Category: Uncategorized

 The Trump Department of Justice purged government news releases with information about prosecutions of rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol and assaulted law enforcement on Jan. 6, 2021.

(Image credit: Joseph Prezioso)

Some veterans from the last World Cup — like forward Christian Pulisic and midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams — are certain to make the cut. The full roster will be announced at 3 p.m. ET.

(Image credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Just three months into Donald Trump’s second term, the Department of Veterans Affairs did something unusual: It required a group of employees working on the administration’s layoff plans to sign nondisclosure agreements.

A report in Government Executive described the move as “highly unusual,” adding that NDAs are “typically limited to procurement-sensitive discussions and national security settings that include classified information.”

In the months that followed, there were sporadic related reports — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for example, was so preoccupied with staunching leaks that he, too, took steps to use NDAs broadly — but it was tough to predict just how far the Republican administration was prepared to go.

MS NOW reported:

In a draft notice obtained by MS NOW, the Office of Personnel Management requests comment on a draft NDA for use by federal agencies. The NDA would bar federal employees from sharing “confidential government information,” in an effort to curb leaks to the media.

The draft cites several high-profile leaks that have occurred in the past year, including “unauthorized disclosures” from federal workers “divulging the secret U.S. raid on Venezuela prior to it occurring.”

Under the draft notice, all federal workers could be blocked from sharing “non-public, confidential, or proprietary information” or “any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law.”

What’s more, the restrictions would apply not only to the existing federal workforce, but also to those who leave their positions for jobs elsewhere. Those who are found to have broken the agreements would be subject to financial penalties, among other things.

For all of Team Trump’s obsessive boasts about being the “most transparent” administration ever, we’re frequently confronted with evidence to the contrary.

The Washington Post, which was first to report on the plans, noted that the president has long relied on NDAs as a weapon against criticism, including prior to his political career: “Signatories include ex-wives, contestants in the reality TV show ‘The Apprentice’ and even campaign staffers.”

Time will tell what becomes of the policy, but it’s easy to see a legal fight on the horizon.

Esha Bhandari, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, told the Post that the government cannot “muzzle” government workers with NDAs.

“Such broad gag orders would leave the public in the dark about how the government works, preventing the kind of informed debate that is critical to democratic accountability,” Bhandari said. “The government can’t shroud itself in secrecy in a democracy.”

The post Trump administration eyes nondisclosure agreements for all federal workers appeared first on MS NOW.

The “Veep” star is going where you might not expect for the first time.

EXCLUSIVE: Alex Bonifer, best known for his breakout role in Amazon’s Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, has signed with Innovative Artists Entertainment for representation in talent, literary and voice-over. Bonifer was most recently seen as Dougie Womack Jr. in Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat. In the latest installment, he stars as the company owner’s son […]

President Trump on Tuesday formally raised the refugee cap to allow the admittance of another 10,000 individuals — slots he said must be given to white Afrikaners in South Africa. In doing so, Trump declared an emergency over a matter the South African government has long denied — that the country’s white minority is facing “racially motivated…

South Carolina state senators voted Tuesday against a plan to advance a new congressional map, putting a pin in the state’s GOP-led redistricting push amid the national back-and-forth ahead of the midterms. “I can no longer support the passage of this bill for one simple reason: South Carolina citizens are going to the polls today,”…

EXCLUSIVE: Arise Artists Agency, headquartered in Los Angeles, is officially becoming bicoastal. The agency is expanding to New York with the launch of an East Coast office and the addition of agents Ken Melamed, Zach Marlin, and Angelina Barberia. The move marks a significant expansion for the agency, which launched in 2024 and has quickly […]

Naomi Osaka continues her tradition of serving jaw-dropping looks at Grand Slams with an outfit that reminds her of “the Eiffel tower at night”.

Naomi Osaka continues her tradition of serving jaw-dropping looks at Grand Slams with an outfit that reminds her of “the Eiffel tower at night”.

In an interview with NBC News, Vance said he is glad the pope tackled AI. He also discussed why X remains off his phone after he deleted it for Lent.

Roland Garros, a WWI-era pilot, is credited with revolutionizing aerial combat. The major Paris tennis tournament was named after him in 1928, a decade after his death in combat.

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