Maya Nir

The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability

Maya Nir — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:00:09 +0000

This Anti-Corruption Tracker focuses on the erosion or dismantling of oversight and accountability systems within the United States Executive Branch—watchdog offices closed, enforcement units disbanded, oversight officials removed, and transparency rules hollowed out. These changes don’t always make headlines, but together, they create a more permissive environment for corruption and abuse of power to take root.

Tensions between the exercise of power and its oversight exist in every administration. What sets the current moment apart is the scale and coordination of changes that undermine the systems meant to detect, deter, and document abuse of power. This tracker includes, for example, firing inspectors general and independent agency heads, pausing or narrowing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, disbanding key investigative and prosecutive units, and asserting greater presidential control over independent agencies—moves that significantly reduce internal accountability mechanisms and shift power toward political appointees.

While some of these changes may reflect real reform goals, taken cumulatively, they change not just how – but whether – use of power is scrutinized and constrained, and, ultimately, whether it is exercised in the public interest.

Each entry below includes a date, short description, and additional context of why the change matters. Key topics include:

This is a regularly updated document. If we’ve missed something, let us know at LTE@justsecurity.org. You can find more about our overall approach to the tracker and our corresponding series here.

Date Of Action	Topics	Action	Additional Context	Government Entity
2026-01-08	Enforcement Priorities	Vice President J.D. Vance announces the creation of a new Assistant Attorney General (AAG) position and DOJ division focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud nationwide. According to Vance, the position would be “run out of the White House,” and answer directly to himself and President Trump. Per the accompanying White House Fact Sheet, the new DOJ division will “enforce the Federal criminal and civil laws against fraud targeting Federal government programs, Federally funded benefits, business nonprofits, and private citizens nationwide.”	There are 11 congressionally-authorized AAG positions as set forth in 28 USC § 506. Creation of an entirely new DOJ Division has historically required congressional authority, and it is unclear whether the administration will seek this authority.	Executive Office of the President (EOP); Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-12-16	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	Democratic members of Congress send an oversight letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting information about what they characterize as an improper pattern of favorable DOJ actions on behalf of her brother, Brad Bondi, and his clients.	The letter alleges favorable DOJ interventions, dismissals, and other outcomes in matters involving clients of Brad Bondi. The letter asserts DOJ has repeatedly intervened in litigation or dismissed criminal cases involving clients represented by Brad Bondi. These outcomes, the lawmakers argue, “consistently favor” those clients and raise doubts about DOJ’s impartiality and compliance with federal ethics rules.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-12-10	Enforcement Priorities	U.S. Customs and Immigration Services launches the previously-announced Trump Gold Card visa program, enabling foreigners to pay $1 million (or for a company to pay $2 million to sponsor a foreigner) for expedited permanent residency.	EB-5 visas were created in 1990 as a method for immigrants to obtain green cards if they invested at least $800,000 to $1 million in a company that employs at least 10 people. The administration’s new “Gold Card” program departs from this framework by eliminating the job-creation requirement and permitting individuals to obtain expedited permanent residency through a direct payment of $1 million (or $2 million if paid by a sponsoring company), rather than through an investment tied to employment outcomes.	U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS)
2025-11-18	Federal Workforce	During a conference call with more than 200 agency HR leaders, a senior advisor at the Office Personnel Management (OPM) says that the final Schedule Policy/Career regulations will cite “accountability to the president” as grounds for stripping tens of thousands of career federal employees of their civil service protections.	Reinstated in January 2025, Schedule Policy/Career is a new job classification that will convert career policy-related positions into at-will positions, effectively eliminating civil service protections (such as those affecting rights after termination) for tens of thousands of federal workers.	Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
2025-11-14	Enforcement Priorities	FBI director Kash Patel waives polygraph exam requirement for newly hired FBI Deputy Director, Dan Boningo, and two senior FBI staff, Marshall Yates and Nicole Rucker.	According to the FBI’s employment guidelines, all employees must obtain a “Top Secret” security clearance, which includes a polygraph test. Polygraph tests are part of the broader background check conducted on all potential FBI employees, used to vet whether candidates’ pose any national security or suitability concerns. These security measures safeguard sensitive intelligence information. While polygraph results are not determinative and have recognized limitations, the exam remains a mandatory element of FBI clearance adjudication. These waivers appear to be a departure from the normal FBI vetting process.	Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
2025-11-5	Federal Workforce	OPM and OMB publish guidance requiring agencies to create Strategic Hiring Committees led by, and composed of a majority of, non-career officials.	The guidance—which follows Executive Order 14356, “Ensuring Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring” —directs that any hiring plan be consistent with administration priorities, agency needs, and the Merit Hiring plan.	Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
2025-11-03	Federal Workforce	The FBI fires four agents who worked on former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team that investigated President Trump. Two of those agents were later informed that the terminations were being rescinded. Several other agents were also terminated, only to later have those firings reversed.	Since January, dozens of FBI agents, prosecutors, and support personnel who worked on Smith’s investigation or handled cases investigating individuals involved in the January 6 attack have been fired from the Justice Department. These firings are a part of a larger pattern of reprisals of Justice Department personnel who the Trump administration considers partisan. According to the FBI Agents Association, “Director Patel has disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution.”	Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
2025-11-03	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	Joe Allen, the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) acting inspector general, is removed from his role.	FHFA is an independent agency created in 2008 and charged with regulating Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Joe Allen’s removal follows a series of controversial actions by FHFA Director Bill Pulte. Under Pulte’s leadership, the agency has issued public criminal referrals targeting several of the former president’s political opponents, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, and California Senator Adam Schiff. Allen was notified of his termination shortly after attempting to share key information with federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia and while preparing to alert Congress that the FHFA was refusing to cooperate with its Inspector General’s Office.	Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
2025-10-30	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	The Trump administration fires roughly a dozen officials within Fannie Mae’s ethics and internal investigations unit.	Fannie Mae is the government-backed mortgage giant under the control of FHFA. The Fannie Mae ethics team investigated complaints that come in through a tip line, including allegations of internal fraud or the illegal use of funds. According to people familiar with the matter, the officials had been probing if Trump appointee Bill Pulte had improperly obtained mortgage records of key Democratic officials, including New York Attorney General Letitia James. The unit’s shrinking is part of a 62-person reduction in force, as the Trump administration considers an initial public offering of shares in the company, and follows the firing of Fannie Mae’s chief ethics officer. The general counsel also recently stepped down after reportedly being pressured by leadership.	Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)
2025-10-29	Federal Workforce	President Trump fires all six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, an independent federal agency that was expected to review some of President Trump’s construction projects, including the new ballroom and Arch.	The Commission, established by Congress in 1910, is charged with providing expert design advice and public-interest oversight of federal construction in the D.C. area. White House officials have traditionally sought the agency’s approval, although it is not clear whether their approval was necessary for the East Wing ballroom and the triumphal arch. President Trump reportedly plans to appoint a new slate of members to the commission that are “more aligned with President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies,” per an official. Biden in 2021 fired Trump appointees from both the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, with Biden administration officials at the time defending the moves as an effort to diversify the panels. It was the first time in the commissions’ history that a president had forced out sitting members, drawing some criticism from art and architecture experts that Biden was politicizing its work.	Commission of Fine Arts
2025-10-21	Enforcement Priorities	New reporting reveals that President Trump has submitted demands that the Justice Department pay him roughly $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him.	In late 2023 and summer 2024, President Trump submitted administrative claims to the Justice Department on a “Standard Form 95,” which is used to see if a settlement can be reached without a lawsuit in federal court. This type of settlement must be approved by the Deputy Attorney General or Associate Attorney General, according to Justice Department regulations, both of whom have defended Trump or individuals associated with the President prior to joining the Department.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-10-15	Federal Workforce	President Trump issues Executive Order 14356, “Ensuring Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring,” restricting agencies from filling vacant positions or creating new ones unless approved under the Order or required by law. The E.O. requires all hiring to comply with the administration’s Merit Hiring Plan and directs each agency to establish a Strategic Hiring Committee to approve any hiring actions.	The E.O. requires that agencies submit an Annual Staffing Plan to OPM and OMB, prioritizing positions aligned with administration priorities and reducing “low-value” contractor roles. It also imposes new reporting requirements and bars agencies from using contracting to circumvent hiring restrictions. The E.O. exempts certain political, national-security, and public-safety positions.	Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
2025–10–15	Federal Workforce	President Trump reportedly removes the Inspector General of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM).	Parisa Salehi, who had been the Inspector General of EXIM since 2022, had previously served in senior roles in IG offices within the State Department and USAID. She reportedly received a notice that her firing was effective immediately due to the administration’s “changing priorities.” The removal occurred without the White House providing Congress with advance notification or a rationale for the firing.	Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)
2025-10-07	Enforcement Priorities	FBI Director Kash Patel announces that the FBI’s public corruption squad, known as CR15, has been “dismantled.”	The public corruption squad, which operated out of the Washington Field Office, was reportedly the unit that helped special counsel Jack Smith in his investigation into President Donald Trump. Note: On May 1, 2025, FBI announced it was dismantling CR15, but the individual agents were not fired until Oct. 7.	Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
2025-09-30	Enforcement Priorities	The DOJ reportedly plans to split the tax division into the Civil and Criminal divisions, and likewise, split the Consumer Protection Branch (CPB) between the Civil and Criminal Divisions.	Tax Division Split The Tax Division oversaw federal criminal and civil tax enforcement. Previously, the Tax Division had to approve the opening of certain tax cases “to achieve uniform, broad, and balanced criminal tax enforcement.” Under the reorganization, tax cases are now split between the civil and criminal division, without a central authority overseeing such prosecutions. It is too early to tell the effects of this change, although some warn that the general loss of expertise through attorney departures and other potential changes could affect “the future of tax enforcement.” CPB Dismantling Like with the Tax Division reorganization, it is too early to tell the effects of the splitting of CPB, as the Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch will now handle most of the civil cases previously handled by CPB, such as consumer fraud, healthcare fraud, veterans fraud, deceptive practices, and violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-09-29	Federal Workforce	At least a third of senior career leaders have reportedly left the Justice Department since the start of President Trump’s second term.	These reportedly include at least 107 career Justice Department senior managers in the span of eight months, out of roughly 320 career leadership positions immediately below presidential appointees. The divisions hit the hardest include those enforcing civil rights, immigration, and environmental laws. Political appointees routinely change over when new presidents take office, but it is very rare for career members of the Senior Executive Service. Analysts warn this “brain drain” will take generations to rebuild, weakening DOJ’s institutional memory and capacity for independent enforcement.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-09-20	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) moves to block funding to the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), forcing the government’s inspector general council to suspend its work.	CIGIE serves as the coordinating body for 72 inspectors general across the federal government. It provides training, conducts peer reviews, and facilitates cross-agency oversight, while also managing Oversight.gov, the portal for whistleblower disclosures and public access to inspector general reports. OMB justifies its decision to block funding to CIGIE on the grounds that inspectors general have become “corrupt, partisan, and in some cases, have lied to the public.” In response, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), send a letter to OMB Director Russ Vought calling on OMB to reverse its decision to withhold apportionments for CIGIE. Note: As of Oct. 1, 2025, at least 15 government oversight websites run by CIGIE were down, although it is not clear if this is due to the government shutdown or a more long-term shutdown. CIGIE’s homepage was replaced with a single line of text: “Due to a lack of apportionment of funds, this website is currently unavailable.” With the websites gone, so is access to the reports of those offices as well as legally required hotlines for whistleblowers.	Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE)
2025-09-20	Enforcement Priorities	Trump demands Attorney General Bondi prosecute political opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey, Rep. Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, in Truth Social posts. Trump calls on Bondi to act immediately, writing that “[w]e can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT.”	The post marks one of President Trump’s clearest attempts to override norms that have typically insulated federal prosecutorial decisions from direct presidential intervention. Legal experts warn that such directives undermine the Justice Department’s independence and erode longstanding guardrails against politicized prosecutions. Note: On Sept. 25, 2025, the DOJ indicted James Comey for making false statements and obstructing justice.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-08-25	Federal Workforce	The DOJ reportedly dismantles apolitical career hiring practices within its Civil Rights Division.	According to six current and former Justice Department attorneys, the prior practice of entrusting civil rights hiring decisions to career officials was specifically intended to safeguard the process from political interference. Since 2008, DOJ’s Civil Rights Division has used a merit-based hiring committee to insulate career attorney recruitment from political influence, following findings that earlier politicization violated federal civil service law. According to Bloomberg Law, the Trump administration is unwinding this system and returning hiring authority to political appointees.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-08-25	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump announces the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, citing allegations of mortgage fraud.	Trump claims Cook provided conflicting information about her personal primary residence on separate mortgage applications, constituting “sufficient cause” for dismissal. Cook, who has not been charged with mortgage fraud and denies wrongdoing, responds that the president has “no authority” to fire her and that she will not resign. Experts question the legal basis for Cook’s removal, noting that the Federal Reserve Act only allows termination “for cause,” and no modern president has ever attempted to fire a sitting Fed governor. Analysts warn that the move could undermine confidence in the central bank’s independence.	Federal Reserve
