Latest news with #Cavanaugh
Politico
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Who keeps a broken agency's $13M endowment?
Presented by Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. Send tips | Subscribe | Email Sophia | Email Irie | Email Ben In recent years, CHESTER CROCKER, a former RONALD REAGAN official, has contributed about $40,000 to the private endowment of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the independent agency focused on promoting international conflict resolution, where he once served as board chair. When DOGE entered the organization this year, it sent the entirety of the organization's $13 million private endowment — which counts as donors individuals like Crocker and massive companies like Chevron — to the Treasury Department, according to a DOGE social media post, a copy of the Treasury receipt viewed by POLITICO, and four people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it. DOGE, on X, said the money was 'taxpayer dollars' to justify their authority over it. Crocker sees it far differently — and went to court in April to stop it. 'The fact of the matter is that those were private donations, and they were made for a specific set of purposes: in support of USIP activities and programs,' Crocker said in an interview. 'The idea of my contribution helping to support illegal ICE roundups in the streets of Los Angeles doesn't fill me with a sense of pride.' Their lawsuit is stayed for the time being, and the transfer — overseen by USIP president and DOGE staffer NATE CAVANAUGH, according to three of the people — raises questions from USIP allies about whether DOGE had the legal authority to move the money without a court order. 'Crocker is a donor to the Endowment of USIP, who specifically pledged money to USIP for supporting a permanent named conference room at USIP headquarters and peacebuilding activities on campus,' the lawsuit reads. Neither Cavanaugh nor the White House responded to a request for comment. GEORGE FOOTE, who represents USIP employees in their separate lawsuit filed in April against the Trump administration over its employee terminations, said Cavanaugh 'didn't have any court authority to confiscate $13 million of USIP corporate property.' 'He had no corporate right to take that money and give it back to the government,' Foote added. 'There's no legal basis for that.' In addition to the endowment, USIP receives roughly $55 million from taxpayers. Former USIP spokesperson LIZ CALLIHAN said that the base funding from Congress and the money from the private endowment were 'never mixed.' The Heritage Foundation, which wrote many white papers that the Trump administration has echoed in its policies, wrote in September that USIP 'is neither nonpartisan nor bipartisan as required by statute.' It called for Congress to withhold funding to the institute 'until it receives satisfactory evidence that the USIP is meeting its statutory requirements and providing the taxpayers who fund it an accounting of how their money is being spent.' This money transfer is one of several moves DOGE officials have taken in recent months to shutter USIP. Cavanaugh on Friday terminated almost the entirety of USIP staff, more than 200 people, after the administration spent months in legal battles fighting for the ability to dismantle the agency. MESSAGE US — West Wing Playbook is obsessively covering the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government. Are you a federal worker? A DOGE staffer? Have you picked up on any upcoming DOGE moves? We want to hear from you on how this is playing out. Email us at westwingtips@ Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe! POTUS PUZZLER When did presidents begin receiving full-time Secret Service protection? (Answer at bottom.) Agenda Setting POWELL, ON THE BRINK: President DONALD TRUMP during remarks today did not rule out firing Federal Reserve Chair JEROME POWELL, whom he has criticized not lowering interest rates, but said it was 'highly unlikely' that he would do so, our VICTORIA GUIDA, MEREDITH LEE HILL and JASPER GOODMAN report. The president's comment came after he surveyed a group of hard-line House Republicans in the Oval Office on Tuesday night, all of whom want Powell out. After their support, Trump indicated that he would likely remove Powell very soon, according to two people with direct knowledge of the meeting. He also showed the lawmakers a draft letter ousting the Fed chief. A person familiar with the deliberations said the president is actively considering firing Powell but has not made the decision. Trump said in the Oval Office today he is 'not talking about that.' WEATHER PROJECT FROZEN: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was planning to debut its Atlas 15 project, a tool to help communities predict how rising global temperatures will alter the frequency of extreme rainfall, before the Trump administration suspended it, WaPo's SARAH KAPLAN reports. The project was expected to be released in two volumes: one assessing communities' current risks and another that would project how those risks will change under future climate scenarios. But work has been on hold for months after Commerce Secretary HOWARD LUTNICK ordered a review of Volume 2 this spring, according to current and former NOAA officials with knowledge of the project. National Weather Service spokesperson ERICA GROW CEI confirmed the move to delay the project, saying the review is aimed at 'making sure research dollars and technology investments are being put to the very best use for the American