essentialsaltes said:

50 years after the birth of special education, some fear for its future under Trump​

... the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR)

OCR is the fail-safe for families who believe their child's civil rights are being violated at school because of their disability.

Heilman says her assigned attorney was removed around the same time the Trump administration began a broad reduction-in-force.

Heilman's second attorney worked in an OCR office that was gutted in October, in a second round of layoffs. Those fired workers have since been reinstated, but Heilman says she has heard nothing about her complaint.

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The Education Department's efforts to fire staff cost over $28 million, watchdog says​

The report, from the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), focuses on the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which investigates complaints of discrimination in schools based on students' sex, race, national origin, disability and more.

For nearly nine months, from March 21 to mid-December, "there were 247 people on administrative leave from OCR who were being paid while not being allowed to work," says Jackie Nowicki, lead investigator of K-12 issues at GAO, "and that decision came with a cost."

A cost of between $28.5 million and $38 million, according to GAO.

The department is dismissing many cases and issuing fewer resolution agreements​

According to GAO, from March to September, OCR resolved more than 7,000 discrimination complaints, but about 90% were resolved by the department dismissing the complaint

Public data tells a more nuanced story of OCR's work under the second Trump administration:

After Trump's 2025 inauguration, OCR reached a resolution agreement in just two racial harassment cases the rest of the year. In 2017, the first year of the first Trump administration, it resolved more than 30.

In 2017, the Trump-led OCR reached agreements in roughly 10 times as many disability discrimination cases as it did in 2025.

And finally, OCR resolved nearly 60 sexual harassment cases and 15 sexual assault cases in 2017. After Trump's second inauguration, the office did not reach a resolution agreement in a single case of school-based sexual harassment or sexual assault for the rest of the year.

essentialsaltes said:

[Republican Massie voted no. Will anyone defect from either side for the real vote?]

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A suspiciously balanced amount.

The bill passed 217 to 214, with 21 Democrats in support and 21 Republicans voting against it.

The legislation funds several federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, through September, but gives the Department of Homeland Security only 10 more days of funding as a way to force reforms to Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics. The bill was a product of negotiations between Senate Democrats and the Trump administration.

Sounds like a good idea, but the cartels will fight, and they have already deeply infiltrated into the US.

Vambram said:

Those are the progressive left wing liberal judges who don't obey federal laws.

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Nope. Some are Trump appointees, or Bush appointees.

NxNW said:

View attachment 375861

What can we conclude from this chart?

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We can conclude the charts do not include the first year of our Presidents second term.

Here is another way of looking at the issue

DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’​

According to a DHS press release and social media posts issued the following day, border patrol agents were conducting a “targeted” stop of a vehicle in Portland occupied by two members of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang. Yorlenys Zambrano-Contreras, a woman in the passenger seat, had been “involved” in a Portland shooting last year, the agency wrote.

But court records obtained by the Guardian reveal a Department of Justice prosecutor later directly contradicted DHS’ Tren de Aragua statements in court, telling a judge, “We’re not suggesting … [Niño-Moncada] is a gang member.” An FBI affidavit issued following the incident also suggests that in the previous shooting cited by DHS, Zambrano-Contreras was not a suspect, but rather a reported victim of a sexual assault and robbery. Neither Niño-Moncada or Zambrano-Contreras have prior criminal convictions, their lawyers have said.

Niño-Moncada was not present at either shooting [allegedly tied to his companion]. Zambrano-Contreras has not been described as a suspect in the first shooting, and she was not present at the second shooting. Neither have faced charges related to either shooting.

Niño-Moncada, the 33-year-old driver, who is undocumented, remains detained, facing charges of aggravated assault of an officer based on claims he tried to “intentionally” hit agents with his car. Zambrano-Contreras, 32, was not criminally charged, but has pleaded guilty to improper entry to the US, a misdemeanor.

Without videos, the charging documents largely relied on agents’ testimony.

Niño-Moncada’s public defenders have rejected claims he intended to hit officers, noting the complaint failed to identify any specific agent who believed they were going to be hit.

