March 21, 2025 -- As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
U.S.
Constitutional showdown
- Chief Justice Roberts rebukes Trump and GOP rhetoric about impeaching judges (CNN)
- Judge demands to know why Trump administration ignored order about redirecting deportation flights (CBS)
- Judge orders urgent release of DOGE records, citing ‘unprecedented’ power and ‘unusual secrecy’ (Politico)
- Judge rails against DOGE for ‘terrorizing’ U.S. Institute of Peace after using ‘guns and threats’ to shut it down (Independent)
Economy
- US stock market loses $4 trillion in value as Trump plows ahead on tariffs (Reuters)
- Trump threatens mega 200 percent tariff on EU wines and spirits (Politico)
Social Security
- Trump Admin Threatens to Stop Social Security If DOGE Can’t Have Personal Data (YahooNews)
- Social Security Administration to require in-person identity checks for new and existing recipients (AP)
Public safety
- NTSB says DCA midair collision part of 'serious safety issue' (NPR)
- Critics warn cuts at agencies overseeing US dams could put public safety at risk (ABC)
Immigration and deportations
- ICE Returns All Migrants From Guantánamo to Stateside Facilities(New York Times)
- U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer removed to Mexico with undocumented parents (NBC)
- Lawyers for R.I. doctor allege she was deported despite federal court order (PublicsRadio)
- Protesters arrested after storming Trump Tower to demand release of Mahmoud Khalil (CNN)
- German man with green card ‘violently interrogated’ by US border officials (Guardian)
- Canadian actor detained at US border in ‘inhumane conditions’ for nearly two weeks (Guardian)
Education
- US Education Department to cut half its staff as Trump eyes elimination (Reuters)
- Can protesting in the US be ‘illegal’? Trump’s vague warning raises constitutional questions (CNN)
US foreign relations and human rights
- US added to human rights watchlist over Trump moves (Fox 5)
- French Official Demands the U.S. Return the Statue of Liberty (MTN)
- Secretary of State says 83% of US AID programs are being cancelled (CBS)
- Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to keep $2 billion in foreign aid frozen (CBS News)
Diversity, equity and inclusion
- ‘Chilling’: NYT reveals list of words banned by Trump’s 'anti-woke' initiatives (MSN)
- Federal judge blocks Trump administration from banning transgender people from military service (AP)
Resistance
Project 2025
- Trump’s Policies Are Making Project 2025’s Vision a Reality (Wall St. Journal)
Pardons
- Fact-checking Trump’s claim that Biden pardons are ‘void’ because he used an autopen (Politifact, via PBS)
- Judge says Trump Jan. 6 pardon doesn’t apply to man who conspired to kill investigators (Politico)
WORLD
Mexico
Ukraine-Russia war
- More than 30 nations will participate in Paris planning talks on a security force for Ukraine (AP)
- US ‘deletes evidence’ of Russia’s kidnap of thousands of Ukrainian children (UK Independent)
- Russia and Ukraine conduct large prisoner exchange after Putin-Trump call (Reuters)
- Putin showed ‘true face’ by bombing Ukraine after ceasefire call, says Finland’s president (PoliticoEU)
Israel-Gaza War
- Israel launches first ground offensive since Gaza ceasefire collapse, partially recapturing key area (CNN)
- Netanyahu faces fury as renewed war deepens Israeli divisions (CNN)
Europe
- Trump's handling of Ukraine and tariffs has NATO rethinking the U.S.-made F-35 fighter (NPR)
- German lawmakers approve huge defense and infrastructure spending (NPR)
Travel ban
- Trump's new travel ban could prohibit entry to the US from this 'red list' of countries (USA Today Network )
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
U.S.
Constitutional showdown
Chief Justice Roberts rebukes Trump and GOP rhetoric about impeaching judges (CNN)
Chief Justice John Roberts pushed back on President Donald Trump’s escalating rhetoric against the federal judiciary on Tuesday in a highly unusual statement that appeared to be aimed at the president’s call to impeach judges who rule against him. “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a statement released by the Supreme Court. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
Judge demands to know why Trump administration ignored order about redirecting deportation flights (CBS)
A federal judge admonished the Justice Department Monday for disobeying his order to turn around two planes en route to El Salvador that were carrying alleged Tren de Aragua gang members. He also demanded explanations about removal flights ordered since President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act Saturday.
Judge orders urgent release of DOGE records, citing ‘unprecedented’ power and ‘unusual secrecy’ (Politico)
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the vast and “unprecedented” authority of DOGE, formally known as the U.S. Digital Service, combined with its “unusual secrecy” warrant the urgent release of its internal documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
Judge rails against DOGE for ‘terrorizing’ U.S. Institute of Peace after using ‘guns and threats’ to shut it down (Independent)
A federal judge was alarmed by allegations that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency provoked a dramatic standoff this week with the U.S. Institute of Peace, culminating in what attorneys for the agency called a hostile “takeover” fueled by threats and harassment... The institute is not a federal agency but an independent nonprofit established by Congress under President Ronald Reagan.
Economy
US stock market loses $4 trillion in value as Trump plows ahead on tariffs (Reuters)
A barrage of new Trump policies has increased uncertainty for businesses, consumers and investors, notably back-and-forth tariff moves against major trading partners.
Trump threatens mega 200 percent tariff on EU wines and spirits (Politico)
The threat comes after the White House put global tariffs on steel and aluminum, with the EU readying retaliatory tariffs of its own in what threatens to escalate into a full-scale transatlantic trade war.
Social Security
Trump Admin Threatens to Stop Social Security If DOGE Can’t Have Personal Data (YahooNews)
Donald Trump’s interim Social Security chief suggested Thursday night he will effectively turn off the agency that manages the essential safety net program for seniors and the disabled, if Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can’t access the non-anonymized sensitive personal information and data of hundreds of millions of Americans, based on a judge’s order.
Social Security Administration to require in-person identity checks for new and existing recipients (AP)
In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone...The change will apply to new Social Security applicants and existing recipients who want to change their direct deposit information... The plan also comes as the agency plans to shutter dozens of Social Security offices throughout the country and has already laid out plans to lay off thousands of workers.
Public safety
NTSB says DCA midair collision part of 'serious safety issue' (NPR)
The NTSB's Jennifer Homendy called on the Federal Aviation Administration to implement several "urgent safety recommendations" during a Tuesday news conference. Her comments followed the release of a preliminary investigation report into the Jan. 29 midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet, which was attempting to land at DCA airport.
Critics warn cuts at agencies overseeing US dams could put public safety at risk (ABC)
Experts are warning that Trump administration workforce cuts at federal agencies overseeing U.S. dams are threatening their ability to provide reliable electricity, supply water to farmers and protect communities from floods
Immigrants, deportations, and citizens deported
ICE Returns All Migrants From Guantánamo to Stateside Facilities(New York Times)
A court filing described strip searches and the use of restraint chairs on some of the 290 migrants the Trump administration has cycled through the base.
U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer removed to Mexico with undocumented parents (NBC)
The Texas family was on their way to an emergency medical checkup, they said, when they were detained at an immigration checkpoint.
Lawyers for R.I. doctor allege she was deported despite federal court order (PublicsRadio)
Dr. Rasha Alawieh held a valid H-1B temporary visa when she arrived in Boston after visiting family in Lebanon, according to her lawyer.
Protesters arrested after storming Trump Tower to demand release of Mahmoud Khalil (CNN)
Nearly 100 people were arrested after protesters gathered at Trump Tower in Manhattan Thursday to denounce the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist detained by ICE over his involvement with pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University.
German man with green card ‘violently interrogated’ by US border officials (Guardian)
Berlin checking if US immigration policy has changed after Fabian Schmidt becomes third German to be detained... His mother, Astrid Senior, told the Boston-headquartered public broadcaster WGBH news that her son had been “violently interrogated” at Boston’s Logan airport for hours, stripped naked and put in a cold shower by two officials.