people.' BACK AT IT: The EPA has restarted its reorganization efforts after the Supreme Court earlier this month lifted a lower court's injunction stalling the Trump administration from restructuring the agency, POLITICO's E&E News' ROBIN BRAVENDER and KEVIN BOGARDUS report. But EPA employees will have less say in where they end up under the reconstruction because officials still want to meet a set timeline, an EPA official told colleagues in an internal email obtained by POLITICO's E&E News. The apparent move to limit employees' options signals that the agency is hustling to comply with the administration's directive to restructure federal bureaucracy. Following the Supreme Court's order, 'the agency is moving forward with making selections to fill open positions that will help the agency meet its mission and Power the Great American Comeback,' EPA spokesperson MOLLY VASELIOU said in an email. WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN: HHS Secretary ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. named a new acting chief of staff today after the departure of two senior staffers, our LAUREN GARDNER and DAVID LIM report. MATT BUCKHAM, who was previously Kennedy's White House liaison, is taking on the role immediately, an HHS spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO. His predecessor, HEATHER FLICK MELANSON, is no longer listed on the department's leadership webpage. And HANNAH ANDERSON, Kennedy's deputy chief of staff for policy, departed Tuesday, a former department official familiar with the matter told POLITICO. What We're Reading The Navy has struggled to construct ships. Now it may cut the admirals who help build them. (POLITICO's Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch) The White House's plan to downsize the federal government, in charts (WaPo's Jeremy B. Merrill, Kati Perry and Jacob Bogage) 'The powerful protecting the powerful': Democrats see an opening on Epstein (POLITICO's Elena Schneider and Nicholas Wu) Opinion | The Real Goal of Trump's Attack on Harvard Isn't What You Think (Michael S. Roth for POLITICO Magazine) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER In 1902, following the assassination of former President WILLIAM McKINLEY, the Secret Service assumed full-time responsibility for protecting presidents, beginning with THEODORE ROOSEVELT. The law enforcement agency was initially founded in 1865 as a branch of the Treasury Department to combat the counterfeiting of U.S. currency.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘My partner, my shadow:' Glastonbury police announce K9's diagnosis, retirement
GLASTONBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Glastonbury police Thursday announced K9 Soleil will be retiring from active duty this summer after being diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. The disease is similar to ALS in humans, affecting the spinal cord and leading to muscle weakness, loss of coordination in the hind legs and respiratory failure eventually. A look inside the Connecticut State Police's K-9 training facility There is no cure. Police said life expectancy is often several months to a year. The department decided Soleil's final days should be spent at home with her family, enjoying sunshine, soft beds and toys. Soleil's handler Officer Cavanaugh said they became a team in 2019. 'I always knew this day would come, but I never expected it to come so soon. She's been more than a working dog, she's been my partner, my shadow, protector and one of the best parts of every day,' Cavanaugh said in a Facebook post. K9 apprehends Torrington man who ran from state police Cavanaugh said Soleil's time is cut short, but her impact on the community won't be forgotten. 'As I say goodbye to this incredible chapter with Soleil, I know Soleil's legacy will live on in everything I do and in every step that follows,' Cavanaugh said. Soleil will retire on July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State Sen. John Cavanaugh running for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd District
State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, center, meets with State Sens. Ashlei Spivey of Omaha, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln and Terrell McKinney of Omaha, from left. March 26, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — After two months of speculation, State Sen. John Cavanaugh is throwing his hat into the ring Wednesday and running for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd District. The Omaha-based lawmaker joins one high-profile local candidate in PAC co-founder and small business owner Denise Powell, along with Mark Johnston and Evangelos Argyrakis. The winner of the May 2026 Democratic primary will try to do what former Omaha State Sen. Tony Vargas fell short of doing so two times — becoming the first non-Republican to represent Nebraska in Congress since the late former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford served in early 2017. Cavanaugh said he is banking on his record 'of being a leader in the Legislature' to separate himself from Powell. He said he has a record of standing up for 'working people' and protecting access to reproductive health care, something he plans to continue to do in Congress if elected. Bacon is anti-abortion in a district where a majority supports abortion rights. The Cavanaugh name also holds weight in Omaha, as John is part of a state political dynasty. His father, in the late 1970s, held the congressional seat that he hopes to win, and his sister, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, serves in the statehouse with him. Cavanaugh's pitch: 'The country is in crisis. [We] need strong leadership to help us correct course from this chaotic president and Congress.' The attorney and former Douglas County Public Defender points to his experience in government as a contrast to Powell's campaign. Powell has argued people want a fresh face in political office. She said she would prioritize protecting Medicaid and Social Security, vote to ensure the federal government does its part to boost quality K-12 education and push back against the Trump administration. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the Omaha-based 2nd District seat held by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., as a Republican toss-up. National and state Democrats are using the recent Omaha mayoral race as evidence of growing voter 'energy' against President Donald Trump and political fuel for the congressional midterms. But the fundamentals of the district haven't changed. It remains Nebraska's most politically divided and diverse district, with a slight GOP tilt. The 2nd District contains Democratic-leaning Douglas County, home to Omaha, Republican-leaning slices of western Sarpy County, largely suburbs and exurbs, and rural Saunders County. The 2nd District voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and former President Joe Biden in 2020 after voting for President Donald Trump in 2016 and Mitt Romney in 2012. It backed then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in 2008. Bacon has fended off Democrats in close races five times in previous years and bucked the 'blue dot' voting trend in the past two presidential elections. The retired Air Force brigadier general is a reliable Republican vote on most matters. But he has again stepped into the national spotlight as one of the few House Republicans willing to criticize the Trump administration. Bacon hasn't announced a decision yet on whether to retire from Congress, though he said that decision would come this summer. Nebraska Democrats, who view Bacon's seat as vulnerable with him in it or not, have multiple candidates to choose from. Republicans could have a 2nd District primary regardless of what Bacon decides. Former 2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Brett Lindstrom has told people in conservative political circles that he might be interested in a bid if Bacon retires. Another candidate that has been discussed is Dan Frei, who lost a bid to challenge Bacon in the 2024 GOP primary. Denise Powell launches bid in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District If Cavanaugh emerges from the Democratic primary, he would be the second Democratic-aligned state senator to run against Bacon, following Vargas. Cavanaugh said the difference between Vargas and him is that he was born and raised in Omaha and has a 'stronger record of being a leader in the Legislature.' Bacon has already criticized Cavanaugh's voting record early this year, saying that outside political groups would easily use it to highlight his 'left-wing votes.' Cavanaugh said the biggest motivation for him to run is that the federal government is currently populated by 'people who are self-interested and self-dealing.' 'That starts with the president and includes Congress, but we saw it in the Legislature this year,' Cavanaugh said. Cavanaugh spent much of the most recent legislative session arguing against efforts by the GOP-majority in the officially nonpartisan Legislature to resist ballot measures passed by Nebraska voters, including new laws requiring paid sick leave, raising the minimum wage, repealing school vouchers, and legalizing medical marijuana. He was often one of the Democratic-aligned lawmakers filibustering the majority's proposed changes to what voters approved. 'I don't shy away from a fight, but I'm not trying to be combative with people just for the sake of being combative,' Cavanaugh said. 'We need that kind of principled strength representing us in Congress.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Goodbye to Twinkle Cavanaugh, the regulator who did little regulating
The Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama as seen on Feb. 4, 2025. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh is a political pioneer of sorts. In her campaigns for the Alabama Power Rubber Stamp Squad — excuse me, the Public Service Commission — Cavanaugh had one message: Being a conservative Republican is the only qualification for office. She trumpeted her opposition to abortion rights, even snagging Mike Huckabee to back her up on that. Later on, she campaigned for re-election in part on her opposition to 'socialism and liberal 'woke' ideas.' What did any of this have to do with the Public Service Commission? Zero. The PSC, at least on paper, regulates utilities. It does not restrict abortion. Or college courses. Cavanaugh could have just as easily campaigned on disappointment in Auburn's 2012 football season. The PSC has as much power over Gene Chizik as women's health. Once she became a regulator — first as a member and then as president — Cavanaugh proved a doormat for the utilities. She supported the rate stabilization and equalization process. That guarantees Alabama Power a profit and shields it from questions about its decisions. Rates went up with hardly a peep from the commission. Terry Dunn, a fellow Republican on the PSC, wanted Alabama Power to explain how it charged customers. Cavanaugh signed onto a cosmetic change to the process that did little