Tag Archives: The Associated Press

Associated Press: Pressed for evidence against Mahmoud Khalil, government cites its power to deport people for beliefs

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A clear violation of his First Amendment rights:

Facing a deadline from an immigration judge to turn over evidence for its attempted deportation of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, the federal government has instead submitted a brief memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing the Trump administration’s authority to expel noncitizens whose presence in the country damages U.S. foreign policy interests.

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Rather, Rubio wrote Khalil could be expelled for his beliefs.

He said that while Khalil’s activities were “otherwise lawful,” letting him remain in the country would undermine “U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism around the world and in the United States, in addition to efforts to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence in the United States.”

Pressed for evidence against Mahmoud Khalil, government cites its power to deport people for beliefs
The U.S. government has submitted a two-page memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio as its main evidence in its deportation case against Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil.

https://apnews.com/article/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-university-trump-c60738368171289ae43177660def8d34

Huffington Post: Trump’s Navy Secretary Keeps Flubbing The Date Of Pearl Harbor

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A social media account for U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, whom President Donald Trump tapped for the role despite him having zero military experience, posted the wrong date of the attack on Pearl Harbor twice late last week.

December 7, 1941, a day that will forever live in infamy, unless you’re one of King Donald’s feeble-minded appointees.

Trump’s Navy Secretary Keeps Flubbing The Date Of Pearl Harbor
John Phelan, an investor and Trump donor, has never served in the military.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-navy-secretary-keeps-flubbing-the-date-of-pearl-harbor/ar-AA1DMX4W

Associated Press: Ex-Justice Department prosecutor challenges his firing by the White House after Laura Loomer post

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Adam Schleifer, an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, was fired without explanation last month in an email from a White House official. It came exactly one hour after Loomer, a conservative internet personality known for incendiary comments, called for his removal in a social media post highlighting his past critical views about Trump while running in a Democratic primary for a New York congressional seat.

In a filing with the Merit Systems Protection Board — which is responsible for protecting government employees from political reprisals — Schleifer argues he was unlawfully fired in retaliation for protected political speech from a time when he wasn’t working as a government lawyer. He’s seeking reinstatement, back pay and other relief.

Ex-Justice Department prosecutor challenges his firing by the White House after Laura Loomer post
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former career Justice Department prosecutor is challenging his firing by the White House, saying it was for “unprecedented partisan and political reasons” and undermines a “bedrock principle” of the justice system after he was dismissed following a post by right-wing activist Laura Loomer. Adam Schleifer, an assistant U.S. attor…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ex-justice-department-prosecutor-challenges-his-firing-by-the-white-house-after-laura-loomer-post/ar-AA1DMJZ4

Associated Press: Colorado fights Trump administration bid to help imprisoned loyalist Tina Peters

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Trumps politicized Dept. of Justice is trying to insert itself into a local Colorado case where it has absolutely no business intervening:

Colorado officials say President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be wielding its “political power” to give unprecedented help to a former county election clerk who was convicted of allowing Trump supporters to access election equipment after his 2020 defeat.

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 Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser wants Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak to block the Justice Department from getting involved. Lawyers from Weiser’s office said the Justice Department has not given any good reason why it should intervene and has just repeated Peters’ arguments.

“Tina Peters was not prosecuted because of any political pressure; she was prosecuted because she broke the law. And just as they did not prosecute her for political reasons, her prosecutors will not accede to any political pressure to give her preferred treatment in sentencing or terms of confinement,” lawyers from Weiser’s office said in a filing.

Colorado fights Trump administration bid to help imprisoned loyalist Tina Peters
DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s chief deputy attorney general urged a federal judge on Tuesday to reject the Trump administration’s unprecedented bid to help an imprisoned former county clerk who embraced Trump’s lies that he lost the 2020 election because of fraud. The U.S. Justice Department in March submitted a federal court filing in support of Tina P…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/colorado-fights-trump-administration-bid-to-help-imprisoned-loyalist-tina-peters/ar-AA1DmfAe

Newsweek: US Airline Agrees To Deport Migrants For ICE

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Boycott Avelo Airlines!

Budget carrier Avelo Airlines has signed a deal to conduct deportation flights for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with operations beginning in May out of Arizona, the company confirmed.

The Houston-based airline will provide both domestic and international flights for the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement arm as part of what CEO Andrew Levy described as a “long-term charter program.”

US Airline Agrees To Deport Migrants For ICE
Budget carrier Avelo Airlines signs deal to conduct deportation flights for ICE beginning in May, out of Arizona.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-airline-agrees-to-deport-migrants-for-ice/ar-AA1Cx53b

Irish Star: Kristi Noem [Bimbo #2] slammed for staggering travel expenses footed by taxpayers

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The ICE Princess definitely is a princess!

