Author: potus

WASHINGTON — The nation may be edging closer to a constitutional crisis as senior White House officials bristle over a string of court orders stymieing President Donald Trump’s agenda, sparking fears that they may ignore judicial decisions.A federal judge in Rhode Island ruled Monday that the Trump administration failed to comply with his previous directive temporarily halting a sweeping funding freeze, reminding Trump and his top officials in stark terms that “those who make private determinations of the law and refuse to obey an order generally risk criminal contempt.”District Judge John McConnell’s order follows other legal setbacks that throw into…

Musk’s bid could ratchet up longstanding tensions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the future of the startup.A consortium led by Elon Musk said it has offered $97.4bn to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, months after the billionaire sued the artificial intelligence startup to block it from transitioning to a for-profit firm. Musk’s bid, revealed on Monday, could ratchet up longstanding tensions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the future of the startup at the heart of a boom in generative AI technology. Altman promptly posted on X: “No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion…

(The Center Square) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill to limit, not prohibit, the sale of crude oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).The Banning SPR Oil Exports to Foreign Adversaries Act was filed in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, John Fetterman, D-Penn., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn, Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, and Jay Obernolte, R-Calif. filed the bill in the U.S. House.Instead of repealing provisions of a 10-year-old law to ban the sale or export of SPR oil, the bill seeks to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation…

Dos vuelos que transportan a migrantes venezolanos de Estados Unidos a Venezuela llegarán a su destino a última hora del lunes, informó el Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Comunicación y la Información del país.Los vuelos representan una importante victoria para el gobierno de Donald Trump, que durante su campaña prometió deportar a millones de migrantes indocumentados. Para lograr este objetivo, el presidente Trump necesita que Nicolás Maduro, el autocrático mandatario de Venezuela, acceda a recibir a algunas de esas personas.Dos aviones de la aerolínea venezolana Conviasa salieron de Fort Bliss, en Texas, donde se encuentran recluidos los migrantes sujetos…

David Huitema, Director of the Office of Government Ethics, sits down with Reuters for his first interview on the job, at his office in Washington, U.S., Jan. 2, 2025.Evelyn Hockstein | ReutersPresident Donald Trump has removed David Huitema as director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, the agency said Monday.The independent agency, which works to prevent financial conflicts of interest in the executive branch, said it is reverting to an acting director.Huitema was nominated by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in a 50-46 vote on Nov. 14 to serve a five-year term.The current acting director…

(The Center Square) – There’s millions in federal funds for residential solar installation, if only Pennsylvanians could access it.The House Energy Committee heard testimony last week in support of unlocking the program, which intends to reduce electricity bills for low-to-moderate income households across the commonwealth.In April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, or PEDA, $156 million under the federal Solar for All grant competition funded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The program guarantees 20% savings on electricity bills. It also funds workforce development training programs and upgrades such as roof repairs or electrical work…

(The Center Square) – Attorneys general from 22 states sued the Trump administration Monday for cutting federal funding to public health research universities and institutions across the country. The National Institutes of Health announced in a post Friday on X that it was slashing funding for these institutions’ “indirect costs” – monies used for “administrative overhead” – by lowering the maximum indirect cost rate to 15%.“Last year, $9B of the $35B that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) granted for research was used for administrative overhead, what is known as “indirect costs,” the post read. “This change will save more than…

A federal judge rules US government has defied a previous ruling that suspended president’s sweeping order to freeze federal spending.A United States federal judge has ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump did not fully comply with his order halting a federal spending freeze that has thrown the government into chaos. On Monday, US District Judge John McConnell called for all funding to be restored, as courts consider whether the spending freeze is constitutional. States had reported continued trouble accessing federal funds, even after McConnell paused the Trump administration’s freeze on January 31. “These pauses in funding violate the…

The Google Calendar logo is displayed on a tablet.Igor Golovniov | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesGoogle’s popular online and mobile calendars no longer include reference to the first day of Black History Month or Women’s History month, among other holidays and events.The company’s calendar previously had those days marked at the start of February and March, respectively, but they don’t appear for 2025.The Verge first reported on the removals from Google Calendar late last week, which followed comments from users.A Google spokesperson said the changes took place in the middle of last year.”Some years ago, the Calendar team…

Omar Marques | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesAn Alabama man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., in connection with last year’s hack of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s X account, which was used to falsely claim the agency had officially approved exchange-traded funds for bitcoin.Eric Council Jr. admitted to conspiring with others who took control of the SEC’s X account, according to the Department of Justice.Council, a 25-year-old resident of Athens, was arrested in October, more than 10 months after the Jan. 9, 2024, hack.He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud.…