Voices, The Peoples News
February 12, 2025
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net
# Indigenous
Lawmakers advance bill requiring SD schools to teach Native American history, culture
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/lawmakers-advance-bill-requiring-sd-schools-to-teach-native-american-history-culture/
# Border / Immigration / Migrants / Gangs / Drugs
Coast Guard intercepts ‘overloaded’ boat filled with migrants, ships them straight back home
https://www.aol.com/overloaded-boat-packed-132-haitian-192019547.html
# Chemicals / Herbicides / Pesticides / Bugs
# Children / Youth
House kills bill to participate in summer food program for kids. Wyoming elected officials have again declined an opportunity to participate in a federal program to assist income-qualified children with summer food needs.
https://www.wyomingnewsnow.tv/news/state/house-kills-bill-to-participate-in-summer-food-program-for-kids/article_44a7a06f-f5ae-5d1a-b6e3-12f8969af079.html
# DEI [Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion]
There is a DEI dilemma taking place across Corporate America
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/03/nx-s1-5281168/corporate-america-dei-trump-diversity-business-stakeholder-capitalism
# DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency]
Tomi Lahren: The Swamp Is Freaking Out About DOGE Because They Know The Grift Is Over
https://radio.foxnews.com/2025/02/11/tomi-lahren-the-swamp-is-freaking-out-about-doge-because-they-know-the-grift-is-over/
Elon Musk Asked Four Times If There Are Any Conflicts of Interests Between His Businesses and DOGE. Companies owned by Musk currently have billions of dollars worth of contracts with the federal government. Critics of the world’s richest man exerting such influence over federal spending as an unelected official have argued that he has clear conflicts of interest, but the Trump administration has insisted it will be fine for Musk to police himself on these matters.
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/elon-musk-asked-four-times-if-there-are-any-conflicts-of-interests-between-his-businesses-and-doge/
DOGE order triggers firings at Small Business Administration (SBA) of employees prematurely fired Friday. Federal workers who mistakenly got termination notices last week got real ones Tuesday just hours after the president’s executive order.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/11/sba-employees-fired-by-doge-twice-00203750
‘Most consequential data breach in U.S. history’: Musk-led DOGE takeover of Treasury systems presents ‘national security threats,’ lawsuit says
https://democracyforward.org/updates/doge-payment-system-data-challenge/
DOGE’s access to Treasury data risks US financial standing and raises security worries, experts warn. Experts in the financial and digital privacy worlds warn that the U.S. financial system is delicate and complicated and could be harmed by unilateral moves.
https://apnews.com/article/treasury-trump-doge-summers-yellen-ab340462d45dbcd601c2736926e49014
Elon Musk’s DOGE office budget more than doubles from $6.5 to $14.4 million
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/elon-musk-s-doge-office-budget-more-than-doubles-from-6-5-to-14-4-million/ar-AA1yQj7x?cvid=9CDB6EE8D5F24834893120486C9F5DCE&ocid=winp1taskbar&apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
Musk cuts based more on political ideology than real cost savings so far
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-cuts-based-more-political-ideology-than-real-cost-savings-so-far-2025-02-12/
Musk recruited young DOGE army through online chat groups and Discord servers, report claims. The Department of Government Efficiency is seeking ‘hardcore engineers,’ one message in a chat group read
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-doge-recruiting-discord-b2695586.html
# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banks
Consumer protection bureau closed. “At its core, it’s a law enforcement agency,” Rohit Chopra, the former director of the CFPB, told NPR. “It takes big financial institutions to court who cheat consumers, whether it’s a credit reporting agency or a large bank or a credit card giant.”
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/10/nx-s1-5292123/the-trump-administration-has-stopped-work-at-the-cfpb-heres-what-the-agency-does
Dozens of CFPB Workers Fired in After-Hours Blitz: Some affected employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were notified with an email that addressed them as [EmployeeFirstName][EmployeeLastName], [Job Title], [Division].
https://www.wired.com/story/dozens-of-cfpb-workers-terminated-in-after-hours-firing-blitz/
The CFPB work freeze is putting Big Tech regulations ‘on ice’
https://www.thetechstreetnow.com/tech/the-cfpb-work-freeze-is-putting-big-tech-regulations-on-ice/5627811266702761624/5627811266702761624/
Consumers are boycotting major retailers. Here’s what they plan for ‘blackout’ on Feb. 28
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/02/12/consumer-boycott-feb-28-target-walmart-amazon/78385303007/
Musk Claims Billions Lost to Social Security Payment Fraud. Elon Musk has ignited controversy by alleging massive fraud within U.S. federal entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/has-elon-musk-blown-the-whistle-on-biggest-fraud-in-us-history-claims-over-100-billion-lost-in-entitlement-scams/articleshow/118153075.cms?from=mdr
# Education / Schools
Musk’s ‘Doge’ guts nearly $1bn in US education department’s research office
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/11/doge-education-department-cuts-trump
Education Dept. will shield federal student aid data from Musk’s DOGE – for now
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/11/doge-student-loan-data-00203689
GOP could raise student loan bills to pay for Trump’s tax cuts. Among plans being floated by House Republicans are new taxes on college scholarships, a hike in taxes on university endowments and an end to student loan repayment plans.
