Judge Orders Trump to Reinstate Probationary Employees

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A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to bring back thousands of fired probationary employees, saying their ousters were illegal.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup, a Clinton appointee who sits in California, said the Office of Personnel Management had no authority to direct other agencies to fire the employees.

“It is sad, a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” the judge said in ruling from the bench. . .

Probationary employees have been on the job for less than a year, or less than two years at some posts. Trump officials said they were easy targets because they hadn’t built years of experience critical to their agencies and, as probationary employees, lacked full civil service protection.

OPM issued a memo telling departments to review their lists of probationary employees and decide which to keep. Departments then carried out waves of firings. (Read more from “Judge Orders Trump to Reinstate Probationary Employees” HERE)

Red State Cracks Down on Sanctuary City After Police Chief Refuses to Cooperate With ICE

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching a probe into the city of Dallas over the region’s sanctuary city policies that protect illegal immigrants.

On Thursday, Paxton announced the investigation, as well as a formal request for city and Dallas Police Department records concerning the police department’s refusal to comply with state and federal immigration laws.

“The law is not optional. Local governments do not have the authority to disregard state and federal immigration laws,” Paxton said in a statement. “The people of Texas expect law enforcement agencies to uphold public safety, not to implement sanctuary policies that put our communities at risk.”

“My office will take all necessary legal actions to ensure compliance with state law and hold accountable any local entity that defies its legal obligations,” he added.

Paxton’s office has requested all policies, training materials and communications related to Dallas’ enforcement or non-enforcement of immigration laws, including any records reflecting decisions to decline cooperation with federal immigration authorities. (Read more from “Red State Cracks Down on Sanctuary City After Police Chief Refuses to Cooperate With ICE” HERE)

Oregon Health Advisory Board Member Uses ‘They/Them/Turtle’ Pronouns

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. . .A member of a state panel advising the director of Oregon’s Health Authority (OHA) made a wild first impression at a meeting by proclaiming, “I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns.”

JD Holt, who also goes by “JD Terrapin” on Facebook, made the declaration with a straight face while introducing themself at a virtual council meeting on Dec. 20.

“Hello everybody, it’s JD. I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns. I’m in the Springfield-Eugene area and I get to be part of the council,” Holt said enthusiastically.

Other members of the Consumer Advisory Council in the meeting were seen blinking and hiding any reaction to the bizarre animal-world identity.

Holt is one of roughly two dozen “consumers” on the OHA’s Consumer Advisory Council (OCAC), which is appointed by OHA Director Dr. Sejal Hathi, who was chosen by Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. (Read more from “Oregon Health Advisory Board Member Uses ‘They/Them/Turtle’ Pronouns” HERE)

Trump: Putin’s Statement About Potential Ceasefire ‘Very Promising’

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President Donald Trump said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s openness to a ceasefire proposal being negotiated by the United States is “very promising.”

Trump’s comments came while taking questions in the Oval Office during a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte.

“He put out a very promising statement, but it wasn’t complete, and, yeah, I’d love to meet with him or talk to him,” Trump said of the Russian leader. “But we have to get it over with fast. You know, every day, people are being killed.”

Putin’s comments about being open to a ceasefire came during a press conference in Moscow, as Breitbart News noted:

“So the idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it,” Putin told a news conference in Moscow, AP set out. “But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners.”

The Russian leader noted the need to develop a mechanism to control possible breaches of the truce. Another issue, he said, is whether Ukraine could use the 30-day ceasefire to continue mobilization and rearmament.

“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,” Putin said.

(Read more from “Trump: Putin’s Statement About Potential Ceasefire ‘Very Promising’” HERE)

Drugs Taken by Millions in U.S. Can Cause ‘Deviant’ Sexual Behavior Including Pedophilia — But Patients Aren’t Warned by Doctors

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A class of drugs commonly used to treat movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome is pushing people into risky sexual behavior.

Patients taking dopamine agonists say the drugs have triggered uncontrollable impulses, including flashing, sex addiction and even pedophilia — leaving them struggling with feelings of shame and confusion.

Reports reviewed by the BBC suggest drugmaker GSK has known about the risk of so-called “deviant” sexual behavior since 2003, yet patients claim their doctors continue to fail to warn them about these potentially devastating side effects.

Dopamine agonists mimic dopamine, a key brain chemical that controls movement and is activated by pleasure. However, these drugs can overstimulate feelings of pleasure while dulling the brain’s ability to recognize the consequences of our actions.

This can lead to impulse control disorders, with studies showing 13% to 24% of Parkinson’s patients on dopamine agonists develop them. While a warning about these risky behaviors is listed alongside common side effects like nausea and insomnia, research suggests they often go unnoticed or undiagnosed.

In the US, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends the drugs only be used for short-term treatment, such as end-of-life care. (Read more from “Drugs Taken by Millions in U.S. Can Cause ‘Deviant’ Sexual Behavior Including Pedophilia — But Patients Aren’t Warned by Doctors” HERE)

Several States Seek End to Property Taxes: Shouldn’t Have to ‘Rent From the Government’

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As Tax Day nears, fiscally conservative leaders in several states are pushing to abolish property taxes, with one Pennsylvania lawmaker arguing that homeowners shouldn’t have to “pay rent” to the government.

