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Tag: Donald Trump
February 18, 2025
News

DOGE Saves Taxpayers Billions in First Month.

President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced it has saved American taxpayers an estimated $55 billion over the first month of his second presidential term. The savings, reported on the doge.gov website, are based on data up to February 17 and are attributed to fraud detection, contract cancellations, asset sales, and regulatory reforms.

Key savings were identified at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education (USAID), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Notable cuts include canceled contracts for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training and corporate media subscription services, such as POLITICO Pro.

Elon Musk, at the helm of DOGE as a special government employee and senior adviser to President Trump, has faced public backlash, particularly from Democratic protestors. Detractors view Musk as an unelected figure with excessive influence over federal operations. However, in a court filing, the White House clarified Musk’s role, stating he is not the DOGE Service Administrator and holds the same authority as other senior advisers, without independent decision-making power in government matters.

President Trump has vocally endorsed Musk’s contributions to reducing government wastage, framing the efforts as a realization of his election promises to cut spending and federal workforce size. In a statement last week, Trump highlighted the importance of identifying and eliminating “fraud and abuse.”

Additionally, President Trump continues to express confidence in Musk’s work with DOGE. Along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and border czar Tom Homan, Musk is a major figure in Trump’s initiative to overhaul the federal government’s handling of contracts, immigration, and spending.

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President Donald J. Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced it has saved American taxpayers an estimated $55 billion over the first month of his second presidential term. The savings, reported on the doge.gov website, are based on data up to February 17 and are attributed to fraud detection, contract cancellations, asset sales, and regulatory reforms. show more
February 18, 2025
News

New Trump Executive Order Seeks to Expand IVF Access.

On Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump issued a new executive order to expand access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The signing occurred at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach. According to the directive, federal agencies will investigate the implementation of greater protections on IVF access and ways to reduce the cost of the procedures for families.

The executive order instructs the Domestic Policy Council to develop strategies to make IVF and similar fertility treatments more financially accessible to Americans. President Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated that the order will significantly reduce out-of-pocket expenses for the costly fertility procedure, which can exceed $25,000 per cycle for some families.

During the Mar-a-Lago press conference, Trump’s senior aide, Will Scharf, explained that the order was necessary because many Americans find current IVF costs prohibitive. The policy move comes as President Trump navigates complex discussions on reproductive health, particularly among Evangelical Republicans and women. According to the Trump White House, the order—in part—seeks to help reverse declining fertility and birth rates among Americans.

The executive order was framed as part of Trump’s broader approach to reproductive health issues, which has previously focused on leaving decisions about abortion and embryonic rights to individual states. This position gained attention following an Alabama court ruling last year that classified frozen embryos as children, raising potential legal implications for those who destroy them.

Some Republican constituencies publicly oppose IVF procedures. Catholic opposition to IVF arises from the Church’s stance against practices involving the destruction of embryos. Several Evangelical and conservative Protestant organizations hold similar stances.

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On Tuesday, President Donald J. Trump issued a new executive order to expand access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The signing occurred at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach. According to the directive, federal agencies will investigate the implementation of greater protections on IVF access and ways to reduce the cost of the procedures for families. show more
February 18, 2025
Education
Politics

Education Department Cuts $600M from DEI Teacher Training.

President Donald J. Trump‘s Department of Education is moving to enact significant cuts in the allocation of federal grants that are funding training programs for teachers focused on topics such as critical race theory, social justice activism, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Under the Biden government, these funds were allocated to organizations and nonprofit groups that work to educate teachers on how to push anti-racism and ‘deconstruct’ supposed white privilege and supremacy. Additionally, the grant money appears to have supported hiring practices emphasizing a candidate’s racial background.

Critics of these programs, such as Erika Sanzi from Parents Defending Education, argue that such training emphasizes race and gender as central criteria for assessing individuals, potentially leading to the integration of these ideas into classroom practices and policies.

“It’s hard to overstate how radical these teacher trainings are—we are talking about forcing teachers to talk about their race at work, asking educators to ‘take personal and institutional responsibility for systemic inequities,’ promoting abolitionist teaching practices and defining equity as equal outcomes,” Sanzi said in a statement, adding: “And not for nothing but all we see are declining outcomes for the students that these trainings purport to help most.”

