Latest news with #Blanche
Epoch Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
DOJ Launches Initiative to Target Federally Funded Institutions Over DEI, Anti-Semitism
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on May 19 that it has launched the 'Civil Rights Fraud Initiative' to investigate and potentially punish federally funded institutions whose policies promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as anti-Semitism. In a The False Claims Act is a federal law that holds a person liable for defrauding the government. It also allows private citizens to sue on behalf of the government, known as qui tam suits , and potentially receive a portion of recovered funds. The memo stated that any federally funded university that 'encourages antisemitism, refuses to protect Jewish students, allows men to intrude into women's bathrooms, or requires women to compete against men in athletic competitions' could violate the False Claims Act. Colleges and universities risk losing their access to federal funding if they are found to be 'discriminating against their students' through anti-Semitism and DEI policies, according to the memo. The initiative will be co-led by the DOJ's Civil Fraud Section, which enforces the False Claims Act, and the Civil Rights Division, which enforces civil rights laws. The divisions will cooperate with other federal agencies to identify institutions that violate the law. Related Stories 3/11/2025 5/2/2025 Blanche said that each division will assign a team of attorneys to 'aggressively pursue' investigations, and each of the country's 93 U.S. attorneys' offices will need to designate an assistant U.S. attorney to support these efforts. 'America has watched a tidal wave of anti-Semitism sweep our universities and seen public institutions codify inherently divisive policies like DEI at an unprecedented rate,' he said in a The move follows an executive In his order, Trump stated that the former administration had forced 'illegal and immoral discrimination programs' across virtually 'all aspects of the federal government' through DEI initiatives. 'The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today,' the president stated. Trump issued another The order states that 'Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault' amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which broke out after the Hamas terrorist group launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting Israel's military to launch a counteroffensive against Hamas in the strip. In March, the Department of Education published a list of 60 institutions of higher education currently under The department warned that institutions could face enforcement actions if they fail to meet obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits recipients of federal funds from operating programs that promote discrimination based on race, color, and national origin.
Boston Globe
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump's Library of Congress fight is really about the separation of powers
There is a research institute that has long been protected from outside influence. Its servers house extremely sensitive information regarding claims of workplace violations on Capitol Hill, as well as payments and other financial data for the legislative branch's more than 30,000 employees. There's even speculation that the whole affair is tied to an ongoing debate over whether big tech companies can use copyrighted material for artificial intelligence systems. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Because of this, the battle over control of the Library of Congress has prompted Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to deliver rare pushback against a president who has pressed to expand the boundaries of his own power to enact his priorities. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republicans have been talking with the White House about a potential path to détente. Advertisement This all has left the library in a bizarre state of purgatory. For now, Trump's choices for interim library leaders — most notably Todd Blanche, a deputy attorney general who had represented the president in his criminal proceedings — have not appeared to challenge the assertion by the library that one of its veteran officials would be the acting head. It would be unheard of for an executive branch official such as Blanche to simultaneously serve in the legislative branch, according to experts. Advertisement All the while, the agency-slashing Department of Government Efficiency has been trying to access legislative branch offices — with leaders there refusing. 'This egregious overreach into the legislature by the executive branch is just unwarranted and, we believe, unprecedented,' said New York Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which oversees the Library of Congress. One firing, then another ... then questions about who steps in The controversy began to unfold publicly last week, when Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was fired in a terse email from a White House official. She had just one year left in her 10-year term. Then this week, Blanche was tapped by the White House to be the interim librarian, and two other Justice Department officials were chosen for other senior library posts. Those officials, Brian Nieves and Paul Perkins, tried unsuccessfully to enter the U.S. Copyright Office on Monday, but left voluntarily after library officials called Capitol Police. Thune told The Associated Press that Congress was 'not entirely' consulted ahead of Trump's dismissal of Hayden. Lawmakers want to ensure that 'congressional legislative branch equities are protected,' Thune said. He speculated that discussions with the White House to resolve the standoff would bleed into next week. The White House has said Trump was within his authority to dismiss Hayden, a former head of the library systems in Baltimore. It cited 'quite concerning' behavior from Hayden involving diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as books for children that the White House found inappropriate. Advertisement A copy of virtually every book published in the U.S. is sent to the Copyright Office, then the library decides whether to include it in the main collection. No one under 16 can get a reader card to access the collection. Existing regulations and past practices call for an acting librarian to come from the Library of Congress' current ranks if there is a vacancy. But the White House has argued that a law governing federal vacancies applies, even though the 1998 law deals with the executive branch, according to two people familiar with the discussions. When Nieves and Perkins showed up on Monday, they held a letter that invoked the vacancies law to justify their appointments, according to one of the people. