Latest news with #Trump-related
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Judge won't block DOGE access to sensitive government data
A federal judge ruled Friday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can continue to access sensitive data on millions of Americans at certain agencies, handing at least a temporary defeat to the labor unions that have sued to block the practice. Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court in D.C. declined to grant the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services, pending further proceedings in the case. The AFL-CIO and other unions filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent DOGE employees from accessing information such as medical files, financial histories, social security numbers, and addresses. In his ruling, Bates said that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated sufficient evidence of harm to merit an injunction, although he remained concerned about the prospect of DOGE's access. 'Absent evidence those personnel will imminently misuse or publicly disclose that information, the Court cannot say that irreparable harm will clearly occur before the Court can make a final determination on the merits,' he wrote. 'And without irreparable harm, a preliminary injunction cannot issue.' Still, Bates acknowledged the sensitivity of the data access, writing that the 'DOGE Affiliates have their hands on some of the most personal information individuals entrust to the government.' '[T]he Court's concerns are as grave as ever, and it stands ready to remedy plaintiffs' harm should they ultimately succeed on the merits,' he wrote. Bates asked the parties to propose a schedule for reaching summary judgment. The ruling is yet another setback for the labor unions, who first brought their suit in February and have been twice denied temporary restraining orders. Bates himself has ruled on a number of Trump-related cases and has at times drawn ire from the president. He has ordered the administration to restore certain government websites and ruled that Trump's executive order targeting the law firm Jenner & Block was unconstitutional. A host of lawsuits over DOGE's access to private government data are slowly playing out across federal courts. A federal judge ruled last week that the government must submit a report detailing DOGE's level of access to personally identifiable information at the Office of Personnel Management in response to another lawsuit filed by the AFL-CIO. The Supreme Court earlier this month allowed DOGE to proceed in its efforts at the Social Security Administration, staying a preliminary injunction in a case brought by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shield Law update: Mass. Senate set to make first move against Trump in 2025
Good Monday morning, everyone. In April, Democrats who control the Massachusetts Senate announced what they described as an aggressive legislative effort to fight back against the Trump White House's attacks on the Bay State. They dubbed the effort 'Response 2025.' But three months later, that response was starting to look more like a regular glance in President Donald Trump's direction, punctuated by the obligatory rhetorical broadsides. This week, however, Senate Democrats say they'll bring the first of those bills intended to check Trump to the floor for a vote: It's an update to the 2022 state law that shields reproductive and transgender care from out-of-state legal action. That news came courtesy of Senate President Karen E. Spilka, who outlined some of the upper chamber's legislative priorities with the end of the current budget year (and Pride Month) just days away on June 30. " We will protect our residents, defend Massachusetts values, and help lead us out of these dark times," Spilka said, adding that the effort took on some new urgency after last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The shield law update set to come before the Senate this week would, among other things, bolster privacy protections and guarantee that Massachusetts emergency rooms provide care to people seeking emergency reproductive treatment, according to GBH News. Friedman, who has been leading the Senate's response to Trump's efforts to pull billions of dollars in federal funding for the commonwealth and to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ residents, called the legislation the " next step in ensuring that people who provide that legal care and who need that legal care get access to it." 'In Massachusetts, when you have an emergency, we're going to make sure that we take care of you,' the Arlington Democrat said. Asked how many Trump-related bills she thought the Senate could act on before the end of the year, Friedman said the Senate is " looking at a list of issues," that have been brought up by lawmakers. 'There's the Shield Law, there's book banning, there's what's happening with veterans ... there's data privacy,' she said, ticking off some of those issues. 'And what we are doing is trying to take something from those buckets, figuring out how ready they are, and then push them out.' 'But these are big issues. So, how much do we expect to put out? Well, if we have our way, we'd put out one [bill] a month. Right? But ... we can't promise that.' Chalk that up to the complexity of the legislation and a president who sets policy on a dime, and then pivots in the other direction just as quickly. 'As you know, one day [Trump] says one thing and [he] was going to institute something, not even the next day, the next hour, he reverses it,' Spilka said. 