• Tue, January 28, 2025

by: Reuters

Rubio's Central America trip aims to counter China, State Department says

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to Central America, including Panama, is partially about countering China, a State Department spokesperson told Fox Business, as new President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal.

by: MSN

'That is not true': Senator shreds Trump aide's wild claim defending government purge

A Democratic senator smacked down a senior West Wing employee and adviser to President Donald Trump on Tuesday night over his claim that nearly every staffer with the USAID donated to left-wing candidates or causes.

by: MSN

Exclusive: Rachel Maddow interviews MN Governor Tim Walz as Trump plots end of U.S. government

In an exclusive interview, Rachel Maddow interviews Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, former Democratic nominee for vice president, in his first interview since the election, about how the Donald Trump administration's ill-advised freeze of federal funds exposes the role of Project 2025 in the Trump administration's plans,

by: MSN

President Trump's freeze on federal funding. What grants and programs will be affected?

President Trump temporarily freezes federal funding as programs and organizations that receive federal grants are reviewed. Here's what that means.

by: MSN

UK politics - live: Starmer invokes Thatcher and vows to slash red tape ahead of Reeves economic reset speech

Starmer invokes Thatcher and vows to slash red tape ahead of Reeves economic reset speech - Ahead of PMQs later today, Kair Starmer said that for 'too long regulation has stopped Britain building its

by: MSN

Democrats bite back against Trump's purges and freezes

President Trump's freezing of federal aid and grants and his mass firing of inspector generals has quickly shocked congressional Democrats into a coordinated resistance movement. Why it matters: One week after the 2025 inauguration,

by: MSN

No More Government Assistance

FREEZE: With the exceptions of Social Security and Medicare benefits, the federal government has paused issuing grants, loans, and all other forms of financial assistance. That means funding for schools.

by: MSN

Judge temporarily blocks Trump's pause on federal grants and loans. Here's what you need to know.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the White House from enacting a sweeping pause on federal grants and loans as President Donald Trump looks to ensure all federal spending aligns with his recently signed executive orders.

by: MSN

'Chaos and confusion' follow Trump's order to freeze federal dollars

Supporters of climate, infrastructure, mortgage, tech, health, veterans' and other projects expressed alarm as tens of thousands of programs appeared possibly at risk.

by: MSN

Here's A Roundup Of Everyone In Trump's Cabinet With Experience In Politics, And Everyone Who's Just There For The Vibes I Guess

Here's a closer look at Trump's cabinet, and who actually had some sort of experience in politics prior to their nomination. View Entire Post ›

by: MSN

The constitutional battle at the center of Trump's funding freeze: From the Politics Desk

President Donald Trump's effort to freeze federal aid spending has sparked a constitutional battle that could end up before the Supreme Court.

by: MSN

Explainer-Trump's spending pause and its legality

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Monday issued a sweeping directive to federal agencies to temporarily pause billions of dollars of spending on health care, housing assistance and disaster relief.
  • Wed, January 29, 2025

by: Variety

Thomas Vinterberg, Goteborg's Artistic Director Pia Lundberg Address Controversial Remarks of Swedish Minister of Culture: 'Fight Back'

Another Round' director Thomas Vinterberg, Goteborg's Artistic Director Pia Lundberg address controversial remarks of Swedish Minister of Culture.

by: TechRadar

OpenAI launches a version of ChatGPT just for governments

OpenAI has released a new version of ChatGPT, built bespoke for the US government. ChatGPT 'Gov' can be fed "non-public, sensitive information" on secure self-hosted cloud computing platforms, allowing agencies to comply with cybersecurity requirements.

by: CNN

RFK Jr. and other Cabinet picks face confirmation hearings as Trump forges ahead with agenda

Several of Donald Trump's Cabinet picks, including Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will face confirmation hearings today as the president continues to forge ahead with his agenda.

by: Oregonian

Siletz Indians purchase 2,000 acres in southern Oregon with significant Native history

