Florida's DOGE effort
Guest: State Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez/R-South Florida
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Senate confirms former Fox News host Pirro as top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital
WASHINGTON -- The Senate has confirmed former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, filling the post after President Donald Trump withdrew his controversial first pick, conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, was confirmed 50-45. Before becoming the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in May, she co-hosted the Fox News show 'The Five' on weekday evenings, where she frequently interviewed Trump. Trump yanked Martin's nomination after a key Republican senator said he could not support him due to Martin's outspoken support for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Martin now serves as the Justice Department's pardon attorney. In 2021, voting technology company Smartmatic USA sued Fox News, Pirro and others for spreading false claims that the company helped 'steal' the 2020 presidential election from Trump. The company's libel suit, filed in a New York state court, sought $2.7 billion from the defendants. Last month, Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to send Pirro's nomination to the Senate floor after Democrats walked out to protest Emil Bove's nomination to become a federal appeals court judge. Pirro, a 1975 graduate of Albany Law School, has significantly more courtroom experience than Martin, who had never served as a prosecutor or tried a case before taking office in January. She was elected as a judge in New York's Westchester County Court in 1990 before serving three terms as the county's elected district attorney. In the final minutes of his first term as president, Trump issued a pardon to Pirro's ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who was convicted in 2000 on conspiracy and tax evasion charges.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Sydney Sweeney's voter registration revealed amid American Eagle's ‘good jeans' ad backlash
Her jeans are red. Actress Sydney Sweeney's voter registration has come to light amid the woke backlash surrounding her controversial American Eagle denim campaign. The 27-year-old 'Euphoria' actress has been registered with the Republican Party of Florida in Monroe County since June 2024, according to public voter records viewed by The Post. 4 Sydney Sweeney in American Eagle jeans. American Eagle The starlet's party affiliation was first reported by Buzzfeed News Saturday, after a viral post on X that read: 'was about to make a whole youtube video exploring sydney sweeney's choices not defending her but going through her career context and i just found out this lady is an actual registered member of the republican party as of 2024.' 4 The 'White Lotus' starlet is a registered Republican voter in Florida. Getty Images for Armani beauty The post was part of a fierce firestorm ignited by lefty critics over the provocative ad featuring the blonde-haired, blue-eyed 'White Lotus' starlet — with some even comparing it to 'Nazi propaganda' that's promoting racism and eugenics. In one video released as part of the marketing campaign, Sweeney explains that genes are passed down from parents to offspring 'often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,' before proclaiming, 'my jeans are blue.' A narrator then chimes in, 'Sydney Sweeney, has great jeans.' 4 Illustration of the Republican and Democratic party logos. eMIL' – In another ad, the actress approaches a billboard with her likeness and the phrase, 'Sydney Sweeney has great genes,' which she alters to cross out 'genes' and write 'jeans.' American Eagle shot back at critics Friday, defending its denim campaign and the 'Anyone But You' star. ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the company said in a statement. 'Her jeans. Her story.' 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,' the statement said. 'Great jeans look good on everyone.' 4 The ad sparked debate over 'Nazi propaganda,' racism and eugenics. American Eagle Even the White House jumped into the fray, with President Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, coming to Sweeney's defense in a post late Tuesday that called the left-wing blowback 'cancel culture run amok.' While Sweeney herself has yet to respond to the public reaction, this is now the second time the Emmy nominee has ruffled feathers in liberal circles. Sweeney faced sharp criticism in 2022 after her family threw a 60th birthday party for her mother, where revelers wore red caps that played on the MAGA slogan – 'Make Sixty Great Again' — and 'Blue Lives Matter' shirts. She said at the time the family hoedown was misinterpreted as an 'absurd' political statement. Sweeney's reps didn't immediately return requests for comment.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
National Science Foundation staff decry Trump's ‘politically motivated' cuts
Almost 150 workers from the National Science Foundation (NSF) have lambasted Donald Trump's cuts to the agency as 'politically motivated and legally questionable', joining colleagues at three other federal research agencies in warning that the administration is destroying innovation and sacrificing the US's position as a global scientific leader. The three-page dissent states the actions of the administration 'collectively amount to the systemic dismantling of a world-renowned scientific agency' and that they have been compelled to act because 'NSF employees are bound by their oath to uphold the Constitution.' The document condemns the decision as 'illegally' withholding $2.2bn of the $9bn budget appropriated by Congress for 2025 and the 'unlawful termination and threatened mass reductions' in the workforce, which has already seen more than 10% of the agency's staff dismissed. They also point to the termination of more than 1,600 active NSF grants 'using undisclosed criteria devised by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)' – the quasi-government agency set up by Trump's billionaire donor Elon Musk. Earlier this month, the Guardian reported on the unprecedented political interference being wielded by Doge which, together with the chaotic cuts, has already undermined the gold standard review process used by the NSF to support cutting-edge science, and was jeopardizing the future of US industries and economic growth. 'A covert and ideologically driven secondary review process by unqualified political appointees is now interfering with the scientific merit-based review system,' the letter states. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. The NSF was created 75 years ago and until Trump took office for his second term had enjoyed bipartisan support. It is the only federal agency that funds fundamental research across all fields of science and engineering, and which over the years has contributed to major breakthroughs in organ transplants, gene technology, AI, smartphones, extreme weather warning systems, American sign language, cybersecurity and even the language app Duolingo. Trump's budget proposal calls for a 56% cut to the NSF budget for 2026, which if enacted 'would undermine US leadership in science, eliminate funding for over 250,000 researchers and students, and break bipartisan commitments made under the CHIPS and Science Act', the letter states. The NSF statement follows similar unprecedented dissent by hundreds of scientists and other staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and most recently the Voyager Declaration from almost 300 current and former Nasa scientists including four astronauts. All have warned about the devastating impact of the administration's arbitrary and chaotic cuts to staff and research funds on the lives of Americans – now and in the future – in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy including Trump's billionaire donors. The NSF dissent is addressed to California member of Congress Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House science committee, who has repeatedly condemned Trump's assault on science. Only one employee, Jesus Soriano, president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees which represents two thirds of the NSF's unionized bargaining unit, included his name; 148 of the 149 signatories are anonymous due to fear of reprisals. The fear is well founded given that around 140 named signatories of the EPA 'declaration of dissent' were put on administrative leave, and Lee Zeldin, the climate change denier and EPA secretary, warned that there was a 'zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting' the current administration. It ends with a stark warning: 'NSF employees are committed to serving the American people through research, education, and innovation. But they cannot do so under fear, censorship, and institutional sabotage. Without immediate oversight and corrective action from Congress, one of our nation's greatest engines for scientific and technological advancement faces irreversible long-term damage. Put simply, America will forfeit its scientific leadership position to China and other rival nations.'
