Wednesday, March 19, 2025

March 19, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Roberts issues rare public pushback after Trump calls for judge's impeachment . . . "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose," Roberts said. The chief justice's statement came hours after Trump called for impeaching U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, an appointee of former President Obama who blocked Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants the administration has labeled as gang members. The Hill

Federal Judge Orders Halt to DOGE Shutdown of USAID . . . A federal judge ordered an immediate halt on Tuesday to the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk and DOGE's dismantlement of USAID "likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways," District Court Judge Theodore Chuang said. Chuang issued his ruling in response to a lawsuit brought by current and former USAID employees and contractors. Breitbart

Judge bars Trump's EPA from taking back $20B in climate grants — for now . . . A federal judge temporarily blocked the Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to recoup $20 billion in Biden-era climate grants — dealing the latest judicial setback for President Donald Trump's attempt to assert unilateral control over spending. Tuesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan prevents EPA from reclaiming money it had deposited at Citibank for the groups Climate United, Coalition for Green Capital and Power Forward Communities. Politico

Judge orders Pentagon to allow transgender troops, calls Trump ban 'unabashedly demeaning' . . . A federal judge on Tuesday issued an injunction blocking the administration's new policy ushering transgender troops out of the military, spanking President Trump's team for what she called an "unabashedly demeaning" ban. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, a Biden appointee to the district court in Washington, said transgender troops have been serving openly since 2021 and there's no evidence they have hurt military readiness. She said banning them amounts to discrimination on the basis of sex. Washington Times

Leftists are judge-shopping, and it's working. These cases will eventually make their way to the Supreme Court, and Roberts better think hard, because if all of this is knocked down, we will be in very dangerous times. The American people have chosen, by electing Trump, not to proceed with this woke experiment in remaking our culture and our society.

Politics

Musk-hating hackers release names and addresses of every Tesla owner in the US with chilling symbol . . . Elon Musk-hating hackers have doxxed Tesla owners in the United States, releasing an interactive map showing their names, addresses, phone numbers and emails. The disturbing website, called DOGEQUEST, also provides the locations of every Tesla showroom, charging station and the known residences of Department of Government Efficiency employees. It even lists FBI Director Kash Patel's home and uses a symbol of a Molotov cocktail as its cursor. Daily Mail

Could the Bluest State in the Nation Get Voter ID? . . . California, one of the most solidly blue states in the nation, could be voting on adopting voter ID—an initiative that President Donald Trump called for the state to adopt as a condition for continued federal aid. Republican state legislators launched the ballot initiative drive late last week to gain 1 million signatures after failing to gain sufficient support for a voter ID requirement in the Democrat-controlled legislature for a bill in December. Daily Signal

Tim Walz Tells Gavin Newsom: Republicans Questioned My Masculinity Because They're Misogynists . . . Minnesota governor Tim Walz (D.) accused Republicans of misogyny for questioning his masculinity during his 2024 vice presidential run. "We buy their frame on these issues of sexuality, you know, but their whole thing was is that they spent all their time, these guys on Fox News, [saying] that 'Walz is gay, he's not masculine, you know, he doesn't coach football the way he should,'" Walz told California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) Tuesday on Newsom's podcast. "There's misogyny in here that's happening." Washington Free Beacon

Tim, stop whining like a little girl.

Culture

Foundation Aims to 'Decolonize' Shakespeare in His Own Hometown . . . It seems that wokeness in its most toxic and obnoxious forms has been forced into retreat here in America, but in the England, it's apparently still burning out of control. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which manages William Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, has reportedly announced that it will "decolonize" future celebrations of the great playwright over concerns that his works could be used to promote "white supremacy." Daily Signal

Trump Admin Ends Translation Services for Immigration Agency After Declaring English Official U.S. Language . . . The Trump administration has directed the Department of Homeland Security to end language translation services for people calling for information about their immigration or employment status or their benefits. In keeping with his March 1 order making English the official language of the United States, the president has directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to cancel a contract with a translation service provider, according to Government Executive magazine. Breitbart

Please next eliminate signs in nine languages at voting place. English spoken here, in the United States, thank you. And if you can't speak English, how are you getting the information you need to decide on your vote?

