Pelican Press

“You are not fit for continued employment”: Federal workers express shock, anger over mass layoffs “You are not fit for continued employment”: Federal workers express shock, anger over mass layoffs Federal layoffs start with probationary workers and warnings of ******* cuts Federal layoffs start with probationary workers and warnings of ******* cuts 03:24 Probational federal employees who lost their jobs on Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s mass firing of government workers expressed shock and anger at the terminations, which they contend will hurt the government’s ability to provide services. President Trump is moving quickly to shrink the U.S. federal government — the nation’s largest employer — saying he is slashing wasteful spending and pushing to make the nation’s civil workforce more responsive to his administration’s policies. Federal workers in a probationary ******* typically have less than one year on the job and have not yet gained civil service protection. Federal workers who received termination notices on Thursday described receiving nonpersonalized emails informing them they had been removed from their position, with little communication from their supervisors. The workers said they had entered public service because of a commitment to serve the public interest, whether by helping protect consumers from predatory financial services or by supporting veterans. “We had all received these notices that cites probationary regulations and says we’re being let go because ‘you are not fit for continued employment because your ability and skills do not fit the agency’s needs,'” Elizabeth Aniskevich, an attorney with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, told CBS News. A termination letter provided to CBS News by a former employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs informed the worker that his job was ending because “you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest.” The VA worker, who had previously held federal jobs across different agencies for more than a decade, said he was dismayed to learn that he was considered a probationary worker after taking the Veterans Affairs job last fall, as it reset his government employment. “Basically the gist [of the termination letter] is laying out I was a probationary employee, what my rights of appeal are, but my continued employment was no longer in the public interest,” said the VA worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern that speaking publicly could jeopardize his chances of finding another government job. “I came into the house — probably for a couple weeks my wife and I joked, ‘Did I still have a job?’ — I told her, and I lost it. It’s devastating.” Another VA employee, who told CBS News his work was rated as “outstanding” in his most recent performance review, said receiving an impersonal termination letter was hurtful. “It feels like a copy/paste mass firing that takes nothing into account of the people, the human cost,” said Greg House, 34, a disabled veteran who was terminated from his job at the VA’s public affairs office in Salt Lake City, a job that he started in March 2024. He added, “The idea that the federal workforce is too bloated feels like a scapegoat more than anything else. Nobody joins the federal government to get rich.” The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has instructed agencies to report their final numbers of fired probationary employees by 8 p.m Eastern time on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter. The White House press office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Unions claim firings are ******** Five unions for government employees have sued Mr. Trump and other officials in his administration over the firing of probationary workers, alleging the move is ******** because it violates procedures for making “reductions in force,” a formal process used by government agencies to dismiss employees. Reductions in force, or RIFs, can be made based on a number of issues, such as if there’s not enough work or funding for federal workers, according to OPM. Mr. Trump’s order “directs agencies to promptly engage in RIFs for none of the specified, allowable reasons, but instead for the purpose of ‘eliminating waste, bloat and insularity,'” the lawsuit claims, citing the president’s Feb. 11 executive order for widespread layoffs of government workers. Some experts are pushing back on the idea that the government workforce is too large, pointing out that federal employment has grown little since 1980. Prior to the firings, some agencies and services had already been grappling with staffing shortages, including the Veterans Health Administration. Impact on services The VA employee who was fired Thursday said he took exception to Mr. Trump’s claim that the terminations would make the government more efficient, noting that his group, which had been trying to fill several empty positions, had more work than they could handle. “We are underresourced as it is, so cutting jobs won’t do it,” he said, adding that the firings will directly impact veterans. “We have ongoing projects to try to construct and repair facilities to help veterans — we’re already behind.” A Food and Drug Administration employee — who also requested anonymity because she’s in a probationary ******* in her job but hasn’t received a termination letter — expressed concern that the firings would slow essential work, both because of the loss of skilled employees and a hit to employee morale. “We’re rather leanly staffed — the people on some of these teams have a tremendous workload,” she said. “It’ll slow down things like drugs approvals … it’ll have a tremendous, terrible impact on access to drugs and generic drugs.” Because many of the probationary workers are younger employees, the firings could add to long-term problems facing the federal workforce, where twice as many workers are over 60 than under 30, said Elizabeth Linos, the Emma Bloomberg associate professor of public policy and management at Harvard’s Kennedy School. “This will exacerbate the existing human capital crisis if probationary employees are more likely to be young, and more likely to have the skills that a 21st century government operation needs,” she said. Where jobs are getting cut As of May 2024, the most recent data available, about 216,000 federal employees had been in their jobs for less than one year, according to government data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The agency with the largest number of probationary employees is the VA, with about 56,000 workers with that designation, OPM data shows. The VA on Friday said it had fired more than 1,000 employees. The agency didn’t respond to a request for comment about whether more firings could be coming. “Make no mistake – Trump is looking to fire probationary employees because it is easy, not because it is good for veterans or cost-effective,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut who serves on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, told CBS News in a statement. “In fact, it is a massive waste of taxpayer dollars to fire employees the department just invested months into recruiting, vetting and training.” CDC losing tenth of workforce in purge of federal employees 05:29 Department of Health and Human Services officials expect most of the agency’s roughly 5,200 probationary employees to be fired Friday, Feb. 14, under the Trump administration’s move to get rid of nearly all probationary employees, according to an audio recording of a National Institutes of Health department meeting obtained by the Associated Press. In that meeting, an NIH office director told employees that some probationary staff with specialized skills might retain their positions. Probationary staff being terminated would receive an email Friday afternoon, the AP reported, citing the recording. Among those being cut are nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or roughly one-tenth of the agency’s workforce. —With reporting by CBS News Investigative Unit Director Matthew Mosk and CBS News’ Kristin Brown. The Associated Press contributed to this report. More from CBS News Aimee Picchi Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports. Source link #fit #continued #employment #Federal #workers #express #shock #anger #mass #layoffs Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

They’re not just suing to stop DOGE. They’re suing Elon Musk himself. They’re not just suing to stop DOGE. They’re suing Elon Musk himself. Elon Musk’s efforts to disrupt and dismantle the federal government at the behest of Donald Trump have already sparked a legion of lawsuits. Now the legal challengers are setting their sights on a new target: Musk himself. Two new cases accuse the ultra-wealthy CEO of illegally amassing too much government power without the accountability typically required of high-level executive branch officials. They are seeking court orders that would force Musk to halt the cost-cutting and information-gathering activities he has been spearheading through his U.S. DOGE Service. The lawsuits rest on a provision of the Constitution that says powerful federal officers must be “established by law,” must be formally appointed by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate. Musk, of course, has not been confirmed by the Senate, and his role is amorphous and ill-defined. He has been operating out of the White House as the head of the newly created DOGE enterprise, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency but is not a formal government department. It was established by a Trump executive order, not by Congress. Many lawsuits have challenged DOGE’s early initiatives. But the two suits filed Thursday — one brought by state governments and the other by federal employees — are the first to take on Musk personally. “His power includes, at least, the authority to cease the payment of congressionally approved funds, access sensitive and confidential data across government agencies, cut off systems access to federal employees and contractors at will, and take over and dismantle entire independent federal agencies,” the government employees argue in a lawsuit filed by longtime Trump nemesis Norm Eisen. Similarly, the states say Musk’s little-understood role has stoked “mass chaos and confusion for state and local governments, federal employees, and the American people.” U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan held a hearing on the states’ case Friday and agreed the states showed legitimate reasons for concern about the prospect that Musk and DOGE officials are improperly accessing or compromising federal databases. But Chutkan stopped short of ordering an emergency halt to DOGE’s access to those systems, saying that would be an extraordinary remedy that could only be deployed with specific evidence that improper action against another federal agency was imminent. A lawyer for the states lamented, “We’re playing Whac-A-Mole here,” and said it was hard to pinpoint where Musk would train his DOGE allies next. Chutkan acknowledged that DOGE has been rampaging through the federal government swiftly and unpredictably, but she said “bad things could happen” was not enough to justify an emergency restraining order. Musk — who is the CEO of X, SpaceX and Tesla, and is estimated to be the world’s richest person — has done little to illuminate his precise role in the Trump administration. His job appears to entail Oval Office meetings with Trump, trolling critics on X and assailing judges who have clipped both his and Trump’s early ambitions over questions about their constitutionality. Musk has attacked reporters for identifying the employees he has helped embed in many federal agencies. And he agreed to reinstate a DOGE employee who abruptly resigned last week after reporters surfaced racist social media posts he made under a pseudonym. (Court documents suggest, however, that the employee, Marko Elez, has not resumed his previous duties.) Trump has made clear he endorses what Musk and his DOGE team are doing, setting out in executive orders that the group’s mission is to modernize systems and databases across the federal government. The direct legal attack on Musk’s unappointed position will play out in courtrooms in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, where the two suits have been filed. But the issue