2025-08-18	Enforcement Priorities	Roger Alford, the former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in DOJ’s Antitrust Division, publicly accuses aides to Attorney General Pam Bondi of undermining the independence of antitrust enforcement.	Alford alleges that Attorney General Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle and senior aide Stanley Woodward intervened in the DOJ’s merger review of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s acquisition of Juniper Networks. Alford said the aides favored lobbyists and “MAGA friends” during settlement negotiations, resulting in a weak enforcement outcome. Alford, who served in the first Trump administration, urged a federal court to scrutinize the settlement and block the merger, noting that he “experienced nothing remotely like this” when he served at the DOJ the last time.” He and another top DOJ antitrust official, William Rinner, were reportedly fired after objecting to the political interference.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-08-08	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly fires three senior career FBI officials, including former Acting Director Brian Driscoll, via summary letters delivered by subordinates.	The three officials later file a complaint alleging the removals violated their Due Process rights and statutory rights guaranteed by the FBI Senior Executive Service and were part of a campaign to enforce political loyalty. The complaint further describes a culture of politicization and dysfunction at the FBI since President Trump’s inauguration.	Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
2025-08-01	Transparency and Public Access	Michael Seidel, longtime head of the FBI’s FOIA unit, is reportedly pushed out following internal disagreement over the process related to the Epstein files.	Seidel was Chief of the FBI’s Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS) and was reportedly given the option to retire or be fired after resisting political pressure related to the disclosure process of a high-profile internal review led by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel of the Epstein files.	Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
2025-07-25	Federal Workforce	April Falcon Doss is fired from her position as General Counsel for the National Security Agency (NSA).	The NSA General Counsel serves as the agency’s chief legal officer—a senior civil service role intended to be nonpartisan and protected from political interference. Doss was dismissed following criticism amplified by conservative activist Laura Loomer, who reposted a Daily Wire article accusing Doss of partisan behavior. The firing of Doss raises concerns about escalating politicization of legal roles within national security agencies.	National Security Agency (NSA)
2025-07-22	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	The administration has reportedly moved to block the Government Accountability Office (GAO) from investigating its withholding of federal funds, with support from Republican members of Congress.	The GAO enforces a post-Watergate statute called the Impoundment Act that bars the executive branch from defying congressional spending directives. In response to scrutiny, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought has defended the administration’s actions as efforts to manage taxpayer funds more efficiently and criticized the GAO, calling it a “a quasi-independent arm of the legislative branch that played a partisan role in the first-term impeachment hoax.” At the same time, House Republicans have introduced legislation to significantly weaken GAO’s capacity—proposing to slash its budget by half—a move that could gut its staff and curtail its ability to oversee federal spending.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-07-18	Federal Workforce	Carolyn Feinstein, forensic accountant working in the U.S. Trustee program at the Department of Justice is fired, leaving large portions of the state of Texas without federal auditing coverage for bankruptcy cases	Feinstein’s termination followed mounting attention from right-wing media due to an app her husband created—ICEBlock—which tracked the movement of immigration enforcement agents in real time. Although Feinstein herself had no involvement in the app, her firing reportedly came after pressure from Attorney General Pam Bondi and Border Czar Tom Homan. The decision raises concerns about politically motivated retaliation and the weakening of nonpartisan civil service protections, particularly in technical roles unrelated to immigration policy.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-07-17	Federal Workforce	President signs an executive order creating a new classification of non-career federal workers, “Schedule G” employees, to expand the number of non-career political appointees within federal agencies.	The order allows agencies to reclassify a broader range of roles as “policy-determining” or “policy-influencing,” enabling political appointees to fill positions that have historically been staffed by career civil servants. Analysts warn that Schedule G, like its predecessor Schedule F, could disempower the apolitical, merit-based civil service and weaken the institutional independence necessary for objective governance.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-07-13	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	Attorney General Pam Bondi dismisses the DOJ’s Director of its Ethics Office, the senior DOJ official responsible for overall leadership of the department’s ethics program.	The Director serves as Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO), the top department official responsible for counseling senior political appointees on ethics and conflict-of-interest rules. The Director oversees the entire agency ethics program, provides guidance on certifying senior officials’ financial disclosures, issues recusal and conflict-of-interest guidance, and serves as DOJ’s liaison to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The removal follows a broader personnel shake-up all linked to former Special Counsel Jack Smith.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-06-10	Enforcement Priorities	Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announces new guidelines for FCPA investigations. Enforcement resumes but with a narrower scope focused on U.S. economic and national security interests.	The new guidelines emphasize that new FCPA investigations require senior approval and reprioritize enforcement toward serious bribery threats connected to national security interests, while reducing emphasis on routine or low-level cases. Specifically, the new guidance directs prosecutors to: limit the “undue burden on American companies operating abroad;” target enforcement actions against conduct that directly undermines US national interests; focus on cases involving criminal conduct by individuals; proceed expeditiously; and, consider collateral impacts throughout the investigation and resolution process.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-06-10	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	Cara Petersen, the acting Enforcement Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), resigns. Petersen notes, “I have served under every Director and Acting Director in the Bureau’s history and never before have I seen the ability to perform our core mission so under attack.”	The CFPB, established by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis to investigate banking fraud and supervise banking services to individual customers using retail services. It broadened the scope of its supervision in 2024 to technology firms that provide digital payment services: Google Pay, Apple Pay, Venmo, Samsung Pay, Cash App, and PayPal.	Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
2025-05-29	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump nominates Paul Ingrassia, a former far-right podcast host and conservative commentator, to serve as head of the Office of the Special Counsel.	Ingrassia is known for inflammatory statements on social media, including a 2021 post supporting the use of martial law to overturn the 2020 Presidential election. Members of Congress and government watchdog groups expressed alarm at the nomination, warning that Ingrassia lacks the experience, temperament, and nonpartisan integrity required to lead a key government watchdog office. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. Its authority comes from four statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Hatch Act (which restricts partisan political activity by federal employees), and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). OSC’s primary mission is to safeguard the federal merit system by protecting employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, including coercing political activity, nepotism, and retaliation for whistleblowing. It also serves as a secure channel for employees to report government wrongdoing and enforces employment protections for military service members under USERRA.	Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
2025-05-29	Federal Workforce	The White House Office of Personnel Management introduces a new Hiring Plan that requires agencies to add new assessment and essay questions that will test career applicants’ support for the president’s Executive Orders and other policies, and requires a senior-level political appointee to oversee the hiring process instead of a career supervisor.	The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was created in 1979 as part of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. It sets presidential priorities across the federal workforce, administers USAJOBS, conducts background investigations, and manages federal retirement and insurance benefits. By centralizing hiring authority under political appointees, introducing ideologically driven assessments, and restricting data collection, the OPM’s new Merit Hiring Plan could enable bipartisan favoritism and weaken accountability.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-05-27	Transparency and Public Access	Employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs are reportedly required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in preparation for significant staffing cuts.	NDAs of this kind are rare for this kind of personnel matter. Federal employees already have a duty to not disclose pre-decisional matters to the public. A House Oversight committee inquiry notes that extending agreements beyond an employee’s tenure “could chill employees from disclosing violations of waste, fraud, and abuse.” Others note that this is part of a growing trend of secrecy across the federal government.	Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
2025-05-15	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	The FBI disbands its public corruption squad in the Washington Field Office, known internally as “CR15.” Though the Bureau indicated that public corruption investigations will continue, cases will now be handled by other units without a dedicated squad.	CR15 specialized in probing major public corruption, including alleged misconduct by members of Congress and investigations tied to the Capitol riot. The FBI says that investigations will continue through other field units.	Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
2025-05-14	Transparency and Public Access	Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fires two members of the National Intelligence Council who reportedly helped facilitate the FOIA release of an intelligence assessment that determined that the Tren de Aragua gang does not take orders from or operate in close coordination with the Maduro government.	Some suggest this firing was punishment for providing information that does not support the administration’s agenda. Retaliation against these officials has the potential to have a chilling effect on FOIA offices and on independent and objective intelligence across the government.	Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
2025-05-01	Transparency and Public Access	President Trump signs Executive Order 14290, titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” halting direct funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).	Under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, Congress allocates federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), to help support and expand non-commercial broadcasting in the United States. The statute does not grant the president or any other agency purview over the CPB.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-05-01	Enforcement Priorities	The DOJ reportedly suspends the long-standing policy requiring the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) to review and approve all public-corruption prosecutions, and has reassigned oversight of election-fraud, including allegations of election disinformation, cases away from PIN.	The PIN review requirement was designed to add an internal check against politically motivated or unfounded indictments of public officials. Eliminating this safeguard could leave charging decisions more vulnerable to political influence.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-04-24	Federal Workforce	President Trump issues an executive order expanding the ground on which agencies may fire probationary employees.	Previously, probationary employees (those in their first year of federal employment or first one to two years after promotion) could only be dismissed for poor performance or misconduct. The new order allows removal if an employee’s continued service is deemed inconsistent with agency “needs, goals, and efficiency.” Agencies must now certify affirmatively that retaining a probationary employee serves the public interest. Analysts warn that the change may be unlawful and may circumvent the Civil Service Reform Act. Note: in Sept. 2025, a District Court Judge rules that related probationary employee firings were unlawful.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-04-23	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump issues an executive memorandum directing the DOJ, in consultation with the Treasury, to investigate ActBlue, a major fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns.	The directive marks a notable expansion of White House involvement in DOJ-led campaign finance investigations. Recent reporting highlights concern among legal experts and lawmakers about a shift away from longstanding norms that seek to insulate prosecutorial decisions from political influence.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-04-23	Federal Workforce	The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issues a proposed rule to revive and rename “Schedule F,” a Trump-era personnel category that would convert thousands of career civil servants into at-will employees. The proposal follows Executive Order 14171 and renames the classification “Schedule Policy/Career.”	The new proposed Schedule Policy/Career designation would apply to civil servants involved in “policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating” roles. While these employees would still be hired through merit-based processes, they would no longer be protected by Title 5 procedures governing discipline and removal—effectively rendering them at-will employees that serve at the pleasure of the President.	Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
2025-04-11	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announces a multi-year settlement with four major law firms—Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and A&O Shearman Sterling—under which the firms affirm “merit-based” hiring, promotion, and retention; agree to discontinue any policies previously branded as “DEI”; and accept ongoing EEOC compliance monitoring.	This action follows Acting EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas’ March 17, 2025 letters questioning the legality of private law firms’ DEI fellowships and affinity-group practices. A bipartisan group of former officials and others write that similar orders and actions risk chilling the independence of the legal profession.	Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
2025-04-09	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump signs a new memorandum, “Addressing Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship,” directing every federal agency to revoke any security clearance held by former CISA Director Chris Krebs and his associates and orders a review of Krebs’ leadership of CISA and its activities since 2018.	The memorandum was issued four years after Krebs publicly declared the 2020 election “the most secure in American history,” contradicting President Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud. The text accuses Krebs of having “weaponized” his former office and labels him a “significant bad‑faith actor.” Mainstream coverage and fact‑checks describe the directive as a direct retaliation for Krebs’s election‑security assessment.  Analysts warn that using clearance revocations and retroactive probes in response to such statements could chill future officials from offering candid advice on election integrity.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-04-09	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump signs Executive Order, “Addressing Risks from Susman Godfrey LLP,” directing clearance suspensions, federal-contract reviews, and access limits similar to earlier law-firm orders.	This order is one of several executive actions targeting major U.S. law firms for prior legal work the President described as personally detrimental. A bipartisan group of former officials and others write that such orders risk chilling the independence of the legal profession.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-04-09	Enforcement Priorities	Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issues a Department-wide memorandum that (1) no taxpayer funds may be used for travel to or engagement with American Bar Association events and (2) DOJ employees, “when acting in their official capacities,” may not speak at, attend, or otherwise participate in ABA-hosted functions prohibits taxpayer funds from paying for any travel to or engagement with American Bar Association (ABA) events.	Blanche states the restriction is warranted because the ABA is in active litigation against the Department. The ABA has long served as a major convening body for the legal profession, with senior DOJ officials routinely attending in its events. In granting a preliminary injunction against a related grant termination, Judge Cooper (D.D.C.) observed that Blanche “candidly explained” the memo was issued in direct response to the ABA’s lawsuit and held that DOJ’s actions likely violate the First Amendment’s ban on reprisals for protected petitioning activity.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-04-07	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	The Department of Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) announces a reorganization that consolidates its Region and Corporate Audit Directorates with the goal of improving the agency’s “operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”	The DCAA, established in 1965, conducts audits and provides financial advisory services for government contracts. Its primary purpose is to prevent corruption and safeguard taxpayer dollars spent in government contracts for defense-related expenses.	Department of Defense (DOD)