The Department of Education, in announcing the cuts, noted the programs funded included materials encouraging educators to take responsibility for so-called systemic inequities such as racism, and providing professional development on cultural competence and dismantling racial biases. Additionally, the training sought to build an understanding of racial and sociopolitical histories to combat student marginalization.

These funding reductions are part of President Trump’s broader efforts to identify and cut government waste, fraud, and abuse. Additional recent cuts include $900 million from the Institute of Education Sciences and more than $350 million from Regional Educational Laboratories and Equity Assistance Centers.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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President Donald J. Trump's Department of Education is moving to enact significant cuts in the allocation of federal grants that are funding training programs for teachers focused on topics such as critical race theory, social justice activism, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Under the Biden government, these funds were allocated to organizations and nonprofit groups that work to educate teachers on how to push anti-racism and 'deconstruct' supposed white privilege and supremacy. Additionally, the grant money appears to have supported hiring practices emphasizing a candidate's racial background. show more
February 18, 2025
News
Science

Scientists Call for Elon Musk’s Ban from UK Science Club.

Elon Musk faces expulsion from the Royal Society, a prominent British scientific institution, due to his association with and work for U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, among other companies, has been a Fellow since 2018. However, more than 2,700 scientists have signed an open letter calling for his removal, citing violations of the Society’s code of conduct.

Biologist Stephen Curry authored the letter, highlighting concerns about Musk’s shift towards right-wing politics and his behavior online. Musk has been criticized for associating with alleged conspiracy theories, targeting figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci, and labeling British politician Jess Phillips an apologist for Muslim rape gangs. His involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump’s administration also drew scrutiny for its alleged impact on scientific research.

The Royal Society has scheduled a meeting on March 3 to discuss the conduct of Fellows and public pronouncements. The Society, founded in 1660, is home to many distinguished scientific figures—though more recently, the organization has become increasingly partisan. Recent resignations include those of Oxford psychologist Dorothy Bishop and Edinburgh biologist Andrew Miller, both protesting Musk’s behavior and the Society’s inaction.

Bishop voiced discomfort with being associated with the organization due to Musk‘s conduct, while Miller criticized the Society’s failure to address so-called “disinformation.” However, an anonymous Society member has expressed concern about the potential for the organization to appear hypocritical if it disciplines Musk alone.

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Elon Musk faces expulsion from the Royal Society, a prominent British scientific institution, due to his association with and work for U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, among other companies, has been a Fellow since 2018. However, more than 2,700 scientists have signed an open letter calling for his removal, citing violations of the Society's code of conduct. show more
February 18, 2025
News

Boeing’s New Air Force One Faces Potential Delays Until 2029 or Later.

Boeing’s work to develop the new Air Force One presidential aircraft could be delayed until 2029 or even much later. A senior White House official says Boeing’s ongoing supply chain challenges are causing production delays. The updated aircraft was originally slated for completion last year.

The supply chain problems are, for the most part, caused by a number of manufacturers critical to component supply for the aircraft having ceased operations. Known as the VC-25B, the new Air Force One aircraft has already seen its delivery date postponed several times, being pushed to 2027, then 2028, and now 2029.

The Air Force One program is of significant national interest, as the aircraft is the primary mode of air transportation for the President of the United States. President Donald J. Trump has pushed for an expedited delivery schedule during his administration, urging faster program completion.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has scheduled a meeting with Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to explore the possibility of accelerating the production timeline. Ortberg expressed the company’s commitment to meeting White House expectations, stating, “The President wants those planes sooner, so we’re working with Elon to see what we can do to pull up the schedule of those programs.”

The discussion between Boeing and Musk aims to identify potential strategies for overcoming the current supply chain setbacks. Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, among other companies, has experience dealing with supply chain and component problems and may be able to help Boeing work out alternative solutions.

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Boeing's work to develop the new Air Force One presidential aircraft could be delayed until 2029 or even much later. A senior White House official says Boeing's ongoing supply chain challenges are causing production delays. The updated aircraft was originally slated for completion last year. show more
February 18, 2025
William Upton
News
War
World

Zelensky Throws Toys From Pram, Cancels Peace Talks Appearance.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is canceling his expected appearance at peace talks with Russian officials to be held in Saudi Arabia and moderated by the United States. Zelensky instead announced on Tuesday he would depart Ankara, Turkey, where he was holding meetings with Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and head home to Ukraine.

