• Thu, March 20, 2025

by: NorthernIrelandWorld

UK Government's benefits move 'cruel and cowardly', says Lagan Valley MP

The UK Government's proposed changes to disability benefits are cruel and cowardly, Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood has said.

by: Firstpost

Is Elon Musk's Grok AI in trouble in India for using Hindi expletives and slang?

The Indian government on Wednesday raised concerns over Elon Musk-owned X's AI chatbot Grok and the controversial responses it has been producing. Grok has recently become more popular in the country due to its direct and sarcastic replies to people on the microblogging site.

by: Metro

Drag queen bumps into 'UK's sexiest politician' and chaos ensues

When people think of male politicians, it's easy to think of a middle-aged or older man in a suit, his hair neat and his build average at best. Then there's Carl Cashman, a 33-year-old once dubbed the 'UK's hottest politician'.

by: KJZZ

Ferrets, water testing and future scientists at risk due to DOGE spending cuts

by: Tagtik

Trump won't let Joe Biden go: "all his pardons are null and void"

On Monday, March 17, the resident of the White House announced that all preventive pardons granted by Joe Biden to officials or elected representatives were "null, void and without effect". Joe Biden,

by: PsyPost

Did scientists just confirm the horseshoe theory of politics? Extremism fuels protest across ideological lines

People are more likely to take part in protests and other forms of collective action when the cause aligns with their political values. However, new research suggests that political extremism itself—regardless of ideology—also drives activism.

by: Euronews

'A threat to autonomy': Dutch parliament urges government to move away from US cloud services

The Dutch parliament approved several motions to build a national cloud and reduce its dependence on US cloud technology. View on euronews

by: People

Pirate's Booty Founder Walked into His City Hall and Declared Himself the New Mayor. Then Residents Took It to a Vote

Robert Ehrlich attempted to seize control of his coastal Long Island village on March 10, citing an obscure New York law as grounds for his takeover

by: WhoWhatWhy

Murkowski Says GOP Lawmakers Cower in Fear of Trump and Musk

It is rare for Republicans to voice any criticism of Donald Trump or Elon Musk. One GOP senator who occasionally does so knows why: fear. Murkowski Says GOP Lawmakers Cower in Fear of Trump and Musk o

by: AFP

Canada PM Carney to call 28 April snap election

The quick election announcement reflects Carney's wish to capitalize on a polling surge for his Liberal Party.

by: Salon

Health care, housing and wages: Antonio Delgado says New York Democrats need to stand for something

Now, Delgado is urging the Democratic Party to adopt a new vision for the future of New York and the United States, focusing on material concerns like economic security while criticizing his own party as prioritizing the demands of corporations — and the profit motive — at the expense of working people.

by: RealClearPolitics

Rep. Emmer vs. CNN's Pamela Brown: "You're Not In Favor Of Getting Rid Of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse?"

Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) and CNN host Pamela Brown debate Medicaid and the cutting of waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And just to follow up, you said you disagree with the way it's teed up.

by: KLCC

After 45 years, Siletz Tribe fully regains subsistence rights on their territory

Nearly half a century after losing their right to hunt, fish, and gather on their ancestral lands, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have just regained it.

by: Axios

Politics, bullying harm LGBTQ+ youth, report says

Stigma, bullying and politics are fueling high anxiety and depression rates among LGBTQ+ youth in Pennsylvania, who face high barriers to accessing mental health care. The big picture: More than a third of 653 young LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians ages 13 to 24 surveyed by crisis intervention organization The Trevor Project seriously considered suicide in 2023,

by: KOMO

How Tesla's business problems might run deeper than Elon Musk's lurch into politics

Billionaire Elon Musk made huge waves ahead of last year's election when he plowed millions of dollars into President Donald Trump's re-election campaign.

by: Slate

Why Is the Trump Administration Going Out of Its Way to Piss Off John Roberts?

