Trump indicators govt order threatening to intestine Smithsonian Institute funding except ‘improper ideology’ eliminated: Live

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Donald Trump has signed an executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution by threatening to withdrawal federal funding from its programs that contain what he calls “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”

The president said there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort over the past decade to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”

His order instructs Vice President JD Vance to “remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian’s museums, education and research centers and the National Zoo.

The VP and Second Lady Usha Vance will meanwhile visit Greenland today, where they risk being shunned by the locals.

Elsewhere, Trump pulled Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be his UN ambassador over fears that a special election in her upstate New York district might endanger the slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives – crucial to enacting the president’s agenda.

Stefanik appeared on Fox News shortly afterwards to insist she was “proud to be a team player.”

Elon Musk and members of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team were also on Fox to talk about their efforts to cut back government spending and staff numbers, with Musk dismissing his critics as “fraudsters.”

Elon Musk claims those who complain about DOGE cuts are ‘fraudsters’

The tech billionaire and members of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team were also on Fox last night to talk about their efforts to cut back government spending and staff numbers, with Musk dismissing his critics as “fraudsters.”

Musk also described his work as “a revolution” that could be “the biggest revolution in government” since America broke away from the British empire.

Andrew Feinberg was watching.

Joe Sommerlad28 March 2025 09:50

Elise Stefanik insists she’s ‘proud to be a team player’ after Trump yanks her nomination for UN ambassador

The New York Representative put a brave face on her disappointment last night as she declared that she is “proud to be a team player” after the president withdrew her nomination for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in order to keep her in Congress and not disturb the Republicans’ slim majority in the House of Representatives.

“I was honored to have earned that nomination by President Trump, and I’m proud to be one of his top allies on Capitol Hill,” she told Fox News host and former Trump spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany in an interview last night.

“I have been proud to be a team player, the president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I’m committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents,” she said.

Trump announced his decision keeping Stefanik in Congress on Truth Social earlier in the day, apparently suddenly much more concerned about the GOP’s tight 218-213 majority in the House than he was when he nominated her, perhaps worried by the prospect of a special election in her New York district if she were to take up the ambassadorial role.

This is nobody’s idea of a good time, however.

Mike Bedigan has more.

Joe Sommerlad28 March 2025 09:30

No one in Greenland wants to talk to Usha Vance

The VP and Second Lady will visit Greenland today, where they risk being shunned by the locals over widespread opposition to Trump’s threats about annexing the island.

U.S. officials have been traveling around the Danish-controlled Arctic territory in advance of their arrival this week in search of locals who might want to receive a visit from the Vances, according to a report from Danish TV 2.

Greenlanders’ response? No thanks.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Joe Sommerlad28 March 2025 09:10

Trump executive order on Smithsonian targets funding to programs with ‘improper ideology’

Good morning!

Donald Trump has signed an executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution by threatening to withdrawal federal funding from its programs that contain what he calls “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”

The president said there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort over the past decade to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”

His order instructs Vice President JD Vance to “remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian’s museums, education and research centers and the National Zoo.

Here’s more.

Joe Sommerlad28 March 2025 08:50

White House pulls Elise Stefanik nomination as UN Ambassador

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was withdrawing New York Representative Elise Stefanik’s nomination to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations because the slim House Republican majority and his policy agenda could be imperiled without her vote in the lower chamber.

The news of Stefanik’s nomination getting pulled was first reported by CBS News and confirmed by Trump himself in a post on his Truth Social website.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.

Oliver O’Connell28 March 2025 08:30

EDITORIAL: Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days

There is a case for saying that no one has done so much for European unity as Donald J Trump. If assessed on purely objective grounds he would be a shoo-in for this year’s Charlemagne Prize, an award given to “individuals or institutions for work done in the service of European unification”.

Oliver O’Connell28 March 2025 08:00

Explained: Classified information and secure communications

The Trump administration’s use of a popular messaging app to discuss sensitive military plans — with a journalist on the text chain — is raising questions about security and the importance of safeguarding the nation’s secrets.

It’s also highlighting the differences between classified and public information, and demonstrating that even encrypted apps like Signal can lead to embarrassing leaks if the humans doing the texting don’t follow basic security tips.

Read on…

AP28 March 2025 07:30

Push to dismantle Education Department will undue hard-won gains, say Civil rights groups

The rights of Americans to self-determine how to educate their children — a hotly contested matter that stretches back to at least the Civil War — have long been intertwined with the principle of equally and equitably educating children across racial lines.

When President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Education Department, he declared that“the experiment of controlling American education through federal programs and dollars … has plainly failed our children, our teachers, and our families.” By doing so, he reopened a debate in the fight over the federal government’s role in education policy.

Civil rights advocates see Trump’s order to shutter the department as a broadside against hard-fought gains in educational access — an unfinished, but nonetheless central, part of the movement for racial equality and greater democracy.

Read on…

Oliver O’Connell28 March 2025 06:30

EPA offers industrial polluters a way to avoid rules on toxic chemicals

As part of a push to roll back dozens of environmental regulations, the Trump administration is offering coal-fired power plants and other industrial polluters a chance for exemptions from requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.

The Environmental Protection Agency has set up an electronic mailbox to allow regulated companies to request a presidential exemption under the Clean Air Act to a host of Biden-era rules.

Continue reading…

Oliver O’Connell28 March 2025 05:30

NYC rapper who campaigned with Trump pleads guilty to attempted murder

A New York City rapper who joined President Donald Trump during a campaign rally last year has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and conspiracy charges after prosecutors say he used earnings from his music career to fuel gang violence in Brooklyn.

Sheff G, whose legal name is Michael Williams, agreed to serve five years in prison as part of the plea entered in a Brooklyn court Wednesday, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

Continue reading…

Oliver O’Connell28 March 2025 04:30

Source: independent.co.uk