“For Europe, it is fundamentally important that any talks on ending the war do not happen behind the backs of the key parties involved, who are affected by the consequences of Russia’s aggression,” Zelensky said in a press conference on Tuesday in Ankara. He continued: “Ukraine, and in the broader sense Europe, Turkey, and Great Britain, must be involved in the talks and in working out the necessary security guarantees, together with America, that concern our destiny in our part of the world.”

“For a lasting peace, it is important not to make any mistakes. It is only possible when the talks are just,” Zelensky added.

Between the lines, Zelensky’s 11th-hour decision to skip the Saudi Arabia talks is partly due to his desire to bring other pro-Ukrainian countries into the negotiations. Zelensky appears intent on ensuring that the United Kingdom and Turkey are party to any peace discussions, which appears to be aimed at reducing the United States’ influence on these discussions. Zelensky and U.S. President Donald J. Trump have had a strained relationship, with the latter suspecting Zelensky of being unrealistic regarding his country’s position in its ongoing U.S.-sponsored defense against Russia’s invasion.

The National Pulse has previously reported that President Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have agreed to a series of meetings as the former continues to push the Russians to end their war with Ukraine.

Image by European Union 2023– Source: EP.

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is canceling his expected appearance at peace talks with Russian officials to be held in Saudi Arabia and moderated by the United States. Zelensky instead announced on Tuesday he would depart Ankara, Turkey, where he was holding meetings with Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and head home to Ukraine. show more
February 18, 2025
Economy

Unemployment SKYROCKETS in D.C. as Bureaucrats Are Booted by DOGE.

Since the start of the year, nearly 4,000 individuals have sought unemployment insurance in Washington, D.C.—a significant increase from prior weeks, based on data from the Labor Department. This comes amidst efforts by President Donald J. Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk to reduce the federal workforce.

Unadjusted for seasonality, D.C. has reported approximately 7,000 jobless claims in the first six weeks of the year, marking a 55 percent growth compared to the previous six-week span.

Claims hit 1,780 for the last reported week, increasing 36 percent from the week before and over four times the claims from a similar period in 2024. However, national jobless claim levels have remained stable, with the four-week average maintaining at 216,000 and showing a downward trend overall.

Contributing factors include the Trump administration’s directive to terminate numerous federal employees, with guidance from DOGE. Layoffs coupled with a large-scale buyout program for early retirements have played a role. Over 75,000 workers have accepted these offers.

Washington, D.C.’s unemployment rate was 5.5 percent as of December 2024—when Joe Biden was still in office—putting it among the nation’s highest, per Bureau of Labor Statistics data. In contrast, the broader metropolitan area had a lower rate of 2.7 percent. Nationwide, unemployment was 4.1 percent in December, declining slightly in January.

The D.C. housing market is also being affected and corrected after years of unsustainable growth. Thousand of properties have sprung up for sale or rental in the past few weeks, with prices reflecting people desperate to sell.

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Since the start of the year, nearly 4,000 individuals have sought unemployment insurance in Washington, D.C.—a significant increase from prior weeks, based on data from the Labor Department. This comes amidst efforts by President Donald J. Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk to reduce the federal workforce. show more
February 15, 2025
William Upton
World

Who Controls Gaza? It’s Complicated…

While President Donald J. Trump is proposing the United States take temporary control of the Gaza Strip to clear it of unexploded ordnance, remove ruble, and redevelop the land—and possibly displace the territory’s Palestinian residents—it isn’t clear who exactly the U.S. would be taking the land from. A nebulous series of treaties—some dating to the Ottoman Empire—conflicting land claims, and a breakdown in civil society and governance has left the Gaza Strip a patchwork of private and public landholdings with no apparent governing authority.

Ostensibly, the Gaza Strip—which hugs the Mediterranian coast between Israel and Egypt—is controlled by the Islamist Hamas terrorist group, which seized control of the territory in 2007. Previously, the Gaza Strip—in accordance with the Oslo Accords—was governed by the Palestinian Authority, which also administers the West Bank territory between Israel and Jordan. The Palestinian Authority still maintains that it is rightfully the governing authority in the territory, though it currently has no effective presence there.

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) considers the Gaza Strip to be occupied by Israel—a position the international body has held since 1967. A United States move to extend authority over the Gaza Strip would likely have to include agreements with at least three parties who are all hostile towards each other: Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and Israel.

