(WASHINGTON) — After the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) fired its probationary workers as part of the Trump administration’s government-wide layoffs Thursday, the agency moved on to fire short-term employees Thursday night with most of the remaining staff expected to be fired Friday, according to a lawsuit.
A group of federal unions that is suing the Trump administration over its dismantling of the agency alleged in a court filing Thursday that the newly installed acting director, Russell Vought, plans to fire over 95% of the agency’s workforce as soon as Friday.
The plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit are asking a federal judge to impose a temporary order to block the dismantling the CFPB, which they argue could have sweeping consequences for American consumers.
The firings, part of President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to slash the federal government, would gut the 1,700-employee consumer watchdog agency, according to three CFPB employees who spoke to ABC News on the condition that they not to be identified out of fear of retribution.
“All term employees were fired tonight, and it looks like the rest of us will be fired tomorrow but for cause rather than via a [reduction in force] which means no severance I think,” one agency lawyer wrote in a message to ABC News.
“3 of my 4 teammates were canned,” another employee wrote. “Just me and my supervisor left, the only permanent employees.”
Employees were told not to work or go into the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters this week, and several employees said their credentials did not allow access into satellite offices in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Atlanta on Thursday, two of the employees said.
The employees said the firings will leave all Americans more vulnerable to fraud.
“I’m worried about everybody. What about the people who use our complaints to get their loans straightened out or their bank accounts unfrozen? They’ve already tried calling the company and gotten nowhere,” an employee wrote. “Who will help them now? Will the companies get bold and screw over their customers without our robust oversight?”
“It’s going to be a nightmare,” the employee said.
“I’m concerned for every consumer out there,” another employee told ABC News. “There’s a lot of fintech companies and I don’t know what’s going to happen if we don’t have purview over that.”
The employee said she was also concerned about X CEO Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, having access to the CFPB’s massive database, which contains information about companies that Musk’s planned “X Money” online payment service would compete with. The agency would also be responsible for regulating the X Money platform.
The employee also said she was alarmed at the way CFPB employees were being characterized by the Trump administration.
“A lot of people are actively giving back and serving” the community, she said of her fellow CFPB employees. “Some donate from our paychecks — donations for nonprofits, volunteering, donating, giving back to our community, fostering dogs, they’re involved in a lot of causes. I work with remarkable people who never stop serving.”
“Me personally, this was my dream job in college and I can’t even believe i got in, it was so competitive,” wrote the employee, who said she is in her fourth year at the agency after having worked in the private sector, so her pension will not vest. “It’s the dream job, what’s next? I’m too young to retire, I believe in the work we did, everyone I work with felt the same.”
Brandon assists Janice with daily exercises, as well as helps her move around the house. ABC News
(CHICAGO) — Janice Will was diagnosed in 2012 with Parkinson’s, a condition that causes parts of the brain to deteriorate, causing tremors and balance problems.
“When she broke her femur and it was close to the artery…it could have been lights out,” Brandon Will, Janice’s son, said about his mother.
Brandon, who lives with his mother near Chicago, Illinois, soon realized his mom needed 24/7 access to care.
Since then, Janice, who is now 73, has seen the emotional, physical and financial strain of needing care and spoke to ABC News about often feeling like a burden to her son.
“He likes to tell me I’m not a burden, but I feel like a burden because he would have been on a career in New York…he sort of edited his dream to be different, by including me.”
Brandon, 42, reminds his mom that she is not weighing him down, telling her, “Parkinson’s is the burden. It’s one we share.”
“I think people get to these points where there is an illness or something that comes earlier than you’d expect. You realize how many systems aren’t in place,” Brandon told ABC News.
Janice and Brandon’s story mirrors the struggles many Americans are forced to reckon with when a loved one falls ill.
In the U.S., 48 million people have taken on the role of becoming a caregiver to a family member — with little to no financial help, according to Susan Reinhard, formerly the senior vice president of AARP’s Public Policy Institute and chief strategist for the organization.
“There are 48 million family caregivers who are unpaid. And if you did have to pay them, it would be $600 billion. I keep emphasizing the billion dollars because it’s quite amazing. It’s more than all out-of-pocket spending in the United States on health care,” Reinhard told ABC News.
