Senate Republicans confirm Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought as White House budget director
The Senate voted along party lines Thursday to confirm Russell Vought as the next head of the Office of Management and Budget despite fierce pushback from Democrats.
Although Democrats have been divided on various Trump nominees, they unified in opposition to Vought.
Democrats see Vought as the embodiment of a Trump agenda that they want to build their opposition message around — from his long-standing ties to Project 2025 to his support for slashing spending programs that benefit the middle class to his election denial.
But with just 47 Democratic votes in Congress’ upper chamber compared to Republicans’ 53-seat majority, there was little Democrats could do to prevent Vought’s nomination from sailing through to confirmation.
Click on the link for the full article
Living under Trump 2 aka Musk!!!
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/06/us/president-trump-news?smid=url-share#e37fe86e-ada6-500a-b2ed-b5803b6d64b1
A lawsuit filed tonight by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees challenges the Trump administration’s efforts to all but eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds health and development projects around the world. The lawsuit alleges that the cuts are unconstitutional, and that they violate the Administrative Procedure Act, among other statutes.
PDF of AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ) ASSOCIATION lawsuit
A lawsuit filed tonight by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees challenges the Trump administration’s efforts to all but eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds health and development projects around the world. The lawsuit alleges that the cuts are unconstitutional, and that they violate the Administrative Procedure Act, among other statutes.
PDF of AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ) ASSOCIATION lawsuit
Cantor Fitzgerald's Tether ties raise concerns as Trump nominates CEO for Commerce Secretary
Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services firm primarily owned by billionaire Trump loyalist Howard Lutnick, has been revealed to hold a nearly 5% stake in the world's largest stablecoin issuer, Tether, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
This investment positions Cantor Fitzgerald as a key player in the stablecoin market, especially given CEO Lutnick's nomination by Trump for the role of Secretary of Commerce. Lutnick is also advising Trump on federal appointments for his upcoming administration, giving him considerable influence over critical positions that could impact the cryptocurrency and stablecoin industries.
Meanwhile, Tether is reportedly under investigation by federal investigators for potential violations related to money laundering and sanctions evasion. Tether denies these allegations.
The company has also aroused concern from authorities for its lack of detailed transparency around its reserves. Moreover, its outsized role in crypto markets – particularly in frontier economies where Tether acts as a popular alternative to underperforming local currencies - has alarmed regulators who warn about its potential to pose risks to both the U.S. and the global financial system.
Cantor Fitzgerald, which has $13.2 billion in assets under management, is a major holder of Tether’s $134 billion reserves — primarily U.S. Treasurys — and provides crucial banking services to the stablecoin issuer, which has faced challenges accessing banking partners.
Lutnick has extolled the utility of stablecoins in emerging markets where trust in a central bank-issued currency has been eroded, like Argentina, Turkey and Venezuela.
With an upcoming stablecoin bill anticipated in Congress next year, Lutnick's potential influence could be instrumental in helping Tether navigate future regulatory challenges. Given the firm's deep financial ties to Tether, however, Lutnick has pledged to step down from his role as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and divest from the company.
Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services firm primarily owned by billionaire Trump loyalist Howard Lutnick, has been revealed to hold a nearly 5% stake in the world's largest stablecoin issuer, Tether, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
This investment positions Cantor Fitzgerald as a key player in the stablecoin market, especially given CEO Lutnick's nomination by Trump for the role of Secretary of Commerce. Lutnick is also advising Trump on federal appointments for his upcoming administration, giving him considerable influence over critical positions that could impact the cryptocurrency and stablecoin industries.
Meanwhile, Tether is reportedly under investigation by federal investigators for potential violations related to money laundering and sanctions evasion. Tether denies these allegations.
The company has also aroused concern from authorities for its lack of detailed transparency around its reserves. Moreover, its outsized role in crypto markets – particularly in frontier economies where Tether acts as a popular alternative to underperforming local currencies - has alarmed regulators who warn about its potential to pose risks to both the U.S. and the global financial system.