She previously refused to divulge exactly how much her extensive travel was costing taxpayers. But after assuming her new post, nominated by Trump himself, the number has emerged, and it is shocking.

The Associated Press recently analyzed Noem’s travel records, and determined that she had accrued more than $150,000 in expenses tied to her political and personal activity. The records include several trips to Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump stayed at his Mar-a-Lago resort before taking office.

During Noem’s six years as governor – from 2018 until 2024 – AP found that South Dakota covered more than $640,000 in travel-related costs incurred by the governor’s office.

Some of the trips included $7,555 in airfare for a six-day trip to Paris, where she spoke at a right-wing gathering. It also included a bear hunt in Canada with her niece, and a book tour that involved a stop in New York.

For some of the trips, it was unclear whether it was for professional or personal reasons. One in particular that drew backlash was a $2,200 charge associated with a trip to Houston for dental work, that she showcased on Instagram.

The expenses were officially released last month, following a lawsuit by The Dakota Scout. Since then, several Republican politicians have accused Noem of using state funds to help bolster her own political career.

The Trump administration has been dedicated to tackling waste, fraud, and abuse in government, according to the AP.

Start by firing Bimbo #2 Kristi Noem!

Noem was recently slammed for being “tone deaf” on a trip to a prison in El Salvador, sporting a $50,000 Rolex watch. She also filmed a video inside the prison, with prisoners in crowded conditions in the background.

Kristi Noem slammed for staggering travel expenses footed by taxpayers
Kristi Noem, who previously served as the governor of South Dakota, has come under fire after her travel expenses were publicized, leading fellow GOP lawmakers to call her out

Kristi Noem slammed for staggering travel expenses footed by taxpayers

NBC News: Trump quickly works to concentrate power and muzzle critical voices

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From law firms and universities to the arts and the press, Trump has targeted these independent actors and tried to bend them to his worldview — willingly or not.

One by one, he is bending ostensibly independent actors under the weight of his power. So far, Trump has targeted the legal community, universities, the arts, career government employees and the press and brought them to heel in some measure, willingly or not. Law firms with even indirect ties to past investigations of Trump now face punitive measures that could put them out of business.

If Trump prevails by the end of his term, he’ll have influenced who votes in American elections and who does not, who gets to stay in America and who must leave, who pays off their student loans and who gets relief, who gets to question the president and who doesn’t.

He’s facing pushback, but working to sweep it away. A pliant Congress has largely forsaken its oversight role since Trump thundered back into office, leaving the courts as the main impediment to his ambitions. And Trump is challenging their authority with a resolve that has nudged the nation closer to a constitutional crisis than at any point in the last half century.

Pessimistic about government’s ability to hold Trump to account, one U.S. senator said a mass uprising may be the only means of derailing his plans.

“Ultimately, popular mobilization” is the only way to tame Trump, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in an interview. The nation’s fate may come down to “the people on both the right and the left rising up in protest and demanding reform.”

Trump quickly works to concentrate power and muzzle critical voices
From law firms and universities to the arts and the press, Trump has targeted these independent actors and tried to bend them to his worldview — willingly or not.

Trump quickly works to concentrate power and muzzle critical voices

Money Talks News: 26 Social Security Offices Expected to Close Down by This Fall

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The Associated Press (AP) recently obtained an internal planning document from the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate, that includes the dates on which some of those leases are expected to end. The AP also searched publicly available data to find additional information on these leases.

The publication identified 26 SSA offices that will close in 2025.

This news comes just after the SSA implemented stronger identity verification practices. Beneficiaries must now verify their identity in person before they can change their direct deposit information or claim benefits. Closing SSA locations will make it more difficult for beneficiaries in certain areas to do that.

26 Social Security Offices Expected to Close Down by This Fall

Associated Press: US prepares to deport about 300 alleged gang members to El Salvador

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Due process? Why bother? El Salvador’s government knows how to lock people up without fair trials. Just leave it to them!

President Donald Trump’s administration will pay El Salvador $6 million to imprison for one year about 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, in one of the first instances of the Central American country taking migrants from the United States.

The agreement follows discussions between El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about housing migrants in El Salvador’s notorious prison. Bukele’s government has arrested more than 84,000 people, sometimes without due process, since 2022 as part of his crackdown on gang violence in the small country.

US prepares to deport about 300 alleged gang members to El Salvador
El Salvador is agreeing to accept from the United States about 300 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang for one year.

US prepares to send about 300 alleged gang members to El Salvador | AP News