Reinhard said that caregivers need support to avoid a financial crisis, saying the services many seek are provided through the state and federal program called Medicaid, but access and resources vary state by state.
And while help is out there, Brandon and his mom could only access the Medicaid benefits they needed in Illinois, moving from Michigan to be able to do so.
In Illinois, Brandon applied through Medicaid to get paid as a familial caregiver. However, he only gets paid for 19 hours a week, even though he provides around-the-clock care for his mom.
“I’ll hand her her clothes in the morning, help her pick out an outfit…just ‘cause she can’t, at this point, stand in front of the closet.”
His hourly rate is less than the state’s minimum wage.
Brandon and Janice are still researching and applying for as many benefits as they can to stay afloat. They are currently using the Meals on Wheels program in their area and are looking for a part-time caregiver so Brandon can focus on his career outside of care work.
However, he says the state and federal program is already stretched thin. “There’s like 20,000 people on the list in Illinois who are like us, who qualify for a home health aide. And they just aren’t available.”
In January, Brandon and Janice Will hosted an open mic, sharing stories through the viewpoints of those living with caregiving, disability, illness and aging.Now, Brandon Will has concerns following the Trump administration’s executive orders to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
“With these orders to kind of remove all the DEIA. This administration, they added the A to the end of it that was never there and it’s for accessibility,” Brandon told ABC News. Brandon said his and his mother’s fears spurred him to start the open mic reading series.
“I think anybody who is dealing with disability or aging or caregiving knows that like willpower only gets you so far. You know, like you need it. It’s crucial. But, you know, you can’t really get anywhere without a community,” Brandon said.
To caregivers — even minimal resources can be crucial while juggling two or more jobs. An AARP report highlighted that 60% of family caregivers are working jobs in addition to being caregivers; 40% are men, but, at 60%, it is mainly women taking on this role. And on top of having a job and doing care work, 30% of those caregivers take care of their own children, too.
People like Ty Lewis.
In an apartment complex just outside of Los Angeles, Lewis, 45, and her husband are caring for Ty’s mother, Gertrude Jordan.
Jordan, 80, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nearly 10 years ago, a disease 6.9 million Americans are living with. Lewis explained watching her mom’s slow progression throughout the years has been hard. “As a woman, it kind of shakes you. It does something to you because it’s just like … that’s your mom, the woman that gave birth to you.”
Lewis told ABC News her mom still receives a pension of $66,000 annually from her years of teaching –but it’s not enough. Her care each month costs more than $6,000.
“Last year was $90,000,” Lewis said about the annual cost of her mother’s care in 2023. “She only made $66,000. She doesn’t have it. Her savings are depleted. Currently, we are not getting any support because they keep saying my mom makes too much money. Just recently, my mom’s balance was $3.14.”
The financial strain cuts deep into both families. But it’s not just about the money. Each caregiver acknowledged the emotional and physical challenges they face daily — adding to the difficulties of the job.
“Caregiving has shifted things in me. Because it’s not really happening in everyone’s home or you don’t see it, people really don’t understand the magnitude of what’s coming,” Lewis told ABC News.
In December, Lewis went to Capitol Hill to advocate for the Older Americans Act (OAA), which targets older adults who are in greatest need by improving support for family caregivers and direct care workers and expands healthy aging programs. The Senate passed reauthorization for OAA in December and the bill is currently pending in the House.
Lewis also is pushing for care givers to be able to qualify for Medicaid. “I want it to look the same from state to state for every caregiver,” Lewis told ABC News.
AARP’s Reinhard warned Americans, saying, “If we do not help family caregivers, if they can no longer do what they’re doing, then we’re going to have a huge cost problem. There is definitely a care crisis in America right now.”
Taking each day in stride, Lewis hopes to spread awareness on the struggles caregivers face daily, documenting her journey with her mother by posting clips on social media.
“I want people to know that they can find joy in the journey. That’s my whole mission. And so, while it is hard, I want to show people that it’s hard, but it’s doable. It’s hard, but it’s beautiful.”