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who leads the panel overseeing funding for the Library of Congress, argued that in practice, the librarian is not a legislative branch employee, saying: 'It's an appointment by the president of the United States, because we have to confirm her.' Worries about research services, information about workers, and more Yet there is deep concern among lawmakers and aides about any unjustified intrusion of the administration into the Library of Congress and its operations. Especially worrisome to them is potential meddling with the Congressional Research Service, known as the nonpartisan think tank of Capitol Hill. It fields roughly 75,000 requests from members of Congress every year for research, legal expertise and other information critical for policymaking. The discussions between lawmakers and the Congressional Research Service are considered so sensitive that they are protected under the speech or debate clause of the Constitution, which shields members of Congress from being questioned -– such as in court -– about official legislative acts. Advertisement The service's 'utility and trustworthiness would be substantially undercut if these inquiries were not protected or the Administration sought to shape responses to reflect its priorities,' said Hope O'Keeffe, a former associate general counsel at the Library of Congress. It stores financial information about legislative branch employees, who include not just those at the Library of Congress, lawmakers and their aides, but employees of the Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol and the Government Accountability Office. The library also oversees the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, which functions as the human resources office of the legislative branch, fielding complaints about harassment, discrimination and other workplace violations. DOGE officials reached out to the workplace office this week to discuss assigning one of its teams there, according to emails obtained by the AP. The office promptly denied DOGE's request, noting that it was a legislative branch agency and not subject to Trump's executive order on streamlining government, the emails show. DOGE made similar requests to the GAO this week, according to other emails and letters seen by the AP. Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, told library staffers shortly after Hayden's firing that he will serve as the acting librarian. He said in a note this week that while the White House had appointed its own acting librarian, 'we have not yet received direction from Congress about how to move forward,' indicating that the library was defying Trump's wishes. California Sen. Alex Padilla, the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, this week said flatly that Newlen is the acting librarian of Congress. Asked whether Blanche was respecting that, Padilla said, 'that's my understanding.' Advertisement But a White House official stressed on Thursday that Trump selected Blanche to be the acting librarian. The official, granted anonymity because of the ongoing private discussions with lawmakers, said Trump chose Blanche because the president is 'appointing highly-qualified individuals who are wholeheartedly committed to advancing the America-first agenda.' The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Library drama could be linked to AI debate Some suspect that the Copyright Office is the true aim of the administration. Housed in the Library of Congress with a leader chosen by the librarian, the office accepts millions of copies of copyrighted material such as books, artwork and music every year as part of the copyright registration process. Shortly before the director of the office, Shira Perlmutter, was fired, her office released a report that questioned whether it was legal for the tech industry to use copyrighted material to 'train' their artificial intelligence systems. Tech companies contend that doing so is legal when used for educational or research purposes or creating something new. Perlmutter's report said doing so, in some circumstances, would go beyond established boundaries of fair use when the AI-generated content is competing with creative works made by people. The material there is extremely valuable. For instance, copyright violation damages for the office's existing collection — if, for instance, tech companies scraped the material for AI purposes and then later were found liable for copyright infringement — would likely exceed $1.5 trillion, according to a person familiar with the calculations. Morelle noted that the firing came 'one day after, and I doubt there's any coincidence to this, a report which is in many ways at odds with what Elon Musk wants to do around intellectual property and copyright.' Musk is the billionaire outside adviser for Trump who operates his own AI startup, called xAI. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
16-05-2025
- Politics
Donald Trump's Library of Congress fight is really about the separation of powers
