Tag Archives: united states

Associated Press: Judge denies stay request, lets ruling stand blocking DOGE efforts to shut down peace institute

Posted on by
Reply

A federal judge on Friday denied the Trump administration’s request that she stay her May 19 ruling that returned control of the U.S. Institute of Peace back to its acting president and board.

In a seven-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell said the government did not meet any of the four requirements for a stay, including a “strong showing” of whether its request could succeed on the merits.

Howell reiterated her finding that the Institute is not part of the executive branch and is therefore beyond President Donald Trump’s authority to fire its board. She added that the firings also did not follow the law for how a board member of the Institute might be removed by the president.

Judge denies stay request, lets ruling stand blocking DOGE efforts to shut down peace institute

A federal judge has denied the Trump administration’s request that she stay her May 19 ruling that returned control of the U.S.

https://apnews.com/article/doge-institute-of-peace-7e85907358be2c654234d9774c0af90b

Latin Times: Salvadoran Prison Chief Overseeing Trump Deportees Has Been Sanctioned By The U.S. For Negotiating With Gangs: Report

Posted on by
Reply

A top Salvadoran official in charge of overseeing the country’s prisons, including the infamous CECOT where hundreds of Venezuelans have been sent by the Trump administration, is also sanctioned by the U.S. for secretly negotiating with gangs, a new report claims.

The official in question is Osiris Luna, described by the Wall Street Journal as instrumental to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on crime and gang violence.

Luna, however, has been sanctioned for engaging in negotiations with powerful gang leaders in the country. The pact would see reduced homicides and political backing for Bukele in exchange for better treatment for incarcerated leaders. The outlet said they ended up receiving cellphones, access to sex workers and other privileges, according to an indictment from U.S. prosecutors.

Bukele and Luna have denied the allegations, but a gang member recently revealed that Bukele himself has been involved in such negotiations.

Salvadoran Prison Chief Overseeing Trump Deportees Has Been Sanctioned By The U.S. For Negotiating With Gangs: Report

Osiris Luna, El Salvador’s prison director, has been reportedly sanctioned by the U.S. for secretly negotiating with gangs

https://www.latintimes.com/salvadoran-prison-chief-overseeing-trump-deportees-has-been-sanctioned-us-negotiating-gangs-583691

Kansas City Star: ‘Party is Completely Broken’: Poll Reveals AOC Approval

Posted on by
Reply

Co/efficient polling has shown a lack of agreement among likely voters concerning the Democratic Party’s future leadership. Co/efficient polling is a U.S.-based analytics firm specializing in political and public affairs research.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stands out as a leading figure, along with Vice President Kamala Harris. As Democrats face recent electoral losses, they have struggled to unite around a common leader, raising speculation about potential presidential candidates for 2028.

University of Kentucky political science professor D. Stephen Voss said, “AOC serves as the face of the Democratic Party for many Trump supporters who dislike national Democrats. They like to pillory her as ignorant and irresponsible.”

Voss added, “At the same time, many Democrats embrace AOC as a worthy young successor to Bernie, someone who can play the role of progressive challenger in a Democratic nomination battle. Likely AOC tops the charts because she attracts so much bipartisan attention. Ocasio-Cortez enjoys good branding, as symbolized by the fact both supporters and critics simply refer to her as AOC. No matter what Ocasio-Cortez does in the next presidential election, she’ll be hard to ignore.”

The polling has found that 26 percent of respondents view Ocasio-Cortez as a leading representative, equal to those who feel there is no clear leader in the party. 

‘Party is Completely Broken’: Poll Reveals AOC Approval

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/party-is-completely-broken-poll-reveals-aoc-approval/ss-AA1FmxV2

Associated Press: Defense Secretary Hegseth, bedeviled by leaks, orders more restrictions on press at Pentagon

Posted on by
Reply

Bedeviled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the press late Friday that include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government escort — areas where the press has had access in past administrations as it covers the activities of the world’s most powerful military.

Newly restricted areas include his office and those of his top aides and all of the different locations across the mammoth building where the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force maintain press offices.

The media will also be barred from offices of the Pentagon’s senior military leadership, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, without Hegseth’s approval and an escort from his aides. The staff of the Joint Chiefs has traditionally maintained a good relationship with the press.

