Political Glance
The Trump administration retaliated on Tuesday against some Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) staffers who signed an open letter of dissent about the agency’s leadership one day earlier, the Washington Post reports.
On Monday, about 180 current and former Fema staffers sent a letter to members of Congress and other officials, arguing the current leaders’ inexperience and approach harms Fema’s mission and could result in a disaster on the level of Hurricane Katrina.
Trump officials put some Fema staffers on leave for signing open letter of dissent
Bruise on Trump’s hand won’t go away, and neither will questions about his health
A large bruise on the back on Donald Trump’s right hand, which the president appeared to be hiding, poorly, under a daub of makeup last week, was clearly visible during public appearances on Monday, renewing speculation that the White House might be concealing information about his health.
Last month, after similar speculation over Trump’s swollen ankles prompted questions, the White House physician, Sean Barbabella, revealed in a memo that the president was suffering from chronic venous insufficiency.
In the same memo, Barbabella said that images showing bruising on Trump’s hand were “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking” and his use of aspirin as a precaution against heart attacks.
Smithsonian artists and scholars respond to White House list of objectionable art
The official White House newsletter has posted an article titled "President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian." It calls out some of the institution's artwork, exhibitions, programs and online articles that focus on race, slavery, immigration and sexuality. That includes works at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, The National Portrait Gallery, and The National Museum of the American Latino.
The list of objectionable content comes a week after White House officials sent a letter asking eight of the Smithsonian's museums to submit their current and future plans for exhibitions, social media content and other material. The institution's director Lonnie Bunch was told it had 120 days to comply for what the administration says will be a "comprehensive review," in order to bring the Smithsonian in line with Trump's cultural directives ahead of the country's 250th anniversary celebrations.
The administration has directed the museums to replace "divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions."
NPR reached out to the White House asking for comment about the article highlighting the Smithsonian artists. They have not responded.
The list of artists and content seems to be drawn from art that was highlighted in a recent article in The Federalist. The conservative online magazine argued that the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, for example, was filled with "wall-to-wall, anti-American propaganda."
Supreme Court Lets Trump Cut $783 Million Of Research Funding In Anti-DEI Push
The Trump administration can slash hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of research funding in its push to cut federal diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, the Supreme Court decided Thursday.
The high court majority lifted a judge’s order blocking $783 million worth of cuts made by the National Institutes of Health to align with Republican President Donald Trump’s priorities. The high court did keep Trump administration guidance on future funding blocked, however.
The court split 5-4 on the decision. Chief Justice John Roberts was along those who would have kept the cuts blocked, along with the court’s three liberals.
The order marks the latest Supreme Court win for Trump and allows the administration to forge ahead with canceling hundreds of grants while the lawsuit continues to unfold. The plaintiffs, including states and public-health advocacy groups, have argued that the cuts will inflict “incalculable losses in public health and human life.”
Trump buys more than $100 million in bonds in office, disclosure shows
President Donald Trump has bought more than $100 million in company, state and municipal bonds since taking office in January, according to government disclosures about the billionaire's holdings.
The forms were filed Aug. 12 with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and posted online Aug. 19. The documents show 600 purchases the Republican real estate mogul made since Jan. 21, the day after he was inaugurated for his second term in the White House.
The holdings span industries that could benefit from changes in administration policy, such as financial services or technology.
The corporate bonds included financial companies such as Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. Others included tech companies such as Meta, Qualcomm and T-Mobile USA, along with The Home Depot and UnitedHealth Group.
The forms detail what types of bonds Trump bought, most of which paid 4% to 5% interest. But the value of each investment was listed only in broad ranges, such as $100,000 to $250,000.
Judge denies Trump DOJ request to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury transcripts
A U.S. judge denied on Monday the Justice Department's bid to unseal records from the grand jury that indicted the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's partner Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges, writing that the records did not answer lingering questions from the public about their crimes or Epstein's death.
Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, who reviewed the transcripts of the witness testimony heard by the grand jury and other evidence the panel saw, wrote that the government's assertion that the materials would reveal meaningful new information about Epstein's and Maxwell's crimes was "demonstrably false."
"A member of the public familiar with the Maxwell trial record who reviewed the grand jury materials that the Government proposes to unseal would thus learn next to nothing new," Engelmayer wrote.
"Insofar as the motion to unseal implies that the grand jury materials are an untapped mine load of undisclosed information about Epstein or Maxwell or confederates, they are definitely not that," the judge wrote.
Texas Democrats who fled to Illinois forced to evacuate hotel after bomb threat
Texas state House Democrats who left their state to prevent Republicans from passing a new congressional district map were forced to evacuate their hotel after a bomb threat, but officials say everyone is safe.
The St. Charles Police Department in Illinois said officers responded to a report of a bomb threat at about 7:15 a.m. CDT Wednesday at a hotel where the Democrats were staying. The department’s officers, along with those from the fire department and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a “thorough” search and did not find any device, according to a release.
The release said 400 people were evacuated as bomb squad units conducted their search, and everyone has been able to return to the hotel.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said he’s “aware” of the threats and instructed the Illinois State Police to ensure that public safety is maintained.
“Threats of violence will be investigated and those responsible will be held accountable,” he said in a post on the social platform X.
A group of Texas state House Democratic leaders — Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu, Mexican American Legislative Caucus Chair Ramon Romero and Legislative Black Caucus Chair Barbara Gervin-Hawkins — said in a statement that a threat was made on Wednesday morning against the members, but everyone is safe.
“We are safe, we are secure, and we are undeterred,” they said. “We are grateful for Governor Pritzker, local, and state law enforcement for their quick action to ensure our safety.”
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