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Daily Archives: January 20, 2025

What Trump Did on Day 1: Executive Orders

Here are list of the most significant moves the president made on Day 1. unpaywalled New York Times – [Note – All Presidential actions are published here]

  • Mr. Trump issued a sweeping grant of clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, issuing pardons to most of the defendants and commuting the sentences of 14 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia, most of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy. The pardon order also directed the Justice Department to dismiss any pending indictments against people facing charges for the riot.
  • Mr. Trump moved to withdraw from the World Health Organization, an act that had been foreshadowed by the president’s frequent attacks against the health agency over its approach to the coronavirus pandemic. Public health experts say that the withdrawal will undermine America’s standing as a global health leader and make it harder to fight the next pandemi
  • A series of orders Mr. Trump signed set off a policy barrage aimed at sealing the nation’s borders to migrants and cracking down on immigrants already in the country. Those orders included a declaration of a national emergency to deploy the military to the border and a bid to cut off birthright citizenship for the children of noncitizens. Many of the orders test the legal limits of his authority, and birthright citizenship in particular is protected by the Constitution.
  • Mr. Trump signed an executive order aimed at delaying a federal ban of TikTok. It is unclear if that order could override the law that banned the social media app, but the measure instructs the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the ban for 75 days.
  • Mr. Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, which would make America one of only four nations — along with Iran, Libya and Yemen — not party to the agreement, under which nations work together to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Mr. Trump ordered a hiring freeze across the federal government that would remain in place pending the completion of a broader plan for reducing the federal work force, and mandating a full-time return to in-office work for government employees. The order singled out the Internal Revenue Service, which received a large financial boost from President Biden and Democrats in Congress, calling for the freeze to stay in place longer for that agency.
  • He gutted racial equity policies and protections for transgender people.
  • Mr. Trump ordered his administration to dismantle federal programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and to gut Biden administration policies that protect transgender Americans.
  • Mr. Trump said he planned to impose a 25 percent tariff on products from Canada and Mexico starting on Feb. 1 because those nations were allowing “mass numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in.” He also said that he “may” impose a universal tariff on all imports, adding that “essentially all countries take advantage of the U.S.”
  • Not included in the Times articleRegulatory Freeze Pending Review – Do not propose or issue any rule in any manner, including by sending a rule to the Office of the Federal Register (the “OFR”), until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2025, reviews and approves the rule.

Who Really Owns the Airbnbs You’re Booking? — Marketing Perception vs Data Analytics Reality

“Over the last 20 years, Airbnb has spent billions on brand building as the authentic, novel and community-led alternative to hotels. But, are they really? In this article, I will use data from InsideAirbnb to reveal Airbnb’s ownership patterns. Then, I’ll walk you through how I came to my conclusions so you can do the… Continue Reading

First Lawsuits Filed Against Trump Administration For DOGE

MediasTouch: “The first lawsuits against the incoming Trump Administration have already been filed by several non-profit groups which allege that the Department of Government Efficiency “DOGE” violates federal transparency laws. The lawsuits allege that DOGE fails to comply with various transparency and ethics requirements as prescribed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act. DOGE is not… Continue Reading

The Powerful AI Tool That Cops (or Stalkers) Can Use to Geolocate Photos in Seconds

404 Media: “A powerful AI tool can predict with high accuracy the location of photos based on features inside the image itself—such as vegetation, architecture, and the distance between buildings—in seconds, with the company now marketing the tool to law enforcement officers and government agencies. Called GeoSpy, made by a firm called Graylark Technologies out… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 18, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 18, 2025 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading

FTC Surveillance Pricing Study – Wide Range of Personal Data Used to Set Individualized Consumer Prices

“The agency details interim insights from staff perspective examining how companies track consumer behaviors to inform surveillance pricing. The Federal Trade Commission’s initial findings from its surveillance pricing market study revealed that details like a person’s precise location or browser history can be frequently used to target individual consumers with different prices for the same… Continue Reading

Protecting Your Home From Wildfire

California Chaparral Institute: Please download our comprehensive booklet on wildfire safety that explains how you can take control of saving your home. From The House Outward – Protecting your Home From Wildfire THE 3 FACTORS 1. Flying embers ignite most homes, because most homes are flammable. 2. It’s not the wildland vegetation, it’s the location.… Continue Reading

Perplexity acquires Read.cv, a social media platform for professionals

TechCrunch: “Read.cv, a social media platform for professionals that competed with LinkedIn, has been acquired by AI-powered search engine Perplexity. As part of the deal, Read.cv will begin to wind down operations Friday. Users will be able to export their data, including their profiles, posts, and messages, until May 16. “We’ve long admired Perplexity and… Continue Reading

Lawsuit accuses Amazon of secretly tracking consumers through cellphones

Reuters via MSN: “Amazon.com was sued on Wednesday by consumers who accused the retailing giant of secretly tracking their movements through their cellphones, and selling data it collects. According to a proposed class action in San Francisco federal court, Amazon obtained “backdoor access” to consumers’ phones by providing tens of thousands of app developers with… Continue Reading

Top financial watchdog warns climate change set to trigger market panics

Financial Times – “Basel-based FSB says damage caused by floods, droughts and fires threatens broader pullback in lending, “The world’s financial stability watchdog has warned that disasters caused by climate change are increasingly likely to trigger broader panic in financial markets. The world breached 1.5C of warming above preindustrial levels for the first time last… Continue Reading

ProPublica Releases New Private School Demographics Lookup

“Now you can look up detailed demographic information about thousands of private schools across the country and compare them to nearby public schools. Private schools in the United States are, on the whole, whiter than public schools, with fewer Black, Hispanic or Latino students. This may not be a surprising statistic because private schools can… Continue Reading

Wikenigma – an Encyclopedia of Unknowns

Wikenigma is a unique wiki-based resource specifically dedicated to documenting fundamental gaps in human knowledge. Listing scientific and academic questions to which no-one, anywhere, has yet been able to provide a definitive answer. [ 1139 so far ] That’s to say, a compendium of so-called ‘Known Unknowns’. All articles are open for registered users to… Continue Reading