RFK Jr. Announces Mass Terminations, Major Restructuring at HHS
Approximately a quarter of Department of Health and Human Services staff members are being laid off.
This Week in the World Affairs Brief
WALTZ HOLDS HIGH LEVEL MILITARY DISCUSSIONS ON SIGNAL
National Security Advisor (NSA) Mike Waltz held a “Team Update” discussion on the private encrypted app Signal this week with various high level Trump administration officials about an imminent attack on the Houthis in Yemen. A scandal erupted not because Signal’s encryption was compromised but because NSA Waltz, or someone on his staff, invited the anti-Trump editor of The Atlantic magazine to join the group, who then went public with what was said. DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliff, who were both included in the group, claimed that no classified information was discussed. This is true, relative to the main session, but Goldberg did reveal that after the session, DOD Secretary Hegseth texted everyone, including himself, classified details about the strike targets, weapons and attack sequences to be deployed. Goldberg, who does not have a security clearance, did not reveal those details, but chose instead to start a firestorm of protest among Trump critics about Trump’s team being a bunch of “amateurs” relative to security. This week, I will discuss how phone and text security is never fool-proof even for government systems, and why good judgment is necessary regardless of the platform you are using. To receive a free one-time sample of the Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a Sample on the left.
Also:
- Putin Continues to Fool the Trump Team
- The Legal Fight Against Judicial Overreach
- Trump’s Tariffs will be Felt in April
Daily News
Supreme Court Upholds Biden-Era ‘Ghost Gun’ Regulation
The regulation had been challenged as a misinterpretation of federal law.
Federal Judge Halts Shutdown of Voice of America
VOA employees secured a court order that prevents the Trump administration from shuttering the outlet, for now.
House Passes Bill to Boost Transparency on Foreign Funding in Higher Education
The House of Representatives passed legislation on March 27 that would require American colleges and universities to disclose all foreign gifts and contracts from countries of concern, as part of an effort to increase transparency and curb foreign influence in U.S. higher education.
U.S. and Iran: Five Signs of Looming Conflict
The growing tensions between the United States and Iran have sparked fears of a potential military conflict. Signs indicate that both nations are preparing for a major confrontation with military build-ups, strikes, economic sanctions, shows of military force and diplomatic breakdowns.
‘He’s Not a Bad Person’ – Steve Witkoff’s Fulsome Assessment of Meeting Putin
In a shockingly “pro-Russian” interview with Tucker Carlson US President Donald Trump’s special envoy spoke in “glowing terms” about his recent meeting with Russia’s president.
West-Coast Judges Say Trump Admin Must Take In Refugees and Pay for Their Housing
A trio of federal judges in California declared on Tuesday that President Donald Trump must welcome roughly 40,000 refugees approved by President Joe Biden’s deputies.
This Gov’t Agency Is Still Spending $1,000,000,000 on DEI Despite Trump’s Order to Cut It Out
While other agencies have moved to eliminate the “illegal and immoral programs” targeted in Trump’s day-one executive order, NIH is still funding over $1.3 billion in active grants that include DEI components—from race-based hiring schemes to “anti-racist” training initiatives and diversity-first faculty pipelines. At least $441 million of those grants explicitly cite DEI in their project descriptions, according to NIH data compiled by watchdog group Do No Harm.
RFK Jr. Overhauls HHS, Launches Administration for a Healthy America
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today announced the creation of a new Administration for a Healthy America as part of a massive overhaul of HHS. Meanwhile, HHS will reportedly gain oversight of school meals and special education, President Donald Trump said last week.
NIH Halts Funding for COVID-19 Projects While Trump Admin Sets Stage for Next Pandemic
COVID spending is over, but the pandemic machine is quietly shifting gears to bird flu.
What Homeschoolers Need to Know about the “Make Homeschool Safe Act”
CRHE believes more laws and oversight by government officials and public schools are required to “make homeschooling safe.” The “Make Homeschool Safe Act” is a model bill that would massively expand government and government power into the lives of families.
DOGE Cancels $52 Million Payment To Klaus Schwab's World Economic Forum!
Here was our original report: DOGE Cancels $52 Million Payment To Klaus Schwab's World Economic Forum! DOGE has uncovered a lot of absurd things....fraud, waste and abuse everywhere!