WASHINGTON -- It's not really about the books. President Donald Trump's abrupt firing of top officials at the Library of Congress and equally sudden attempt to appoint a slate of loyalists as replacements has instead morphed into an enormous fight over the separation of powers, as the White House tries to wrest control of what has for centuries been a legislative institution. It's a power struggle with potentially vast consequences. The Library of Congress not only stores the world's largest collection of books but also an office overseeing reams of copyrighted material of untold value. There is a research institute that has long been protected from outside influence. Its servers house extremely sensitive information regarding claims of workplace violations on Capitol Hill, as well as payments and other financial data for the legislative branch's more than 30,000 employees. There's even speculation that the whole affair is tied to an ongoing debate over whether big tech companies can use copyrighted material for artificial intelligence systems. Because of this, the battle over control of the Library of Congress has prompted Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to deliver rare pushback against a president who has pressed to expand the boundaries of his own power to enact his priorities. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republicans have been talking with the White House about a potential path to détente. This all has left the library in a bizarre state of purgatory. For now, Trump's choices for interim library leaders — most notably Todd Blanche, a deputy attorney general who had represented the president in his criminal proceedings — have not appeared to challenge the assertion by the library that one of its veteran officials would be the acting head. It would be unheard of for an executive branch official such as Blanche to simultaneously serve in the legislative branch, according to experts. 'This egregious overreach into the legislature by the executive branch is just unwarranted and, we believe, unprecedented,' said New York Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which oversees the Library of Congress. The controversy began to unfold publicly last week, when Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was fired in a terse email from a White House official. She had just one year left in her 10-year term. Then this week, Blanche was tapped by the White House to be the interim librarian, and two other Justice Department officials were chosen for other senior library posts. Those officials, Brian Nieves and Paul Perkins, tried unsuccessfully to enter the U.S. Copyright Office on Monday, but left voluntarily after library officials called Capitol Police. Thune told The Associated Press that Congress was 'not entirely' consulted ahead of Trump's dismissal of Hayden. Lawmakers want to ensure that 'congressional legislative branch equities are protected,' Thune said. He speculated that discussions with the White House to resolve the standoff would bleed into next week. The White House has said Trump was within his authority to dismiss Hayden, a former head of the library systems in Baltimore. It cited 'quite concerning' behavior from Hayden involving diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as books for children that the White House found inappropriate. A copy of virtually every book published in the U.S. is sent to the Copyright Office, then the library decides whether to include it in the main collection. No one under 16 can get a reader card to access the collection. Existing regulations and past practices call for an acting librarian to come from the Library of Congress' current ranks if there is a vacancy. But the White House has argued that a law governing federal vacancies applies, even though the 1998 law deals with the executive branch, according to two people familiar with the discussions. When Nieves and Perkins showed up on Monday, they held a letter that invoked the vacancies law to justify their appointments, according to one of the people. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who leads the panel overseeing funding for the Library of Congress, argued that in practice, the librarian is not a legislative branch employee, saying: 'It's an appointment by the president of the United States, because we have to confirm her.' Yet there is deep concern among lawmakers and aides about any unjustified intrusion of the administration into the Library of Congress and its operations. Especially worrisome to them is potential meddling with the Congressional Research Service, known as the nonpartisan think tank of Capitol Hill. It fields roughly 75,000 requests from members of Congress every year for research, legal expertise and other information critical for policymaking. The discussions between lawmakers and the Congressional Research Service are considered so sensitive that they are protected under the speech or debate clause of the Constitution, which shields members of Congress from being questioned -– such as in court -– about official legislative acts. The service's 'utility and trustworthiness would be substantially undercut if these inquiries were not protected or the Administration sought to shape responses to reflect its priorities,' said Hope O'Keeffe, a former associate general counsel at the Library of Congress. The library also oversees the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, which functions as the human resources office of the legislative branch, fielding complaints about harassment, discrimination and other workplace violations. It also stores financial information about legislative branch employees, who include not just those at the Library of Congress, lawmakers and their aides, but employees of the Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol and the Government Accountability Office. Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, told library staffers shortly after Hayden's firing that he will serve as the acting librarian. He said in a note this week that while the White House had appointed its own acting librarian, 'we have not yet received direction from Congress about how to move forward,' indicating that the library was defying Trump's wishes. California Sen. Alex Padilla, the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, this week said flatly that Newlen is the acting librarian of Congress. Asked whether Blanche was respecting that, Padilla said, 'that's my understanding.' But a White House official stressed on Thursday that Trump selected Blanche to be the acting librarian. The official, granted anonymity because of the ongoing private discussions with lawmakers, said Trump chose Blanche because the president is 'appointing highly-qualified individuals who are wholeheartedly committed to advancing the America-first agenda." The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Some suspect that the Copyright Office is the true aim of the administration. Housed in the Library of Congress with a leader chosen by the librarian, the office accepts millions of copies of copyrighted