(WASHINGTON) — A framed copy of the New York Post’s cover featuring President Donald Trump’s mug shot has been hung on a wall just outside the Oval Office, photos show.
The mug shot, taken when he was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia in 2023, can be seen in a hallway in photos taken when Trump met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The hallway leads to a private area in the White House.
Trump had turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail after he was indicted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(CHINA BAR, Calif.) — A 16-year-old teen was rescued from a 50-foot deep mine shaft in Northern California on Monday after the rope he was using to climb back out of the hole snapped, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The teen was saved after attempting to explore a mine shaft located in the Auburn State Recreation Area near China Bar, officials said.
At approximately 3:27 p.m. on Monday, Placer County Fire Department and Auburn City Fire Department were dispatched to a medical rescue for a “16-year-old male stuck in a vertical mine shaft approximately 50 feet deep,” according to a press release.
The teenager and his friends traveled about 180 feet into the mine shaft and the side of the mountain to explore and rappelled 40 to 50 feet down using a household rope, Cal Fire said.
Upon their ascent back, the rope broke, and the victim fell about 30 feet back to the bottom of the shaft. He attempted to free climb his way back up, but “ultimately lost strength and positioned himself in a precarious ledge awaiting rescuers,” officials said.
Once crews arrived on the scene, the teen’s friends led rescuers to the victim. The Placer County Technical Rescue Team was able to successfully save the teen using a “lightweight, complex rope system and established air monitoring,” Cal Fire said.
The victim was immediately taken to a local trauma center for treatment.
Cal Fire applauded the Placer County rescue team as they were able to “facilitate this technical rescue in a very confined and austere environment 180 feet inside of the mountain.”
“The incident highlights the unique natural hazards ever present within our beautiful and rugged landscape in Placer County,” Cal Fire said. “Our commitment to public safety in these diverse scenarios using highly trained special operations team is paramount in our service to the public.”
The name of the rescued teenager has not yet been released.
(WASHINGTON) — Despite President Donald Trump’s push for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza — a move that, if carried out, would be a violation of international law that some experts and U.S. allies have called ethnic cleansing — he is facing significant pushback from allies and states in the region.
There is “zero possibility” that Palestinians will be forcibly displaced from Gaza and into Jordan and Egypt, one expert told ABC News.
“I see no scenario where this happens,” Brian Katulis, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Middle East Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, told ABC News. “This is their home. They’ve endured so much to stay in their home, even if their home — literal homes, family homes — have been destroyed.”
“It’s a model that just won’t work in today’s Middle East,” Katulis said, referring to the forced displacement of Palestinians.
“The risk is that [this] comes at a very uncertain time with the ceasefire and hostage release deal on thin ice, and it actually serves to distract from the important work of trying to keep that process moving forward — to get hostages released and much-needed aid into the people … and to actually try to move forward to something that is realistic,” Katulis said.
Trump at one point threatened to withdraw aid to Egypt and Jordan if they didn’t agree to take in Palestinians, though less than 24 hours later, he said, “I don’t have to threaten that, I don’t think. I think we’re above that.”
“The point of this is to ostensibly force Egypt and Jordan to accept all of the Palestinians currently living in the Gaza Strip, so they can engage, so the U.S. can annex the territory. I think it’s safe to say it’s a non-starter for the Saudis,” Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, told ABC News.
“The Jordanians, in particular, need the money. They’re not oil rich, and same with Egypt, but in some ways the expectation would be that if Trump actually threatened to cut them off, they would likely turn first to Saudi Arabia and the Emiratis,” Drezner said.
Arab nations quickly rejected Trump’s proposal to forcibly displace Palestinians and relocate them in neighboring states, with several calling it a hard line.
“The Foreign Ministry affirms that Saudi Arabia’s position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering. HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister clearly and unequivocally reaffirmed this stance,” Saudi Arabia said last week, just hours after Trump called for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
As much as a bind Jordan is in, it is unlikely that it would accept anything along the lines of what Trump proposed, Drezner said, adding the proposal is worse than losing the $1.5 billion in annual aid that it receives from the U.S.