BUT WHO OWNS THE LAND ITSELF?

When it comes to the physical land of the Gaza Strip itself, it is estimated about half the territory is owned privately, another one-third of the land is considered public but mostly occupied by individuals for private use, and most of the remainder is reserved for Islamic religious institutions. Even then, a large swath of the privately held land is unregistered—with the actual legal ownership unclear.

Complicating matters further is the current state of the Gaza Strip following Israel’s military incursion aimed at removing Hamas. The United Nations estimates at least 70 percent of the structures in the territory have either been destroyed or cannot be safely occupied. Nearly of a quarter million homes are believed to have been leveled, and it is thought that the over 50 million tons of rubble will take decades to clear.

Any attempt to exert governing authority and rebuild the Gaza Strip will face not just tremendous security obstacles—given the radical Islamist presence in the region—but will also face a Gordian Knot of land claims, governance claims, and other disputes, some of which date back centuries.

Image by Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa)/APAimages.

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While President Donald J. Trump is proposing the United States take temporary control of the Gaza Strip to clear it of unexploded ordnance, remove ruble, and redevelop the land—and possibly displace the territory's Palestinian residents—it isn't clear who exactly the U.S. would be taking the land from. A nebulous series of treaties—some dating to the Ottoman Empire—conflicting land claims, and a breakdown in civil society and governance has left the Gaza Strip a patchwork of private and public landholdings with no apparent governing authority. show more
February 14, 2025
Jack Montgomery
Immigration
World

Trump Says Vance Is Right, Europe Is Losing Free Speech and Overrun by Migrant Crime.

President Donald J. Trump has backed Vice President J.D. Vance’s “brilliant speech” at the Munich Security Conference slamming Europe’s eroding free speech rights and mismanagement of mass migration, saying, “I think it’s true; in Europe, they’re losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. I see it.”

“Europe has to be careful,” the America First leader told journalists in the Oval Office. “[Vance] talked about immigration, and Europe has a big immigration problem. Just take a look at what’s happened with crime,” he added.

In some European countries, migrants and their second and third-generation descendants account for a majority of terrorists and an outsized share of criminals. For instance, data disclosed by Germany‘s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) revealed that migrants are now implicated in 58.5 percent of all violent crimes.

Vance had said in his speech earlier on Friday, “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor. And what I worry about is the threat from within.”

“Europe faces many challenges, but the crisis this continent faces right now, the crisis I believe we all face together, is one of our own making,” he added.

WATCH:

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President Donald J. Trump has backed Vice President J.D. Vance's "brilliant speech" at the Munich Security Conference slamming Europe's eroding free speech rights and mismanagement of mass migration, saying, "I think it's true; in Europe, they're losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. I see it." show more
February 14, 2025
Politics

Trump Administration Set to Fire Over 5,000 HHS Employees.

The Trump administration plans to cut approximately 5,200 probationary federal employees across agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) starting on Friday. The agencies impacted include the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notably, the Atlanta-based CDC will see around 1,300 workers dismissed.

Friday morning, senior officials at HHS were informed that the layoffs will primarily affect probationary employees—hired within the last two years. Under federal labor agreements, workers still on probation are easier to dismiss than those who have worked for the government for several years or more. Concurrently, an unspecified group of contract workers at the CDC and other Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including several at the Vaccine Research Center at NIH, have learned their employment will be terminated.

Those federal workers slated for layoffs will receive a month of paid leave. However, HHS officials have been directed to shut off access to work systems for those dismissed by the end of the day.

These staff reductions align with broader governmental workforce reductions currently underway. President Donald J. Trump recently authorized federal worker buyouts and mandatory return-to-work protocols; the deadline for federal workers to accept the former has since passed.

New HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed intentions to overhaul federal health agencies, suggesting that entire departments at the FDA are in his sights. In a social media post, Kennedy urged FDA employees to prepare for departure and maintain records.

HHS oversees more than 80,000 employees, including over 18,000 at NIH, which manages a $47 billion research budget. The CDC similarly employs 13,000 workers and has an annual budget of $9.2 billion.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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The Trump administration plans to cut approximately 5,200 probationary federal employees across agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) starting on Friday. The agencies impacted include the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Notably, the Atlanta-based CDC will see around 1,300 workers dismissed. show more