Trump Corruption

The Associated Press reports: Job-seekers hoping to join the new Trump administration are facing a series of intense loyalty tests, with White House screening teams fanning out to government agencies to check for “Make America Great Again” bona fides and carefully parsing applicants’ politics and social media posts. Negative social media posts have been enough to derail applications. Those seeking …

Reuters reports: The World Health Organization will cut costs and review which health programmes to prioritise after President Donald Trump announced he was withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO, the agency’s chief told staff in an internal memo seen by Reuters. Trump made the move on the first day of his second term in office on Monday, accusing the U.N. …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump called MSNBC and CNN the “enemy of the people” in a Truth Social post knocking Rachel Maddow. Trump called the networks struggling with ratings a “good thing” because they are the “enemy of the people.” Maddow recently returned to hosting her show five nights a week at MSNBC after a period of just hosting one …

Law & Crime reports: Noelle Dunphy sued Giuliani and his business in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday. She claims that what seemed like a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” role as Giuliani’s director of business development at $1 million per year quickly took a sordid turn after she was hired in January 2019. “Giuliani began abusing Ms. Dunphy almost immediately after she started …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Friday said he wanted to see two actions taken in California before he offered federal support for Los Angeles as it grapples with wildfires. “I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and …

“The trees are loaded with water. They suck that water out of the ground. But when I was in Paradise, I noticed that the trees, they were dark on the bottom. But they were absolutely living and they lived. Because they’re soaking wet. “But the trees that were on the ground, within 12-18 months you have to cut them up …

The Washington Post reports: The White House late Friday fired the independent inspectors general of at least 12 major federal agencies in a purge that could clear the way for President Donald Trump to install loyalists in the crucial role of identifying fraud, waste and abuse in the government. The inspectors general were notified by emails from the White House …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s new Justice Department leadership issued an order Friday to curtail prosecutions against people accused of blocking reproductive rights facilities, calling the cases an example of the “weaponization” of law enforcement. Justice Department chief of staff Chad Mizelle said in a memo that prosecutions and civil actions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic …

Semafor reports: US President Donald Trump had a “fiery” and contentious phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen last week, during which Trump insisted he was serious about taking over Greenland, European officials told the Financial Times. The officials, who were not identified by the FT, said the conversation had gone very badly, with one describing it as “horrendous.” …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump has terminated Dr. Anthony Fauci’s security detail that was being provided and paid for by the National Institutes of Health, a source familiar with the situation tells CNN. It was pulled on Thursday night. Given he continues to face ongoing threats due to his public-facing role during the Covid-19 pandemic, Fauci has now hired his …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump said he was considering “getting rid of FEMA” as he visited hurricane-battered North Carolina on Friday during the first trip of his second term. The comment, made during a briefing on the monthslong recovery from Hurricane Helene, was the latest signal of how Trump is planning sweeping changes to the federal government’s role …

NOTUS reports: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed in amended campaign filings on Thursday that her unsuccessful 2022 congressional campaign owes more than $300,000 in unpaid debts, with Leavitt failing to disclose for years that her campaign took in hundreds of thousands of dollars in inappropriate donations and never paid the money back. The vast majority of that debt, …

The New York Times reports: Trump has repeatedly blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California leaders for the fires that devastated Los Angeles. The president has charged that the state’s Democrats have stubbornly refused to send enough water to Southern California to fight fires. Trump’s view of the situation could have very real consequences. He threatened on Wednesday to withhold …

The New Jersey Monitor reports: Immigrant officials raided a business in Newark, detaining a U.S. military veteran and multiple undocumented residents without producing a warrant, according to city officials. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released a statement describing ICE’s actions Thursday and condemning the agency for the raid. “This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the …

From the Wall Street Journal editorial board: The possibility of falling out of President Trump’s good graces is an occupational hazard for good people who serve in his Administration, but this looks like a new low: Mr. Trump reportedly has ordered an end to security protection for three former advisers who are living under threat of assassination by Iran. Pray …

Axios reports: The attack on DEI from the Trump administration could set back recent progress for disabled workers, particularly within the federal workforce, according to advocates and legal experts. People with disabilities face obstacles in landing jobs, but their employment rates soared in the wake of the pandemic as remote work became more common. At the same time there was …

“Putin shouldn’t have done it. He shouldn’t have done it and it has to stop. You know, they’ve lost about 850,000 Russian soldiers and 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers. “And Zelensky, I will say he wants to settle now. He’s had enough. He shouldn’t have allowed this to happen either. You know, he’s no angel. “He shouldn’t have allowed this war to …

Ars Technica reports: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has revived three complaints against broadcast stations accused of bias against President Donald Trump. The revived complaints target WNBC in New York, WCBS in New York, and 6 ABC in Philadelphia. The complaints were filed by the Center for American Rights and supported Trump’s claims of bias regarding ABC’s fact-checking during …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration is moving to abolish a Pentagon office responsible for promoting civilian safety in battlefield operations, suggesting that incoming Defense Department leaders may attempt to loosen restrictions on U.S. military operations worldwide. The office, housed within the Department of the Army, is tasked with helping the military to limit unintended civilian deaths. Trump’s nominee …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump signed pardons Thursday for 23 anti-abortion protesters whom the White House said were prosecuted under his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration. “They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office the day before a major anti-abortion march in Washington. “This is a great honor …