Obama to Freeze Federal Worker Pay
President Obama is set to announce a two-year pay freeze for civilian federal workers in an effort to curb an increasing deficit, The New York Times reported. Obama’s proposal will eliminate plans for a 1.4 percent raise in 2011 for 2.1 million civilian federal government employees, including those working at the Department of Defense. The freeze would not apply to uniformed military personnel. Officials said the freeze would save more than $60 billion over the next ten years.
Department of Justice Wants to Broaden Patriot Act
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is urging Congress to expand a provision of the Patriot Act that allows US judges to freeze assets linked to international crimes, The Wall Street Journal said. Recent cases in New York and Washington, DC ended with rulings against DOJ. Federal judges in both courts said that the department may seek to have assets frozen after a judgment from a foreign court, but not on allegations alone. DOJ asked Congress to approve legislation that would allow the U.S. to freeze assets after a foreign government requests legal assistance, even if it is prior to a judgment.
Scientists See Progress in Stem Cell Transformation
According to The Huffington Post, scientists are reporting success at transforming specialized stem cells from one identity into another, which may provide transplant tissue for Parkinson’s or diabetes patients in the future. This newest success comes three years after researchers discovered the process by converting skin cells into embryonic stem cells. Earlier this month, scientists also successfully transformed skin cells into early stage blood cells.
Haiti’s Elections Hurt by Protests and Fraud Allegations
Thousands of people rallied in the streets of Haiti on Sunday evening to protest alleged fraud in the presidential election, The Miami Herald reports. Voters believed that widespread efforts to rig the election included the submission of pre-stuffed ballots and thousands of names missing from voter rolls. Protestors set fire to voting stations and demanded the election be voided, while several of the presidential candidates themselves urged for peaceful protests against “massive fraud” in the country’s races.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
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