Judge gives Musk, DOGE go-ahead to continue work
Since President Donald Trump has taken office for his second term, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have played a major role in Trump’s measures to make the government more efficient.
After attorneys general from 14 states sued to block Musk and DOGE from accessing sensitive government data as a non government agency, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that DOGE could continue its work because, as she said, there was no “clear evidence of imminent, irreparable harm to these Plaintiffs.”
Chutkan, appointed by former President Barack Obama, also said in her ruling that the suing states had legitimate questions regarding the apparent unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an organization that Congress has no oversight of.
The White House said that Musk is not technically in charge of the organization, but is rather an adviser to President Trump.
Joshua Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, said in a court filing that Musk is not an employee of DOGE and does not have the authority to make decisions on his own. The filing did not say who the leader of DOGE was, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to say who was in charge of the agency in the Feb. 18 press conference.
Lately, DOGE has focused its efforts on the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service as the organization continues to sweep through the government to find ways to save taxpayer money. Musk previously said that the U.S. should remove entire agencies from the government to decrease spending.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston was suddenly closed Feb. 18. Members of the Kennedy family said that members of DOGE had fired library staff members, forcing the closure of the museum for the rest of the day. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, said in a statement that the actions of DOGE were an attempt to attack the history of the country and had nothing to do with government efficiency.
80 passengers survive plane overturning on Toronto runway
A Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis flipped on the tarmac at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday. All 80 people on board survived, with over 20 people retaining minor injuries.
Winds going 40-mile-per-hour gusted while the plane attempted a landing, although communication between the tower and the pilot was not normal and could not communicate a direct cause of the incident.
The Delta flight was cleared to land at about 2:10 p.m. Recorded communication from the control tower warned the pilots of a possible air flow “bump” as the plane approached landing.
The plane wobbled upon its attempt to land, losing its right wing before taking the abrupt flip and catching fire. Smoke streaked across the snowy airport, as passengers recalled that they were left upside down after the abrupt accident. Tower controllers communicated with a medical helicopter to return to Pearson after the incident.
“All the sudden everything just kind of went sideways and then next thing I know it’s kind of a blink and I’m upside down still strapped in,” Peter Carlson, a passenger on the plane told CBC News.
Airport Executives have since held two press conferences since the crash, but there is still a lack of information about the nature of the crash. They confirmed that the plane was a Mitsubishi CRJ-900 made by the Canadian company Bombardier.The CEO of Delta Airlines, Ed Bastian said in a statement that “the hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will handle further investigations and provide all further updates, according to a statement made by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
The crash is the fourth major aviation accident to occur in the year, following a devastating collision in Washington D.C. that killed all passengers on an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight.
NYC mayor appeals to Trump to avoid conviction
New York City Mayor Eric Adams continues his attempts to avoid his corruption charges in the wake of President Donald Trump’s first weeks in office.
Adams became the first sitting mayor of the city to be indicted in September 2024, with five counts of alleged conspiracy connected to improper benefits, illegal campaign contributions and an attempted coverup from his time as Brooklyn Borough President, which he has pleaded not guilty to.
In early January the FBI released that they had more information of further criminal allegations committed by him.
Prior to President Trump’s election victory, the two interacted at Madison Square Garden during a UFC event. Adams and Trump have held a close bond since, one that involved Adams canceling two city events for Martin Luther King Day to attend the inauguration for Trump in person.
Since then, the Justice Department has changed its positions on the case, asking for his bribery and corruption case to be dropped, to the dismay and concern of many political affiliates and voters. Amid public outcry, Adams has dedicated himself to regaining the public’s trust, saying he would “never put any personal benefit above my solemn responsibility as your mayor,” in a statement Feb. 11.
Emil Bove, who is currently serving as a U.S. deputy attorney general, has claimed Adams’ case is politically motivated, and that continuing the case would impact Adams’ service to New York City and dismissal would allow Adams to “devote full attention and resources.”
The political motivation claim stemmed from Adams’ criticism of the Biden Administration’s immigration policy, which contradicts many of the Trump administration’s recent orders about border policy and immigration. Adams has been criticized for his acceptance of the Trump administration’s agenda against immigrants, where he has said he would cooperate with Immigration and Custody enforcement in New York City.
Five of Adams’ top deputies resigned Feb. 17, after the Justice Department continued plans to push for the cases to be dropped and ensured his cooperation with an immigration crackdown in the city.
Interim Manhattan U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, alongside assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan Hagan Scotten, both prosecutors for Adams’ case who resisted the charges to be dropped, resigned amid mounting concerns with the Justice Department.
“No system of ordered liberty can allow the government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives,” Scotten wrote in a statement.
Mexican president threatens lawsuit over Gulf renaming
As of Jan. 12, the Gulf of Mexico has appeared as the Gulf of America for American users exclusively on both Google Maps and Apple Maps following the executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has reached out to the tech companies to get the name switched back and if they do not receive an answer, Mexico will file a lawsuit.
Mexico is fighting so valiantly for this issue due to the schematics surrounding the possession of the body of water. America only has jurisdiction over around 46% of the body of water, while Mexico has the majority with 49%. The remaining 5% is within Cuba’s control, according to the Associated Press.
The renaming of the Gulf has just been another setback in the already tumultuous between the two nations. Partnered with threats of mass deportations and tariffs, Mexico and other Latin countries have learned to be wary of the new Trump Administration.
However, the Mexican President has also announced that Mexico and America will be having high-level meetings this week to discuss trade and security, in hopes of maintaining a decent relationship between the two nations.
Over the refusal to use the Gulf of America when writing on the topic, the Associated Press along with other news organizations have been barred from White House press events, including within the Oval Office.