The chief justice has long shown himself to be a willing Trump ally. Except when the president pulls stunts like this.

by: WUSA9

New Episode of Federal Workforce Fallout explores education cuts and acts of kindness

Larry Miller reports on President Trump's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, affecting hundreds of jobs.

by: Fortune

Texas Senate passes two bills that would bring mandatory prayer time and the Ten Commandments into classrooms

The Texas Senate has passed two bills bringing Christianity into public schools. One bill, passed Tuesday, would require a mandatory period of prayer, while another would put the Ten Commandments into every public schoolroom.

by: Dealbreaker

Workers Are Not 'Waste' And Firing Feds Definitely Will Not Lower Prices Or Reduce The Deficit

Apparently forgetting that it is not opposite day, almost everything Trump is trying to do will raise, not lower, prices for consumers.

by: Mediaite

Judge Napolitano Explains On Newsmax Why Elon Musk And DOGE Lack 'the Authority' to Fire Federal Workers

"And since Elon Musk is not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, he doesn't have the authority to fire." The post Judge Napolitano Explains On Newsmax Why Elon Musk And DOGE Lack 'the Authority' to Fire Federal Workers first appeared on Mediaite.

by: dw

India: Musk's X sues Modi's government in censorship battle

The social network formerly known as Twitter alleges that India's IT Ministry is unlawfully expanding its online censorship powers. The lawsuit comes as CEO Elon Musk is hoping to roll out Starlink and Tesla in India.

by: PublicSource

Rep. Summer Lee and residents rail against Trump and Musk at packed Pittsburgh town hall

Town halls have become potent political theater early in Donald Trump's second term, and Lee told a friendly crowd that Democrats must try different tactics in a "failing democracy." The post Rep. Summer Lee and residents rail against Trump and Musk at packed Pittsburgh town hall appeared first on PublicSource.

by: Click2Houston

Trump's call to dismantle Education Department shows Republican rightward lurch and his grip on GOP

Since it was created in 1979, the Education Department has enjoyed enough bipartisan support to keep it in business, with some Republicans even embracing its role in funding and shaping public schools.

by: Snopes

The potential impacts of closing the Department of Education, explained

The federal agency handles financial aid for college students, civil rights enforcement and federal funding for marginalized K-12 students.

by: Reuters

Judge stops Musk's team from 'unbridled access' to Social Security private data

A federal judge said on Thursday the Social Security Administration likely violated privacy laws by giving tech billionaire Elon Musk's aides "unbridled access" to the data of millions of Americans, and ordered a halt to further record sharing.

by: CNN

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Democratic Party needs to fight harder while rallying with Bernie Sanders

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday didn't reserve her criticism for Republicans while calling for change, saying Democrats need a party that "fights harder" for them.

by: jacobin

Trump's Deportations Are a Throwback to Red Scare Politics

The detention and threatened deportation of Mahmoud Khalil stands in a long tradition of the US government using border policy as a tool for political control, stretching back to First and Second Red Scare efforts to crack down on left-wing dissent.

by: PoliticsHome

Government Warned Warm Homes Target Is Not On Track

The director of the National Warm Homes Council has warned that the government is currently not on track to meet its target on insulating homes.

by: katu

Oregon releases 2025-27 budget framework amid federal funding concerns

The Oregon Joint Committee on Ways and Means has unveiled the 2025-27 legislative budget framework, outlining the financial strategy for the next 2 years.

by: TheGrio

Center 1968 is on a mission to train and elect more Black women in politics and policy

Created by Jasmine Sessom in Pennsylvania, the center aims to place more Black women in positions of influence in public policy.

by: Crikey

US tech companies file White House complaint on 'coercive and discriminatory' Australian media laws

Apple, Meta and Google have complained to the White House about Australia's proposed News Bargaining Incentive, and the ACCC's report into Coles and Woolworths' domination has found not much can be done.

by: Newsweek

Musk Links Social Security Cuts to Immigration, Voter Fraud

The tech billionaire has made several comments in recent weeks regarding fraud in benefits and entitlements administered by the federal government.

by: Yahoo

Trump just signed an executive order 'to begin eliminating' the Department of Education. Here's how that could affect student loans and local schools.

In a move he's been telegraphing for months, President Trump signed an executive order Thursday "to begin eliminating" the U.S. Department of Education. "We have to get our children educated," Trump said at the signing ceremony.

by: CNET

Is the Department of Education Being Abolished? What Trump's Executive Order Means

Donald Trump has signed an executive order calling for the Department of Education to be closed down, but his ability to do so is limited.

by: CNN

Military was instructed to search keywords including 'first' and 'history' during rushed purge of Pentagon websites

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's February memo ordering all diversity, equity and inclusion-related content to be removed from Pentagon websites was so vague that military units were instructed to simply use keyword searches like "racism,

by: Politico

They Were Raised to Serve America. MAGA Sees Them as Its Enemies.

