National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

DOGE sounds alarm over $59M FEMA payment for NYC migrant housing: ‘Gross insubordination’ | 10 Feb 2025 | Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk on Monday sounded the alarm over a 59 million payment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to house migrants in New York City. Musk shared via X his presidential advisory committee had discovered the payment went to luxury hotels which house illegal migrants. He demanded the expense, made last week, be reversed. “Sending this m-ney violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” Musk wrote. “That m-ney is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals! A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds.”

Grenell Calls Out Bass-Appointed L.A. Fire Recovery Chief for $500K 3-Month Salary: ‘Gross, Offensive’ | 8 Feb 2025 | Ric Grenell, President Donald Trump’s Envoy for Special Missions, slammed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s (D) fire “recovery czar” for his large three-month salary of 500,000 paid by charity groups. Bass announced former L.A. police commissioner Steve Soboroff as the head of the rebuilding efforts following the devastating fires that destroyed homes and businesses and claimed at least 29 lives over a three-week period. Soboroff will be “paid 500,000 over three months, with funding coming from charitable groups,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

Trump removes security clearances for Antony Blinken, Letitia James, and Alvin Bragg – among others | 8 Feb 2025 | President Donald Trump has decided to remove security clearances for several Democrats, including former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom are vocal Trump critics. Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Biden’s Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and attorneys Andrew Weissmann, Mark Zaid and Norm Eisen. The move comes a day after Trump stripped his predecessor, Joe Biden, of his security clearance and his access to presidential daily briefs.

Trump says he is ‘immediately revoking’ Biden’s security clearance and access to daily intelligence briefings: ‘I don’t trust him’ [No one does.] | 7 Feb 2025 | President Trump announced Friday that he is “immediately revoking” Joe Biden’s security clearances and access to daily intelligence briefings — telling The Post he doesn’t “trust” his predecessor with such sensitive information. Trump, 78, argued in a Truth Social post that the former president set the precedent when he barred him from receiving access to the same briefings four years ago, citing Trump’s “erratic behavior.” “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Trump wrote. “Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings,” the president continued.

Hamas says it will stop releasing Israeli hostages, throwing Gaza ceasefire into doubt | 10 Feb 2025 | Hamas on Monday announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what the Palestinian militant group called Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, raising the risk of reigniting the conflict. The unexpected announcement came as the ceasefire was already fragile even as families of the Israeli hostages urged the government to stick to the deal, and Gazans sought to start rebuilding their lives in the shattered enclave after more than 15 months of war. Hamas was to release more Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and other Palestinians held in Israeli detention as had happened over the past three weeks.

Ex-Israeli war chief confirms issuing Hannibal Directive to kill own civilians, soldiers on 7 Oct. | 7 Feb 2025 | Former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant has acknowledged ordering the army to use the Hannibal Directive to kill Israeli civilians and soldiers during the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. During an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on 7 February, Gallant admitted to ordering the controversial protocol that involves killing captives along with their captors. When asked whether an order was given to implement the Hannibal Directive, Gallant responded: “I think that, tactically, in some places, it was given, and in other places, it was not given, and that is a problem.” …The Israeli army dispatched attack helicopters, drones, and tanks on its own territory to respond to the attack, killing not only Hamas fighters but also Israeli civilians and soldiers that the Palestinian fighters attempted to take as captives back to Gaza.

Israeli police raid prominent Palestinian bookshop in East Jerusalem | 10 Feb 2025 | Israeli police have raided a well-known Palestinian bookshop in East Jerusalem, accusing its owners of selling books that incited terrorism, including a children’s colouring book entitled From the Jordan to the Sea. Two of the owners, Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna, were arrested on Sunday and held overnight. A separate branch, located in the nearby American Colony Hotel, was also raided. Closed circuit television footage showed police searching the shelves and pictures shared on social media showed books scattered over the floor of the shop… The Educational Bookshop, close to the Old City, has been a Jerusalem landmark for decades, with a wide selection of books in Arabic and English, ranging from literary fiction to non-fiction works on the Middle East and world politics.

Hospital blocks young girl from life-saving transplant over vaccination status, family says | 7 Feb 2025 | A mother is speaking out after she says her 12-year-old daughter was denied a place on the heart transplant list at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital because of her vaccination status. Brayton and Jeneen Deal, who adopted Adaline from China, said she was born with two heart conditions that will now require a transplant. Stephanie Stock, president of Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, posted a video to Facebook speaking with Jeneen Deal about why Adaline is not yet on the list. “The doctors at Cincinnati Children’s were talking with us and told us that one of the requirements [for being] put on the list is to have the [useless and often deadly] COVID vaccination and the flu vaccination,” Deal said. “That is against everything we believe in.” The family said they asked for a religious exemption, but the hospital declined — citing its transplant policy.

Nevada confirms state’s first human case of bird flu in a dairy worker | 10 Feb 2025 | Nevada has confirmed its first human case of bird flu in a farm worker who was exposed to infected dairy cattle, the Central Nevada Health District said on Monday, after authorities last week reported a second strain of the virus in cows in the state. The H5N1 virus has reduced milk output in cattle and pushed up egg prices by wiping out millions of laying hens. The Nevada worker is recovering after suffering from conjunctivitis, or pink eye, the Central Nevada Health District said in a statement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported for the first time last week that a second strain of bird flu was found in dairy cattle in Nevada, a discovery that ramped up concerns about the U.S. outbreak.

