Job cuts taking place at federal health agencies
Employees at federal health agencies began receiving termination notices this morning. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services, announced that he’s reorganizing the way the agencies under HSS do business and as part of that he will be eliminating 10,000 employees. The firings that began today affect the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Booker speech entered 13th hour
Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey at 8 a.m. began his 13th hour of continuous speaking on the floor of the Senate. Booker vowed to speak for as long as he can in an effort to shut down operations of the Senate as a protest to Donald Trump’s efforts to seize power from Congress and the judiciary. Booker said that Trump and his top campaign donor Elon Musk have a complete disregard for the rule of law, the U..S. Constitution and the American people.
European countries ready to retaliate over tariffs
European Commission Chief Executive Ursula von der Leyen said today in Brussels that the European countries are ready to retaliate against the U.S. once Donald Trump puts his new tariffs into effect. Trump was said to be planning to announce details of his new tariffs tomorrow. Leyen said the Europeans have a strong plan to strike back against the U.S. and that Europe did not start the confrontation. She said that the European Union is open to negotiations.
White House admits to firing more than 50 at Justice Department
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement admits that the White House, in coordination with the Justice Department, has fired more than 50 U.S. attorneys and deputies. The White House in the past has not directly fired Justice Department workers since the department traditionally was insulated from politics. The firings follow on the heels of prosecutors who worked on cases involving Donald Trump being fired as were Justice Department employees who handled cases involving the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump Administration continues targeting educational institutions
After having gotten Columbia University to make changes it wanted by threatening to pull billions in federal funding, the Trump Administration now has targeted Harvard University. Almost $9 billion in federal contracts and grants are at risk as the administration demands that the university adopt its interpretation of civil rights laws. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon says that Harvard has put too much emphasis on diversity, equality and inclusion. A federal lawsuit filed by the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers seeks to stop the administration from going after colleges and universities.
Hooters files for bankruptcy
The restaurant chain Hooters has filed for bankruptcy in federal court in Texas. Hooters owns and operates 151 restaurants and franchisees operate another 154 locations. The company said that during the bankruptcy proceeding it expects the restaurants to remain open and operate normally. It expects to sell the company-owned and operated restaurants to a group formed by two franchisees that operate 14 locations. Hooters was founded in 1983.