Robert Kentta of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the tribal council's treasurer, stands in part of the tribe's 2,000-acre purchase of Table Rock property north of Medford. (Photo courtesy of Matt Hill/Lone Rock Strategies) Matt Hill/Lone Rock Strategies

by: Newsweek

Donald Trump Gets Major Boost on DOGE Move

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 61 percent of U.S. adults support the president's plan to downsize the federal government.

by: Slate

The Disastrous Prospect of Trump's Wild IRS Nominee

Instead, those who are most likely to evade detection are the people trying to hide their income in tax shelters, shifting their profits overseas, exaggerating their business deductions, or overvaluing their charitable donations. Are we supposed to applaud that?

by: RealClearPolitics

Trump: Federal Employees Must Return To The Office And May Have To Prove They Didn't Have Another Job

President Donald Trump at a press conference on Wednesday said he is going to require federal employees who work at home to show up to work or be terminated. The president also addressed his proposal to offer payouts to government employees to quit their jobs.

by: ABC

Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump says Guantanamo Bay will house 30,000 migrants

President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 4, according to the prime minister's office. Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House in Trump's second term.

by: thenewdaily

Government frontbencher Stephen Jones to retire from politics

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones will not contest the upcoming federal election, announcing his retirement from parliament.

by: Politico

The best (and worst) scenarios for LA disaster aid

Presidents fully control FEMA aid. The operative word in federal disaster law is "may," as in: "The President may make contributions to a State or local government for the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of a public facility damaged or destroyed by a major disaster."

by: Esquire

Trump Is Planning to Shrink the Federal Workforce with Buyouts and Loyalty Tests

Once again, the new-old president is fulfilling all the spoken and unspoken desires of the Reagan Revolution and the Gingrich Revolution. We are witnesses to the construction of the bathtub that Grover Norquist only talked about.

by: MSN

Trump's plan to reclassify, fire federal workers challenged by unions

By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -Two major unions representing U.S. government employees filed a lawsuit on Wednesday aimed at slowing President Donald Trump's effort to reclassify up to 50,000 federal workers and make it easier to fire them.

by: Forbes

Meta, Microsoft And Tesla All Report Earnings After The Close

Stocks rose Tuesday, led by tech. AI fears loom as Meta, Microsoft report earnings. Tesla faces policy risks. Fed decision, major earnings, and government cuts ahead.

by: MSN

Who is Trump's intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, and why is she so controversial?

Having sided with Bashar al-Assad while a member of the Democratic Party, the former congresswoman's hard-right turn and sympathy for the Kremlin have the intelligence community deeply concerned. View

by: ABC

Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump to sign orders on education, antisemitism

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.

by: Slate

Elon Musk Looks to Stick a Fork in Federal Government Workers

Around the same time as Musk's post, hundreds of thousands of federal workers received an email also titled "Fork in the Road," with a similar offer: Simply send an email to the Office of Personnel Management with the word "Resign" in the subject line, and you'll receive eight months' pay, so long as you reply before Feb. 6.

by: MSN

White House abruptly backs off Trump's federal funding freeze after lawsuits and outrage

White House abruptly backs off Trump's federal funding freeze after lawsuits and outrage - Two-sentence memo ends days-long threats that sent officials, agencies and nonprofits into tailspin over 'unc

by: Slate

Trump Administration Issues Formal "Just Kidding" on Attempt to Shut Down Government

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.

by: ABC

Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump to sign Laken Riley Act

President Donald Trump will sign the Laken Riley Act into law Wednesday at 2 pm in the East Room, according to the White House. This will be the first measure Trump signs into law of his second administration.

by: MSN

Fork in the Road? Federal Employees React to Donald Trump's Worker Buyout

The Trump administration is offering federal employees buyouts of about eight months' salary if they resign by February 6.

by: ABC

Trump 2nd term live updates: Retired US Gen. Milley to have personal security pulled

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.

by: ABC

Trump White House tries to clarify confusion over abrupt federal assistance freeze

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during her first press briefing, faced a barrage of questions on the administration's freeze on federal aid programs.

by: MSN

My criticism of Trump was wrong, says Mandelson

The UK's choice for ambassador to the US rows back on previous comments describing Trump as "a bully".

