Category: Federal

Federal Judge Halts Trump And Musk’s Attempt To Dismantle USAID, Challenging DOGE Cuts

(L) U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang. (Photo via: United States District Court – District of Maryland) / (R) A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development sign on their headquarters on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
4:00 PM – Tuesday, March 18, 2025

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Elon Musk likely acted unconstitutionally with his directive to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), also halting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from making any more cuts to the agency.

The Trump administration is likely to appeal the decision.

Maryland U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang imposed a preliminary injunction, mandating that the Trump administration restore email and computer access to all employees who work for USAID — including those who were placed on administrative leave.

Chuang was nominated by former Democratic President Barack Obama on September 25th, 2013, and he received his commission on May 2nd, 2014.

The judge has also restricted the Tesla founder and DOGE from taking action against USAID without “express authorization” from an official at the agency.

“The court finds that Defendants’ unilateral action to shut down USAID likely violated the United States Constitution,” Chuang wrote in a 68-page ruling, giving the White House seven days to confirm in writing that access was restored to USAID employees.

The administration will have two weeks to submit documentation confirming that USAID “will be able to reoccupy USAID headquarters at its original location.”

The ruling comes after the DOGE organization shut down USAID, fired all employees, and removed signage from its headquarters in D.C. — in addition to ending programs worldwide. Soon after, the administration applauded the cutting of wasteful government funding, including $60 billion in foreign aid spending and 92% of USAID grants.

After taking back the White House, Trump was highly critical of the agency, explaining that it had “been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out.”

72nd Secretary of State Marco Rubio was named as its acting administrator.

The main legal questions asked about the actions of DOGE are what Musk’s role is, whom Trump has previously suggested is the leader of the organization. However, lawyers for the administration have stated in legal documents that Musk is a “special government employee” (SGE) of the president.

NPR also previously reported that Musk is not being paid for his work with DOGE.

In February, Vice President JD Vance responded to Democrats’ complaints regarding Musk’s DOGE involvement.

The judge continued, explaining his “reasoning” for the ruling.

“If a president could escape Appointments Clause scrutiny by having advisers go beyond the traditional role of White House advisors who communicate the president’s priorities to agency heads and instead exercise significant authority throughout the federal government so as to bypass duly appointed officers, the Appointments Clause would be reduced to nothing more than a technical formality,” Chaung wrote.

“Under these circumstances, the evidence presently favors the conclusion that, contrary to defendants’ sweeping claim that Musk acted only as an advisor, Musk made the decisions to shutdown USAID’s headquarters and website even though he ‘lacked the authority to make that decision,’” Chuang continued.

“This record must be considered alongside the fact that Musk appears to have been involved in the shutdown of CFPB [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] headquarters as well,” Chuang stressed in his opinion.

“And there is evidence that shows or strongly suggests that Musk and DOGE, despite their alleged advisory roles, have taken other unilateral actions without any apparent authorization from agency officials.”

In response, Musk ripped into the ruling by reposting an X post from conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Kirk stated: “the only two clauses of the left’s constitution were ‘Thou shalt have open borders’ and ‘All American money will be sent abroad.’”

“Today’s decision is an important victory against Elon Musk and his DOGE attack on USAID, the United States’ government, and the Constitution,” said Norm Eisen, a CNN legal analyst and executive chair of the State Democracy Defenders Fund — who represented the plaintiffs.

“This case is a milestone in pushing back on Musk and DOGE’s illegality,” he continued.

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Trump Admin Reveals The Millions Of Dollars Sent By U.S. Federal Agencies To Left-wing ‘Politico’ Outlet

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 19: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk as he arrives to attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. SpaceX’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, a Trump confidante, has been tapped to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk as he arrives to attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:54 PM – Wednesday, February 5, 2025

The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, revealed that the federal government has been subsidizing the left-wing outlet Politico — to the tune of $8.2 million.

Politico was acquired in 2021 by Axel Springer SE, a German news publisher and media company.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that the federal government was “essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the taxpayer’s dime.”

“The DOGE is working on cancelling those payments now,” she continued. “This is a government effort to ensure that we are going line by line when it comes to the federal government’s books. And this President and his team are making decisions across the board on [whether or not these] receipts serve the interests of the American people.”

 

The outlet received at least $44,000 from USAID last year as well, though it was also given millions from various federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services — which provided $1.37 million.

In addition, $1.35 million was paid out by the Department of the Interior, according to the USASPENDING website.

Meanwhile, social media users on Politico‘s official Instagram page and on X responded to the news.