2025-04-07	Enforcement Priorities	Deputy Attorney General Blanche ends the Department’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) effective immediately.	NCET was established in February 2022 to investigate and prosecute serious cryptocurrency crimes, including fraud, money laundering, and illicit finance tied to cartels and terrorist organizations. Under Blanche’s April 7, 2025 memo titled “Ending Regulation by Prosecution,” the DOJ will shift focus away from prosecuting exchanges and wallet providers for regulatory violations. The memo states that enforcement will continue against defrauders, and those using crypto for terrorism, cartels, hacking, or human trafficking.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-04-03	Transparency and Public Access	Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly cuts public records teams at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies within the department as part of sweeping layoffs in his “radical transparency” initiative.	Those offices were responsible for handling public information and compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) —including responding to records requests and safeguarding personal data. As of May 2025, a few of the team members from the FDA were reportedly rehired without an explanation given for the reinstatement.	Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
2025-04-02	Enforcement Priorities	The administration declines to appoint a Coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption and disbands the team responsible for leading implementation of the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption.	The position of Global Anti-Corruption Coordinator was created to lead international efforts against kleptocracy, illicit finance, and transnational corruption, and to implement the first-ever U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption, released in 2021.	Department of State
2025-04-02	Enforcement Priorities	Two senior officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s FCPA unit—Charles Cain (the unit’s chief since 2017) and Tracy Price (the unit’s deputy chief since 2018)—resign. Their resignations follow the administration’s decision to pause Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement reviews.	With Cain and Price stepping aside, the SEC joins the DOJ’s Fraud Section in losing senior officials that enforce the FCPA, potentially reducing capacity and deemphasizing anti-bribery enforcement across both agencies.	Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
2025-03-27	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump signs Executive Order 14250, “Addressing Risks from Wilmerhale LLP,” suspending the firm’s security clearances, directing agencies to terminate or withhold federal contracts, and restricting firm personnel from certain federal facilities.	This order is one of several executive actions targeting major U.S. law firms for prior legal work the President described as personally detrimental. A bipartisan group of former officials and others write that similar orders and memoranda risk chilling the independence of the legal profession.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-03-25	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump signs Executive Order, “Addressing Risks from Jenner & Block LLP,” instructing agencies to suspend the firm’s clearances, terminate federal contracts “to the maximum extent permitted by law,” and limit facility access.	This order is one of several executive actions targeting major U.S. law firms for prior legal work the President described as personally detrimental. A bipartisan group of former officials and others write that such orders risk chilling the independence of the legal profession.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-03-24	Transparency and Public Access	The Office of Management and Budget removes a public-facing website that displayed how federal funding is apportioned to agencies, claiming that disclosure of such information is sensitive, predecisional, and deliberative.	As part of the Fiscal Year 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress enacted new legislation requiring OMB to make apportionments public. The rollback raises concerns about transparency in federal spending and limits the ability of Congress, watchdog groups, and the public to track how appropriated funds are controlled, delayed, or redirected within the executive branch. Note: on Aug. 9, 2025, an appeals court unanimously reinstated a lower court’s order to restore the database.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-03-22	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump signs a memorandum, “Rescinding Security Clearances and Access to Classified Information from Specified Individuals,” revoking security clearances for 18 named figures, including whistle-blower attorney Mark Zaid.	Advocacy groups say that removing Zaid’s security clearance is “unrestrained retaliation” for “legally protected speech under Intelligence Community whistleblower laws,” potentially chilling future whistle‑blower advocacy.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-03-21	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	DHS orders a reduction‑in‑force that shutters three internal oversight units — the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), and the Citizenship & Immigration Services Ombudsman (CISOM) — placing more than 100 employees on leave. The department later reverses course (following a lawsuit), but a June 11, 2025 court filing says the offices remain “severely understaffed and unable to perform their statutory functions.”	DHS said the closures were meant to “remove bureaucratic hurdles” that “obstruct immigration enforcement.” Advocates and a bipartisan group of former officials argue the move eliminates key channels for civil‑rights complaints and detention oversight; plaintiffs now ask the court to monitor staffing and budget restoration.	Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
2025-03-18	Federal Workforce	President Trump fires two members of the Federal Trade Commission, Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, before their terms end.	The FTC, established in 1914, is an independent agency whose mission is to protect the public from “deceptive or unfair business practices and unfair methods of competition.” The FTC has five commissioners who serve seven-year terms; the law requires that no more than three commissioners be from the same political party and allows removal by the President only “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”	Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
2025-03-13	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly begins a sweeping restructuring of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, including replacing several senior JAGs with appointees outside the traditional promotion pipeline.	The unprecedented shake-up of uniformed military lawyers has prompted concerns among former Pentagon officials and others that it could compromise the neutrality of military legal advice and carry “wide‑ranging consequences for how the U.S. military conducts operations and disciplines personnel.”	Department of Defense (DOD)
2025-03-11	Enforcement Priorities	The DOJ’s Public Integrity Section is reportedly drastically downsized, with its 30-person staff cut to as few as five and remaining cases transferred to U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide.	Created in 1976 in response to Watergate, the DOJ's Public Integrity Section investigates and prosecutes alleged misconduct of public officials in all three branches of the federal government, as well as state and local public officials. This includes public corruption, election crimes, campaign finance offenses, and related misconduct by federal officials.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-03-10	Enforcement Priorities	The DOJ does not attend the March 2025 quarterly meeting of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, the first absence since the working group's formation in 1994.	Since 1994, the DOJ has consistently sent representatives to these meetings, which oversee implementation of the OECD Anti‑Bribery Convention and monitor global enforcement of foreign-bribery laws.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-03-08	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	Acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer issues a “Probationary Directive” ordering the closure of all Office of Special Counsel (OSC) investigations into the February 2025 mass firing of more than 2,000 probationary civil servants.	In February 2025, the Trump Administration directed the terminations of thousands of probationary federal employees, which are those employees who were hired within the past two years. These firings were reportedly conducted en masse, with no individualized assessments of workers’ performance or conduct. OSC began investigating these firings, as its mandate is to investigate prohibited practices, such as firing or demoting employees for political reasons, retaliating against whistleblowers, or violating merit system principles. After the investigations began, President Trump fired the Special Counsel and replaced him with Acting Special Counsel Greer. Note: On Sept. 10, 2025, five former civil servants filed suit in federal court against OSC and Greer, alleging the Probationary Directive was unlawful and violated OSC’s statutory duty under the Civil Service Reform Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.	Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
2025-03-06	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump signs Executive Order 14230, “Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP,” suspending the firm’s security clearances, directing agencies to terminate or withhold federal contracts, and restricting firm personnel from certain federal facilities.	This order is one of several executive actions targeting major U.S. law firms for prior legal work the President described as personally detrimental. A bipartisan group of former officials and others write that similar orders and memoranda risk chilling the independence of the legal profession.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-03-06	Enforcement Priorities	Several career prosecutors in the DOJ Fraud Section are reportedly either reassigned or fired, and numerous others in the section are encouraged to take a detail, or temporary assignment to work on non-white collar cases.	These changes suggest the Department may be shifting resources away from complex financial crime investigations.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-03-02	Federal Workforce	The Department of Treasury announces that it will no longer enforce the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).	The CTA, passed in 2021, was a bipartisan effort aimed at curtailing the use of shell companies and tracking flows of illicit money, in partnership with Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). It was designed to combat money laundering, terrorism financing, tax evasion, and other illicit finance by increasing transparency into who actually owns and controls companies operating in the U.S. Consistent with this announcement, FinCEN issued an interim final rule on March 21, 2025, that removed the requirement for U.S. companies and U.S. persons to report beneficial ownership information (BOI) to FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act.	Department of Treasury
2025-02-27	Enforcement Priorities	The CFPB dismisses five enforcement actions against financial services companies accused of wrongdoing under the prior administration (cases against Capital One, Vanderbilt Mortgage, Heights Holding, Rocket Homes, and PHEAA). On March 5, the CFPB dropped its case against the company that runs the Zelle payment platform and three U.S. banks, which had been filed in December.	The CFPB was created by Congress in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to investigate banking fraud and oversee consumer financial services. In 2024, it expanded its supervisory authority to include technology companies offering digital payment platforms, like Apple Pay, Venmo, and PayPal.	Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
2025-02-25	Federal Workforce	The General Services Administration (GSA) terminates the Federal Advisory Committee on Open Government.	This 15‑member committee, first launched in April 2024, provided expert advice on transparency, anti‑corruption, public participation, and digital governance. GSA terminated the committee pursuant to a February 2025 executive order directing agencies to eliminate “unnecessary” advisory panels.	General Services Administration (GSA)
2025-02-25	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump signs Executive Order 14237, “Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss,” directing agencies to suspend security clearances held by Paul Weiss lawyers (including, as directly named in the E.O., Mark Pomerantz); terminate or withhold all federal contracts and other benefits to the firm “to the maximum extent permitted by law”; and bar Paul Weiss employees from sensitive federal facilities and limit future hiring of the firm’s personnel. President Trump adds that “[g]lobal law firms have for years played an outsized role in undermining the judicial process and in the destruction of bedrock American principles.”	This order is one of several executive actions targeting major U.S. law firms for prior legal work the President described as personally detrimental. A bipartisan group of former officials and others write that such orders risk chilling the independence of the legal profession.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-02-25	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump issues a White House memorandum suspending the security clearances of all Covington & Burling lawyers who represented former Special Counsel Jack Smith and instructs agencies to terminate the firm’s federal engagements “to the maximum extent permitted by law.”	This order is one of several executive actions targeting major U.S. law firms for prior legal work the President described as personally detrimental. A bipartisan group of former officials and others write that similar orders and memoranda risk chilling the independence of the legal profession.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-02-23	Enforcement Priorities	All USAID direct-hire personnel, with limited exceptions, are placed on administrative leave globally, effectively shuttering the department. This included those working on anti-corruption initiatives.	These cuts include defunding programs that focused on anti-corruption efforts, such as USAID's Dekleptification Guide, which included tools like public asset declarations and ownership registries to specialized institutions to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and rule on cases of grand corruption. It also cut their work in the anti-corruption space, which included establishing the permanent Anti-Corruption Center and providing technical assistance and developing technical guides to countering corruption worldwide.	U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
2025-02-22	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fires top military lawyers, Lt. Gen. Joseph Berger III (Army), Rear Am. Lia M. Reynolds (Navy), Lt. Gen. Charles Lummer (Air Force). Hegseth justifies the firings to reporters, explaining that he didn’t want the military lawyers to put up “roadblocks to orders that are given by a commander in chief.”	Military lawyers, or Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs) are responsible for upholding the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and interpreting military law for top leaders.	Department of Defense (DOD)
2025-02-18	Transparency and Public Access	The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reportedly fires a significant number of staff from its privacy, communications, and FOIA teams—reportedly including its entire privacy office. When CNN filed a FOIA request, the agency reportedly replied, “Good luck with that; they just fired the whole privacy team.”	OPM’s privacy unit ensures federal employees’ personal data is protected and manages compliance with privacy laws and policies. FOIA and communications teams oversee government transparency and respond to public information requests.	Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
2025-02-18	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	The White House issues Executive Order 14215 titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” declaring that all executive power resides with the President, including independent agencies, to ensure unified execution of federal law. The order also declares that the “President and the Attorney General shall provide authoritative interpretations of the law for the executive branch.”	EO 14215 significantly expands presidential oversight of independent agencies by requiring all agency rulemaking be preapproved by the president and that the legal positions offered by any executive department on behalf of the United States be consistent with the legal position held by the president or, by delegation, the attorney general.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)
2025-02-14	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson bars agency political appointees from holding American Bar Association (ABA) leadership roles, attending ABA events, or renewing ABA memberships, writing that the organization “advances radical left‑wing causes and promotes the business interests of Big Tech.”	The ABA has long served as a major convening body for the legal profession, with senior administration officials routinely attending in its events. Analysts note that restricting employees’ participation in a mainstream professional body could limit engagement with peer regulators and outside experts, and may chill interaction with organizations critical of administration policies	Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
