IF YOU ENJOY SR AND FIND IT USEFUL WOULD YOU PLEASE DONATE
When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
Apparently, there will be no civil rights protection during the Trump regime. Day by day we are becoming a nation I don’t even recognize. I have had two readers currently living in Europe who just wrote to tell me they were renouncing their U.S. citizenship, and taking on the citizenship of the country in which they are living.
The U.S. Department of Justice seal is seen onstage at the U.S. Department of Justice on December 5, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Samuel Corum / Getty
he U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has directed its Civil Rights Division to halt ongoing litigation and refrain from initiating new cases as President Donald Trump embarks on a purge of federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in his first days in office.
This pause comes as Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican lawyer known for advocating conservative causes and serving as the GOP’s national committeewoman for California, awaits Senate confirmation to head the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.
“They are trying to eradicate civil rights,” Khadijah Silver, supervising attorney for civil rights at Lawyers For Good Government, said on LinkedIn. “And we must not stand for it.”
The memo directs Civil Rights Division supervisor Kathleen Wolfe to ensure that attorneys avoid filing “any new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest.” According to the memo, the pause is being enacted to “ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to […]
In full accord with Project 2025, the American government is being restructured so that only Whites, and preferably males, are treated fairly. All DEI issues or basic civil rights are no longer protected. The United States is becoming South Africa in the 1960s.
President Donald Trump’s administration has called for any federal worker employed for DEI-related efforts to be put on paid leave. Credit: Angelina Katsanis / Politicco
Federal government websites devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion went offline Wednesday as the White House threatened “adverse consequences” for agencies that fail to report DEI-related information within 10 days.
The sites went down a day after the Office of Personnel Management sent a memo to all agencies Tuesday calling for all DEI workers to be placed on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday. One of the instructions in the letter directed agency heads to remove “all outward facing media” related to DEI work by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Emails sent to agency staff across the government — including those working at the departments of Health and Human Services, State, Agriculture, Homeland Security and others — on Wednesday used OPM language that said it is “aware of efforts by some in the government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language.” The emails call for employees to report any change in DEI […]
If you are a Native American you are being warned to carry documentation of your citizenship and tribal affiliation on your person because Native Americans are being stopped by criminal Trump’s immigration patrols because they aren’t pale Whites. That’s the new America.
Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley. Credit: Jose Luis Magana / AP
At least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico have reported being stopped at their homes and workplaces, questioned or detained by federal law enforcement and asked to produce proof of citizenship during immigration raids since Wednesday, according to Navajo Nation officials.
The reports, which have caused panic amongst tribal communities in both states, come amid the Trump administration’s attempt to ramp up undocumented immigrant arrests nationwide and amass a larger force to carry out the president’s deportation pledge. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
The reported raids and the exact number of Navajo and other Indigenous tribal citizens who were apprehended are still under investigation, Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley told CNN. It is unclear if Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other law enforcement entities were conducting the apprehensions. ICE has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
Navajo Nation officials have contacted the Department of Homeland Security, the governors of Arizona and New Mexico, and ICE to address the reports, […]
Trump’s villein Homan who is running the everyone but Whites to be checked immigration raids has authorized raiding elementary and middle schools. Think about this for a minute. You are in third-grade arithmetic class and suddenly a bunch of men in dark clothes and gun protection vests with some big letters on their backs burst into your classroom. And do what with a classroom full of eight-year-olds? Does that sound scary, something you will never forget? And what is all this costing you and I with our taxes?
TomHoman doubles down on ICE activity in schools: ‘If they don’t like it, change the law’ Credit: KPIC
Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, defended the administration’s plans to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into schools.
Homan joined ABC’s “This Week,” where he was asked about the logistics behind the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans.
Host Martha Raddatz pointed out that the administration said it will “no longer tell ICE agents they have to avoid sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals, churches.”
“What criminals are hiding in schools? Middle schools, elementary schools — you gonna to go into those?” Raddatz asked.
Trump has formally authorized ICE to begin arresting people in schools and churches, rescinding a guideline that prevented arrests in “sensitive” areas. They have begun making arrests in various communities.
Homan defended the practice to Raddatz and said the arrests are being made with planning.
“How many MS-13 members are the age 14 to 17? Many of them,” Homan said.
“So look, if it’s a national security threat, public safety threat and what, […]
Marina Dunbar , Staff Writer - The Guardian (U.K.)