“Not just a waste, but they’ve essentially been getting paid by Democrats to feed the American people endless lies, misinformation and propaganda. If you’re wondering why the media always gives the Biden admin a pass, deflected, ran cover for and loves democrats, this is why,” said one user on X.

 

 

According to Politico, AP News has been accused of raking in U.S. taxpayer money as well. However, this has not yet been confirmed.

Trump and Musk have recently vowed to cut funds from USAID, a $40 billion agency that has been accused of money laundering, working in tandem with Democrat officials, their allies, and other connected organizations.

Much of the U.S. federal funds were spent on Politico Pro, which costs around $10,000 per year, offering “non-partisan, real-time intelligence personalized to their area of policy focus.”

“POLITICO Pro is an all-inclusive platform that empowers public policy professionals with the tools, news, analysis, and other resources needed to succeed in an increasingly complex political world. Our features include exclusive and unbiased policy news coverage in real-time, in-depth policy analysis and a suite of tracking tools to help you keep tabs on policy developments as they happen…” the website states.

Musk quickly responded to the report, declaring that the U.S. government will no longer be supplying the outlet with federal funding any longer.

“This is obviously a huge waste of taxpayer money!” Musk wrote in an X post.

Politico has notably been an anti-Trump outlet throughout his time in office and now, publishing themes related to how the Hunter Biden laptop scandal had all the “hallmarks” of “Russian disinformation,” conveniently siding with the Biden administration. The outlet also recently posted an infographic on its Instagram page titled “Could Trump seize a third term?" – Actually, it’s not out of the question.”

Musk’s latest call to end the funding of Politico is another piece of a larger effort to root out corruption and waste from federal spending, while suggesting that the IRS is next on the list to receive an audit.

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Trump orders all federal DEI employees be put on leave

President Trump is ordering all federal workers in diversity, equity and inclusion roles be placed on paid leave. The move comes as the president faces backlash from both sides of the aisle for the sweeping pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports and Hallie Jackson provides analysis for TODAY.

Trump Orders All Federal DEI Employees To Be Placed On Leave By Wednesday Evening

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:52 PM – Wednesday, January 22, 2025

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that federal workers operating in DEI offices will be placed on paid leave following President Donald Trump’s executive order barring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal workforce.

An internal memo from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) ordering all DEI employees to be placed on leave by Wednesday evening was confirmed by Leavitt.

“Send a notification to all employees of DEIA offices that they are being placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately as the agency takes steps to close/end all DEIA initiatives, offices and programs,” the memo sent out by Charles Ezell, the Acting Director of the OPM.

“To every reporter asking about this: I can gladly confirm,” Leavitt wrote in an X post.

The memo added that DEI programs “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination,” while asking employees to report the change of “any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEI or similar ideologies.”

The shutdown of DEI offices across the federal workforce is part of Trump’s effort to peel back former President Biden’s goal of promoting diverse groups for positions of power throughout the federal government.

Trump has consistently argued that an individual should be awarded a role or position if they have the necessary skill set, intellect, and experience — not simply due to their sexual orientation, gender, or skin color.

“President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI in our federal government and returning America to a merit-based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin,” Leavitt added. “This is another win for Americans of all races, religions, and creeds. Promises made, promises kept.”

President Trump emphasized ending DEI policies throughout his time on the campaign trail, maintaining that the initiatives prioritize diversity quotas rather than choosing the best person for the job.

Additionally, the Trump administration is also requesting that the attorney general submit “recommendations for enforcing Federal civil-rights laws and taking other appropriate measures to encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI,” within 120 days.

“As part of this plan, each agency shall identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, state and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars,” the order continued.

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Joe Biden Announces Major Offshore Drilling Ban Across 625M Acres Of Federal Waters Ahead Of Trump Admin.

US President Joe Biden arrives to speak at a reception for new Democratic members of Congress at the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on January 5, 2025. (Photo by Chris Kleponis / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden arrives to speak at a reception for new Democratic members of Congress at the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on January 5, 2025. (Photo by CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
9:32 AM – Monday, January 6, 2025

President Joe Biden announced an executive action on Monday that bans new drilling and further oil and natural gas development on more than 625 million acres of U.S. coastal and offshore waters. 

Biden stated that he is using his power to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and natural gas leasing. 

He used the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which means that President-elect Donald Trump would be limited in his ability to revoke the action made by Biden. Congress would have to possibly intervene to grant Trump the authority to overturn it. 

“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs,” Biden said in a statement. “It is not worth the risks. As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country as we transition to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.” 

The move garnered quick condemnation from Trump’s incoming White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt. 

“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail and we will drill, baby, drill,” Leavitt wrote on X. 

Biden gave himself credit for what he called a legacy move in the fight against climate change. 