'And he's doing this on purpose to make it harder for any one state, any one country, anyone, anybody to respond.' The Healey administration has spent nearly $830 million on Massachusetts' emergency shelter system so far this year, according to recently released state data. Total costs for the system, which houses mainly state residents and a smaller number of migrant new arrivals, are expected to soar past $1 billion by the end of the current budget year, which wraps up on June 30, according to a report the administration regularly sends to budget writers in the state House and Senate. Some other big numbers from that report: $679 million: The amount the administration had spent on 'direct shelter costs' in the 2025 budget year. $149 million: The amount the state has spent on such services as HomeBase, National Guard payroll, education, work programs and other initiatives. $3,496: The average amount that state taxpayers are spending weekly for each family in the shelter system. 1,583: The number of families who entered the shelter system as migrants, refugees or asylum-seekers. 4,088: The total number of families, as of June 18, that were enrolled in the state's emergency shelter system, according to a state dashboard. 1,143: The total number of families who were in emergency shelter spaces in Boston. 240: The total number of families who were in emergency shelter spaces in Springfield. 208: The total number of families who were in emergency shelter spaces in Worcester. 'As a pastor whose church was burned down, if we don't look at the rhetoric that caused such racism and hatred, we won't get anywhere.' ― Dr. Terrylyn Curry Avery, pastor of MLK Community Presbyterian Church and interim executive director of the Healing Racism Institute. Harvard researcher's work gives 'hope' for Parkinson's. But the feds cut his funding How Beacon Hill bosses quietly buried reform bills that threatened their power Rep. Angelo Puppolo to face challenger in 2026 Democratic primary MIT joins group of universities suing the DOD over funding cuts Worcester City Council approves nearly $1B operating budget Weymouth mayor announces plans to resign next month Walter Gunn resigns from Longmeadow Planning Board amid town tensions Democracy fans, this one's for you: U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, is holding a virtual town hall and Q&A at 7 p.m. on Monday. His guest: Justin Florence, the managing director and co-founder of Protect Democracy. On its website, the advocacy organization describes itself as 'a cross-ideological nonprofit group dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom and liberal democracy. The event runs from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. You can RSVP for the Zoom link here. Singer-songwriter Hozier opens up a two-night stand at Fenway Park, with shows on Monday and Tuesday nights. Start time for both is 8 p.m. (tickets and more info here). You have probably heard his mega-smash 'Too Sweet' a billion times by now. But here it is for the billionth and one. We've been reading a lot over the last week about the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran — now with the added wrinkle of President Donald Trump launching an attack over the weekend. But what we haven't heard a lot of are the voices of the Iranian people who are living through the bombing campaign, and whose lives have been upended by it. Writing for The Observer, Rana Rahimpour brings you the sights, the sounds and smells of what appears to be the latest war in the Middle East. Here's the germane bit: Tehran has a smell now – a thick, metallic haze that clings to your clothes, your breath, your memory. 'I've just come to understand the smell of war,' writes Nazanin, a journalist who fled the city earlier this week. 'Air defences have a smell. So do the missiles … It's been imprinted in my olfactory memory. Now, forever, I know the smell of war.' The scent lingers longer than the explosions. It weaves itself into the emptiness of a once-bustling metropolis – 10 million people now adrift. Abandoned pets. Taped windows. Shuttered shops. Petrol queues stretching for miles. Tehran is holding its breath. So is the rest of the world. 'I may do it, I may not,' said U.S. President Donald Trump when asked on Wednesday about the potential of U.S. strikes on Iran. The threat of intensification is looming. Already, more than 500 people are estimated to have been killed. On Monday, I fought with time — and with my 80-year-old parents. My deeply spiritual father dismissed any urgency to leave their flat in District 3, saying he was not afraid of death. He had seen bombs before, during the Iran -Iraq war. Fear is not new. When Israel later announced strikes on their district, I called again. My dad, fresh from a shower, laughed: 'Let me put on a shirt to greet Mr Netanyahu.' How typically Iranian to meet an imminent threat with humour. That's it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@ Have a good week, friends. How Beacon Hill bosses quietly buried reform bills that threatened their power Markey Warns: Rural health crisis looms if Big Beautiful Bill passes | Bay State Briefing Troops in the Streets, Questions in Congress: Mass. reckons with role of military in civil society Read the original article on MassLive.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Indicted on fraud charges, ex-Loretto Hospital exec wages bizarre PR campaign from Dubai
The press release over the weekend announcing the latest project by Dr. Anosh Ahmed touted him as a Chicago-based entrepreneur determined to break the cycle of poverty by bringing high-tech jobs to the city's historically underserved West Side. In a bio attached to the release, Ahmed is described as the former chief operating officer of an unnamed hospital, who expanded services and 'led initiatives in patient care and access' that boosted health care 'for those most in need.' There were, however, a few things the news release failed to cover — chief among them that Ahmed has been indicted in one of largest Chicago-area health care fraud cases in recent memory. Ahmed, a former executive at Loretto Hospital in the city's Austin neighborhood, was first hit with embezzlement charges last year alleging he and other hospital executives, including the then-CEO, stole more than $15 million from the small, safety net facility through a fraudulent billing scheme. Last week, prosecutors filed a new indictment alleging that after he left Loretto in 2021, Ahmed used his