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US Federal Workers Hit Back at Mass Firings With Class Action Complaints (Maria)
The author writes, “US government employees who have been fired in the Trump administration’s purge of recently hired workers are responding with class action-style complaints claiming that the mass firings are illegal and tens of thousands of people should get their jobs back. Lawyers at two firms said on Thursday that they had filed six appeals with the federal Merit Systems Protection Board since last week and, along with other law firms, plan to bring about 15 more on an agency-by-agency basis on behalf of large groups of workers who were fired in recent weeks.”
The Law Everyone Is Suddenly Turning to Because of DOGE (Sean)
From Politico: “A rarely tested 50-year-old law meant to protect sensitive information on millions of Americans is becoming a last-ditch tool to slow Elon Musk’s push to disrupt the federal government. At least a dozen lawsuits trying to stop the billionaire’s Department of Government Efficiency from tapping into tax records, student loan accounts and other troves of personal data have invoked the Privacy Act of 1974 since January. The Watergate-inspired law ostensibly prevents agencies from sharing sensitive information with unauthorized parties, even within the federal government — exactly what many of Musk’s critics allege DOGE is forcing them to do.”
Trump Celebrates After Killing Anti-Money-Laundering Law (Dana)
From The New Republic: “Donald Trump is celebrating his administration’s move to ignore a law that targeted money laundering. … In effect, the government will no longer require shell companies to disclose their owners and beneficiaries, allowing wealthy corporations and individuals to hide their profits from the public.”
Grow a Spine: Democrats Have a Lot to Learn From the German Left (Laura)
The author writes, “The [German] election results undermine claims that the left must embrace ‘anti-woke’ positions if we are to challenge the racist far-right. One German party specifically deployed this strategy and failed to win enough votes to enter parliament.”
US Employers Cut More Jobs Last Month Than Any February Since 2009 (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “The Trump administration’s massive federal cuts and swelling feelings of economic uncertainty helped fuel a recession-level spike in layoff plans last month, new data showed Thursday. US-based employers last month announced plans to slash 172,017 jobs, a 103% increase from a year ago and the highest February total since 2009, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’s latest monthly job cuts report released Thursday. It’s the 12th highest monthly total in the 32 years Challenger has been tracking job cuts. The 11 others (four came during the Covid-19 pandemic) all occurred when the US was in a recession, Challenger data shows.”
Why Calgary Reversed Its Decision on Fluoride After 10 Years (Reader Jim)
From DentistryIQ: “After a decade without fluoride, Calgary had seen enough. The city’s reversal offers a critical perspective for communities debating the future of water fluoridation.”
Playing Soccer and Navigating the War in Gaza on a Team of Arabs and Jews (Russ)
From The Washington Post: “Bnei Sakhnin is the most famous Arab team in the Israeli Premier League. For 16 months of war, players struggled not to fall apart.”
Killer Whales Amaze Seattle Onlookers With a Rarely Seen Bird Hunt (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. The pod of Bigg’s killer whales visited Elliott Bay and were seemingly on a hunt underwater just off Seattle’s maritime industrial docks. The pod exited the bay close to the West Seattle neighborhood across from downtown, where people were waiting to catch sight of them.”