Canadian actor detained at US border in ‘inhumane conditions’ for nearly two weeks (Guardian)
A Canadian entrepreneur and actor in the American Pie movie franchise said she was detained for almost two weeks in “inhumane” conditions by US border authorities over an incomplete visa.... Mooney, an actor who is also co-founder of the beverage brand Holy! Water, was detained on 3 March in San Diego.. Mooney had not been charged with any crime and does not have a prior criminal record....Mooney told ABC 10 ... “I was put in a cell, and I had to sleep on a mat with no blanket, no pillow, with an aluminum foil wrapped over my body like a dead body for two and a half days.”
Education
US Education Department to cut half its staff as Trump eyes elimination (Reuters)
The U.S. Department of Education said on Tuesday it would lay off nearly half its staff, a possible precursor to closing its doors altogether, as government agencies scrambled to meet President Donald Trump's Thursday deadline to submit plans for a second round of mass layoffs.
Can protesting in the US be ‘illegal’? Trump’s vague warning raises constitutional questions (CNN)
Among the hundreds of social media posts President Donald Trump has put out since Inauguration Day, two words have gotten special attention: “illegal protests.” “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” he wrote in a March 4 Truth Social post. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.”
US foreign relations and human rights
US added to human rights watchlist over Trump moves (Fox 5)
The United States has been added to CIVICUS’s monitor list of potential human rights threats, a move the global nonprofit says is directly linked to President Donald Trump’s actions since his return to the White House in January. “Restrictive executive orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal,” CIVICUS interim co-secretary general Mandeep Tiwana said in a statement. “The Trump administration seems hellbent on dismantling the system of checks and balances which are the pillars of a democratic society.”
French Official Demands the U.S. Return the Statue of Liberty (MTN)
A French M.E.P. wants France to reclaim the beacon of global democracy after Trump sides with dictators
Secretary of State says 83% of US AID programs are being cancelled (CBS)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said early Monday that 83% of programs funded by U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, are being canceled, in the latest for the beleaguered agency that provides humanitarian aid overseas and has become the target for the Elon Musk-helmed Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to keep $2 billion in foreign aid frozen (CBS News)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt a lower court order that required the Trump administration to unfreeze nearly $2 billion in foreign-aid funding, clearing the way for the money to flow to groups that have done work for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development overseas.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
‘Chilling’: NYT reveals list of words banned by Trump’s 'anti-woke' initiatives (MSN)
President Donald Trump’s purge of so-called woke initiatives as one of his first orders of business after returning to the White House in January has already filtered through hundreds of federal government websites, according to a New York Times analysis. The Times on Friday revealed a list of banned words that came with that order – from phrases like “sense of belonging,” “all-inclusive” and “at risk” – to more innocuous terms like “women,” “institutional,” and “systemic.”
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from banning transgender people from military service (AP)
A federal judge blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from military service on Tuesday, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for his sweeping agenda
Resistance
Drawing huge crowds, Bernie Sanders steps into leadership of the anti-Trump resistance (AP)
Bernie Sanders is standing alone on the back of a pickup truck shouting into a bullhorn... The crowd screams in delight when he tells them that a combined total of 9,000 people had shown up for the rally. “What all of this tells me, is not just in Michigan or in Vermont, the people of this country will not allow us to move toward oligarchy. They will not allow Trump to take us into authoritarianism,” Sanders yelled. “We’re prepared to fight. And we’re going to win.”
Project 2025
Trump’s Policies Are Making Project 2025’s Vision a Reality (Wall St. Journal)
On the campaign trail, President Trump distanced himself from Project 2025’s radical conservative vision. Now, more than half of his executive orders align with recommendations made in the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint.
Pardons
Fact-checking Trump’s claim that Biden pardons are ‘void’ because he used an autopen (Politifact, via PBS)
President Donald Trump claimed some of former President Joe Biden’s pardons are invalid because Biden used an autopen... We found universal agreement among legal scholars that the Constitution doesn’t require a pardon’s direct human signing, and subsequent judicial decisions and legal memoranda support an autopen’s use for similar purposes. Legal scholars also agreed that there is no constitutional mechanism to overturn pardons once granted.
Judge says Trump Jan. 6 pardon doesn’t apply to man who conspired to kill investigators (Politico)
The ruling is the first to confront the Trump administration’s vacillating views about how far Trump intended to go with his blanket pardon.
WORLD
Mexico
Mexico City bans violent bullfighting, sparking fury and celebration (NPR)
Mexico City lawmakers on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to ban violent bullfighting, triggering outrage from aficionados and celebration from animal rights advocates. The legislation, approved by a 61-1 vote, prohibits the killing of bulls and the use of sharp objects that could injure the animals. It also sets time limits on how long bulls could be in the ring, all part of an initiative dubbed "bullfighting without violence."
Ukraine-Russia war
More than 30 nations will participate in Paris planning talks on a security force for Ukraine (AP)
Military officials from more than 30 nations will take part in Paris talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine, a French military official said Monday. Such an international force would aim to dissuade Russia from launching another offensive after any ceasefire in Ukraine comes into effect.
US ‘deletes evidence’ of Russia’s kidnap of thousands of Ukrainian children (UK Independent)
Researchers at Yale University had been compiling database of alleged Russian war crimes, including abduction of up to 35,000 children
Russia and Ukraine conduct large prisoner exchange after Putin-Trump call (Reuters)
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 175 prisoners of war each, both sides said on Wednesday, following a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin in which the swap was discussed.
Putin showed ‘true face’ by bombing Ukraine after ceasefire call, says Finland’s president (PoliticoEU)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed his real intentions in Ukraine by bombing civilian energy infrastructure after telling Donald Trump that Moscow would stop such attacks, said Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The only real solution to deter Moscow, Stubb told POLITICO on Wednesday, was to “militarize Ukraine to its teeth.”
Israel-Gaza War
Israel launches first ground offensive since Gaza ceasefire collapse, partially recapturing key area (CNN)
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had launched “targeted ground activities” in Gaza, partially recapturing a key area in the territory, a day after launching an aerial bombardment of the strip that shattered the two-month-old ceasefire with Hamas.
Netanyahu faces fury as renewed war deepens Israeli divisions (CNN)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced fury from protesters outside Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, a day after he resumed the war in Gaza, shattering the two-month-old ceasefire with Hamas....The anger in those accusations was palpable on Wednesday, just a day after Israel bombarded Gaza, killing more than 400 people and injuring hundreds more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry – marking one of the war’s deadliest days.
Europe
Trump's handling of Ukraine and tariffs has NATO rethinking the U.S.-made F-35 fighter (NPR)
Growing tensions with NATO over the U.S. stance on Ukraine and President Trump's escalating trade war now jeopardize a crucial aspect of the alliance's airpower strategy, as member countries indicate they could walk away from plans to purchase F-35 fighters. The F-35 is currently operated by the U.S. and 19 allied nations — including some non-NATO members such as South Korea, Japan, Australia and Israel.
German lawmakers approve huge defense and infrastructure spending (NPR)
NPR - Germany's would-be next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, won lawmakers' approval Tuesday for ambitious plans to loosen the nation's strict debt rules for higher defense spending as doubts mount about the strength of the trans-Atlantic alliance, and to set up an enormous fund for investment in its creaking infrastructure…. The package will exempt from the debt rules spending on defense and security, including intelligence agencies and assistance to Ukraine, worth more than 1% of GDP.
Travel ban
Trump's new travel ban could prohibit entry to the US from this 'red list' of countries (USA Today Network )
The Trump administration is finishing a travel ban that would prohibit citizens from a list of blacklisted countries from entering the U.S., officials told The New York Times and Reuters.... According to Reuters, the following "red list" countries are considered to be on the travel ban list: Sudan, Venezuela, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Libya, Cuba, and North Korea. Pakistan and Afghanistan are expected to be added to the list.
March 6, 2025 -- As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
U.S.
