MicroWave

joined 2 years ago
 

Summary

Trump proposed offering refugee status and U.S. resettlement for white South Africans amid alleged oppression and rights abuses, claiming protection for Afrikaners.

Leading Afrikaner organizations, including Solidarity and AfriForum, rejected Trump’s offer, affirming their commitment to remain in South Africa and build a future locally.

The U.S. executive order cut aid to South Africa, accusing its government of enabling attacks and enforcing a law seizing white-owned farmland.

South Africa’s officials dismissed Trump’s claims as misinformation, emphasizing that Afrikaners remain economically privileged and integral to the nation’s recovery from apartheid.

 

Summary

The Trump administration is slashing $4 billion annually from medical research funding by capping indirect costs, such as buildings and support staff, at 15% of NIH grants.

Previously, $9 billion of NIH’s $35 billion budget covered overhead expenses. Supporters, including Elon Musk, praise the cuts as reducing waste.

However, researchers warn the policy will cripple lifesaving research, halt clinical trials, and weaken U.S. innovation.

Critics urge NIH to reverse the decision, calling it a threat to public health and scientific progress.

 

Summary

Since Donald Trump’s return to office, ICE and DEA agents have intensified immigration enforcement, conducting door-to-door sweeps in Colorado.

Initially targeting suspected criminals, recent operations now question all residents, regardless of warrants. A Denver apartment complex saw widespread searches, sparking protests and fear among undocumented families.

Activists and attorneys are mobilizing to inform residents of their rights. Schools report growing student anxiety.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, confirmed a broad crackdown, declaring, “If you’re in the country illegally, you’re on the table.”

 

Summary

Michigan State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky revealed she underwent sterilization to prevent pregnancy under Donald Trump’s administration, citing concerns over reproductive rights.

Speaking at a rally, she said she refused to let her body be "treated as currency." Her decision follows Trump’s executive actions impacting reproductive healthcare and his association with anti-abortion policies.

Critics on the right ridiculed her, while supporters highlighted growing fears over access to contraception.

Trump denies plans for a national abortion ban, but his policies continue to spark nationwide protests and debates.

 

Summary

Donald Trump amended his lawsuit against CBS, now alleging that a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris unfairly diverted viewers from his Truth Social platform.

He claims CBS’ edits misled the public, boosting Harris while harming his media business, and seeks $20 billion in damages. CBS argues its edits were standard and protected by the First Amendment.

Legal experts view the case as weak, but it coincides with Paramount Global’s regulatory review, leading to reported settlement talks.

The FCC has also opened an inquiry into CBS’ editing decisions.

 

Summary

A federal employee revealed that Elon Musk’s DOGE conducted 15-minute interviews where staff had to "justify their existence" to “college freshers.”

After Musk’s visit, he called for a 50% agency cut, with the bottom 30% of performers facing layoffs.

Supervisors must now submit justification forms for employees.

The speaker also claimed Musk, his "wife," and child are living inside the agency.

 

Summary

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s center-right CDU/CSU alliance, is attempting to regain control of the migration debate by courting support from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.

This gambit has backfired, failing to attract AfD voters and instead sowing doubt among mainstream voters about Merz’s ability to govern effectively.

Many Germans fear that this political polarization could lead to a repeat of the Weimar era, where extremist parties gained power.

 

Summary

Mexican environmental regulators found 30,000 tons of improperly stored hazardous material at the Zinc Nacional plant, which recycles toxic waste from the U.S.

The investigation followed a report by The Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab, revealing potential contamination. Authorities ordered the material moved within 15 days and shut down unauthorized equipment.

Tests found high lead, cadmium, and arsenic levels near the plant. Officials are assessing community risks, while Zinc Nacional claims compliance.

Experts stress independent testing to evaluate health threats from the toxic waste.

 

Summary

The worst avian flu outbreak in U.S. history has affected 150 million birds and led to 67 human cases, including one death.

Egg farmers have spent hundreds of millions on biosecurity, but infections persist, with 23 cases linked to commercial poultry. Lateral spread has dropped from 70% to 15%, yet outbreaks continue.