Daughters Of The American Revolution Chapters Plead With Trump To Save Org From Trans Radicals . . . Daughters of the American Revolution Chapters have reached out to President Donald Trump in their fight against the national organization's decision to allow trans-identifying males into the historic female group. Labeling themselves Daughters Advocating for Restoration, the Martha Laird Chapter in Texas along with five endorsing chapters in five different states wrote that the DAR has "fallen prey to trans ideology" in a letter to the president. Daily Wire

National Security

They Live and Work on the Border. Here's What's Changed Since Trump's Return . . . It's "beautiful" to see more Border Patrol agents back on the southern border since President Donald Trump entered the White House, Efrain Sella said. Sella spent 25 years with the Border Patrol before retiring in 2019. Speaking with The Daily Signal at the Big Bend Area Law Enforcement Officers Association's March meeting, he said that "things are changing quick" at the border under the Trump administration. "Now, we're controlling the border," Sella said. Daily Signal

Limited weapons and a regional crisis could dog the US in fight with Houthis . . . Pentagon officials promise a resurging fight with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen won't turn into an endless war. But it's already getting more complicated. The Trump administration is pledging to go after Houthi fighters until they end their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. And yet its days-old bombing campaign is running up against America's political and industrial limits, including limited precision weapons stockpiles, a broader regional crisis and a terror group unlikely to back down — even in a fight against a military superpower. Politico

Oops, we didn't spend enough money on defense and we sent all our weapons to Ukraine to defend a non-NATO non-ally. And we let our manufacturing base erode into a service economy. It will take time for Trump to fix these errors.

International

Putin gives Trump bare minimum on Ukraine but the war goes on . . . The Russian president has given the US leader just enough to claim that he made progress towards peace in Ukraine, without making it look like he was played by the Kremlin. Trump can point to Putin's pledge to halt attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days. If that actually happens, it will bring some relief to civilians. But it's nowhere near the full and unconditional ceasefire that the US wanted from Russia. BBC

'I Could Not Be Silent': Gal Gadot On Speaking Out After October 7

You should also know

Social Security Administration to require in-person identity checks for new and existing recipients . . . In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone. Beginning March 31st, people will no longer be able to verify their identity to the SSA over the phone and those who cannot properly verify their identity over the agency's "my Social Security" online service, will be required to visit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process. Associated Press

JFK assassination files released, sending history buffs hunting for new clues . . . More than 63,000 pages of records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy were released Tuesday following an order by President Donald Trump, many without the redactions that had confounded historians for years and helped fuel conspiracy theories. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration posted to its website roughly 2,200 files containing the documents. Associated Press

Dolphins welcome Nasa astronauts stuck in space back to Earth

Trump eyes paving over Rose Garden as part of White House makeover . . . President Trump is reportedly eyeing plans to pave over the historic Rose Garden at the White House, giving it the patio-like feel of his club in Florida. Mr. Trump has already put his stamp on parts of the White House. There is a collection of golden figures and medallions in the Oval Office, in line with his signature lavish style, and he's dramatically increased the number of portraits hanging on the walls. Now, Mr. Trump is considering a remake of the Rose Garden that would resemble the paved area where he courts friends at his beloved Mar-a-Lago home. Washington Times

Guilty Pleasures

'World's ugliest animal' is New Zealand fish of the year . . . Once dubbed the world's ugliest animal for its soft, lumpy appearance, the blobfish has made a stunning comeback: it was crowned this week as Fish of the Year by a New Zealand environmental group. The annual competition, held by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, aims to raise awareness for New Zealand's freshwater and marine life. This year, the blobfish took home the coveted accolade with nearly 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes cast. BBC