Military cuts
- Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and two other military officers (AP)
- Hegseth orders major Pentagon spending cuts (Politico)
Economy and tariffs
- Trump enacts sweeping tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, opening door to painful trade war (CNN)
- America First? Not when it comes to stock markets worldwide this year (Associated Press)
- Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts: Promises vs. Reality
Presidential power
- Legal experts warn of 'constitutional crisis' as JD Vance and Elon Musk question judges' authority over Trump (NBC)
- Trump signs order to claim power over independent agencies (Politico)
- Republican lawmakers urge Trump to respect federal court rulings (The Hill)
- Trump appears to channel Napoleon in vision for executive authority: ‘He who saves his Country does not violate any Law’ (CNN)
Ukraine aid
- Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office argument with Zelensky, White House official says(CNN)
- Reagan-era Republicans aghast as Trump turns Russia policy on its head (Guardian)
- How a U.S. President Pivoted Toward Russia(Wall Street Journal)
DOGE
- DOGE released data about federal contract savings. It doesn't add up (NPR)
- Trump officials fired nuclear staff not realizing they oversee the country’s weapons stockpile, sources say (CNN)
- Musk gives all federal workers 48 hours to explain what they did last week or face consequences (AP)
- As Musk works to slash federal spending, his own firms have received billions in government contracts (ABC)
- Judge Who Made Life Hell for Trump Will Oversee Case on Elon Musk (New Republic)
- Elon Musk calls for the US to 'delete entire agencies' from the federal government (AP)
- Elon Musk’s Enemy, USAID, Was Investigating Starlink’s Contracts in Ukraine (Gizmodo)
Press restrictions
- The White House says it 'will determine' which news outlets cover Trump, rotating traditional ones (AP)
- AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech (AP)
Court Actions
- Supreme Court rejects Trump administration's bid to avoid paying USAID contractors(NBC)
- Supreme Court rules that government watchdog fired by Trump may temporarily remain on the job (CNN)
- Federal Judge Blocks DOGE Access to Sensitive Data At Education Department and OPM(Democracy Docket)
Other National News
- Trump official calls Social Security ‘wrong’ as administration lays groundwork for massive cuts (Newsbreak)
- Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddling (AP)
- Trump Bid to Take Over Postal Service Could Threaten Mail Voting (Democracy Docket)
- Members of Congress denied access to Department of Education (MSN)
- Feds Fire 20 Immigration Judges Despite Case Backlog Amid Trump Wave of Government Cuts
- Invasive frisks, suicide attempts: Three migrants describe Guantánamo detention (Washington Post)
- 3 migrants beat the Trump administration in court. They got deported the next day (ABC)
- Rubio says El Salvador will house deportees from U.S., including Americans (NPR)
- Farmers hit by a federal funding freeze scramble to respond ahead of spring thaw(NBC)
- Trump picks Neil Jacobs to head NOAA, a scientist with 'Sharpiegate' ties (NPR)
- Elon Musk's DOGE seeks access to taxpayer data at IRS: AP sources (AP)
- IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season (AP)
- Trump begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash (AP)
- Speaker Johnson tells GOP lawmakers to skip town halls after an onslaught of protests (AP)
- Major troubles for Donald Trump in new polling (NJ.com)
- GOP bill to ban trans athletes from women’s sports blocked in Senate (The Hill)
- Four top New York City officials resign as turmoil ripples over Mayor Adams' corruption case (AP)
WORLD
Ukraine-Russia
- US joins Russia to vote against UN resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine (CNN)
- Russia launches largest drone attack on Ukraine on eve of third year of war (CBS)
- Trump’s rush for a deal with Putin leaves Ukraine and Europe scrambling (CNN)
- US refuses to blame Russia for Ukraine war, splitting with European allies in UN votes (AP)
Europe
- Leaked memo reveals alarming German warnings over Trump (Politico)
- Scholz rebukes Vance, defends Europe's stance on hate speech and far right (Reuters)
Mexico
- Mexico's President Sheinbaum threatens to take legal action over the Gulf name change (NPR)
- The US now considers these cartels and gangs terrorist groups. Here’s what to know about them (CNN)
- Mexico sends drug lord Caro Quintero and 28 others to the U.S. (NPR)
- Trump’s Funding Freeze Creates Narco Dream at Mexico Border (New Republic)
Israel-Gaza
- Forensics chief confirms ID of body of Shiri Bibas, no evidence she died in explosion (Times of Israel)
- Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas over Israeli hostage release (BBC)
Vatican
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
U.S.
Military
Trump fires chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and two other military officers (AP)
President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign led by his defense secretary to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.
Hegseth orders major Pentagon spending cuts (Politico)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is directing Pentagon agencies and the military to cut their budgets by 8 percent as part of a dramatic realignment of defense spending to address priorities of President Donald Trump such as protecting the border and modernizing the nuclear force. The Pentagon would cut military commands in Europe and the Middle East, as well as several programs long deemed critical while preserving or increasing spending in 17 priority areas, including border security, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO.
Presidential power
Vice President JD Vance wrote Sunday on X, "Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power."
Trump signs order to claim power over independent agencies (Politico)
The action is likely to face court challenges and test a once-fringe legal theory.
Republican lawmakers urge Trump to respect federal court rulings (The Hill)
Senate Republicans are urging President Trump to respect the rulings of federal judges who have blocked his executive actions to freeze spending federal grants and loans, dismantle the U.S. Agency on International Development (USAID) and ban birthright citizenship. ... they are growing increasingly worried about the nation plunging into a constitutional crisis if Trump ignores court orders halting his most aggressive actions.
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump claimed in a social media post, now pinned atop his profile. Trump has dramatically reimagined the scope of his executive power at the start of his second term, issuing scores of executive actions. The efforts have been bolstered by the administration’s implicit confidence in its capacity to defend itself from legal challenges as Trump, in part, sought to remake the judiciary during his first term.
Ukraine aid
President Donald Trump is ordering a pause on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine after his heated Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week... In recent weeks, Trump has echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talking points, falsely claiming Ukraine started the war and accusing Zelensky of being a dictator, but his decision to halt the delivery of military aid is a move that could have real consequences for the balance of the conflict and strengthen Putin’s hand.
Reagan-era Republicans aghast as Trump turns Russia policy on its head (Guardian)
Officials who served in 1980s say Trump is opposing friends and supporting enemies: ‘It makes me sick what’s going on’
How a U.S. President Pivoted Toward Russia(Wall Street Journal)
Trump bolstered Putin’s bargaining position in the past week, but the road to this alliance has been years in the making
DOGE
DOGE released data about federal contract savings. It doesn't add up (NPR)
... An NPR review of the more than 1,100 contracts in that initial release finds that DOGE's "maximally transparent" calculations still overstate its estimated savings totals by billions of dollars.
Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers Thursday night at the National Nuclear Security Administration — the agency tasked with managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile — as part of broader Energy Department layoffs, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. Sources told CNN the officials did not seem to know this agency oversees America’s nuclear weapons….
Musk gives all federal workers 48 hours to explain what they did last week or face consequences (AP)
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been given little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week, sparking confusion across key agencies as billionaire Elon Musk expands his drive to slash the size of federal government … Some agencies soon told employees that they did not have to comply if they received Musk’s message… Labor union leaders quickly condemned the ultimatum and threatened legal action.
As billionaire businessman Elon Musk has been leading an unprecedented effort to slash government spending, his own companies have, over the last several years, received an increasing amount of funding through government contracts, according to federal spending data. Over the last decade, Musk's companies SpaceX and Tesla were awarded at least $18 billion in federal contracts, according to spending data -- with SpaceX winning more than $17 billion worth of contracts since 2015.
Judge Who Made Life Hell for Trump Will Oversee Case on Elon Musk (New Republic)
...Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over Trump’s federal election interference case, was assigned the federal lawsuit filed by 14 states against the president and Musk, attacking the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s authority.
Elon Musk calls for the US to 'delete entire agencies' from the federal government (AP)
Elon Musk called on Thursday for the United States to “delete entire agencies” from the federal government as part of his push under President Donald Trump to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities. ..Musk said, “If we don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back.”
Elon Musk’s Enemy, USAID, Was Investigating Starlink’s Contracts in Ukraine (Gizmodo)
The agency was in the midst of a probe into the billionaire's equipment at the time of Musk's assault.
