Author: potus

Since taking office, President Trump has threatened European countries’ security and economies, angled to take control of Greenland, and promised to “definitely” slap the nations with tariffs. Even parties that would seem to be his natural allies are nervous. Some have quietly tiptoed back from the American president.But Saturday was not the day for disputes. Leaders of far-right parties in Europe came to Madrid for what, on the surface at least, amounted to a boldface names booster rally for a new Trump era.There was Marine Le Pen of France’s far-right National Rally; the Netherland’s populist, Geert Wilders; the leader of…

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump walks with Elon Musk before attending a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., November 19, 2024. Brandon Bell | Via ReutersOn Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked political appointees and special government employees, including those who work for the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing sensitive and confidential information stored within the Treasury Department.The decision comes after 19 state attorneys general sued the federal government on Friday, alleging that tech mogul Elon Musk and his DOGE staffers had no authority to access Treasury Department data…

As avian flu drives egg prices to record levels and increasingly poses a risk to humans, moves by the White House to cut spending and restrict communications have hobbled public health officials’ response, with the new administration yet to outline a clear strategy on how it plans to stem the spread of the virus.State and local public health officials have gone weeks without regular updates on avian flu from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after President Donald Trump froze nearly all external communications from the agency, said a person familiar with the situation. It wasn’t until this week…

A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked political appointees and special government employees, including those who work for the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing sensitive and confidential information stored within the Treasury Department.The decision comes after 19 state attorneys general sued the federal government on Friday, alleging that tech mogul Elon Musk and his DOGE staffers had no authority to access Treasury Department data that includes Americans’ social security numbers and other confidential financial information.U.S. District Judge Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued the temporary restraining order, which blocks the government from “granting access to all political appointees,…

Don’t get distracted. Don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t get paralyzed and pulled into the chaos that President Trump and his allies are purposely creating with the volume and speed of executive orders; the effort to dismantle the federal government; the performative attacks on immigrants, transgender people and the very concept of diversity itself; the demands that other countries accept Americans as their new overlords; and the dizzying sense that the White House could do or say anything at any moment. All of this is intended to keep the country on its back heel so President Trump can blaze ahead in his…

The Department of Government Efficiency – the Trump administration’s cost-cutting agency, headed by billionaire business owner Elon Musk – has put hundreds of federal officials on leave, gained access to sensitive federal payment systems and led the charge to shutter federal agencies. The pushback against DOGE, as it is called, has been swift, as legislators and the public ask whether Musk can downsize, restructure or eliminate agencies authorised and funded by Congress. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, for New York, wrote on X on February 3: “An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government. DOGE…

The judgements are the latest in the growing series blocking Trump and Musk’s disruption of the government.Court judgements in the United States have blocked efforts by President Donald Trump’s team to access Treasury Department records and lay off staff at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Early on Saturday, US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, from accessing Treasury Department records. A day earlier, US District Judge Carl Nichols blocked an order that sought to put thousands of overseas USAID workers on abrupt administrative leave. The judgements are the…

Hamas released three more Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of an exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in a highly theatrical handover in which the men were made to give speeches effectively at gunpoint.The hostage release is the fifth in a tense series of exchanges that are part of a 42-day cease-fire deal that went into effect last month pausing the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Hamas agreed to incrementally release 33 of the nearly 100 remaining hostages in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians jailed by Israel and a partial Israeli withdrawal.Here’s a closer look at the Israelis released on…

The SummaryIn the last two weeks, EPA staffers have had to contend with dramatic shake-ups at the agency.About 1,100 “probationary” employees were told they could be terminated, and 168 staffers working on environmental justice issues were put on leave.Lee Zeldin, the EPA’s new administrator, said his priorities for the agency include boosting AI and automotive jobs.In the brief week and a half Lee Zeldin has helmed the Environmental Protection Agency, a flurry of personnel moves have dramatically shaken up the agency — like many others — and rattled some staff members.On the day of Zeldin’s confirmation last week, the EPA…

As President Donald Trump’s second administration takes shape in Washington, Democratic governors across the country are laying out their own plans for the year, with some using high-profile speeches to detail plans to resist the president’s agenda — even if they’re not always saying so explicitly.The Democratic Party is trying to find its way back after a tough 2024 election that locked it out of power in Washington. Many in the party are looking to the future in the states, where a number of governors have been floated as potential presidential contenders in 2028.And the plans these governors are laying…