• Thu, March 20, 2025

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: Politico

There's hope for the waivers still

The Trump administration's plan to quickly overturn California's EV rules could have a parliamentarian problem.

by: Alternet

'Clear and present danger': Experts alarmed at 'insanity' of Musk getting secret war plans

South African centibillionaire Elon Musk — one of President Donald Trump's closest advisors — is now reportedly scheduled to receive a top-secret briefing involving the United States' top-secret plans in the event the nation goes to war with China.

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: 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: 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,
  • Fri, March 21, 2025

by: WLBT

Trump administration wants to privatize Postal Service; workers and union reps pushing back

They are urging people to reach out to their congress members, asking them to push back against this proposed plan.

by: CounterPunch

Abducting Bodies, Silencing Dissent: Mahmoud Khalil and the Rise of State Terror

The abduction of Mahmoud Khalil is not an isolated event—it is a chilling testament to the authoritarian turn in the United States, where dissent is met not with debate but with brute force, and the machinery of state terror moves with ruthless precision.

by: ifa

Jones announces DBFO tranche 2: SOA changes in, BID and NCAs on ice for now

The outgoing Financial Services Minister has released the latest set of financial advice reforms, with some key measures not making the pre-election cut.

by: MLive

Doctors, health officials say Medicaid cuts would threaten Michigan's health and its economy

Doctors and health officials came to the state Capitol on Thursday to argue that Medicaid is essential to the health of the most vulnerable Michiganders and the health of the state's economy.

by: WLRN

Florida leads nation with nearly 100 police partnerships with ICE to deport undocumented

Florida has the majority of local and state police departments having partnered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to support the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts.

by: NDTV

"Some Parties Raking Up Language Issue For Their Own Politics": Amit Shah

"There have been enough divisions in the nation in the name of language, and it should not happen anymore," Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday amid the escalating row over the three-language formula implementation.

by: News4Jax

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deliver remarks from Oval Office

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he will be meeting with billionaire Elon Musk at the Pentagon Friday to discuss "innovation, efficiencies & smarter production.".

by: WFTV

Hegseth says he'll meet with Musk at the Pentagon to discuss innovation and 'efficiencies'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he'll be meeting with billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk at the Pentagon to discuss "innovation, efficiencies & smarter production."

by: Moneycontrol

Karnataka clears Bill to provide 4% reservation to Muslims: What does it say and why there is controversy around it?

The Karnataka state assembly on Friday passed a bill to provide 4 percent reservation to Muslims under Category-2B in public contracts amid strong protests by the Opposition BJP.

by: ZNetwork

Trump's Got to Go: On Understanding, Predicting, and Changing History

Understanding and Changing "Philosophers," the young Karl Marx wrote, "have tried to understand history; the point is to change it." I've long thought that famous quotation advances something of a false dichotomy between understanding and changing history,

by: Newspoint

Karnataka Assembly and Council pass Palace Grounds bill amid din

The Karnataka Assembly and Council on Friday passed the Bengaluru Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to assert the state government's control over the expansive Palace Grounds,

by: Newsweek

Judge Boasberg's Home Comes Under Scrutiny After Trump Attacks

Trump supporters are querying the value of a federal judge's home after he demanded answers about potentially illegal deportations to El Salvador. The standoff between the Trump administration and Washington D.

by: GBH

What to know about the declassified JFK assassination files

More than 63,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy have been released to the public.

by: CNN

4 things to know about Trump's effort to dismantle the Department of Education

President Donald Trump kicked off the process of dismantling the Department of Education by signing an executive order on Thursday.

by: KPBS

Courts push back, wars heat up and 3 more takeaways from Trump's moves this week

by: TAG24

MAGA Rep. Harriet Hageman plays defense for Trump and Musk during wild town hall

Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman was booed and protested against during a recent town hall over her support of President Donald Trump's agenda.

by: Vox

The case for conservatism

And I am not making the case for stagnation. We don't need to settle for broken systems; we just need to make sure we don't make them worse in the name of "fixing" them. But as we observe the chaos of Trump's second presidency,

by: 9NEWS

NSW government to hold inquiry into troubled early childcare sector

There are also calls for a nationwide response to findings of dangerous practices and regulatory failings within the sector.

by: Forbes

What To Know About Musk's Pentagon Visit As He And Trump Officials Deny Reports Of China War Plan Briefing

The Trump administration firmly pushed back against a report that Elon Musk will be briefed on a war plan with China, but confirmed he will be visiting the Pentagon Friday.

by: Mediaite

John Leguizamo Kicks Off The View Interview by Accusing Trump of Turning Government Into 'White-Only Club'

John Leguizamo accused President Donald Trump of turning the government into a "white only club" with his war on DEI programs. The post John Leguizamo Kicks Off The View Interview by Accusing Trump of Turning Government Into 'White-Only Club' first appeared on Mediaite.

by: Reuters

US government blocks Canadian access to border-straddling library, Canadian town says

A Quebec town is calling out what it says is a unilateral decision by U.S. authorities to close Canadian access to a library that straddles the Canada-U.S. border. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House straddles the Canada-U.

by: CNN

Judge Boasberg and Trump Justice Department to face off in court as tension mounts in deportation flights fight

A federal judge will come face-to-face with Justice Department attorneys Friday in the wake of President Donald Trump's call for his impeachment over how the jurist has handled a challenge to Trump's use of a sweeping wartime authority to quickly deport some noncitizens.

by: Reuters

Trump administration transferring student loan, nutrition programs out of Education Dept

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday his administration will transfer responsibility for the federal government's student loans, nutrition and special needs programs from the Department of Education to other departments.

by: HuffPost

The Progressive Legal Group That Keeps Taking On Trump In The Courts - And Winning

Democracy Forward has emerged as a leading legal organization that's been slowing, if not stopping, some of Trump's recklessness.

by: Reuters

Trump withdraws order targeting Paul Weiss, says law firm promised free legal work

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is withdrawing an executive order that targeted law firm Paul Weiss, saying the firm "acknowledged the wrongdoing" of an attorney who investigated the president and has pledged $40 million in free legal work to support the administration.

by: Reuters

Sudanese army seizes full control of presidential palace in Khartoum, Sudan TV and military sources say

The Sudanese army seized full control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum on Friday, Sudan TV and military sources said, in one of the most significant advances in a two-year-old conflict threatening to fracture the country.

by: Reuters

Judge stops Musk's team from 'unbridled access' to millions of Americans' 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.

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.
The article from Crikey discusses the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) concerns over the market power of big tech companies like Meta, Google, and Apple, drawing parallels with the duopoly of Coles and Woolworths in the supermarket sector. The ACCC has highlighted how these tech giants, through their control over digital advertising, app stores, and data, can dictate terms to smaller businesses, much like how Coles and Woolworths influence suppliers and consumers. The piece argues for the imposition of tariffs or similar regulatory measures on these tech companies to level the playing field, suggesting that without intervention, these firms could continue to exploit their dominance, potentially leading to higher prices, reduced innovation, and less consumer choice. The article calls for a robust regulatory framework to ensure fair competition and protect both consumers and smaller enterprises from the unchecked power of these tech behemoths.

Read the Full Crikey Article at:
https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/03/21/meta-google-apple-big-tech-tariffs-coles-woolworths-accc/

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