logo
Trump gives campaign-style speech at Justice Department; Senate passes bill to avert government shutdown

Trump gives campaign-style speech at Justice Department; Senate passes bill to avert government shutdown

NBC News14-04-2025
Judge Carl Nichols today denied a temporary restraining order that would have stopped USAID from destroying vital documents. Nichols says, in his order, the documents that were being destroyed were either old, or existed somewhere else.
'USAID is only destroying duplicated, aged documents that are preserved either by other agencies or in an electronic format, in a manner that USAID represents is consistent with the Federal Records Act,' Nichols writes, citing a declaration from a USAID official. 'Permitting that process to continue will not harm the PSCA or the public, but interfering with it could hinder the agency's decommissioning process.'
USAID's acting executive secretary, Erica Carr, earlier this week ordered staff to shred or burn classified and personnel documents remaining in USAID's offices in the Ronald Reagan building.
Another group of plaintiffs who are already in USAID-related litigation also asked for a temporary restraining order to prevent the destruction of pertinent records. But those plaintiffs withdrew their motion yesterday, citing representations made by Carr.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

USAID failed to monitor uses of Musk's Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, says watchdog
USAID failed to monitor uses of Musk's Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, says watchdog

Reuters

time17 hours ago

  • Reuters

USAID failed to monitor uses of Musk's Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, says watchdog

WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agency for International Development did not monitor the uses of 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, with nearly half of the operational units ending up in areas fully or partly held by Moscow, according to a report by the agency's internal watchdog. USAID's inspector general found that the agency failed to keep track of the terminals of Elon Musk's satellite internet service because it had accepted a higher risk of misuse due to "the complex wartime environment" and Ukraine's urgent need for them. "As a result, USAID did not know where the terminals were or how they were used," said the report dated August 11 that was reviewed by Reuters. In response, USAID said it was impractical to track the terminals once they were handed to Ukraine because of the dangerous wartime conditions and the "unprecedented emergency" created by Russian strikes on communications systems. "The primary objective was to restore life-saving connectivity for critical public services, such as healthcare, municipal emergency shelters, and local governance," said a USAID letter included in the report. The findings were first reported by Bloomberg. The report did not examine Ukraine's use of the terminals for military operations, including drone flights, artillery targeting and communications. After Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, USAID partnered with Musk's SpaceX company to provide 5,175 Starlink terminals to Ukraine to sustain critical civilian services and internet connectivity, the report said. USAID delivered to Kyiv 1,508 terminals that it purchased and 3,667 units donated by SpaceX, said the report. It found that USAID did not "fully mitigate" the risk of the terminals being misused, and that more than half of the "active" units were "present in territories that Russia fully or partially occupied." The report did not say how those terminals ended up in those areas, who had them or the purposes for which they were used. Kyiv last year charged that Russian occupation troops had been using thousands of Starlink terminals acquired from private Russian firms, allegations denied by the Kremlin and by Musk.

US appeals court lets Trump cut billions in foreign aid
US appeals court lets Trump cut billions in foreign aid

Reuters

time2 days ago

  • Reuters

US appeals court lets Trump cut billions in foreign aid

WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Wednesday lifted an injunction that required the U.S. State Department to continue making foreign aid payments, handing a victory to President Donald Trump. In a 2-1 decision, opens new tab, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said a lower court erred by ordering the Trump administration to restore foreign assistance payments previously approved by Congress. Trump imposed a 90-day pause on all foreign aid on January 20, the same day he was inaugurated for a second term in the White House. His executive order was followed by aggressive moves to gut USAID, the main U.S. foreign aid agency, including by placing much of its staff on leave and exploring bringing the formerly independent agency under the State Department. Two nonprofit groups that receive federal funding, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Journalism Development Network, brought litigation alleging Trump's funding freeze was unlawful. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, ordered the Trump administration to pay nearly $2 billion in outstanding aid to its humanitarian partners worldwide. Writing for the two-judge majority, Circuit Judge Karen Henderson said the nonprofit groups "lack a cause of action to press their claims" and therefore failed to satisfy the requirements for an injunction. Henderson wrote that only the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a watchdog agency, could challenge the president's efforts to withhold foreign aid funding. Henderson, who was appointed to the appeals court by President George H.W. Bush, said the court was not addressing the question of whether Trump's foreign aid freeze violated the U.S. Constitution by infringing on the spending power of Congress. Henderson's opinion was joined by Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee. Circuit Judge Florence Pan, a Biden appointee, wrote in a dissenting opinion that her colleagues were allowing the Trump administration to disregard federal law and the separation of powers outlined in the Constitution. "The court's acquiescence in and facilitation of the Executive's unlawful behavior derails the carefully crafted system of checked and balanced power that serves as the greatest security against tyranny - the accumulation of excessive authority in a single Branch," Pan wrote. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget, the White House's budget office, said the ruling stops "radical left dark money groups" from "maliciously interfering with the president's ability to spend responsibly and to administer foreign aid in a lawful manner in alignment with his America First policies.'

