Wednesday, April 30

Types of News: Brief

News briefs are shorter stories about current events. It’s the who-what-when-and-where. “Just the facts, ma’am.” Please see our writers guidelines.

ICJ to Issue Order in UAE Complicity in Genocide Case
29Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, International Law, Legal Battles, Types of News: Brief

ICJ to Issue Order in UAE Complicity in Genocide Case

Sudan Accuses UAE of Arming RSF Militia April 29, 2025—War crimes in Sudan are getting some much-needed attention as the World Court hears a case about the genocide in Sudan. The Sudanese government accuses the United Arab Emirates of arming the Rapid Support Forces militia. In less than a week, on May 5, the International Court of Justice will announce the Court’s Order in a public hearing. Sudan wants the ICJ to order the UAE to end shipments of weapons to the RSF and make full reparations to the Sudanese. The RSF militias are accused of committing massive human rights violations, including “mass killings, rape and the forced displacement of the non-Arab Masalit people in West Darfur.” Humanitarian Crisis The crisis has displaced more than 12.4 million people, includin...
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Canada’s PM Promises to Never Forget the Lessons of the ‘American Betrayal’
29Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

Canada’s PM Promises to Never Forget the Lessons of the ‘American Betrayal’

Mark Carney Vows To Build New Economic And Security Relationships April 29, 2025—Canada elected Mark Carney to lead the country amid an atmosphere of tense relations with the United States under the presidency of Donald Trump. Carney is an economist and former central banker with extensive experience in managing financial turbulence. He led the Bank of England during Britain’s Brexit from the European Union and saw the Bank of Canada through the 2008-9 financial crisis. In March, he won the election to lead the Liberal Party with 85.9 percent of the party’s vote. He was sworn in as prime minister shortly thereafter, replacing Justin Trudeau. America Won’t ‘Break Us’ America played a central role in this year’s Canadian elections. In his second term, Trump has taken an ag...
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Trade Wars: Lawsuit Against Trump Tariffs Gathers Support
28Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, International Law, Legal Battles, Types of News: Brief, United States

Trade Wars: Lawsuit Against Trump Tariffs Gathers Support

The Case Challenges Executive Authority to Effectively ‘Tax’ Consumers The U.S. Court of International Trade may not be the most high-profile court in the United States, but it is getting more attention and cases this year under the Trump Administration’s tariff regime. In one case, filed this month on behalf of five business relying on imports, the Liberty Justice Center is arguing that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority by imposing duties on imports. Now, a broad coalition of former senators, judges, lawyers, and attorneys general agrees and is joining the lawsuit. Tariff Update: Since he announced a wave of tariffs against U.S. trading partners, Trump has postponed most hikes while raising the U.S. tariff on goods from China to 145 percent. M...
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DOGE Whistleblower Cites Breach of Sensitive U.S. Business Data
16Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Types of News: Brief, United States

DOGE Whistleblower Cites Breach of Sensitive U.S. Business Data

NLRB Breach Impacts Labor Cases, Proprietary Information April 16, 2025—A U.S. federal worker came forward this week as a whistleblower against the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, the broad-reaching initiative President Trump created with an executive order on his first day of office. The whistleblower, Daniel Berulis, is an IT worker at the National Labor Relations Board. NLRB is a small, independent government agency tasked with ensuring that private-sector workers have rights such as collective bargaining in their workplaces. Berulis asserts that DOGE employees not only overrode standard security procedures to protect sensitive data, but they also made the system vulnerable to disclosure to a foreign adversary. A federal IT worker Daniel Berulis has informed Congr...
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USTR Releases Report on Trade Barriers
1Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

USTR Releases Report on Trade Barriers

April 1, 2025--On the week the Trump Administration is expected to issue tariffs that could potentially impact most U.S. trading partners, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer released a report detailing barriers to global trade. The 397-page report includes input from several government agencies and public comments from October 2024. Organized by country, it will likely serve as a compass for bilateral negotiations going forward. What's helpful is a description of 14 types of trade barriers discussed. They include: Import policies such as tariffs, import charges, quantitative restrictions, and licensing requirements, customs barriers and shortcomings in trade facilitation, and other market access barriers; Technical barriers to trade, such as restrictive standards, conformity ...
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Trump Scales Back Elon Musk’s Overarching Authority
7Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief, United States

