They would lose their victim status.
Guess I'll watch this movie now.
Damn rights I am.
Department of Education staff told offices will be closed Wednesday
Washington — Staff at the Department of Education received a notice Tuesday instructing them to leave the building by 6 p.m. local time and informing them that all department offices in Washington, D.C., as well as regional offices, will be closed Wednesday, according to an email obtained by CBS News.
The email, from James Hairfield of the Office of Security, Facilities and Logistics, said that the offices will be closed "for security reasons."
Staff with approved telework agreements were told they can work from home Wednesday. The email instructed employees to bring their laptops home with them when leaving the office Tuesday.
"Employees will not be permitted in any ED facility on Wednesday, March 12th, for any reason," the email said, referencing the Education Department.
Offices will reopen on Thursday, "at which time in-person presence will resume," according to the message.
The directive from Hairfield came hours before the department announced it would be cutting its workforce nearly in half, from 4,133 workers to about 2,183. Employees who were being laid off would be placed on leave beginning March 21, the department said.
The Department of Education faces continued uncertainty amid possible plans from President Trump to unwind the agency. The president is expected to issue an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin the process of dissolving the department. The timing of the move, however, remains unclear.
Mr. Trump has said that he wants to "bring the schools back to the states," and dismantling the agency has been a priority for Republicans for decades.
After McMahon assumed her post at the helm of the Education Department earlier this month, she sent a letter to staff with the subject line "Our Department's Final Mission."
"The reality of our education system is stark, and the American people have elected President Trump to make significant changes in Washington," she wrote. "Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education — a momentous final mission — quickly and responsibly."
She said the department has the opportunity to "perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students. I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete; we will be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future."
Getting rid of the Department of Education would require congressional approval and faces a steep hurdle in the Senate, where 60 votes would be needed for such a plan to advance.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/education-department-staff-offices-closed/
The next guest on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s podcast: Steve Bannon
https://x.com/yashar/status/1899629474330669538
Jamie Raskin stands up for Hamas sympathizer
House Judiciary Democrats are looking into whether the Trump administration is acting illegally in efforts to revoke the green card of a Columbia University graduate student who has become a face of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
Their attention to the matter, detailed by a senior Democratic aide granted anonymity to speak freely, comes as members of the minority party are increasingly mounting concern — and outrage — over the administration's efforts to deport Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident, who participated in a demonstration in support of Palestinians being targeted by Israel.
“We cannot allow this nation to slide into a system of presidential authoritarianism, where people are seized at their homes, arrested, and detained simply for expressing disfavored political viewpoints,” said the House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin in a statement. “All Americans, including those who strongly disagree with Khalil’s speech, should be outraged by this brazen attack on our fundamental freedoms.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, in a Monday social media post, called the move "straight up authoritarianism."
The Trump administration moved to deport Khalil, who is Palestinian, over the weekend for his participation in the anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia, but a federal judge ordered on Monday that the administration could not yet remove him from the country, pending review.
Under federal immigration law, the administration can remove a foreign national from the United States if the Secretary of State deems that the person will cause “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” But the Secretary of State must notify certain Congressional leaders of the rationale in a timely manner, including the House and Senate Judiciary committee chairs.
House Judiciary chair Jim Jordan has not yet received notification of the decision around Khalil’s removal, according to a Jordan spokesperson. Neither has Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, a spokesperson said.
“Chairman Grassley has not received a letter from Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio, and it’s unclear what notice is required given the limited public facts," said the Grassley spokesperson. "Regardless, Secretary Rubio let everyone know days ago that, in detaining Mahmoud Khalil, the Trump administration won’t tolerate those who act in support of terrorist organizations.”
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/11/congress/house-judiciary-dems-trump-deport-student-00223963
Incoming US ambassador warns Trump will retaliate to Poland’s proposed big tech tax
The incoming US ambassador to Poland, Thomas Rose, has called on the Polish government to withdraw from its plans to introduce a new tax on big tech firms such as Google and Facebook. He called the move “not very smart” and warned that “President [Donald] Trump will reciprocate”.
On Monday, Poland’s digital affairs minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that, in the coming months, his ministry would present plans for a “digital tax” that would be placed on the profits or revenues in Poland of big tech companies.
When such firms conduct business in Poland, they often pay taxes elsewhere, in lower-tax jurisdictions such as Ireland, where they have established headquarters.
“This is a matter of social justice,” said the minister. “Digital giants are making huge profits on our market, thanks to Polish users, which is why we want some of these funds to return to the Polish budget.”
Gawkowski says that 35 other countries have already introduced some kind of digital tax on tech giants, including France, the UK and Canada. Revenues from Poland’s tax would be used to support Polish tech firms and the media.
However, when Gawkowski’s party, The Left (Lewica), posted news of the proposed new tax on social media platform X, Rose – who last month was nominated by Trump as his ambassador to Poland – responded critically.
Sharing The Left’s post, Rose wrote: “Not very smart! A self destructive tax that will only hurt Poland and its relations w[ith the] USA. President Trump will reciprocate as well he should. Rescind the tax to avoid the consequences!”
Shortly after his nomination, Rose – who has not yet been confirmed as ambassador – published (and later deleted) a long post on X in which he complained about barriers that the European Union and its member states erect to the detriment of American firms.
He said that such measures were used “to limit market access for US tech companies” and in particular he criticised plans to introduce an EU-wide digital services tax targeting firms such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.
Last month, Trump himself said that he would consider introducing tariffs in response to any digital services taxes or other levies placed on US tech firms.
In response, the European Commission said it would “decisively defend its right…to enforce our laws fairly and without discrimination toward all companies operating in the EU”, reported the AFP agency.
Such taxes “ensure that all companies, regardless of their country of origin, pay their fair share in the markets where they generate revenue and profit”, added the commission.
After Rose’s criticism of Poland’s planned tax, some commentators pointed to an interview he gave to conservative Polish broadcaster wPolsce24 shortly after his nomination in which he said that the Trump administration would not interfere in Polish domestic affairs.
“I think President Trump will respect the decisions of sovereign countries like Poland. I don’t think he will interfere in domestic affairs like the previous administration,” said Rose.
“I don’t think American diplomats will criticise the actions of our democratic allies that are not perfectly aligned with the interests of America at a given moment,” he continued. “Poland is an equal partner. It is not a country that is looked down on.”
Separately, Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has this week become embroiled in a spat with the Trump administration after suggesting that Elon Musk had threatened Ukraine. That prompted criticism from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Musk himself, who told Sikorski to “be quiet, small man”.
https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/03/11/incoming-us-ambassador-warns-trump-will-retaliate-to-polands-proposed-big-tech-tax/