could escalate as far as the Supreme Court and determine just how much power a president has to designate a roving budget-cutter to access the government’s most sensitive systems and databases. At the heart of the fight is the Constitution’s “appointments clause,” which requires most powerful executive branch officials to be confirmed by the Senate. Though department leaders can hire employees who don’t need Senate approval, anyone wielding executive power must face vetting by Congress. That principle was at the heart of a ruling last year by a Florida federal judge — Aileen Cannon — that derailed special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump for storing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Smith’s role as a special prosecutor, Cannon concluded, violated the appointments clause — a ruling that contradicted a long line of judicial decisions upholding the authority of the Justice Department to name special counsels without getting Senate confirmation. Trump, at the time, celebrated the ruling and praised Cannon as a “brilliant” judge. Now, Trump’s detractors — who railed against Cannon’s decision in the context of special counsels — want to apply the same reasoning to Musk. But Musk’s role has no historical comparison. Never before has a president empowered a private CEO to come into the government and take a hacksaw to systems governed by intricate laws and policies meant to insulate them from political manipulation. Source link #Theyre #suing #stop #DOGE #Theyre #suing #Elon #Musk Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Comedians on whether Peter Kay was right to eject hecklers Comedians on whether Peter Kay was right to eject hecklers Paul Glynn Culture reporter Getty Images Peter Kay said he had kicked out just one other person in the previous 114 shows of his three-year tour, until last weekend Peter Kay made the news last weekend when he kicked two hecklers out of his show at the Manchester Arena. Kay defended the move afterwards, saying he’d done his “best to address the situation and made light of it, as any comedian would, but unfortunately their interruptions continued”. One heckler was removed for loudly ordering the Bolton comic’s favourite “garlic bread” one too many times. He went on to tell the Daily Mail he felt he’d been “treated like a terrorist”. Another had announced “we love you, Peter” in the aftermath, resulting in Kay calling her Lisa Riley as she was ejected, because of her resemblance to the actress. The woman later said on TikTok that she felt “humiliated” and thought his reaction was a bit “over the top”. BBC News journalist Ellen Kirwin told the BBC the “vibe was good” in the place before the red cards, which “seemed unjustified”. The incidents prompted a week-long discussion about when piping up can be fun, and how it can quickly get out of hand. WIth this in mind, we asked an English, a Welsh and Scottish comedian – almost a joke in itself, if they were to walk into a bar together – for their thoughts on the subtle art of dealing with hecklers. ‘Most brutal heckle ever’Matt Lockett Larry Dean believes Peter Kay and Chris Rock had it easy compared with his heckling experience Larry Dean, who starts his *** tour on Wednesday 19 February in Cardiff, tells the BBC he “felt sorry for the audience, not just Peter Kay”. “It’s a really hard thing to do because no one wants to see a comic go serious, you feel like a teacher sometimes,” he says. “It changes the atmosphere when a heckler goes too far, but it really is about gaging, do the people around me want me to keep going?” Last year, Dean found himself the victim of what he has described as “the most brutal heckle ever”. When discussing the topic of ghosts, he overheard a woman loudly talking to someone else in the audience and decided to ask if she was okay. “My dad bought me these tickets because he’s dying and he wanted me to have a laugh,” came the reply. “We’re not laughing”, she added, “so I’ve said to my pal we’re going to leave.” Dean recalls his shocked response. “Obviously I’m not gonna make fun of that,” Dean tells the BBC. The Glaswegian looked so discombobulated by the heckle that another audience member asked him if he was okay. “Looking at it, perspective wise, Chris Rock [who was slapped on stage at the Oscars by Will Smith) and Peter Kay – who have the two most famous show interuptions from the past few years – they’ve have had it easy! “They need to get this woman from Dundee to know what a heckle really is.” Matt Lockett Dean thinks in the era of social media, many comics want to be heckled as it can be “good for publicity” His second-worst heckle involved a man on the front row repeating the same whispered swear word at him, so low that only he could hear it. “I just had to ignore it,” he says. Arenas, like the ones Kay performs in, bring in more people but they can also bring problems for stand-ups, he says. “They’re harder to play than a theatre or comedy club because the laughter goes up, it doesn’t come towards the stage,” says Dean, who has played support slots in arenas. He says it’s difficult for comedians in Kay’s situation to hear what audience members are actually saying, and that their interjections are also distracting for others watching in different parts of the arena. “People say, ‘he should have said this…’, but usually people who say that have never been on stage before and they don’t know how hard it can be thinking that quickly in the moment about what the best thing for the show is; because you just want everybody to have a good time.” Another British comic James Acaster last year released a special entitled Hecklers Welcome. Not because he particularly enjoys the experience, but in order to face his biggest fear and, as he told GQ, “run towards the thing I was scared of”. Dean feels that “nothing will ever catch people’s attention more” than watching a comedian get heckled. Heckling versus crowd workDylan Woodley Abi Clarke hosted the Wagatha Christie podcast series and has appeared on The Emily Atack show Abi Clarke, who has almost a million followers on TikTok, thinks most comedians will be on Kay’s side of the argument. Crucially though, the Bristolian notes: “There’s a difference betwen heckling and crowd work. “With crowd work a comedian is inviting it, you’re asking a question, you’re wanting a chat and that’s very different from somebody shouting out a random thing. “Once is fine, or twice but if the comedian stops engaging with you or says that’s enough, then at that point you’re ruining it.” New comic superstar Paul Smith made his name roasting crowds as an MC/compere in Liverpool, while Jimmy Carr is also famed for inviting and actively engaging with interuptions. For Clarke, heckling comes into its own when comics are workshopping new material. If someone joins in, it can create new “source material” that can be used as a fresh joke at the next gig. “I’ve had hecklers who have interupted multiple times but if they’re engaging, joining in with what you’re saying and being positive, I don’t mind that, it’s quite fun. “If they’re just derailing the gig because they like the sound of their own voice, then I think you should just chuck them out! “‘Garlic bread’ – there’s not much you can do with that.” ‘Spontaneous moments’Dylan Woodley Common sense and context are crucial when it comes to interrupting comedians, Clarke says She thinks if you’re going to someone’s headline show that they’ve honed and crafted – “they’ve perfected the rhythm, set-up and punchline” – then the time to interject has passed. “I promise you, It will be a better show if they get to perform it how it’s meant to be performed.” The other time that heckling comes in handy, she says, is for promotional purposes online, as comics don’t want to give away their best written material for free, when a great bit of crowd banter will show off their skills just as well. “The ones we will post are the wonderful one-off spontaneous moments because they’ll never happen again, so they won’t ruin the show.” She’s “quite lucky so far”, she says, having had only “two or three horrible instances” of bad heckling, and in those cases the audience had her back. “It’s easy to win an argument against a person that no one in the room likes.” Her new tour, Role Model, which kicks off on Thursday 17 April in Southampton, finds her keeping a humorous tally of bad behaviour, while questioning if she herself is a bad person for doing certain things. During these moments she finds other girls will supportively offer, “no, it’s fine”, which she really appreciates on a human level, but “that’s not what the joke is for!”. ‘Chaos and magic’ Paul Hilleard won the BBC New Comedy Award last year, an award that Peter Kay was a finalist in in 1997 Welsh comic Paul Hilleard, who won the BBC New Comedy Award last year, believes that dealing with hecklers is “part of the job” and that Kay – a finalist in the same award in 1997 – may have “thrown his toys out of the pram” a bit. Especially given he was playing to a room of “people who love you”, he says. It’s a bit different from some of the venues – or “bear pits” – that he currently plays as an up-and-coming comedian in Bristol, while also working as a teaching assistant. He sometimes performs in back rooms of pubs, where people don’t always know that comedy is about to take place around them. “Heckling is just part of the game, it’s not fun… but it can be,” he adds, mischievously. “I’ve always been taught you’ve got to play the room. If it’s chaotic, it doesn’t matter if you’ve written the best 20 minutes ever, you’ve got to control that room of people who are intoxicated, and show them that you’re funnier.” Stag and hen dos, which tend to gravitate to comedy nights, can bring such chaos. Hilleard says he has spoken with other comics who agree that audiences “are a little more feral” since returning from the Covid lockdown, “heightened” by social media. “One guy was on magic mushrooms, we found out, and it became part of the show, you lean into it,” he says. “That’s the best thing you can do, until they become very abusive.” Philip Gatward/Phil McIntyre TV Paul Hilleard thinks most hecklers are not trying to ruin the show “There’s a line,” he continues. “If you’re ruining the show, that becomes the venue’s problem. “But it’s our job as a comic to make that heckle part of the show, as that’s where the magic is.” He will perform at the Machynlleth Comedy Festival in May, and said there are “tricks of the trade” including certian “jokes and comebacks” that experienced comedians can lean on to deal with such situations. But it’s all worth it, he says, “if you can turn something on the fly that wasn’t planned into something hilarous”. “That’s when people are like, ‘oh my God, how did you do do that?’