by Lisa Song | Jan 16, 2026 | Authoritarianism, News, Trump Administration, USDA, Xenophobia
The Trump administration is directing employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate foreign scientists who collaborate with the agency on research papers for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” The new directive, part of a broader effort to increase scrutiny of research done with foreign partners, asks workers in the agency’s research arm to use Google to check the…
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by Julia Conley | Jan 15, 2026 | Donald Trump, immigration, Marco Rubio, News, Pramila Jayapal, State Department, Trump Administration
The US State Department announced one of the Trump administration’s most far-reaching efforts to restrict immigration to the country on Wednesday, saying on social media that it will pause processing of all immigrant visas from 75 countries and claiming people from those nations often receive public benefits after arriving in the US. “The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that…
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by Teresa Tomassoni | Jan 14, 2026 | Clean Water Act, Dams, Drinking Water, EPA, Fossil Fuels, News, oil and gas, Oil and Gas Industry, Oil and Gas Infrastructure, Pipelines, Tribal Rights, Trump Administration, Water, Water Pollution
The Trump Administration on Tuesday proposed a new rule aimed at speeding up and streamlining the permitting process for large energy and infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines and facilities tied to artificial intelligence. The rule, which does not require action by Congress, includes a suite of procedural changes to section 401 of the Clean Water Act — a law enacted in the…
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by Marcus Baram | Jan 14, 2026 | Donald Trump, Food Safety, ICE Raids, JBS, labor, Meatpacking, meatpacking plants, News, Trump Administration, USDA, Worker Safety, Workplace Safety
The largest single donor to Donald Trump’s inauguration was Pilgrim’s Pride, a poultry processor that contributed $5 million to the Jan. 20 festivities, more than the combined donations of Meta, Amazon and Apple. And in the first quarter of 2025, its parent company spent more than $500,000 lobbying the administration, doubling its expenditures compared to the same period last year. Since then…
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by Mike Ludwig | Jan 13, 2026 | department of housing and urban development, Deportations, Discrimination, Donald Trump, Fair Housing Act, housing, HUD, News, Private Equity, Tariffs, Trump Administration, Wall Street
President Donald Trump pledged on the 2024 campaign trail to “end inflation” and bring down housing costs “with the goal of cutting the cost of a new home in half.” That messaging, which resonated with swing voters frustrated with inflation, helped propel Trump back into the White House. Nearly a year into his term, Trump’s approval ratings have hit new lows as he calls the continuing…
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by Theia Chatelle | Jan 13, 2026 | Department of Homeland Security, DHS, Donald Trump, George Floyd, George Floyd Protests, ICE, ICE Raids, immigration, Jacob Frey, Kristi Noem, Minneapolis, Minnesota, News, Omar Fateh, Policing, Protests, Renee Nicole Good, Tim Walz, Trump Administration
Minneapolis, Minnesota — Tear gas filled the air outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on January 9 as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers led two demonstrators away in handcuffs. For hours on Friday, caravans of ICE vehicles passed in front of the pop-up protests, carrying immigrants to be processed for deportation. Amid a mass influx of federal immigration agents to…
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