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Federal work shaped a Black middle class. Now it’s destabilized by Trump’s job cuts

Federal work shaped a Black middle class. Now it’s destabilized by Trump’s job cuts

NPR reports: Shirley Hopkins built careers for herself and countless other Black workers through a federal government job. While working in the National Institutes of Health’s human resources office, she became known as the “recruitment lady.” It wasn’t spelled out in her job description, but she made it her personal mission to encourage more Black students in the Washington, D.C., area to apply for the federal agency’s internship and youth employment programs. “When I was young, I was not able…

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They criticized Musk on X. Then their reach collapsed

They criticized Musk on X. Then their reach collapsed

The New York Times reports: Anastasia Maria Loupis runs a popular account on X that used to receive hundreds of thousands of views each day for her far-right commentary, conspiracy theories and antisemitic statements. In late December, she criticized Elon Musk, the site’s owner, over his support for visa programs that many of President Trump’s supporters despise. Her reach plummeted on X and never recovered. When Mr. Musk purchased X in 2022, he promised to create a free speech haven…

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Orangutan healed his own wound using a known medicinal plant

Orangutan healed his own wound using a known medicinal plant

Smithsonian magazine reports: In June 2022, a team of researchers observed a behavior never before witnessed in the animal world: A Sumatran orangutan named Rakus self-treated an injury using a medicinal plant. At Gunung Leuser National Park, a rainforest reserve on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, scientists heard from the treetops a series of “long calls,” a behavior that usually preempts assertions of male dominance or aggression. The next day, they saw Rakus with an open wound on his…

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The Trump administration is trying to intimidate the judiciary

The Trump administration is trying to intimidate the judiciary

Adam Serwer writes: The arrest of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan over allegedly obstructing the apprehension of an undocumented immigrant is an attempt to intimidate the judiciary. You can just ask Attorney General Pam Bondi. “What has happened to our judiciary is beyond me,” Bondi told Fox News, commenting on Dugan’s arrest. “They’re deranged. I think some of these judges think they are beyond and above the law, and they are not. We are sending a very strong message today: If…

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‘Build bridges, not walls’: Pope Francis held a moral mirror to modern politics

‘Build bridges, not walls’: Pope Francis held a moral mirror to modern politics

NBC News reports: Even in death, Pope Francis’ moral voice rang out across the world. With 40,000 packed into Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square, another 250,000 in the surrounding streets and millions more watching on TV and online, world leaders, including President Donald Trump, were reminded of Francis’ central messages during his funeral Saturday. “‘Build bridges, not walls’ was an exhortation he repeated many times,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said during the homily for the late pope. “His gestures and…

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The Trump administration’s war on children

The Trump administration’s war on children

By Eli Hager This story was originally published by ProPublica The clear-cutting across the federal government under President Donald Trump has been dramatic, with mass terminations, the suspension of decades-old programs and the neutering of entire agencies. But this spectacle has obscured a series of moves by the administration that could profoundly harm some of the most vulnerable people in the U.S.: children. Consider: The staff of a program that helps millions of poor families keep the electricity on, in…

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Pentagon leadership vacuum overwhelms Hegseth’s office: ‘It’s a free-for-all’

Pentagon leadership vacuum overwhelms Hegseth’s office: ‘It’s a free-for-all’

Politico reports: The circle of top advisers in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s orbit has shrunk in recent days to little more than his wife, lawyer, and two lower-level officials — leaving the Pentagon’s lead office without longtime expertise or clear direction. Hegseth’s decision to fire three senior aides last week and reassign his chief of staff has blown a hole in his leadership team, severing essential lines of communication across the department and leading to fears about dangerous slip-ups such…

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Voters oppose Trump power grab

Voters oppose Trump power grab

The New York Times reports: [A New York Times/Siena College poll found] [b]road majorities said they would prefer to place limits on exactly the kinds of powers that Mr. Trump has tried to exercise: 61 percent of voters, including 33 percent of Republicans, said a president should not be able to impose tariffs without authorization from Congress. 54 percent, including 26 percent of Republicans, said a president should not be able to eliminate programs enacted by Congress. 63 percent, including…

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Some federal agencies are walking back workforce cuts with critical functions at risk of failure

Some federal agencies are walking back workforce cuts with critical functions at risk of failure

Government Executive reports: Some federal agencies are asking employees to reconsider their plans to leave government or requiring those it has designated for termination to come back to work, as the Trump administration seeks to avoid catastrophic interruptions to pivotal government operations. The Agriculture Department is already planning for reduced or ceased work in key areas such as avian influenza response, according to employees involved in those efforts, causing the administration to ask employees to reverse course and rejoin government….

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Ancient tusk fragments hint at social learning among early humans 400,000 years ago

Ancient tusk fragments hint at social learning among early humans 400,000 years ago

ZME Science reports: In the plains of western Ukraine, researchers digging through ancient soil found a handful of small, broken pieces of ivory that might change how we think about early humans. The fragments—24 in total—came from the tusks of a long-extinct mammoth species. Most were unremarkable at first glance. But as scientists studied them more closely, they noticed patterns and shapes that didn’t seem like they had been accidentally broken. Some pieces had been chipped in a way that…

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We visited Rumeysa Ozturk in detention. What we saw was a warning to every American

We visited Rumeysa Ozturk in detention. What we saw was a warning to every American

Sen. Edward J. Markey, Rep. Jim McGovern and Rep. Ayanna Pressley write: A young woman walked casually down a public street only to find herself suddenly surrounded by masked law enforcement officers in plain clothes. Without explanation — and in the absence of criminal charges and any due process — she was forced into a waiting vehicle and vanished into the labyrinth of the state security system. Sound familiar? You’d be forgiven for thinking we’re recounting what happened to the…

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Federal authorities arrest two judges, escalating Trump immigration crackdown

Federal authorities arrest two judges, escalating Trump immigration crackdown

CNBC reports: Federal authorities have arrested a former New Mexico judge and a Wisconsin judge in two separate cases, accusing them of interfering with Trump administration immigration enforcement efforts. Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested Friday morning and charged with obstruction for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest after he appeared in her courtroom last week. Dugan’s arrest came one day after federal authorities arrested a former New Mexico judge and his wife on charges related to…

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Officials were developing a plan to get Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. Then the White House took over

Officials were developing a plan to get Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. Then the White House took over

Nick Miroff writes: Late last month, three days after Abrego Garcia’s family filed its lawsuit over his deportation, government attorneys began discussing how to undo the mistake and bring him back. In their conversations, officials went so far as to float the idea of having the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador make a personal appeal to the country’s president for Abrego Garcia’s return. But first, the State Department’s legal team wanted more information from DHS about his alleged role in…

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Switching from ICE to DoD custody: An alarming violation of court order on deportations to El Salvador

Switching from ICE to DoD custody: An alarming violation of court order on deportations to El Salvador

Ryan Goodman writes: Earlier today, I discussed one of the “sleeper” immigration cases that had largely flown below the radar: D.V.D. v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. On Wednesday night, the Justice Department submitted a filing in district court in which it appears to openly describe steps the government took to essentially evade the court’s temporary restraining order. Keep your eye on the ball: Which department had custody of the individuals following the court’s order. On March 28, the court ordered the defendants in the case –…

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