.” Nine out of 10 hecklers, he believes, are not trying to ruin the show, they just think it’s “part of the fun” or “want to be acknowledged”. And the one that does, “might have had a bad day, drank too much or they might just be an [******]! “I think it’s something within people, we like a bit of drama.” Source link #Comedians #Peter #Kay #eject #hecklers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Rare earths hopeful in eye of Greenland political storm Rare earths hopeful in eye of Greenland political storm A stalled rare earths project puts an *********** junior miner at the centre of an election in an Atlantic territory caught in a web of geopolitical tensions. Source link #Rare #earths #hopeful #eye #Greenland #political #storm Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Everybody Out Everybody Out From the Boiling Frogs on The Dispatch Illustration by Declan Garvey/The Dispatch. My metric for judging whether a second Donald Trump presidency is successful or not is whether it delivers what Americans deserve for reelecting a coup-plotting demagogue. So far, it’s beaten expectations. Of the two issues that won the election for Republicans, the White House is already downplaying one and bumping up against hard realities on the other. Instead, most of the political energy in the president’s first weeks back in office has been spent on a legally dubious cultural ****** Elon Musk is waging on federal agencies, with Musk and Trump tossing out wild allegations of fraud involving spending they dislike and conspicuously ignoring chicanery closer to home. The new Cabinet is as sleazy, crankish, and unfit as anyone could have reasonably hoped. (Almost.) The ethical corruption to which the administration has stooped is almost operatic in its lavishness. Less than a month in, a new world order in which small liberal powers like Ukraine are expected to supplicate to authoritarian behemoths like Russia is being built. There have even been surprises. A small one: Jack Posobiec, a notorious alt-right social media troll known for conspiracy theories and assorted sinister postliberal mutterings, was invited to accompany our new secretary of defense on his first overseas trip for some reason. (Pentagon officials were reportedly “alarmed” by his presence.) A big one: Befitting his fascist instincts, Trump appears serious about trying to annex countries in America’s near-abroad. And not-so-near-abroad—no one saw the Gaza City Trump Hotel and Casino on the geopolitical horizon, did they? Meditate on this: On the very day that news about a measles outbreak in Texas was circulating, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by Senate Republicans to lead the country’s health bureaucracy. To quote the poet James Carville, “We are flooded in sh—.” And Americans seem to love it. If you define “democracy” as H.L. Mencken did, we’ve rarely seen a democratic triumph as stirring as the first three-plus weeks of this presidency. But no administration is perfect. One problem for the Trump White House as it goes about trying to give America what it deserves is that, despite its best efforts, it’s ended up with some smart people who take seriously their oath to the Constitution working for it. And frankly, I don’t know why. Quid pro quo. On Thursday, Danielle Sassoon, the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan, resigned. Her resignation letter is a master class in how to call your boss, in this case the No. 2 lawyer in the Justice Department, a corrupt scumbag … without using the term “corrupt scumbag.” The allegedly corrupt scumbag in question is Emil Bove, who worked as Donald Trump’s private attorney during the interregnum and now serves as presidential enforcer against the “deep state” as acting deputy attorney general. A few days ago, Bove sent Sassoon a memo directing her to dismiss the federal corruption charges pending in her district against New York City Mayor Eric Adams—but not because the DOJ wasn’t confident in a conviction. “The agency’s justification for dropping the case was explicitly political,” the New York Times explained. “Mr. Bove had argued that the investigation would prevent Mr. Adams from fully cooperating with Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown. Mr. Bove made a point of saying that Washington officials had not evaluated the strength of the evidence or the legal theory behind the case.” I’m not dropping the charges, a defiant Sassoon declared in her resignation letter, which was addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi. To do so under the circumstances would be unethical: The Justice Department is not in the business of doing legal favors for a politically powerful defendant just because the president’s agenda might benefit from that defendant’s cooperation. Prosecutors are told to apply the law impartially, without fear or favor. Cutting Adams a break in exchange for his help in boosting Trump’s deportation numbers would be the definition of a favor. That wasn’t all. She claimed that more charges against the mayor were in the works, alleging that “Adams destroyed and instructed others to destroy evidence and provide false information to the FBI.” And she noted that dismissing the indictment against him without prejudice, as the DOJ had instructed her to do, would allow the White House to coerce the mayor going forward by threatening to refile charges if he ever stopped complying with its political demands. Here was the showstopper, though: I attended a meeting on January 31, 2025, with Mr. Bove, Adams’s counsel, and members of my office. Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed. Mr. Bove admonished a member of my team who took notes during that meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the meeting’s conclusion. Nothing says “Trump lawyer” like warning others present not to make a written record of some scumminess they’ve just witnessed. A fun fact courtesy of the Times: Adams’ counsel includes Alex Spiro, who represents Elon Musk in other matters, and William Burck, an outside ethics adviser to, er, Donald Trump’s company. Not only is justice not blind in this case, the lawyers on both sides are all basically on the same team. The corruption is so brazen that, the day after Sassoon’s resignation letter was published, Adams and Trump’s immigration czar appeared together on Fox News to joke about the pressure the mayor would face to help the White House meet its immigration goals. They needn’t worry: Adams seems to understand quite well what this quid pro quo requires of him. Danielle Sassoon wanted no part of it. Three weeks into her prestigious new job as acting U.S. attorney, she quit on principle rather than participate in Trump’s effort to turn American law into a patronage system. At least one prosecutor working under her followed her out the door. On Thursday night, Bove took the Adams case away from the Manhattan office altogether and handed it to the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section in Washington with orders to dismiss the charges—and then the head of that department resigned in protest, as did three of his colleagues. Question: What on earth were these people doing working for Donald Trump to begin with? Integrity and its enemies. To appreciate the magnitude of the sacrifice Sassoon made, you need to understand that her professional credentials aren’t gold-plated, they’re platinum-plated. She was educated at Harvard and Yale Law. She clerked for two of the most eminent conservative judges of the last 50 years, Antonin Scalia and J. Harvie Wilkinson. At the tender age of 38, she already has one red-letter conviction to her name and was held in high enough esteem to have been placed in charge of the most prestigious U.S. attorney’s office in the country, albeit temporarily. Take it from me, a (failed) lawyer: That’s as good as it gets. That’s the résumé of a future attorney general or appellate judge, possibly a Supreme Court justice. Given her youth and intellect, my guess is that Sassoon stood a real chance of landing on the federal bench before Trump’s term was up. All she had to do was follow the example of J.D. Vance, Elise Stefanik, Marco Rubio, and a million other soulless Republican lowlifes by agreeing to prioritize his interests over her commitment to liberalism. She refused. Because she refused, and because she further insisted on exposing Bove’s and Trump’s attempt to turn federal criminal law into an instrument of political leverage, her professional aspirations are up in smoke. Neither the president nor whatever creature succeeds him as head of the GOP will consider her for a high-profile job after this. On the contrary: In his own letter accepting her resignation, Bove informed her that the DOJ intends to investigate her and her colleagues for insubordination. A talent like her will presumably land a high-paying partnership at some white-shoe law firm eventually, but even that isn’t as certain as it would have been five years ago. We live in a culture of fear now; if your firm has business with Trump’s government, would you want the White House to know that you’d gone and hired that prosecutor who burned him and Emil Bove publicly? Her willingness to place liberal principle over her own ambition is like a long drink of water during an endless trek through the desert. Amid a national pandemic of moral cowardice, she and the others who resigned rather than carry out Bove’s drug deal turned out to be immune. They lit their careers on fire because they deemed that preferable to being derelict in their ethical duties. However much you admire them, it’s not enough. Having said all that, though, I … don’t know what any of them expected. How did they see their careers during a second Trump presidency playing out, exactly? What was their endgame? They can’t possibly have believed they’d be left alone to do their work conscientiously. Case in point: Lost in the hubbub over Sassoon resigning on Thursday was the fact that Apple and Google have quietly restored TikTok to their respective app stores. “Isn’t that ********?” you might say. It is. The law that banned the app makes clear that steep fines will be imposed on companies that offer TikTok for download in a “marketplace” until the platform has been sold to an American firm. Trump, who took an oath less than a month ago to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has said that he won’t faithfully execute that one. Even so, Google and Apple made TikTok unavailable for download. What finally convinced them to bring it back, it seems, was a letter from Pam Bondi assuring them that the law wouldn’t be enforced in this case. “In essence, then,” law professor Steve Vladeck wrote, “the Attorney General of the United States has put her name to legal conclusions that (1) she was directed to reach by the President; and (2) are laughably wrong. … It is the epitome of politics over law from the federal officer who ought to be most committed to the latter.” That’s not the first time a president and his Justice Department have declined to enforce a statute, of course. But typically when they exercise discretion, their reasons are more substantial than that the target of the law has a “warm spot in his heart” and that one of his donors has money at stake in the matter. As with the letters to Apple and Google, Bove’s letter to Sassoon also boils down to the idea that when the president wants the Justice Department to do something, the Justice Department should do it. There’s some argle-bargle in there about the Eric Adams indictment having been “weaponized” when the former U.S. attorney touted it to promote his willingness to take on celebrity defendants, but as Sassoon noted in her letter, many prosecutors in the office have reviewed the Adams charges and found them strong. What Bove really means to say is that, when Trump’s political needs bump up against the ethical qualms of his subordinates, he expects those subordinates to lay those qualms aside on flimsy pretexts and follow the chain of command in Article II. That’s the entire point of his second administration, where hires are being screened aggressively for “loyalty” before even being offered a job. Someone as brilliant as Danielle Sassoon surely understood it. So why did she join in the first place? What Americans deserve. After January 6, after Trump’s endless threats of “retribution” during the campaign, after multiple federal indictments, there are only two reasons a smart young conservative should want to work for him. One: Said conservative is a sociopath who will, in the name of getting ahead, light the Constitution on fire if Donald Trump tells him or her to. Two: Said conservative is a patriot who fears that others will light the Constitution on fire if Trump tells him or her to and they want to be in the room to stop it when it happens. Ethical Republicans must fill vacant positions if only to block unethical ones from filling them instead. I assume that second reason is why Sassoon and her colleagues gave it a go. They knew their office would be asked to do something unconscionable eventually (read: three weeks) and intended to make it painful for the White House when it happened. And Sassoon did make it painful: At one point in her resignation letter, she argued that dropping the charges against Adams would be so corrupt that the judge presiding over the case should simply tell the DOJ “no.” Working for the Trump administration in hopes of revealing or sabotaging its corruption is a noble impulse. But it’s very 2017. We’ve been over that before. Well-meaning Republican staffers like Sarah Isgur who went into the government during Trump’s first term and protected Americans from some of his worst impulses may have accidentally convinced voters that bringing him back for a second term was less risky than it truly was. And most of the Sarahs are gone now: Apart from a few Danielle Sassoons, the deputies with whom Trump has surrounded himself this time are there because they won’t restrain him. Emil Bove probably wouldn’t have behaved as