Tag Archives: Trump administration

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge on Thursday said he will order the Trump administration to preserve records of a text message chat in which senior national security officials discussed sensitive details of plans for a U.S. military strike against Yemen’s Houthis. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said during a hearing that he’ll issue a temporary restraining order barring …

The Daily Beast reports: Online sleuths believe that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was wearing a gold Rolex watch worth nearly $60,000 when she visited a prison camp in El Salvador on Wednesday. The watch—which appeared on Noem’s wrist while she filmed her latest publicity stunt, this time in front of a cell full of Venezuelan prisoners—looks a whole …

The Associated Press reports: Danish outlet TV2 correspondent Jesper Steinmetz reported that U.S. representatives were knocking on doors in Nuuk, Greenland, to rally support for Vance’s wife ahead of her visit. When residents were asked if they would like to visit with the second lady, the responses were overwhelmingly, “No, thanks”, according to the report. Steinmetz reported that the lackluster …

The Hill reports: Two Federal Trade Commission (FTC) members fired by President Trump sued him Thursday, setting up another major test of his administration’s expansionist view of presidential authority over independent agencies. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya’s lawsuit seeks backpay and reinstatement under the Supreme Court’s 90-year-old precedent that has enabled for-cause removal protections for independent agency leaders. Like …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Justice Department is considering merging the lead agencies enforcing drug and gun laws in a major shakeup as it moves to follow President Donald Trump’s instructions to sharply streamline the government. In addition to merging the Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, department leaders are considering eliminating field offices that handle antitrust …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit said on Wednesday it has issued a new rule that will narrow a key element of the 2021 Corporate Transparency Act, a law aimed at combating illicit finance. The new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, rule goes into effect on Wednesday, even as the unit receives public comment on the …

“Well, first, it was sensitive information, not classified, and inadvertently released. And what we should be talking about is it was a very successful mission. Our world is now safer because of that mission. We’re not going to comment any further on that. If you want to talk about classified information, talk about what was at Hillary Clinton’s home that …

The Washington Post reports: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem and other Trump administration officials expressed support in meetings this week for dramatically diminishing the role of the FEMA, with the aim of all but eliminating the embattled agency’s role in disaster recovery by Oct. 1. Asked about the discussions, a DHS spokesperson said in an email, “We …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to significantly cut the size of the department he leads, reshaping the nation’s health agencies and closing regional offices, according to documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Kennedy is set to announce Thursday the planned changes, which include axing 10,000 full-time employees spread …

Wired reports: A Venmo account under the name “Michael Waltz,” carrying a profile photo of the national security adviser and connected to accounts bearing the names of people closely associated with him, was left open to the public until Wednesday afternoon. A WIRED analysis shows that the account revealed the names of hundreds of Waltz’s personal and professional associates, including …

Politico reports: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday did not rule out allowing Russian banks to rejoin the SWIFT international payment messaging system as negotiations continue on an end to the war in Ukraine. But the White House would need backing from Europe to restart it. “There would be a long discussion about many things in terms of the proper …

German outlet Der Spiegel reports: Private contact details of the most important security advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump can be found on the internet. DER SPIEGEL reporters were able to find mobile phone numbers, email addresses and even some passwords belonging to the top officials. Those affected by the leaks include National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Director of National …

The Associated Press reports: The Social Security Administration is partially backtracking on a plan that would require all new and existing beneficiaries to travel to a Social Security field office to verify their identity. The Social Security Administration on Wednesday said that people applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income who are not able to use …

The New York Times reports: The Department of Health and Human Services has abruptly canceled more than $12 billion in federal grants to states that were being used for tracking infectious diseases, mental health services, addiction treatment and other urgent health issues. The cuts are likely to further hamstring state health departments, which are already underfunded and struggling with competing …

Semafor reports: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a Cabinet meeting Monday that the department would move to “eliminate” the government’s disaster relief agency, days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing state and local governments to “play a more active and significant role” in responding to catastrophes. Noem, whose department oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has …

Politico reports: The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training. A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the cuts, finding they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. An appeals court turned away a plea from the administration to allow them …

Politico reports: U.S. District Judge James Boasberg — the object of President Donald Trump’s fury for blocking his effort to summarily deport Venezuelan nationals using wartime powers — just got a second crack at the administration’s handling of national security: Signalgate. Boasberg on Wednesday morning was assigned to preside over a lawsuit alleging that Trump cabinet secretaries and national security …

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration intends to terminate the United States’ financial support for Gavi, the organization that has helped purchase critical vaccines for children in developing countries, saving millions of lives over the past quarter century, and to significantly scale back support for efforts to combat malaria, one of the biggest killers globally. A spokesperson for …

Mediate reports: Moments after the bombshell publication of the leaked text messages in which top officials candidly discussed plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen, The White House employed some bizarre spin — in an apparent attempt to downplay or dismiss the messages. In a post to X, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to claim victory by sharing …

The Huffington Post reports: The Atlantic on Wednesday published the war plans shared in the Signal group chat that the magazine’s editor-in-chief was inadvertently invited to join earlier this month. Jeffrey Goldberg had previously withheld sharing some of those messages concerning planned military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen over concerns that their content was too sensitive. “The statements by …