https://san.com/cc/gop-could-raise-student-loan-bills-to-pay-for-trumps-tax-cuts/
Kentucky stands to lose nearly $2 billion dollars in funding if President Donald Trump abolishes the federal Department of Education. Kentucky receives a substantial funding to support academic interventions in school.
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article299695214.html
Senate Bill calls for removal of content in public libraries
https://www.newsbreak.com/kfyr-1982231/3804292079951-senate-bill-calls-for-removal-of-content-in-public-libraries
# Employment / Labor / Unions
Federal Workers Launch New Lawsuit to Fight DOGE’s Data Access. The Electronic Frontier Foundation filed the complaint on behalf of US federal workers, arguing that DOGE’s data access is illegal and should be cut off.
https://fedscoop.com/opm-email-server-lawsuit-amended-complaint-musk-doge/
# Environment / Climate / Infrastructure / EPA / BLM
‘Arctic meltdown’ is accelerating global warming, already changing Earth in unimaginable ways
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-arctic-meltdown-global.html
# Food General News
Kansas delegation introduces bill to continue USAID food program under USDA
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/republicans-try-to-save-usaid-food-program-86751fc4
Border Patrol agents at CVG intercept nine pounds of unsafe and illegal food additive tianeptine
https://nkytribune.com/2025/02/border-patrol-agents-at-cvg-intercept-nine-pounds-of-unsafe-and-illegal-food-additive-tianeptine/
Central Georgia farmers concerned over potential consequences from Chinese tariffs. As the trade war between the U.S. and China gains momentum, Georgia consumers are starting to feel the effects in all areas of the state’s economy. Whether it’s food, cars, clothes or electronics, prices are on the rise.
https://www.macon.com/news/business/article300069129.html#storylink=cpy
# Gov / Politics
Musk pressed on ‘hostile’ government takeover: ‘They’re going to get what they voted for’: New Trump Order Entrenches Musk-Led ‘Shadow Government.’ President Donald Trump’s latest executive order “gives Elon Musk, an unelected, hyper-partisan billionaire, unfettered authority over this country’s civil service,” warned one advocacy group.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-musk-takeover
Chris Hayes: Trump Wants ‘to Rule Us, Not Represent Us,’ But Americans ‘Are Going to Have Something to Say About It’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/chris-hayes-trump-wants-rule-040309395.html
Mike Johnson Caves to Trump and Trashes Separation of Powers. The House speaker doesn’t seem to care too much that there are supposed to be three equal branches of government.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mike-johnson-caves-trump-trashes-174931125.html
Trump Signs Order on DOGE as Elon Musk Stands Next to Him Watching. Donald Trump has signed an executive order giving DOGE even more power over the federal government.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-greenlighting-211158819.html
‘Senile insanity’: Ukrainians outraged at Trump’s Russia comment. Ukrainians in Kyiv were left bewildered and frustrated on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump suggested their country “may be Russian someday”.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250211-senile-insanity-ukrainians-outraged-at-trump-s-russia-comment
As Musk tries to slash trillions from federal spending, Trump publicly states desire for more military money. ‘We want to raise defense spending. I think we have to have it,’ the president told Fox News in a recent interview
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-musk-doge-cuts-military-spending-b2696498.html
GOP Congressman calls for Trump to ignore court orders: ‘Take a page out of Andrew Jackson’s playbook’
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/gop-congressman-calls-for-trump-to-ignore-court-orders-take-a-page-out-of-andrew-jacksons-playbook/
Andrew Jackson’s Playbook: 15 Strategies for Success
https://ulpress.org/products/andrew-jacksons-playbook-15-strategies-for-success
‘Crystal Clear’ Polling Shows Voters Oppose Trump’s Tax Cuts for Rich. “Voters are clear about what they want: lower prices, better jobs, vital programs protected and expanded, and for the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-tax-rich-people
Hackers are hijacking government software to access sensitive servers. Trimble warns Cityworks is being abused in RCE attacks. Trimble said it observed cybercriminals abusing a deserialization vulnerability in its Cityworks product to engage in Remote Code Execution (RCE) and deploy Cobalt Strike beacons on Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) servers. The company released a patch to address the issue
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/hackers-are-hijacking-government-software-to-access-sensitive-servers
Mike Johnson to Courts: ‘Step Back’ From Trump’s Dismantling. The House speaker said he agreed with Vice President JD Vance that courts were infringing on the Trump administration’s authority.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-johnson-courts-step-back_n_67ab73e7e4b0c52db9aad16d
Murphy: Trump ‘attempting to seize control of power, and for corrupt purposes’
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5135948-trump-murphy-democracy-crisis/
Supreme Court Justice Sounds Alarm Over Trump’s ‘Monarchy’ Power Grab
https://www.alternet.org/judge-2671142052/
# Gov / Politics / Global
King Charles at risk of getting dragged into Canada row as Trump literally comes for his crown: King Charles could be dragged into Trump-Canada row, says Andrew Marr. The monarch risks being exposed in the row due to his role as Canada’s head of state, raising questions about whether he should stay silent as its people come under fire from the US president