Press restrictions
The White House says it 'will determine' which news outlets cover Trump, rotating traditional ones (AP)
The White House said Tuesday that its officials “will determine” which news outlets can regularly cover President Donald Trump up close — a sharp break from a century of tradition in which a pool of independently chosen news organizations go where the chief executive does and hold him accountable on behalf of regular Americans.
AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech (AP)
The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the blocking of its journalists…. The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case not changing its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.
Court Actions
Supreme Court rejects Trump administration's bid to avoid paying USAID contractors(NBC)
The administration’s efforts to effectively dismantle the foreign aid agency led contractors to file a suit claiming they're owed money.
Supreme Court rules that government watchdog fired by Trump may temporarily remain on the job (CNN)
The Supreme Court on Friday dashed President Donald Trump’s plan to immediately fire the head of an independent agency that investigates whistleblower claims, allowing Hampton Dellinger to remain in the job through at least the middle of next week.
Social Security
Trump official calls Social Security ‘wrong’ as administration lays groundwork for massive cuts (Newsbreak)
...Despite promises on the campaign trail that his administration would not touch Social Security , and claiming that his Democratic rivals are the ones trying to end it, Trump and the world’s wealthiest man and his allies are trying to justify cuts to Social Security and federal health programs Medicare and Medicaid to come up with Musk’s target figure of more than $1 trillion in savings.
Elections
Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddling (AP)
The Trump administration’s downsizing and disbanding of federal agencies has hit efforts that improve election security and monitor foreign influence. That could create gaps for America’s enemies to exploit the next time the country holds a major election….
Trump Bid to Take Over Postal Service Could Threaten Mail Voting (Democracy Docket)
President Donald Trump may soon attempt to absorb the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), an independent agency, into his administration by issuing an executive order that reportedly would dissolve the service’s leadership. The order could allow the Trump administration to make mail voting — which was used by tens of millions of voters last year — more difficult. Trump has repeatedly said he’d like to end the practice, falsely claiming it allows for widespread fraud.
Economy and tariffs
Trump enacts sweeping tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, opening door to painful trade war (CNN)
President Donald Trump’s blanket 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, an extraordinary action aimed at bringing America’s top trading partners to heel. But it threatens to weaken the North American economy, including that of the United States, at a time of significant stress. Trump also doubled the tariff on all Chinese imports to 20% from 10%. Those duties sit atop existing tariffs on hundreds of billions in Chinese goods.
America First? Not when it comes to stock markets worldwide this year (Associated Press)
The difference in performance has been so stark than an index of stocks from 22 of 23 developed economies around the world, excluding the United States, has trounced the S&P 500: a 7.5% rise through Monday versus 1.7% for Wall Street’s benchmark.
Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts: Promises vs. Reality
Many provisions of President Trump’s signature Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from 2017 are set to expire at the end of 2025. Three economists break down the fiscal impact of the cuts for individuals and businesses.
Education
Federal Judge Blocks DOGE Access to Sensitive Data At Education Department and OPM(Democracy Docket)
A federal judge Monday temporarily blocked the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from sharing sensitive data with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the faux agency headed by billionaire Elon Musk that has drawn a flurry of legal actions against it. In issuing the temporary restraining order, the judge said DOGE’s access to the data breached federal privacy laws and posed irreparable harm to plaintiffs.
Members of Congress denied access to Department of Education (MSN)
MSN - Multiple members of Congress were denied entry to the Department of Education on Friday, according to videos and social media posts from lawmakers…. The source told The Hill the individual blocking the door and denying members entry was with the Office of Security, Facilities and Logistics Services at the Department of Education.
Immigration
Feds Fire 20 Immigration Judges Despite Case Backlog Amid Trump Wave of Government Cuts
The Trump administration fired 20 immigration judges without explanation, a union official said Saturday amid sweeping moves to shrink the size of the federal government…. / It was unclear if they would be replaced. The U.S. Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the courts and oversees its roughly 700 judges, did not respond to a request for comment Saturday. / Immigration courts are backlogged with more than 3.7 million cases, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, and it takes years to decide asylum cases.
Invasive frisks, suicide attempts: Three migrants describe Guantánamo detention (Washington Post)
The men said they were denied calls to loved ones, subjected to humiliating searches and left in isolation for prolonged periods.
3 migrants beat the Trump administration in court. They got deported the next day (ABC)
The scars of their year-long incarceration remain.
Rubio says El Salvador will house deportees from U.S., including Americans (NPR)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Monday that El Salvador's president has offered to accept deportees from the U.S. of any nationality, including violent American criminals now imprisoned in the United States.
Agriculture and weather service
Farmers hit by a federal funding freeze scramble to respond ahead of spring thaw(NBC)
Many farmers made investments based on Agriculture Department funding that the Trump administration has put on hold. Some are in financial peril.
Trump picks Neil Jacobs to head NOAA, a scientist with 'Sharpiegate' ties (NPR)
President Trump has nominated Neil Jacobs to be the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Jacobs, an atmospheric scientist, was previously the agency's acting leader during part of the first Trump administration...Jacobs was also cited for misconduct after the "Sharpiegate" incident, in which he and other Trump-appointed NOAA officials were found to have exerted pressure on scientists to alter the forecast for 2019's Hurricane Dorian to align with misstatements made by President Trump, suggesting the hurricane would veer into Alabama.
IRS layoffs and taxpayers’ privacy data
Elon Musk's DOGE seeks access to taxpayer data at IRS: AP sources (AP)
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to troves of sensitive taxpayer data at the IRS, two people familiar with the inner workings of the plan who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly told The Associated Press on Monday.
IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season (AP)
The IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season, according to two sources familiar with the agency’s plans, and cuts could happen as soon as next week.
Air safety
Trump begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash (AP)
The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Protests, pushbacks, and Republicans cancel townhalls
Speaker Johnson tells GOP lawmakers to skip town halls after an onslaught of protests (AP)
House Speaker Mike Johnson is encouraging Republican lawmakers to skip town halls that have been filled with protesters decrying the Trump administration’s slashing of federal government….
Major troubles for Donald Trump in new polling (NJ.com)
In a new Economist/YouGov poll, the president has a 46 percent approval rating while 48 percent of those polled disapprove of the job he is doing. That is the first time since he was sworn-in that Trump is underwater, and it’s not likely to get better as thousands of federal employees fight for their jobs, Americans go to court to contest cuts in government programs, and the approval rating of Trump’s hatchet man, Elon Musk, continues to plummet.
Mike Pence emerges as one of the few Republicans willing to challenge Trump 2.0 (AP)
His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivering speeches urging the president to stand with longstanding foreign allies and lobbying members of Congress while aides write letters and opinion columns. This weekend, he posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” / Mike Pence is emerging as one of the last Republicans in Washington willing to publicly criticize the new administration.
LGBTQ
GOP bill to ban trans athletes from women’s sports blocked in Senate (The Hill)
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act failed to clear an initial procedural hurdle on a 51-45 vote.
Corruption
Four top New York City officials resign as turmoil ripples over Mayor Adams' corruption case (AP)
Four top deputies to New York City Mayor Eric Adams are resigning in the latest fallout from the Justice Department’s push to end a corruption case against Adams and ensure his cooperation in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — a bargain that has raised questions about the mayor’s political independence and ability to lead the city.
WORLD
Ukraine-Russia
US joins Russia to vote against UN resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine (CNN)
The United States joined Russia to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine Monday in a stunning shift from years of US policy. The vote against the Ukrainian and European-backed resolution saw the US at odds with its longtime European allies and instead aligned with the aggressor in the war on the three-year anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The US again voted the same way as Russia later Monday on a US-proposed UN Security Council resolution that did not call the Kremlin the aggressor or acknowledge Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The resolution passed without the support of five European members of the Security Council.