Trump Scales Back Elon Musk’s Overarching Authority

DOGE Seeks $1 Trillion In Government Cuts File photo from Trump's first Cabinet meeting Feb. 2025 March 7, 2025--In a fiery White House meeting on Thursday that pitted Elon Musk against Cabinet officials, President Trump signaled that the appointed secretaries would have the lead role over their various departments. It's notable because up until now Musk has seemingly upstaged Cabinet officials over decisions on federal employment decisions. Uncertainty over the U.S. government overhaul impacts citizens, employees, and investors. Today, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed would wait for greater clarity before deciding what direction to take. Powell added that changes in trade, regulation, fiscal policy, and immigration would impact the economy. Who's In Charge? ...
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Private Prison Firms Eye Profit in Trump Mass Detentions
18Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Types of News: Brief, United States

Private Prison Firms Eye Profit in Trump Mass Detentions

February 18, 2025--President Trump, who ran on a campaign of law-and-order and promises to focus on detaining immigrants who came to the country illegally, is already making big changes to the detention system. He reversed a Biden-administration executive order that blocked the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Marshals Service from signing new contracts with private detention companies. Private prison companies are taking notice and making capital investments in the expectation of winning federal contracts for detaining people. "The new year is just underway, and the landscape is already changing in ways that are likely to positively impact our business," said Damon Hininger, chief executive officer of CoreCivic. "As the new administration modifies immigration policy and enacts new legisl...
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DOGE: Trump Administration Fires Federal FAA Employees
17Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief, United States

DOGE: Trump Administration Fires Federal FAA Employees

"air traffic control tower" by Sean MacEntee is licensed under CC BY 2.0. February 17, 2025-No agency is left untouched in the Trump Administration's government overhaul. Several hundred employees from the Federal Aviation Administration received emails over the weekend informing them they have been fired. According to the Associated Press, the firings impact support staff for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, and one air traffic controller. This comes just weeks after a fatal plane and helicopter crash in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The Impact The FAA has roughly 50,000 employees. The layoff primarily impacts staff that was newly hired or promoted in the last year. According to USA Today, the layoff affects 400 workers. The USAT article, which cited Da...
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Corruption Case Proceeds Against Israeli PM After A Long Delay
10Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Corruption Case Proceeds Against Israeli PM After A Long Delay

Netanyahu Has Avoided Facing Court And Potentially Years in Prison Reuters video stream Dec. 10, 2024 December 10, 2024—After a long delay, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced an Israeli court today in resumption of a criminal trial on charges dating back to 2019. “Everything is at stake,” said Alexis Bloom, director of the 2024 documentary, “The Bibi Files,” during an interview with MSNBC. “This trial is an incredibly important event for Netanyahu, and he’s been assiduously trying to avoid testifying.” The case is not only significant as a domestic matter. Observers argue that it has implications for the widening wars in the Middle East. “It’s his attempt to avoid a legal reckoning that has caused all sorts of damage in the Middle E...
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Syria’s Assad Regime Falls to HTS Rebels, Israel
9Dec By Patti MohrNo Comments
Geopolitics, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Syria’s Assad Regime Falls to HTS Rebels, Israel

Israel Claims Victory And Territory Beyond Golan Heights Jolani speaks to a crowd on Sunday, December 8, 2024, after capturing the capital. December 9, 2024—The 24-year reign of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria is over. Assad fled to Russia as opposition forces closed in on the capital, Damascus. The victors are Islamist Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, also called Muhammad al-Jawlani, an affiliate of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and the Israeli government. Just prior to overtaking the capital, Jolani gave an exclusive interview with CNN. He said he wanted to free Syria from Iranian influence and set up an Islamic government with institutional structures to establish order for the state. Terrorist Designation Jolani (also spelled “Jawlani”) i...
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