ethically as Jeff Sessions and Rod Rosenstein did with the Russia investigation, and I suspect that’s precisely why Donald Trump likes him. The logic of “good Republicans” filling positions in the government to keep “bad Republicans” out also grows weaker by the day. That logic arguably explains why Sen. Bill Cassidy, facing a primary from a Trump sycophant, chose to vote for the dregs of Trump’s Cabinet nominees this month. By doing so, he’s shoring up his electoral position and making it harder for MAGA to unseat a sane conservative like him. But if the sane conservative is voting the same way that a MAGA senator would on figures like Kennedy, Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard, then why does it actually matter who holds that seat? Why is reluctantly voting to confirm terrible postliberal nominees any better in practice than doing so enthusiastically? The most one can say for the likes of Cassidy is that he’s keeping his powder dry, hoping to remain in the Senate so that one day he can cast a big vote against Trump in an important spot. (Cabinet confirmation votes aren’t big enough, apparently.) In fairness, he’s done so once before. And … it didn’t matter in the end. There weren’t enough sane conservatives in Congress left to restrain Trump in 2021 and there sure as hell aren’t enough now. The ones who are still sane, more or less, sound less sane every day. Sassoon and her colleagues deserve immense moral credit for drawing a red line and enforcing it, but the bitter truth is that practically no one’s going to care. The prosecutors who stood on principle in this matter will be blackballed by the government and by Trump-friendly outfits in the private sector. Eric Adams will be pardoned if the White House can’t muscle anyone at the DOJ into dismissing the indictment against him, and he will probably work in Trump’s administration eventually. Bove will end up as attorney general or as a federal judge and Senate Republicans will vote to confirm him, probably unanimously. It is far too late in 2025 for honest, civic-minded people to go to work for federal institutions in hopes of protecting them from an administration bent on operating those institutions like a racket. The effort will not succeed. At best, having decent, talented employees in the ranks carrying out its work will lend Trump’s government a patina of respectability that it doesn’t deserve. At worst, some of those decent, talented people will become less decent as the culture of Trumpism infects them and rots their souls. “I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion [to dismiss the Adams charges]. But it was never going to be me.” That’s what Hagan Scotten, another prosecutor in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, wrote in his own resignation letter to Bove on Thursday. Those words are stirring, but the truth is grim: There are plenty of fools and cowards around Trump who’ll do his dirty work, including in this matter. Scotten and his colleagues won’t stop him. And so the best thing for those who admire Danielle Sassoon’s show of principle to do would be to follow her example and resign from the federal government themselves if they can afford to do so financially. Everybody out. If that means the DOJ loses 50 percent of its staff overnight and hundreds of criminal cases grind to a halt, that’s what it means. If that means Trump starts hiring sleazebags by the thousands and installs them in powerful law enforcement positions, that’s fine too. In the end, we come back to where we started, with what Americans deserve. Despite the best efforts of sane conservatives like Sarah Isgur to keep Trump from melting down during his first term, we still got January 6. Voters knew well enough what they were voting for this time, even if they didn’t know the full extent. They deserve the kind of government they elected. Everyone with a drop of integrity who’s left: out. Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. Source link Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump administration fires over 400 DHS employees as mass firings continue Trump administration fires over 400 DHS employees as mass firings continue Washington — The Trump administration on Friday moved to fire more than 400 employees at the Department of Homeland Security, the latest effort in a government-wide campaign to dramatically reduce the federal workforce. Officials at DHS said they had fired hundreds of employees across several of its agencies after supervisors identified “non-mission critical personnel in probationary status” within the nation’s top cybersecurity agency, known as CISA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which administers the nation’s legal immigration system, among others. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making sweeping cuts and reform across the federal government to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CBS News. McLaughlin said the personnel cuts will result in roughly $50 million in savings, and be “incalculably valuable” to the administration’s efforts to cut red tape, adding that the department is “actively identifying other wasteful positions and offices that do not do not fulfill DHS’ mission.” In total, over 200 personnel have been fired from FEMA, the nation’s disaster relief agency. The eliminations follow DHS’ announcement earlier this week that four FEMA employees would be terminated over payments to reimburse New York City for hotel costs for migrants. The workers were accused of circumventing agency leadership to make the transactions, which have been part of a routine reimbursement program that offsets costs to care for a spike in migration along the southern border. The mass firings also include over 130 cuts within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Among the newest federal agencies, CISA was established during the first Trump administration in 2018 to spearhead a national effort to oversee cyber and physical risk to U.S. critical infrastructure. Among other duties, the top cyber agency partners with states and local jurisdictions to secure U.S. election infrastructure. The department has also offered a dozen members of the U.S. Coast Guard currently placed on administrative leave a new assignment at the southwest border in support of border security efforts. Those service members previously worked on a team dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the Coast Guard workforce. The cuts include nearly 50 workers at USCIS, which processes a broad class of applications for immigration benefits, including requests for citizenship, green cards, asylum and work permits, plus an additional ten employees from DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate. Notably, two large DHS agencies spearheading President Trump’s highly-publicized crackdown on ******** immigration, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, were spared in Friday’s firings. Mr. Trump signed an executive order Tuesday informing agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions in force.” Office of Personnel Management officials convened a meeting with agency leaders across government Thursday, instructing them to begin terminating employees still in their probationary *******, according to administration officials. Federal employees typically remain on probation between one to two years after being hired, a status that offers some workplace protections but also makes them easier to remove from their posts. The Trump administration has moved aggressively to fire federal employees, most of them recent hires, in different agencies, including at the departments of Veterans Affairs and Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Forest Service. It has also overseen a sweeping employee purge at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which distributes the foreign aid the Trump administration has sought to pause. Trump appointees have carried out the mass firings in concert with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, the initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk that has installed officials across different agencies to cut the federal bureaucracy and freeze funding deemed to be wasteful. From the Oval Office on Tuesday, Mr. Trump claimed that his administration had found “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse,” though offered little evidence to reporters. On Thursday, Musk called for the U.S. to “delete entire agencies” at home and “mind its own business” at times abroad. Appearing via video-conference during the World Government Summit 2025, Musk told audiences gathered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, “I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave a lot of them behind.” “If we don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back,” Musk added. Nicole Sganga Nicole Sganga is a CBS News reporter covering homeland security and justice. Source link #Trump #administration #fires #DHS #employees #mass #firings #continue Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ***** Lawsuit Dismissed by Jane Doe’s Attorney – Variety Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ***** Lawsuit Dismissed by Jane Doe’s Attorney – Variety Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ***** Lawsuit Dismissed by Jane Doe’s Attorney VarietyJay-Z, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs ******* assault accuser drops lawsuit Fox NewsJay-Z & Sean “Diddy” Combs ***** Suit Dropped; Rappers Accused Of Assaulting 13-Year-Old In 2000 DeadlineCivil case accusing Jay-Z, Diddy of raping 13-year-old girl voluntarily dismissed ABC NewsJay-Z Accuser Drops ***** Lawsuit Against Him and Sean Combs The New York Times Source link #JayZ #Sean #Diddy #Combs #***** #Lawsuit #Dismissed #Jane #Attorney #Variety Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Brighton 3-0 Chelsea: How did Chelsea end up with no fit strikers? Brighton 3-0 Chelsea: How did Chelsea end up with no fit strikers? Maresca already hinted at changing his tactics for the game at Brighton because of Nkunku’s struggles playing up front. The France international has been in poor form and has scored just one goal in 11 league matches in all competitions. He opted to move Nkunku away from the number nine position, where he struggled in the FA Cup tie with Brighton six days ago, effectively swapping positions with Palmer. But the new gameplan was disrupted by the injury to Madueke, which left Chelsea with just one player in Neto who could run in behind. As a result, the visitors were left with lots of the ball – but with no real goal threat. They completed 648 passes and had 69.4% possession at Amex Stadium but were unable to force Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into a save. Speaking after the match, Maresca told BBC Sport: “It is difficult when you don’t have a proper number nine. In the last third we struggled doing things that until a week or two ago we were doing well. “This is the worst moment since I arrived but we are still there and we need to finish in the best way.” It was a similar story in that FA Cup game, with the Blues again dominating possession and completing more passes than their opponents but on that occasion having just one shot on target. Chelsea’s best hope is finding a way to improve Nkunku’s level – but without hurting Palmer, who is also starting to decline after disrupting his excellent partnership with Jackson. Either way, in reality, for all the money spent Maresca is simply short of options. Source link #Brighton #Chelsea #Chelsea #fit #strikers Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

