Monthly Archives: May 2025

Variety: NPR Sues Trump Over Executive Order to Cut Funding: ‘Clear Violation of the Constitution’

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National Public Radio is suing President Trump, alleging his executive order seeking to cease all federal funding to NPR and PBS is a “clear violation” of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

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Trump on May 1 issued an executive order seeking to cut all federal funding to NPR and PBS, alleging they have engaged with “biased and partisan news coverage.” The order instructs the board of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting to “cease direct funding to NPR and PBS” to the “maximum extent allowed by law.”

Trump’s order “is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment’s protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press,” NPR CEO Katherine Maher said in a statement. “It is an affront to the rights of NPR and NPR’s 246 Member stations, which are locally owned, nonprofit, noncommercial media organizations serving all 50 states and territories. Today, we challenge its constitutionality in the nation’s independent courts.”

She noted that the executive order “is directly counter to Congress’s long standing intent, as expressed in the Public Broadcasting Act, to foster vibrant institutions that achieve that mission, serving all Americans independent of political influence. The Order threatens the existence of the public broadcasting system, upon which tens of millions of Americans rely for vital news, information, and emergency alerts.”

NPR Sues Trump Over Executive Order to Cut Funding: ‘Clear Violation of the Constitution’
NPR sued President Trump, alleging his executive order seeking to cut public media funding is a “clear violation” of the Constitution.

https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/npr-sues-trump-cut-funding-violation-of-the-constitution-1236410731

Deseret News: Federal judge orders Trump administration to restore some research on women’s health and transgender mental health issues

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The articles talked about the mental and physical health of women and transgender individuals

A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must restore medical research articles from a government database, which were removed for promoting “gender ideology,” per The Christian Post.

The authors of the articles, Harvard medical researchers Gordon Schiff and Celeste Royce, sued the Trump administration over the removal of their research from the Patient Safety Network, according to The Harvard Crimson.

One of the articles in question was removed for commenting on the diagnosis of endometriosis, an often-debilitating medical condition, for women, transgender and non-gender-conforming individuals.

Another paper was removed for commenting on the importance of recognizing groups at risk for suicide, stating that young people, veterans, men, Indigenous, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer groups are at particular risk.

Massachusetts District Court Judge Leo Sorokin argued that the articles’ removal violated the First Amendment.

“This is a flagrant violation of the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights as private speakers on a limited public forum,” he stated according to The Christian Post. “Because irreparable harm necessarily flows from such a violation, and the balance of harms and the public interest favor the plaintiffs, the motion for a preliminary injunction is allowed in part.”

Federal judge orders Trump administration to restore some research on women’s health and transgender mental health issues
The articles in question talked about the mental and physical health of women and transgender individuals.

https://www.deseret.com/politics/2025/05/27/judge-orders-trump-administration-restore-research-on-women-transgender-health

Alternet: ‘Heavily vetted’: No ‘Bush-era Republicans’ welcome in Trump Jr.’s new MAGA safe space

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President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., is opening a new exclusive club in Washington D.C. And he’s making it clear that only a certain kind of Republican is welcome.

The Daily Beast reported Monday that the new club, which will be called “Executive Branch,” is tailor-made for the MAGA crowd — and its founders are making it clear that traditional conservatives and journalists will be barred from entering. David Sacks, who the Beast described as Trump’s “crypto czar,” told the New York Times he wants to make sure that the type of conservatives who frequent other GOP-oriented D.C. clubs will be turned away at the door.

“To the extent there are Republican clubs, they tend to be like more Bush-era Republicans as opposed to Trump-era Republicans,” Sacks said. “So we wanted to create something new, hipper, and Trump-aligned.”

‘Heavily vetted’: No ‘Bush-era Republicans’ welcome in Trump Jr.’s new MAGA safe space

https://www.alternet.org/trump-maga-safe-space

Fort-Worth Star Telegram: ‘My Head is Spinning’: Deportation Draws Backlash

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U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has warned the Trump administration about its handling of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case, a Salvadoran national mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Key officials have admitted ignorance about crucial details in court proceedings, raising concerns about compliance with the judge’s order to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. Xinis has reportedly set a new compliance deadline and scheduled an in-person hearing.

Xinis said, “Evidently missing from the defendants’ filing is the privilege log that this court ordered to be produced.” She added, “Failure to file the privilege log or otherwise respond will be construed as an intentional refusal to comply with this court’s orders.”

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Xinis said, “You haven’t complied, and you haven’t in bad faith.”

Xinis has identified officials’ ignorance as noncompliance with her order to produce witnesses with direct knowledge of Abrego Garcia’s situation.

…Xinis stated, “The whole reason we’re here is because I’ve said repeatedly you’ve done nothing, and now you tell the world you’re not going to do anything.

‘My Head is Spinning’: Deportation Draws Backlash

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/my-head-is-spinning-deportation-draws-backlash/ss-AA1FwI5y

The Hill: Crockett on [Bimbo #2] Noem trip to Israel: ‘You just had a good photo op’

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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) slammed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem for her recent trip to Israel, declaring it just another “photo op.”

Crockett said she didn’t think anything substantive would come from the foreign trip scheduled days after two Israeli Embassy staffers were fatally shot outside of a museum in Washington.

“You just had a good photo op. And I think that that’s probably all Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem is good for, is a photo op,” Crockett said Sunday during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Weekends with Alex Witt.”