New York poultry markets ordered to close temporarily as bird flu concerns spread –Poultry markets are required to close for a full disinfection, even if bird flu has not been detected. | 9 Feb 2025 | New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a temporary closure of live-poultry markets after bird flu was detected in the outer boroughs of New York City. The order, signed by Hochul on Friday, requires the markets to close down between Feb. 7 and Feb. 14 as facilities undergo a complete disinfection process. It calls for markets that have not tested positive for bird flu to sell down all inventory and shut down for five days after the cleaning process in New York City, plus Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau counties.

Avian flu suspected in up to 15 bird deaths at New York City zoos | 8 Feb 2025 | At least three and possibly up to 15 birds have died of avian flu at two New York City zoos, according to the organization that operates the facilities. The Wildlife Conservation Society said three ducks at the Queens Zoo died after contracting the virus, and lab tests are pending on three ducks and nine wild birds that died at the Bronx Zoo after possible exposure. “As a precaution, over the last two weeks, we have moved vulnerable bird species to protected areas in our parks,” officials said in a statement.

Dead birds wash up on Lake Michigan shore; bird flu concerns rise | 9 Feb 2024 | Concerns over bird flu are spreading. Dead birds are lining the Lake Michigan shoreline in Chicago. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the incident is likely linked to the ongoing avian flu outbreak. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported an uptick in the highly pathogenic avian influenza. “Closer to Milwaukee we understand there are reports of dead ducks that have washed up. Most in Milwaukee County, a few near Racine and Kenosha,” said Jasmine Batten, DNR Wildlife Health Section Supervisor. The DNR said a confirmed case was detected in Racine County.

Federal court blocks Trump administration from sending Venezuelan migrants to Guantanamo Bay | 10 Feb 2025 | A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan migrants to the U.S. detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The decision Sunday by a U.S. District Court judge in New Mexico, where the migrants are being held, is in response to a legal filing by their lawyers that argues, “the mere uncertainty the government has created surrounding the availability of legal process and counsel access [at Guantanamo] is sufficient to authorize the modest injunction.” This ruling was based on a lawsuit that was filed on behalf of the migrants by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, and Las Americas Immigrant Advisory Center.

Pam Bondi issues threat to ICE staff leaking internal memos on where next raids are | 9 Feb 2025 | Attorney General Pam Bondi promised that her office will “come after” whomever leaked a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo that revealed the location of the next major raids. The leaker, who has not yet been revealed, made it known that agents are poised to carry out a “large scale” action in Los Angeles before the end of this month. Bondi, speaking from outside Super Bowl 59 at the New Orleans Superdome, made it clear that the attorney general’s office will not tolerate this. “If anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are and we will come after you.”

AG Pam Bondi orders DOJ to pause all funding for sanctuary cities | 5 Feb 2025 | Newly inaugurated Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the defunding of jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities Wednesday — potentially cutting off a significant m-ney source for New York. Bondi, 59, issued the edict shortly after being sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at an Oval Office ceremony with President Trump in attendance. “[T]he Department of Justice will ensure that, consistent with law, ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ do not receive access to Federal funds from the Department,” Bondi’s first-day memo says.

Air traffic controller shortage of 3,800 due to DEI practices cutting ‘too white, too elite’ candidates – lawyer | 10 Feb 2025 | A critical shortage of 3,800 air traffic controllers is because of the Federal Aviation Administration’s DEI practices leaving a “gaping hole” in recruitment, a lawyer claimed to The Post. Over 1,000 would-be air traffic controllers were wiped out from consideration overnight because of diversity and inclusion hiring targets suddenly being implemented, according to the lead lawyer in a class-action lawsuit against the FAA. Michael Pearson told The Post his clients had completed all their training at FAA-approved institutions before they were placed in a direct hiring pool for air traffic controllers — as was standard at the time. Within months of graduating, they were informed by the FAA they would need to pass a new “biographical assessment” which, he claimed, gave extra points to people with “no aviation experience.” According to the attorney, 95 percent of the previously qualified candidates he represents then failed that assessment and were “screened out.”

Trump admin hits brakes on $5B electric vehicle charging station program –The funds were included in a measure signed by Joe Biden in 2021 | 7 Feb 2025 | The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) pumped the brakes on a program to dole out funds to states for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The move regarding the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program comes less than a month into President Donald Trump’s second term in office. In a letter to state Department of Transportation directors dated Feb. 6, Emily Biondi, associate administrator for the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, discussed the move. “The new leadership of the Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program. Accordingly, the current NEVI Formula Program Guidance dated June 11, 2024, and all prior versions of this guidance are rescinded,” Biondi noted.

Trump’s lawsuit against CBS expands after release of ’60 Minutes’ transcript, adds Paramount as defendant | 8 Feb 2025 | President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News was expanded following the release of the unedited transcript and raw footage of its 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. According to a Friday filing from Trump’s legal team reviewed by Fox News Digital, the lawsuit is adding CBS News’ parent company Paramount Global as a defendant, citing how the 60 Minutes election special was platformed on its Paramount+ streaming service. Additionally, the lawsuit is adding Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, as a plaintiff. “Representative Jackson is a consumer of broadcast and digital news media content in this State, District, and Division, including the broadcast and digital news media content from Defendants at issue in this action, and he has thus been injured by Defendants’ conduct alleged herein,” the amended complaint states.

Taylor Swift booed at Super Bowl LIX after Trump gets raucous cheer | 9 Feb 2025 | Taylor Swift isn’t on her “Eras Tour” anymore. The pop star showed up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday, and the fans there gave her a loud chorus of boos when she was shown on the Caesars Superdome jumbotron. Swift didn’t look as if she was too familiar or comfortable being booed by a large crowd as her expression turned to visibly nervous confusion once the chorus began. And before Swift was booed relentlessly by the Superdome crowd, that same crowd gave a raucous cheer to President Donald Trump when he was shown on screen prior to the game.