Industry leaders push for vaccination, despite fears of losing $6 billion in exports and 200,000 jobs.

The USDA is considering a vaccine stockpile, but farmers warn they are "losing the battle."

 

Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed willingness to strike a deal with Donald Trump, offering U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for resumed military aid.

Trump, who had paused aid, conditioned further support on securing Ukraine’s mineral resources, including uranium, titanium, lithium, and graphite.

This aligns with Ukraine’s "Victory Plan" to leverage its natural resources for economic stability.

The proposed deal is expected to dominate talks when Zelensky and Trump meet next week, as Trump aims to end the war within six months.

 

Summary

With U.S. farm income down 23% since 2022 and crop prices at four-year lows, farmers are turning to agritourism—Airbnb rentals, corn mazes, and farm experiences—to generate revenue.

The $4.5 billion industry has grown, with farmstay listings increasing 77% in five years. Many farms earn an extra $25,000 to $100,000 annually, with some exceeding $1 million.

Platforms like Airbnb and HipCamp report rising farmstay demand.

While not all farms can participate, diversification helps sustain family farms and attract younger generations.

 

Summary

Misinformation about USAID funding is spreading online, fueled by the Trump administration and Elon Musk. Some examples:

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt falsely claimed USAID funded projects like a $70,000 DEI musical in Ireland and a $47,000 transgender opera in Colombia—both actually funded by the State Department.

Social media posts also falsely alleged Politico received $8–34 million from USAID when it only received $44,000 in subscription fees.

Experts warn that these misleading claims obscure rational discussion as the Trump administration moves to dismantle USAID.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

There were a couple of mass emails sent. One before the crash and another after the crash. From another source:

The email, sent from President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management to employees across the sprawling federal government, arrived just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday — almost exactly 24 hours after an air crash in Washington that killed 67 people. The message reiterated an offer earlier this week from the administration encouraging federal employees to seek new jobs in the private sector — and did so in terms that appeared to denigrate their contributions, if not cast them as lazy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/us/politics/federal-workers-opm.html

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 48 points 3 weeks ago (18 children)

Literally what he did in the next paragraph:

The Biden administration has focused on revising and expanding federal student loan forgiveness programs that existed before Biden took office. That approach allowed the administration to expand loan forgiveness options despite its failure to implement new federal forgiveness programs after the Supreme Court struck-down Biden’s initial plan in 2023.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

Thanks for the tip. The photos in the article also show PE as well. I’ve updated the summary.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Thanks. I’ve fixed the link.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 121 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (19 children)

Through reviewing posts on X, web archives, leak databases, and other social media profiles, the Observer identified the following individuals as the anonymous operators of neo-Nazi X accounts, which had a collective 500,000 followers at their peak:

Cyan Cruz (40 years old): Marketing professional who has lived in Austin and Amarillo, Texas, operating the X account TheOfficial1984.

Michael Gramer (42 years old): Retired mechanical engineer who has lived in New Hampshire, claimed to own a house in Galveston, Texas, and spent time in Dallas, operating the X account 9mm_SMG.

Robert “Bobby” Thorne (35 years old): Vice president at JP Morgan Chase in Plano, Texas, operating the account Noble1945 and previously Noble_x_x_.

John Anthony Provenzano (30 years old): Lives in Virginia, works at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head, Maryland, and operates the X account utism_ (formerly JohnnyBullzeye).

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

“Contrary to predictions” instead makes sense. I've updated the summary.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago (4 children)

From your link (translated), the men in the survey didn't seem to engage in whataboutism:

The participants most often experienced psychological violence (40 percent) [including] aggressive shouting, insults and humiliation in front of others. 39 percent suffered from the controlling behavior of the partner, isolation and permanent blame. 30 percent would also experience physical violence...

...

...With regard to their own perpetratorship, more than half of the men stated that they had used violence in a relationship themselves, about a quarter see themselves in both the victim and the perpetrator role.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for the info. I've updated the post summary with it.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Thanks. I've updated the summary to reflect your info.

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