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1 President Trump Freezes Federal Funds, Judge Temporarily Blocks It
It was a chaotic day in Washington D.C. yesterday. The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo yesterday saying that federal funding would be paused at 5 pm Eastern time while the administration conducts a review to find and eliminate progressive initiatives. Just minutes before the pause was set to go into effect, US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the freeze due to a lawsuit brought by nonprofit groups that receive federal funding; the judge’s block on the funding freeze lasts until Monday afternoon. There was much confusion over exactly what funding would be affected. During yesterday’s White House press briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that funds that go straight to Americans, like Social Security and Medicare, would not be affected. However, hours before the freeze going into effect, the Medicaid portal was shut down in all 50 states. Over 72-million rely om the service. Democrats described the actions by the Trump administration as dangerous and illegal. They also argue that the president has no right to decide to stop spending money that was appropriated by Congress. Attorneys General from 22 states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit seeking to permanently block the administration from preventing federal funding.
2 White House Says Mystery Drones Were Authorized By FAA
During her first press briefing yesterday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave an update on the mysterious drones that have plagued areas for months, an update she received directly from President Donald Trump in the Oval Office just before the briefing. “After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons.” She ended the statement by saying, “This was not the enemy.” The explanation seemed to create even more questions for many. The drone sightings caused temporary flight restrictions in New Jersey in November and December, including over the Picatinny Arsenal. Talking on News Nation, UFO expert Jeremy Corbell wondered aloud if the FAA issued flight restrictions for things they had authorized, saying the statement didn’t make any sense. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer commented yesterday that sightings of drones have picked back up, and said “We’re going to have to look into these.’ Law enforcement is also reporting an uptick in drone sightings in Ohio with no explanation so far.
3 Oklahoma State Education Board To Require Proof Of Citizenship For Students
Under the leadership of Ryan Walters, the state superintendent of education, the Oklahoma State Board of Education proposed a new regulation yesterday that would require school districts in the state to track the number of students who can’t verify their immigration status and report the number to the state department of education. Walters said yesterday that Oklahoma spent $474-million to educate the children of undocumented immigrants during the Biden administration. The proposed regulation will have to be approved by the state legislature and the governor before it goes into effect.