7 h. ago Barnard College staff alarmed by federal survey asking if they're Jewish

A federal regulator tasked with rooting out antisemitism on college campuses is sending text messages to the personal phones of Barnard College employees asking if they are Jewish, and if they’ve experienced harassment as a result

Events

8 h. ago US federal agency texts Barnard College employees to ask if they’re Jewish

Employees received text from EEOC on personal phones linking to survey asking if they are Jewish or IsraeliEmployees from Barnard College received text messages this week from the federally run Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on their personal phones linking to a voluntary survey asking recipients if they are Jewish or Israeli and whether they have been subjected to harassment or antisemitism.The text, which was reviewed by the Guardian, states that the civil rights agency is “currently reviewing the employment practices at Barnard College” and invites current and former employees to complete the linked survey. It is not clear how many college employees received the survey, but it appears to have been sent to a sizable portion of the faculty and other staff. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago Civil rights advocates say Trump order guts protections against discrimination

Order directs federal agencies to ‘deprioritize enforcement’ of laws where policies have discriminatory effectsUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s executive order on Wednesday eliminating “disparate-impact liability” from federal civil rights enforcement has sparked condemnation from legal and civil rights advocates who argue it guts protections that have shielded Americans from discrimination for decades.The order directs federal agencies to immediately “deprioritize enforcement” of laws where policies have discriminatory effects, even without discriminatory intent – a cornerstone of modern civil rights protection. It also instructs the attorney general to begin repealing or amending regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Federal judge blocks Musk team’s effort to shutter top consumer agency

Order comes a day after the ‘efficiency’ team sent out orders to lay off 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 employeesA federal court has blocked the sweeping termination of staff at the top US consumer protection agency, a day after the Trump administration moved to axe about 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 workforce, while officials investigate whether the action violated existing judicial orders.The ruling from the judge Amy Berman Jackson put a legal hurdle in front of mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on Thursday, which came after a federal appeals court modified – but did not eliminate – an injunction limiting the agency’s ability to terminate employees. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Conservationists sue Trump administration over rollback of green policies

Lawsuit focuses on day-one executive order claiming to ‘unleash American energy’ by boosting oil industryConservationists on Wednesday sued the Trump administration over its attempts to boost the oil industry by rolling back green policies.Filed by the environmental non-profit Center for Biological Diversity, the litigation focuses on Trump’s day-one “unleashing American energy” executive order. In an effort to boost already booming US energy production, the emergency declaration directed federal agencies to identify all policies and regulations that “unduly” burden fuel producers and create “action plans” to weaken or remove them. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Why Elon Musk installed his top lieutenants at a federal agency you probably haven't heard of

The General Services Administration has a key role in the Trump administration’s quest to slash costs and bring the federal government to heel

Politics

8 d. ago AmeriCorps members who respond to disasters and help nonprofits let go in DOGE cuts

Young volunteers who respond to natural disasters and help with community projects across the U.S. have been discharged

Events

8 d. ago The great Mississippi tops list of most endangered rivers amid fears over Trump rollbacks

Cuts to disaster agency and deregulation of fossil fuels, plus rise of water-guzzling datacentres, highlighted in new reportThe Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the federal climate disaster agency – and the full-throttle deregulation of fossil fuels and water-guzzling datacentres – could prove catastrophic for America’s endangered rivers, threatening the food, water and livelihoods of millions of people, according to a new report.American Rivers’ annual most-endangered rivers list lays bare a myriad of human-made threats including floods, drought and other extreme weather events driven by the climate crisis, as well as industrial pollution and poor river management – all of which Trump’s regulatory rollbacks will almost inevitably make worse. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Judge orders federal agencies to release billions of dollars from two Biden

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars meant to finance climate and infrastructure projects across the country

Politics

1 week ago Trump officials cut billions in Harvard funds after university defies demands

Education department says $2.3bn in funds to be frozen after university rejects slew of demands as political ployThe US education department is freezing about $2.3bn in federal funds to Harvard University, the agency said on Monday.The announcement comes after the Ivy League school has decided to fight the White House’s demands that it crack down on antisemitism and alleged civil rights violations, including shutting down diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago FEMA denies Washington state disaster relief from bomb cyclone, governor says

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied the state's request for emergency relief funds to help repair damage from a deadly bomb cyclone in November

Events

1 week ago In fight over insurance, neighbors crowdsource LA fire contamination data

Los Angeles-area residents whose homes survived the Eaton wildfire in January face a whole different set of struggles to their neighbors whose homes were burned to the ground

Events

2 w. ago National Institutes of Health workers told to blow off Musk demands for weekly performance reviews

Musk has suddenly been a no-show at White House events. Now federal agencies are ignoring his orders

Politics

2 w. ago The AP’s win against Trump shows principles still have power in America | Margaret Sullivan

Series of actions this week including at Princeton and in a tiny town, offer hope that courageous voices can make a differenceGiven the constant flow of bad news – recession nearing, markets tanking, federal agencies run amok – a victory in court for a news wire service might seem trivial.But the Associated Press’s win against the Trump administration this week is meaningful for two reasons. It underscores the judiciary’s commitment to the first amendment, and it suggests that standing up for one’s principles may not be just a gesture made in vain. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Justice Department suggests federal agencies are free to blacklist law firm despite judge's order

The Justice Department has suggested to federal agencies they're free to blacklist a law firm targeted by President Donald Trump despite a judge’s ruling that halted enforcement of an executive order meant to punish it

Society

2 w. ago The majority of unemployed people in Germany have a 'migration background', shock report shows

Of 2.8 million unemployed people in Germany, 1.5 million - 54 per cent - have a 'migration background', according to a report by the federal employment agency seen by the Bild newspaper.

Events

2 w. ago Alarm as Republicans in Congress back Trump and Musk’s attacks on US judges

Mike Johnson and Jim Jordan echo president and key ally as experts express fears for ‘bedrock constitutional principles’As Donald Trump and Elon Musk widen their radical attacks on US judges who have stalled some of Trump’s executive orders and Musk’s slashing of federal agencies, they’re gaining backing from top House Republicans and other politicians, including some to whom the tech billionaire made big campaign donations.House speaker Mike Johnson and judiciary panel chairman Jim Jordan have echoed some of Trump’s attacks on judges, and a judiciary subcommittee hearing on April 1 explored “judicial overreach” and ways to curb judges who have stymied some Trump orders or Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) and its draconian cuts to the federal government. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Trump administration ends key grant program that helps communities prepare for disasters

The Trump administration is ending a key program used by communities to pay for projects designed to help them prepare for natural disasters like flooding and fires

Politics

3 w. ago EEOC chief shift focus to investigating DEI but her methods provoke outcries

The acting chief of the top federal agency for protecting worker rights has signaled a pivot toward prioritizing President Donald Trump’s campaign to stamp out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the private and public sectors

Events

3 w. ago Thousands of US health agency workers laid off in overhaul led by RFK Jr

Trump administration begins reducing Health and Human Services workforce as Kennedy plans up to 10,000 job cutsThousands of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees across the country are being dismissed on Tuesday as the Trump administration begins implementing its workforce-reduction plan, which could ultimately remove 10,000 staff members from the department through forced layoffs.The job cuts mark the first tangible impact of the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s departmental overhaul announced last week, landing just days after Donald Trump moved to strip collective-bargaining rights from workers at HHS and other federal agencies. Continue reading...

Politics