Latest news with #Doug Burgum
E&E News
6 days ago
- Politics
- E&E News
Interior gifts Navy land in the Arizona desert
The Interior Department announced Wednesday it will shift control of another 285 acres of public land to the military, this time handing over a parcel in southeastern Arizona to the Department of the Navy. The temporary transfer marks the second time Interior has granted the military administrative powers over land near the nation's border with Mexico. Earlier this year, Interior turned over control of nearly 110,000 acres of public land in New Mexico to speed construction of border barriers and increase federal patrols of the region. The Trump administration said the newest transfer, which will last for three years, is necessary to create a 'National Defense Area in direct support of border security operations.' Advertisement 'By making this land available for border infrastructure improvements and defense operations, we are closing critical security gaps, stopping illegal activity and protecting both our nation and its natural resources from the damage caused by unchecked illegal immigration,' Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump officials tour Alcatraz in bid to reopen prison amid outcry from California leaders
A delegation of US officials toured Alcatraz on Thursday as part of Donald Trump's pledge to reopen the shuttered federal prison and tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay, amid an outcry from California leaders who have called the plan 'lunacy'. Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, who visited the island prison with attorney general Pam Bondi, said the federal government was beginning 'the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals'. The president's proposal to reopen Alcatraz, which closed in 1963 due to steep operating costs and is now a National Park Service museum with 1.4 million visitors a year, has attracted fierce criticism from local leaders, California Democrats and the state governor. 'With stiff competition, the planned announcement to reopen Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary is the Trump administration's stupidest initiative yet,' said Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker and San Francisco congresswoman, ahead of the delegation's visit. She described it as a 'diversionary tactic' from the recently passed budget and 'lunacy'. 'It remains to be seen how this administration could possibly afford to spend billions to convert and maintain Alcatraz as a prison when they are already adding trillions of dollars to the national debt with their sinful law.' In May, Trump said his administration would reopen and expand Alcatraz to 'house America's most ruthless and violent offenders'. This week, as the administration continued to deal with the outcry over the decision not to release additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi and Burgum traveled to the site. 'Alcatraz is the brand known around the world for being effective at housing people that are in incarceration, so this is something we're here to take a look at,' Burgum told Fox News on Thursday. 'It's a federal property – its original use was a prison. So part of this would be to test the feasibility of returning it back to its original use.' But reopening the prison would be an enormous logistical and financial undertaking. The facility, known for its brutal conditions and escape attempts, closed because its operating costs were three times more than any other federal prison due to its physical isolation – and million of dollars were needed for restoration. While in operation, nearly 1m gallons of water were transported to the island each week, according to the Bureau of Prisons. The site later became a symbol of Indigenous resistance when Indigenous American activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, and opened to the public for tours in 1973. Officials have said it is in no condition to serve as a detention center. 'There is no realistic plan for Alcatraz to host anyone other than visitors,' Daniel Lurie, San Francisco's mayor, said on Thursday. 'If the federal government has billions of dollars to spend in San Francisco, we could use that funding to keep our streets safe and clean and help our economy recover.' In response to news of tour, Gavin Newsom's press office said: 'Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So … never.'
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump officials tour Alcatraz in bid to reopen prison amid outcry from California leaders
A delegation of US officials toured Alcatraz on Thursday as part of Donald Trump's pledge to reopen the shuttered federal prison and tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay, amid an outcry from California leaders who have called the plan 'lunacy'. Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, who visited the island prison with attorney general Pam Bondi, said the federal government was beginning 'the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals'. The president's proposal to reopen Alcatraz, which closed in 1963 due to steep operating costs and is now a National Park Service museum with 1.4 million visitors a year, has attracted fierce criticism from local leaders, California Democrats and the state governor. 'With stiff competition, the planned announcement to reopen Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary is the Trump administration's stupidest initiative yet,' said Nancy Pelosi, the former House Speaker and San Francisco congresswoman, ahead of the delegation's visit. She described it as a 'diversionary tactic' from the recently passed budget and 'lunacy'. 'It remains to be seen how this administration could possibly afford to spend billions to convert and maintain Alcatraz as a prison when they are already adding trillions of dollars to the national debt with their sinful law.' In May, Trump said his administration would reopen and expand Alcatraz to 'house America's most ruthless and violent offenders'. This week, as the administration continued to deal with the outcry over the decision not to release additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi and Burgum traveled to the site. 'Alcatraz is the brand known around the world for being effective at housing people that are in incarceration, so this is something we're here to take a look at,' Burgum told Fox News on Thursday. 'It's a federal property – its original use was a prison. So part of this would be to test the feasibility of returning it back to its original use.' But reopening the prison would be an enormous logistical and financial undertaking. The facility, known for its brutal conditions and escape attempts, closed because its operating costs were three times more than any other federal prison due to its physical isolation – and million of dollars were needed for restoration. While in operation, nearly 1m gallons of water were transported to the island each week, according to the Bureau of Prisons. The site later became a symbol of Indigenous resistance when Indigenous American activists began a 19-month occupation of Alcatraz in 1969, and opened to the public for tours in 1973. Officials have said it is in no condition to serve as a detention center. 'There is no realistic plan for Alcatraz to host anyone other than visitors,' Daniel Lurie, San Francisco's mayor, said on Thursday. 'If the federal government has billions of dollars to spend in San Francisco, we could use that funding to keep our streets safe and clean and help our economy recover.' In response to news of tour, Gavin Newsom's press office said: 'Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So … never.'
