 2024:

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“… U.S. officials said that airstrikes against the Houthis’ arsenal, much of which is buried deep underground, could last for several days, intensifying in scope and scale depending on the militants’ reaction. U.S. intelligence agencies have struggled in the past to identify and locate the Houthi weapons systems, which the rebels produce in subterranean factories and smuggle in from Iran.

… Some national security aides want to pursue an even more aggressive campaign that could lead the Houthis to essentially lose control of large parts of the country’s north, U.S. officials said. But Mr. Trump has not yet authorized that strategy, wary of entangling the United States in a Middle East conflict he pledged to avoid during his campaign.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been pushing Mr. Trump to authorize a joint U.S.-Israel operation to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities, taking advantage of a moment when Iran’s air defenses are exposed, after a bombing campaign from Israel in October dismantled critical military infrastructure. Mr. Trump, reluctant to be drawn into a major war, has so far held off against pressure from both Israeli and U.S. hawks to seize the opening to strike Iran’s nuclear sites.

… During the Biden administration, the attacks on commercial shipping were met with several counterstrikes by U.S. and British military forces. Between last January and May, for instance, the two countries’ militaries conducted at least five major joint strikes against the Houthis in response to the attacks on shipping.

…
United States Central Command, which carried out the strikes on Saturday without any other nation’s assistance, has regularly announced military actions against the Houthis.

But the U.S.-led strikes have failed to deter them from attacking shipping lanes connecting to the Suez Canal that are critical for global trade. Hundreds of ships have been forced to take a lengthy detour around southern Africa, driving up costs. Despite the cease-fire in Gaza, some of the biggest container shipping lines show their vessels still going around the Cape of Good Hope and avoiding the Red Sea on theirwebsites.

The Biden administration tried to chip away at the ability of the Houthis to menace merchant ships and military vessels without killing large numbers of Houthi fighters and commanders, which could unleash even more mayhem into a widening regional war that officials feared would drag in Iran. …”
 
today.rtl.lu

Harsh interrogation: Green card holder detained at Logan Airport after Luxembourg trip

Fabian Schmidt endured a harsh interrogation where he was pressured to give up his green card and treated poorly before collapsing.
today.rtl.lu today.rtl.lu

Fabian Schmidt, a New Hampshire resident with a valid green card, was detained at the Logan Airport in Boston by immigration officers.

According to local Boston news GBH, Schmidt was returning from a trip to Luxembourg on Friday, 14 March when he was stopped by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

He was held for over four hours when his family learned his green card had been flagged. According to Schmidt's mother, Astrid Senior, Schmidt endured a harsh interrogation where he was stripped naked, forced into a cold shower by two officials, and pressured to give up his green card. He was deprived of sleep, had little access to food and water, and was denied his medication for anxiety and depression.

He eventually collapsed and was brought to the Massachusetts General Hospital where it was discovered he had influenza.

Later, he was transferred to ICE's regional headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts, and he is now being held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in the state of Rhode Island by ICE.

Schmidt's family, including his partner and daughter who are both American citizens, was not given any reason for why he is being detained. They state that his green card was recently renewed, and he has no standing legal issues. Schmidt's partner is working with a lawyer as well as with the German consulate to find a way to release him.

Schmidt, an electrical engineer, moved to the United States in 2007 and obtained his green card in 2008. He has a minor legal history involving a dismissed marijuana possession charge from 2015 for less than 30 grams and a resolved DUI from over a decade ago.
 
www.motherjones.com

The country’s most famous houseplant is missing. What did Trump do with it?

The Oval Office Swedish Ivy was a gift to John F. Kennedy.
www.motherjones.com www.motherjones.com

After the Washington Post ran a front-page photo of President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu sitting in front of the Oval Office fireplace on February 4, careful reader Thomas M. Sneeringer fired off a letter to the editor. “It appears the fireplace mantel in the Oval Office has been subjected to President Donald Trump’s Midas touch,” he wrote. Sneeringer observed that the spray of Swedish ivy that has adorned the mantle for more than half a century had vanished, replaced by what he speculated might be… golf trophies?