2025-02-11	Enforcement Priorities	David Hubbert, the head of the DOJ’s Tax Division, resigns rather than accept an involuntary transfer to the Trump administration’s new Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group.	The DOJ Tax Division works closely with the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) division, the enforcement arm of the IRS. IRS-CI investigates and sends prosecution referrals to the Tax Division when there is a tax matter involved.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-11	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	President Trump fires USAID Inspector General Paul Martin. The removal proceeds without the 30 days’ advance notice to Congress and written explanation typically required by law.	The day before Martin was fired his office issued an advisory notice warning that the administration's sweeping aid freeze had jeopardized oversight of $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian funds and put $489 million in food assistance at risk of spoilage.	U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
2025-02-10	Enforcement Priorities	The White House issues Executive Order 14209, pausing all Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement, which is the law that prohibits bribery to foreign officials. The E.O. (1) halts new FCPA cases for 180 days (unless authorized by the Attorney General), (2) directs the Attorney General to review all ongoing FCPA cases, and (3) requires the DOJ to issue updated enforcement guidelines.	The order states that FCPA enforcement has become overly expansive and may hurt U.S. foreign policy and economic interests. It authorizes a six-month pause in new cases, subject to special approval. Within 180 days, the DOJ must also finalize and publish new FCPA guidelines that narrow enforcement to “serious misconduct” affecting U.S. national security or harming U.S. companies, while de-emphasizing routine business practices or low‑value conduct.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-10	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	President Trump removes David Huitema as the Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), reverting to an acting Director. Huitema was appointed by President Biden, confirmed by the Senate in November 2024, and sworn in on December 16, 2024, for a five-year term.	Established in 1978, the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) leads ethics programs across more than 140 executive-branch agencies, overseeing financial disclosures, ethics training, and rules to prevent conflicts of interest. Part of its mission is to prevent financial conflicts of interest for government officials and ensure the federal government’s actions and decisions are not unduly influenced by personal financial interests.	Office of Government Ethics (OGE)
2025-02-10	Transparency and Public Access	Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructs prosecutors in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) to dismiss federal bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams without prejudice “as soon as is practicable.” Multiple career prosecutors refuse to carry out the directive and later resign in protest.	Career prosecutors handling the case refused to prepare or sign the dismissal motion, stating in resignation letters that they saw no factual or legal reason for the DOJ to move to dismiss this case. On Apr. 2, Judge Ho (S.D.N.Y.) granted DOJ’s request but dismissed the case with prejudice, writing that permitting a future refiling could leave the mayor “more beholden to the demands of the federal government than to the wishes of his own constituents.” Former federal prosecutors note that overriding line prosecutors and prompting mass resignations is highly unusual and may chill future public-corruption investigations involving politically sensitive defendants.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-09	Enforcement Priorities	DOJ reportedly weakened long-standing guardrails limiting White House contact with federal prosecutors.	The Justice Department has reportedly rescinded or revised prior guidance that restricted communications between the White House and DOJ officials, particularly concerning pending criminal cases. The changes reportedly ease the “no contact” rules that were designed to insulate law enforcement decisions from political influence. Under prior policy—reaffirmed in a July 2021 memo by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland—such communications were strictly limited to prevent improper interference in prosecutorial matters.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-08	Enforcement Priorities	CFPB leadership unveils a reduction‑in‑force plan to eliminate roughly 1,400 of the agency’s 1,600 positions (over 90  percent of its staff) and instructs the Federal Reserve to halt the Bureau’s quarterly funding. Two days later, reporters speaking with President Trump ask him to confirm that “his goal was to have [the CFPB] totally eliminated.” President Trump replies, “I would say, yeah, because we’re trying to get rid of waste, fraud, and abuse.”	The CFPB was created by Congress in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to investigate banking fraud and oversee consumer financial services. In 2024, it expanded its supervisory authority to include technology companies offering digital payment platforms, like Apple Pay, Venmo, and PayPal. Advocates say that “with each day that the agency remains shut down, the financial institutions that seek to prey on consumers are emboldened—harming their law-abiding competitors and the consumers who fall victim to them.”	Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
2025-02-07	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	President Trump terminates Hampton Dellinger, Head of the Office of Special Counsel.	The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. Its authority comes from four statutes: the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Hatch Act (which restricts partisan political activity by federal employees), and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). OSC’s primary mission is to safeguard the federal merit system by protecting employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, including coercing political activity, nepotism, and retaliation for whistleblowing. It also serves as a secure channel for employees to report government wrongdoing and enforces employment protections for military service members under USERRA.	U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
2025-02-05	Enforcement Priorities	The Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative have reportedly been granting tariff waivers to select companies and industries, raising concerns about preferential treatment.	Recent reporting suggests the tariff exemption process may advantage politically connected firms, functioning in effect as a spoils system. Prior studies of similar processes during the first Trump administration found that corporations with political ties were more likely to secure exemptions.	Department of Commerce (DOC)
2025-02-05	Enforcement Priorities	Attorney General Pam Bondi ends the DOJ's Task Force KleptoCapture, Kleptocracy Team, and the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiatives. Attorneys staffed on these teams are told to “return to their prior posts, and resources currently devoted to those efforts shall be committed to the total elimination of Cartels and [transnational criminal organizations].”	These teams were created to protect the U.S. financial system from being used to launder the proceeds of corruption, investigate foreign corruption, and recover stolen assets. Recent cases include a criminal case against the president of a Russian state-owned bank accused of violating U.S. sanctions and a case involving a Russian oligarch accused of laundering money.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-05	Enforcement Priorities	Attorney General Pam Bondi limits the types of criminal cases DOJ can bring under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to cases similar to “more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.” She also directs the FARA Unit to focus on civil enforcement, regulatory initiatives, and public guidance.	DOJ uses FARA to bring cases against individuals who act on behalf of foreign governments or political interests without properly disclosing their activities. These cases include unregistered lobbying, influence campaigns, or covert public relations work.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-05	Enforcement Priorities	Attorney General Bondi disbands the National Security Corporate Enforcement Unit. Bondi's memo directs staff from the unit to return to their prior assignments and reallocates DOJ's focus toward other priorities like transnational criminal organizations and terrorism-related offenses.	The National Security Corporate Enforcement Unit was in charge of investigating and prosecuting companies and individuals for economic crimes tied to national security, such as evading sanctions and violating export controls.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-05	Enforcement Priorities	The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly shrinking the size of its cryptocurrency enforcement unit and re-assigning some of its 50-person staff.	The SEC's cryptocurrency enforcement unit was created during the first Trump administration and then grew under the Biden administration. It is responsible for bringing enforcement actions against fraudulent or unregistered crypto-asset offerings and platforms. Between its founding and December 2024, the unit brought over 200 crypto-related enforcement actions focusing on fraud and unregistered securities. The unit’s work was more than half of the SEC's total recovered penalties in 2024 (including $4.5 billion from the Terraform Labs and Kwon case).	Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
2025-02-05	Enforcement Priorities	Attorney General Pam Bondi shuts down the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, a unit created to investigate foreign meddling in U.S. elections and democracy. The task force was set up in 2017 to track and stop new forms of foreign interference. Bondi says the closure will help redirect resources to “more pressing priorities” and prevent what she calls misuse of prosecutorial power.	The Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) was a special FBI unit made up of experts from multiple divisions, including counterintelligence and cybercrime. Its job was to detect and stop foreign efforts to interfere in U.S. democracy, particularly elections. The team worked closely with other U.S. intelligence agencies and international partners as part of a broader government effort to respond to these threats.	Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
2025-02-05	Enforcement Priorities	Attorney General Pam Bondi directs the DOJ’s Criminal Division to “review and reassess” the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to focus FCPA investigation on transnational organized crime and cartels.	The FCPA criminalizes bribery of foreign officials. With the new guidance, DOJ prosecutors are instructed to prioritize FCPA investigations involving bribes tied to organized crime and drug cartels, while deprioritizing cases that do not involve such threats. Historically, DOJ has relied on other laws to prosecute transnational organized crime and cartels.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-02-03	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—also now acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—reportedly halts pending activities at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including investigations, rulemaking, litigation and public communications.	The CFPB was created by Congress in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to investigate banking fraud and oversee consumer financial services. In 2024, it expanded its supervisory authority to include technology companies offering digital payment platforms, like Apple Pay, Venmo, and PayPal.	Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
2025-01-31	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump fires Gwynne A. Wilcox, Chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).	The NLRB was established in 1935 and serves to safeguard employee rights, governs labor unions, and acts to prevent and remedy unfair labor practices committed by the private sector. This is the first time an NLRB member has been removed since the agency was created in 1935.	National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
2025-01-27	Independent Agencies and Non-Government Entities	President Trump fires two sitting members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), leaving the five-member oversight body without the three-member quorum it needs to issue reports, subpoena executive-branch agencies, or formally review surveillance programs.	PCLOB’s primary mission is to oversee intelligence and counter-terrorism surveillance for legality, necessity, and civil-liberties compliance. Although its focus is broader than corruption‐specific misconduct, the board forms part of the government’s wider integrity architecture. It operates as an internal check that executive-branch powers are exercised within the rule of law and not repurposed for improper ends. Loss of quorum effectively suspends that oversight.	Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB)
2025-01-27	Transparency and Public Access	The head of DOJ’s Public Integrity Unit resigns rather than accept a transfer to the Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group.	The DOJ Public Integrity Section is responsible for sensitive criminal probes and prosecutions of elected officials and judges for bribery and other misconduct. The head of the section, Corey Amudson, was in a career position and had been appointed by Attorney General William Barr during the first Trump administration.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-01-27	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	DOJ’s senior-most career official, and the senior official designated to make ethics determinations for the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, Associate Deputy Attorney General Brad Weinsheimer, is informed of his reassignment from his position to the Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group. Weinsheimer eventually accepts deferred resignation.	Weinsheimer, a 33-year career DOJ official, held decision-making authority over referrals from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), inspector general requests for grand jury material, and disclosures to Congress—including privilege assertions and responses to subpoenas. This portfolio is later reassigned to two other career employees. Weinsheimer was initially appointed to his role on an interim basis by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and later made permanent by Attorney General Bill Barr.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-01-25	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	The Trump administration removes roughly 18 inspectors general (IGs) across the federal government, including those at the Departments of Defense, State, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Intelligence Community. The removals proceed without the 30 days’ advance notice to Congress and written explanation typically required by law.	Inspectors General (IGs) are independent watchdogs within federal agencies responsible for detecting and preventing waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct. Established under the Inspector General Act of 1978 (IG Act), their role is to conduct audits and investigations and keep both agency leadership and Congress informed of significant problems.	Multiple Agencies
2025-01-25	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	The Trump administration fires Mike Ware from his position as Chair of Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).	The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) is an independent entity established by the Inspector General Act of 1978, tasked with promoting integrity, economy, and effectiveness across federal agencies through coordinated oversight and support of the Inspector General (IG) community. CIGIE is composed of all federal IGs and is responsible for addressing issues of waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs.	Council of Inspectors General (CIGIE)
2025-01-23	Enforcement Priorities	The president signs a new Executive Order, “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” establishing the Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, chaired by the White House AI & Crypto Czar, David Sacks. In the accompanying White House Fact Sheet, the White House states that the president is “halting aggressive enforcement actions and regulatory overreach that have stifled crypto innovation.”	As later reported in Dec. 2025, this is allegedly a part of a deliberate effort to “rein in” what the new SEC chair sees as the “prior administration’s overzealous stance toward the crypto industry.” This is not just a departure from the Biden administration’s approach toward prosecuting crypto cases. During the first Trump administration, the SEC brought 50 crypto-related cases.	Executive Office of the President (EOP); Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
2025-01-21	Oversight and Watchdog Functions	President Trump fires or reassigns senior career employees in the DOJ’s National Security Division, Criminal Division, and Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys.	These career positions generally do not change with changes in administration and are designed to be insulated from political pressure. Those moved include the Deputy Assistant Attorney General responsible for combatting foreign interference and the longtime Deputy Assistant Attorney General who oversaw extradition and mutual‑legal‑assistance regarding all cross‑border crimes, including corruption, and who also was responsible for the Department’s internal rule of law programs.	Department of Justice (DOJ)
2025-01-20	Federal Workforce	President Trump signs Executive Order 14171, “Restoring Accountability to Policy‑Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce.” This order directs OPM to implement rulemaking to reclassify thousands of policy‑facing federal employees as at-will employees.	The order attempts to restrict the number of professional career civil servants that the government hires based on merit as opposed to political allegiance across the federal government. This sets the stage for sweeping changes to the federal government’s professional civil service and threatens to roll back protections designed to insulate career federal workers from corruption.	Executive Office of the President (EOP)