“The question is the extent to which the Saudis are willing to bankroll both the Jordanians and the Egyptians,” Drezner said.
“Pay attention to how the Gulf states are reacting to all this, because they’re the ones that are simultaneously most likely to be able to resist Trump’s pressures, and also it will send a regional signal to Egypt and Jordan as to what their options are,” Drezner said.
After Trump’s comments, Egypt expressed its support for the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, calling for the need for a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
As Trump continued to double down on forcing out the Palestinians, Egyptian President Abdelfatah El Sisi announced he will indefinitely postpone his plan to visit Trump at the White House. According to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya News, Sisi said he won’t attend any White House talks if the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza is on the agenda.
“They’re probably trying to figure out how do they reposition themselves in light of Trump’s incendiary remarks, because they come directly at odds with Egypt’s own positions on this issue and its national security interests. And I don’t think they want to be put in any sort of position to actually directly challenge Trump right now until they assess,” Katulis said.
“[Egypt]’s security aid from the U.S. is part of a package that came out of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. And if Trump wants to play games with that, he’s actually going to undercut a lot of America’s long-standing traditional security relationships in the region,” Katulis said.
Egypt also announced it plans to host a meeting with Arab states in Cairo later this month where they will discuss a counterproposal.
After meeting with Trump, King Abdullah of Jordan said in a statement he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position. Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.”
Trump appeared to walk back his threat of withdrawing aid after his meeting this week with King Abdullah resulted in the news that Jordan would take in 2,000 sick Palestinian children for treatment.
“This is a replay of what we’ve seen with regard to threatening Canada and Mexico [with tariffs] — it’s the shining orb strategy. It turns out if you offer Trump like a pretty gaudy but not terribly significant concession, he’ll back down,” Drezner said.
“Jordan can never agree to this — to Trump’s proposal — that would be the end of the regime. And that’s the fundamental thing that I assume someone must have told Donald Trump,” Drezner said.
In addition to opposing the forced displacement of Palestinians, Jordan and Egypt also have strains on their economies and taking in millions of refugees could potentially produce more economic and security challenges.
For the last 20 years, Jordan has faced an influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria, which has strained their economy and their social fabric, according to Katulis.
Egypt’s economy has also faced strains, with the Egyptian pound being depreciated several times in recent years. According to the World Food Programme, from January 2016 to January 2025, the Egyptian pound was devalued by 84.5% relative to the U.S. dollar — a move that governments use to increase its competitiveness or trade balance. And the U.S. dollar appreciated by 543.8% relative to the Egyptian pound during that same time period, based on the official exchange rate, according to the World Food Programme.
Taking in all Palestinians living in Gaza could also pull other countries into a confrontation with Israel, Drezner noted.
“There is no scenario whereby the Palestinians that are displaced are not going to want to return. Essentially, you’re introducing the possibility of violent non-state actors to operate within your territory,” Drezner said.
Other international powers
While Egypt and Jordan are most likely to look to Gulf states for alternate sources of aid, other international actors could also fill a gap created by the U.S. if Trump follows through on his threats.
“I’m not sure Russia is really in all that strong a position, particularly in the Middle East, since they lost their last port [when the regime fell in Syria] and we just saw what happened to Bashar Al Assad. I’m not sure that [Vladimir Putin]’s necessarily a reliable benefactor,” Drezner said.
“It would make much more sense to make a pivot towards China, in no small part because, among other things, China actually has reasons to want to be involved in the region, given their various energy demands,” Drezner said.
But, Jordan and Egypt rely on military supplies from the U.S. and the West.
“The longer-term issue is that you can argue that the militaries in both Jordan and Egypt are a little bit stuck in that they rely primarily on U.S. weaponry. So to engage in a radical pivot means that in some ways you’re also weakening your own coercive apparatus at the same time,” Drezner said.
It would take time before the militaries would be prepared to use weaponry from a different source, and weapons from another source would likely also be incompatible with their existing military stock, according to Drezner.
“It would be hard to pivot to either Russia or China as your primary arms manufacturer,” Drezner said.