What Ita Buttrose said about Antoinette Lattouf in her emails revealed What Ita Buttrose said about Antoinette Lattouf in her emails revealed Former ABC chair Ita Buttrose’s emails about Antoinette Lattouf have played a big role in the presenter’s unlawful termination case in the Federal Court. Source link #Ita #Buttrose #Antoinette #Lattouf #emails #revealed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Deadly 16 vehicle ****** on I-80 during snow squall Deadly 16 vehicle ****** on I-80 during snow squall LIBERTY TWP., MONTOUR COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — State police are investigating a ****** on I-80 during a snow squall that involved 16 vehicles and killed one person. According to Pennsylvania State Police, they were called to Interstate 80 for a multi-vehicle ****** on westbound mile marker 218 in Liberty Township around 2:40 a.m. Friday, February 14. Police say a snow squall was passing through the area at the time of the ******. At this time, one person has been reported dead and two people suffered serious injuries. Valley Township Volunteer Fire Department Valley Township Volunteer Fire Department Man sentenced after ********* assaulting, kidnapping 14-year-old girl “He said there was ice on the road and the guy behind him was speeding and hit him. He slid, slid, hit the car in front of him, and he said he jumped out of the truck. When he got out another truck was coming and he had to jump over the rail,” stated Doreen Clarke, a woman whose son is a truck driver and was involved in the 16-vehicle ******. I-80 westbound near mile marker 218 was closed for many hours. 28/22 News will update you with the latest as it is released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. Source link #Deadly #vehicle #****** #I80 #snow #squall Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stock Market on Feb. 14, 2025: S&P 500 slips to close just shy of record high as investors weigh drop in U.S. retail sales. Dow, Nasdaq log weekly gains ahead of Presidents Day weekend. – MarketWatch Stock Market on Feb. 14, 2025: S&P 500 slips to close just shy of record high as investors weigh drop in U.S. retail sales. Dow, Nasdaq log weekly gains ahead of Presidents Day weekend. – MarketWatch Stock Market on Feb. 14, 2025: S&P 500 slips to close just shy of record high as investors weigh drop in U.S. retail sales. Dow, Nasdaq log weekly gains ahead of Presidents Day weekend. MarketWatchStock Market Mixed Ahead Of Presidents Day; Fed Minutes, Walmart Earnings Due Investor’s Business DailyWall Street ends mixed; Nvidia lifts Nasdaq Yahoo Finance Source link #Stock #Market #Feb #SampP #slips #close #shy #record #high #investors #weigh #drop #U.S #retail #sales #Dow #Nasdaq #log #weekly #gains #ahead #Presidents #Day #weekend #MarketWatch Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Last-minute own goal gives Bologna thrilling victory Last-minute own goal gives Bologna thrilling victory As debuts go they don’t come much more unfortunate than this. Cristiano Biraghi scored a last-minute own goal on his first appearance for Torino as Bologna were gifted a 3-2 win in Serie A on Friday. With just seconds remaining, the ball hit the retreating defender and spun past his helpless goalkeeper. It was a disaster for the recent signing from Fiorentina and marked the first defeat in eight games for Torino, who after a shaky run in the final weeks of 2024, stabilised their form with six draws and a win from their last seven games. The match at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara had a bit of everything, including a double from Dan Ndoye for hosts Bologna in the 20th and 70th minutes. Earlier, Nikola Vlasic had cancelled out Ndoye’s opening goal with one of his own in the 37th minute. But a moment of inspiration from Eljif Elmas gave Torino a 2-1 lead 20 minutes into the second half, the on-loan striker from Leipzig nutmegging a defender and dinking the ball over the keeper. Five minutes later, Ndoye took advantage of a penalty award to level the scores before Biraghi’s unlucky own goal settled the matter. The result lifted Bologna one place into seventh and left Torino in 11th spot. Source link #Lastminute #goal #Bologna #thrilling #victory Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

An Indian court finds a 31-year-old man guilty of the ***** and ******* of an Irish backpacker An Indian court finds a 31-year-old man guilty of the ***** and ******* of an Irish backpacker NEW DELHI (AP) — A court in India on Friday found a 31-year-old man guilty of raping and murdering an Irish woman at a popular tourist resort in 2017. Vikat Bhagat was found guilty of the crime by Judge Kshama Joshi at the District and Sessions Court in western Goa state. Joshi said she will pronounce sentencing on Monday. The body of 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin was found by a farmer on a beach popular with holidaymakers in the western state of Goa in March 2017. An autopsy showed that cerebral damage and constriction of the neck caused her death. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Usually, ***** victims cannot be named under Indian law. In this case, the victim’s family spoke to the media to raise awareness of her case. The crime highlighted persistent violence against women in India despite tougher laws against ******* assault imposed after the 2012 death of a young woman who was gang-****** on a bus in New Delhi. McLaughlin’s family in a statement said they and her friends were “thankful to the public prosecutor and the investigating officer for justice.” “They have treated her like their daughter and tirelessly fought for her,” the family said in a statement, according to Press Trust of India news agency. A separate statement posted on behalf of the family on the “Truth For Danielle McLaughlin” Facebook page said her “truth has finally been heard.” “We have lost nearly 8 years of our lives fighting for Danielle and we are so thankful that we now can start grieving her immeasurable loss. She was so much more than a daughter, sister and best friend. She lit up every room she entered and touch the lives of all who met her. She brought so much good into this world and he so quickly took her from this world with his cruelty,” the statement said. Ireland’s foreign ministry in a statement on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris paid tribute to McLaughlin’s family, in particular to her mother, “for her determination and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy.” “While nothing can ease the pain of their loss, I hope that this verdict represents some closure for the family. My thoughts will remain with them as they continue to grieve the loss of their beloved daughter and sister. May Danielle rest in peace,” the statement said. Goa is a popular backpacking destination in India. Millions of tourists visit its numerous beach resorts every year. Source link #Indian #court #finds #31yearold #man #guilty #***** #******* #Irish #backpacker Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

OpenAI Rejects Elon Musk’s Bid to Gain Control of the Company – The New York Times OpenAI Rejects Elon Musk’s Bid to Gain Control of the Company – The New York Times OpenAI Rejects Elon Musk’s Bid to Gain Control of the Company The New York TimesElon Musk says he’ll withdraw his $97 billion bid for control of Sam Altman’s OpenAI— only if Altman agrees to halt the transition to a for-profit enterprise FortuneOpenAI board rejects Musk’s $97.4 billion offer ReutersOpenAI rejects Musk’s takeover offer, says it was ‘not a bid at all’ CNBC Source link #OpenAI #Rejects #Elon #Musks #Bid #Gain #Control #Company #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

QPR thump struggling Derby in Championship QPR thump struggling Derby in Championship John Eustace was given a painful demonstration of the size of the task he has to save Derby from relegation as his new side slumped to a 4-0 loss at QPR. Ilias Chair scored twice, with Koki Saito and England U20 international Ronnie Edwards also on target on a disastrous first day at the office for the new Rams boss. Eustace raised eyebrows this week by leaving Blackburn, a side challenging for promotion to the Premier League, for one battling the drop to League One. While Rovers lie fifth, Derby’s humbling in west London meant they slipped into the bottom three on goal difference. Eustace certainly knew what was in store for his new side on Friday night, as his final match with Rovers was a 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road just 10 days earlier. Eustace said he had learnt a lot about his players after the loss. “I learnt a lot about the group tonight, and there’s lots I’m excited about. There is also lots we can improve on. “I thought we started well but the goal they scored knocked the wind out of our sails. Then we didn’t defend the box well enough for the second, third and fourth goals. “I’ve come to Derby not just for the short term but for the long term and it’s my job now to give as much confidence as I can to the players. You can see they are low on confidence at the moment.” QPR boss Marti Cifuentes said he liked a lot of things about the performance. “We didn’t really know what to expect from them but everybody was so committed. “Ilias Chair is one of the best players in the league. I’m glad he got two goals. He’s a bit angry at me for taking him off because he wanted a hat-trick. We are happy he is playing well.” Source link #QPR #thump #struggling #Derby #Championship Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Engine maker Safran upbeat on Boeing 737 MAX production this year Engine maker Safran upbeat on Boeing 737 MAX production this year PARIS (Reuters) – The head of French jet engine maker Safran said on Friday he was certain Boeing would reach key production milestones for the 737 MAX jet during this year. “Boeing had a very good start to the year in January,” CEO Olivier Andries said, referring to data that saw Boeing outpace European rival Airbus in deliveries for the first time in a single month in almost two years. “I have no doubt that Boeing will reach 38 (MAX aircraft produced) a month during the first half and that it will be at 42 (a month) before the end of the year.” Together with GE Aerospace, Safran co-owns engine maker CFM International, whose LEAP engines power the 737 MAX and some competing Airbus jets. Public comments from engine makers on jetliner production are rare and shed extra light on production plans given their critical importance. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration imposed a ceiling of 38 aircraft a month after a wrongly installed door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines jet a year ago. It has said Boeing must hit a number of interim safety metrics before the cap is lifted. Industry sources say Boeing is currently producing fewer than 30 of the jets a month. Boeing has not said when it will reach 42 planes a month, which is the next significant waypoint as it increases production towards a pre-crisis level of around 56 a month. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told analysts last month: “I do want to … get through the approval this year and get to that 42 sometime towards the end of the year”. He added that Boeing still had some work to do to ensure its systems were stable. Andries said Boeing had a “three-digit” stockpile of LEAP-1B engines at its facilities, suggesting it has at least enough engines available for 50 of the twin-engined MAX jets. Announcing results earlier, Safran cautioned that supply chains remained a risk to growth. (Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Sharon Singleton) Source link #Engine #maker #Safran #upbeat #Boeing #MAX #production #year Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