Young, who reviewed the court records, said it was particularly galling for the government to use an incident in which Zambrano-Contreras was victimized to paint her as a criminal: “It appears this woman is the victim of a rape, theft and being kidnapped, yet she is being turned into the target of a smear campaign claiming she’s an associate of the gang. It seems twisted and unjust.”

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Rage Check 22

TECHNIQUES DETECTED​

The article contrasts official DHS press releases with later court statements from DOJ prosecutors - this is standard investigative reporting technique

Notice how specific claims are attributed: 'DHS said' vs 'court records reveal' vs 'lawyers have said' - this transparency lets readers evaluate sources

The provocative quote in the headline comes from documented expert characterization, not editorial framing

Going to lead with this: He also told police he could smoke more weed than Willie Nelson, and that he was taking Zoloft to treat PTSD and mental health disorders.

Docs: Man arrested in I-5 shooting said he was an armed militia on a mission

According to court documents, a man told police Simmons approached his vehicle and said, "Are you loyal to the country?"

Another man told police he was walking on the shoulder of I-5 when Simmons drove up and asked him if he was a U.S. citizen and told him to get in.

The man hesitated and police say that's when Simmons fired a shot at him. He jumped the center barrier of the freeway to take cover.

Simmons was agitated and making statements that police were violating the Constitution, and were traitors to the nation.

Police say they also found several anti-government ramblings on his Facebook page including 14 in the two days leading up to the shooting.

Anti-government? Huh. I figured this was an ICE audition tape.

partinobodycular said:

Invincible ignorance doesn't excuse someone from the natural consequences, but it may mitigate the legal consequences.

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Invincible ignorance is an absolute excuse from culpability in morality. In law, no so much.

partinobodycular said:

But as it is there are two things that may mitigate our culpability for our sins... at least in the eyes of the Catholic church. Those two things are repentance and invincible ignorance.

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In addition to contrite repentance, the church requires the sinner to amend their lives with the help of His grace to sin no more. As I wrote earlier, at least in my case, multiple rinse and repeats may be necessary.

DreamyLaLa said:

She is very scared of what this new health concern may be, and her extreme anxiety over it only makes her fare all the worse.

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All things work together for good. It rarely feels that way in the moment, but in time we often see how God weaves even our struggles into something meaningful. We all face anxiety and stress, and we do what we can to receive healing from God. Medical care has changed over the years, and sometimes it can feel like our concerns aren’t fully heard. Earlier generations often leaned more on positive thinking and the power of suggestion, and those tools genuinely helped many people. Even the placebo effect shows that a significant number of people experience real improvement through expectation and hope. That’s why medicines must demonstrate effectiveness before the FDA approves them. Antibiotics, for example, are considered a miracle of modern medicine because they can be effective in a very high percentage of cases, and doctors often run tests to determine which one will work best. Through all of this, God remains faithful, guiding us toward healing in ways both natural and spiritual.

William J said:

I felt so angry about something he said that it was very concerning.

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My mom would constantly say that whatever comments people make you have to be like water on a duck and let it roll off of you. When she died hundreds of people showed up to tell us how good my mom was to them. We had a line and everyone went through the line to tells us what they wanted to tell us. Her dad was the mayor so that maybe why they treated people the way they did.

Bradskii said:

I still remember the Scout Promise I had to make:

'I promise to be good, to do my duty to God and the Queen, to help other people at all times and to obey the Scout Law'.

It would certainly sound odd to say it under US rules:

''I promise to be good, to do my duty to a god and a queen...'

The FSM (all hail it's noodly appendages) and Lattifa perhaps.

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As I recall the US version of the line was "on my honor to do my duty to God and my country" when I was in some decades ago.

I don't yak, I woof!

X offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into Grok​

The French offices of Elon Musk's X have been raided by the Paris prosecutor's cyber-crime unit, as part of an investigation into suspected offences including unlawful data extraction and complicity in the possession of child pornography.

Among potential crimes it said it would investigate were complicity in possession or organised distribution of images of children of a pornographic nature, infringement of people's image rights with sexual deepfakes and fraudulent data extraction by an organised group.

The prosecutor's office also said both Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino had been summoned to appear at hearings in April.

New UK investigation​

Meanwhile, UK authorities have given an update on their investigations into sexual deepfakes created by Grok and shared on X.

essentialsaltes said:

Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation ahead of contempt of Congress vote​

Former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized.