(PHILADELPHIA) — Philadelphia Eagles fans flocked to downtown Philadelphia on Friday to celebrate the team’s massive 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The city expects 1 million people to attend Friday’s parade and ceremony — including kids. Philadelphia city offices and Philadelphia public schools are closed for the citywide celebration.
“We look forward to joyfully celebrating the Eagles’ victory as a community, and we hope that you do so safely and responsibly with friends and family,” the school district said in a statement.
The Eagles players’ parade began at 11 a.m. More than 15 Jumbotron screens will be along the parade route to broadcast the celebration live.
The parade will be followed by a ceremony at 2 p.m. on the “Rocky” Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
But if you’re heading to Philadelphia on Friday, make sure to layer up with your Eagles gear.
When the parade begins, gusty winds could reach 20 to 25 mph. The wind chill — what temperature it feels like — will be only 22 degrees.
By 2 p.m., the wind chill is only expected to rise to 27 degrees — much colder than normal for mid-February.
This is the Eagles’ second Super Bowl championship; the team’s first win was in 2018.
The 2025 Eagles parade comes exactly one year after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration during which a mass shooting erupted following a dispute. Paradegoer Lisa Lopez-Galvan was killed and 22 people were hurt.
The Chiefs wrote on social media Friday, “A year ago, on a day intended for celebration and love, our city experienced tragedy in the form of senseless violence. We continue to heal with you as we move forward together.”
(WASHINGTON) — After senior U.S. military officials told Congress they do not know yet how much the surge of active-duty military forces to the southern border with Mexico and the buildup of infrastructure to house thousands of migrants at Guantanamo might end up costing, two Democratic senators on Friday requested more details from the Pentagon.
Following a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday with the commanders of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command, Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting specific details by Feb. 27 regarding the costs, impact on readiness and impact on morale that would result from the new missions along the border and at Guantanamo.
“We are concerned about the Department of Defense’s (DoD) immigration-related operations at the southern border and at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay — including the implications of these operations for the military’s budget, readiness, and morale,” the senators said in the lengthy letter requesting specific details from the Pentagon.
“DoD’s support for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been expensive for American taxpayers, with some DoD expenses costing over three times more than when DHS performs the same function, while also posing “an unacceptable risk” to units’ readiness,” they wrote.
“In all, the Trump administration is militarizing the country’s immigration enforcement system in an apparent attempt to signal toughness,” they added. ” But this political stunt will come at a high cost; it risks diverting DoD’s resources away from its vital mission in ways that compromise our national security.”
At Thursday’s hearing, Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of NORTHCOM, and Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander of SOUTHCOM, were asked about the potential impact on training and readiness for the forces sent to the border and what the financial costs were for the surge as well as the construction of migrant housing at the naval base at Guantanamo, Cuba.
Guillot told the committee that the number of active-duty forces now on the Southern border with Mexico had risen to 5,000 and said he expected the number to continue to rise.
Included in the 5,000 are the additional troops deployed to join the 2,500 federalized National Guardsmen and reservists who had been serving as part of a border mission established by the Trump administration in 2018.
Meanwhile, the most recent deployment to the border took place this week as 500 Army soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, New York, arrived at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, to establish a coordinating headquarters for the border mission. An additional 1,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are awaiting orders to deploy to the border in support of that unit, according to a U.S. official.
Asked about potential costs for the operation on the border, Guillot explained that his command has “not appropriated funds for the Southwest border, and we’ve never had reprogramming or pass through funding. This is all done through the Department Comptroller and the services.”
The NORTHCOM commander also told the committee that he did not believe that the cycling of troops to the southern border would impact any scheduled training exercises being held by his command though he noted there might be a reduction in the one day of weekly training provided to deployed forces conducting jobs outside of their normal specialized roles.
“I think that specifically in the helicopters and in our intel specialties that are conducting missions on the southern border, those are exactly in line with their trained specialty,” said Guillot. “However, there are, I certainly recognize there are areas where they are cross-trained and they are not getting immediate benefit to their primary specialty in about half of those roles.”
At the naval base at Guantanamo, 500 Marines have been deployed to erect tents and facilities that could potentially house as many as 30,000 migrants while they await processing to be returned to their home countries.