The post The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability appeared first on Just Security.

A Series on the Occasion of ABILA’s International Law Weekend 2025

Maya Nir — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:44:39 +0000

From Oct. 23 to 25, the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) hosted their annual International Law Weekend (ILW). This year’s theme was “Crisis as Catalyst in International Law.” Panels, plenary sessions, and keynote addresses across a broad range of international law topics examined “how crises can serve as transformative moments that challenge and reshape the framework of international law,” acknowledging the deep challenges of the moment while seeking to identify paths by which international law could meet the moment.

Just Security, as a co-sponsor of the event, is pleased to feature a series in connection with the weekend. Prior to ILW, the series launched with articles by ABILA President Michael Scharf and ILW Co-Chairs William Aceves, Amity Boye, and Jessica Peake. Other analyses coming out of the weekend, including by both established and emerging international law scholars, will further explore this theme.

This series contains the following articles and will be updated regularly:

Michael P. Scharf, “Crisis as Catalyst in International Law” (Oct. 16, 2025)
William J. Aceves, Amity Boye, and Jessica Peake, “Crisis as Catalyst: Past, Present, and Future of International Law” (Oct. 21, 2025)
Chiara Giorgetti, Milena Sterio, Rebecca Hamilton, and Megan Corrarino, The Just Security Podcast: Reflections on International Law Weekend 2025 (Nov. 3, 2025)
Coalter Lathrop, “Crisis as Catalyst: Seabed Minerals and the (Un)Making of International Law” (Nov. 24, 2025)
Naida Softic, “Crisis Without Consent: What Intergovernmental Organization Refusals Reveal about Mandate, Liability, and Legitimacy” (Forthcoming)
Emmanuel U. Osayande, “When Crises Become Courtrooms: How Africa’s Engagement with the ICJ is Rewriting the Playbook of International Law” (Forthcoming)

The post A Series on the Occasion of ABILA’s International Law Weekend 2025 appeared first on Just Security.

“When the Guardrails Erode” Series

Maya Nir — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 14:34:14 +0000

The U.S. anti‑corruption architecture — from inspector‑general offices to transparency rules and enforcement units, and more — is being systematically weakened. In our series, When Guardrails Erode, we bring together expert analysis that traces this erosion, assesses the risks for democratic governance, and outlines pathways to rebuild or even reinvent these safeguards.

The series will expand regularly and is paired with a continuously updated Anti‑Corruption Tracker that documents every concrete action in one place. Forthcoming pieces explore international accountability measures, FOIA, the role of inspectors general, and what states can do to protect against weakened federal anti-corruption measures, and more.