Russia launches largest drone attack on Ukraine on eve of third year of war (CBS)
Russia launched a record 267 drones into Ukraine overnight into Sunday destroying infrastructure and killing at least 3 people, one day before the world marks the third year of Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Trump’s rush for a deal with Putin leaves Ukraine and Europe scrambling (CNN)
A dangerous fault line is opening as Donald Trump rushes to end the war in Ukraine. The US president craves an early political triumph...But an equitable end to the conflict may defy a quick fix since it poses existential issues for Ukraine and European security. This tension was exacerbated by the president’s decision to exclude officials from Kyiv and European powers from US-Russia talks that took place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
US refuses to blame Russia for Ukraine war, splitting with European allies in UN votes (AP)
In a dramatic shift in transatlantic relations under President Donald Trump, the United States split with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on three U.N. resolutions Monday seeking an end to the three-year war.
Europe
Leaked memo reveals alarming German warnings over Trump (Politico)
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has Germany’s diplomatic corps bracing for what it sees as a deliberate dismantling of United States democratic norms. A confidential memorandum written by Andreas Michaelis, Germany's ambassador to the U.S., warns of an agenda of “maximum disruption” that could redefine the American constitutional order.
Scholz rebukes Vance, defends Europe's stance on hate speech and far right (Reuters)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered a strong rebuke on Saturday to U.S. Vice President JD Vance's attack on Europe's stance toward hate speech and the far right, saying it was not right for others to tell Germany and Europe what to do. Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, the first day of the Munich Security Conference, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticising German mainstream parties' "firewall" against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Mexico
Mexico's President Sheinbaum threatens to take legal action over the Gulf name change (NPR)
On Monday, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum outlined a letter she received from Google regarding the controversy over renaming the Gulf of Mexico. / Last week, the tech company updated Google Maps in the U.S. to reflect Trump's preferred title of "Gulf of America." Users in Mexico still see the body of water with its original name, while all other international users view it with both names listed.
The US now considers these cartels and gangs terrorist groups. Here’s what to know about them (CNN)
Tren de Aragua, MS-13 and the Sinaloa cartel are among the two gangs and six drug cartels the US has officially designated as foreign terrorist organizations, fulfilling a long-standing goal from US President Donald Trump’s first term in office.Trump previously ordered the US to declare cartels terrorist groups in a January 20 executive order, but until US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s official announcement on Thursday, none of the cartels had been specifically named.
Mexico sends drug lord Caro Quintero and 28 others to the U.S. (NPR) - Mexico has sent 29 drug cartel figures, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, to the United States as the Trump administration turns up the pressure on drug trafficking organizations….
Trump’s Funding Freeze Creates Narco Dream at Mexico Border (New Republic)
Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign aid is hurting one of his major campaign promises: taking on fentanyl and ending overdose deaths from the drug in the U.S.
Israel-Gaza
Forensics chief confirms ID of body of Shiri Bibas, no evidence she died in explosion (Times of Israel)
Times of Israel - The director of the Abu Kabir National Institute of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Chen] said there was no evidence that [Shiri] Bibas died in an explosion, refuting Hamas’s claims that she and her sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike…. The military previously said forensic evidence had shown that, like Shiri, neither Ariel nor Kfir was killed in an Israeli strike but were murdered by terrorist captors “in cold blood” in November 2023….
Trump issues 'last warning' to Hamas over Israeli hostage release (BBC)
..."I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say," Trump said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform. Hamas accused the US president of encouraging Israel to break the ceasefire deal currently in effect between the two sides. Trump's statement came just hours after the White House confirmed it was holding direct talks with Hamas over the remaining hostages.
Vatican
Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs as tests show ‘complex picture,’ Vatican says (CNN)
Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized since last week, was found to have pneumonia in both lungs following a CT scan on Tuesday, the Vatican said, with tests continuing to indicate “a complex picture” for one of the oldest popes in the church’s history.
February 14, 2025 -- As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
U.S.
DOGE controversy
- Trump and Musk’s dismantling of government is shaking the foundations of US democracy (AP)
- As Musk cuts federal spending, his own firms have received billions in contracts (ABC News)
Legal actions
- Elon Musk’s DOGE sued by 14 states (Newsweek)
- Trump administration pauses prosecutions of individuals and entities bribing foreign officials (Jurist)
- Inspectors general fired by Trump file lawsuit to get their jobs back (ABC)
- A 2nd U.S. judge says Trump administration must pause its federal spending freeze (NPR)
- Judge blocks Trump’s executive order on transgender prisoners (Politico)
- Trump sued in attempt to block his anti-diversity orders (Reuters)
- Oath Keepers founder barred from D.C., U.S. Capitol unless judge signs off (NPR)
- Jan. 6 court evidence ‘disappeared,’ attorneys for press group say (NPR)
Cabinet appointments
- Trump Cabinet confirmation status: Which nominees have been confirmed? (AP)
- Trump’s FCC chief investigates NPR, PBS (NPR)
- ‘Terrifying’: Public Health Experts React to Senate’s Confirmation of RFK Jr. to Lead HHS (Time Magazine)
- Senate confirms Doug Burgum as interior secretary after Trump tasked him to boost drilling (AP)
- Trump's FBI chief pick, Kash Patel, insists he has no 'enemies list' and won't seek retribution (AP)
- Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to oversee US spy agencies, grilled about Snowden, Syria and Russia (AP)
- Trump’s pick to lead counter-terrorism unit is a white supremacist dream (New Republic)
Immigration
- Homan warns daily migrant arrests will 'steadily increase' as Trump admin targets nonviolent illegal aliens (Fox)
- Trump will send up to 30K illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay: ‘It’s a tough place to get out of’ (New York Post)
- ’Legal black hole’: ACLU sues over immigrants being sent to Guantanamo (USA Today)
- Trump signs first bill of his second presidency, the Laken Riley Act, into law (NPR)
- Trump Immigration Targets: Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Haitians (NY Times)
- Some migrants arrested in Trump's immigration crackdown have been released back into the U.S. (NBC)
- Trump administration begins sending migrants to Guantánamo Bay (Washington Post)
Safety and oversight
- Trump fires heads of TSA, Coast Guard and guts key aviation safety advisory committee (AP)
- Trump fires the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (AP)
- Air traffic controllers were initially offered buyouts and told to consider leaving government (AP)
- Trump ends Fauci's security detail and says he'd feel no responsibility if harm befell him (AP)
Protests
Protesters in cities across the US rally against Trump’s policies, Project 2025 and Elon Musk (AP)
Women’s health
WORLD
- South Africa suspends American businesses and mineral exports (Maravi Post)
- What would happen if the US military went after cartels on Mexican soil? (Guardian)
- Europe fears Trump-Putin ‘dirty deal’ as Ukraine scrambles for a seat at the table(CNN)
- El Salvador’s millennial dictator offers to hold American criminals in mega prisons (Yahoo News)
- Russian drone struck Chernobyl reactor shell but radiation levels normal, Zelenskyy says (AP)
- Syria's new leader denounces Iran, calling its proxies a regional threat (NPR)
- European Leaders Condemn Musk's 'Ominous' Push for Germany to 'Forget' Holocaust (Common Dreams)
- Colombia yields on US deportation flights to avert trade war (BBC)
- A U.S. dual citizen is among 3 Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners (NPR)
- Emergency crews deployed on Santorini as an earthquake swarm worries Greek experts (AP)
- Baltic nations count final hours to ending electricity ties to Russia (NPR)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
U.S.
DOGE controversy
Trump and Musk’s dismantling of government is shaking the foundations of US democracy (AP)
... Three weeks in, the change the Trump administration has brought is a disruption of the federal government on an unprecedented scale, dismantling longstanding programs, sparking widespread public outcry and challenging the very role of Congress to create the nation’s laws and pay its bills. Government workers are being pushed to resign. Entire agencies are being shuttered. Federal funding to states and nonprofits was temporarily frozen. And the most sensitive Treasury Department information of countless Americans was opened to Musk’s DOGE team in an unprecedented breach of privacy and protocol.
As Musk cuts federal spending, his own firms have received billions in contracts (ABC News)
As billionaire businessman Elon Musk has been leading an unprecedented effort to slash government spending, his own companies have, over the last several years, received an increasing amount of funding through government contracts, according to federal spending data. Over the last decade, Musk's companies SpaceX and Tesla were awarded at least $18 billion in federal contracts, according to spending data -- with SpaceX winning more than $17 billion worth of contracts since 2015.