Crockett on Noem trip to Israel: ‘You just had a good photo op’
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) slammed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem for her recent trip to Israel, declaring it just another “photo op.” Crockett said she didn’t thi…

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5319575-jasmine-crockett-kristi-noem-israel-trip

Alternet: Alarm raised over Trump admin corruption following Trump media move

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Monday reporting from the Financial Times that U.S. President Donald Trump’s family media company “plans to raise $3 billion to buy cryptocurrencies” sparked a fresh wave of alarm over his administration’s policies and potential corruption.

After winning a second term last year, the Republican president transferred his stake in Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG)—which is behind the Truth Social platform—to a revocable trust overseen by his son Donald Trump Jr.

Citing six unnamed sources, FT reported that TMTG “aims to raise $2 billion in fresh equity and another $1 billion via a convertible bond,” and “also plans to launch an exchange-traded fund focused on cryptocurrency.”

https://www.alternet.org/trump-media-crypto/

https://www.alternet.org/trump-media-crypto

Independent: Inside Pete Hegseth’s chaotic inner circle as report says defense secretary’s team in ‘cold war’

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Questions raised over long-term viability of embattled head of Pentagon as two senior advisers said to be at loggerheads

The Pentagon is reportedly in the grip of a new Cold War, and it has nothing to do with Russia.

A rift between two senior advisers to Pete Hegseth has led to a wider schism at the department, fueling speculation about the long-term prospects of the embattled defense secretary as a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, according to reporting by The Washington Post.

Numerous people familiar with the matter told the paper that claims of departmental unity are belied by continued dysfunction behind the scenes, stemming from personality conflicts, lack of experience, ongoing vacancies in important roles, and paranoia over what political crisis could erupt next.

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Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution, described the most combustible relationship as that between two Hegseth aides, Eric Geressy and Ricky Buria.

They claim that Geressy, a retired soldier whom Hegseth has credited with mentoring him during their service in Iraq, has expressed ongoing concerns that Buria, until recently a military assistant to the defense secretary and now his acting chief of staff, has attempted to marginalize colleagues to enhance his own standing within the Trump administration.

Amidst the fallout from the Signalgate scandal in March, tensions between the two are said to have boiled over when Geressy found out he was excluded from meetings during a trip across the Pacific by Hegseth and blamed Buria.

Geressy also voiced concern about how many administration officials were using Signal and told staffers that the White House had a dim view of Buria, seeing him as self-important.

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Click on the link below to read the entire article:

Inside Pete Hegseth’s chaotic inner circle as defense secretary’s team in ‘cold war’
Questions raised over long-term viability of embattled head of Pentagon as two senior advisers said to be at loggerheads

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/hegseth-pentagon-chaos-defense-trump-b2758627.html

Christian Post: Evangelical pastor detained by ICE despite stay of removal, no criminal record

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An Evangelical pastor in Florida who entered the United States illegally several years ago but was allowed to stay under certain conditions has been detained by authorities.

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Ambrocio had been living in Florida for 20 years. While he entered the country illegally, he had been allowed to remain via a stay of removal, which required that he meet with ICE officials for the last decade at least once a year, remain employed and not commit any crimes.

However, when Ambrocio met with ICE officials on April 18, he was detained, to the surprise of his local neighborhood, as National Public Radio reported last week.

“For my kids, it’s like the world ended,” Ambrocio’s wife, Marleny, told NPR.

The couple has five children aged between 12 and 19, all U.S. citizens.

Evangelical pastor detained by ICE despite stay of removal, no criminal record
An Evangelical pastor in Florida who entered the United States illegally several years ago but was allowed to stay under certain conditions has been detained by authorities

https://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelical-pastor-detained-by-ice-despite-stay-of-removal.html

Daily Mail: Democrat Mayor of Nashville under investigation for helping illegal migrants evade ICE

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When asked about what specifically he was accusing the mayor of doing, the congressman told reporters, ‘Well that’s why we’re going to have an investigation,’ but failed to name any crimes.  

The Democrat has denied any wrong doing while pushing support for the Belonging Fund.

‘The Belonging Fund supports families known to be impacted as a result of activities related to immigration, but the entire point is family supports, cost of living, those kinds of things,’ O’Connell told the local outlet. 

‘It’s not even intended to be about legal services, so it is about people who have identified food insecurity as a result of possibly losing somebody who was an earner in the household, it is about childcare, it is about basic family needs.’

Democrat mayor under investigation for helping migrants evade ICE
A Democrat mayor is under federal investigation, accused of helping illegal immigrants escape ICE.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14754825/nashville-mayor-freddie-oconnell-ice-investigation-migrants.html

WCCO Radio Minneapolis: Federal judge dismisses consent decree between U.S. Justice Department and Minneapolis

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As expected, a federal judge today granted the United States’ motion to dismiss its consent decree against the City of Minneapolis.

In the filing, the court states:

“The Court has grave misgivings about the proposed consent decree serving the public interest.”

The document adds that the consent decree is “superfluous” due to the city and Minneapolis Police Department entering into an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

Fortunately the police chief is committed to the reforms:

Last week, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said they will continue with reform measures despite the dismissal.

Federal judge dismisses consent decree between U.S. Justice Department and Minneapolis
As expected, a federal judge on Tuesday granted the United States’ motion to dismiss its consent decree against the City of Minneapolis. The court states it “has grave misgivings about the proposed consent decree serving the public interest.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/federal-judge-dismisses-consent-decree-between-u-s-justice-department-and-minneapolis/ar-AA1FB0xi