“Global Corruption, Local Hypocrisy: The Promises and Pitfalls of the U.S. Combating Global Corruption Act” by Schuyler Miller and Adam Keith (December 9, 2025)
“How to End the Shadow Budget and Protect Congress’s Power of the Purse” by Scott Levy (November 21, 2025)
“Is the U.S. Becoming a Captured State? A Comparative Perspective” by Naomi Roht-Arriaza (November 18, 2025)
“The $550 Billion Shadow Budget: Trump’s Japan Deal and the Disappearing Appropriations Clause” by Scott Levy (October 30, 2025)
“Should Inspectors General be Moved to the Legislative Branch?” by Jason Powell (Oct. 22, 2025)
“The Human Costs of Systemic Corruption” by Abigail Bellows (August 11, 2025)
“The Freedom of Information Act and Deteriorating Federal Transparency Infrastructure” by Amanda Teuscher (August 4, 2025)
“Hard to Kill: The Transnational Survival of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act” by Bruce Swartz, Sonia Mittal, Inbar Pe’er, and Brady Worthington (July 24, 2025)
“When the Guardrails Erode: An Anti-Corruption Series” by Dani Schulkin and Amy Markopolous (July 23, 2025)
“The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability” by Dani Schulkin, Amy Markopolous, and Maya Nir (July 23, 2025)
“American Businesses Still Face International Human Rights Obligations, Even as Oversight Diminishes at Home” by Nicole Vander Meulen (June 23, 2025)

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The Just Security Podcast: A Conversation with Jen Easterly — Cybersecurity at a Crossroads

Maya Nir — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 15:38:55 +0000

In recent years, the United States has sustained some of the most severe cyber threats in recent history– from the Russian-government directed hack SolarWinds to China’s prepositioning in U.S. critical infrastructure for future sabotage attacks through groups like Volt Typhoon. The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is responsible for responding to, and protecting against these attacks.

How do leaders steer through cyber crises, build trust, and chart a path forward?

In conversation with Dr. Brianna Rosen, Just Security Senior Fellow and Director of the AI and Emerging Technologies Initiative, Jen Easterly, who just completed a transformative tenure as Director of CISA under the Biden Administration, unpacks the challenges, breakthroughs, and lessons from the front lines of America’s cybersecurity efforts.

Show Notes:

Jen Easterly
Just Security’s Cybersecurity coverage
Empathy Matters: Leadership in Cyber by Jen Easterly ( 2019)

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Introduction to Series: Data Preservation Under the Trump Administration

Maya Nir — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:25:35 +0000

Preserving federal data has long been essential to transparency, accountability, and evidence-based policymaking in the United States. While every administration faces its share of data management challenges, the sheer volume of lost or altered information under the Trump administration suggests these challenges have now reached an unprecedented level.

In the months since the presidential transition, more than 8,000 webpages and thousands of datasets have been removed or altered across agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Census Bureau, and Food and Drug Administration. Removal of this data from government agency websites jeopardizes access to vital public information on health, safety, environmental, and demographic issues. At the same time, sweeping executive orders on interagency data-sharing and the consolidation of sensitive information under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have drawn criticism from privacy advocates, transparency experts, and civil society groups. These concerns are magnified by weakened oversight mechanisms following the dismissal of key members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

In response to these developments, Just Security is launching a new series, “Data Preservation Under the Trump Administration,” to explore the legal, ethical, and policy implications of current federal data practices. As political pressures intensify and the risk of data loss grows, this series aims to provide comprehensive analysis of how federal data is stored, shared, and accessed.

The series contains the following articles and will be updated regularly:

Deborah Brown, “DOGE’s Growing Reach Into Personal Data: What it Means for Human Rights” (Apr. 16, 2025)
Amy Edwards Homes, “Vanishing Accountability: The U.S. Retreat from Open Data” (Apr. 17, 2025)
Corinna Turbes, “Beyond Data Rescue: Building Structural Safeguards for Federal Data Preservation” (Apr. 28, 2025)
Richard Painter, “Federal Records Belong to the Government”

IMAGE: Blue U.S. Capitol building in front of a red background of data (via Getty Images)

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The Just Security Podcast: Regulating Social Media — Is it Lawful, Feasible, and Desirable?

Maya Nir — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 11:28:46 +0000

2025 will be a pivotal year for technology regulation in the United States and around the world. The European Union has begun regulating social media platforms with its Digital Services Act. In the United States, regulatory proposals at the federal level will likely include renewed efforts to repeal or reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Meanwhile, States such as Florida and Texas have tried to restrict content moderation by major platforms, but have been met with challenges to the laws’ constitutionality.

On March 19, NYU Law hosted a Forum on whether it is lawful, feasible, and desirable for government actors to regulate social media platforms to reduce harmful effects on U.S. democracy and society with expert guests Daphne Keller, Director of the Program on Platform Regulation at Stanford Law School’s Cyber Policy Center, and Michael Posner, Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business. Tess Bridgeman and Ryan Goodman, co-editors-in-chief of Just Security, moderated the event, which was co-hosted by Just Security, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and Tech Policy Press.

Show Notes:

Tess Bridgeman
Ryan Goodman
Daphne Keller
Michael Posner
Just Security’s coverage on Social Media Platforms
Just Security’s coverage on Section 230
Music: “Broken” by David Bullard from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/david-bullard/broken (License code: OSC7K3LCPSGXISVI)

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UNGA 79: Expert Analysis & Resources

Maya Nir — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:08:56 +0000

U.N. headquarters in New York plays host to some 150 presidents and prime ministers from Sept. 22 to 27 for the annual high-level week during the opening of the U.N. General Assembly’s annual session and for this year’s prelude, the Summit of the Future, which aims to generate a new consensus on global cooperation.

Richard Gowan, U.N. director for the International Crisis Group, wrote in his preview for Just Security that discussions on Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan are likely to dominate this 79th UNGA session. In formal proceedings and hundreds of meetings along the sidelines, world leaders and civil society representatives also will discuss U.N. Security Council reform, climate pledges, the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons, “the urgent and escalating threat of rising sea levels,” and the escalating risk of antimicrobial resistance. And the U.N. will aim for member States to reaffirm their commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To help make sense of this all, the following collects Just Security’s expert analysis of key issues likely to surface at this 79th session of the General Assembly, with a focus on UNGA high-level week. It also features other relevant Just Security content, organized by theme, from our archives, as well as additional resources from the United Nations and news outlets. Stay tuned — we’ll be updating this page regularly as we publish new analysis on UNGA79.

Expert Analysis of the 79th Session of UNGA

Just Security publishes expert analysis of proceedings, meetings, and related activities at UNGA, with a focus on high-level events. This page will be updated on an ongoing basis as additional articles are published.

U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week 2024: What Experts Are Looking For
Yousuf Syed Khan, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Chidi Odinkalu, Steve Pomper, Jordan Street, Jason Calder, Laura Thornton and John Tierney discuss how debates during UNGA are likely to unfold amid backsliding on development and global cooperation.

Guide to the Formal and Informal Agendas at the 2024 UN General Assembly Summit
Richard Gowan highlights the key events and topics of discussion to follow during this year’s UNGA high-level week, including the prelude Summit for the Future, the prospects of Security Council “reform,” U.S. relations with the U.N., the effects and likely talks related to three significant wars, and more.

What the Draft UN “Pact for the Future” Tells Us About International Security
Richard Gowan reviews the strengths and areas for improvement of the draft U.N. Pact for the Future’s language on conflict management, peace operations, and Security Council reform.

Thematic Analysis

The General Assembly has identified six main focus areas for the high-level week, which will start Sept. 22 with the Summit for the Future and end with the General Debate on Sept. 30. Find in-depth analysis on all six areas of focus below.

1. Summit of the Future

The Summit of the Future will take place Sept. 22-23 to kick off high-level week and is meant to address “critical challenges and gaps in global governance exposed by recent global shocks.”

Putting the Second REAIM Summit into Context
Tobias Vestner and Simon Cleobury discuss how the second Summit on Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM), held in Seoul Sept. 9-10, aimed to help shape global norms related to the development and deployment of AI.

2. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment

Acknowledging that the 17 SDGs are “off track,” and based on outcomes of the Summit of the Future, the “SDG Moment” event on Sept. 24 will update the General Assembly on progress toward reaching the SDGs by 2030 with the intent of inspiring further advances over the next six years despite the many setbacks around the world since the SDGs were adopted by all U.N. members in 2015.

Looking Ahead from Lviv: Sustainable Development in a Post-Conflict Ukraine
Lucinda A. Low discusses how sustainable development in Ukraine after the fighting ends must consider infrastructure, agricultural production, environmental and human health, and civil society.

Framing the Problem of Hunger and Conflict at the UN Security Council
Michael Fakhri, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to food, wrote as early as 2022 on “the intrinsic link between hunger and conflict.” He observes, “In the past 60 years, hunger and famine has not been caused by inadequate amounts of food. Hunger and famine, like conflicts, are always the result of political failures.”

3. General Debate

The debate will take place Sept. 24-28 and Sept. 30 under the theme “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.”

Civil Society, Under Threat Worldwide, Needs a General Comment on the Right to Freedom of Association
Nikhil Dutta and Francesca Fanucci urge the U.N. Human Rights Council to make a General Comment to safeguard the right to freedom of association.

Rights of National Minorities in Armed Conflict: A Ukrainian Perspective
Olga Butkevych highlights how international law should recognize and adapt to the realities faced by national minorities during armed conflict.

Adding Gender to Apartheid in International Law: But Where?
Shadi Sadr underscores the need to establish a legal framework similar to the Apartheid Convention that addresses the full scope of gender.

AI Governance in the Age of Uncertainty: International Law as a Starting Point
Talita de Souza Dias and Rashmin Sagoo argue that starting with respect for international law can harness AI’s potential for good while minimizing its risks and ensuring equitable access to the technology.

Series on Rights and Dignity: Older People in Conflict and Crisis
This series shares perspectives on how issues of climate change, economic development, global health, and foreign policy impact older people.

4. Sea-Level Rise

This Sept. 25 meeting will focus on sustainability and climate resilience, with special attention to “small-island states and low-lying coastal areas.”

The Just Security Podcast: A Landmark Court Opinion on the Ocean and Climate Change
Ambassador Cheryl Bazard and Catherine Amirfar discuss a ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea holding that countries must take all necessary measures to prevent and reduce pollution of the marine environment from greenhouse gas emissions.

The ‘Year of Climate’ in International Courts
Rebecca Hamilton provides background on six climate cases coming before international courts in 2024.