material such as books, artwork and music every year as part of the copyright registration process. Shortly before the director of the office, Shira Perlmutter, was fired, her office released a report that questioned whether it was legal for the tech industry to use copyrighted material to 'train' their artificial intelligence systems. Tech companies contend that doing so is legal when used for educational or research purposes or creating something new. Perlmutter's report said doing so, in some circumstances, would go beyond established boundaries of fair use when the AI-generated content is competing with creative works made by people. The material there is extremely valuable. For instance, copyright violation damages for the office's existing collection — if, for instance, tech companies scraped the material for AI purposes and then later were found liable for copyright infringement — would likely exceed $1.5 trillion, according to a person familiar with the calculations. Morelle noted that the firing came 'one day after, and I doubt there's any coincidence to this, a report which is in many ways at odds with what Elon Musk wants to do around intellectual property and copyright.' Musk is the billionaire outside adviser for Trump who operates his own AI startup, called xAI. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
San Francisco Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Donald Trump's Library of Congress fight is really about the separation of powers
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's not really about the books. President Donald Trump's abrupt firing of top officials at the Library of Congress and equally sudden attempt to appoint a slate of loyalists as replacements has instead morphed into an enormous fight over the separation of powers, as the White House tries to wrest control of what has for centuries been a legislative institution. It's a power struggle with potentially vast consequences. The Library of Congress not only stores the world's largest collection of books but also an office overseeing reams of copyrighted material of untold value. There is a research institute that has long been protected from outside influence. Its servers house extremely sensitive information regarding claims of workplace violations on Capitol Hill, as well as payments and other financial data for the legislative branch's more than 30,000 employees. There's even speculation that the whole affair is tied to an ongoing debate over whether big tech companies can use copyrighted material for artificial intelligence systems. Because of this, the battle over control of the Library of Congress has prompted Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to deliver rare pushback against a president who has pressed to expand the boundaries of his own power to enact his priorities. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republicans have been talking with the White House about a potential path to détente. This all has left the library in a bizarre state of purgatory. For now, Trump's choices for interim library leaders — most notably Todd Blanche, a deputy attorney general who had represented the president in his criminal proceedings — have not appeared to challenge the assertion by the library that one of its veteran officials would be the acting head. It would be unheard of for an executive branch official such as Blanche to simultaneously serve in the legislative branch, according to experts. 'This egregious overreach into the legislature by the executive branch is just unwarranted and, we believe, unprecedented,' said New York Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which oversees the Library of Congress. One firing, then another ... then questions about who steps in The controversy began to unfold publicly last week, when Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was fired in a terse email from a White House official. She had just one year left in her 10-year term. Then this week, Blanche was tapped by the White House to be the interim librarian, and two other Justice Department officials were chosen for other senior library posts. Those officials, Brian Nieves and Paul Perkins, tried unsuccessfully to enter the U.S. Copyright Office on Monday, but left voluntarily after library officials called Capitol Police. Thune told The Associated Press that Congress was 'not entirely' consulted ahead of Trump's dismissal of Hayden. Lawmakers want to ensure that 'congressional legislative branch equities are protected,' Thune said. He speculated that discussions with the White House to resolve the standoff would bleed into next week. The White House has said Trump was within his authority to dismiss Hayden, a former head of the library systems in Baltimore. It cited 'quite concerning' behavior from Hayden involving diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as books for children that the White House found inappropriate. A copy of virtually every book published in the U.S. is sent to the Copyright Office, then the library decides whether to include it in the main collection. No one under 16 can get a reader card to access the collection. Existing regulations and past practices call for an acting librarian to come from the Library of Congress' current ranks if there is a vacancy. But the White House has argued that a law governing federal vacancies applies, even though the 1998 law deals with the executive branch, according to two people familiar with the discussions. When Nieves and Perkins showed up on Monday, they held a letter that invoked the vacancies law to justify their appointments, according to one of the people. