Astronauts brought back to Earth
Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams were brought back to Earth yesterday after spending more than nine months on the International Space Station. Their mission was extended when problems were discovered with the Boeing space capsule that had delivered them to the space station. It was felt that having them ride the Boeing capsule back to Earth would be too risky so they had to wait until a different capsule could be used. The astronauts were reported to be in good spirits and were not showing adverse effects from their extended stay in space.
White House says call with Putin was a success even though he rejected peace deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin kept Donald Trump waiting for about an hour before he got on the phone call that had been scheduled between the two presidents. When the two did talk, Putin refused to accept the ceasefire deal that the U.S. was proposing and to which Ukraine had already agreed. Putin did agree to pause Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’ electric grid and other infrastructure for 30 days. The White House called the telephone call a success. Both Ukraine and Russia reported that attacks on each other continued today, with the Russians still targeting Ukrainian electrical infrastructure.
Roberts defends rule of law
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in a rare statement, yesterday rebuked Donald Trump’s call to impeach judges who have issued decisions Trump doesn’t like. Roberts did not mention Trump by name, but did declare that impeachment is not an appropriate response when there’s a disagreement over a judge’s decision. Trump most recently called for impeaching Federal Judge James Boasberg who has ruled against the Trump Administration in is deportation and imprisonment in El Salvador of about 200 Venezuelan immigrants without giving them due process.
Judge says what Musk did likely was unconstitutional
Federal District Court Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland says that what Elon Musk did in shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) exceeded his authority and likely was unconstitutional. The judge ordered the Trump Administration to fully restore USAID to the way it was before Musk began dismantling it. The judge blocked Musk and his computer people from sharing any sensitive information they took from USAID’s computer systems.
Social Security sets start date for new identification requirements
The Social Security Administration says that its new plan that is expected to generate 4.1 million additional annual in-person visits to Social Security offices will go into effect March 31. At the same time it is requiring more people to visit Social Security offices rather than deal with the agency over the phone, it is closing many offices around the country and cutting phone service at others. Connecticut Congressman John Larson said today the move is so Musk and Trump can create chaos and inefficiency in Social Security to support their plan to privatize it.
Judge restores funding for fighting climate change
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkin in Washington has restored, at least temporarily, funding to support environmental programs that was cut by Donald Trump’s personnel at the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump’s people ended approximately $14 billion in grants to three environmental nonprofits that included programs to combat climate change. Trump’s Justice Department opened investigations into the grants to help justify making the cuts. Judge Chutkin criticized the Justice Department for not producing any facts to justify cutting the grants nor to justify starting its investigations.
