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This is a constitutional crisis

This is a constitutional crisis

Adam Serwer writes: Like most of the men rendered to CECOT, Abrego Garcia has fewer criminal convictions than the current president of the United States. Even the Trump administration acknowledged in federal court that it had deported Abrego Garcia “in error.” This morning, however, Trump’s adviser Stephen Miller claimed on Fox News that the acknowledgment that Abrego Garcia was wrongly deported had been made by a “saboteur” in the Department of Justice and that “he was not mistakenly sent to…

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Military contractors pitch unprecedented prison plan for detained immigrants

Military contractors pitch unprecedented prison plan for detained immigrants

Politico reports: Former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince and a team of defense contractors are pitching the White House on a plan to vastly expand deportations to El Salvador — transporting thousands of immigrants from U.S. holding facilities to a sprawling maximum security prison in Central America. The proposal, exclusively obtained by POLITICO, says it would target “criminal illegal aliens” and would attempt to avoid legal challenges by designating part of the prison — which has drawn accusations of violence and…

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American rendition: Rümeysa Öztürk’s journey from Ph.D. scholar to Trump target languishing in Louisiana cell

American rendition: Rümeysa Öztürk’s journey from Ph.D. scholar to Trump target languishing in Louisiana cell

By Hannah Allam This story was originally published by ProPublica With a line of cars waiting behind them at the train station, the two women hugged tightly as they said goodbye at the end of a spring break that hadn’t turned out to be the relaxing vacation they’d imagined. Their girls trip had transformed into endless conversations about security precautions as one of the friends, 30-year-old Turkish national Rümeysa Öztürk, grew increasingly worried she would become a target of the…

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No evidence linking Tufts student, Rümeysa Öztürk, to antisemitism or terrorism, State Dept. found

No evidence linking Tufts student, Rümeysa Öztürk, to antisemitism or terrorism, State Dept. found

The Washington Post reports: Days before masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk to deport her, the State Department determined that the Trump administration had not produced any evidence showing that she engaged in antisemitic activities or made public statements supporting a terrorist organization, as the government has alleged. The finding, contained in a March memo that was described to The Washington Post, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not have sufficient grounds for…

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Harvard will fight against Trump’s demands

Harvard will fight against Trump’s demands

The Harvard Crimson reports: Harvard will not comply with the Trump administration’s demands to dismantle its diversity programming, limit student protests, and submit to far-reaching federal audits in exchange for its federal funding, University President Alan M. Garber ’76 announced in a message to affiliates Monday afternoon. “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can…

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Cornell sues DOE for ‘unlawful’ cuts to indirect costs for research grants

Cornell sues DOE for ‘unlawful’ cuts to indirect costs for research grants

The Cornell Daily Sun reports: The University joined litigation against the U.S. Department of Energy and DOE Secretary Chris Wright, according to a Monday email from President Michael Kotlikoff and Provost Kavita Bala. The plaintiffs of the case are alleging that proposed immediate cuts to indirect costs for University research grants are unlawful by violating federal regulations. This is the second time this semester that the University has had to take “the unprecedented step of seeking emergency judicial intervention after…

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China halts critical exports as trade war intensifies

China halts critical exports as trade war intensifies

The New York Times reports: China has suspended exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets, threatening to choke off supplies of components central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. Shipments of the magnets, essential for assembling everything from cars and drones to robots and missiles, have been halted at many Chinese ports while the Chinese government drafts a new regulatory system. Once in place, the new system could permanently prevent supplies…

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Bond markets turmoil shows the world that ‘the U.S. government has no idea what it’s doing’

Bond markets turmoil shows the world that ‘the U.S. government has no idea what it’s doing’

The New York Times reports: There are not many certainties in the world of money, but this traditionally has been one of them: When life turns scary, people take refuge in American government bonds. Investors buy U.S. Treasuries on the assumption that, come what may — financial panic, war, natural disaster — the federal government will endure and stand by its debts, making its bonds the closest thing to a covenant with the heavens. Yet turmoil in bond markets last…

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How Brexit, a stunning act of economic self-harm, foreshadowed Trump’s tariffs

How Brexit, a stunning act of economic self-harm, foreshadowed Trump’s tariffs

The New York Times reports: Britain has watched President Trump’s tariffs with a mix of shock, fascination and queasy recognition. The country, after all, embarked on a similar experiment in economic isolationism when it voted to leave the European Union in 2016. Nearly nine years after the Brexit referendum, it is still reckoning with the costs. The lessons of that experience are suddenly relevant again as Mr. Trump uses a similar playbook to erect walls around the United States. Critics…

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The rise of End Times techno-fascism

The rise of End Times techno-fascism

Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor write: The movement for corporate city states cannot believe its good luck. For years, it has been pushing the extreme notion that wealthy, tax-averse people should up and start their own high-tech fiefdoms, whether new countries on artificial islands in international waters (“seasteading”) or pro-business “freedom cities” such as Próspera, a glorified gated community combined with a wild west med spa on a Honduran island. Yet despite backing from the heavy-hitter venture capitalists Peter Thiel…

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Right-wing populism is fueled by economic inequality and the desire to get even

Right-wing populism is fueled by economic inequality and the desire to get even

George Monbiot writes: “He’s really gone and done it this time. Now everyone can see what a disaster he is.” How many times have we heard this about Donald Trump? And how many times has it been proved wrong? Well, maybe this time he really has overstepped. After all, his clowning around with tariffs, sparking trade wars, then suddenly reversing his position, could provoke a global recession, perhaps even a depression. Surely his supporters will disown him? But I’m not banking…

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Neo-colonialism: U.S. ‘demands control’ from Ukraine of key pipeline carrying Russian gas

Neo-colonialism: U.S. ‘demands control’ from Ukraine of key pipeline carrying Russian gas

The Guardian reports: The US has demanded control of a crucial pipeline in Ukraine used to send Russian gas to Europe, according to reports, in a move described as a colonial shakedown. US and Ukrainian officials met on Friday to discuss White House proposals for a minerals deal. Donald Trump wants Kyiv to hand over its natural resources as “payback” in return for weapons delivered by the previous Biden administration. Talks have become increasingly acrimonious, Reuters said. The latest US…

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Government spending rises while Musk’s savings are a small fraction of what he promised

Government spending rises while Musk’s savings are a small fraction of what he promised

The Wall Street Journal reports: Federal spending is higher since President Trump took office even as the Department of Government Efficiency slashes contracts, cuts jobs and ends diversity programs. A Wall Street Journal analysis of daily financial statements issued by the Treasury Department found government spending since the inauguration is $154 billion more than in the same period in 2024 during the administration of former President Joe Biden. [Continue reading…] The New York Times reports: Last week, Elon Musk indicated…

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Leaks reveal massive Israeli campaign to remove pro-Palestine posts on Facebook and Instagram

Leaks reveal massive Israeli campaign to remove pro-Palestine posts on Facebook and Instagram

Waqas Ahmed, Nicholas Rodelo, Ryan Grim, and Murtaza Hussain report: A sweeping crackdown on posts on Instagram and Facebook that are critical of Israel—or even vaguely supportive of Palestinians—was directly orchestrated by the government of Israel, according to internal Meta data obtained by Drop Site News. The data show that Meta has complied with 94% of takedown requests issued by Israel since October 7, 2023. Israel is the biggest originator of takedown requests globally by far, and Meta has followed…

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