That lawmaker, state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, spoke to Fox News Digital on Thursday ahead of his latest effort to end the collection of such taxes in the Keystone State.

Diamond will put forward a resolution — titled HB 900 — which Fox News Digital learned exclusively will be filed imminently. The document is a draft constitutional amendment he hopes will go to the voters on Election Day, and not a typical piece of legislation requiring gubernatorial approval.

Pennsylvania Republicans previously utilized the constitutional amendment process to accelerate the rollback of COVID-19 lockdowns imposed by then-Gov. Tom Wolf and then-health secretary Rachel Levine — by placing the amendment directly before voters on Election Day.

“Property taxes are an issue that is not exactly partisan, because in some areas, it’s more of a big deal than in others,” Diamond said, citing varying relationships between taxes and school district funding. (Read more from “Several States Seek End to Property Taxes: Shouldn’t Have to ‘Rent From the Government’” HERE)

Michelle Obama Just Reappeared… and This Was Not the Comeback She Hoped For

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Michelle Obama has been off the radar for a while. She ditched Barry at the Carter funeral, skipped Trump’s inauguration, and fueled even more divorce rumors in the process. People wondered where she disappeared to—turns out, she was busy making a podcast with her brother—the brother most of us didn’t even know existed, because Michelle keeps her personal life locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

But her big return to the spotlight didn’t go as planned. Instead of a smash hit, her podcast flopped—hard. After hours on YouTube, it barely scraped together 20K views.

Looks like Michelle lost her mojo.

Jesse Watters covered the podcast flop on his highly rated show—something Michelle Obama knows nothing about. He also pointed out her constant negativity and how she never misses a chance to take a shot at her husband. Let’s be honest—Michelle gives off some serious angry, dominant, naggy wife vibes.

Even the left-leaning Daily Beast had to admit—Michelle Obama and her brother just aren’t pulling in the views. They also quoted Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy, who made a great point—this kind of podcast might have worked fifteen years ago, but not today.

(Read more from “Michelle Obama Just Reappeared… and This Was Not the Comeback She Hoped For” HERE)

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VP Biden Received ‘Sensitive’ Materials at Private Email Account

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A new report confirms that there was a “security risk” that developed when materials during Barack Obama’s term in the White House were sent to Joe Biden’s private and personal email account.

Biden, of course, was found later to have concealed classified government documents in piles of paperwork in his offices and the garage at his home, but never was charged for the violations of federal law.

A new report at Just the News explains the information included “briefing memos, sensitive foreign conversations, ” “subjects and times for White House Situation Room meetings” and other “fallout from leaked National Security Agency intercepts.”

The details come from a recent set of emails released by the National Archives.

According to the report, “Security experts and lawmakers, who reviewed the records, said they were disturbed by the nonchalant transmission of sensitive government information to Biden’s insecure private email accounts and believed it put national security at risk.” (Read more from “VP Biden Received ‘Sensitive’ Materials at Private Email Account” HERE)

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‘Innuendo And Rumor Stories’: VA Secretary Collins Blasts Media Hacktivist’s Anti-DOGE Hatchet Job

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First, it was ABC’s Martha Raddatz. Then, it was CBS’s Margaret Brennan. And now, Military.com’s Patricia Kime is the latest member of the propaganda press to get a well-deserved scolding from the Trump administration for masquerading her left-wing activism as reporting.

The moment came during a newly released sit-down exchange between Kime and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins. The former congressman was sworn into the position last month following a bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate.

“I need your help on something. I need your help because all I seem to be doing lately is fighting back against innuendo and rumor stories,” Collins told Kime. “In fact, Patricia, part of it is with you.”

The VA secretary took specific aim at a Feb. 5 story authored by Kime titled, “Elon Musk Aide Is Now Working at VA and Accessing Its Computer Systems.” Citing unconfirmed reports, the Military.com reporter wrote in her piece that, “Rumors began circulating Tuesday that DOGE representatives visited the VA on Tuesday with an intent to mine data on disability compensation and benefits.”

Passing what appeared to be a copy of the article to Kime, Collins criticized the so-called “journalist” for sensationalizing the unconfirmed rumors about the VA’s operations and asked her to commit to not publish similarly shoddy work in the future. (Read more from “‘Innuendo And Rumor Stories’: VA Secretary Collins Blasts Media Hacktivist’s Anti-DOGE Hatchet Job” HERE)

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Schumer Caves In Shutdown Showdown

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On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declared that he will not vote against moving forward with a Republican-backed stopgap bill to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of the week.

The announcement, in which Schumer criticized President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort led by Elon Musk, marked an abrupt turnaround. Just one day ago, the top Senate Democrat insisted the Republican majority did not have enough votes for the House-passed continuing resolution to clear a key procedural hurdle.

“While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse. … I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option,” Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor.

He added later: “I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people. Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down.” (Read more from “Schumer Caves In Shutdown Showdown” HERE)

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