Legal actions
Elon Musk’s DOGE sued by 14 states (Newsweek)
On February 14, attorneys general from 14 states filed a lawsuit in a Washington, D.C., federal court, arguing that Musk was illegally appointed and calling for the court to stop DOGE's drastic cuts across the federal government. The lawsuit states that DOGE has spread "chaos and confusion" across the U.S. and describes Musk as "an agent of chaos."
Trump administration pauses prosecutions of individuals and entities bribing foreign officials (Jurist)
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pause future and review all existing investigations and enforcements under The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). FCPA was established in 1977 to outlaw the practice of bribing foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business by people and entities.
Inspectors general fired by Trump file lawsuit to get their jobs back (ABC)
... The eight inspectors general claimed Trump broke the law when he attempted to terminate them without justifying their removal or giving Congress 30-day notices... Trump attempted to fire 17 inspectors general during his first week in office, sending a two-sentence email to each of the independent watchdogs. The eight inspectors general who brought the lawsuit are from the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Agriculture, Education and Labor, as well as the Small Business Administration...
A 2nd U.S. judge says Trump administration must pause its federal spending freeze (NPR)
Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. who issued the Friday order, noted that he came to his conclusion after reviewing statements by the Trump administration in response to the widespread confusion sparked by the OMB memo. The judge's review included a post on Xissued by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued after the OMB memo was rescinded. As the judge noted, the post said that the president's executive orders on federal funding "remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented."
Judge blocks Trump’s executive order on transgender prisoners (Politico)
A small number of transgender women in women’s facilities cannot be transferred to men’s prisons, the judge ruled.
Trump sued in attempt to block his anti-diversity orders (Reuters)
The city of Baltimore and three other groups sued U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration on Monday, asking a federal court to halt and declare unconstitutional a pair of executive orders that seek to end diversity programs.
Oath Keepers founder barred from D.C., U.S. Capitol unless judge signs off (NPR)
A federal judge on Friday barred Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group who was convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot, from entering Washington, D.C., or the U.S. Capitol without the court's permission. / [The judge also banned] seven other Oath Keepers convicted in connection with the Capitol riot from entering Washington, D.C.,..
Jan. 6 court evidence ‘disappeared,’ attorneys for press group say (NPR)
Attorneys for a group of news organizations, including NPR, said in a legal filing on Tuesday that evidence used at the sentencing of a rioter charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol had "disappeared" from an online government platform.
Cabinet appointments
Trump Cabinet confirmation status: Which nominees have been confirmed? (AP)
Donald Trump has chosen the people he wants in high-level positions during his second presidency. The nominees must be confirmed by the Senate. These are his picks for Cabinet-level posts, including some positions that have been part of the Cabinet in recent administrations. (16 of 22 have been confirmed so far.) See the latest confirmation hearing schedule.
Trump’s FCC chief investigates NPR, PBS (NPR)
President Trump's new head of the Federal Communications Commission has ordered an investigation of NPR and PBS, with an eye toward unraveling federal funding for all public broadcasting... Public broadcasting stations are prohibited from running commercials. Instead they present what are considered corporate underwriting spots, which are supposed to stop shy of a "call to action" telling listeners and viewers to buy a product or service.
‘Terrifying’: Public Health Experts React to Senate’s Confirmation of RFK Jr. to Lead HHS (Time Magazine)
The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of America’s most notorious vaccine skeptics, to run the country’s leading health agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on Thursday, sparking outrage among public health experts who worry that Kennedy will harm public health and further erode trust in science and medicine.
Senate confirms Doug Burgum as interior secretary after Trump tasked him to boost drilling (AP)
The Senate confirmed Doug Burgum as interior secretary late Thursday after President Donald Trump tapped the former North Dakota governor to spearhead the Republican administration’s ambitions to boost fossil fuel production.
Trump's FBI chief pick, Kash Patel, insists he has no 'enemies list' and won't seek retribution (AP)
... The reassurances were aimed at blunting a persistent line of attack from Democrats, who throughout the hearing confronted Patel with a vast catalog of prior incendiary statements on topics that they said made him unfit for the director’s job and raised alarming questions about his belief in conspiracy theories and loyalty to the president.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to oversee US spy agencies, grilled about Snowden, Syria and Russia (AP)
Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, faced sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike Thursday during a fiery confirmation hearing focused on her past comments sympathetic to Russia, a meeting with Syria’s now-deposed leader and her past support for government leaker Edward Snowden.
Trump’s pick to lead counter-terrorism unit is a white supremacist dream (New Republic)
... President Trump nominated Joe Kent as director of the National Counterterrorism Center... Kent’s nomination immediately raised alarm, as multiple people pointed to reporting from years ago documenting his very real connections to extremist groups...
Immigration
Trump's admin deported 500 illegal immigrants on day one, and that number is set to rise
Trump will send up to 30K illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay: ‘It’s a tough place to get out of’ (New York Post)
President Trump said Wednesday that he plans to send up to 30,000 illegal immigrants to detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of his campaign to mass-deport migrants who have committed crimes. Trump inked a memorandum requiring the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security to prepare for migrants there after previewing the plan while signing the anti-illegal immigration Laken Riley Act.
’Legal black hole’: ACLU sues over immigrants being sent to Guantanamo (USA Today)
...President Donald Trump opened the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay with a plan, he said, to send the "worst of the worst" immigrant detainees – people with violent criminal histories. But attorneys say the administration is moving individuals without criminal charges or convictions
Trump signs first bill of his second presidency, the Laken Riley Act, into law (NPR)
President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday, expanding the scope of those who can be arrested, detained and deported by federal immigration officer... The measure directs federal immigration enforcement to detain and deport those without legal status charged with minor theft or shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer or crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury of another person. Several criminal offenses could already be grounds for deportation — and indeed Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday that those who had broken the law by entering the country illegally had already committed a crime. Critics of the measure argue the act skips the current practice of waiting until someone is convicted before considering the removal process.
Trump Immigration Targets: Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Haitians (NY Times)
The president-elect has vowed to end a program that allows thousands of people from troubled nations to stay in the United States.
Some migrants arrested in Trump's immigration crackdown have been released back into the U.S. (NBC)
Space constraints and court orders have led ICE to release migrants on monitoring programs after they’re arrested.
Trump administration begins sending migrants to Guantánamo Bay (Washington Post)
As immigration officials run out of detention space for migrants who might be deported, the Trump administration plans to send thousands to the U.S. naval base in Cuba.
Safety and oversight
Trump fires heads of TSA, Coast Guard and guts key aviation safety advisory committee (AP)
President Donald Trump moved quickly to remake the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, firing the heads of the Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard before their terms are up and eliminated all the members of a key aviation security advisory group...The aviation security committee, which was mandated by Congress after the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, will technically continue to exist but it won’t have any members to carry out the work of examining safety issues at airlines and airports
Trump fires the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (AP)
President Donald Trump has fired the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Rohit Chopra, in the latest purge of a Biden administration holdover. Chopra was one of the more important regulators from the previous Democratic administration who was still on the job since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Chopra’s tenure saw the removal of medical debt from credit reports and limits on overdrafts penalties….
Air traffic controllers were initially offered buyouts and told to consider leaving government (AP)
Air traffic controllers were initially offered buyouts and told to consider leaving government Just a day before a deadly midair collision at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., employees at the Federal Aviation Administration were sent an offer to resign with eight months’ pay.
Trump ends Fauci's security detail and says he'd feel no responsibility if harm befell him (AP)
President Donald Trump has ended the federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
Protests
Protesters in cities across the US rally against Trump’s policies, Project 2025 and Elon Musk (AP)
Demonstrators gathered in cities across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest the Trump administration’s early actions, decrying everything from the president’s immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Women’s health
Government's reproductive rights resource goes dark hours into new Trump administration (RawStory)
...Hours after Trump was inaugurated as the country’s 47th president, it was reported that the website ReproductiveRights.gov shutdown. The website provided information on “birth control, medication, abortion services, and other preventive health services, as well as important facts about privacy, rights associated with reproductive health care, and how people with and without health insurance can obtain reproductive health care,” according to the Office of Population Affairs.