https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/king-charles-trump-canada-tariffs-starmer-b2695414.html
We’ll bring hygge to Hollywood’: Danes jokingly petition to buy California as Trump seeks Greenland
https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/ap-well-bring-hygge-to-hollywood-danes-petition-to-buy-california-as-trump-seeks-greenland/
King Abdullah rebuffs Trump’s push for Jordan to take in displaced Palestinians. Egypt also rejects idea, saying it planned to present vision of reconstruction in Gaza for Palestinians to remain on land
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/11/trump-jordan-egypt-palestinians
# Law Enforcement / ATF / FBI / CIA
Former Federal Prosecutor Warns How Trump Admin Just Made America Less Safe. Bad actors now have free rein to engage in white-collar crime, while political adversaries can openly exploit the U.S. system, he cautioned.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/andrew-weissmann-donald-trump-actions_n_67ac68bae4b0bb79219f7b24
# Legal / DOJ / ICJ / International Criminal Court [ICC]
Musk calls for annual firing of judges after blocked DOGE access at Treasury
https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/musk-calls-impeach-judge-doge-access-blocked/
Jan. 6 video evidence has ‘disappeared’ from public access, media coalition says. Attorneys for a group of news organizations, including NPR, said in a legal filing on Tuesday that evidence used at the sentencing of a rioter charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol had “disappeared” from an online government platform.
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/11/nx-s1-5293447/jan-6-evidence-captiol-riot-donald-trump
# LGBTQ / Gender
The Department of Education took another step Tuesday in advancing the Trump administration’s new transgender policy for sports by asking the NCAA and a key high-school sports organization to restore titles, awards and records it says have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/11/department-education-asks-ncaa-high-schools-erase-/
NASA HQ verbally orders employees to purge workspaces of LGBTQI+ symbols
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/nasa-verbally-orders-employees-to-purge-workspaces-of-lgbtqi-symbols
# Media
STORE SHUTDOWN USPS to close all branches for 24 hours next week – but Amazon and FedEx parcels will still arrive. Branches will close for a single day in what will be the fourth temporary shutdown of the year so far
https://www.the-sun.com/money/13496366/us-postal-service-branches-close-presidents-day-2025/
MSNBC Cuts Airtime on Elon Musk’s Oval Office Address: ‘Irony Died While He Was Talking’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/msnbc-cuts-airtime-elon-musk-004715302.html
# Medicare / Medicaid
GOP leaders downplay Medicaid cuts as they seek $2T in savings. Medicaid Is Safe, Johnson Assures, As House Whittles Budget Bill. As Republicans look to shave $2 trillion from a reconciliation bill, the House speaker noted savings are possible “if you eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse.”
https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/medicaid-is-safe-johnson-assures-as-house-whittles-budget-bill/
Moving past repealing Obamacare, Republicans still plan major health care cuts
https://ktvz.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2025/02/10/moving-past-repealing-obamacare-republicans-still-plan-major-health-care-cuts/
# Medical / Health News
NIH cuts target Georgia’s biomedical sector, risking research, jobs, experts say
https://thecurrentga.org/2025/02/10/nih-cuts-target-georgias-biomedical-sector-risking-research-jobs-experts-say/
Health agencies to restore web pages. Judge orders HHS to reverse health web page, data blackout
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/physician-group-sues-reverse-agencies-health-webpage-data-blackout
Judge orders HHS, CDC, FDA to restore deleted webpages with health information
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-orders-hhs-cdc-fda-restore-deleted-webpages-health-information/
100-year-old heart drug made from foxglove may help ‘dissolve’ clumps of spreading cancer cells
https://newatlas.com/cancer/cardiac-drug-circulating-cancer-cells/
Critical health and science research is on the chopping block as Trump actions trigger shutdowns and confusion. These funding reductions threaten to slow or halt critical health and science research, including studies on cancer, vaccines, and HIV prevention. The potential decline in scientific progress could have long-term negative effects on public health and environmental policies, hindering efforts to address pressing global challenges
https://illuminem.com/illuminemvoices/critical-health-and-science-research-is-on-trumps-chopping-block-shutdowns-and-confusion-everywhere
The US states looking to ban abortion pills, punish women who seek termination
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/abortion-pills-mifepristone-donald-trump-roe-v-wade-b2696075.html
The criminalization of abortion and surveillance of women in a post-Dobbs world
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-criminalization-of-abortion-and-surveillance-of-women-in-a-post-dobbs-world/
# Military / General News
Donald Trump Fires Military Academy Board Members for All Military Branches
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2025-02-11/trump-fires-service-academy-boards-16795113.html
This Ad-Tech Company Is Powering Surveillance of US Military Personnel. In a letter to a US senator, a Florida based data broker says it obtained sensitive data on US military members in Germany from a Lithuanian firm, revealing the global nature of online ad surveillance.
