All posts tagged: blocks

Trump Tells “Less Shackled” Pulte To Fire Intelligence Officials As Senate Blocks FISA Extension

Trump Tells “Less Shackled” Pulte To Fire Intelligence Officials As Senate Blocks FISA Extension

Published by Jenni Sidey

When has the Senate ever not increased government spy powers? When President Trump installs Bill Pulte as acting DNI and instructs him to start kicking hornet nests, apparently.   In a WSJ interview published Friday, Trump revealed he has directed incoming acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin the process of firing a large number of employees as part of a major shake-up of the U.S. intelligence community. Trump described the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as “unnecessary and/or too big” and said he wants it made “much smaller” – and possibly even terminated. “I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, targeting holdovers from prior administrations. He told Pulte to “start the process” of firings, noting that Pulte’s acting status makes him “less shackled” and gives him more power in the short term to do the “hard work” of downsizing before a permanent director is confirmed. Trump compared the approach to Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s efforts to …

US judge blocks Trump restrictions on legal immigration

US judge blocks Trump restrictions on legal immigration

Published by Sam Flores

“USCIS’s hold on adjudications cannot be attributed to anything that these individuals did wrong; rather, it arises solely by the happenstance of their birth,” the judge said. “Over six months later, many of those individuals remain without work, without legal status, and without any meaningful ability to plan for their futures,” McConnell said. USCIS, in imposing the restrictions, was using “pretextual concerns of ‘national security’ that mask anti-immigrant sentiments,” he said. The judge, an appointee of Democratic president Barack Obama, said it was not his role to rule on “the wisdom of the government’s policy choices” but to determine whether they “comport with the law.” Source link

Filtr is a new privacy tool that blocks ads in almost every iPhone and Mac app

Filtr is a new privacy tool that blocks ads in almost every iPhone and Mac app

Published by skeptic

Using an ad blocker is good for your security, privacy, and even the FBI recommends them to defend from online harms. But as much as ad blockers are great for cleaning up your browsing experience, these tools often do little to prevent the pervasive tracking from ads within apps. Now, thanks to a new feature in iOS 26 and macOS 26, one developer has built the first device-level ad blocker that works across all of Apple’s main products — iPhones, iPads, and Macs — and isn’t just limited to the browser. Filtr is a new tool created and maintained by Kaylee Serena Calderolla, the developer behind the popular Safari browser ad blocker Wipr. Wipr prevents ads from ever appearing in Safari, meaning that the ads won’t load, nor will their tracking code that advertisers use to follow you around the web and snoop on which websites you visit. The result is a cleaner browsing experience, free from advertisers watching over your online activity. Filtr is an additional paid-for feature bundled into Wipr that goes one …

Trump’s angry tirade after judge blocks “Trump Kennedy Center”

Trump’s angry tirade after judge blocks “Trump Kennedy Center”

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump is threatening to hand control of the Kennedy Center back to Congress after a federal judge blocked plans to rename the institution the “Trump Kennedy Center” and prevented the administration from moving forward with a controversial closure for renovations. In a lengthy Truth Social post Friday night, Trump blasted U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, for ruling against the administration’s plans and accused Democrats of caring more about opposing him than preserving the iconic performing arts center. “Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing,” Trump wrote. The president claimed the Kennedy Center suffers from serious structural problems, including “rotting beams” and parking areas allegedly at risk of collapse. He argued that renovations could not be completed while the facility remains open and said the administration had hoped to transform the center into “the Finest Facility of its kind, anywhere in the World.” But much of Trump’s frustration appeared directed at …

Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s .8 billion ‘weaponization’ fund

Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘weaponization’ fund

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 27, 2026. Evan Vucci | Reuters  A U.S. judge on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from setting up a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of what Trump has called government “weaponization.” The order by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia blocks the Trump administration from “taking any further action” to set up or operate the fund while the judge hears additional legal arguments. The order will remain in effect at least until June 12. The Justice Department announced the creation of an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” last week as part of an agreement to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax records. It set up a $1.776 billion fund overseen by a five-member commission to dole out payments to those who show they were victims of “lawfare” and “weaponization,” terms Trump and his allies have used to describe investigations and criminal cases against them. Friday’s ruling came in a lawsuit …

Judge temporarily blocks Justice Department’s .8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Judge temporarily blocks Justice Department’s $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Published by Sam Flores

A federal judge temporarily blocked the government from doling out money from President Trump’s new “anti-weaponization” fund Friday.  U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema indicated the pause is meant to ensure no money is “irreversibly disbursed” from the fund until she can rule on an emergency motion to block it.  “It is important that the status quo be maintained until plaintiffs’ pending Motion has been… Source link

Judge Temporarily Blocks Payouts From Trump’s .776 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Settlement Fund

Judge Temporarily Blocks Payouts From Trump’s $1.776 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Settlement Fund

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from proceeding with a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for the Republican president’s allies who believe they were victims of a weaponized government, halting its formation or any potential payouts for at least the next two weeks. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend her order barring the government from moving forward with its “Anti-Weaponization Fund” while pending litigation challenges it. The administration created the fund to resolve President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. A Justice Department spokesperson said it’s “extremely confident” that the fund is legally supported “by ample precedent,” including from settlements during the administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat. “We will not allow the policy preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to victims of lawfare,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The White House declined to comment on the judge’s ruling, …

US ‘disappointed’ after Netherlands blocks takeover of online ID platform

US ‘disappointed’ after Netherlands blocks takeover of online ID platform

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. said Wednesday that it was “disappointed” in a decision by the Dutch government to block New York-based Kyndryl’s planned acquisition of a cloud services provider over concerns about national security. “We were disappointed by the Dutch government’s decision regarding the Kyndryl-Solvinity deal,” the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, said in a statement.… Source link

Judge blocks West Point from enforcing faculty speech restrictions 

Judge blocks West Point from enforcing faculty speech restrictions 

Published by Sam Flores

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked restrictions imposed by the Trump administration that prevent faculty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (USMA) from speaking to external groups without permission.  U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel agreed with a longtime law professor that the policy likely violates civilian professors’ free speech rights under the First Amendment.  “And even affording Defendants due deference in the realm… Source link