by: MSN

Trump's federal aid freeze sparks confusion and anxiety in Arizona: What to know

The order is temporarily on ice, but uncertainty swirls around which programs would and wouldn't be hit by the federal aid freeze.

by: MSN

US: Juan Manuel Santos says Trump and Petro did what they shouldn't do

Washington, United States - Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who governed the country between 2010 and 2018, described Tuesday as a "very unfortunate incident" the diplomatic crisis between the United States and Colombia and regretted that their leaders,

by: MSN

Trump's Federal Buyout Plan Sparks Controversy and Legal Challenges

President Donald Trump has proposed a buyout plan offering nearly all federal employees eight months' salary if they agree to resign by September, in a sweeping move to downsize and reform the government.

by: MSN

Trump offers all federal workers a buyout with 7 months' pay in effort to shrink size of government

The White House has begun offering buyouts worth seven months of salary to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by Feb. 6.

by: MSN

'It's an Illegal Executive Order. And It's Stealing.'

Buried within one of the dozens of executive orders that President Donald Trump issued in his first days in office is a section titled "Terminating the Green New Deal." As presidential directives go,

by: MSN

Fred Matiang'i: Can former Interior CS spoil Ruto's re-election arithmetics? Pundits explain

Ex-Interior CS Fred Matiang'i emerged as a notable figure in Kenya's political landscape, positioning himself as a possible presidential candidate in 2027 polls.
  • Thu, January 30, 2025

by: thenewdaily

Chalmers claims 'sustained progress' against inflation, as government crosses its fingers for rate cut

The Albanese government - and the financial markets - would be shocked if the Reserve Bank doesn't cut interest rates in February.

by: Oregonian

Urban League of Portland taps former Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt as general counsel

Mike Schmidt, the former Multnomah County district attorney who lost his reelection bid last year to an office insider, started this week as general counsel of the Urban League of Portland, one of Oregon's largest and oldest civil rights organizations. Schmidt confirmed the move Thursday. He began the job Monday.

by: ABC

Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump announces new FAA acting commissioner

President Donald Trump has begun his second administration with a series of controversial moves and decisions.

by: WAtoday

Greens' $8 billion scheme for 50 cent fares across Australia comes with costing questions

The Greens say the plan would cost the federal government $2.6 billion in the first year. However, state revenues from public transport are at odds with that figure.

by: Couriermail

US politics live: Confusion over Donald Trump's government funding freeze continues

Welcome, once again, to our live coverage of the Trump administration's tone-setting and rather frenetic early weeks.

by: CNN

Cabinet picks face confirmation hearings as Trump looks to transform government

Several of Donald Trump's picks for his Cabinet and key roles in his administration are facing confirmation hearings in the Senate today as the president continues to implement executive actions to transform the government.

by: MSN

Unions warn government workers not to trust Trump's offer to quit

Two of America's biggest federal worker unions told members on Wednesday not to trust a Trump administration offer to 2 million government employees to quit with eight months pay, while many civil servants expressed anger and defiance over the move.

Explainer-Trump's spending pause and its legality

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Monday issued a sweeping directive to federal agencies to temporarily pause billions of dollars of spending on health care, housing assistance and disaster relief.
The article from MSN discusses former President Donald Trump's proposal for a "spending pause" if he were to return to office, which involves halting federal spending on programs he deems unnecessary or wasteful. This idea, part of his broader "Project 2025," aims to reduce the federal deficit by cutting what Trump considers "woke" or inefficient spending. Legal experts, however, question the constitutionality of such a move. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, meaning only Congress can authorize or halt federal spending. Implementing a spending pause without Congressional approval could be seen as an overreach of executive power, potentially violating the separation of powers. Critics argue that this could lead to legal challenges, with courts likely to scrutinize the legality of bypassing Congress. Furthermore, the article notes that while Trump could direct agencies to reevaluate their spending, actually stopping funds without legislative backing would be legally contentious.

Read the Full MSN Article at:
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/explainer-trump-s-spending-pause-and-its-legality/ar-AA1y1EHc