Recent Posts

Visitors To US Will Soon Face $250 “Visa Integrity Fee”

The Hill reports: Tourists, international students and business travelers may be required to pay a $250 fee when visiting the United States on a non-immigrant visa. No formal start date has been announced to begin the collection of the “visa integrity fee.” Starting in 2026, the $250 price could increase to accommodate inflation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be …

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Judge Blocks Sanctions On Intl Criminal Court Workers

Reuters reports: A federal judge blocked on Friday the enforcement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting those who work with the International Criminal Court. The ruling follows an April lawsuit by two human rights advocates challenging Trump’s February 6 order authorizing potentially far-reaching economic and travel sanctions on people who work on ICC investigations of U.S. citizens or …

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Neuralink Files As “Small Disadvantaged Business”

NBC News reports: Elon Musk’s health tech company Neuralink labeled itself a “small disadvantaged business” in a federal filing with the U.S. Small Business Administration, shortly before a financing round valued the company at $9 billion. Neuralink is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) system, with an initial aim to help people with severe paralysis regain some independence. BCI technology broadly …

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Oklahoma MAGA Test Will “Weed Out Woke Teachers”

Peter Montgomery reports at Right Wing Watch: Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters is enlisting PragerU propagandists to devise an “assessment” that Walters says would protect students from “woke” teachers moving into the state from places with more progressive education policies like California or New York. It’s the latest Fox News bait from Walters, a Christian nationalist zealot and ardent …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports: Just hours before “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” was canceled at CBS, Jon Stewart opened up about the uncertain future of “The Daily Show” if the proposed Skydance–Paramount merger goes through. David Ellison’s Skydance Media is in the process of buying Paramount, which is the parent company of CBS and Stewart’s network Comedy Central. On Thursday’s episode …

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EPA To Shutter Scientific Research Division And Fire Hundreds Of Chemists, Biologists, And Toxicologists

The New York Times reports: The Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that it would eliminate its scientific research arm and begin firing hundreds of chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, after denying for months that it intended to do so. The move underscores how the Trump administration is forging ahead with efforts to slash the federal work force and …

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Gabbard: Obama Officials Should Be Charged Over “Treasonous Conspiracy” During The 2016 Election

Politico reports: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard called for several Obama administration officials to face criminal prosecution for participating in a “treasonous conspiracy” surrounding the 2016 election on Friday afternoon, the latest example of the Trump administration targeting critics of the president. In a newly declassified report, Gabbard on Friday alleged the officials “manipulated and withheld” key intelligence from …

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WH Unfreezes $1.3B In School Funds After Dems Sue

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration said Friday that it would release $1.3 billion in frozen federal funding for after-school programs across the country, after facing growing bipartisan pressure. The Trump administration, which wants to slash spending and reduce the federal government’s role in education, had abruptly withheld the money, along with billions in other education dollars. It …

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