“From Day One, I have delivered on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in our country’s history. And over the last four years, I have conserved more than 670 million acres of America’s lands and waters, more than any other president in history,” Biden said. “Our country’s remarkable conservation and restoration progress has been locally led by Tribes, farmers and ranchers, fishermen, small businesses, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts across the country. Together, our ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative put the United States on track to meet my ambitious goal to conserve at least 30 percent of our Nation’s lands and waters by 2030.”  

“We do not have to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy, or between keeping our oceans healthy, our coastlines resilient, and the food they produce secure, and keeping energy prices low,” the statement added. “Those are false choices. Protecting America’s coasts and oceans is the right thing to do, and will help communities and the economy flourish for generations to come.”

Ron Neal, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America’s Offshore Committee, also slammed Biden’s last-ditch offshore drilling ban as “significant and catastrophic.” 

“While it may not directly affect the currently active production areas in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and adjoining coastal areas, it represents a major attack on the oil and natural gas industry. This should be seen as the ‘elephant’s nose under the tent.’ The ban severely limits the potential for exploration and development in new areas, therefore choking the long-term survivability of the industry,” Neal, also the president of Houston Energy LP and CEO of HEQ Deepwater, said in a statement. “This move is a first step towards more extensive restrictions across our industry in all U.S. basins, including the onshore. If the activists are coming for anything, they are coming for everything. This policy is catastrophic for the development of new areas for oil and natural gas, but environmentalists will eventually look to also shut down offshore wind farms for most of the same reasons. President Biden and his allies continue to push anti-energy policies that will hurt Americans.” 

Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump has vowed to deliver American “energy dominance” on the world stage as he looked toward bolstering U.S. oil and gas drilling, as well as distance from Biden’s prioritization of climate change initiatives. 

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Could the Feds Have Been Involved in the New Orleans Jihad Massacre?

Would they do such a thing?

 by 

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Trust in our government has lowered to the point that some people are suggesting that the New Orleans jihad massacre was aided and abetted, or even concocted, by the feds in order to stir up unrest as Trump prepares to return to the presidency, or to create a pretext for some other action. Some of those who are making suggestions of this kind, such as Candace Owens, just want to find some plausible way to blame Jews, or to claim that it’s all in the service of trying to get the U.S. involved in a war in the Middle East on behalf of Israel. These types, including Owens herself, tend to downplay or deny outright the reality of Islamic jihad, preferring to see virtually all the workings of the wider world as a puppet show of the all-powerful and ever-unseen Zionists. Still, would the feds really get involved in a jihad plot to kill Americans? Sure.

No one really knows for sure, except the conspirators, if there are any, and whether or not the feds are involved. And jihad is real, as the news out of Africa, Asia and Europe shows daily. Still, the question must be asked: would the feds really aid and abet a jihad terror attack? Have they really become that corrupt and compromised? And the answer is: yes. Of course they would, and yes, they’re that corrupt. The evidence for this fact lies in their behavior at the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest that Pamela Geller and I organized in May 2015.

The Daily Beast wrote in August 2016 about how this undercover FBI agent encouraged the jihadis. The Beast’s Katie Zavadski wrote: “Days before an ISIS sympathizer attacked a cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, he received a text from an undercover FBI agent. ‘Tear up Texas,’ the agent messaged Elton Simpson days before he opened fire at the Draw Muhammad event, according to an affidavit (pdf) filed in federal court Thursday.”

This was not entrapment. Simpson and his partner Nadir Soofiwere determined jihadis who had scouted out other targets. Simpson, along with Soofi and another jihadi, Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, who supplied weapons to the pair and helped train them, sought information about pipe bombs and plotted to attack the Super Bowl, and planned to go to Syria to join the Islamic State (ISIS), long before anyone told him to “tear up Texas.”

But what was the FBI’s game in telling them to do that? Why didn’t they have a phalanx of agents in place, ready to stop the attack? Or did they want the attack to succeed, so that Barack Obama’s vow that “the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam” would be vividly illustrated, and intimidate any other Americans who might be contemplating defending freedom of speech into silence?

We have twice asked the FBI to conduct an investigation into this matter. They ignored us, of course. On Thursday in The Federalist, that publication’s elections correspondent, Brianna Lyman, recalled some of the curiosities of the Garland attack, about which the feds have maintained their silence for nine years now. Lyman wrote: “Radical Islamist terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar plowed his truck through a crowd in New Orleans in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, murdering 15 and injuring dozens. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now leading the investigation — the same agency in which an agent once encouraged a radical Islamist terrorist to ‘tear up Texas.’”

