Woke Americans are fleeing Trump for idyllic liberal paradise. But they're in for a sharp surprise that'll make them regret everything
But for many, the fantasy of a peaceful, liberal paradise on the edge of the world is fast colliding with reality, and it's not always pretty.
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The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
NASA reportedly set to lose 2,000 senior staff members as Trump looks to slash agency's budget
NASA will soon be facing a major brain drain as more than 2,000 senior employees prepare to leave the agency amid a push to reduce its workforce. Some 875 NASA workers are at the highest level of government ranks and in managerial or specialized positions, POLITICO reported Wednesday, citing related documents the website had obtained. Furthermore, more than 1,800 serve in mission areas, such as science and human spaceflight, and the employees make up the majority of 2,694 civil staff who have agreed to leave NASA, POLITICO said. NASA will not be releasing the number of individuals who take the Deferred Resignation Program before the offering window's closure on July 25. The agency told The Independent that it remains committed to its mission, working "within a more prioritized budget." The brain drain comes as the White House's budget slashes the agency's Fiscal Year 2026 funding to about half of its previous $7.33 billion allocation. The cuts come as President Donald Trump has led a push to reduce the federal budget and shrink the government's workforce. 'There is no set target number for the [resignation program]. This program is a voluntary opportunity available to NASA employees,' spokesperson Bethany Stevens said. 'We are working closely with the administration to ensure that America continues to lead the way in space exploration, advancing progress on key goals, including the moon and Mars,' she added. The report's findings come after leaders at NASA facilities told employees they already expected impacts and the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. A reduction in force at NASA, led by the Department of Government Efficiency, was initially delayed in February before the first layoffs in March, closing the Office of the Chief Scientists and Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy. 'Indiscriminately firing the next generation of NASA scientists, engineers and wider team members is exactly the wrong step to secure America's leadership in space — just as competition with China is reaching fever pitch,' George Whitesides, NASA's former Chief of Staff, said in a post on X reacting to layoffs in February. 'These employee terminations, like the layoffs of nuclear workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, bird flu workers at USDA, wildfire GIS workers at the Forest Service, and weather forecasters at NOAA, will only make America weaker.' If NASA's budget passes through Congress, the agency is expected to see blows to crucial initiatives that have been the product of decades of its research. Those would include 41 space missions, the agency's climate monitoring satellites and top climate lab, the ongoing Mars Sample Return mission and upcoming missions to Venus. In response to the budget, which would eliminate 47 percent of its science budget, all living former NASA science chiefs penned a letter condemning the cuts, calling on Congress to preserve U.S. leadership in space exploration and to reject the cuts. 'Continuing this support of space science is critical both in terms of leveraging existing activities while also planning and implementing future investments in the next generation of U.S. scientists and engineers who will lead the world in space science,' they wrote. 'To do otherwise would be to cede U.S. leadership in space and science to China and other nations, to severely damage a peerless and immensely capable engineering and scientific workforce, and to needlessly put to waste billions of dollars of taxpayer investments.'
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
MTG says Americans are ‘not going to accept' there is no Epstein client list
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said Americans are 'not going to accept' that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had no client list. A memo released by the Justice Department and the FBI on Monday stating there was never any client list caused waves among President Donald Trump 's Make America Great Again base. Greene, a prominent MAGA figure, told Real America's Voice network on Wednesday, 'I think the Department of Justice and the FBI has more explaining to do — this is Jeffrey Epstein,' The Hill reports. 'This is the most famous pedophile in modern-day history, and people are absolutely not going to accept just a memo that was written that says there is no client list,' she said. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers had pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to release what was suspected to be a record of high-profile names associated with Epstein, a wealthy financier who died in jail ahead of his trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019. Trump has been accused of being on the list by tech billionaire Elon Musk, whose relationship with the president turned sour after his short stint at the White House leading the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk did not provide any evidence to prove Trump was on any suspected list. In February, Bondi told Fox News evidence of a client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' After months of anticipation, the federal government found 'no incriminating 'client list,' according to Monday's memo. 'There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,' the memo read. conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's death. Musk and conservative activist Laura Loomer have been prominent voices in MAGA's criticism of the feds' findings, or lack thereof. Loomer wrote on X shortly after news of the memo broke, 'She was always lying,' referring to Bondi. She recently told Politico of the attorney general, 'Blondi should be fired.' When asked about the memo at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump said, 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years.' 'I mean, I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we're having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration,' Trump said, referring to the July 4 flooding disaster along the Guadalupe River.
The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump praises English of the leader of Liberia – where English is the official language
Donald Trump was basking in the praise of a group of African leaders on Wednesday, when the Liberian president took the microphone. 'Liberia is a longtime friend of the United States and we believe in your policy of making America great again,' President Joseph Boakai said in English at a White House meeting before advocating for US investment in his country. 'We just want to thank you so much for this opportunity.' Trump, clearly impressed, inquired where Boakai got his language skills. 'Such good English, such beautiful …' Trump said. 'Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?' Boakai seemed to chuckle. English is the official language of Liberia. 'In Liberia?' Trump asked. 'Yes sir,' Boakai said. 'That's very interesting, that's beautiful English' Trump said. 'I have people at this table who can't speak nearly as well.' Liberia was founded in 1822 as a colony for free Black Americans, the brainchild of white Americans trying to address what they saw as a problem – the future for Black people in the US once slavery ended. English is Liberia's official language, though multiple Indigenous languages are spoken there as well. Trump hosted the leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House on Wednesday, telling them that he was shifting the US approach to the continent from aid to trade and that the US is a better partner for Africa than China. Many of the leaders at the meeting spoke in their own languages through interpreters. Trump said his administration was committed to strengthening friendships in Africa, which he hoped to visit at some point. 'We're shifting from aid to trade,' he said at the start of a White House meeting. 'There's great economic potential in Africa, like few other places. In many ways, in the long run, this will be far more effective and sustainable and beneficial than anything else that we can be doing together.' The African leaders, in turn, heaped praise on the US president for brokering peace deals around the world and expressed support for his receiving a Nobel Prize. 'We are not poor countries. We are rich countries when it comes to raw materials. But we need partners to support us and help us develop those resources,' said Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, president of Gabon. 'You are welcome to come and invest. Otherwise, other countries might come instead of you.'
