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MadAboutPolitics.com - Featured News
Featured News
Today's Political News Compilation - Wednesday, February. 12, 2025
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As DOGE hammers away at the US government, Republicans stir with quiet objections
By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKINGUpdated 12:38 PM CST, February 12, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Katie Britt has been working to make sure the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency doesn’t hit what she called “life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions,” including her state’s beloved University of Alabama.
Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran is worried that food from heartland farmers would spoil rather than be sent around the world as the U.S. Agency for International Development shutters.
And Idaho GOP Rep. Mike Simpson warns national parks could be impaired by cutbacks at the start of summer hiring in preparation for the onslaught of visitors.
“We need to have a conversation with DOGE and the administration about exactly what they’ve done here,” said Simpson, a seasoned lawmaker who sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee. “It’s a concern to all of us.” ...
READ THE FULL STORY - AP
Senator seeks watchdog inquiry into Kash Patel, alleges behind-the-scenes role in purge at FBI
A top Democratic senator has asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate after he says he received information that Kash Patel had been “personally directing the ongoing purge” of agents at the bureau.
apnews.com
Analysis: Tall tales and little transparency drive Trump and Musk’s government wrecking ball | CNN Politics
To hear Elon Musk and President Donald Trump tell it, the federal government is being abused by rapacious fraudsters spending your tax dollars.
www.cnn.comTrump's former personal lawyer defends him at a Senate hearing and decries 'partisan lawfare'
President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Todd Blanche, criticized the criminal cases against the Republican as “partisan lawfare” during his confirmation hearing to become the No. 2 Justice Department official.
apnews.com
Durbin accuses Patel of ordering FBI firings before his confirmation as FBI director and lying about it
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said he has "highly credible information" that Patel is behind the firings at the FBI, though he is not yet the FBI director.
www.cbsnews.comStock market today: Most of Wall Street sinks after inflation worsens
Most U.S. stocks fell after a report said inflation is unexpectedly worsening for Americans. The S&P 500 dropped 0.3% Wednesday, though it had been on track for a much worse loss of 1.1% at the start of trading.
apnews.com
Trump freezes U.S. law banning bribery of foreign officials
Although President Trump can't overturn the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, experts say he can change how it is enforced.
www.cbsnews.comTrump upends US policy on Ukraine and says he and Putin have agreed to begin talks on ending the war
President Donald Trump has upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine, saying he and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war.
apnews.com
GOP hardliners threaten revolt over Johnson plan to implement Trump agenda | CNN Politics
Speaker Mike Johnson’s budget plan is in trouble as multiple GOP hardliners seek last-minute changes that could risk support from the party’s centrist middle — jeopardizing leadership’s plans to kickstart President Donald Trump’s agenda in Congress.
www.cnn.com
'Ridiculous': Bondi personally strips DOJ walls of Biden, Harris, Garland portraits
Attorney General Pam Bondi called it "ridiculous" that portraits of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Merrick Garland were still hanging on the Justice Department walls three weeks into Trump's term.
USAID employees detail harrowing exits from DR Congo amid violence as Trump administration dismantles agency | CNN Politics
US Agency for International Development employees this week recounted the panic they experienced in the days after they were ordered to return from their assignments in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
www.cnn.comMusk appears at White House defending DOGE's work but acknowledging mistakes
President Donald Trump’s most powerful adviser, Elon Musk, has made a rare public appearance at the White House to defend the swift and extensive cuts he’s pushing across the federal government while acknowledging there may be mistakes.
apnews.com
Top public school teachers fear looming Department of Education changes
President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order that would call for the secretary to submit a proposal to diminish the Education Department.
'Makes sense': GOP, Dems unite behind Trump's plan to fire the penny
Democratic and Republican lawmakers spoke with Fox News Digital on Capitol Hill about whether they agree with President Donald Trump's elimination of the penny.
Judge clears way for Trump’s plan to downsize federal workforce with deferred resignation program
A federal judge has cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s plan to downsize the federal workforce with a deferred resignation program.
apnews.com
U.S. sending nonviolent, "low-risk" migrants to Guantanamo, despite vow to detain "the worst" there
While the Trump administration has highlighted transfers of dangerous criminals to Guantanamo Bay, it is also sending nonviolent, "low-risk" migrants.
www.cbsnews.com
When the pain hits home, Republicans balk at Trump's spending cuts and tariffs
From reducing NIH funding to slashing USAID to imposing new tariffs, Republican lawmakers are beginning to speak out — carefully — against some of Trump's actions.
www.nbcnews.comWhite House says it's the judges — not Trump — causing a 'constitutional crisis'
The White House says court rulings going against President Donald Trump's administration are coming from “judicial activists” on the bench whose decisions amount to a “constitutional crisis.”
apnews.com
Trump and allies ramp up attacks on judges, courts as agenda hits legal roadblocks
Trump and his allies are continuing to question judicial oversight of the executive branch, ramping up criticism of judges who've put some of his agenda on pause.
How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 2/12/2025
U.S. stocks fell after a report said inflation is unexpectedly worsening for Americans. The S&P 500 dropped 0.3% Wednesday, though it had been on track for a much worse loss of 1.1% at the start of trading.
apnews.com
Trump fires USAID inspector general who released report on impact of agency cuts
President Trump fired the USAID inspector general one day after he released a report detailing the impact of the administration's cuts to the agency.
www.cbsnews.comUS defense chief suggests Ukraine should abandon hope of winning all territory back from Russia
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says NATO membership for Ukraine is unrealistic. Speaking Wednesday to NATO allies, Hegseth also suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace settlement to be backed up by internationa
apnews.comLatest Political News Feed
Paris Gare du Nord trains halted after WW2 bomb found
The unexploded bomb was found on tracks near the station, with all trains, including the Eurostar, cancelled.