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Only took seven months the very real possibility of jail -

In what may be the first of many such cases, a New York jury awarded millions to a woman “who no longer thinks of herself as a male” who underwent a double mastectomy six years ago at age 16.

A Westchester County, New York, jury awarded $2 million to Fox Varian, a woman who “no longer thinks of herself as a male” who underwent a double mastectomy six years ago at age 16 in what is believed to be the first U.S. malpractice case of its kind to reach a trial verdict.

The jury found a psychologist and a plastic surgeon liable for medical malpractice in performing and supporting the 2019 breast removal surgery on Varian in order to treat gender dysphoria. The award includes $1.6 million for past and future pain and suffering and $400,000 for future medical expenses, according to the Epoch Times.

Varian’s lawyers said she no longer thinks of herself as a male and said she sued claiming psychologist Kenneth Einhorn and surgeon Simon Chin failed to meet the standard of care through inadequate psychological evaluation, poor communication between the professionals, and insufficient screening before proceeding with the irreversible procedure.

The case centered on whether the medical team properly assessed her mental health and readiness for “gender-affirming surgery,” marking a significant development in the growing number of such lawsuits in the U.S.

Continued below.

chevyontheriver said:

That's right. I didn't see any. Doesn't mean there were no meetings with other countries. The USA isn't being covert enough for you I guess.

Again, rent free.

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That's because past presidents let their policy be known of leaving Quebec/Canada alone. Moreover, the response by Canada and Canadians to whom you think I am just having unwarranted machinations about speak for themselves.

Michie said:

A federal court has ruled in favor of The Babylon Bee and blocked a Hawaii law that prohibited the creation of AI-generated and deepfake election content.

United States District Judge Shanlyn Park for the District of Hawaii ruled last Friday against Act 191, which barred certain AI-generated content considered “materially deceptive.”

Park wrote that the state law “discriminates based on content and speaker and, in doing so, restricts constitutionally protected political speech” and “facially regulates protected political speech based on its content.”

Continued below.

Court sides with The Babylon Bee, blocks Hawaii anti-deepfake law

A federal court has ruled in favor of The Babylon Bee and blocked a Hawaii law that prohibited the creation of AI-generated and deepfake election content

www.christianpost.com

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I guess they just didn't know the Babylon Bee is a satire site. Rubes!

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that two more individuals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a protest against federal immigration enforcement that disrupted a Minnesota church service.

Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson were arrested for their alleged connection to the protest last month in which demonstrators stormed Cities Church in St. Paul on Jan. 18, where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official serves as a pastor.

“If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you,” stated Bondi in an X post on Monday announcing the arrests, labeling the protest a “coordinated attack.”

Those arrested in connection with the protest are facing charges under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which includes a provision protecting houses of worship from physical intimidation.

Continued below.

SpiritMorpher said:

Thank you for sharing this. It looks so well developed! I am having issues getting a chapter to load though. Did you have issues with that? I have also developed characters and am writing up a Christian style anime, but alas I do not know how to draw. I have started by posting the first scene in my blog.

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I'm glad I could help. I didn't used to have the problem with the loading page for chapters when I first starting reading the manga. But when I noticed how applicable/relatable the characters are to life, I've had that issue on and off. I think it's just satan trying to give us a hard time. I don't think it's an issue with the site or anything. Have fun with the anime. If you stay honest and straightforward, conveying truth, it should be good to see when it is complete.

May GOD heal her.

Amen.

There is a constant battle that rages in mankind between the world in which man lives and God the Father in heaven. The carnal elements of the world naturally elicit a human sense of awe and wonder when the human appetite is satisfied with the pleasures of the world, whether it's debauchery, gluttony, sexual immorality, deceit, calumny, avarice, and so forth. The carnal elixir that provides temporary satisfaction and relief leaves the person, I argue, desiring more of the same spiritual concoction, which leads to an unholy habitual state of mind and heart embedded in sinful acts.

The state of humanity’s life revolves around a constant engagement between God and the world. And, ultimately, we will need to decide which life we prefer, one with God or one without Him. St. Paul provides a vivid example of this battle in his first letter to the Corinthians,

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.[1]

Continued below.