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who leads the panel overseeing funding for the Library of Congress, argued that in practice, the librarian is not a legislative branch employee, saying: 'It's an appointment by the president of the United States, because we have to confirm her.' Worries about research services, information about workers, and more Yet there is deep concern among lawmakers and aides about any unjustified intrusion of the administration into the Library of Congress and its operations. Especially worrisome to them is potential meddling with the Congressional Research Service, known as the nonpartisan think tank of Capitol Hill. It fields roughly 75,000 requests from members of Congress every year for research, legal expertise and other information critical for policymaking. The discussions between lawmakers and the Congressional Research Service are considered so sensitive that they are protected under the speech or debate clause of the Constitution, which shields members of Congress from being questioned -– such as in court -– about official legislative acts. The service's 'utility and trustworthiness would be substantially undercut if these inquiries were not protected or the Administration sought to shape responses to reflect its priorities,' said Hope O'Keeffe, a former associate general counsel at the Library of Congress. The library also oversees the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, which functions as the human resources office of the legislative branch, fielding complaints about harassment, discrimination and other workplace violations. It also stores financial information about legislative branch employees, who include not just those at the Library of Congress, lawmakers and their aides, but employees of the Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol and the Government Accountability Office. Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, told library staffers shortly after Hayden's firing that he will serve as the acting librarian. He said in a note this week that while the White House had appointed its own acting librarian, 'we have not yet received direction from Congress about how to move forward,' indicating that the library was defying Trump's wishes. California Sen. Alex Padilla, the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, this week said flatly that Newlen is the acting librarian of Congress. Asked whether Blanche was respecting that, Padilla said, 'that's my understanding.' But a White House official stressed on Thursday that Trump selected Blanche to be the acting librarian. The official, granted anonymity because of the ongoing private discussions with lawmakers, said Trump chose Blanche because the president is 'appointing highly-qualified individuals who are wholeheartedly committed to advancing the America-first agenda." The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Library drama could be linked to AI debate Some suspect that the Copyright Office is the true aim of the administration. Housed in the Library of Congress with a leader chosen by the librarian, the office accepts millions of copies of copyrighted material such as books, artwork and music every year as part of the copyright registration process. Shortly before the director of the office, Shira Perlmutter, was fired, her office released a report that questioned whether it was legal for the tech industry to use copyrighted material to 'train' their artificial intelligence systems. Tech companies contend that doing so is legal when used for educational or research purposes or creating something new. Perlmutter's report said doing so, in some circumstances, would go beyond established boundaries of fair use when the AI-generated content is competing with creative works made by people. The material there is extremely valuable. For instance, copyright violation damages for the office's existing collection — if, for instance, tech companies scraped the material for AI purposes and then later were found liable for copyright infringement — would likely exceed $1.5 trillion, according to a person familiar with the calculations. Morelle noted that the firing came 'one day after, and I doubt there's any coincidence to this, a report which is in many ways at odds with what Elon Musk wants to do around intellectual property and copyright.' Musk is the billionaire outside adviser for Trump who operates his own AI startup, called xAI. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Donald Trump's Library of Congress fight is really about the separation of powers
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's not really about the books. President Donald Trump's abrupt firing of top officials at the Library of Congress and equally sudden attempt to appoint a slate of loyalists as replacements has instead morphed into an enormous fight over the separation of powers, as the White House tries to wrest control of what has for centuries been a legislative institution. It's a power struggle with potentially vast consequences. The Library of Congress not only stores the world's largest collection of books but also an office overseeing reams of copyrighted material of untold value. There is a research institute that has long been protected from outside influence. Its servers house extremely sensitive information regarding claims of workplace violations on Capitol Hill, as well as payments and other financial data for the legislative branch's more than 30,000 employees. There's even speculation that the whole affair is tied to an ongoing debate over whether big tech companies can use copyrighted material for artificial intelligence systems. Because of this, the battle over control of the Library of Congress has prompted Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to deliver rare pushback against a president who has pressed to expand the boundaries of his own power to enact his priorities. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republicans have been talking with the White House about a potential path to détente. This all has left the library in a bizarre state of purgatory. For now, Trump's choices for interim library leaders — most notably Todd Blanche, a deputy attorney general who had represented the president in his criminal proceedings — have not appeared to challenge the assertion by the library that one of its veteran officials would be the acting head. It would be unheard of for an executive branch official such as Blanche to simultaneously serve in the legislative branch, according to experts. 