Highlands renewables debate set for Westminster and Holyrood after 11 politicians back 'urgent calls'
Highlands renewables debate set for Westminster and Holyrood after 11 politicians back 'urgent calls'

Scotsman

time2 days ago

  • Scotsman

Highlands renewables debate set for Westminster and Holyrood after 11 politicians back 'urgent calls'

Momentum is building to put pressure on the UK and Scottish Governments to debate the future of renewable projects in the Highlands. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A convention calling for 'urgent debate' on renewable energy projects in the Highlands has won backing from eleven politicians. Some 57 community councils gathered in Inverness to encourage policy makers to take residents' concerns to Holyrood and Westminster. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The packed-out convention on Tuesday was the second of its kind. Hundreds from community councils across the Highlands gather with MPs and MSPs at a convention on renewable energy projects in the Highlands | Supplied The event's aim was to persuade policy makers to recognise the value of community councils and their role in local democracy and to push for 'urgent debates' on Net Zero-related projects in the Highlands in the debating chambers in both Edinburgh and London. Follow Hay's Way updates via Katharine's Instagram page and by signing up to her free Scotsman Rural newsletter here. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Eleven MSPs and MPs in attendance signed a statement backing the move, including Labour MP Torcuil Crichton, SNP MSPs Maree Todd Emma Roddick, Scottish Conservative MSPs Edward Mountain and Douglas Ross, Tim Eagle, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Scottish Lib Dems Angus MacDonald and Jamie Stone and Independent MSP Fergus Ewing. The signed document included calls for the Scottish Government to undertake a planning inquiry commission to address the cumulative impact of all major renewable energy infrastructure developments and a pause on all applications until a clear national energy policy is in place and an economic impact assessment undertaken. Conservative councillor Helen Crawford, who has led both conventions, said the community councils represented recognise the impact of climate change but 'oppose an unjust and unnecessary industrialisation of the Highlands.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Councillor Helen Crawford and the statement signed by eleven MSPs and MPs to secure "urgent debates" at both Holyrood and Westminster | Helen Crawford Speaking to The Scotsman after the event, Ms Crawford said: 'The convention was a step forward for local democracy. 'I'm delighted that this important communique, which I drafted after listening to community councils for many months, has been signed cross-party by 11 Highland MPs and MSPs. 'That's a significant cross-party commitment to respect local democracy and get the convention's unified statement debated urgently in both Holyrood and Westminster. 'It's now up to our MPs and MSPs to secure those debates. And to fully address the need for a pan Scotland Planning Inquiry Commission so that the full cumulative impact of all of these major energy applications can be assessed, rather than the current piece meal approach. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And to pause while both Governments do their homework - and publish a standalone, holistic national energy policy.' It comes after John Swinney responded to a letter signed by 40 different community groups across Scotland calling for a moratorium on major renewable developments. The first minister rejected these calls, saying there is 'a pressing need to increase our renewable generation capacity', with electricity demand expected to increase. Last week, the UK Government announced those living near new pylons, including Scots, would receive £250 off energy bills each year for a decade under UK government plans. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero is launching a consultation into proposals included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to provide payments to households affected by the new pylon developments. Households within 500m - a third of a mile - of new or upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure could receive a discount of up to £250 via their electricity bill every year for ten years, totalling £2,500. The discounts, which would be assigned to the home, and applied to the occupant, could be provided in instalments of £125 every six months.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store