WORLD
South Africa suspends American businesses and mineral exports (Maravi Post)
In a bold and unprecedented move, the South African government has officially suspended all American businesses within its territory and halted mineral exports to the United States. This drastic measure comes on the heels of Donald Trump’s decision to cut off all funding from the US to South Africa, including USAID. The South African government has made it clear that it will no longer tolerate the disrespect and disregard shown by the Western world.
What would happen if the US military went after cartels on Mexican soil? (Guardian)
Experts say any incursion could come with serious repercussions, include violence against US tourists.
Europe fears Trump-Putin ‘dirty deal’ as Ukraine scrambles for a seat at the table(CNN)
US President Donald Trump’s “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has sparked fears in Europe of a “dirty deal” being struck to end the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow without Kyiv’s involvement. President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Ukraine would not accept a peace deal negotiated by the United States and Russia alone. He conceded it was “not pleasant” that Trump spoke with Putin before calling Kyiv
El Salvador’s millennial dictator offers to hold American criminals in mega prisons (Yahoo News)
Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s millennial dictator, has offered to house migrants and “dangerous criminals” deported by the United States in his country’s infamous mega jails, according to Marco Rubio.
Russian drone struck Chernobyl reactor shell but radiation levels normal, Zelenskyy says (AP)
A Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the protective containment shell of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Kyiv region during the night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday.
Syria's new leader denounces Iran, calling its proxies a regional threat (NPR)
Sharaa's remarks highlight the efforts by his transitional government to realign Syria's relations with much of the world. For decades under Assad, Syria relied heavily on Iran and Russia and was isolated from the West. The new Syrian leader is pushing hard to rebuild ties that were badly strained or broken, starting with his neighbors.
European Leaders Condemn Musk's 'Ominous' Push for Germany to 'Forget' Holocaust (Common Dreams)
"We must not forget the tragic lesson of our past," said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. "Evil, violence, and contempt cannot triumph anew."
Colombia yields on US deportation flights to avert trade war (BBC)
A looming trade war between the US and Colombia appears to have been averted after the Colombian government agreed to allow US military flights carrying deported migrants to land in the Andean country.
A U.S. dual citizen is among 3 Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners (NPR)
The release includes U.S. and Israeli dual citizenKeith Siegel, 65, Yarden Bibas, 35, and Ofer Kalderon, 54….In exchange, 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were released from Israeli jails, including some serving life sentences.
Emergency crews deployed on Santorini as an earthquake swarm worries Greek experts (AP)
Authorities deployed emergency rescue crews to Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini on Monday as hundreds of people scrambled to leave after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake. Schools on four islands were also to shutter through Friday.
Baltic nations count final hours to ending electricity ties to Russia (NPR)
Nearly 3 1/2 decades after leaving the Soviet Union, the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this weekend will flip a switch to end electricity-grid connections to neighboring Russia and Belarus — and turn to their European Union allies. The severing of electricity ties to oil- and gas-rich Russia is steeped in geopolitical and symbolic significance. Work toward it sped up after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine three years ago, battering Moscow's EU relations.
“Eliminating USAID means no more food for millions of Sudanese refugees who’ve fled a civil war, no more medical care for displaced Palestinians, no more HIV treatment on the African continent, and more." -- Congresswoman Sara Jacobs
By Miriam Raftery
Photo via X: Congresswoman Sara Jacobs speaks at a rally to save US Aid.
February 11, 2025 (San Diego) – Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) today introduced legislation declaring it illegal for the Trump administration to dismantle the USAID agency without an act of Congress, and to prohibit any funding of such efforts. Jacobs calls the action a "coup" and warns other agencies could be illegally dismantled next.
Elon Musk and his Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have shut down the USAID agency’s headquarters and website, put thousands of staffers on leave, and issued a stop work order on most foreign aid.
As a result of those actions, Jacobs says in a press release, “HIV/AIDS clinics have closed across Africa, hospitals in war-torn Syria have locked their doors, millions of Sudanese refugees will be at risk of catching diseases like cholera, malaria, and measles that are spreading, and so much more.”
Jacobs is the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Development, which oversees USAID. She also worked on international conflict resolution prior to her election and has been schooling other members of Congress on why U.S. Aid is important.
“USAID keeps Americans safe from diseases and terrorism and promotes American farms and businesses,” she says. Jacobs also warns that if the U.S. does not restore USAID programs, our adversaries such as China are likely to fill the gap, replacing the U.S. as allies for nations in need of aid.
On social media, Jacobs elaborated that providing services such as life-saving healthcare, food and more builds goodwill for the U.S. and helps prevent the rise of violent extremism.
The bill authored by Jacobs and coauthored by 15 other Democrats called the Protect U.S. National Security Act. It aims to prove that USAID reform should abide by laws and “not harm American soft power” as the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) looks to cut federal spending at various agencies and departments.
The future of USAID remains in limbo after a federal judge temporarily paused the Trump administration’s plan to put thousands of its employees on leave. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for Wednesday.
Jacob’s bill faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. Jacobs, in a rally with USAID supporters, urged them to contact their Congressional representatives. She notes that numerous Republicans have historically supported USAID.
Jacobs highlights her career working to reform and support USAID, noting that if the U.S. eliminates the international aid agency, it will be “a death sentence for millions of people.”
On social media, Jacobs has posted, “Freezing U.S. foreign assistance means people will starve, babies will die, and poverty will skyrocket. Millions of Sudanese children are starving – and President Trump just cut off their live-saving support...Eliminating USAID means no more food for millions of Sudanese refugees who’ve fled a civil war, no more medical care for displaced Palestinians, no more HIV treatment on the African continent, and more.”
The Trump administration has accused USAID of “wasting massive sums of taxpayer money” and highlighted 12 projects as examples found by DOGE, but many of those claims have been debunked.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, in his February 2025 order blocking the Trump administration from placing certain USAID employees on leave, stated that "despite Trump's claim of massive 'corruption and fraud' in the agency, government lawyers had no support for that argument in court,” Politico reports.
Jacobs concludes, “There’s a lot of disinformation about USAID grants – both their recipients and what they actually do. Does there need to be some reform? Yes. But Republicans’ cherry-picking of grants and data misrepresents ALL the good work that USAID has done.”
January 28, 2025 -- As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
U.S.
- U.S. puts virtually all foreign aid on 90-day hold, issues 'stop-work' order (NPR)
- DOJ halts legal programs for detained immigrants, cuts off advocates’ access to facilities (Los Angeles Times)
- Trump uses mass firing to remove independent inspectors general at a series of agencies (AP)
- Vice President Vance casts tie-breaking Senate vote to narrowly confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary (CNN)
- Trump launches crypto meme coin, ballooning net worth ahead of inauguration (Politico)
- Top 5 takeaways from Jack Smith's final report on Trump's Jan. 6 case (Axios)
- Jen Rubin exits Washington Post, joins Norm Eisen to launch new outlet countering ‘authoritarian threat’ (CNN)
- Supreme Court declines to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuits (AP)
- Judge bars Rhodes, other Oath Keepers from entering DC without court permission (The Hill)
- Trump was sentenced to ‘unconditional discharge.’ Here’s what that means. (Politico)
- Biden says Equal Rights Amendment is ratified, kicking off expected legal battle as he pushes through final executive actions (CNN)
- Biden Aides Warned Putin as Russia’s Shadow War Threatened Air Disaster (New York Times)
- Biden pardons Fauci and Milley in an effort to guard against potential 'revenge' by Trump (AP)
WORLD
- Palestinians return to Gaza City as mediators look ahead to next stage (Reuters)
- Mexico refuses to accept a U.S. deportation flight (NBC News)
- What to Know About the U.S.-Colombia Clash Over Deportations and Tariffs (Time)
- Danish PM says Europe must ‘stand together’ as Trump threatens Greenland (Guardian)
- Sweden seizes vessel suspected of 'sabotage' after undersea data cable rupture in Baltic Sea (AP)
- 'It starts now': South Korea's President Yoon defiant as police closed in (Reuters)
- Zelensky offers exchange of North Korean soldiers (BBC)
- Gunman shoots dead 2 judges in Iran's capital tied to 1988 mass executions (AP)
- Nigeria is admitted as a partner country of the BRICS bloc (AP)
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U.S.