Adm. Holsey described the new construction at Guantanamo as a “phased” approach currently targeting housing for up to 2,500 migrants and said the potential expansion to 30,000 migrants would depend on the Department of Homeland Security’s flow of migrants to the base.
“We’re going to build it up and as we understand how large we’ll get, we’ll have a better focus on the price,” said Holey when asked how much those operations could end up costing.
He added that the Department of Homeland Security is providing security for the detained migrants and noted that any current military costs in expanding facilities at the base are coming from the military services’ existing budgets.
According to Holsey, there are currently 93 deported migrants currently housed at Guantanamo, with 63 of them being housed at the main prison facility that used to house hundreds of enemy combatants seized during the War on Terror. The remainder are all being housed in the newly expanded housing that falls under the base’s Migrant Operations Center.
(NEW YORK) — The National Park Service eliminated references to transgender people from its Stonewall National Monument website on Thursday, which now only refers to those who are lesbian, gay and bisexual.
What used to be listed as LGBTQ+, has been changed to LGB.
“Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969, is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement,” the website now says.
The Stonewall Inn in New York City’s Greenwich Village became a national monument in 2016 under former President Barack Obama, creating the country’s first national park site dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969, began in response to a routine police raid on a gay bar, according to the Library of Congress. The conflict spanned multiple nights and drew national attention as bargoers resisted the police.
The Stonewall Inn and the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative told ABC News that it was thanks to the leadership of transgender women who “stood up and stood out and refused to be put into a corner” that the modern LGBTQ equality movement exists.
“In this fight, in this movement, it was also trans people, especially trans women of color, like Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia, Rivera, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, black and brown trans women that stood at the forefront of this movement,” said Angelica Christina, the Board Director of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, in an interview with ABC News. “We would not have pride as we know it today without trans people, without trans women.”
Though LGBTQ+ rights activism existed in various pockets prior to 1969, the incident at Stonewall galvanized and mobilized the community toward increased organizing, experts said. NYPD officials have since apologized for past anti-LGBTQ+ practices and the raid of Stonewall.
“… to come and do this at the Stonewall National Monument and try to erase LGBTQ history, which is American history, is just deplorable and something that we cannot see happen,” co-owner of the Stonewall Inn, Stacy Lentz, told ABC News.
For transgender residents, like Christina, the Stonewall Inn has long been a safe haven.
“The Stonewall bar, which for me, as a native New Yorker, that was one of the first queer, LGBT safe spaces that I turned to in my early 20s,” Christina told ABC News. “It was a space that was welcoming for especially a trans woman like myself, a space that I could exist comfortably and safely and that I knew that I could turn to. And there are so many spaces in especially in New York City, unfortunately, are not safe for trans people.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took to X on Thursday to condemn the change, calling it “cruel and petty.”
“Transgender people play a critical role in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights — and New York will never allow their contributions to be erased,” Hochul said.
The monument’s organizers promised to fight for transgender representation to be restored on the website, saying, that the group “Stands unwaveringly in solidarity with the transgender community and all who fight for full equality, and we will not rest until this grave injustice is corrected.”
The Park Service’s public affairs department, according to the New York Times, said “the agency had taken the actions to carry out an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day in office that was described as ‘restoring biological truth to the federal government’ and a second order signed by the acting secretary of the interior last month.”
Several other references to the transgender community remain on the website, including the founding document for the Stonewall National Monument, historical pages on Rivera and Johnson, and other references to LGBTQ history.
During his first day in the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that there are only “two sexes, male and female,” with the effects of that order being seen from passports to the U.S. military.
“The decision to change ‘LGBTQ’ to ‘LGB’ on the Stonewall National Monument’s National Parks page is yet another example of the Trump administration’s blatant attempts to discriminate against and erase the legacies of transgender and queer Americans,” the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said in a statement on Thursday.
“You can try to erase our history, but we will never forget those who came before us and we will continue to fight for all those who will come after us,” the GLAAD statement added.
The National Parks Conservation Association — an independent, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to national park advocacy — released a statement on the decision Thursday.
