Thu, January 30, 2025

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: 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.

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: 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: 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: 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.
Wed, January 29, 2025

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.

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.
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: RealClearPolitics

Homan: Deportations Are Worth The Investment, One-Time Cost To Secure The Country And Make America Safe Again

Trump border czar Tom Homan provides an update on the administration's efforts to secure the border on 'Hannity.' HANNITY: I have bad news for the Trump haters on MSDNC, fake news CNN, all the legacy state-run media mob,

by: Sky

'Europe's Silicon Valley' at heart of government's growth plans, Rachel Reeves to announce

The chancellor is looking to turn the economy's fortunes around after sluggish growth continued following Labour's election victory last year.

by: Esquire

The Trump Administration Just Froze All Federal Grants and Loans

The employees worked on special counsel Jack Smith's investigation that led to now-dismissed indictments against Trump over his handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the lead-up to the Jan.

by: Reuters

White House pauses federal grant, loan other assistance programs

The Trump administration has temporarily paused grant, loan and other financial assistance programs at the Office of Management and Budget, prompting criticism from congressional Democrats.

by: ABC

Trump 2nd term live updates: Federal financial aid freeze causes confusion, alarm

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

by: Time

Future of DeepSeek, Like TikTok, May Come Down to Trump's Whims

DeepSeek, the Chinese-owned ChatGPT rival, could pose the same national security concerns that Congress has about TikTok, Philip Elliott writes.

by: kxlf

Trump administration orders pause on all federal grants and loans

The White House is taking drastic measures to control trillions of federal dollars by ordering a freeze on all federal grants and loans so the Trump administration can review government spending.

by: PBS

After running on a working-class message, Trump fills his government with billionaires

President Donald Trump's second White House is looking a lot like the inside of Mar-a-Lago, with extremely wealthy Americans taking key roles in his Republican administration.

by: techxplore

$Trump and $Melania crypto tokens illustrate the risks posed by trendy meme coins

Meme coins like the ones recently launched by United States President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, are a hot trend in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The rise of these digital tokens reflects the influence of internet culture and community-driven hype on the market,

by: PBS

WATCH LIVE: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds first news briefing

The grant pause is perhaps most similar to a federal government shutdown, when a congressional impasse on spending legislation delays federal payments for some state and local services.

by: Reuters

Responding to Trump tariff threat, Taiwan says chip business is 'win-win'

Semiconductor business between Taiwan and the United States is a "win-win" model for both sides given the high level of complementarity, the government said on Tuesday in response to tariff threats from U.

by: WFAE

What to know about executive orders as Trump takes office

What are executive orders — and how do presidents use them? Here's what to know about them and the scope of their power.

by: bnnbloomberg

Federal government planning tariff relief for Canadians, businesses; will depend on scope of Trump tariffs: sources

The federal government is planning a stimulus package to help businesses and Canadians if U.S. President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian goods, but the scale of the relief will depend on the scope of the tariffs,

by: KPBS

Trump memo to halt federal funds triggers confusion and constitutional questions

by: cnbctv18

Maharashtra sets up panel to explore phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles in Mumbai

The panel, headed by retired IAS officer Sudhir Kumar Shrivastava, will study and submit a report with its recommendations within three months, as per the government resolution (GR) dated January 22.

by: Forbes

Can Trump Cancel Government Funds Through Impoundment? What To Know As He Pauses All Federal Assistance.

President Donald Trump's administration issued a memo Monday ordering all federal assistance to be temporarily paused, as Trump and his allies have argued he can block government funds that Congress has already authorized, despite a federal law forbidding it.

by: Fortune

Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of 'insane sh*t' and 'populist stirring' in foreign countries

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Tesla CEO Elon Musk is "super smart" but may be guilty of "overreaching" when it comes to politics.

by: MSN

US-Kenya STIP: William Ruto calls Donald Trump's Secretary of State over 3-year long trade agreement

William Ruto revealed the details of his call with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, key among them the US-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership.

by: MSN

Palestinians leave southern Gaza to return to the north amid cease-fire between Israel and Hamas

The Islamist group Hamas confirmed Monday the entry of displaced Palestinians into northern Gaza and celebrated their return to the area, one of the hardest hit by the Israeli offensive, as a victory and a "declaration of the failure and defeat of the (Israeli) occupation and its displacement plans".

by: MSN

Letitia James Calls Out Trump's Funding Move: 'Reckless and Dangerous'

The New York attorney general commented after the White House budget office ordered a temporary pause on federal grants and loans.

by: Forbes

Forbes Daily: DeepSeek's 'Wake-Up Call' And Nvidia's Historic Plunge

Tuesday's Forbes Daily covers Chinese AI DeepSeek's impact on stock market, Boeing's earnings woes, Trump's military orders, Super Bowl ticket and party prices, and more.

Homan: Deportations Are Worth The Investment, One-Time Cost To Secure The Country And Make America Safe Again

Trump border czar Tom Homan provides an update on the administration's efforts to secure the border on 'Hannity.' HANNITY: I have bad news for the Trump haters on MSDNC, fake news CNN, all the legacy state-run media mob,

The article from RealClearPolitics features former Acting ICE Director Tom Homan discussing the benefits of deportations in terms of national security and economic investment. Homan argues that deportations, while initially costly, are a necessary investment to secure the country and ensure public safety. He emphasizes that the one-time cost of deporting undocumented immigrants would lead to long-term savings by reducing crime rates, decreasing the burden on public services, and enhancing national security. Homan also touches on the political and humanitarian aspects, suggesting that a strong deportation policy would deter illegal immigration, thereby reducing the need for future enforcement actions. He advocates for a comprehensive approach that includes not only deportation but also border security enhancements and interior enforcement to make America safe again.

Read the Full RealClearPolitics Article at:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/01/28/homan_deportations_are_worth_the_investment_one-time_cost_to_secure_the_country_and_make_america_safe_again.html