US Bomber Deployment to Diego Garcia Suggests Heavier Airstrikes on Yemen Could Be Coming
According to open-source reports, the US has sent five B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and at least seven C-17 transport aircraft to Diego Garcia. The US is also deploying an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
US Intelligence Says Iran Is ‘Not Building a Nuclear Weapon’
The annual Threat Assessment said there's no evidence Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reversed his ban on producing nuclear weapons
Four Missing US Army Troops In Lithuania Found Dead: NATO
...a major search was underway since yesterday for four US Army soldiers who had gone missing in Lithuania. The Associated Press in a breaking headline is now reporting they are dead
Department of Justice Issues Rule to Restore Lost Gun Rights
..“Some states violate citizens’ Second Amendment rights [with state gun laws]. Did they rob a bank? Were they domestic abusers? No,” Luis Valdes, a former police officer and a GOA spokesman, told The Epoch Times. “Now, they’re able to have their rights fully restored.”
Trump Signs Pardon for Former Hunter Biden Business Partner
Archer was involved in several companies with Hunter Biden before being charged in a fraud scheme that targeted Native Americans and pension funds. He was convicted in 2018. The conviction was thrown out after a federal judge found that Archer did not intend to commit fraud, but a federal appeals court overturned the dismissal. The court said evidence in the case, including emails, supported the jury’s conviction.
National Adviser Mike Waltz Says He Takes ‘Full Responsibility’ for Signal Chat Leak
Waltz said he did not know how the journalist’s number ended up on his phone, adding that the Trump administration is investigating how it happened.
US Says Russia, Ukraine Agree to Maritime Cease-Fire in Black Sea
The agreement marks a shift in U.S. policy, with a focus on easing restrictions on Russian maritime trade and payments related to food and fertilizer exports.
CDC Reschedules Postponed Vaccine Meeting
The draft agenda lists all of the same topics as the agenda for the meeting that had been slated to be held in mid-February. The only addition is a 30-minute session on the epidemiology of measles and measles outbreaks.
2 More Senior Commanders Ousted as CCP Continues to Purge Top Brass
The U.S. Defense Department has said the CCP’s anti-corruption drive may hamper its military modernization efforts.
Trump Admin to Extend ‘Mass Influx’ Emergency, Preserving Expanded Immigration Powers
Since Trump took office again in January, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 32,000 illegal immigrants and deported almost 30,000.
White House Responds After Journalist Apparently Looped Into Discussions on Yemen Strike
Recounting the incident for The Atlantic, Goldberg reported that an individual he believes to have been White House national security adviser Mike Waltz added him to a group chat at 11:44 a.m. ET on March 15. At 2:29 p.m. ET on the same day, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to publicly announce the new U.S. strikes on Yemen. Goldberg wrote that the Signal user who added him to the group chat, apparently unprompted, was named “Michael Waltz.”
Dems Explode Over Leak Of Secret War Plans In Signal Chat: 'Heads Should Roll'
Among some 18 individuals listed as members of a Signal group that the journalist was 'inadvertently' invited to included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President Vance, national security adviser Michael Waltz, Secretary of State is Marco Antonio Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Trump Revokes Security Clearances for Harris, Clinton, Other Top Democrats
The president also revoked the security clearances for the entire family of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
Cartels’ Advanced Technology a Growing Threat to US
Céspedes said the cartels have armor-plated vehicles, Kevlar vests, night vision technology, and 50-caliber sniper rifles—equipment every bit as sophisticated as that of the Mexican military. “Nowadays, it’s more like defending a small army against another small army—and there’s a lot of collateral damage,” he said of the cartels.
The Autopen, the Presidency and the Constitution: What to Know
Machines to copy signatures have been used by presidents since Jefferson. In 2005, the government held that presidents may use them to sign official documents.
European Gas Prices Jump After Ukraine [or Russia] Blows Up Key Gas Pumping Station In Russia
Meanwhile, Ukraine ... accused Russia of attacking its own energy facility: the country's General Staff of the Armed Forces confirmed the Sudzha gas metering station was shelled, but said it was Russians who struck their own facility (just like Ukraine previously accused Russia of blowing up the Nord Stream), pointing to previous instances in which Russia appeared to send soldiers through a disused natural gas pipeline. In a post on Facebook, the General Staff said the accusations were "baseless," and part of a "discrediting campaign against Ukraine...The mentioned station was repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves."
‘Independent’ anti-Russia outlet Meduza faces collapse after US funding slashed
After fervently denying that they relied on financial support from the US government, the supposedly “independent” Russian language paper Meduza has been thrown into existential crisis following the Trump administration’s pause on foreign development assistance
Huge Blast Rocks Russian Airbase In Largest Ever Drone Attack On Region
The base which is known for hosting Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers has been targeted several times since the war began in 2022. Photos to emerge of the fresh attack show a large fireball lighting up the sky.