US Judge says Trump cannot fire democratic member of federal labor board
The decision by U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington, D.C. is a setback to Trump's bid to bring independent agencies like the FLRA under his control, and potentially to his efforts to drastically shrink the federal workforce.
Sooknanan's decision reinstating Grundmann to the agency gives it a 2-1 Democratic majority until her term expires in July.
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Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says he won't seek third term in battleground Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, announced Thursday that he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating the first open race for governor in the battleground state in 16 years. It will be Wisconsin's highest profile race next year, as Democrats also angle to take control of the Legislature thanks to redrawn election maps that are friendlier to the party. They are also targeting two congressional districts as Democrats nationwide try to retake the House. The Legislature has been under Republican control since 2011, and some Democrats had hoped that Evers, 73, would run for a third term to give him a chance to potentially work with a Democratic-controlled one. Evers often clashes with Republicans Evers has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump's administration, and his tenure has been marked by his often contentious relationship with the Legislature. Before Evers even took office, Republicans convened a lame-duck session to pass a package of laws to weaken his power. Evers angered Republicans during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he ordered schools and nonessential businesses to close, issued a statewide mask mandate and tried, unsuccessfully, to delay the state's April presidential primary. Republicans broke with tradition to reject 21 Evers appointees. They also blocked many of his proposals, including expanding Medicare, legalizing marijuana and spending more on child care, K-12 schools and higher education. Evers used his broad veto powers to stop Republicans from enacting a wide range of conservative priorities, including making voting requirements more strict, expanding gun rights, growing the private school voucher program and making abortions more difficult to obtain. But Evers did work with Republicans to pass the most recent state budget, which included $1.5 billion in tax cuts prioritized by the GOP and more funding for both K-12 special education and the University of Wisconsin. Evers also worked with Republicans to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee and funnel more money to local governments. Evers pushed for the redrawing of Wisconsin's legislative boundary lines, which the state Supreme Court ordered after liberal justices gained a majority in 2023. The maps drawn by Republicans, which had been in place for more than a decade, were widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country. The new maps drawn by Evers are more favorable to Democrats and helped them pick up seats in last November's election. Democrats are optimistic that they can win control of at least one legislative chamber next year. Evers waited until after he signed the state budget before making his retirement announcement. Possible candidates The open race is sure to attract several Democratic and Republican candidates. Democrats mentioned as potential candidates include Attorney General Josh Kaul, Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien are running as Republicans. Others, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering it. The last open race for governor was in 2010, when Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle, similar to Evers, opted not to seek a third term. Republican Scott Walker won that year and served two terms before Evers defeated him in 2018. The only Wisconsin governor to be elected to a third four-year term was Republican Tommy Thompson, who served from 1986 to 2001. He resigned midway through his fourth term. Evers won his first race by just over 1 percentage point in 2018. He won reelection by just over 3 points in 2022. Before being elected governor, Evers worked for 10 years as state superintendent of education after a career as a teacher and school administrator. The folksy governor Evers positioned himself as a folksy governor who would sprinkle the occasional mild swear word into his comments and other Midwestern colloquialisms such as 'holy mackerel' and 'folks.' His mild-mannered demeanor stood in stark contrast to Trump and other political firebrands. 'I think he is the most quintessential Wisconsin politician I've ever seen,' said Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who has been in elected office since 1991. After winning reelection in 2022, Evers noted that he is frequently described as boring, but said: 'As it turns out, boring wins.'
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Witkoff says US cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks over Hamas's ‘lack of desire'
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday the US is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing home its negotiating team from Qatar for consultations after the latest response from Hamas 'shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza'. 'While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be co-ordinated or acting in good faith,' Mr Witkoff said. 'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.' He said it was 'a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way' and that the US is 'resolute' in seeking an end to the conflict in Gaza. A breakthrough in talks on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Trump administration for months as conditions worsen in Gaza. The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place.
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26 minutes ago
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Trump grants exemptions to Louisiana chemical facilities
(Metro Creative Serivces) President Donald Trump issued a proclamation exempting certain chemical manufacturing facilities from upcoming changes to the EPA's Hazardous Organic National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. The new rule, finalized on May 16, 2024, would impose stricter emissions control requirements on facilities in the synthetic chemical and polymer manufacturing sectors. In his proclamation, President Trump highlighted the 'substantial burdens' that these regulations would impose on chemical manufacturers who are already operating under stringent regulations. The president expressed concerns that many of the testing and monitoring requirements outlined in the HON Rule rely on technologies that are either unavailable, unproven at the required scale, or unsafe to implement under real-world conditions. 'These requirements assume uniform technological availability across facilities, despite significant variation in site conditions, equipment configurations, and permitting realities,' the proclamation reads. 'For many facilities, compliance would require shutdowns or costly capital investments without a clear path to meeting the new standards.' The new HON rule aims to reduce toxic air pollutants from equipment and processes used in synthetic chemical manufacturing. It directly affects facilities across Louisiana, Texas, New Jersey, Delaware, and the Ohio River Valley. The rule targets smog-forming volatile organic compounds and establishes new emission limits for dioxins and furans. Additionally, facilities will be required to implement fenceline monitoring if they handle any of six high-risk chemicals. The facilities in Louisiana granted an exemption from these new regulations include prominent chemical plants such as Shell Geismar, Dow Chemical Glycol Plant, Formosa Plastic, Union Carbide/Dow Chemical in Hahnville, Westlake Vinyl and several others. 'LDEQ leadership was aware that some Louisiana facilities had applied for this exemption, and we were closely monitoring the status,' said Courtney Burdette, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. 'We will continue to enforce existing HON rules for these plants, with no changes in how the agency oversees their operations.' The proclamation also stresses the importance of maintaining a robust domestic chemical industry, citing its vital role in national defense, energy, agriculture, and public health sectors. Trump emphasized that a disruption in the industry would weaken key supply chains, increase dependence on foreign producers, and impair the country's crisis response capabilities. The exemption granted to these facilities delays compliance with the HON rule for an additional two years beyond the original deadline. During this period, these facilities will continue to operate under the previous emissions standards.