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away

Defense Secretary Hegseth, bedeviled by leaks, orders more restrictions on press at Pentagon

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered further restrictions on how the press operates at the Pentagon.

https://apnews.com/article/military-pentagon-hegseth-press-access-ff9ed0431848cae8816108a8b19c640f

Raw Story: White House claim puts Trump ‘potentially outside the immunity shield’: attorney

Posted on by
Reply

An attempt by White House press secretary Karoline [Bimbo #1] Leavitt to blow off ethical and legal concerns about Donald Trump’s crypto dinner on Thursday night might come back to haunt her boss.

Thursday afternoon [Bimbo #1] Leavitt lectured reporters in the Brady Briefing Room about the dinner which was to include foreign investors at a Donald Trump golf resort in Virginia, telling NBC’s Garrett Haake, “Well, as you know, Garrett, this question has been raised with the president. I have also addressed the dinner tonight. The president is attending it in his personal time. It is not a White House dinner, it’s not taking place here at the White House. But certainly I can raise that question and try to get you an answer for it.”

[Bimbo #1] Leavitt’s claim of “personal time” caught the ear of multiple Trump critics.

On X, The Bulwark’s Tim Miller pointed out, “President’s don’t get ‘personal time.’ There’s not like a magic suit you wear when you are doing official business and one where you are just Donald from Queens.”

Conservative lawyer and ardent Trump opponent George Conway took the next step and suggested, “Actually, it’s fine. If Trump is saying he’s doing something on his ‘personal time,’ then obviously that means he’s not acting within what the Supreme Court calls ‘the outer perimeter of his official responsibility,’ which, in turn, means he’s not immune from criminal prosecution.”

Oops! You probably shouldn’t run your mouth so much, Karoline [Bimbo #1] Leavitt, but I understand that’s all you do, and you do it so exceptionally well. 😀

White House claim puts Trump ‘potentially outside the immunity shield’: attorney

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-immunity-2672194246

Miami Herald: Judge Releases Pro-Palestinian Non-citizen in Blow to ICE

Posted on by
Reply

A U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles has ordered the release of Georgetown University fellow Badar Khan Suri, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid the administration’s crackdown on dissent related to Palestinian advocacy. Giles found that Suri’s detention violated his First and Fifth Amendment rights. His case has raised concerns about the targeting of non-citizen academics for their political beliefs.

Judge Releases Pro-Palestinian Non-citizen in Blow to ICE

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-releases-pro-palestinian-non-citizen-in-blow-to-ice/ss-AA1FmSle

Explícame: DOGE must delete the Social Security data in its possession as well as the software it installed

Posted on by
Reply

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been ordered to immediately delete all Social Security data in its possession, along with the software it installed on the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) systems. This directive comes from federal district judge Ellen Hollander, marking a significant moment in the ongoing battle for privacy rights in the United States. The ruling serves as a stern rebuke to DOGE’s methods, which were justified under the guise of fraud prevention.

The decision, as reported by The (Raleigh) News & Observer, follows a lawsuit initiated by unions and retiree organizations. These groups argued that DOGE’s access to sensitive SSA records violated privacy laws and jeopardized the security of highly confidential data. The court’s ruling highlights the tension between government oversight and individual privacy rights.

Judge Hollander’s resolution was unequivocal: “Rooting out potential fraud, waste and mismanagement at SSA is in the public interest. But that doesn’t mean the government can break the law to do it”. She criticized the rationale provided by SSA’s interim commissioner, Leland Dudek, deeming it insufficient to justify such intrusive access.

The court not only denied DOGE’s request for unlimited data access but also mandated corrective actions: “DOGE must delete the Social Security data in its possession as well as the software it installed,” as covered by The (Raleigh) News & Observer. This decision underscores the judiciary’s role in safeguarding privacy against overreach.

DOGE must delete the Social Security data in its possession as well as the software it installed

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/doge-must-delete-the-social-security-data-in-its-possession-as-well-as-the-software-it-installed/ar-AA1FmN4Z

Daily Mail: Trump’s ‘ICE Barbie’ Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem sparks liberal meltdown with vulgar two-word post: ‘Best response ever’

Posted on by
Reply

Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem told a bunch of illegal migrants they can ‘suck it’ on Thursday after their lawsuit against the Homeland Security chief was voluntarily dropped.

