Category: Hire The Best People

Trump Goon Stages Public Meltdown After Judge Humiliates Her

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro experienced a public meltdown during a press conference after Federal District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled against her office’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Judge Boasberg determined that Pirro’s probe was motivated by President Donald Trump’s desire to remove Powell and lower interest rates, blocking subpoenas the office had issued to the Federal Reserve Board.

Pirro denounced the ruling as “outrageous” and “the antithesis of American justice,” claiming it had “neutered the grand jury’s ability to investigate crime” and granted Powell immunity. She vowed to appeal the decision while attacking Powell for posting a video announcing the subpoenas, accusing him of calling “friends” to “gin up support for himself.” Her comments demonstrated how Trump’s weaponization of the DOJ against perceived enemies extended to targeting the Federal Reserve chairman.

During the question-and-answer session, Pirro became hostile toward reporters. When asked about her office’s failure to prosecute six Democratic members of Congress who posted a video reminding military personnel they can refuse unlawful orders, she erupted, declaring she was “not here to talk about six members of Congress” and dismissing the question with visible irritation.

The press conference deteriorated further when Pirro screamed at a final reporter to “cut it out,” then launched into an incoherent tirade about her prosecution record compared to her predecessor. She boasted about prosecuting cases at higher rates than the previous U.S. Attorney, then abruptly ended the event and left the stage without further comment.

The incident exemplifies how Trump appointees use federal law enforcement to target political adversaries while misusing the machinery of justice. Pirro’s abuse of power in pursuing a baseless investigation against Powell, combined with her failure to prosecute Trump’s political allies and her hostile reaction to legitimate scrutiny, underscores the authoritarian capture of federal institutions under Trump’s direction.

(Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-goon-stages-public-meltdown-232814034.html)

Trump Fires Kennedy Center President Grenell After Institutional

Trump announced Friday that Richard Grenell, his appointed Kennedy Center president, is stepping down after more than a year marked by institutional chaos and mass artist defections. Grenell will be replaced by Matt Floca, the center’s vice president of facilities operations. The leadership change follows the board’s decision to rename the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center, which triggered widespread performance cancellations by major artists including composer Philip Glass and the Washington National Opera.

Grenell’s tenure was defined by confrontation with the arts community and selective media engagement. He attacked artists who criticized the center’s decisions and granted interviews exclusively to right-leaning news organizations, refusing to speak with outlets he deemed unfriendly. His defense of the Trump-branded renaming involved assailing major news outlets rather than addressing substantive concerns about the center’s new business model, which now requires performers to fund productions entirely in advance, departing from standard industry practice.

Trump’s control of the Kennedy Center has been absolute since he fired the entire board in early February 2025 and appointed himself chairman. Within a week, he named Grenell interim executive director as prominent artists including Shonda Rhimes and Renée Fleming withdrew from performances. The center announced an imminent two-year closure for renovations, a development that surprised employees and arts stakeholders still processing the institutional upheaval.

Trump praised Grenell’s work in a Truth Social post, calling him an “excellent” coordinator during the “transition period” and touting plans for the renovated center to become “the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World.” The Kennedy Center declined to comment on Grenell’s departure, maintaining silence amid continued institutional turmoil driven by Trump’s takeover of the nation’s premier performing arts venue.

(Source: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2026-03-13/kennedy-center-president-richard-grenell-replaced-matt-floca)

Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Dodges Vaccine Questions at Senate

Casey Means, Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, testified before the Senate health committee on Wednesday and repeatedly declined to directly answer questions about vaccine guidance. Despite graduating from Stanford School of Medicine, Means does not have an active medical license, did not complete her surgical residency, and is not board-certified, instead building her career as a wellness influencer aligned with health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s vaccine skepticism.

When pressed by Republican Senator Bill Cassidy on whether she would encourage routine childhood vaccinations like the MMR vaccine, Means avoided a direct answer and instead emphasized parental “autonomy” in medical decisions. She similarly sidestepped questions about whether vaccines cause autism, a discredited theory promoted by Kennedy, and declined to affirm whether the flu vaccine prevents hospitalization, instead offering only that it prevents severe illness “at a population level.”

Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders expressed serious concerns about Means’s ability to counteract Kennedy’s disinformation about vaccine safety and efficacy at a time when measles outbreaks are spreading across the country, including the worst outbreak in South Carolina in over 30 years. Means also faces significant conflicts of interest stemming from undisclosed financial partnerships with wellness products, with Senator Chris Murphy noting apparent violations of Federal Trade Commission rules regarding compensation for product promotion.

