News

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has disbanded two expert committees that worked with the government to produce economic statistics, potentially affecting the quality of data.

The terminations by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were effective February 28 and communicated on Tuesday via email to one of the panels, the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee (FESAC), which assisted with inflation and employment gross domestic product (GDP) data.

Summary

The U.S. State Department has frozen funding for Fulbright and other international scholarship programs, leaving thousands of scholars stranded without financial support.

The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to cut government spending. Affected scholars, including Americans abroad and foreign scholars in the U.S., have received only partial payments with no clarity on future funds.

Advocacy groups warn the freeze impacts over 12,500 participants. Universities and scholars are scrambling for alternatives, while officials have yet to provide explanations or solutions.

Tesla created a secret team, called the “Diversion Team,” to manage complaints about its vehicles’ driving range, which were consistently lower than advertised. This team, formed in response to a surge in complaints, was tasked with canceling service appointments for owners reporting poor range performance. The company’s range projections were often over-optimistic, leading to customer dissatisfaction, particularly in cold weather. Tesla aimed to reduce service center pressure and save costs by diverting complaints, with employees celebrating their success in closing cases. Despite this, many cars likely didn’t require repair, as the issue stemmed from inflated range expectations rather than defects.

A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University’s student encampment movement was arrested on Saturday night by federal immigration authorities who claimed they were acting on a state department order to revoke his green card, according to his attorney.

One of the agents told Greer by phone that they were executing a state department order to revoke Khalil’s student visa. Informed by the attorney that Khalil, who graduated last December, was in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that too, according to the lawyer.

“Targeting a student activist is an affront to the rights of Mahmoud Khalil and his family. This blatantly unconstitutional act sends a deplorable message that freedom of speech is no longer protected in America. Furthermore, Khalil and all people living in the United States are afforded due process. A green card can only be revoked by an immigration judge, showing once again that the Trump administration is willing to ignore the law in order to instill fear and further its racist agenda,” ...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/30720427

One bit (out of context) from the article that made me chuckle:

Rubio told Sikorski: “No one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink. And say thank you because without Starlink, Ukraine would have lost this war long ago and Russians would be on the border with Poland right now.”

In fact, Russians are already on the border with Poland because the Russian region of Kaliningrad lies on Poland’s northern border.

Summary

Donald Trump declined to rule out a U.S. recession in 2025, citing a "period of transition" due to his trade policies.

When asked if tariffs would fuel inflation, he acknowledged the possibility but pointed to lower interest rates.

Despite stock market volatility, he insisted “you have to do what’s right.” The Atlanta Federal Reserve warned of economic contraction, raising recession fears.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick dismissed concerns, predicting strong growth. Trump's stance contrasts with his past claims that trade wars are "good and easy to win."

U.S. President Donald Trump is keeping new tariffs in place on Mexico, Canada and China to pressure them to block the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States, top White House economic officials said Sunday.

"If fentanyl ends, I think these [tariffs] will come off,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told NBC’s “Meet the Press” show.

“But if fentanyl does not end, or he's uncertain about it, he will stay this way until he is comfortable,” he said. "This is black and white. You got to save American lives."

Trump last week issued a string of whip-sawing tariff decisions that plunged the three major U.S. stock market indexes and roiled relations with Canada and Mexico, which are long-time U.S. allies and its closest neighbors, as well as its two biggest trading partners.

Over the past month, VA has cut 2,400 positions, and VA Secretary Doug Collins said this week the department plans to slash more than 70,000 jobs. The goal would reduce VA staffing to 2019 levels, three years before the historic PACT Act expanded benefits to more than a million veterans sickened by exposures to toxins.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has repeatedly promised that the quest to shrink the federal government will not harm veterans or their care.

“We’re going to make the department work better for the veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors,” Collins said this week.

But VA employees from across the country said the cuts and a climate of fear are already hurting veterans.

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Sunday he was hopeful a dispute with Canada over accusations of the deadly fentanyl opioid entering the U.S. across its northern border could be resolved by the end of March.

His comments on ABC News's "This Week" raise the possibility that tariffs due to be reimposed by U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of the month could be stayed further.

In reality, Canada is responsible for a minuscule proportion of drug smuggling into the United States and it wasn't immediately clear what progress Hassett was referring to.

Democratic U.S. Senator Adam Schiff from California, who appeared after Hassett on ABC, called the adviser's comments "incomprehensible."

Summary

DOGE staffers Tyler Hassen and Bryton Shang tried pressuring the Bureau of Reclamation to open a California water pump to aid Los Angeles during January’s wildfires, though the system couldn’t reach the city.

When denied, they flew there to do it themselves but failed due to maintenance and access restrictions.

Critics called DOGE a “slapstick operation of 20-somethings they’re seeing as whiz kids but have zero knowledge.”

Trump later ordered dam releases, flooding farmland. Critics called DOGE’s actions reckless and uninformed.

Wow, they managed to make a law so fucked up that US judges and prosecutors cooperate to work around it.

https://archive.ph/LiM2q

Summary

CBS has moved to dismiss Donald Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, calling it an attack on the First Amendment.

Trump alleges CBS edited the interview to harm him politically, citing “voter interference.” CBS attorneys argue the lawsuit seeks to punish “constitutionally protected editorial judgments” and is “without basis in law or fact.”

If not dismissed, CBS wants it moved to New York, where its headquarters is located.

The move comes as a surprise because CBS had considered settling to avoid delaying its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which requires regulatory approval.

Summary

Donald Trump has privately stated that a minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine is no longer enough to restart military aid and intelligence sharing.

He demands concessions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including territorial compromises with Russia and movement toward elections or stepping down.

Amid increased Russian attacks, Republicans are pressuring the White House to resume support. The U.S. continues providing defensive intelligence but not targeting data.

European allies are filling intelligence gaps, but delays benefit Russia.

Two recent school shootings are highlighting what extremism researchers see as a growing — and poorly understood — trend among young people who embrace mass violence.

Summary

The Trump administration has canceled all classes at the National Fire Academy (NFA) as part of a broader funding freeze by FEMA.

The National Fire Academy, often referred to as the “West Point of the Fire Service,” a premier training facility for firefighters and emergency responders, was abruptly shut down, causing significant disruptions to scheduled training programs.

Experts warn this move could weaken national fire preparedness. The decision follows Trump's suggestion of dismantling FEMA and layoffs at the National Forest Service.

The shutdown raises concerns about the government's commitment to disaster response and firefighter support. FEMA has not commented on the cancellations.

The five-year plan would begin with clearing roads, followed by the creation of 200,000 temporary housing units and the restoration of damaged buildings. Later stages of the scheme envision building at least 400,000 permanent homes and the reopening of Gaza’s seaport and international airport.

Proposals also include Egypt and Jordan training Palestinian security forces, as well as the deployment of international peacekeepers.

It is estimated the plan will cost $53 billion, to be partly funded by a variety of international sources, including the UN, as well as foreign and private sector investments, reported Al Jazeera.

Summary

New FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump ally with no FBI experience, has made unusual security requests, showing distrust of his own agency.

He asked for a private security detail instead of FBI protection and sought a direct secure line to the Oval Office, bypassing the attorney general.

FBI directors since J. Edgar Hoover have maintained independence from the White House, but Patel is closely aligned with Trump.

Known for promoting conspiracy theories, he has also been accused of leading an FBI purge.

The FBI dismissed reports on his requests as "false leaks or distractions."