What to Watch for Following Historic Climate Opinion from ‘The Oceans Court’
Melissa Stewart examines the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea’s first-ever opinion by an international court articulating States’ obligations with respect to climate change.

5. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Global Public Health

The meeting on Sept. 26 focuses on strengthening health systems against AMR.

The Just Security Podcast: Attacks on Health in Armed Conflict
An expert team from Physicians for Human Rights unpacks patterns of attacks on health care in armed conflicts.

Provision of Healthcare by Islamist Armed Groups: Between Sharia and International Law
Marta Furlan explains how some Islamists groups and the international community can bridge International Humanitarian Law and Islamic Law through healthcare.

Russia’s Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure Imperil Healthcare Access
Uliana Poltavets and Christian De Vos explore how Russian attacks on the electrical grid and direct strikes on hospitals negatively impact health services in Ukraine.

6. International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

On Sept. 26, the General Assembly will discuss the United Nations’ highest disarmament priority: eliminating all nuclear weapons worldwide, even as global trends are heading in the opposite direction.

Space May be Opening for Negotiations with Iran
Gregory Brew discusses that President Massoud Pezeshkian’s election offers the United States and its allies a renewed opportunity to prevent Iran from nearing nuclear weapon capability.

The Growing Threat from North Korea
The Hon. Michael Kirby urges that the international community address North Korea’s escalating human rights abuses, which are integrally connected to the country’s nuclear program.

Beating Putin’s Game of Nuclear Chicken
Douglas London recommends the U.S. make constant and consistent demonstrations of strength to manage Putin’s nuclear threats.

Collections

Israel-Hamas War Archive
A catalog of more than 70 articles analyzing the diplomatic, legal, humanitarian and other consequences of the Israel-Hamas War.

Russia-Ukraine War Archive
A catalog of more than 400 articles from Just Security’s coverage of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, with topics ranging from the war’s international law and economic consequences to questions of genocide and civilian harm.

Climate Archive
A catalog of articles organizing Just Security’s coverage of the climate crisis, from its human rights and justice implications to issues of migration, national security, and geopolitics.

Symposium: International Law in Ukraine – The View from Lviv
A series building on a 2023 convening of international and Ukrainian law experts in Lviv that covers discussions on sanctions, compensation, reintegration, accountability, and more.

Symposium on AI Governance: Power, Justice, and the Limits of the Law
A series featuring articles that discuss the institutional, policy, and legal guardrails that ensure AI power is exercised in legitimate, just, and accountable ways.

Collecting Just Security’s Afghanistan Coverage on Third Anniversary of Taliban
A collection of articles on the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, featuring analysis on the international recognition of the Taliban, counterterrorism and military strategy, human rights, and more.

Additional Resources

United Nations

The provisional schedule of the session’s high-level meeting.
- U.N. Journal, which lists the current day’s and upcoming meetings at U.N. headquarters.
The U.N. General Assembly meetings and press releases page, which provides in-house coverage of the assembly’s work.
The U.N. News Service, which publishes U.N. coverage
- The “Latest News” page, which features the service’s most recently-published articles.
The U.N. Security Council website, which lists the body’s programme of work, committees, and decisions and outcomes.
U.N. Web TV, which offers live and on-demand coverage of U.N. meetings and events.
The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals website, which provides information and news related to the 17 goals.
The United Nations “Civil Society Events” page, which features briefings, conferences, dialogues and more involving civil society organizations.

Outside Outlets & Organizations

The Security Council Report website, which shares coverage and analysis of the Council’s work.
- The “Resources” page, which compiles U.N. websites, Security Council members, and other international organizations, and news outlets.
The International Crisis Group’s “Updates” page, which features the organization’s work related to this year’s U.N. General Assembly.
PassBlue’s website, which offers news reports, analyses, and investigations closely covering U.S.-U.N. relations and key global issues.

IMAGE: Flags fly outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. (via Getty Images)

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Early Edition: August 30, 2024

Maya Nir — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 10:14:27 +0000

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

The Israeli military continued its raid in the occupied West Bank for a second straight day yesterday, killing at least five, including a commander who led the local branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian Authority’s official news agency Wafa said 17 people had been killed in all Israeli raids since Wednesday. Victoria Kim, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, and Raja Abdulrahim report for the New York Times.

The World Health Organization yesterday reached an agreement with Israel to temporarily pause fighting in Gaza to allow for the distribution of polio vaccines. The campaign will begin on Sunday, with a “humanitarian pause” lasting from 6am to 3pm local time for three days, and aim to vaccinate 640,000 children under 10 years old. Israel has emphasized the move is not the first step to a ceasefire. Edith Lederer reports for AP News.

Relatives of Israeli hostages rushed toward the Gaza border yesterday before turning back at the request of Israeli security forces, in their latest high-profile protest demanding a ceasefire. The New York Times reports.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – U.S. RESPONSE

Israel told the United States it blamed Tuesday’s incident in which Israeli troops fired at a marked World Food Program vehicle on “a communications error” between military units. “[T]he simple fact is, almost eleven months into this conflict,” such incidents “remain all too common,” U.S. Amb. Robert Wood told the U.N. Security Council yesterday. The New York Times reports.

A leaked U.S. Embassy memo, obtained by NPR, shows that Washington is urging Israel’s military to stop mass evacuations orders driving the repeated displacement of Gazan civilians. For the first time since the war began, Israel’s military yesterday withdrew evacuation orders and said civilians could return to their homes in an area of central Gaza. Kat Lonsdorf, Daniel Estrin, and Hadeel Al-Shalchi report.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on Israel to immediately halt its operation in the West Bank, saying it was “fuelling an already explosive situation”. Alex Smith and Mallory Moench report for BBC News.

E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell yesterday proposed sanctioning Israeli ministers for hate speech and incitement to war crimes. Mared Gwyn Jones reports for Euronews; Al Jazeera reports.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Ukrainian forces struck two oil depots inside Russia overnight, while Moscow yesterday launched its third major aerial attack on Ukraine this week, the latest strikes by both sides on each other’s energy infrastructure. David L. Stern and Ellen Francis report for the Washington Post.

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashed as it was fending off Russian missiles, killing a star fighter pilot, Ukraine’s military said yesterday. The demise of one of Ukraine’s top pilots as well as one of its few F-16 jets is a blow for the military as it seeks to gain momentum against Russia. Bryan Pietsch reports for the Washington Post.

Russian forces yesterday captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s defense ministry said its troops had seized control of Mykolaivka near the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, and Stelmakhivka in Lugansk. The Telegraph reports.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba yesterday said as he visited Brussels that Ukraine’s successes in Kursk show it is capable of “prevailing on the battlefield.” “We need more bold decisions to capitalize on this momentum,” he stressed, urging E.U. allies to expedite deliveries of promised air defense systems. The Guardian reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Mongolia next week, the Kremlin said yesterday, despite the country being a member of the International Criminal Court, which last year issued a warrant for his arrest. AP News reports.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will travel to Ukraine next week to hold high-level talks and assess developments at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the agency said yesterday.

A military court in Moscow yesterday placed former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov in detention on fraud charges, in the latest of a string of corruption probes of officials tied to former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Lucy Papachristou reports for Reuters.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Japan has issued its highest-level alert to more than five million people after the country was hit by Typhoon Shanshan, one of its strongest typhoons in decades. At least four people have been killed and more than 90 injured. Nick Marsh and Kelly Ng report for BBC News.

Oil exports in Libya were halted yesterday due to a standoff between rival political factions over the country’s central bank. The dispute threatens to end four years of relative calm in the country. Ayman Al-Warfali reports for Reuters.

Elon Musk’s X refused to meet Brazil’s 24-hour deadline to name a legal representative in the country. The platform is bracing for a country-wide ban in Brazil as a result. Yesterday, Musk’s satellite internet operator Starlink said it had received an order from Moraes that “freezes Starlink’s finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions” in the country.
Hannah Murphy and Bryan Harris report for the Financial Times.

The German government yesterday proposed a package of tighter security and asylum measures after a deadly stabbing spree linked to Islamic State. Riham Alkousaa reports for Reuters.

The Tunisian Administrative Court yesterday upheld an appeal by presidential candidate Mondher Znaidi, allowing him to return to the upcoming presidential race. It marks the second such ruling this week and could return momentum to the race. Tarek Amara reports for Reuters.

Nigeria and Niger have signed a deal to boost their security cooperation, despite tensions between the countries since Niger’s coup last year. Camillus Eboh reports for Reuters.

HOUTHI ATTACKS

Yemen’s Houthis yesterday released footage showing its fighters setting off blasts on the Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea. The vessel was abandoned earlier, after the militant group repeatedly attacked it. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News and PBS.

U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS

The Department of Homeland Security yesterday announced that it will resume a migrant sponsorship program that was previously paused due to suspicions of fraud. The program will allow up to 30,000 people into the United States each month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela if they meet sponsorship requirements. Ted Hesson and Kanishka Singh report for Reuters.

OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

A former Nevada politician was found guilty of murder on Wednesday for the death of an investigative journalist who wrote critical stories about his time in office. Holly Honderich reports for BBC News.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s internal watchdog found continued shortcomings in the FBI’s handling and investigations of child sexual abuse cases. Ryan Lucas reports for NPR.

The post Early Edition: August 30, 2024 appeared first on Just Security.

Early Edition: August 29, 2024

Maya Nir — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 10:36:01 +0000

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Israeli troops conducted major raids in the occupied West Bank yesterday, killing at least 10 Palestinians. The operation was concentrated in Jenin and Tulkarm, two cities that have become militant strongholds, an Israeli military spokesperson said. Over 580 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to the U.N., amid increased Israeli raids and settler violence. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times; Amelia Nierenberg reports for the New York Times.

The World Food Program yesterday suspended the movement of its staff across Gaza after one of its marked vehicles was hit by bullets, which U.N. officials said had been fired by Israeli troops. There were no injuries. “This is totally unacceptable,” the organization’s executive director Cindy McCain said. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times; Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

The Israeli military yesterday reported that it had failed to protect civilians against a deadly settler attack on the West Bank village of Jit. Four suspects have been arrested over the attack, which took place on Aug. 15 and killed at least one Palestinian. Reuters reports.

The U.N. humanitarian affairs office said Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah have “severely impacted” its ability to deliver aid. John Hudson, Adela Suliman, Andrew Jeong and Hazem Balousha report for the Washington Post.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved “limited pauses” in fighting to allow for polio vaccinations for children in Gaza, according to an Israeli official. The pauses will only be in designated areas, the official said. Jordana Miller reports for ABC News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – U.S. RESPONSE

The U.S. State Department announced sanctions against Israeli-government funded right-wing extremist settlers in the West Bank. The sanctions target an Israeli NGO and an individual with “long involvement in the intimidation of Palestinians with the aim of seizing their land.” The Guardian reports.

