Latest news with #DepartmentsofDefense
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Taps Palantir to Create Master Database on Every American
The Trump administration is collecting data on all Americans, and they are enlisting the data analysis company Palantir to do it. The New York Times reports that President Trump has enlisted the firm, founded by far-right billionaire Peter Thiel, to carry out his March executive order instructing government agencies to share data with each other. The order has increased fears that the government is putting together a database to wield surveillance powers over the American public. Since then, the administration has been very quiet about these efforts, increasing suspicion. Meanwhile, Palantir has taken more than $113 million in government spending since Trump took office, from both existing contracts and new ones with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. That number is expected to grow, especially considering that the firm just won a new $795 million contract with the DoD last week. Palantir is speaking with various other agencies across the federal government, including the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, about buying its technology, according to the Times. Palantir's Foundry tool, which analyzes and organizes data, is already being used at DHS, the Department of Health and Human Services, and at least two other agencies, allowing the White House to compile data from different places. The administration's efforts to compile data began under Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which sought Americans' personal data from multiple agencies including the IRS, SSA, Selective Service, Medicare, and many others. In some cases, court orders hindered these efforts, but not all of them. Thiel has multiple ties to DOGE, both through Musk and through many of his former employees working for the effort or taking other jobs in the Trump administration. And this data collection effort could give him, Musk, and Trump unprecedented power over Americans, with the president being better able to punish his critics and target immigrants. Privacy advocates, student unions, and labor rights organizations are among those who have sued to stop Trump's data collection efforts. Palantir's involvement also gives a powerful tech company access to this data, and its CEO, Alex Karp, doesn't exactly have a benign agenda, hoping to cash in on American techno-militarism. Musk, too, has plans for government data, using his AI, Grok, to analyze it. Will anyone be able to stop Trump and these tech oligarchs?
Epoch Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
More Than 1,000 Troops Sent to Secure Southern Border in Latest Deployment
The Trump administration is deploying more than 1,000 additional troops to help secure the southern border, U.S. Northern Command announced in a The troops join more than 10,000 service members already deployed to the border as part of Joint Task Force-Southern Border, a cooperative effort between the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security. The new deployment is the latest development in the Trump administration's continued efforts to secure the southern border. The troops will be deployed 'to provide enhanced sustainment, engineering, medical, and operational capabilities as part of the Department of Defense's continued whole-of-government approach to gain full operational control of the southern border,' U.S. Northern Command said. A total of 1,115 troops will be deployed. Of those service members, 310 will come from two engineer construction companies to help build 'mobility routes, force protection infrastructure, and mission-critical facilities.' They will be supplemented by another 125 soldiers from an engineer brigade headquarters and 145 from an engineer battalion, who will deliver engineering command and control, and 'execute vertical and horizontal construction missions.' Another 250 soldiers will come from an expeditionary sustainment command to 'coordinate logistics and manage sustainment requirements across the area of operations.' A further 140 soldiers from a quartermaster field feeding company will help support personnel 'operating in austere environments' with field feeding, the military's term for distributing food outside traditional dining facilities. Seventy-five personnel from a medical area support company will provide personnel with 'force health protection.' Related Stories 5/12/2025 5/7/2025 Another 65 'joint individual augmentees' from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps will go to the Joint Task Force headquarters. Five airmen involved in logistics from Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida will 'coordinate rapid logistics and sustainment planning in support of mission requirements.' Securing the Border 'Over 10,000 service members are deploying / have deployed to the southern border to augment the approximately 2,500 service members already deployed supporting [Customs and Border Protection's] southern border mission,' U.S. Northern Command states on its The service members do not assist in law enforcement, only supporting detection and monitoring efforts and helping with the construction of physical barriers. So far in 2025, service members deployed to the border have conducted detection and monitoring operations, and helped develop logistics and transportation infrastructure, which has helped Customs and Border Patrol carry out its law enforcement activities. The military has been a key cog in the Trump administration's border security plan. On April 11, Trump issued another From NTD News
Bloomberg
15-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Federal Workers Jump at Buyout Offers They Once Shunned
Federal workers who scoffed when they first received Elon Musk's infamous 'Fork in the Road' buyout initiative are taking different tack now that there is a second offer on the table: saying yes. Staffers at several agencies — among them the Departments of Defense, Energy and Transportation — face deadlines this month to resign now and continue receiving pay through September.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Supreme Court Blocks Judge's Order Requiring Employees At Six Federal Agencies To Be Rehired—For Now
The Supreme Court blocked a federal judge's order for the rehiring of probationary government staffers at six federal agencies, marking a win for the Trump administration's efforts to cut down on government spending and the federal workforce. The Supreme Court said in a filing it would stay a federal appeals court's ruling requiring the government to rehire probationary staffers let go from the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Treasury and Agriculture. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space. In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service. We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: So, how can you be a power user? Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fitzpatrick says Trump order cutting union contracts 'weakens' national security
A bipartisan bill cosponsored by Bucks County Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick seeks to stop an executive order ending collective bargaining agreements from over a dozen federal departments. The March 27 order from President Donald Trump stripping hundreds of thousands of federal workers of their ability to negotiate working conditions would weaken national security, Fitzpatrick and other lawmakers say. 'Improving government efficiency is essential — but sweeping exclusions from collective bargaining are a blunt instrument that risk weakening the very stability and performance we aim to strengthen,' Fitzpatrick said in a news release Tuesday. 'We can defend our national security without silencing those who serve it. Efficiency and fairness are not mutually exclusive — and this legislation ensures we uphold both,' Fitzpatrick added. The Middletown legislator representing Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District joined Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, of Maine, to introduce the Protect America's Workforce Act to reverse the Trump order currently being challenged in court by a union representing more than 150,000 government employees. The order impacted roughly 67% of the federal workforce across the Departments of Defense, State, Veterans Affairs, Justice and Energy and certain employees in the Departments of Homeland Security, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Interior and Agriculture, the release says. The same day Trump signed the order, eight federal agencies filed lawsuits against dozens of local union affiliates to invalidate existing contracts. In a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon, Fitzpatrick joined seven other Republican congressmen from across the county, including Reps. Rob Bresnahan Jr., PA-8, and Chris Smith, NJ-4, urging Trump to 'reconsider' the executive order. Chris Ullery can be reached at cullery@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Republicans urge Trump to reconsider union bargaining executive order