Cantor Fitzgerald, which has $13.2 billion in assets under management, is a major holder of Tether’s $134 billion reserves — primarily U.S. Treasurys — and provides crucial banking services to the stablecoin issuer, which has faced challenges accessing banking partners.
Lutnick has extolled the utility of stablecoins in emerging markets where trust in a central bank-issued currency has been eroded, like Argentina, Turkey and Venezuela.
With an upcoming stablecoin bill anticipated in Congress next year, Lutnick's potential influence could be instrumental in helping Tether navigate future regulatory challenges. Given the firm's deep financial ties to Tether, however, Lutnick has pledged to step down from his role as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and divest from the company.
Another plane down:
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2025/ ... near Nome
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2025/ ... near Nome
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A plane was reported missing near Nome late Thursday afternoon, according to officials.
Jim West, volunteer fire and ambulance chief in Nome, said a plane went down with 10 people onboard.
The plane — a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft owned by Bering Air — was reported to have been flying from Unalakleet to Nome, according to the Nome Volunteer Fire Department.
The flight took off from Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., according to Bering Air Director of Operations David Olson.
Data from FlightRadar shows a Bering Air flight last reporting info at 3:16 p.m. over the Norton Sound.
The White Mountain fire chief, Jack Adams, told Alaska’s News Source that the plane disappeared from the radar somewhere along the coast of Nome to Topkok. He also said they have crews actively searching a roughly 30-mile stretch in that area.
“They’re prepared to be out all night, they will search here until they find them or somebody else finds them,” Adams said. “If they don’t find anything, we’ll probably rally another crew to go and help.”
Adams said the sea ice is “kind of jumbled” and hard to traverse, so the ground crews are traveling on the Iditarod trail to search.
“We’re hoping [the plane] is on land, being in the water would be the worst-case scenario,” he said.
Alaska State Troopers reported in a dispatch that the flight had nine passengers and one pilot onboard. Troopers said they were contacted by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at 4 p.m. regarding the missing plane.
The volunteer department stated it was conducting an active ground search from the communities of Nome and White Mountain, but weather and visibility issues are restricting the air search.
“Word is, all the aircraft are grounded, there’s zero visibility. Basically, you can’t see anything from the air or the ground, and in the dark looking for something in zero visibility is a tough job,” Adams said.
A Nome search and rescue group on snowmachines and other vehicles are preparing to respond to the site, West said.
Trump administration disbands taskforce targeting Russian oligarchs
The US justice department under Donald Trump is disbanding an effort started after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to enforce sanctions and target oligarchs close to the Kremlin.
A memo from the attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued during a wave of orders on her first day in office but not previously reported, said the effort, known as Task Force KleptoCapture, will end as part of a shift in focus and funding to combating drug cartels and international gangs.
“This policy requires a fundamental change in mindset and approach,” Bondi wrote in the directive on Wednesday, adding that resources now devoted to enforcing sanctions and seizing the assets of oligarchs would be redirected to countering cartels.
The effort, launched during Joe Biden’s administration, was designed to strain the finances of wealthy associates of Vladimir Putin and punish those facilitating sanctions and export control violations.
It was part of a broader push to freeze Russia out of global markets and enforce wide-ranging sanctions imposed on Moscow amid international condemnation of its war on Ukraine.
The taskforce brought indictments against the aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and TV tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev for alleged sanctions busting, and seized yachts belonging to the sanctioned oligarchs Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg.
It also secured a guilty plea against a US lawyer who made $3.8m in payments to maintain properties owned by Vekselberg.
Click on the link for the full article
The US justice department under Donald Trump is disbanding an effort started after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to enforce sanctions and target oligarchs close to the Kremlin.
A memo from the attorney general, Pam Bondi, issued during a wave of orders on her first day in office but not previously reported, said the effort, known as Task Force KleptoCapture, will end as part of a shift in focus and funding to combating drug cartels and international gangs.
“This policy requires a fundamental change in mindset and approach,” Bondi wrote in the directive on Wednesday, adding that resources now devoted to enforcing sanctions and seizing the assets of oligarchs would be redirected to countering cartels.
The effort, launched during Joe Biden’s administration, was designed to strain the finances of wealthy associates of Vladimir Putin and punish those facilitating sanctions and export control violations.