“I was instantly offended and instantly understood how it happened,” Sneeringer told me in an interview. “It was just so consistent about what we know about Trump’s taste.”

He knew that the missing ivy was no ordinary plant. Irish ambassador Thomas J. Kiernan had given it to President John F. Kennedy as a gift in 1961, and ever since it has been a consistent backdrop to some of the most famous White House meetings.

...

So where is it now? The White House did not respond to several inquiries about the plant’s whereabouts or the gold statues that replaced it.

Like so many things that Trump and his DOGE team are heedlessly destroying, the Oval Office ivy has a constituency that may not be immediately obvious to those wielding the chainsaws. With its own Instagram account and generations of progeny that even Elon Musk can’t rival, the humble houseplant enjoys a cult following.
 
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“… A series of emails sent late last month to front-line staff at parks across the country provided rangers with instructions on how to describe the highly publicized staff cuts. Park leaders further instructed staff to avoid the word “fired” and not blame closures on staffing levels.

On Feb. 14, at least 1,000 park service employees were terminated as part of broad reductions to the federal workforce by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. As a result, visitor centers have reduced hours, tours of popular attractions have been canceled, lines have spiraled, bathrooms may go uncleaned, habitat restoration has ceased and water has gone unchecked for toxic algae.

Meanwhile, rangers have been ordered to describe these cuts — or “attrition” and “workforce management actions,” according to the talking points — as “prioritizing fiscal responsibility” and “staffing to meet the evolving needs of our visitors.” They also should tell visitors the parks will continue to ensure “memorable and meaningful experiences for all.”

If asked about limited offerings, one park’s rangers were instructed to say “we are not able to address park or program-level impacts at this time.”

The guidance mirrors other measures instituted by the Trump administration to dictate how federal employees communicate with the public. …”

www.propublica.org

Curious How Trump’s Cost Cutting Could Affect Your National Park Visit? You Might Not Get a Straight Answer.

National Park Service staff have received talking points ordering them to describe layoffs as “workforce management actions” and to reassure visitors that changes resulting from the cuts won’t impede “memorable and meaningful experiences for all.”
www.propublica.org www.propublica.org
 

National Cancer Institute Employees Can’t Publish Information on These Topics Without Special Approval​

Vaccines. Fluoride. Autism. Communications involving these and 20 other “controversial, high profile, or sensitive” topics will get extra scrutiny under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.​


www.propublica.org

National Cancer Institute Employees Can’t Publish Information on These Topics Without Special Approval

Vaccines. Fluoride. Autism. Communications involving these and 20 other “controversial, high profile, or sensitive” topics will get extra scrutiny under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
www.propublica.org www.propublica.org

“… While it’s not uncommon for the cancer institute to outline a couple of administration priorities, the scope and scale of the list is unprecedented and highly unusual, said six employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. All materials must be reviewed by an institute “clearance team,” according to the records, and could be examined by officials at the NIH or its umbrella agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

… The list touches on the personal priorities of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has repeatedly promotedmedical conspiracy theories and false claims. He has advanced the idea that rising rates of autismare linked to vaccines, a claim that has been debunked by hundreds of scientific studies. He has also suggested that aluminum in vaccines is responsible for childhood allergies (his son reportedly is severely allergic to peanuts). And he has claimed that water fluoridation — which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called “one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century” — is an “industrial waste.”

… Another term on the list, “cancer moonshot,” refers to a program launched by President Barack Obama in 2016. It was a priority of the Biden administration, which intended for the program to cut the nation’s cancer death rate by at least half and prevent more than 4 million deaths. …”


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nycfan said:
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“Employees at Voice of America were placed on paid leave on Saturday and funding for two U.S. news services that broadcast to authoritarian regimes was slashed, one day after President Donald Trumpsigned an executive order gutting the government-funded media outlets' parent and six other federal agencies.