to shake the status quo. Or lower your power bill. Alabamians pay some of the highest prices for electricity in the South. Both in our homes and our businesses. There could be non-mercenary reasons for that. But we can't say for certain. Cavanaugh and her colleagues, ostensibly tasked with protecting the public from high prices, showed no interest in learning why our rates are high, much less confronting power suppliers about them. The PSC in 2015 trumpeted an Alabama Power rate adjustment that would have saved customers – by the utility's own calculations – one penny a day over a year. Cavanaugh used that opportunity not to call for further reductions, but to bash the federal government. That was always the real target of her ire. In turning aside a challenge from Dunn in the GOP primary for PSC president in 2016, she lambasted Obama-era regulations aimed at reducing coal emissions and improving public health. She also prevailed in a general election contest against Democrat Laura Casey in 2020, whose platform included calls to make the rate process more transparent. In each election, Cavanaugh showed far more interest in attacking national Democratic figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez than in making electricity in Alabama affordable. The PSC's low profile helped her. So did straight-ticket voting. It allows a parakeet with an R next to its name to win an Alabama state office. But Cavanaugh showed that embracing an extreme form of political peacocking meant one didn't even have to bother with the pretense of using public office to advance the public good. She loved Trump, jobs and burning coal. She hated abortion, the 'woke agenda' and Democrats. When conservative media turned to new targets, so did she. Her political agenda always seemed to be whatever Fox News happened to be discussing in the moment. And as it turned out, hating the right things could land you a job that had nothing to do with those things. An electricity regulator could ignore the power bills in mailboxes in Linden, Alabaster or Dothan so long as she shook her finger at a young woman seeking reproductive health care. These politics of conservative hallucination used to stand out. Now it's common practice. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, our putative governor-in-waiting, plans to campaign against Joe Biden, who is not on the 2026 ballot. He says he will stand with veterans, which should be news to officers who were up for promotion back in 2023. (Or to 80,000 VA workers who could lose their jobs in August.) He claims that tariffs Trump has imposed will help Alabama farmers, even as China's retaliatory tariffs threaten a major market for them. And of course, he attacks DEI and 'woke' ideas of inclusiveness and human decency, attacks that are sure to be repeated ad nauseam in the coming year in ads showing Tuberville holding guns, walking into a church, or walking into a church with a gun. GOP primary voters ask for nothing more. After all, they don't care that Trump has 34 felony convictions. Or that he bungled the COVID response. Or that his tariffs are threatening the economy. He wears his hatred of their perceived enemies like a maroon stovepipe hat. As long as that's visible, they will tolerate all his incompetence and corruption. Cavanaugh is now going to work for Trump, serving as Alabama's 'director of rural development' in the state. Considering the administration's antipathy toward public investment and infrastructure, I would expect her to do little in the way of developing rural areas. But she can still talk about how much she dislikes abortion. Because in Alabama politics, performative hatred matters more than accomplishment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Twinkle Cavanaugh leaves Public Service Commission for Trump administration job
Twinkle Cavanaugh leaves Public Service Commission for Trump administration job Show Caption Hide Caption President Donald Trump speaks at the University of Alabama President Donald Trump spoke at a pre-commencement event to graduates and supporters in Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama. Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh will step down as president of Alabama's Public Service Commission to take a role in President Donald Trump's administration, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cavanaugh will serve as the state director of rural development in Alabama. According to the news release, Cavanaugh will 'affirm the mission of the Trump Administration by focusing on finding ways to empower rural America and unleash economic prosperity.' A message seeking comment was left Tuesday with Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kay Ivey, who is responsible for appointing the interim president. According to Maiola said the governor will appoint someone 'in the coming days.' Cavanaugh, a former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, was first elected to the Public Service Commission in 2010. In 2012, she was elected president of the commission, defeating Lucy Baxley, who at the time was the last Democrat holding statewide office in Alabama. The Public Service Commission is the state's utility regulator, though critics have long accused it of being passive toward the companies it oversees. The PSC since 1982 has operated under a system that guarantees utilities a profit, a process different from a formal rate hearing, where an entity must justify any rate increases. Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in state capitals around the nation.