connections there to orchestrate a massive conspiracy to collect nearly $300 million for COVID-19 tests that were never performed. And while the news release, dated Sunday, claimed Ahmed is still based in Chicago, he actually fled to Dubai before the first charges were filed and has not returned to answer to either case. A warrant for his arrest remained active as of this week, court records show. The news release was the latest in a strange public relations campaign that appears aimed at rebuilding Ahmed's image and possibly courting the attention of President Donald Trump, who has recently granted executive clemency in a number of notable Chicago-area cases, from Gangster Disciples boss Larry Hoover to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Distributed by Globe Newswire, an international online public relations service, the release included a media contact identified as Meghan Trump. The phone number listed turned out to be the main switchboard for the Trump International Hotel in Chicago, where Ahmed used to own a condo. A spokeswoman for the hotel said Monday there was no Meghan Trump who works there and she was unaware that someone had listed the hotel's number on a press release about an unrelated real estate project. Ahmed's lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment. The apparently phony media contact was hardly Trump-related overture in the release. The very first paragraph of the document describes Ahmed as a 'Republican leader,' and said he is 'progressing with plans to transform a vacant warehouse on Chicago's West Side into a cryptocurrency and blockchain innovation hub,' in coordination with the Trump administration's 'latest pro-crypto policy direction.' 'The project is designed to stimulate job creation, education, and long-term economic development in an area that has faced decades of underinvestment,' the release stated. 'This isn't just about crypto—it's about building a future economy right here in our community. We're bringing opportunity where it's long been denied.' The release does not specify the location of the purported 100,000-square-foot warehouse, saying only that it has been vacant for more than a decade. Peter Strazzabosco, the deputy commissioner of the city's Planning and Development Department, told the Tribune on Tuesday that department staff was 'not aware of this proposed project.' Other flattering news releases put out over the past year describe Ahmed as a 'billionaire agripreneur' based in Dubai and dedicated to philanthropic causes, including donating millions of pounds of food to the needy in Lebanon. 'I hope to inspire families and professionals worldwide to create a legacy that makes positive ripples in the world at large,' Ahmed was quoted as saying on his web site. The marketing blitz seems right in the wheelhouse for Ahmed, a native of Pakistan and consummate self-promoter who during the early days of the pandemic was hailed for his work on the front lines of the city's testing and vaccination efforts. That spotlight intensified in March 2021, after the hospital was chosen by the city as the first vaccination site in Chicago and hosted Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as he signed a health care bill into law. But scandal soon erupted after officials at Loretto, including Ahmed, were accused of improperly doling out COVID-19 vaccinations soon after the shots became available. In 2021, following reporting by Block Club Chicago and WBEZ, Loretto admitted it had improperly vaccinated workers at Trump Tower and also improperly gave shots to Cook County judges at a time when the vaccines were still scarce. Ahmed, the then-chief operating officer of Loretto, also reportedly posed for photos with a smiling Eric Trump and sent text messages bragging that he had vaccinated the president's son, whom he touted as a 'cool guy.' Ahmed resigned from his position in 2021 after the hospital's board voted to terminate him. After leaving Loretto, Ahmed moved back to his hometown of Houston, where he started Anosh Inc., a global real estate and 'crypto' investment firm that claims to have more than $1.5 billion in assets around the world, according to court and online records. Its sister foundation sponsors charitable programs like Thanksgiving turkey giveaways and school supply drives for needy children, records show. Behind the veneer of philanthropy, however, prosecutors allege most of Ahmed's professional life was built on fraud. According to a superseding indictment filed last year, from 2018 to 2022, Ahmed and his associates, including then-Loretto CEO George Miller, Ahmed's good friend Sameer Suhail, and Heather Bergdahl, a former Loretto executive, caused the cash-strapped hospital to issue more than $15 million in payments to vendor companies for purported goods and services that they knew had not been provided. Many of the phony vendor companies were created by Ahmed under various names to conceal their association with the fraudulent payments, which were sent to bank accounts the defendants controlled, the indictment stated. Last week, Ahmed was charged in a new 24-count indictment with wire fraud, illegal kickbacks and other financial crimes. According to the new indictment, from April 2021 to June 2022, Ahmed and his co-conspirators used laboratories they opened in Illinois and Texas to submit false claims to the Health Resources and Services Administration for COVID testing of specimens 'purportedly collected from uninsured individuals, knowing that such testing had not occurred.' In all, the false claims sought reimbursement for nearly $895 million, of which more than $293 million was actually paid, the indictment stated. To further the scheme, after Ahmed left Loretto Hospital in April 2021, he had a hospital executive identified as Individual F to obtain a spreadsheet containing personal identifiers — including names, dates of birth, gender and addresses — collected from more than 150,000 Loretto patient visits between July 2014 and June 2020, the indictment alleged. Similar personal