US Treasury chief dismisses Moody's downgrade amid Trump tax cut debate
"I don't put much credence in the Moody's" downgrade, Bessent said on CNN's "State of the Union" program.
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The Independent
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Fatal Florida crash fuels immigration fight between DeSantis and Newsom
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis dispatched his top deputy to California to oversee the handover of a truck driver accused of making an illegal U-turn that killed three people in Florida last week. Sending his newly appointed lieutenant governor, Jay Collins, underscores Republicans' push to crack down on illegal immigration. It also revs up a political rivalry between DeSantis and California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, both of whom aspire to higher office. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Monday that truck driver Harjinder Singh, a native of India, was in the country illegally. 'Three lives lost because of Gavin Newsom. Because of California's failed policies," Collins said Thursday at a press conference near an airport in Stockton, California. "We're done with that," Collins added, using an expletive. A spokesperson for Newsom described Collins' trip to California as a 'photo op' and criticized Florida officials for letting a 'murder suspect walk.' Collins did not elaborate on why Singh was able to fly to California after the Aug. 12 crash on Florida's Turnpike. U.S. Marshals arrested him Saturday in Stockton. Singh made the illegal turn on the highway about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. A minivan in the neighboring lane was unable to avoid the truck's trailer and slammed into it, killing the minivan's driver and two passengers. Singh and a passenger in his truck were not injured. Florida authorities said Singh entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2018. According to Homeland Security, Singh obtained a commercial driver's license in California, which is one of 19 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, that issue licenses regardless of immigration status, according to the National Immigration Law Center. Collins said Thursday that Singh never should have been issued a driver's license, calling the move 'unacceptable.' Collins said Singh lacks basic English proficiency and did not know the road signs. Newsom's press office responded on the X platform that Singh obtained a work permit while Donald Trump was president. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin disputed that, saying the federal government denied him a permit during Trump's first term in September 2020 and granted him one in June 2021, under President Joe Biden. Singh is charged with three state counts of vehicular homicide and immigration violations. The federal government has asked that he be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after his criminal case is complete. A public defender assigned to Singh's case did not respond to a request for comment. ___
The Independent
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Why are people smuggling ants into the US?
The smuggling of ants and other insects in the US is reportedly on the rise following recent cuts to the USDA. These cuts, implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency, led to layoffs and buyouts within the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which regulates invertebrate smuggling. Industry sources suggest that these reductions have emboldened ant smugglers, while the process for legal ant sales has become more difficult, contributing to an increase in illicit trade. Invasive ant species, such as tawny crazy ants and Asian needle ants, pose significant environmental and public health risks, damaging ecosystems, homes, and causing severe stings. Experts express concern over the reduced infrastructure for detecting and preventing invasive species, although the USDA maintains that its enforcement capabilities have not diminished.
The Independent
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Trump to sign order directing DOJ to criminally charge flag burning despite being protected speech
Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order directing the Justice Department to re-examine the feasibility of issuing criminal charges against Americans or others on U.S. soil who engage in flag-burning. NewsNation first reported the impending executive order late Wednesday evening. A controversial means of protest, burning the American flag is an act that has long been viewed by the Supreme Court as a protected First Amendment right. News of Trump's order signals a willingness to relitigate that legal precedent before the nation's highest legal authority. Trump has personally condemned protesters for burning the American flag in the past, and has even called for a constitutional amendment to scale back free speech protections in order to criminalize the practice. 'You should get a one-year jail sentence if you do anything to desecrate the American flag,' Trump in 2024 during a 'Fox & Friends' interview. 'Now, people will say, 'Oh, it's unconstitutional.' Those are stupid people. Those are stupid people that say that,' he said at the time. 'We have to work in Congress to get a one-year jail sentence. When they're allowed to stomp on the flag and put lighter fluid on the flag and set it afire, when you're allowed to do that — you get a one-year jail sentence, and you'll never see it again.'