…

The ACLU dropped the filing because several plaintiffs were already deported while others refused to keep the case going. 

That’s when [Bimbo #2] Noem – who has been dubbed ‘ICE Barbie’ for her garish wardrobe changes – delivered her savage two-word response.

‘Suck it,’ [Bimbo #2] Noem posted along with the notice of voluntary dismissal.  

… 

A more critical commenter compared [Bimbo #2] Noem’s comment to an embarrassing story from [Bimbo #2] Noem’s past. 

‘How unprofessional. But I don’t expect anything less from someone who shoots puppies,’ the user wrote, referencing a story [Bimbo #2] Noem told about shooting her dog. 

Don’t forget her poor goat — Bimbo #2 shot one of the family’s goats, too.

[Bimbo #2] Noem has been suffering from the perception she cares more about her glam image than fulfilling her responsibility to protect the homeland and crack down on illegal immigration. 

Bimbo #2 is as phony as a $3 bill — ill-mannered, uncouth, ignorant, and barely educated.

Kristi Noem’s two-word reason to order slapping down suit from migrant

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had two big, brutal words declaring victory over a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of two detained migrants that set the internet on fire.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14741839/ICE-Barbie-Kristi-Noem-sparks-liberal-meltdown-vulgar-two-word-post.html

Irish Star: US citizen detained by immigration officials who thought Real ID was a fake

Posted on by
Reply

Immigration officials detained a US citizen during a raid on a construction site, as video footage showed numerous officers rushing to handcuff the man while others shouted in his defense

A US citizen was detained during an ICE raid at a construction site and claims he was ‘tackled’ and ‘handcuffed, hard,’ as police accused his REAL ID of being a fake.

Leonardo García Venegas, 25, was detained at the Foley, Alabama, site where he was working as ICE agents raided the place. A video of the incident aired by Telemundo showed the scene as authorities on the site had García Venegas bent over while multiple officers rushed over to put handcuffs on him, and someone yelled in the background, ‘he’s a citizen!’

Garcia was kept in a vehicle until officers released him. He says he took out his wallet and ID and showed them his REAL ID.

“They took out my wallet, took out my ID,” he said in an interview. “And they told me it was fake. Said it wasn’t valid and that it was fake. My ID. They handcuffed me, and they handcuffed me really tight.”

“Very hard.”

“Apparently, a REAL ID is not valid anymore. He has a REAL ID,” his cousin Shelah Venegas said.

García Venegas was born in Florida to Mexican parents and is a US citizen.

“We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for….. He has his REAL ID, and then they see him, and I guess because his English isn’t fluent and/or because he’s brown, it’s fake, it’s not real.”

The arrest left Venegas shaken, but mostly afraid for his brother, who is in the country illegally and was arrested and detained.

Venegas says he wants to sue but was told by lawyers that prosecuting a federal agent would be nearly impossible.

Pigs just gotta be pigs. ICE will be reformed only from top down, by rolling heads. Once enough people are fed up with their Gestapo behavior, it will happen.

US citizen detained by immigration officials who thought Real ID was a fake

Immigration officials detained a US citizen during a raid on a construction site, as video footage showed numerous officers rushing to handcuff the man while others shouted in his defense

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/citizen-detained-immigration-officials-who-35283394

The Hill: Vance: Courts trying to ‘literally overturn the will of the American people’

Posted on by
Reply

Vice-President J.D. [“Dunce”] Vance waded into the tug-of-war between the courts and executive branch in an interview published earlier this week, warning that the courts should pull back or risk stepping on the will of the American people.

How simple can I make this, Bubba?

The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the courts exist to protect the rights and due process of our people from mob rule. Our rights are inalienable. The will of the people is irrelevant in this context.

How the hell did you ever pass high school civics, let alone earn a law degree? Your apparent stupidity is mindboggling.

Vance: Courts trying to ‘literally overturn the will of the American people’

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5315703-vance-judiciary-immigration-voters