See value investor David Einhorn’s latest portfolio See value investor David Einhorn’s latest portfolio David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital has upped its bets on two key stocks during the fourth quarter. The hedge fund increased its stake in agricultural machinery company CNH Industrial by 44.2% in the *******, according to the latest 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Greenlight also boosted its holding in fitness company Peloton by 10.4%. Greenlight’s position in CNH was worth about $116 million at the end of 2024. Peloton’s increase amounts to a holding worth more than $91 million. That places both names within Greenlight Capital’s top 10 holdings for the *******, with CNH as the fund’s fifth largest holding and Peloton at its seventh largest. The 13F filing only serves as a snapshot of the fund’s holdings as of Dec. 31, and it doesn’t reflect trades made since then. Last November, Einhorn said at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha conference in New York that he had started a medium-sized position in CNH, though he didn’t disclose how much. Greenlight Capital previously had a $6.8 million stake in Peloton , as of June 30, however. At the Robin Hood Investors Conference last October, the investor revealed that he thought the company could be worth five times its value. Both stocks have outperformed the broader market over the past six months, as CNH has gained 32.5% and Peloton has soared a whopping 239.2%. The S & P 500 is up 12% over that *******. CNH PTON 6M mountain CNH vs. PTON, 6-month Einhorn also increased his stake in three energy plays, namely DHT Holdings , Weatherford International and Seadrill . In November 2023, he had opened a new position in DHT , a crude oil tanker company. Greenlight’s holding in DHT was increased by nearly 21% in the fourth quarter of 2024, worth almost $49 million. The fund raised its stake in Weatherford by more than 157%, and it was valued at almost $33 million at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, Greenlight boosted its holding in Seadrill by almost 28% in the fourth quarter. The stake was worth about $30 million at the end of the year. In health care, Einhorn began a position in Centene . The holding was valued at roughly $53 million. The stock has sizably underperformed the broader market over the past six months, declining more than 26%. Source link #investor #David #Einhorns #latest #portfolio Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump keeps tariffs drumbeat going, with autos targeted next – Reuters Trump keeps tariffs drumbeat going, with autos targeted next – Reuters Trump keeps tariffs drumbeat going, with autos targeted next ReutersTrump Says Auto Tariffs Coming April 2 The New York TimesTrump’s reciprocal tariffs would hit these European Union products that Americans buy the hardest CNBCTrump Floats Auto Tariffs Targeting $240 Billion Trade Spigot Bloomberg Source link #Trump #tariffs #drumbeat #autos #targeted #Reuters Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Prosecutors file motion to drop corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams Prosecutors file motion to drop corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams Federal prosecutors in New York have filed a motion to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, bringing to a close a days-long battle that has upended the Justice Department over the decision to abandon the case. The motion to dismiss the five-count indictment was filed on the court’s public docket on Friday and said, “The Acting Deputy Attorney General has determined, pursuant to an authorization by the Attorney General, that dismissal is necessary and appropriate, and has directed the same, based on the unique facts and circumstances of this case.” “The Acting Deputy Attorney General concluded that dismissal is necessary because of appearances of impropriety and risks of interference with the 2025 elections in New York City,” the filing said, adding, “the Acting Deputy Attorney General also concluded that continuing these proceedings would interfere with the defendant’s ability to govern in New York City.” The judge overseeing the case must approve the motion before the charges are officially dropped. A senior career attorney from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, the acting head of the Justice Department’s criminal division and, notably, the acting deputy attorney general who is second in charge at the Justice Department jointly signed the motion. The decision to drop the case against Adams originated at Justice Department headquarters when former Trump attorney and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent a memo instructing prosecutors in Manhattan to abandon the five-count indictment that was filed in September. In a statement, Justice Department chief of staff Chad Mizelle said of the refusal by several department prosecutors to file for dismissal of Adams’ case, “The fact that those who indicted and prosecuted the case refused to follow a direct command is further proof of the disordered and ulterior motives of the prosecutors. Such individuals have no place at DOJ.” Bove, in his directive, cited Adams’ “restricted” ability to help the Trump administration enforce its immigration policies, and the case was to be dropped without prejudice, so the charges could be revived at a later time. He also made accusations that the charges stemmed from political weaponization. The move followed meetings between senior Justice Department officials, Southern District of New York prosecutors and Adams’ attorneys about dropping the charges, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed to CBS News. What followed was an extraordinary internal revolt from Justice Department leadership and federal prosecutors in Manhattan, pushing back on the decision to drop the charges against New York’s mayor. The internal disagreements burst into public view on Thursday, when the acting head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, resigned in protest. In a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and reviewed by CBS News, Sassoon offered her resignation and said the request to drop Adams’ case “raises serious concerns that render the contemplated dismissal inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.” Sassoon’s letter to the attorney general alleged that during a meeting with Justice Department officials last month, Adams’ attorneys “urged what amounted to a quid pro quo,” allegedly offering the mayor’s cooperation with Trump administration priorities in exchange for the dismissal of the charges. Bove and Adams’ legal team both rejected this assertion. “It is a breathtaking and dangerous precedent to reward Adams’s opportunistic and shifting commitments on immigration and other policy matters with the dismissal of a criminal indictment. Nor will a court likely find that such an improper exchange is consistent with the public interest,” Sassoon wrote. In response, Bove wrote a letter back to Sassoon and accused her of insubordination. The acting deputy attorney general said he and Justice Department leadership stood by the decision to drop Adams’ case, and Sassoon’s refusal to comply interfered with the “interests of justice.” Bove wrote that because of the prosecution against Adams, the mayor “is unable to communicate directly and candidly with City officials he is responsible for managing, as well as federal agencies trying to protect the public from national security threats and violent crime.” He said his directive to drop the charges “reflected a determination by the Justice Department that these public safety risks greatly outweigh any interest you have identified.” The line prosecutors who worked on Adams’ case have been placed on paid leave, pending investigations into Sassoon’s conduct, Bove’s letter revealed. Following Sassoon’s resignation, supervision of the Adams case was transferred from Manhattan to Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., where two additional leadership members — Kevin Driscoll of the Criminal Division and John Keller, acting head of the public integrity section — also resigned in protest, sources confirmed to CBS News. . Three additional senior officials in the public integrity unit in Washington, D.C., also resigned in the aftermath, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. And on Friday, a line prosecutor in the Southern District of New York stepped down from his position and pushed back against the Trump administration’s decision. In a scathing letter to Bove, Hagan Scotten defended Sassoon’s work and the work of prosecutors who worked the Adams case, according to a copy of the letter obtained by CBS News. “Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials in this way,” he wrote. “If there is no lawyer within earshot of the President who is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion.” “But it was never going to be me,” Scotten said. Adams made history as the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted on five counts of corruption back in September. The charges included bribery, conspiracy and campaign finance violations. He pleaded not guilty, and has stridently asserted his innocence ever since. He was to stand trial in April, and if convicted could have faced up to 45 years in prison. Dismissal comes after Adams meetings with Trump The stunning turn of events comes after Adams had high-profile meetings with President Trump. The two met in Florida while Mr. Trump was still president-elect. After that meeting, Adams said the two had not discussed his legal case at all. Adams then went on to cancel his plans to attend Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations in New York City and instead attend Mr. Trump’s inauguration, after receiving a last-minute invitation. When he was previously asked about the case against Adams, Mr. Trump said he thought Adams “was treated pretty unfairly,” and said he would consider a pardon. The dismissal of the case negates the need for any pardon. On Thursday, Mr. Trump said he was not involved with the decision to drop the case, telling members of the press, “I didn’t. I know nothing about it. I did not.” Prosecutors recently appeared to be ramping up their case In her resignation letter, Sassoon, Manhattan’s former top prosecutor, revealed her office had considered bringing additional charges against Adams focused on the alleged destruction of evidence and providing false statements to the FBI. Those charges were never filed. Early in January, prosecutors wrote in court documents that they had uncovered “additional criminal conduct” by the mayor. They didn’t disclose what that other alleged criminal conduct was, however. At the time, Adams blasted the disclosure. “You know, even Ray Charles can see what’s going on. And I have an attorney, Alex Spiro, he is handling that. I’ve said over and over again, I’ve done nothing wrong,” Adams said. Spiro called the move by prosecutors “amateur hour,” and accused them of “looking for a headline instead of doing the right thing.” Shortly after the initial charges against Adams were announced last fall, prosecutors said additional charges were “quite likely.” What’s next for Adams The dismissal of the charges means Adams can fully focus his attention on running the city, as well as run for reelection. He faces challenges from Comptroller Brad Lander and Lander’s predecessor, former Comptroller Scott *********, as well as State Sen. Jessica Ramos, State Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — to name just a few. Scott MacFarlane Scott MacFarlane is a congressional correspondent. He has covered Washington for two decades, earning 20 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. His reporting has resulted directly in the passage of five new laws. Source link #Prosecutors #file #motion #drop #corruption #charges #NYC #Mayor #Eric #Adams Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Free speech retreat’ and Payne’s chaotic last days ‘Free speech retreat’ and Payne’s chaotic last days Just nowBBC JD Vance features on the front of a number of Saturday’s front pages – including in the Financial Times where the paper reflects on the US vice-president saying that European countries must secure their own defence of their continent. Underneath the lead story, is a report on popular fast-fashion group Shein’s plans for a bumper *** stock market listing being likely to be delayed after Donald Trump’s crackdown on tariff-free imports of small goods from China. JD Vance’ “threat from within” remark takes the main slot in Saturday’s edition of The Times. The paper focuses on the vice-president’s criticism of the *** over a legal case in which a former serviceman who silently prayed outside an abortion clinic was convicted of breaching the safe zone around the centre. A smiling Chiwetel Ejiofor is the main image on the front of the paper as the actor talks about the latest Bridget Jones movie. The Daily Mail also leads with comments from JD Vance with its eye-catching headline “Free speech is in retreat in the ***”. In a wide-ranging speech in Munich the US vice president claimed the “basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular” are under threat. Elsewhere on the paper, it looks at what it describes Liam Payne’s “chaotic last days” before he died in Argentina last year. Another star from the latest Bridget Jones film – actor Leo Woodall – features smirking on the front of the Daily Telegraph as he the paper says the Brit is staking his claim to be Britain’s new romcom king. ‘Toyboy’ isn’t a phrase that bothers him, he tells the paper. At the foot of the page the Saturday Matt cartoon pokes fun at Chancellor Rachel Reeves after BBC News reported on Thursday that Rachel Reeves had exaggerated her online CV. In other news, the Sun claims former Eastenders actor Davood Ghadami fell for his panto co-star Melanie Barker who played Aladdin’s love interest Princess Jasmine during a run of the festive tale at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury in 2023. The Daily Mirror marks the fifth anniversary of Caroline Flack’s death with an interview with her mother Christine. She tells the paper Caroline has left a “life-saving legacy” by “inspiring people to live”. According to the i newspaper, the *** splashing millions of pounds on a social media advertising campaign, using depressive monologues that tell Albanians not to move to Britain. The Daily Express dedicates its front page to 13-year-old schoolboy Zach Eagling who has launched a new campaign on public transport for people with wheelchairs. Finally, the Daily Star says Robert De Niro’s Zero Day co-star Jesse Plemons is backing him as the next president of the US – the headline plays on one of his most famous lines from the iconic scene from the 1976 film Taxi Driver. Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. Related Internet Links Daily Express Daily Mail Daily Mirror Daily Star Daily Telegraph Financial Times Guardian Independent Metro Sun The i TimesUK newspapers Source link #Free #speech #retreat #Paynes #chaotic #days Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