Continue reading...SpaceX rocket explodes, raining debris from sky for second time in a row
It grounded flights in Orlando, Miami and Palm Beach after debris concerns from Starship's failed launch.
Continue reading...Students now free to choose their hairstyles, Thai court rules
A 50-year-old directive that policed students' hairstyles was found to be unconstitutional.
Continue reading...Pelicots' daughter presses charges against father jailed in mass rape case
Caroline Darian - who says she is her father's "forgotten victim" - is convinced he drugged and raped her.
Continue reading...Trump signs executive order yanking security clearances of Perkins Coie lawyers
President Trump said Thursday he was moving to suspend the security clearances of attorneys at Perkins Coie, a law firm linked to Democratic-funded opposition research during the 2016 presidential campaign into any ties between Mr. Trump and Russia.
The sanction against Perkins Coie is the latest in a series of moves by Mr. Trump and his administration to target a broad cross-section of perceived adversaries, including Justice Department prosecutors, career intelligence officials and, most recently, private-practice attorneys.
"This is an absolute...
Continue reading...The sanction against Perkins Coie is the latest in a series of moves by Mr. Trump and his administration to target a broad cross-section of perceived adversaries, including Justice Department prosecutors, career intelligence officials and, most recently, private-practice attorneys.
"This is an absolute...
Teen armed with gun overpowered by passengers onboard plane
A 17-year-old has been charged after being detained by crew and members of the public on a plane in Australia.
Continue reading...Watch: SpaceX rocket spins out of control in test flight failure
The eight Starship test flight from Elon Musk's private space company did result in another successful catch of the rocket booster.
Continue reading...Creator of viral AI Trump Gaza video warns of possible dangers
The video apparently satirising a proposal to "take over" the Gaza Strip was shared by the US president on social media.
Continue reading...'You literally cannot see' - blizzard causes chaos in Iowa
A powerful winter storm has hit parts of the US midwest with strong winds and heavy snow.
Continue reading...Trump signs executive order establishing U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, marking a major shift in U.S. digital asset policy.
White House Crypto and AI Czar David Sacks, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, wrote in a post on X that the reserve will be funded exclusively with bitcoin seized in criminal and civil forfeiture cases, ensuring that taxpayers bear no financial burden.
According to estimates, the U.S. government controls approximately 200,000 bitcoin, though no full audit has ever been conducted. Trump's order...
Continue reading...White House Crypto and AI Czar David Sacks, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, wrote in a post on X that the reserve will be funded exclusively with bitcoin seized in criminal and civil forfeiture cases, ensuring that taxpayers bear no financial burden.
According to estimates, the U.S. government controls approximately 200,000 bitcoin, though no full audit has ever been conducted. Trump's order...
Trump puts new limits on Elon Musk's authority amid backlash to DOGE cuts
President Donald Trump said he told his Cabinet secretaries during a meeting Thursday that staffing decisions will be left up to them, not Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump said he instructed Cabinet members to work alongside DOGE on spending and workforce reductions while clarifying that final job cuts will be at the discretion of the department leaders.
"We just had a meeting with most of the Secretaries, Elon, and others, and it was a very positive one," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "It’s very important that...
Continue reading...Trump said he instructed Cabinet members to work alongside DOGE on spending and workforce reductions while clarifying that final job cuts will be at the discretion of the department leaders.
"We just had a meeting with most of the Secretaries, Elon, and others, and it was a very positive one," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "It’s very important that...
Trump revives practice of detaining migrant families with children
Houston, Texas — The Trump administration is reviving the controversial practice of detaining migrant families with children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, the latest front in its effort to carry out a deportation effort the president has promised will be the largest in U.S. history.
ICE on Thursday was detaining the first group of migrant parents and children in a detention facility in Texas designed to hold families with minors, according to an internal government report obtained by CBS News. The group includes three children, the...
Continue reading...ICE on Thursday was detaining the first group of migrant parents and children in a detention facility in Texas designed to hold families with minors, according to an internal government report obtained by CBS News. The group includes three children, the...
Trump says he'd be willing to release reports on assassination attempts against him: 'Could be suspicious'
President Donald Trump said he still wants answers seven months after an assassination attempt on his life during a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"I want to find the answers," the president said during an executive order signing in the White House Thursday. "I've told them. … We can no longer blame [former President Joe] Biden for that one. He should have released that a long time ago."
Gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore and critically wounded two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, in his...
Continue reading..."I want to find the answers," the president said during an executive order signing in the White House Thursday. "I've told them. … We can no longer blame [former President Joe] Biden for that one. He should have released that a long time ago."
Gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore and critically wounded two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, in his...
Censure resolutions: When to double down, and when to turn the page
Could the cover-up be bigger than the crime?
So it’s of little surprise that few people even realized that Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, appeared in the well of the House chamber and was formally admonished by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with a resolution of censure Thursday morning.
The House voted 224-198 with two members voting present to censure Green for his antics during President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress Tuesday night.
Per the resolution, Green had to present himself in the well as Johnson read the resolution before the House for...
Continue reading...So it’s of little surprise that few people even realized that Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, appeared in the well of the House chamber and was formally admonished by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with a resolution of censure Thursday morning.
The House voted 224-198 with two members voting present to censure Green for his antics during President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress Tuesday night.
Per the resolution, Green had to present himself in the well as Johnson read the resolution before the House for...