https://www.wired.com/story/rtb-location-data-us-military/
Tankers Flood Airspace Off The California Coast For China-Focused Air Combat Exercise. The latest Bamboo Eagle exercise reflects plans for ever-larger air combat exercises as part of preparations for a high-end fight with China.
https://www.twz.com/air/tankers-flood-airspace-off-the-california-coast-for-china-focused-air-combat-exercise
# NOAA
NOAA imposes limits on scientists, sparking concerns over global forecasts. NOAA plays a critical role in weather forecasting, climate research and fisheries management. Limiting international collaboration could hinder efforts to track natural disasters, enforce environmental protections and maintain scientific integrity. Scientists fear the agency is being sidelined, echoing concerns from Trump’s first term.
https://www.dailyclimate.org/noaa-scientists-face-restrictions-on-foreign-collaboration-2671126410.html
# Planetary
Earth grew an extra, never-before-seen ‘radiation belt’ after last year’s supercharged solar.
https://sciencereader.com/earths-magnetic-field-spawns-unexpected-radiation-belts/
Alaska Volcano Observatory sees 50-50 chance of eruption near Anchorage soon. Hundreds of earthquakes have been detected beneath Mount Spurr in the past week, increasing the odds of an eruption
https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/02/07/alaska-volcano-observatory-sees-50-50-chance-of-eruption-near-anchorage-soon/
Scientists discover Earth’s inner core isn’t just slowing down — it’s also changing shape: The planet’s inner core was previously thought of as a hard, solid sphere. But a new study has found that its edges are softer than realized and actually changing shape as they press against the liquid iron and nickel in Earth’s outer core.
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/science-technology/earths-inner-core-isnt-just-slowing-down-it-may-be-changing-shape
# Security / Surveillance
Chinese cranes at U.S. ports raise national security concerns
https://www.axios.com/2024/09/17/chinese-cargo-cranes-secruity-risks
Investigation by Select Committee on the CCP, House Homeland Finds Potential Threats to U.S. Port Infrastructure Security from China
https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/Joint%20Homeland-China%20Select%20Port%20Security%20Report-compressed.pdf
# Social
Elon Musk claims some recipients of Social Security checks are 150 years old. “Anyone who is 150 years old and still receiving Social Security should be in the Guinness Book of World Records, or either dead, in my opinion,” Elon Musk says in the video. Simply put, Musk says that it is nearly impossible to live beyond 150 and that anyone who did would be an anomaly.
https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/elon-musk-reacts-to-claim-of-150-year-olds-receiving-social-security-us-they-should-be-in-guinness-or-probably-dead-11739323342784.html
# Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Amazon has more than 750,000 robots working in its fulfillment centers. Here are some of the things they can do, transporting packages around busy workspaces, sorting and consolidating items into storage systems, and making fit-to-size packaging
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-amazon-uses-robots-sort-transport-packages-warehouses-2025-2#:~:text=Robots%20now%20perform%20a%20variety,fit%2Dto%2Dsize%20packaging
An Adviser to Elon Musk’s xAI Has a Way to Make AI More Like Donald Trump. A researcher affiliated with Elon Musk’s xAI startup is researching a method to alter the politics of Grok and better align the chatbot with conservatives.
https://cedirates.com/news/an-advisor-to-elon-musks-xai-has-a-way-to-make-ai-more-like-donald-trump/
MIT builds swarms of tiny robotic insect drones that can fly 100 times longer than previous designs
https://news.mit.edu/2025/fast-agile-robotic-insect-could-someday-aid-mechanical-pollination-0115
# Veterans / VA
House Republicans Pass Flagship Veterans’ Package with Overwhelming Bipartisan Support
https://veterans.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6585
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