I replaced my to-do list with ChatGPT’s Tasks feature and it completely changed the way I plan my life I replaced my to-do list with ChatGPT’s Tasks feature and it completely changed the way I plan my life I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person who uses to-do lists, but I often find that even if I make one, I’ll forget to check up on it. Online calendars and other tools help, but that still requires me to write all of them down. If I want to pursue a more complicated or long-term project, then I need to break it down into smaller bits and come up with a schedule that will carry me to that goal. Things would inevitably slip through the cracks. One moment, I’d be confidently running errands, and the next, I’d realize I forgot the one ingredient, or I’d realize I’d left my toothbrush on the other side of the country. So, I was intrigued when OpenAI debuted the Tasks feature for ChatGPT. Tasks are designed to help you build and manage those to-do lists by automating their creation and maintenance. What sets Tasks apart is that the feature can break down big projects into manageable steps while keeping everything in one organized system. Unlike my usual method of jotting down random reminders and hoping I remember to check them, Tasks ensures nothing slips through the cracks. ChatGPT Tasks will remind you about upcoming deadlines, suggest next steps based on ongoing projects, and even learn from your planning habits to refine future recommendations. Instead of writing a static checklist, Tasks makes ChatGPT more of a proactive assistant. I’ve been using it a lot of late, and, to my surprise, I’ve been far more on top of what I have to do than ever before. If you want to use the Tasks feature, subscribe to ChatGPT Plus or a higher tier of access, as it’s still in beta. If you are subscribed, you’ll find “GPT-4o with scheduled tasks” among the model options. You can then tell ChatGPT to set up a Task for whatever you want, including setting up an alert time and day. You can have it be a one-off or a recurring reminder, and you’ll see it pop up on the mobile app or on a desktop or web client if you have ChatGPT open. You also don’t need to be too concrete. The AI is flexible enough that you can describe a broad goal or achievement you want to pursue and ask ChatGPT to set up appropriate Tasks and reminder schedules. The AI will do its best to break down the plan into smaller segments. You can see all of the Tasks and edit them, delete them, or pause the automated alert at any time on the ChatGPT Tasks page. Music maestro (Image credit: Screenshots of ChatGPT) I’ve had a guitar for many years and I can ‘play’ as long as the song only needs about six chords and isn’t too fast. I always tell myself I’ll buckle down and really get good at it, but distractions and vague practice plans have made the guitar case a long-time source of guilt. But when I asked ChatGPT to use its Tasks feature to help me come up with a plan to get good at guitar over the next year, it more than delivered. ChatGPT set up recurring reminders for daily practice, breaking them down into different types of practice, and really laid out an achievable schedule of skill-building and song practice. I didn’t have to think about what to work on each day when Tasks already mapped it out for me. Plus, it used context to come up with ideas I hadn’t considered, such as finger-strengthening exercises and making recordings to show me how I’ve improved. I’m not Eric Clapton yet, and there are still days I haven’t felt like practicing, but the reminders keep nudging me forward. It even started recommending new songs that matched my skill level, keeping me engaged. Party planning (Image credit: Screenshots of ChatGPT) I love the idea of hosting dinner parties, but I’m honest enough to admit they would be chaotic and possibly require takeout were it not for my wife’s skills. But, if I want to show I can handle anything approaching her level of sophisticated hospitality, I can’t have any last-minute realizations that I forgot to turn on the oven or added almonds to a dish about to be eaten by a guest who’s allergic. I asked ChatGPT to use Tasks to help me and gave it a two-month lead time. The image above only shows about half of the list it made for me in a helpful timeline. Everything is in much more manageable chunks, from sending invitations, planning the menu, shopping, prepping ingredients, and setting up decorations. The automated reminders have been a boon and they connect to the next Task in a way that I find very helpful. ChatGPT took the initiative on plenty of the list, too, prompting me to double-check food allergies, which, as I said, I might have completely overlooked. The Tasks even threw in a reminder to test my Bluetooth speakers beforehand, ensuring I didn’t have to deal with connection issues while guests were arriving. Baby’s day out (Image credit: Screenshots of ChatGPT) I love my son to pieces, but stepping out the door with him is an adventure, especially when it’s just the two of us, and he has discovered how to unbuckle his stroller seatbelt. He’s pretty laid back, but I still want to make sure he has plenty to eat and isn’t kept from napping when he wants. And his messes wait for no man. Using Tasks, I asked ChatGPT to give me a Mary Poppins plan, or at least suggestions on organizing a day out, and that’s just what it did. Ahead of our day out for this experiment, the AI would remind me to make sure I did things like pack his diaper bag. The packing checklist wasn’t just generic; the AI customized it based on a few details about my son. On the day itself, it helped me structure the meals, the rest times, and how to work them around our plans for a long walk in the woods. Tasks couldn’t prevent my son from throwing his sippy cup onto the forest floor a million times or keep him from being upset about having to go home, but it did make sure I was as prepared as possible without having to run through everything in my own mind over and over. I felt like I had things under control, as much as that means anything with a one-year-old. Taskmaster ChatGPT is not radically remaking my entire life, Tasks or not, it isn’t magically turning me into Emily Post at a party, George Harrison on guitar, or Bluey’s dad Bandit on my day out with my child. That said, it makes pursuing all those goals feel less haphazard and teetering on failure. Instead of juggling sticky notes and reminder alarms on my phone, I have a clear, structured system that helps me stay ahead without feeling overwhelmed. The flexibility of the Tasks feature is the most remarkable aspect. What really makes Tasks stand out is how adaptive it is. Spotting what you’ve missed and suggesting where to go next in your plans is a real boon when you’ve got a lot on your plate. It’s not going to solve all of my problems, and there are times when you just have to wing it, and Tasks would be no help. Luckily, I asked it to lay out a plan for me to be better at thinking on my feet, and in six months, I’ll be ready to be successfully spontaneous. You might also like… Source link #replaced #todo #list #ChatGPTs #Tasks #feature #completely #changed #plan #life Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Australia’s worst-selling cars of 2024 Australia’s worst-selling cars of 2024 The passenger car market continues to slump markedly in SUV-mad and ute-hungry Australia, as some segments shrink, familiar nameplates disappear, and once-popular models fade into obscurity. If we look at the worst-selling passenger models in Australia in 2024 purely by number of units sold, it doesn’t give us a clear picture. After all, the “worst-selling” vehicles are often high-end sports cars and luxury cars. For a better picture of which vehicles are declining in popularity in the market, it’s best to look at each respective segment of vehicles, and that’s where the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ VFACTS report comes in handy. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert We’ve omitted the Large Cars under $70,000 segment, in which just one model still ‘competes’, plus the low-volume Upper Large over $100,000 and Sports Cars over $200,000 segments. We’ve also excluded vehicles either discontinued or introduced during 2024. Below are the worst-selling vehicles in each passenger car segment. MORE: Australia’s worst-selling SUVs of 2024 Micro cars Fiat 500 The good news for Fiat is its 500 range – inclusive of the petrol 500, electric 500e, and their sporty Abarth versions – was the second most popular model range in this segment last year. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert The bad news? There are just two models in the segment. Total 500 deliveries numbered 527 units in 2024, down 30.2 per cent on the previous year. The Kia Picanto outsold it by more than 10 to one, with 5822 delivered – itself down 24.4 per cent on 2023’s tally. First worst, or second-best? It depends on how you look at it… MORE: Everything Fiat 500 • Fiat 500e • Abarth 595 • Abarth 500e Light cars under $30,000 Toyota Yaris What’s this, a Toyota on a worst-selling cars list? Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert You’re reading this correctly, as despite 2263 Yaris hatchbacks being delivered – more than the likes of the larger BYD Dolphin and Subaru WRX and Impreza – the little Toyota came dead last in its segment. Note that the Yaris’ tally also includes the wildly different and more expensive GR Yaris hot hatch. Just four models still compete in this segment: the Yaris, as well as the Mazda 2 (5365 deliveries), and the new Suzuki Swift (6126) and MG 3 (12,563). Yaris deliveries were up 7.9 per cent in a segment down 22.8 per cent overall, with only the Mazda 2 posting a modest increase. Nevertheless, it was the second worst year for *********** deliveries in the almost two-decade history of the Yaris. MORE: Everything Toyota Yaris Light cars over $30,000 Audi A1 Audi confirmed back in 2021 that its A1 wouldn’t be replaced at the end of its run, and it seems nobody is in a rush to buy the little hatch while they still can. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert The A1 had a very non-A1 sales performance in 2024, with deliveries slumping 61.9 per cent to just 176 units. Mini’s Aceman beat it by seven units despite not being on ***** for the full year. Overall, it was the worst year for the A1 since the first generation launched here in 2011. Its corporate cousins beat it soundly, with the Skoda Fabia notching 331 deliveries and the Volkswagen Polo soaring 132.1 per cent to 2154 deliveries. MORE: Everything Audi A1 Small cars under $40,000 Skoda Scala The Skoda Scala continues to be an unfairly overlooked vehicle in its segment, and last year found just 416 new homes. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert This was a slump of 56.1 per cent on the previous year, though it’s worth noting Skoda did change over to an updated model during the year. Still, it’s the worst full-year result for Skoda’s small car in Australia. As with 2023, close to half of Scalas sold in Australia went to rental agencies. Compared to the Volkswagen Group’s other small cars, which compete in a higher price bracket, the Scala did better than the Cupra Leon (347) but worse than the Audi A3 (2375) and Volkswagen Golf (2929). MORE: Everything Skoda Scala Small cars over $40,000 Peugeot 308 The Peugeot 308 beat out the Cupra Leon for the title of worst-selling car in this segment, with the French hatchback notching just 150 deliveries – less than half that of its Spanish rival. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert This figure was down 46.4 per cent on the previous year, with Peugeot announcing last year it would delete wagon and plug-in hybrid versions of its small car. It did introduce the E-308 electric hatch, which is included in this tally, though only two examples were delivered. MORE: Everything Peugeot 308 Medium cars under $60,000 Honda Accord The Honda Accord has never been as popular as the Toyota Camry in our market, but for the past several years it has languished in obscurity as the worst-selling vehicle in its segment. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert Sales dropped below the 200-unit mark in 2018 and have never risen past this point since, despite the introduction of a new-generation, hybrid-only model last year. Registrations were down 4.9 per cent in a segment that was actually up 63.5 per cent, though this was almost entirely on the back of strong sales for the Toyota Camry and BYD Seal. Hyundai delivered more than three times as many Sonatas (506 units), while Skoda sold more than six times Octavias (846 units). MORE: Everything Honda Accord Medium cars over $60,000 Genesis G70 The Genesis G70, available as either a sedan or wagon, was not only the worst-selling vehicle in its segment but also the luxury brand’s worst seller overall. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert A total of 45 examples were delivered, down 44.4 per cent. Despite being discontinued during 2024, both the Jaguar XE (66 units), Peugeot 508 (65 units) and Volkswagen Arteon (87 units) outsold the Genesis. It was also the worst full-year result in the G70’s history in our market. MORE: Everything Genesis G70 Large cars over $70,000 Toyota Mirai Technically, the Toyota Mirai drew the short straw here with just nine units delivered. However, the hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) isn’t available to the general public, and is instead offered exclusively on lease to organisations. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert If we look instead at models available to private buyers, it’s somewhat less clear which one gets the wooden spoon. The Jaguar XF recorded 12 deliveries and the Maserati Ghibli a total of 18, but though these vehicles still appear on their respective manufacturers’ local public websites, they exited production last year. From these, it’s a bit of a jump up in volume to the Genesis G80, which notched up 57 registrations for an improvement of 11.8 per cent on the previous year. Sports cars under $80,000 Mini Convertible This segment is an eclectic one, with a mixture of relatively affordable, compact Japanese options (Mazda MX-5, Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86), as well as the larger and more expensive Nissan Z and Ford Mustang. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert There’s one vehicle that’s more of an outlier than the others, though, and that’s the Mini Convertible. Just 188 reached buyers, a slump of 51.8 per cent on the previous year. That put it behind the Nissan Z (320 deliveries, down 28.7 per cent) and Toyota GR86 (614 units, down 46.3 per cent). Excluding vehicles launched or discontinued during 2024, the droptop was Mini’s worst-selling vehicle in Australia. That’s despite the field being mostly cleared of affordable convertibles, with droptop versions of the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series long gone. An updated model is due here this year. Sports cars over $80,000 Lexus LC Technically, the Audi TT and Jaguar F-Type remain on local price lists into 2025 despite having ended production. Camera IconSupplied Credit: CarExpert A total of 47 TTs and 49 F-Types were delivered during 2024, putting them just below Lexus’ grand touring flagship, which recorded 51 deliveries (down 27.1 per cent on the year prior). Of the 51 Lexus LCs registered, just two were hybrid LC500h coupes with the other 49 being the V8-powered LC500 coupe and convertible. For 2025, the LC line moves up to the sports cars over $200,000 category. MORE: Everything Lexus LC Source link #Australias #worstselling #cars Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump’s cuts hit red states, triggering GOP pushback Trump’s cuts hit red states, triggering GOP pushback Republican lawmakers are pushing back against sweeping cuts to the federal government launched by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, as their downsizing crusade begins to hit GOP constituents. A growing number of GOP lawmakers are trying to intervene with the Trump administration and are weighing legislation to circumvent the changes. But with the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Management and Budget moving at a rapid clip and flouting federal law to carve up the government, the lawmakers face monumental challenges in getting the White House to spare their constituents from the ax. Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, a senior appropriator whose district is home to a number of national parks, said in an interview his staff is talking to the administration about how an OMB-directed, government-wide hiring freeze will affect the National Park Service. The park service fired 1,000 full-time staff Friday but said seasonal hiring is resuming, exempting 5,000 seasonal jobs from the hiring freeze. Sen. Jerry Moran, another GOP appropriator who represents the agriculture-heavy state of Kansas, has told the White House that DOGE’s dismantling of USAID will impact constituents who have long relied on selling their crops to a government program that fights hunger abroad. And Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, who chairs an appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the National Institutes of Health, said her panel’s funding bill includes language to prevent the White House budget office from slashing billions of dollars in health research grant money. Capito has long been a champion of the NIH, linking the biomedical research agency’s funding to grant opportunities in her small state. “I’m hearing from my institutions concerned about it,” Capito said in an interview. “It’s pretty drastic.” The fight illustrates how efforts by DOGE and OMB to slash the federal bureaucracy are poised to create conflicts with industries and interests that Republican lawmakers hold dear. The confrontation is also the latest test of Capitol Hill’s power in the second Trump era, and a new front for lawmakers who have a direct say over federal spending. The White House is standing behind the cuts and urging Congress to codify them, raising doubts about the extent to which Republicans on the Hill can soften the blow. “President Trump has enjoyed broad support on his plan to ensure that taxpayer-funded programs align with the mandate the American people gave him in November,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said. “The spending freeze is already uncovering waste, fraud and abuse across federal agencies and ensuring better stewardship of taxpayer dollars, including for American farmers and families.” It’s an awkward position for GOP lawmakers who have otherwise voiced support for DOGE. Capito took to the Senate floor in the weeks before Trump took office to laud Musk’s initiative. “Republicans are proud to have the Department of Government Efficiency … on our side,” she said. “Under President Biden, wasteful government spending spiraled out of control, harming hardworking Americans and their livelihoods.” But when it comes to government waste, Republican lawmakers are beginning to see things differently as constituents in red states speak out. Many are waiting to see if the courts strike down some of DOGE and OMB’s actions, according to a senior Republican Hill aide granted anonymity to discuss party dynamics. Some Republicans are “chafing about the basis of [the] executive doing it rather than it being done by Congress,” said the aide. Capito didn’t say she wanted the courts to settle the matter for lawmakers, but made clear she believes lawsuits will determine whether various funding freezes and recissions are allowed to go through. “They have given us the backup legal argument as to whether they can do it,” she said of the Trump administration. “I’m sure it will be determined in the court.” Simpson, whose appropriations subcommittee oversees the Interior Department and National Park Service, has made federal support for national parks a centerpiece of his legislative portfolio over more than two decades in Congress. “The hiring freeze has been a problem because now’s when we’re hiring seasonal employees for the parks — that’s a challenge,” he said in an interview. Theresa Pierno, president and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association, which has pushed back against the changes, said “when national parks struggle, gateway communities and economies feel the effects too.” “The hiring freeze means our national parks will struggle with insufficient staffing as parks across the country need to begin hiring critical seasonal staff for spring break and summer,” Pierno said. In the agriculture industry, an array of trade associations representing Kansas staples like sorghum and wheat are backing legislation from Moran and other Republicans from farm-dense states that would take the Food for Peace program out of the now-gutted USAID and fold it into USDA. “By placing Food for Peace under USDA’s authority, we make certain that the program is in good hands and can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture,” Moran said on the Senate floor Thursday, also citing “growing concern” with “inefficiency” at USAID. Republicans are increasingly speaking up against NIH cuts that are hitting universities in their states. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins of Maine, who has said she’s heard from universities and labs in her state that the cuts would be “devastating,” pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on her concerns. She said in a statement Monday that he has promised to “reexamine” the decision. Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican who serves on the Appropriations Committee, was among the first to speak out in favor of a “targeted approach” to reducing government waste. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has said the cuts to NIH would slow research and hurt the state’s economy. Britt’s fellow Alabama senator, Tommy Tuberville, acknowledged the impact in an interview, but suggested he’s not changing course. “I’m all on DOGE’s side.” Source link #Trumps #cuts #hit #red #states #triggering #GOP #pushback Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Torrents of mud and floodwater cover roads and trap cars in LA, but city dodges another disaster – CNN Torrents of mud and floodwater cover roads and trap cars in LA, but city dodges another disaster – CNN Torrents of mud and floodwater cover roads and trap cars in LA, but city dodges another disaster CNNWorst of year’s biggest storm passes, but mudslide and debris flow risk remains LAistAs California Storm Brings Mudslides to LA, a Car Plunges Into the Pacific The New York TimesSouthern California rain totals: Here’s how much precipitation Los Angeles, Orange counties from the storm ABC7 Los AngelesSouthern California rainstorm intensifies, causing minor mudslides KTLA Los Angeles Source link #Torrents #mud #floodwater #cover #roads #trap #cars #city #dodges #disaster #CNN Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Love in the air for William and Kate, Harry and Meghan Love in the air for William and Kate, Harry and Meghan Romance is in the air for the Prince and Princess of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who posted pictures to mark Valentine’s Day. Source link #Love #air #William #Kate #Harry #Meghan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]