'This egregious overreach into the legislature by the executive branch is just unwarranted and, we believe, unprecedented,' said New York Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which oversees the Library of Congress. One firing, then another … then questions about who steps in The controversy began to unfold publicly last week, when Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was fired in a terse email from a White House official. She had just one year left in her 10-year term. Then this week, Blanche was tapped by the White House to be the interim librarian, and two other Justice Department officials were chosen for other senior library posts. Those officials, Brian Nieves and Paul Perkins, tried unsuccessfully to enter the U.S. Copyright Office on Monday, but left voluntarily after library officials called Capitol Police. Thune told The Associated Press that Congress was 'not entirely' consulted ahead of Trump's dismissal of Hayden. Lawmakers want to ensure that 'congressional legislative branch equities are protected,' Thune said. He speculated that discussions with the White House to resolve the standoff would bleed into next week. The White House has said Trump was within his authority to dismiss Hayden, a former head of the library systems in Baltimore. It cited 'quite concerning' behavior from Hayden involving diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as books for children that the White House found inappropriate. A copy of virtually every book published in the U.S. is sent to the Copyright Office, then the library decides whether to include it in the main collection. No one under 16 can get a reader card to access the collection. Existing regulations and past practices call for an acting librarian to come from the Library of Congress' current ranks if there is a vacancy. But the White House has argued that a law governing federal vacancies applies, even though the 1998 law deals with the executive branch, according to two people familiar with the discussions. When Nieves and Perkins showed up on Monday, they held a letter that invoked the vacancies law to justify their appointments, according to one of the people. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who leads the panel overseeing funding for the Library of Congress, argued that in practice, the librarian is not a legislative branch employee, saying: 'It's an appointment by the president of the United States, because we have to confirm her.' Worries about research services, information about workers, and more Yet there is deep concern among lawmakers and aides about any unjustified intrusion of the administration into the Library of Congress and its operations. Especially worrisome to them is potential meddling with the Congressional Research Service, known as the nonpartisan think tank of Capitol Hill. It fields roughly 75,000 requests from members of Congress every year for research, legal expertise and other information critical for policymaking. The discussions between lawmakers and the Congressional Research Service are considered so sensitive that they are protected under the speech or debate clause of the Constitution, which shields members of Congress from being questioned -– such as in court -– about official legislative acts. The service's 'utility and trustworthiness would be substantially undercut if these inquiries were not protected or the Administration sought to shape responses to reflect its priorities,' said Hope O'Keeffe, a former associate general counsel at the Library of Congress. The library also oversees the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, which functions as the human resources office of the legislative branch, fielding complaints about harassment, discrimination and other workplace violations. It also stores financial information about legislative branch employees, who include not just those at the Library of Congress, lawmakers and their aides, but employees of the Capitol Police, the Architect of the Capitol and the Government Accountability Office. Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, told library staffers shortly after Hayden's firing that he will serve as the acting librarian. He said in a note this week that while the White House had appointed its own acting librarian, 'we have not yet received direction from Congress about how to move forward,' indicating that the library was defying Trump's wishes. California Sen. Alex Padilla, the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, this week said flatly that Newlen is the acting librarian of Congress. Asked whether Blanche was respecting that, Padilla said, 'that's my understanding.' But a White House official stressed on Thursday that Trump selected Blanche to be the acting librarian. The official, granted anonymity because of the ongoing private discussions with lawmakers, said Trump chose Blanche because the president is 'appointing highly-qualified individuals who are wholeheartedly committed to advancing the America-first agenda.' The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Library drama could be linked to AI debate Some suspect that the Copyright Office is the true aim of the administration. Housed in the Library of Congress with a leader chosen by the librarian, the office accepts millions of copies of copyrighted material such as books, artwork and music every year as part of the copyright registration process. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Shortly before the director of the office, Shira Perlmutter, was fired, her office released a report that questioned whether it was legal for the tech industry to use copyrighted material to 'train' their artificial intelligence systems. Tech companies contend that doing so is legal when used for educational or research purposes or creating something new. Perlmutter's report said doing so, in some circumstances, would go beyond established boundaries of fair use when the AI-generated content is competing with creative works made by people. The material there is extremely valuable. For instance, copyright violation damages for the office's existing collection — if, for instance, tech companies scraped the material for AI purposes and then later were found liable for copyright infringement — would likely exceed $1.5 trillion, according to a person familiar with the calculations. Morelle noted that the firing came 'one day after, and I doubt there's any coincidence to this, a report which is in many ways at odds with what Elon Musk wants to do around intellectual property and copyright.' Musk is the billionaire outside adviser for Trump who operates his own AI startup, called xAI. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. ___ Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
