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Forecaster Opens Access to Real-Time Data in Boost for Extreme Weather Warnings (Maria)

The author writes, “Europe’s top weather forecaster said on Wednesday it had opened access to real-time data in a move that will support early warning systems for extreme weather events across the globe. As climate change drives more frequent and intense weather, from heatwaves to floods and storms, getting access to quality data remains a central part of efforts to understand and manage the risks.”

ICE Will Continue Enforcement Amid Shutdown, While Other Parts of Nation’s Immigration System May Slow (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “ICE will continue to conduct immigration arrests and detentions during the government shutdown. Other aspects of the nation’s immigration system may slow, depending on the particular agency or duty. The Trump administration has made Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations a top priority, notes the American Immigration Council’s Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, pouring dollars and people into its effort to bolster agency activities. Most ICE work is deemed ‘essential’ and will continue whether or not the rest of the federal government is operating.”

Billions in Taxpayer Dollars Have Become Virtually Untraceable (Reader Pat)

From NOTUS: “Across federal agencies, the Trump administration’s aggressive slash-and-burn approach to federal programs, grants and contracts has repeatedly challenged Congress’ power of the purse. The administration has claimed it has the discretion to redirect funds to programs aligned with Trump’s agenda — and Republican congressional leaders have largely let them do it. The outcome: Billions in taxpayer dollars have become virtually untraceable — a level of opaqueness in government funds that’s raising questions around the legality of the administration’s actions.”

Trump Administration Knocks Out at Least 15 Oversight Websites, Saying IGs ‘Lied To the Public’ (Gerry)

From Defense One: “At least 15 government oversight websites were down — and with them, access to watchdog reports and required hotline and whistleblower links — as of Wednesday evening. That’s not due to the federal shutdown that began at midnight; it’s a deliberate move by the White House, whose Office of Management and Budget is withholding funds from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, or CIGIE.” 

The Trump Administration Is Coming for Nonprofits. They’re Getting Ready (Sean)

The author writes, “As the Trump administration threatens them, liberal nonprofits have been quietly preparing to do everything from surrendering 501(c)(3) status to relocating outside the US.”

The New Deal Masterpieces Threatened by Trump’s DC Downsizing (DonkeyHotey)

From The New Republic: “Last Friday, the Voice of America’s Washington staff … received a text from H.R. stating that they’ll be relocated ‘as quickly as possible’ out of their present headquarters. The reason is that the General Services Administration, which manages property for the federal government, wants to move fast to sell the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building. … Today I want to tell a different story — one that hasn’t been covered by anybody. It’s about that decrepit government building. Before your government sells it off — more than likely at a fire-sale price, because our real estate–genius president is trying, all at once, to sell multiple government buildings into a historically depressed post-Covid commercial market — you should know that it contains probably the most distinguished sample of New Deal–era public art in all of Washington, D.C. — one whose existence is among the capital’s best-kept secrets.”

Jane Goodall, the Gentle Disrupter Whose Research on Chimpanzees Redefined What It Meant To Be Human (Dana)

From The Conversation: “Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of pioneering animal behavior scholar Jane Goodall.”