“Erasing letters or webpages does not change the history or the contributions of our transgender community members at Stonewall or anywhere else,” program manager Timothy Leonard said. “Stonewall inspires and our parks must continue to include diverse stories that welcome and represent the people that shaped our nation.”
(LOS ANGELES) — One of the strongest storms of the season slammed fire-ravaged Los Angeles with heavy rain on Thursday, sending streams of mud and debris across roadways and sweeping a fire department vehicle off a Malibu road into the ocean, authorities said.
A member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was inside the vehicle when it was swept off the road by a large debris flow and into the ocean, according to the department.
“Fortunately, the member was able to exit his vehicle and reach safety with minor injuries. He was transported to a local hospital as a precaution,” spokesperson Erik Scott said.
The atmospheric river dumped 6.34 inches of rain in Los Angeles County, prompting mudslides in the burn scar areas from last month’s devastating Palisades Fire, Los Angeles ABC station KABC reported.
Videos captured by KABC showed bulldozers pushing streams of muddy sludge out of the roads and firefighters trudging through nearly waist-deep swamps of water and mud.
The storm also brought a line of severe thunderstorms with 70 mph wind gusts to Los Angeles County, and a possible tornado hit a mobile home park near Oxnard, California, about 60 miles from LA.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the city prepared for the storm by clearing catch basins of fire debris, offering residents over 6,500 sandbags, setting up over 7,500 feet of concrete barriers, and having systems in place to capture polluted runoff.
Sheriff’s deputies helped residents prepare with sandbags and passed out mud and debris safety tips, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our homeless outreach teams … are actively notifying individuals living in flood-prone areas like the LA River, Coyote Creek and other key waterways, urging them to relocate.”
Evacuation warnings were announced for parts of fire burn zones, including areas impacted by the Palisades Fire, and an evacuation order was issued for parts of Sierra Madre affected by the Eaton Fire, according to KABC.
All Malibu schools were closed Thursday and Friday, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
The sheriff urged residents to prepare in the event they needed to evacuate.
“Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed numerous, numerous instances in the past of swift-water rescues where people were caught in dangerous, fast-moving water, and obviously, we want to prevent that,” he said.
“Nothing that you have back home is worth your life. If you decide to stay in your property in an evacuated area, debris from the burn scar areas and storm may impede roads, and we may not be able to reach you,” he warned.
Before pummeling LA, the storm first hit Northern California, bringing rain and flash flooding to the San Francisco Bay area.
Further north, the same storm system brought whiteout conditions and car crashes to Interstate 84 in Oregon.
(LONDON and ROME) — Pope Francis is being admitted to hospital on Friday for “necessary tests” and to continue his ongoing bronchitis treatment, the Vatican said.
“This morning, at the end of the audiences, Pope Francis will be admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue in a hospital setting [his] treatment for bronchitis that is still ongoing,” the Vatican said in a statement released on Friday morning.
The Pope had some scheduled private audiences this morning, as he has most days, and will make his way to the hospital after his audiences have been received.
Just last month, Pope Francis fell and injured his arm in his residence, the Vatican said in January.
“Pope Francis suffered a bruise to his right forearm, without fractures,” the Vatican said in a statement in Italian. “The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure.”
The pontiff, 88, was seen in a photo released by the Vatican after the incident with his arm in a soft sling. Earlier this month, Pope Francis tripped while entering the Vatican auditorium for an audience when the handle of his walking stick broke but he was able to stop himself from falling.
The pope often has been known to use a wheelchair or a cane due to bad knees and has fallen twice in the past two months.
Just two days ago during his weekly general audience, Pope Francis paused and said, “me, with my bronchitis, I cannot (read) still” “I hope that next time I can,” before an aide aide finished the reading.
The pope was diagnosed with bronchitis last Thursday.
Friday’s hospitalization comes ahead of a packed schedule of events this weekend to mark the Catholic church’s jubilee year and, as a result of his medical condition, the jubilee audience for Saturday has been cancelled, the Vatican said.
“The Holy Mass on the occasion of the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture on Sunday, Feb. 16, will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, while the meeting with artists, scheduled for Monday at Cinecittà, is cancelled due to the Pope’s inability to attend,” the Vatican confirmed.