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump sends embattled Pam Bondi to Alcatraz prison in re-opening bid
Two senior Trump officials visited Alcatraz Thursday to announce plans to convert it back into a federal prison, which one Democrat called the president's "stupidest initiative yet." Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been mired in controversy since the contentious release of the Epstein Files last week, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited the island in San Francisco Bay. Sharing photos from a boat on the way to the island, as well as inside the prison, Burgum wrote on X, 'Spent the day on Alcatraz Island, a @NatlParkService site, to start the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals. This administration is restoring safety, justice, and order to our streets. @Interior & @TheJusticeDept are following a directive by @POTUS to help lead that mission.' In a separate tweet, Bondi said, 'A great morning at Alcatraz with @SecretaryBurgum. Under President Trump, we are Making America Safe Again.' The White House didn't confirm the duo's visit before their online remarks, but a plane marked "United States of America" arrived in the Bay Area Wednesday night, accompanied by officials and a police-led motorcade. Doug Burgum and Pam Bondi shared this photo of themselves on their way to Alcatraz Island on Thursday. (X/@AGPamBondi) The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. Trump first proposed reopening Alcatraz as a prison in May, calling the island 'a sad symbol, but it's a symbol of law and order.' Bureau of Prisons officials subsequently visited the island at Trump's direction to evaluate the feasibility of reopening it as a high-security prison for violent offenders. Attorney General Pam Bondi (left) and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (middle) visited Alcatraz on Thursday, with Bondi tweeting that it was a "great day" to do so. (X/@SecretaryBurgum) Golden Gate National Recreation Area superintendent David Smith said the bureau had conducted initial assessments and planned to return for further structural evaluations. Alcatraz is safe for visitors and maintained by the National Park Service, but some buildings have deteriorated, and restoration could cost over $1 billion. Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Parks in 1972 and opened to the public the following year. (Getty Images) Alcatraz, which once housed notorious inmates Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz"), and James "Whitey" Bulger, closed in 1963 due to high operating costs. It became part of the Golden Gate National Parks in 1972 and opened to the public the following year. Alcatraz generates around $60 million annually in tourism and has been featured in several films, including The Rock, Escape from Alcatraz, Birdman of Alcatraz, Murder in the First, Point Blank, and X-Men: The Last Stand. The idea of transforming Alcatraz back into a prison has attracted heavy criticism from state and local leaders. California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi called it Trump's "stupidest initiative yet." "It should concern us all that clearly the only intellectual resources the Administration has drawn upon for this foolish notion are decades-old fictional Hollywood movies,' her office said in a statement. Attorney General Pam Bondi (pictured) and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are set to visit Alcatraz on Thursday to announce plans to reopen it as a federal prison. (Getty Images) San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie noted: 'There's no realistic plan to make Alcatraz reopen as anything other than a wonderful attraction than it currently is.' California Governor Gavin Newsom's Press Office added: "Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So... never." In May, President Donald Trump called Alcatraz Island 'a sad symbol, but it's a symbol of law and order.' (Getty Images) Charlie Hopkins, one of the last living Alcatraz inmates, told ABC7 New York that he doubts Trump actually wants to reopen the prison and was instead trying to draw attention to the crime rate. 'When I was on Alcatraz, a rat couldn't survive,' Hopkins, now in his 90s, said.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Pentagon is taking a big stake in a rare earth mining company, sending the stock up 60%
MP Materials Corporation surged as much as 60% on news that the Defense Department is taking a stake. The company owns and operates the only rare earth mine in the US in Mountain Pass, California. The DoD has agreed to purchase $400 million of its preferred shares. The move: MP Materials Corp surged as much as 60% on Thursday, jumping to $48.01. The rare earth materials company is still up 188% year-to-date. Why: The United States Department of Defense has agreed to purchase $400 million of the company's newly created preferred shares, making the Pentagon MP's largest shareholder. The preferred shares can be converted into common stock, and the Department is also buying a warrant that will give it the ability to buy more of MP's common stock in the future. As of July 9, the Pentagon's total investment would represent a roughly 15% stake in MP Materials. The move follows an announcement from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who highlighted the need for the Trump administration to make equity investments in critical mineral companies to reduce dependence on Chinese imports. "We have to get back in the game," he stated. "It's not just drill, baby, drill. It's mine, baby, mine. If we don't do that as a country, we will not be successful. We will literally be at the mercy of others that are controlling our supply chains." MP Materials said in a statement released on July 10 that it believes this public-private partnership with the DoD will "dramatically accelerate the build-out of an end-to-end U.S. rare earth magnet supply chain and reduce foreign dependency." What it means: This Pentagon decision shows that the White House is following Burgum's advice and doubling down on its efforts to strengthen the domestic critical mineral supply chain. MP Materials isn't a household name, but it plays a key role in the US minerals market. As the owner of the country's only operational rare earth mine, it offers rare exposure to a commodity that the Pentagon is extremely interested in. While the Trump administration has prioritized decreasing America's dependence on China, the stake in MP Materials is also about more than that. Rare earth minerals are crucial for many areas of technology, including electronics, defense systems, and robotics. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