Multiple workers at Voice of America, an international media broadcaster that operates in more than 40 languages, shared with Reuters an email that placed them on administrative leave with full pay and benefits "until otherwise notified."

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) also terminated funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which broadcasts to countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine, as well as for Radio Free Asia, which broadcasts to China and North Korea, according to letters seen by Reuters.

On its website, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notes that it has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government and warns readers in Russia and Russia-occupied Ukraine that they could "face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us."

… Trump, who clashed with the Voice of America during his first term, picked former news anchor Kari Lake to be its director for his second term. Lake, a staunch ally of the president, has often accused mainstream media of harboring anti-Trump bias. …”

www.cnbc.com

Voice of America staff put on leave after Trump orders cuts

Employees at Voice of America were placed on paid leave, one day after Trump signed an executive order gutting the government-funded media outlets' parent.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com

——
The truth does have an anti-lie bias, so a lot of overlap with appearing anti-Trump.
 
nycfan said:
“Employees at Voice of America were placed on paid leave on Saturday and funding for two U.S. news services that broadcast to authoritarian regimes was slashed, one day after President Donald Trumpsigned an executive order gutting the government-funded media outlets' parent and six other federal agencies.

Multiple workers at Voice of America, an international media broadcaster that operates in more than 40 languages, shared with Reuters an email that placed them on administrative leave with full pay and benefits "until otherwise notified."

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) also terminated funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which broadcasts to countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia and Ukraine, as well as for Radio Free Asia, which broadcasts to China and North Korea, according to letters seen by Reuters.

On its website, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notes that it has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government and warns readers in Russia and Russia-occupied Ukraine that they could "face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us."

… Trump, who clashed with the Voice of America during his first term, picked former news anchor Kari Lake to be its director for his second term. Lake, a staunch ally of the president, has often accused mainstream media of harboring anti-Trump bias. …”

www.cnbc.com

Voice of America staff put on leave after Trump orders cuts

Employees at Voice of America were placed on paid leave, one day after Trump signed an executive order gutting the government-funded media outlets' parent.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com

——
The truth does have an anti-lie bias, so a lot of overlap with appearing anti-Trump.
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“…
In addition to USAGM, Trump's order also targeted the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency for cuts.

The order said those agencies should eliminate all operations not codified in statute as well as "reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law." …”
 
nycfan said:
Looks like the Trump Administration is ignoring this court order:

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Trump Administration Live Updates: Rubio Announces Deportations After Judge Orders Flights Halted​


www.nytimes.com

Voice of America Broadcasts Begin Falling Silent

www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

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“… The Trump administration hopes that the unusual prisoner transfer deal — not a swap but an agreement for El Salvador to take suspected gang members — will be the beginning of a larger effort to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to rapidly arrest and deport those it identifies as members of Tren de Aragua without many of the legal processes common in immigration cases.

The Alien Enemies Act allows for summary deportations of people from countries at war with the United States. The law, best known for its role in the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, has been invoked three times in U.S. history — during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II — according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and policy organization.

On Saturday, Judge James E. Boasberg of Federal District Court in Washington issued a temporary restraining order blocking the government from deporting any immigrants under the law after President Trump issued an executive order invoking it.

In a hastily scheduled hearing sought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the judge said he did not believe federal law allowed the president’s action, and ordered that any flights that had departed with Venezuelan immigrants under Trump’s executive order to return to the United States “however that’s accomplished — whether turning around the plane or not.”

“This is something you need to make sure is complied with immediately,” he said.

A lawyer representing the government, Drew Ensign, told the judge that he did not have many details to share and that describing operational details would raise “national security issues.”

The precise timing of the flights to El Salvador is important because Judge Boasberg issued his order shortly before 7 p.m. in Washington, but video posted from El Salvador shows them disembarking the plane at night. El Salvador is two time zones behind Washington, raising questions about whether the Trump administration ignored an explicit court order. …”
 
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