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30,000 migrants to GITMO, drone sightings (re)explained, and more
The military is preparing to hold 30,000 migrants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and President Donald Trump’s administration grapples with a tragedy in the nation’s capital.
taskandpurpose.com
Jeff Schogol
Posted 5 Hours Ago
This is a solemn edition of the Pentagon Rundown. Officials believe that 64 people aboard an American Airlines passenger plane and three crew members of an Army Black Hawk helicopter were killed when the two aircraft collided on Wednesday night near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. First responders continue to work tirelessly to ensure that all those lost in the crash are recovered and reunited with their loved ones.
Much has happened since the last Rundown. On Jan. 24, the Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth to serve as defense secretary. Hegseth issued a message to the force the following day in which he promised that under his leadership the U.S. military will focus on “lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.” Though Hegseth has presented himself as a new kind of defense secretary, he’s certainly settling into the role in a very traditional way: By introducing a ton of new buzzwords.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has paved the way for troops who were separated due to the Defense Department’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccine program to return with full back pay and benefits. Additionally, the executive order that Trump signed on Tuesday directed that service members who left voluntarily rather than get vaccinated be allowed to return without repercussions to their service, rank, or pay.
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https://taskandpurpose.com/news/military-guantanamo-drones/
Trump instigates major shake-up at FBI
Story by Josh Gerstein, Hailey Fuchs and Kyle Cheney
Politico
President Donald Trump’s appointees have initiated a major shake-up of the FBI’s top ranks through reassignments and demotions and appear to be taking steps toward an even broader overhaul of the bureau’s personnel, said three people familiar with the moves who are not authorized to speak publicly.
The moves are impacting senior managers in some of the FBI’s largest field offices as well as those who oversee some of the most critical branches at FBI headquarters in Washington.
The initial personnel actions appear aimed at leaders and agents who played roles in the investigations most closely associated with Trump himself — including the nationwide manhunt for members of the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as the two criminal investigations of Trump led by special counsel Jack Smith.
Executive assistant directors who lead the FBI’s National Security, Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services, Science and Technology, Information and Technology, and Human Resources branches were notified earlier this week that they would be demoted, according to a fact sheet obtained by POLITICO that was circulated by House Judiciary Democrats to the broader caucus.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the personnel changes.
It was not immediately clear whether FBI personnel were formally fired or whether there are efforts underway to challenge the personnel moves.
Some of the senior FBI officials affected are choosing to retire rather than accept “summary reassignments,” according to one lawyer advising people involved. The process of firing an FBI agent normally takes at least six to nine months and requires the bureau to show some sort of serious misconduct by the agent, the attorney said.
“If true, these outrageous actions by acting officials are fundamentally at odds with the law enforcement objectives outlined by President Trump and his support for FBI Agents,” the FBI Agents Association said in an unsigned statement. “Dismissing potentially hundreds of Agents would severely weaken the Bureau’s ability to protect the country from national security and criminal threats and will ultimately risk setting up the Bureau and its new leadership for failure.”
The shake-up comes a day after the confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to lead the bureau, who did not signal knowledge of plans for sweeping changes to the bureau’s rank-and-file.
FBI Director Christopher Wray resigned last month after Trump indicated plans to appoint Patel to the director’s post.
“The American people delivered an overwhelming verdict on the question of whether or not we need to clean ranks in our law enforcement and intelligence communities and ensure that the partisan weaponization of our justice system ends,” senior White House aide Stephen Miller told reporters Friday afternoon.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-instigates-major-shake-up-at-fbi/ar-AA1ycKBu