Extreme Commanders

‘Must cover the costs’: Trump directs DOJ to ‘enforce’ a rule of civil procedure and seek security bonds from ‘activist’ groups that win injunctions against the government

As courtroom losses pile up in myriad cases and controversies, the Trump administration is now looking to amass a collection of tentative money judgments in its favor that would come due later on down the line — if and when the government’s defeats are overturned on appeal.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum “directing federal agencies to enforce a rule mandating financial guarantees from parties requesting” injunctions or restraining orders in lawsuits, according to a White House fact sheet about the policy.

In the memo, U.S. Department of Justice attorneys are now directed, in all cases going forward, to “demand that parties seeking injunctions against” the administration “must cover the costs and damages incurred” if the government is “ultimately found to have been wrongfully enjoined or restrained” by a lower court.

The memo, on its own terms, aims to curb the power of “activist organizations fueled by hundreds of millions of dollars in donations” and “activist judges” by pushing back against “frivolous litigation.”

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Trump says he wrote to Iran and wants to negotiate nuclear weapons deal

Donald Trump has said he wants to negotiate a new deal with Iran to prevent its development of nuclear weapons and sent a letter to its leaders saying he hoped they would open talks.

It is the first practical step taken by the US president to see if new negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme are possible.

Trump pulled the US out of the previous agreement – which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief – in 2018, and since then Tehran has built a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that is enough for use in multiple nuclear weapons.

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So he wants to fix a problem he created in the first place? Brilliant!

Canadians are finding ways to deal with a Trump presidency:

MOOSEHEAD: THE PRESIDENTIAL PACK

$2,477.00

1,461 473mL cans of Moosehead. Just enough Canadian Lagers to get through a full presidential term.

The Presidential Pack is only available to customers in NB, NS, & ON.

Republicans quiet as DOGE slashes GOP-backed pro-democracy group

In 2019, GOP Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida spoke at an elegant event celebrating the work of the Ronald Reagan-founded International Republican Institute, saying he was “so proud” to support the group and hailing fellow hawks Nikki Haley and Sen. John McCain in the audience.

But as secretary of state, Rubio did not spare the group from President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Both threaten to sweep away the organization and the broader universe of U.S. democracy-promoting work.

With its funds frozen, the IRI has furloughed most of its staff and started shuttering its overseas offices. It’s a turn of events that has shocked IRI staff and called into question the future of bipartisan aid work.

“Once Rubio was appointed [secretary of state], a lot of people felt safe,” said one former IRI staffer, who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing future job opportunities. “People thought the relationship was quite close and he’d be able to assist.”

But the group’s power-packed GOP board, which included Rubio until two months ago, was not enough to spare the IRI the U.S. DOGE Service’s chainsaw, raising questions about the influence of Republican hawks in an “America First” administration that is quickly reshaping alliances and the world order. (DOGE stands for Department of Government Efficiency and aims to reduce the size of the government.)

In the space of a few weeks, the United States voted with North Korea against a European-backed United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump branded Ukraine’s leader a “dictator” and fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the new defense secretary proposed steep cuts to his agency’s budget.

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The fate of bipartisan programs working to advance democracy abroad and counter the influence of China and Russia are now in question, even as many Republican senators still say they support the use of “soft power” as one tool of American might.

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In related news...

Explosive Argument Breaks Out Between Elon Musk and Marco Rubio At Cabinet Meeting: Report

An explosive argument erupted between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and tech billionaire Elon Musk during a tense Cabinet meeting hosted by President Trump, a new report reveals.

Musk, the world’s richest person and head of several major companies, took aim at Rubio, accusing the former senator of failing to reduce the workforce at the State Department. Musk claimed Rubio was “good on TV” but not much else, according to The New York Times, which cited interviews with five people familiar with the meeting.

Rubio, who has been frustrated with Musk for a while, particularly after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) proposed closing the U.S. Agency for International Development, strongly pushed back on Musk’s criticisms, questioning whether the 1,500 State Department employees who took early retirement should be brought back just to be fired again in order to count as layoffs.

As the tension in the room grew, President Trump stepped in to defend Rubio. He praised the Secretary of State’s work, noting how demanding his schedule was with media appearances and overseeing the State Department. Trump said Rubio was doing a “great job” under challenging circumstances.

When asked about the argument on Friday, Trump downplayed the clash, saying, “No clash, I was there, you’re just a troublemaker.” He added, “Elon gets along great with Marco, and they’re both doing a fantastic job.”

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DOGE layoffs may ‘overwhelm’ unemployment system for federal workers, report finds

The Trump administration’s purge of federal staff may flood an unemployment benefits system ill-equipped to handle the deluge, triggering delays in aid for jobless workers, according to a new report.

The terminations of federal workers by the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency — headed up by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk — may ultimately stretch into the hundreds of thousands. That would amount to the largest mass layoff in U.S. history.

The scale of cuts would likely “overwhelm” the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees, or UCFE, program, the “rarely utilized and creaky” system most federal workers use to claim unemployment benefits, according to a report by The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank.

The result would likely be longer time frames to collect financial aid that’s meant to help workers stay afloat and prevent them from depleting savings as they look for new jobs, said Andrew Stettner, the group’s director of economy and jobs, who co-authored the analysis.

“We’re already hearing it’s taking a long time for people to get their benefits,” said Stettner, former director of unemployment insurance modernization at the U.S. Labor Department during the Biden administration. “And it will probably only get worse.”

The Department of Labor oversees the UCFE program, which is administered by state unemployment agencies.

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Trump pressured to make Puerto Rico independent to save America $617 billion

Donald Trump is being lobbied to make Puerto Rico an independent nation and save American taxpayers $617.8 billion, DailyMail.com has learned.

At least two congressional offices are in possession of a seven-page draft 'executive order' on how the U.S. can help the island territory transition to independence.

One individual familiar with the document's origins said at least two members of Congress have a copy of the draft, which DailyMail.com has obtained and reviewed.

A source familiar with the document's existence disclosed that it is also in the possession of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and potentially other Cabinet secretaries.

Staffers for the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee and a staffer for Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) have already held or scheduled meetings about the draft executive order.

The committee has jurisdiction over issues relating to Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. But committee officials did not reply to a request for comment.

The order appears to have been drawn up by a congressional office and leaders of Puerto Rico secessionist efforts, and not the White House.

But it is a clear effort to apply pressure on the White House to transition Puerto Rico out of its current status as a U.S. territory.

Trump has not indicated that he wants to rid the U.S. of the territory.

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I don’t think Columbia needed the money anyhow.

If they didn’t eat all the cats, we wouldn’t have this transgender mice problem.