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@ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...2yrs2Y
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@ISIDEWITH submitted…3wks3W
Trump administration plans to reduce USAID staff from over 10,000 to fewer than 300 employees worldwide, with only 12 staff remaining in the Africa bureau and 8 in AsiaThe reorganization is being led by Elon Musk, described as a close Trump ally, since January 20All directly hired USAID employees globally are being put on leave, with thousands of overseas personnel being recalledThe administration aims to merge USAID with the State Department under Marco Rubio, though this may require congressional approvalUSAID managed over $40 billion in fiscal 2023, providing aid to approximately 130 countriesTwo-thirds of USAID's current 10,000+ employees work outside the United StatesFormer USAID head J. Brian Atwood warns that "a lot of people will not survive" these changesTop aid recipients in 2023 included Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, DR Congo, Somalia, Yemen, and AfghanistanOnly staff designated for "mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs" will continue workingTermination notices have already begun being distributed to agency workers
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@ISIDEWITH submitted…6mos6MO
Pavel Durov, who founded the online communications tool Telegram, was arrested in France as part of an investigation into the platform’s complicity in crimes including possession and distribution of child sexual abuse imagery.Internet company executives rarely faced personal liability in Western democracies for what took place on their platforms. But as law enforcement agencies, regulators and policymakers ramp up scrutiny of online platforms and exchanges, they are increasingly considering when to hold company leaders directly responsible. That shift was punctuated by Mr. Durov’s arrest over the weekend, raising questions over whether tech executives like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg also risk being arrested when they next set foot on European soil.For now, tech executives have little to fear, with cases like Mr. Durov’s likely to be outliers, experts said. Historically, companies have been held responsible for a platform’s transgressions, rather than individuals. And legally, the bar is high in the United States and Europe to prosecute individuals for activities at their companies, especially with U.S. laws like Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet platforms from being responsible for harmful speech.Last year, Britain passed an online safety law that can hold tech leaders personally responsible if their company is made aware of content that risks child safety and systematically fails to remove it. Even Section 230 doesn’t apply to some forms of outlawed speech, such as child sexual abuse.“There’s a 30-year arc here,” Mr. McIntyre said. Since the 1990s, he said, tech executives have not typically been held responsible for what users did on their platforms, though that approach is now being questioned by those who want stronger accountability.
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@ISIDEWITH submitted…4mos4MO
Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi wrote today:"In this election, Americans have made their voice clear: Democrats need to focus more on issues Americans care about, like wages and benefits, and less on being politically correct. Moderate White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, union, non-union, and other voters fear that the world we live in and the values we live by are under threat, and Democrats have been too intimidated to speak up for the same values that many of us hold dear — the American Dream, public safety and a common sense of right and wrong among them. Many Americans are simply afraid of "the Left" more than they are afraid of what President Trump will do. While some Democrats effectively responded to Republican's claims of chaos at the Southern border, we still ceded too much ground to the Republicans on an issue we could have won. And we failed as a party to respond to the Republican weaponization of anarchy on college campuses, defund the police, biological boys playing in girls' sports, and a general attack on traditional values. Going forward, we need to make the case every day that we will fight to give everyone a fair shake and that America is for everybody. We cannot get wrapped around the axle by our base and resistance politics."
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@ISIDEWITH asked…13yrs13Y
On June 26, 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the denial of marriage licenses violated the Due Process and the Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The ruling made same sex marriage legal in all 50 U.S. States.
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@ISIDEWITH submitted…2hrs2H
Alnur Mussayev, former head of Kazakhstan's security services and ex-KGB officer, claims Trump was recruited as a Soviet asset in 1987.Mussayev stated Trump was given the code name "Krasnov" and was considered "ideally recruitable."The article references the controversial "Steele dossier" that alleged Russia had compromising material on Trump.Yuri Shvets, a former KGB major, also claimed Trump was "cultivated as a Russian asset" who parroted anti-Western propaganda.According to the article, Trump first came to Russian attention in 1977 when he married Ivana Zelnickova, a Czech model.The article alleges Czech intelligence spied on Ivana and her father in cooperation with the KGB.The narrative suggests Trump purchased 200 TVs for his Grand Hyatt hotel from Semyon Kislin, described as a "spotter agent" for the KGB.Trump and Ivana's 1987 first visit to Moscow and St. Petersburg is portrayed as a turning point where Trump was allegedly fed KGB talking points.The article cites declassified Prague files claiming Czech spies monitored the couple in Manhattan.Author Craig Unger noted the recruitment wasn't planned decades in advance, but rather part of widespread Soviet recruitment efforts targeting "dozens and dozens of people."
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@ISIDEWITH submitted…5hrs5H
Democratic strategist James Carville predicted the Trump administration will "collapse" within 30 days due to public opinion.Carville claims the collapse "is already underway" based on Trump's approval ratings.He cited polls showing Trump's approval dropping from the low 50s to the upper 30s.The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is moving to slash federal spending.Thousands of federal workers are reportedly out of work as DOGE examines various agencies.Musk and the Office of Personnel Management requested federal employees to detail their weekly accomplishments.Several agencies have pushed back against this request, refusing to have their workers comply.Carville believes it will be "easy pickings" for opposition in about six weeks.He predicted Republicans won't be able to pass a reconciliation package to address the country's debt.Carville stated GOP leaders will need to seek help from House Democrats on financial matters.
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