It was part of a broader push to freeze Russia out of global markets and enforce wide-ranging sanctions imposed on Moscow amid international condemnation of its war on Ukraine.
The taskforce brought indictments against the aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and TV tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev for alleged sanctions busting, and seized yachts belonging to the sanctioned oligarchs Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg.
It also secured a guilty plea against a US lawyer who made $3.8m in payments to maintain properties owned by Vekselberg.
Click on the link for the full article
Marco Rubio Humiliated And Forced to Backpedal on Panama Canal Lie
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to backtrack on a false claim he made about Panama allowing American ships to transit its canal for free. Initially, Rubio stated that the Panama government would waive fees for U.S. vessels, a claim that was quickly shot down by Panama’s government.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State had issued a statement announcing that Panama had “agreed to no longer charge fees for U.S. government vessels to transit the Panama Canal.” However, Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, swiftly accused Rubio of spreading “lies and falsehoods,” condemning the statement as “simply and plainly intolerable.”
By Friday, Rubio had changed his stance, admitting the U.S. had only “expectations” that Panama would stop charging for canal use, not a confirmed agreement. “Those are our expectations. They were clear. They were clearly understood in those conversations,” Rubio clarified.
Mulino responded angrily, noting that U.S. government vessels, including navy ships, pay around “$6-7m [£4.8-5.6m] a year” for passage, dismissing the notion that such fees pose any significant financial strain on the United States. “It’s not as if the canal toll is breaking the economy of the United States,” he added.
Click on the link for the full article
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to backtrack on a false claim he made about Panama allowing American ships to transit its canal for free. Initially, Rubio stated that the Panama government would waive fees for U.S. vessels, a claim that was quickly shot down by Panama’s government.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State had issued a statement announcing that Panama had “agreed to no longer charge fees for U.S. government vessels to transit the Panama Canal.” However, Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, swiftly accused Rubio of spreading “lies and falsehoods,” condemning the statement as “simply and plainly intolerable.”
By Friday, Rubio had changed his stance, admitting the U.S. had only “expectations” that Panama would stop charging for canal use, not a confirmed agreement. “Those are our expectations. They were clear. They were clearly understood in those conversations,” Rubio clarified.
Mulino responded angrily, noting that U.S. government vessels, including navy ships, pay around “$6-7m [£4.8-5.6m] a year” for passage, dismissing the notion that such fees pose any significant financial strain on the United States. “It’s not as if the canal toll is breaking the economy of the United States,” he added.
Click on the link for the full article
‘BACK TO PLASTIC!’: Trump says he’ll reverse Biden initiative to phase out plastic straws
President Donald Trump said Friday he would sign an executive order next week to undo a Biden-era plan to phase out plastic straws by 2027.
“BACK TO PLASTIC!” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. Paper straws, he continued, “don’t work.”
Click on the link for the full article
Trump is a moron. He thinks the only alternative to plastic straws is paper straws. I agree paper straws suck, but nowadays there are other alternatives, including plant-based biodegradable straws. I won't sweat this one to much because I think, even without the Biden initiative, companies will eventually phase out plastic straws on their own.
President Donald Trump said Friday he would sign an executive order next week to undo a Biden-era plan to phase out plastic straws by 2027.
“BACK TO PLASTIC!” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. Paper straws, he continued, “don’t work.”
Click on the link for the full article
Trump is a moron. He thinks the only alternative to plastic straws is paper straws. I agree paper straws suck, but nowadays there are other alternatives, including plant-based biodegradable straws. I won't sweat this one to much because I think, even without the Biden initiative, companies will eventually phase out plastic straws on their own.
Last edited by China on Fri Feb 07, 2025 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Too bad people can't be given the option for plastic or paper straws at restaurants and such. I personally prefer plastic as I am on the road a lot and my large cold coffee with a paper straw doesn't last as long. If you are going to drink your drink in less than 5 mins then the paper straw is okay. I take my time to go through the coffee as I am driving. So in my case plastic is hell of a lot better.
-
DCSaints_fan
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2024 1:52 pm
- Reactions score: 19