Under Kennedy’s direction at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Trump administration has terminated grants, driven out career public health experts, and installed anti-vaccine loyalists to the immunization advisory committee despite Kennedy’s assurances during his own confirmation that he would not interfere with its composition. Means’s nomination represents a direct threat to evidence-based public health policy, with former Surgeon General Richard Carmona calling it a “disgrace” and stating the role requires “a real leader” equipped to combat disinformation.

Means abandoned her medical residency after becoming “disillusioned with traditional healthcare” and co-founded a glucose-monitoring company while co-authoring a book with her brother, a Kennedy adviser, arguing that metabolic health offers alternatives to conventional medicine. This is Trump’s second surgeon general nomination; his first nominee, Dr Janette Nesheiwat, was withdrawn after reports of misleading medical credentials emerged.

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/25/casey-means-surgeon-general-nominee)

Trump Appoints Unqualified Receptionist to Arts Commission

President Donald Trump appointed 26-year-old Chamblerlain Harris, his receptionist-turned-deputy director of Oval Office operations, to the Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday. Harris, who has served as an executive assistant and administrative staff member since Trump’s first term, lacks the art expertise traditionally required for commission membership, which historically advises on major design projects for presidential administrations.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the appointment by claiming Harris “understands the President’s vision and appreciation of the arts like very few others,” despite her absence of formal credentials in architecture, design, or urban planning. The White House characterized her as a “loyal, trusted, and highly respected advisor” to Trump, prioritizing loyalty over demonstrated professional qualifications.

Architects and past commissioners criticized the appointment. Harvard Graduate School of Design professor and former Obama-appointed commissioner Alex Krieger called it “disastrous,” stating that appointees “have no qualifications to evaluate matters of design, architecture, or urban planning.” Previous commissioners included architect Billie Tsien, who is currently working on Barack Obama’s library, and landscape architect Perry Guillot, who redesigned the White House Rose Garden during Trump’s first term.

Harris’s swearing-in occurs on the same day the Commission of Fine Arts is expected to vote on advancing Trump’s controversial White House ballroom project, which involved demolishing the entire East Wing. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has attempted to block the demolition and construction effort, citing preservation concerns.

Architect Witold Rybczynski, who served on the commission under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, acknowledged that past presidents have appointed some political figures and lesser-known experts to the panel, noting that “the degree of expertise … has varied.” However, the appointment of an unqualified staff member to oversee a major White House construction project demonstrates Trump’s pattern of prioritizing personal loyalty over institutional competence and expertise.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-appoints-his-26-year-old-ex-receptionist-to-commission-overseeing-white-house-ballroom-construction/)

Jeremy Carl Nomination Collapses Over Antisemitic Great Replacement Rhetoric

Jeremy Carl's nomination as assistant secretary of state for international organizations collapsed after a contentious Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on February 12, 2026, where Republican Sen. John Curtis and all Democrats questioned his record of antisemitic and anti-Israel remarks. Curtis announced his opposition, stating he could not support Carl given his "anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people," which would block the nomination from advancing out of committee.

During the hearing, Carl defended comments claiming the U.S. prioritizes Israel excessively and that "white Americans are undergoing cultural genocide" through immigration and diversity initiatives. When pressed by Sen. Chris Murphy to define white culture, Carl cited differences in churches, food, and music—pointing to a Spanish-language Super Bowl halftime performance as evidence of cultural erasure. Carl explicitly affirmed the Great Replacement Theory, stating the Democratic Party "through its immigration policies has certainly shown signs of that" intentional effort to replace white Americans with immigrants.

Sen. Cory Booker extracted partial concessions from Carl on Holocaust minimization, with Carl acknowledging past comments "downplaying the effects of the Holocaust" were "absolutely wrong." Carl also disputed being a racial nationalist, claiming instead to be a "civic nationalist" concerned with "majority common American culture" becoming "balkanized" through mass immigration. However, Carl refused to renounce his belief that white Americans face discrimination or to specify which aspects of white identity require protection.

In neo-Nazi literature, they argue that multi-ethnic societies are inherently unstable. They point to the "Balkanization" of the U.S. to claim that different races cannot coexist peacefully, eventually leading to a "race war" or a total national collapse.

By claiming the country is already "Balkanized," neo-Nazis argue that the only solution is formal separation, the creation of a "White Ethnostate." They view this as a return to a "natural" order where heredity and geography align.

For example, in Carl’s mention of the Super Bowl halftime show not being in English, "Balkanization" is framed as a loss for the "majority." In this worldview, the presence of other languages or cultures doesn't add to the whole; it subtracts from a specific "white culture" that they believe should be the national standard.