But inside the Beltway, they also seem like a giant metaphor for a feeling that has consumed the hometown community: a sense that there's a class war on against the people and professions that represent old Washington's highest bipartisan ideals,

by: Slate

Why It's So Outrageous That Trump Is Invoking This Obscure 200-Year-Old Wartime Law

Donald Trump invoked a law that played a role in one of the darkest moments in American history. Originally passed in 1798, the Alien Enemies Act has rarely been used over the past 200 years. It was most recently deployed during World War II to justify the detention of Japanese noncitizens,

by: Reuters

Judge stops Musk's team from accessing millions of Americans' data, cites privacy breach

A federal judge said on Thursday the Social Security Administration likely violated privacy laws by giving tech billionaire Elon Musk's aides "unbridled access" to millions of Americans' private data,

by: RealClearPolitics

A Dozen Judges Say Trump Probably Broke the Law

From the start of his second term, President Donald Trump and his administration signaled a willingness — even a desire — to flout the law in their quest to overhaul the federal government.

by: Euronews

Tsikhanouskaya: Sacrificing Ukraine's interests now will allow another invasion

The threat of Russia attacking EU and NATO states from the territory of Belarus should be taken very seriously, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told Euronews. She says that will depend on whether Ukraine's interests are sacrificed now.

by: TheGrio

Trump administration rescinds 1965 clause barring 'segregated facilities' like water fountains and restrooms in government contracts

While segregation is still illegal, this change sends a CLEAR message," said civil rights attorney Ben Crump. In its latest

by: CNN

Trump signs executive order to begin dismantling Education Department, raising questions for students and parents

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to begin dismantling the US Department of Education, seeking to fulfill decades of conservative ambition to get rid of the agency, but raising new questions for the country's millions of public schools,

by: Euronews

Slovakia's president completes cabinet reshuffle to secure government majority

The appointment of Samuel Migaľ as the new minister of investments and regional development was a result of a deal agreed on by three parties in the governing coalition headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico.

by: Euronews

Ukraine, defence and economy top the agenda as EU leaders meet in Brussels

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will brief the 27 leaders about the latest developments in the negotiations promoted by Donald Trump to end Russia's war. View on euronews

by: CNN

Trump's expected Education Department order looks to fulfill a campaign promise but raises questions for students and parents

President Donald Trump's order to begin dismantling the US Department of Education, which he's scheduled to sign Thursday, fulfills decades of conservative ambition to get rid of the agency, even as it raises new questions for the country's millions of public schools,

by: CNN

Trump's moves to hollow out government could be difficult to undo

Americans have grown accustomed to dramatic shifts in policy each time control of the White House changes between parties. But across a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues, President Donald Trump is now pursuing structural changes to the federal government that could prove very difficult for the next Democratic president to undo.

by: CNN

Trump administration unfazed by court losses and sets sights on Supreme Court

Despite the White House's repeated attacks on federal Judge James Boasberg, the Trump administration remains confident it will prevail in ongoing litigation about the president's use of executive power.

by: CNN

Zelensky agrees to pause attacks on energy in call with Trump, but questions remain about what Trump and Putin hammered out

The White House is ramping up its efforts to make good on President Donald Trump's long-held promise to end the Russia-Ukraine war, with Washington, Moscow and Kyiv all expected to send officials to Saudi Arabia for meetings in the coming days.

UK Government's benefits move 'cruel and cowardly', says Lagan Valley MP

The UK Government's proposed changes to disability benefits are cruel and cowardly, Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood has said.
The article discusses the UK government's decision to move benefits claimants from the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system, a change criticized by Lagan Valley MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson as "cruel and cowardly." This shift, part of the Health and Disability White Paper, aims to encourage more people with disabilities or health conditions into employment by assessing their capability for work differently. Critics, including Sir Jeffrey, argue that this could lead to many vulnerable individuals losing essential financial support, as PIP has stricter eligibility criteria. The move has sparked concerns about the potential negative impact on those with severe disabilities or long-term health conditions, with fears that it might force them into unsuitable work or leave them without adequate support. The government, however, insists that the changes are designed to better support disabled people into work, with new initiatives like the Universal Support programme to aid employment.

Read the Full NorthernIrelandWorld Article at:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/politics/government/uk-government-s-benefits-move-cruel-and-cowardly-says-lagan-valley-mp/ar-AA1BhvlI

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