Shannon Bream analyzes 'left out' Russiagate intel amid release of declassified Durham probe docs
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Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Trump administration to formally axe Elon Musk's 'five things' email
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration plans as soon as Tuesday to formally axe a program launched by billionaire former Trump adviser Elon Musk requiring federal employees to summarize their five workplace achievements from the prior week, two people familiar with the matter said. The Office of Personnel Management, the federal human resources agency that implemented Musk's push to slash the federal workforce, plans to announce the end of the "five things" email to HR representatives across the federal government later on Tuesday, the two people said, declining to be named because the matter was not public. While many federal agencies had already phased out compliance with the weekly email, the move, not previously reported, signals the Trump administration is turning the page on one of Musk's most unpopular initiatives following a dramatic row between the two men in early June. The White House and OPM did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce until his departure in May to refocus on his tech empire. Musk initially received a warm White House sendoff from Trump, but then incurred the president's wrath by describing Trump's tax cut and spending bill as an abomination. Trump pulled the nomination of Musk ally and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA and later threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of federal contracts with Musk's companies after the blowup between the two men. The "five things" email, launched by Musk in February to boost accountability, sparked tensions with department chiefs who were blindsided by the weekend email mandating the move. It also fueled confusion among government workers who received mixed messages about whether and how to comply. Reuters reported in March that the White House installed two Trump loyalists at OPM to ensure better policy coordination between the White House and the agency. Scott Kupor, a venture capitalist who took the helm at OPM in July, foreshadowed the end of the initiative last month, describing processing of the weekly response emails as "very manual" and "not efficient." It is "something that we should look at and see, like, are we getting the value out of it that at least the people who put it in place thought they were," he said.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Marjorie Taylor Greene asks Trump to commute George Santos' prison sentence
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wants President Donald Trump to commute the prison sentence of her disgraced former colleague George Santos, who's been locked up less than two weeks. Santos was sentenced to 87 months in prison for committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in April. He checked into New Jersey's Federal Correctional Fairton, located about 140 miles from Manhattan, on July 25. In her petition to the Office of the U.S. Pardon Attorney, Greene asks for Trump to consider setting the former representative from Queens free sooner than later. 'As a Member of Congress, I worked with Mr. Santos on many issues and can attest to his willingness and dedication to serve the people of New York who elected him to office,' Greene wrote. She conceded that Santos should be punished for his crimes, but believes his 7-year sentence is too severe. 'While his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I've serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges,' she claimed without offering examples. After lying about nearly all of his academic and professional qualifications to get elected to Congress in 2022, Santos was charged with crimes including a scheme to steal financial information from campaign contributors, then repeatedly charging those accounts without permission. He was expelled from the House of Representatives in December 2023. Greene wrote in her letter that commuting Santos' sentence would be an acknowledgement by the President that Santos had committed crimes, while also allowing him the opportunity to serve his community as a free man. Greene didn't specify when she believes Santos should be released. She concluded her request by using a term often used by the President in social media posts. 'Thank you for your attention to this matter,' Greene wrote. Santos complained in the days leading to his imprisonment that his pardon requests were not getting the President's attention. Trump has used his clemency power to excuse more than 1,500 criminals convicted on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and has not ruled out pardoning high-profile sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, but he hasn't showed an interest in working with Santos. Santos surrendered to prison authorities after bidding a dramatic adieu to supporters. 'Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' he wrote on X before going to prison.
Associated Press
17 minutes ago
- Associated Press
The Trump administration dismisses most on a federal board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Trump administration has dismissed five out of seven members on Puerto Rico's federal control board that oversees the U.S. territory's finances, sparking concern about the future of the island's fragile economy. The five fired are all Democrats. A White House official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the board 'has been run inefficiently and ineffectively by its governing members for far too long and it's time to restore common sense leadership.' Those fired are board chairman Arthur Gonzalez, along with Cameron McKenzie, Betty Rosa, Juan Sabater and Luis Ubiñas. The board's two remaining members — Andrew G. Biggs and John E. Nixon — are Republicans. Sylvette Santiago, a spokesperson for the board, said none of those fired had received notifications ahead of their dismissal. The board was created in 2016 under the Obama administration, a year after Puerto Rico's government declared it was unable to pay its more than $70 billion public debt load and later filed for the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. In remarks to the AP, the White House official claimed the board had operated ineffectively and in secret and said it 'shelled out huge sums to law, consulting and lobbying firms.' The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the subject, also accused the board's staff of receiving 'exorbitant salaries.' The board spokesperson did not return a message seeking additional comment. Puerto Rico is struggling to restructure more than $9 billion in debt held by the state's Electric Power Authority, with officials holding bitter mediations with creditors demanding full payment. It's the only Puerto Rico government debt pending a restructuring, with the White House official accusing the board of preferring to 'extend the bankruptcy.' In February, the board's executive director, Robert Mujica Jr., said it was 'impossible' for Puerto Rico to pay the $8.5 billion that bondholders are demanding. He instead unveiled a new fiscal plan that proposed a $2.6 billion payment for creditors. The plan does not call for any rate increases for an island that has one of the highest power bills in any U.S. jurisdiction as chronic power outages persist, given the grid's weak infrastructure. Alvin Velázquez, a bankruptcy law professor at Indiana University, said he worries the dismissal of the board members could spark another crisis in Puerto Rico. 'This is really about getting a deal out of (the power company) that is not sustainable for the rate payers of Puerto Rico,' he said. Velázquez, former chair for the unsecured creditors committee during the bankruptcy proceedings, also questioned if the dismissals are legal, since board members can only be removed for just cause. 'What's the cause?' he said. 'What you're going to see is another instance in which the Trump administration is taking on and testing the courts.' The dismissals were first reported by the Breitbart News Network, a conservative news site.