Lyman noted that “in 2015, local Texas police thwarted what would have been a massive terrorist attack in Garland, Texas. The saga began when the Islamic State recruited Erick Jamal Hendricks, a North Carolina man who later befriended an undercover FBI agent. Hendricks connected the FBI agent to radical Islamist terrorist Elton Simpson.”

Lyman also pointed out that “during initial discussions between Simpson and the undercover FBI agent — who has never been named in government documents — the agent told Simpson to ‘tear up Texas’ after Simpson made the agent aware of an alleged blasphemous Muhammad cartoon contest to be held at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.” Simpson and Soofi then drove eight hours from Phoenix, Arizona to Garland and opened fire in the parking lot outside our event just as it was ending.

Lyman states: “The FBI agent was present at the attack and later told Hendricks — who was not present at the attack — that he was Hendricks’ ‘eyes’ that day.” Also: “Trenton Roberts, a lawyer for security guard Bruce Joiner (who was injured in the attack), reportedly said he was ‘convinced that there is much more to this story than the FBI has admitted.’”

Oh yeah. No doubt about that. And now the same agency is going to tell us the full truth about what happened in New Orleans. How reassuring.

Musk, Ramaswamy And Republican Officials Urge House GOP To Kill Johnson’s Federal Funding Bill

(Left-center) U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) / (R-top) Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) / (R-middle) Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) / (R-bottom) U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) arrives for the Senate Republican leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
3:32 PM – Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaders in Trump’s incoming administration, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, blasted House GOP leadership on Wednesday, actively urging Republicans to kill a controversial stopgap measure to prevent a government shutdown.

“This bill should not pass,” Musk posted on his X platform.

“Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?” Musk continued, referencing an image showing the legislative text.

Ramaswamy also chimed in and explained why the new measure is unfavorable in his eyes.

“It’s full of excessive spending, special interest giveaways & pork barrel politics. If Congress wants to get serious about government efficiency, they should VOTE NO,” Ramaswamy posted on X.

“Congress has known about this deadline since they created it in late September. There’s no reason why this couldn’t have gone through the standard process, instead of being rushed to a vote right before Congressmen want to go home for the holidays. The urgency is 100% manufactured.”

Meanwhile, Johnson (R-La.) suggested that the two DOGE leaders should take into account his difficult predicament, even though both Musk and Ramaswamy chairs have widely criticized the spending patch that leadership revealed on Tuesday night.

“I was communicating with Elon last night. Elon and Vivek and I are on a text chain together, and I was explaining to them the background of this,” Johnson said on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday regarding the controversial new measure.

“Vivek and I talked last night at almost midnight, and he said, 'Look, I get it. We understand you’re in an impossible position. Everybody knows that,’” Johnson claimed.

The government will shut down Friday night unless congressional leaders act to stop a lapse. The new resolution on Tuesday would provide government funding through March 14th, 2025.

However, the 1,547-page continuing resolution (CR) is reportedly jam-packed with a variety of add-ons, including $100 billion for disaster relief, a one-year extension of the farm bill, up to $2 billion for the reconstruction of Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed earlier this year after a cargo ship collided with it, and $10 billion for farmer assistance.

Additionally, Breitbart News reported that “The (CR) released Tuesday night — negotiated on the GOP side by Johnson — includes tens of billions of dollars in waste and includes funding for controversial items, including a pay raise for members of Congress as well as a one-year extension of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which funds organizations that censor conservative media.”

 GOP officials continued to post their thoughts on the new CR.

Republicans are openly opposing Johnson’s efforts, accusing him of trying to push the bill through before the 118th Congress ends and lawmakers go home for the holidays.

The measure has angered a slew of Republicans, especially Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who argue that it should have been a clean CR and that many of the additional provisions should be discussed separately.

Legislators have also complained that they were not given enough time to read the lengthy document.

Johnson has been courting Musk and Ramaswamy since the 2024 election. Earlier this month, he invited them to the U.S. Capitol for talks with senators, he mingled with them both at Mar-a-Lago and again during one of President-elect Donald Trump’s UFC appearances.

“Remember, guys, we still have just a razor-thin margin of Republicans,” Johnson continued on “Fox & Friends.” “So any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation. They said, ‘It’s not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.’”

“We got to get this done because here’s the key: By doing this, we are clearing the decks and we are setting up for Trump to come roaring back with [the] America First agenda,” Johnson added.

At the beginning of next year, Congress will have a busy schedule as it must balance Trump’s plans with the unfinished business of federal funding for fiscal year 2025 before moving on to fiscal year 2026, which is due on October 1st, 2025.

Soon after the news broke, Trump logged on to his Truth Social platform and explained his thoughts on the matter.