Stephan:
Healthcare is going to deteriorate more in this country, as well as becoming more expensive As this article describes middle and lower-class Americans will be particularly affected.
Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office in Washington DC on 20 January 2025. Credit: White House Handout / Planet Pix / Zuma Press Wire / Rex / Shutterstock
Within his first 48 hours back in office, Trump has signed several executive orders that threaten the healthcare of millions of Americans.
Amid a flurry of executive orders, some of which were signed live on TV on inauguration night, the US president issued several orders that repeal Biden-era directives that had expanded healthcare access and options for lower-income and middle-class Americans.
Those orders are expected to affect the medical insurance coverage for upwards of 20m people in the US.
“The previous administration has embedded deeply unpopular, inflationary, illegal, and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government,” Trump said in the official statement, which referenced several health-related orders.The statement goes on to accuse diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies of having “corrupted” institutions for Americans.
Those people whose coverage is now deemed at risk are the roughly 24 million Americans who have purchased their health insurance via the Affordable Care […]
Trump has fired the independent Inspector Generals whose task is to oversee the integrity of the American government. Why was this done? The answer is obvious. Criminal Trump did it so that his villeins can create the corrupted government agencies he wants without any hassle or oversight. The already corrupted American government is about to get much more corrupt.
A senior White House official confirmed to POLITICO that “some” inspectors general had been fired. Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/AP
President Donald Trump fired multiple independent federal watchdogs, known as inspectors general, in a Friday night purge, removing a significant layer of accountability as he asserts his control over the federal government in his second term, according to two people with knowledge of the dismissals, granted anonymity to share details they were not authorized to speak about publicly.
The ousters set up what will likely be one of Trump’s first major court battles since taking office. At least one of the fired inspectors general — the State Department’s Cardell Richardson Sr. — has told staff he plans to show up to work on Monday, arguing that the firings are illegal, according to a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity to reveal the internal discussions. A State Department spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
One of the two people briefed on the dismissals said the number is at least a dozen and includes inspectors general at the departments of […]
The status of the United States in the world has just been gutted by criminal Trump’s new Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Programs that depended on U.S. foreign aid worldwide have now been devastated. The result will affect millions of people, diminishing U.S, status and reputation worldwide. I think one should also see all of this as the personalization of America as a country under a king.
Sandra Ramos plays with her daughterat an improvised shack built with the help of the US Agency for the International Development (USAID) following hurricanes in La Lima, Honduras, in July 2022 Credit: Orlando Sierra / AFP
The United States, the world’s biggest donor, froze virtually all foreign aid on Friday, making exceptions only for emergency food, and military funding for Israel and Egypt.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent an internal memo days after President Donald Trump took office vowing an “America First” policy of tightly restricting assistance overseas.
“No new funds shall be obligated for new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension has been reviewed and approved,” said the memo to staff seen by AFP.
The sweeping order appears to affect everything from development assistance to military aid — including to Ukraine, which received billions of dollars in weapons under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden as it tries to repel a Russian invasion.
The directive also means a pause of at least several months of US funding for PEPFAR, the anti-HIV/AIDS initiative that buys anti-retroviral drugs to […]
Jake Johnson, Senior Editor and Staff wwriter - Common Dreams
Stephan:
While criminal Trump is using the powers of the Presidency to assure that the United States remains dependent on fossil fuel so the carbon energy oligarchs who funded him can maintain their profits, the United Nations Secretary-Genmeral Antonio Guterres describes this policy as a “Frankenstein Monster.” The result of the Trump policy will be to harm the wellbeing of the earth and all living beings on it, and to further diminish the status and reputation of America. We are a nation in such sharp decline that it is unprecedented in our history.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland on January 22, 2025. Credit: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP / Getty
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said during his address at an annual gathering of global elites on Wednesday that the world’s addiction to fossil fuels has become an all-consuming “Frankenstein monster” imperiling hopes of a livable future.
“All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master. We just endured the hottest year and the hottest decade in history,” Guterres said to the audience gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“A number of financial institutions and industries are backtracking on climate commitments,” Guterres continued. “Here at Davos, I want to say loudly and clearly: It is short-sighted. And paradoxically, it is selfish and also self-defeating. You are on the wrong side of history. You are on the wrong side of science. And you are on the wrong side of consumers who are looking for more sustainability, not less. This warning certainly […]
