GOP senator blocks Democratic-led resolution to restore veterans’ jobs in federal workforce

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced a resolution Tuesday demanding the immediate reinstatement of the 6,000 veterans fired from federal government jobs in a sweeping workforce reduction, including at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

But Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., quickly stood to object to the resolution after Blumenthal called for passage by unanimous consent. His objection effectively ended the resolution’s adoption.

Moran is chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Blumenthal is a member of the same committee.

Stars and Stripes

DOGE’s $1 spending card limit touches everything from military research to trash pickup

As a result of the move, government scientists who study food safety say they are running out of cleaning fluid for their labs; federal aviation workers report cuts to travel for urgent work; and contractors who help identify U.S. soldiers killed in combat were told to pause their efforts, said three forensic genealogists who, like other workers interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

Washington Post (Gift)

This guide to public activism helps citizens make a collective statement

The Visibility Brigade states that their model was created in 2020 out of frustration with the lack of physical messaging in the real world regarding current social and political issues.

Into

Five years on from the pandemic, the right’s fake Covid narrative has been turbo-charged into the mainstream

Five years on from the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the masked passenger who is suspect, nobody notices the scuffed distancing lines and trust in vaccines has taken a tumble. A different narrative has invaded the conversation: it wasn’t the virus that ruined our lives, but the response.

The Guardian

Chaos at the V.A.: Inside the DOGE Cuts Disrupting the Veterans Agency

Clinical trials have been delayed, contracts canceled and support staff fired. With deeper cuts coming, some are warning of potential harms to veterans.

The New York Times (Gift)

‘It’s like they are sending me to die’: Terminal California cancer patient fears deportation

The day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Department of Homeland Security revoked restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entering “sensitive areas,” including medical facilities. That sent shock waves through immigrant communities — both undocumented and documented, say seven Bay Area health workers interviewed by the Chronicle.

San Francisco Chronicle

In America’s Rust Belt, the effects of Trump’s trade war are already being felt

It’s easy to see why: Mr.Trump’s earlier promises of a manufacturing comeback largely didn’t pan out. And the flailing rollout of his tariffs this time has forced many businesses to put investments and expansion plans on hold until they have certainty on costs.

The Globe and Mail

The FAA’s Troubles Are More Serious Than You Know

Inside the FAA, morale is at an all-time low, two agency officials told me. A former senior executive told me that recent events—beginning with the crash and the pressure to take early retirement—have sunk the agency into “complete chaos.” The consequences, the former executive said, could be far-reaching. The FAA oversees an industry that supports $1.8 trillion in economic activity and about 4 percent of American GDP. It keeps millions of people safe.

“This isn’t Twitter, where the worst that happens is people losing access to their accounts,” the former senior executive said. “People die when FAA workers are distracted and processes are broken.”

The Atlantic (Gift)

No harm, no fowl: Trump recommends a return to subsistence farming

“How do we solve for something like this?” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins asked on Fox News. “People are sort of looking around and thinking, ‘Wow, maybe I could get a chicken in my backyard,’ and it’s awesome.”

The Washington Post (Gift)

‘What the hell’s happening to your country?’ Traveling as an American under Trump 2.0

My American accent inspired pity, empathy and utter confusion. I feel the same: it’s as though we’ve entered hospice care

The Guardian

This synagogue calls itself ‘anti-Zionist.’ Here’s what that means in practice

“When it comes to Israel-Palestine, Jewish rights and Jewish life should be no more important or sacrosanct than Palestinian rights and Palestinian life,” Rosen said, “I get that from the Torah, and I get that from just being a human being of conscience.”

NPR

Trump administration begins retroactive visa cancellations ahead of renewed Muslim travel ban

The move is reportedly linked to Donald Trump‘s upcoming travel ban, which is expected to target citizens from several Muslim-majority countries as soon as next week.

The decision follows an executive order issued by Trump on 20 January titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security Threats”.

The New Arab

Democrats stage a shameful retreat on trans rights: Do they think that will stop Trump?

Many Democrats are ready to throw the trans community overboard. It’s immoral, delusional and politically stupid

Salon

Syria’s worst violence in months reopens wounds of the civil war

An ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad escalated into clashes that a war monitor estimates have killed more than 1,000 people over four days.

AP News

Oops, Scientists May Have Miscalculated Our Global Warming Timeline

Clues have emerged that reveal a much hotter history than we thought.

Popular Mechanics

Moscow targets Ukrainian groups and Russian dissidents in Ireland

The Irish security services have identified dozens suspected of spying for Kremlin or spreading propaganda

The Sunday Times

Brewery is selling a ‘Presidential Pack’ to supply Canadians with enough beer to last Trump’s entire term

“If the start of 2025 has taught us anything, it’s that it will take determination to weather four years of political uncertainty—and what better way to make it through each day than with a truly Canadian beer,” Karen Grigg, the breweries’ director of marketing, said in a press release.

Business Insider

Israel cuts electricity to last facility in Gaza receiving Israeli power

“I just signed an order for the immediate halt of electricity to the Gaza Strip,” Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement Saturday, adding that the country would “operate all of the tools that are at our disposal, to ensure the return of all the hostages.”

CNN

More Americans are now seeking UK citizenship. Three of them tell us why

Donald Trump’s re-election has made many in the US doubt whether the direction of their nation is for them

The Guardian

Pope Francis pens prayer thanking hospital staff, as he shows ‘mild improvement’

On Saturday, the Holy See Press Office said Francis had remained in stable condition for the last few days, with stable blood work results and no fever. The pope was resting Sunday morning after a quiet night, Vatican officials said.

NPR

Bombings and shootings kill five in Thailand’s Muslim-majority south

Rebels seeking greater autonomy in the region launched bombings and shootings, escalating a long-running conflict in Thailand’s southern provinces.

The New Arab

Thousands gather to welcome Nepal’s former king

Nepal’s former king Gyanendra Shah was welcomed back to Kathmandu on Sunday by thousands of supporters who have been staging pro-monarchy demonstrations in the Himalayan republic.

AFP

Panama releases dozens of detained deportees from US into limbo following human rights criticism

“We are refugees. We do not have money. We cannot pay for a hotel in Panama City, we do not have relatives,” Omagh told the Associated Press in an interview. “I can’t go back to Afghanistan under any circumstances … It is under the control of the Taliban, and they want to kill me. How can I go back?”

AP News