information was collected from patients who ordered COVID-19 antigen at-home test kits from an internet site run by his friend and co-defendant, Mahmood Sami Khan, as well as individuals who provided it 'for the purpose of receiving further information about COVID-19,' the indictment stated. The indictment alleged Ahmed used a variety of methods to try to conceal the scheme, including by having Individual F create a new email address with Loretto's domain name to 'create the false appearance that Ahmed was working on behalf of (Loretto)' and that the hospital was reporting test results to patients, the indictment alleged. Ahmed also created a number of false and backdated invoices to minimize his involvement with the various labs, communicated in encrypted messaging apps and ordered co-schemers to replace phones and destroy communications and other documents relating to the scheme, the indictment stated. While the indictment does not identify Individual F, information included in court records show it is Bergdahl. Prosecutors alleged Ahmed funded a lavish lifestyle with the fraud proceeds. The most recent indictment sought forfeiture in more than $100 million in cash and securities in various accounts controlled by Ahmed, as well as seizure of four luxury properties in Texas, and vehicles including two Rolls-Royces, a Lamborghini Huracan and a Mercedes Benz. Miller, who left the hospital amid the fallout in 2022, is cooperating and is expected to plead guilty. Suhail is also believed to be living in Dubai, where he traveled before his indictment. Bergdahl, meanwhile, was arrested after boarding a private jet in Houston that was bound for Dubai. She has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Two of Ahmed's co-defendants in the case filed last week, Khan and Suhaib Ahmad Chaudhry, were arrested in Houston and released on bond pending appearances in U.S. District Court in Chicago, court records show. The third, Mohamed Sirajudeen, agreed to turn himself in. Cook County real estate records show Ahmed in 2022 had used his 43rd-floor condo at Trump Tower as collateral for a $14 million loan from Sirajudeen. Ahmed later sold the unit to Sirajudeen, who sold it again in December to another Chicago doctor for $2 million, records show. As the cases go forward, t's unclear if Ahmed will ever return to the U.S. to face the charges. While there is no formal extradition treaty between the U.S. and United Arab Emirates, the country's have coordinated on extradition matters on a case-by-case basis in the past. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office had no comment Monday on any possible negotiations to get Ahmed back to Chicago.
France 24
17-06-2025
- Business
- France 24
France to hold next G7 summit in Evian spa town
Macron made the announcement with a social media video as he took part in the 2025 summit in the Canadian Rockies resort of Kananaskis. Speaking afterward to reporters, Macron said that Evian and its surrounding region "have shown a real willingness and real commitment to hold this major international gathering." Evian-les-Bains, in the Alps near the border with Switzerland, gained fame starting in the 19th century for its natural spring water and became a high-end resort that drew royalty and celebrities. It will not be Evian's first time at the center of international diplomacy. In 1962, the Evian Accords ended the Algerian war and established the way for the northern African country's independence from France. The G7 summit rotates each year among one member of the club of major industrial democracies -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. France was last host of the G7 in 2019 when the summit took place in the southwestern beach resort of Biarritz. The United States will be host in 2027, offering President Donald Trump an opportunity to throw a major international summit in a locale of his choosing. The 2025 summit focused in part on Trump-related trade tensions and support for Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky among the invited guests, but was overshadowed by Israel's military campaign against Iran.
Business Insider
16-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Trump's family has a new business venture: a gold-colored $499 smartphone
The Trump family is getting into the mobile phone business. On the 10th anniversary of President Donald Trump 's formal unveiling of his 2016 presidential campaign, his eldest sons made another announcement in Trump Tower: a Trump-branded mobile phone service, including a gold-colored smartphone that is set to be available later this fall. "We've partnered with some of the greatest people in the industry to make sure real Americans can get true value from their mobile carriers," Donald Trump Jr. said Monday morning at the press conference. The new venture is the latest example of how Trump and his family are finding new ways to cash in while Trump serves his second term. The Trump Organization touted Monday's unveiling as a "major announcement." Like many of the Trump-related business ventures, Trump Mobile has a licensing agreement that allows it to use the president's name. According to its website, Trump Mobile will offer a "47 plan," which includes unlimited talk, texting, and data for $47.45 a month. The first 20GB of data will be at high speed. Trump, of course, is the 47th president and also served as the 45th. Most interestingly, Donald Trump Jr. said that the company would manufacture its smartphone in the United States. Apple and other major tech companies have manufactured their phones outside the US due to labor costs. Trump and the White House have threatened to impose tariffs on those companies if they don't bring back more manufacturing to the US. The T1 Phone, according to the site, will cost $499. Interested consumers can preorder the phone now. The website shows that the phone is gold colored throughout and has "T1" and an American stamp on the back. The promotional image says, "Make America Great Again," Trump's trademarked political slogan.
