Trump Corruption

CNN reports: The firings mark the first from the Trump administration as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE aim to dramatically shrink the federal workforce. Until now, federal employees across all government agencies had only been placed on paid administrative leave. A form letter sent to Department of Education employees, obtained by CNN, informing them of their termination stated: …

The New York Times reports: For years, journalists have written about the social media posts of government employees to help reveal the positions, motivations and actions of public officials. But when a journalist recently trained that same lens on Elon Musk’s new government efficiency program, the billionaire suggested that the reporting might be illegal, joining other powerful figures connected to …

JAKE TAPPER: “Well, the votes to make Donald Trump the chairman of the Kennedy Senator Kennedy Center was not unanimous as he said it was. There were some votes that were abstentions. There were some votes against. President Trump called in in the middle of the call. The first was to get rid of the current director, Deborah Rutter, who …

“Look, the Department of Education’s a big con job. So we have a Department of Education where people from Washington, D.C., who many in many cases don’t care about the kids out in the country, They don’t care about the farms and the farmer’s daughter and the father’s – farmer’s sons. We have a massive bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. “We …

The Washington Post reports: A federal judge on Wednesday lifted his pause on the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, a win for President Donald Trump as he pushes to shrink the federal workforce. The program — which encourages federal workers to resign with the promise of pay through September — had been halted since last Thursday, when U.S. District Judge George …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Elon Musk’s X has agreed to pay about $10 million to settle a lawsuit that Donald Trump brought against the company and its former chief executive, according to people familiar with the matter. The agreement makes X the second social-media platform to settle litigation that Trump filed when the companies deplatformed him over his role …

Drop Site reports: The State Department’s procurement forecast, revised as of late December 2024, lists Tesla as the recipient of the largest expected contract, with Marco Rubio’s department planning to buy $400,000,000 worth of “Armored Tesla.” The award is targeted for Q4, and is forecast to last for five years. The procurement forecast is listed as having been modified on December …

KAITLAN COLLINS: “Which White House official made the decision to bar the AP reporter from the Oval Office and the diplomatic reception room last night?” KAROLINE LEAVITT: “First of all, let me just set the record straight. It is a privilege to cover this White House. It is a privilege to be the White House press secretary. And nobody has …

Posted just now to Truth Social: President Donald J. Trump was just unanimously elected Chairman of the Board of the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The President stated, “It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees. We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!” …

The New Republic reports: During a press hearing on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt waved around screenshots of “contracts upon contracts” that she claimed DOGE had “found” in the government. But as she ran through a list of the financial arrangements—some of which had to do with DEI efforts from previous administrations—it became clear that the DOGE-targeted contracts …

The New York Post reports: Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have dropped a criminal probe that focused on whether former World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon tried to cover up multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, his lawyer told The Post. The revelation comes as appeals judges on Friday revealed that a grand jury had considered whether the 78-year-old billionaire broke the …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate is scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to confirm former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence. Gabbard faced tough questions from both parties during a tense confirmation hearing last month. The Senate also plans to take a procedural vote on whether to advance the nomination of Robert F. …

The New York Times reports: Eight former inspectors general who were summarily fired by President Donald J. Trump last month filed a lawsuit on Wednesday asking a judge to declare their removals illegal and order the government to reinstate them. “The purported firings violated unambiguous federal statutes — each enacted by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed into law by …

CNN reports: The inspector general of the US Agency for International Development was fired on Tuesday, a day after his office released a report critical of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Paul Martin was informed by an email from the deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel on …

NBC News reports: The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee has sent a letter to the Justice Department Inspector General accusing Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick for FBI director, of secretly orchestrating the firings of FBI officials, a day after telling the committee under oath that he was not aware of any plan to do so. “If these allegations …

CNN reports: Trump made no attempt Tuesday to soften his proposal to relocate Palestinians in Gaza and redevelop the land into premium housing, even as his guest in the Oval Office, King Abdullah II of Jordan, suggested the Arab world was opposed. Trump repeated his view that Palestinians should be moved out to “parcels” in third countries, including Jordan. The …

The Associated Press reports: A federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to halt a judge’s order requiring the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in federal grants and loans. States say the money remains frozen even after a court blocked a sweeping pause on federal funding. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned back the emergency appeal, …

The Associated Press reports: As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism. Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would …

“FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry. It is now under review and investigation. “THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER. FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. INDIVIDUAL STATES SHOULD HANDLE STORMS, ETC., AS THEY COME. “BIG SAVINGS, FAR …

The Washington Post reports: A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the nation’s premier health agencies to restore online access to several websites that monitor HIV, health risks for youths, and assisted reproductive technologies, which were abruptly taken offline to ensure they complied with Trump’s recent executive order on gender. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates granted a temporary restraining order …