Sen. Jacky Rosen condemned Carl's recorded statement that "the Jews love to see themselves as oppressed," rejecting his Jewish heritage—Carl converted to Christianity—as justification for antisemitic rhetoric. She framed a vote for Carl as disrespecting Jewish Americans and Holocaust survivors. Sen. Booker additionally condemned Carl for defending January 6 Capitol rioters, accusing him of lacking "decency" and "honor" and of disgracing the legacy of those who died serving the nation.

Sen. Jeff Merkley challenged Carl's qualifications, noting his complete absence of staff experience at the U.N. or in diplomatic roles and his inability to articulate specific policy positions on United Nations organizations. Carl's evasiveness on whether other U.S. allies receive excessive attention, combined with his failure during the hearing to substantively address antisemitic rhetoric he had previously encountered, led Curtis to question whether Carl could credibly push back against anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas presented by foreign diplomats.

(Source: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/02/jeremy-carl-nomination-hearing-antisemitism-john-curtis/)

Trump Hires Beauty Salon Owner Mora Namdar to Decide Who to Ban From U.S.

Donald Trump appointed Mora Namdar, a Texas-based beauty salon owner and attorney, as assistant secretary for consular affairs, giving her authority over visa approvals, revocations, and decisions about who enters the United States. Namdar, 46, owns the Bam salon chain in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Plano, offering blowouts starting at $45 and makeup sessions at $55, while simultaneously operating a one-woman law firm she announced closing on Christmas Day. She previously held an interim position in the State Department’s Middle East and North Africa bureau during Trump’s first term in 2020.

Namdar’s Senate confirmation this month elevates a politically connected operative with no demonstrated expertise in immigration or consular affairs to control visa adjudications affecting millions of foreigners. In testimony, she aligned visa decisions with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s national security framing, stating that consular officers can revoke visas for individuals who “undermine” U.S. foreign policy, a standard potentially weaponizable against political opponents and critics.

Namdar contributed to Project 2025, Trump’s policy blueprint, by authoring a section attacking the U.S. Agency for Global Media—which operates Voice of America and Radio Free Europe—accusing it of “espionage-related security risks” and “anti-U.S. talking points,” and calling for its reform or closure. Her appointment operationalizes the “personnel is policy” strategy documented by PBS, which found the administration has implemented approximately half of Project 2025’s agenda through ideological staffing choices.

Her interim leadership of the State Department’s Near Eastern affairs bureau triggered internal concerns about management and morale according to multiple outlets. Namdar now oversees implementation of the administration’s ban on citizens from various European countries announced Wednesday, which Trump and Rubio framed as punishment for “egregious” social media censorship of “American viewpoints,” with additional bans promised.

This appointment exemplifies Trump’s strategy of installing operatives committed to Project 2025’s authoritarian goals across government agencies controlling speech and entry. Paired with FCC chairman Brendan Carr—another Project 2025 architect now pushing regulatory rollbacks and culture-war “censorship” narratives—Namdar’s position consolidates power to silence dissent and control who accesses the United States based on political loyalty rather than law.

(Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hires-beauty-salon-owner-mora-namdar-to-decide-who-to-ban-from-us/)

‘An Appeal to Heaven’ flag seen hanging at Education Department office

A senior official at the U.S. Department of Education has displayed the "An Appeal to Heaven" flag outside his office, according to union leadership and department staff. The flag, historically tied to the American Revolution, has been adopted in recent years by evangelical Christian nationalist groups, the Proud Boys, and neo-Nazi organizations, and was carried by rioters during the January 6 Capitol assault.

Murray Bessette, principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, has kept the banner hanging at the agency's Washington office. The flag's presence at an institution overseeing billions in federal education funding violates the separation of church and state and contradicts the agency's responsibility to serve all students regardless of religious affiliation.

Rachel Gittleman, president of the Education Department union, stated the agency "has no place for symbols that were carried by insurrectionists" and noted that employees have endured threats and harassment since January while now being forced to work under a symbol representing "intolerance, hatred, and extremism." The union directly linked the flag's display to ongoing demoralization within the department.

The Education Department did not confirm the flag's existence or address extremist associations. Deputy Assistant Secretary Madi Biedermann dismissed concerns as "imagined grievances" rather than addressing the documented history of the symbol's adoption by extremist movements.

The flag has appeared at multiple federal agencies and with high-ranking officials in recent months, including at the Small Business Administration in June and outside the vacation home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in 2023. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also displayed the symbol outside his Capitol Hill office.

(Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/15/flag-appeal-to-heaven-education-department/87778953007/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRleAOvHStleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeGxD1KOqmayUcnMh7ghzmxyHAYGXloFm0oOnqT9P-iDZsL_Ld74VKbBhHR6c_aem_jtc8a0ueUHKs5OzrVNTLGg)

Pentagon Grants Press Credentials to Extremist Laura Loomer

The Pentagon has credentialed Laura Loomer, a divisive right-wing activist, to cover President Trump’s Department of Defense. Loomer announced her credentialing on social media, claiming her work has significantly influenced personnel decisions within the Executive Branch and intelligence agencies. This decision is part of the Pentagon’s recent media policy shifts aimed at promoting more conservative and alternative media.

Loomer is known for her controversial attacks against even some of Trump’s allies, a fact that has drawn criticism from multiple quarters, including within the Republican Party. Her influence raises alarms about the Pentagon’s increasing alignment with extremist viewpoints. Loomer had previously criticized Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over plans to host a Qatari air force facility in Idaho, arguing it was opposed by Trump supporters.

The credentialing follows reports that major news outlets, such as The Hill and The New York Times, have declined to accept the Pentagon’s new press policy. This policy drastically restricts media access and aims to control the flow of information from the Department of Defense, indicating a troubling trend in governmental transparency and press freedoms.

This development occurs against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s ongoing transformation of media engagement, notably favoring voices that align with far-right ideologies. Critics view this as a threat to journalistic integrity and an attempt to marginalize traditional news organizations that uphold independent reporting standards.

As Loomer’s credentialing illustrates the growing influence of extremist figures in the realm of American politics, it poses serious questions about the future of military and governmental media relations under Trump’s administration.

Ralph Abraham Named CDC Deputy Director Amid Health Controversy

Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham has been appointed as the principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), despite widespread concerns about his qualifications and public health stance. His history of opposing vaccinations, precisely during a critical period of rising influenza cases, raises alarms about his new role.

Abraham has publicly discouraged vaccinations for COVID-19 and promoted unproven treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, which are typically used for livestock. Health experts, including former New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, have criticized the appointment, labeling it “dangerous” and branding Abraham as unqualified to lead a vital public health agency.

The CDC is already facing scrutiny over evolving vaccine guidance influenced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Just prior to Abraham’s appointment, public health experts condemned new language on the CDC’s website that undermines decades of research affirming vaccine safety, increasing concern that the agency’s credibility may further deteriorate.

Abraham’s tenure as Louisiana’s health chief included controversial directives instructing the health department to cease promoting mass vaccinations amid rising measles cases, reflecting a consistent anti-vaccine ideology. His previous dismissive remarks about mass vaccination echo a troubling trend within the CDC, as discussed by critics who highlight grave implications for public health.

Overall, Abraham’s ascension to a significant leadership position within the CDC raises serious questions among health professionals about the future direction of vaccination policies and the agency’s commitment to science-based public health practices.

FEMA Chief Karen Evans Cuts Funding, Targets Muslim Groups

Karen Evans, the new FEMA chief, previously served as a senior adviser tasked with tightening spending controls at the agency. Known as the “terminator,” she has gained a reputation for slashing grants, contracts, and staff, often prioritizing budget alignment with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) agenda over community needs. Critics have described Evans’ oversight as excessively rigid, hampering the agency’s ability to respond to emergencies effectively.

Evans has been accused of orchestrating the removal of numerous FEMA staff members, including seasoned emergency management experts, thus enabling DHS to consolidate power over the agency. Her approach reportedly involves significant delays in fund approvals and fostering a toxic work environment marked by conflict with personnel. This management style raises questions about the agency’s capability to handle disaster response adequately.

Moreover, she has been linked to controversial efforts to strip funding from Muslim organizations deemed problematic by the DHS. Initial proposals suggested broadly banning these groups from receiving security grants, driven by concerns over their perceived connections to terrorism. Although a blanket ban was ultimately not implemented, many Muslim groups were still disqualified from receiving federal assistance under her influence.

Evans’ lack of experience in emergency management, coupled with her DHS loyalty, has led to skepticism regarding her capacity to lead FEMA effectively during significant crises. The agency’s future remains uncertain, particularly with ongoing debates about its oversight and operational structure in relation to DHS.

Amid criticisms of delayed funding and response efforts, many within and outside FEMA view Evans as a figurehead, executing the directives of DHS leadership rather than serving as an independent decision-maker for disaster relief efforts. With growing calls from lawmakers for FEMA to operate independently, Evans’ role may be pivotal in shaping future agency dynamics.

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