“Congress is considering a spending bill that would give sweetheart provisions to government censors and for Liz Cheney. This bill would make it easier to hide the records of the corrupt January 6 committee—which accomplished nothing for the American people and hid the security failures that happened that day. The bill would also give Congress a pay increase while many Americans are struggling this Christmas. Increasing the debt ceiling is not great, but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. We should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want. Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump stated.

 

 

 

 

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“FEMA is Despicable!” – Glenn Beck RIPS Feds’ Hurricane Helene Response

What's the truth about FEMA and Hurricane Helene? Is the government really confiscating aides for the victims? Are they really not helping at all? Glenn traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, to find out for himself. He tells the infuriating story of his conversation with a lone FEMA truck in the area: "FEMA is despicable!" Instead of helping people, Glenn says, they're just setting up more red tape ... after showing up a WEEK LATE!

N.Y.C. Mayor Eric Adams Indicted On Federal Criminal Charges

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 30: Mayor Eric Adams holds an in-person media availability along with members of his staff at City Hall on July 30, 2024 in New York City. NYC Comptroller Brad Lander announced he will also challenge Adams in the 2025 primary, joining former Comptroller Scott Stringer and State Senator Zellnor Myrie. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Mayor Eric Adams holds an in-person media availability along with members of his staff at City Hall on July 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
6:48 PM – Wednesday, September 25, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/n-y-c-mayor-eric-adams-indicted-on-federal-criminal-charges/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on federal criminal charges. 

On Wednesday, Adams (D-N.Y.) was indicted, making him the first mayor in New York to be charged while in office. 

Due to the indictment being sealed, it is unclear what the charge or charges Adams is set to face.

According to reports, the indictment comes following an investigation on whether Adams conspired with the Turkish government to funnel illegal foreign donations into his coffers in exchange for pressing the Fire Department to approve a new, high-rise Turkish consulate in Midtown despite safety concerns.

There are multiple ongoing federal investigations into Adams and people affiliated with him and his administration.

The indictment comes after Adams’ police commissioner, his schools chancellor and his health commissioner all step down from their positions. 

On September 5th, FBI agents raided the homes of two of Adams’ top aides, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks.  

New York City Hall chief counsel Lisa Zornberg also resigned from her position following the resignation of former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban after the raids. 

Adams had once called himself the “the future of the Democratic Party” and the “Biden of Brooklyn.” However, the mayor’s chances of winning a second term as well as serving out the remainder of his term are in jeopardy.

According to reports, calls for the mayor’s resignation are expected. However, he has insisted that he will not resign. 

“I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became,” Mr. Adams, 64, said in a statement Wednesday night. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit.”

Jumaane Williams, the public advocate for New York City, would take over as acting mayor in the event that Adams resigned.

After emerging victorious in a special election in 2019, Williams, a left-leaning Democrat from Brooklyn, worked as a public advocate. After winning a full term reelection in 2021, he made an unsuccessful bid for governor the following year.

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

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Louisiana federal judge blocks Biden protections for trans students under Title IX in four states

By

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/06/louisiana-federal-judge-blocks-biden-protections-for-trans-students-under-title-ix-in-four-states; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

“Those states had argued that unless the rule was blocked, schools would be required to allow transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms conforming to their gender identities.” It is not “discrimination” to consider the rights and privacy of ALL students.

Texas State Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the changes were Joe Biden’s “effort to weaponize Title IX for his extremist agenda.” Paxton also said that “Threatening to withhold education funding by forcing states to accept ‘transgender’ policies that put women in danger was plainly illegal.”

Under Biden’s extension of Title IX regulations, trans activists have also been pushing for trans sports participation to be included. Interpretations of “discrimination” may also end up including the use of incorrect pronouns.

In another development involving trans youth this week, the American College of Pediatricians condemned underage gender transition.

“U.S. A judge blocks Biden's protections for transgender students in four states,” by Nate Raymond, Reuters, June 13, 2024:

A federal judge in Louisiana on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing in four states a new rule that bars schools and colleges that receive federal funding from discriminating against students based on their gender identity.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe issued a preliminary injunction barring a U.S. Department of Education rule that extended sex discrimination protections under Title IX to LGBT students from taking effect in the Republican-led states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho.

The ruling by Doughty, an appointee of Republican former President Donald Trump, appeared to be the first nationally to block the rule in response to one of the many lawsuits filed by Republican-led states and conservative litigants challenging it.

The Education Department in issuing the rule said it clarified that the prohibition against sex-based discrimination in schools and colleges that receive federal funding contained in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 also includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The department cited a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that a ban against sex discrimination in the workplace contained in a different law, Title VII, covered gay and transgender workers….