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT

The U.N. Security Council yesterday unanimously passed a resolution demanding a halt to escalating attacks between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, warning that further escalation “carries the high risk of leading to a widespread conflict.” Edith M. Lederer reports for AP News.

HOUTHI ATTACKS

Iran’s mission to the U.N. said Yemen’s Houthis have agreed to temporarily pause their Red Sea attacks to allow ships to reach the damaged Sounion oil tanker. It comes after Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder on Tuesday said two tugboats had been sent to bring the ship to port, but the Houthis threatened to attack them. Tom O’Connor reports for Newsweek.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the Kamensky district of Russia’s Rostov region, its governor said yesterday. Following the attacks, a drone hit an oil products reservoir in Russia’s Kirov oblast, over 930 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border. Ukraine’s military confirmed it carried out the attack. The Guardian reports.

Ukraine has stepped up calls for permission to use Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets inside Russia. Ahead of a meeting with his E.U. counterparts in Brussels today, Ukraine’s foreign minister said Ukraine wanted permission to use Western munitions to strike “legitimate military targets” deep inside Russia. E.U. foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and several NATO countries today echoed Ukraine’s call to lift such restrictions. The Guardian reports.

Russia said the West was “playing with fire” by considering allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western missiles and cautioned the United States that “World War Three” would not be confined to Europe. Guy Faulconbridge and Vladimir Soldatkin report for Reuters.

Russia yesterday launched an overnight attack on Kyiv, the third attack in four days. Ukraine today said it shot down two missiles and 60 out of 74 drones. Meanwhile, Moscow’s TASS news agency yesterday reported that Russian forces seized the settlement of Komyshivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, citing Russia’s defense ministry. The Guardian reports; The Telegraph reports.

Russia’s economy has shown strong growth in many sectors while unemployment remains at a record low, new data showed yesterday, despite Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Reuters reports.

U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS

In a rare meeting, Jake Sullivan today met with top Chinese general Zhang Youxia and discussed maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. Youxia reportedly demanded that the United States stop “collusion” with Taiwan. Sullivan also met today with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said Beijing was committed to a stable relationship with Washington. The meetings wrap up three days of talks aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions. Jenny Leonard and Josh Xiao report for Bloomberg; Trevor Hunnicutt reports for Reuters.

29 Colombians were deported from Panama to Colombia on a U.S.-funded flight as a result of the July 1 memorandum of cooperation between the United States and Panama to reduce migration through Panama to the United States. Elizabeth González and Veronica Calderón report for CNN.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

A Hong Kong court today convicted two former editors of a shuttered news outlet, in a sedition case that is widely seen as a “barometer” for freedom of the press in Hong Kong. Kanis Leung reports for AP News.

French authorities indicted Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on multiple charges, including disseminating child abuse images, drug trafficking, and failure to comply with law enforcement. French authorities also issued an arrest warrant for Pavel’s brother, Telegram co-founder Nikolai Durov. Bobby Allyn reports for NPR; Océane Herrero, Victor Guroy-Laffont, and Elisa Braun report for POLITICO.

Brazil’s Supreme Court threatened to ban X last night, giving CEO Elon Musk 24 hours to name a legal representative for the social network in Brazil or face a countrywide ban. Musk closed X’s office in Brazil last week in response to the Supreme Court’s orders to suspend certain accounts. Kate Conger and Jack Nicas report for the New York Times.

The U.N. is investigating two of its World Food Program officials in Sudan over allegations of fraud and concealing information from donors. Sudan is suffering one of the world’s most severe food shortages. Giulia Paravicini and Maggie Michael report for Reuters.

The Iranian hacking group, believed to work on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that breached Donald Trump’s campaign this summer is the same one that targeted John Bolton in June 2022, and has also targeted former members of the Trump and Biden administrations, Sean Lyngaas, Zachary Cohen, and Evan Perez report for CNN.

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro yesterday revived protests in Caracas following last month’s contested presidential election. Joshua Goodman and Jorge Rueda report for AP News.

OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

The Supreme Court yesterday refused to revive President Biden’s student loan debt relief plan, known as SAVE. This decision comes after the Court struck down a previous effort to forgive student loan debts this past June. Lawrence Hurley reports for NBC News.

A joint investigation by CNN and the Centre for Information Resilience found at least 56 fraudulent X profiles being used to back the Trump-Vance campaign. The accounts are made up of stolen photos from various European influencers. Katie Polglase, Pallabi Munsi, Barbara Arvanitidis, Alex Platt, Mark Baron, and Oscar Featherstone report for CNN.

The post Early Edition: August 29, 2024 appeared first on Just Security.

Early Edition: August 28, 2024

Maya Nir — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:18:01 +0000

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Israel’s military launched raids and airstrikes in the occupied West Bank today in an unusually wide-scale operation, killing at least nine people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the military had started an operation to thwart terrorist groups and that some residents of the territory may need to evacuate. Gabby Sobelman and Victoria Kim report for the New York Times.

Israeli, U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari negotiators were meeting in Doha today for “technical/working level” talks on a Gaza ceasefire, a source told Reuters.

Israeli forces rescued a hostage from a tunnel in southern Gaza, the Israeli military said yesterday. Farhan al-Qadi, 52, is a member of Israel’s Bedouin Arab minority, and the eighth hostage to be rescued alive since the Oct. 7 attacks. Two senior Israeli officials said he appeared to have been found by chance during an Israeli operation to capture a Hamas tunnel network. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.

The U.N. haltingly resumed its humanitarian operations in Gaza yesterday, U.N. officials said, after the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Deir al-Balah, its main logistics hub in the territory. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.

Israeli far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir suggested in an interview that he would like to build a synagogue at Jerusalem’s disputed Al Aqsa Mosque, drawing domestic and international condemnation. Amelia Nierenberg, Gabby Sobelman, and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad report for the New York Times.

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT

The United States’ top general said on Monday that the near-term risk of a wider regional war has eased somewhat after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged fire without further escalation. Phil Stewart reports for Reuters.

An Israeli drone strike on a car passing through a Syrian checkpoint near the border with Lebanon today reportedly killed three Palestinian fighters and a Hezbollah member. Reuters reports.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said the country’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is part of a larger plan to end the war. Speaking at a news conference, Zelenskyy said he has no intention of permanently annexing the region, and will present his plan to end the war to President Biden this fall. “The main point … is forcing Russia to end the war,” he said. Lizzie Johnson and Serhiy Morgunov report for the Washington Post.

Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine had captured almost 600 Russian servicemen during its Kursk operation, disclosing that figure for the first time. He also said Ukraine had taken control of 100 settlements. The Guardian reports.

Russia launched a fresh wave of missiles and drones across Ukraine for a second day yesterday, killing at least five people and damaging infrastructure in multiple regions. Zelenskyy said some were shot down by Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets. Illia Novikov reports for AP News.

Ukraine’s F-16s are reportedly fighting with help from a U.S. Air Force electronic-warfare unit. Meanwhile, Ukraine says it has developed a new long-range weapon, known as the Palianytsia, to strike deep into Russia without asking permission from Western allies. Audrey Decker reports for DefenseOne; Hanna Arhirova reports for AP News.

U.N. nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi said after visiting Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant yesterday there was a serious risk of a nuclear accident. Meanwhile, Russia today claimed it had defused unexploded U.S.-supplied munitions fired by Ukraine just 3 miles from the plant, and said it wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency to take a “more objective and clearer” stance on nuclear safety. Reuters reports.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will convene a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council today at Kyiv’s request, a NATO spokesperson said yesterday. The meeting will be held at ambassadorial level. Reuters reports.

China yesterday called U.S. sanctions imposed on its companies last week over the Ukraine war “illegal and unilateral” and “not based on facts.” Antoni Slodkowski reports for Reuters.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Iran’s supreme leader yesterday suggested his country would pursue nuclear negotiations with the United States, saying there was “no barrier” to discussions with the “enemy” in a video broadcast on state television. Eve Sampson reports for the New York Times.

A U.N. Security Council committee is considering sanctioning two generals with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. It would be the first U.N. sanctions imposed over Sudan’s current war. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

South Korean authorities today called on Telegram and other social media platforms to help them to delete and block sexually explicit deepfake content. It follows domestic reports that sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of South Korean women were rampant in Telegram chatrooms, and the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France for alleged complicity in criminal activity. Hyunsu Yinm reports for Reuters.

Government officials in Brazil said they suspect “criminals” are responsible for the record number of fires across São Paulo state. Four people have been arrested. Vanessa Buschschlüter reports for BBC News.

U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador yesterday announced his government was “pausing” relations with the U.S. Embassy in response to criticism by the U.S. ambassador of his proposed judicial overhaul. Simon Romero and Emiliano Rodriguez Mega report for the New York Times.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan began his second day of meetings with top Chinese officials in Beijing today. Topics of discussion reportedly include the Middle East, Ukraine, Taiwan, and combating fentanyl trade. Trevor Hunnicutt and Antoni Slodkowski report for Reuters.

TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS

Special counsel Jack Smith yesterday filed a superseding indictment in the election interference case against former President Trump, narrowing the prosecution’s approach but maintaining all charges after the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance yesterday accused it of being “an effort to influence the election.” Tierney Sneed, Hannah Rabinowitz, Marshall Cohen, Katelyn Polantz and Stephen Collinson report for CNN ; Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch report for Reuters.

OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

The defendants in Arizona’s fake electors prosecution are citing an unusual state law to urge the state’s Attorney General to throw out the case. The law was designed to stop prosecutors from bringing “flimsy” politically motivated cases. Betsy Woodruff Swan reports for POLITICO.

The first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to over four years in prison. Michael Sparks, 47, who was convicted of civil disorder, disorderly conduct, and other charges in March, was sentenced to 53 months in prison and a $2,000 fine. Mike Wendling reports for BBC News.

A federal judge in Texas on Monday temporarily blocked the Biden administration citizenship pathway for migrant spouses, granting a request from 16 Republican-led states. The order effectively halts the program, which opened just last week. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports for CBS News.

Chinese government-backed hackers penetrated at least two major U.S. internet service providers over the past several months to spy on their users. The hacks are particularly concerning because their targets are believed to include government and military personnel, as well as groups of strategic interest to China. Joseph Menn reports for the Washington Post.

A newly released government watchdog report found that President Biden authorized the construction of the Gaza aid pier despite officials warnings that weather challenges and security problems would hinder the aid effort. USAID officials had also warned that the pier would detract from efforts to reopen land crossings into Gaza. Oren Liebermann reports for CNN.

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