U.S. puts virtually all foreign aid on 90-day hold, issues 'stop-work' order (NPR)
NPR - Virtually all aid programs around the world that depend on U.S. funding will need to halt their operations because of a State Department memo issued on Friday to "stop work." The internal memo, obtained by NPR, expands on President Trump's executive order, issued on Monday, to freeze foreign assistance for 90 days.
DOJ halts legal programs for detained immigrants, cuts off advocates’ access to facilities (Los Angeles Times)
Lawyers providing detainees with basic legal information in federal immigration detention centers were shut out of facilities last week after the U.S. Department of Justice halted several federally funded programs. One program provided lawyers to children in deportation proceedings and another dispensed basic legal information.
Trump uses mass firing to remove independent inspectors general at a series of agencies (AP)
The Trump administration has fired about 17 independent inspectors general at government agencies, a sweeping action to remove oversight of his new administration that some members of Congress are suggesting violated federal oversight laws....Congress was not given the legally required 30-day notices about the removals — something that even a top Republican is decrying.
The Senate narrowly voted to confirm embattled Pete Hegseth as secretary of the Department of Defense, in a major win for President Donald Trump and his new administration... Hegseth’s confirmation process has been mired in allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement of veterans’ charities, all of which he has denied. The Friday vote marked a significant victory for the Trump administration, which has gone to the mat backing Hegseth as its nominee, despite his lack of experience and allegations against him.
Trump launches crypto meme coin, ballooning net worth ahead of inauguration (Politico)
Politico - A president-elect launching a new business product is a highly unusual move, and it is a major concern for ethics watchdogs. President-elect Donald Trump late Friday launched a cryptocurrency token that exploded in value overnight, potentially increasing his net worth by tens of billions of dollars on paper just days before he is set to be sworn in as president.
Top 5 takeaways from Jack Smith's final report on Trump's Jan. 6 case (Axios)
resident-elect Trump engaged in an "unprecedented criminal effort" to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Special Counsel Jack Smith alleged in the final report of his investigation into Trump's election subversion case. The report's release early Tuesday came despite Trump's legal efforts to block it. .. Smith remained convinced he could have convicted Trump for his alleged efforts to subvert to the 2020 election if the case had gone to trial. A Justice Department policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president doesn't change the "gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government's proof, or the merits of the prosecution," Smith wrote.
Biden Aides Warned Putin as Russia’s Shadow War Threatened Air Disaster (New York Times)
After innocent-looking cargo shipments began catching fire at airports and warehouses in Germany, Britain and Poland over the summer, there was little doubt in Washington and Europe that Russia was behind the sabotage. But in August, White House officials became increasingly alarmed by secretly obtained intelligence suggesting Moscow had a far larger plan in mind: bringing the war in Ukraine to American shores... While the main concern was cargo planes, sometimes passenger planes take smaller packages in spare space in their cargo holds.
Biden pardons Fauci and Milley in an effort to guard against potential 'revenge' by Trump (AP)
Joe Biden, in one of his final acts as president, pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in an extraordinary use of executive power to guard against potential “revenge” by the new Trump administration.
Veteran opinion columnist Jennifer Rubin is becoming the latest in a long list of Washington Post figures to leave the troubled institution. Rubin is partnering with former White House ethics czar Norm Eisen and launching something new: a startup publication called The Contrarian.
Supreme Court declines to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuits (AP)
The Supreme Court said Monday it won’t hear an appeal from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. The order allows the city of Honolulu’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies to proceed...The industry has faced a series of cases alleging it deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change. Governments in states including California, Colorado and New Jersey are seeking billions of dollars in damages from things like wildfires, rising sea levels and severe storms.
Judge bars Rhodes, other Oath Keepers from entering DC without court permission (The Hill)
A federal judge on Friday barred Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and seven other members of the right-wing extremist group from entering Washington, D.C., without the court’s permission, days after President Trump commuted their sentences as part of sweeping clemency for those charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who oversaw the Oath Keepers conspiracy trials, also blocked the Oath Keepers from entering the U.S. Capitol or surrounding grounds without permission.
Trump was sentenced to ‘unconditional discharge.’ Here’s what that means. (Politico)
The president-elect’s sentence allows the guilty verdict to stand — but it is highly unusual for this type of crime.
President Joe Biden announced a major opinion Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment is ratified, enshrining its protections into the Constitution, a last-minute move that some believe could pave the way to bolstering reproductive rights. It will, however, certainly draw swift legal challenges – and its next steps remain extremely unclear as Biden prepares to leave office. Invoking President Dwight Eisenhower’s warnings about the rise of a military-industrial complex when he left office in 1961, Biden added, “I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex that could pose real dangers to our country as well.”
WORLD
Palestinians return to Gaza City as mediators look ahead to next stage (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza City this week found a city in ruins after 15 months of fighting, with many seeking shelter amongst the rubble and searching for relatives lost in the chaotic return march.
Mexico refuses to accept a U.S. deportation flight (NBC News)
The Mexican government has criticized President Donald Trump's unilateral immigration actions, and the landing would have required Mexico's assistance.
What to Know About the U.S.-Colombia Clash Over Deportations and Tariffs (Time)
The White House claimed victory in a showdown with Colombia over accepting flights of deported migrants from the U.S. on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions on the longtime U.S. partner.
Danish PM says Europe must ‘stand together’ as Trump threatens Greenland (Guardian)
The Danish prime minister said Europe must “stand together” in the face of changing relations with the US during a tour of Berlin, Paris and Brussels to shore up support amid Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland. After weeks in the spotlight over the US president’s plan to take over the autonomous Danish territory, and days after a reportedly “horrendous” call with Trump, Mette Frederiksen went on the whistle-stop tour in an attempted show of unity. After meeting the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who said that “borders must not be moved by force”, Frederiksen said: “I want to ensure that all of Europe stands together.
Sweden seizes vessel suspected of 'sabotage' after undersea data cable rupture in Baltic Sea (AP) — Swedish prosecutors announced Sunday night that they have opened a preliminary investigation into suspected aggravated “sabotage” and ordered the detention of a vessel in the Baltic Sea suspected of damaging an underwater fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland earlier that day…. identified as the Malta-flagged Vezhen… According to data from Vesselfinder, the vessel departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga several days earlier and was navigating between Gotland and Latvia at the time the damage was suspected of having occurred…. here have been previous incidents reported of ruptures of data cables running on the Baltic sea bed, allegedly linked to Russia’s shadow fleet.
'It starts now': South Korea's President Yoon defiant as police closed in (Reuters)
As 3,000 riot police swarmed his hillside villa on Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol huddled with party loyalists, telling them that people were increasingly realising the country's legal system had been hijacked by leftist forces. "People are now seeing how serious the situation is," the impeached president told the gathering, according to one lawmaker present, Yoon Sang-hyun.
Zelensky offers exchange of North Korean soldiers (BBC)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is willing to hand over two captured North Korean soldiers to Pyongyang in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia. "For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available," Zelensky said on X. Those who want "to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity", he added. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said one of the two soldiers told officials he thought he was going to Russia for "training", rather than to fight.
Gunman shoots dead 2 judges in Iran's capital tied to 1988 mass executions (AP)
A man fatally shot two prominent hard-line judges in Iran’s capital Saturday, officials said, both of whom allegedly took part in the mass execution of dissidents in 1988.
Nigeria is admitted as a partner country of the BRICS bloc (AP)
Nigeria has been admitted as a “partner country” of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, according to Brazil, the group’s chair. BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa added in 2010, as a counterweight to the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations.