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Interior Dept. Transfers 500 Acres Of Public Land To Pentagon For Border Wall

The Interior Department is transferring about 500 acres of public land to the Pentagon in order to construct about 70 miles of President Trump’s border wall
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Interior Dept. Transfers 500 Acres Of Public Land To Pentagon For Border Wall


The Interior Department is transferring about 500 acres of public land to the Pentagon in order to construct about 70 miles of President Trump’s border wall,the Wall Street Journal reported.

The land was previously monitored by the Bureau of Land Management and will now be overseen by the U.S. Army. The 560 acre expanse includes 213 acres in New Mexico, 301 acres in Arizona and 44 acres in San Diego, California.

The move is all part of Trump’s efforts to expedite the construction of his border wall before the 2020 election. Earlier this month, the Trump administration took $3.6 billion from military construction funding to devote toward the wall.

The land transfer has drawn ire from environmental groups who are concerned about nearly 100 threatened or endangered species that would be impacted by the construction of the wall.
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Gun Maker Colt Suspends Production Of Rifles For Civilian Market

Gun manufacturer Colt is suspending production of rifles, including the AR-15, for the civilian commercial market.
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Gun Maker Colt Temporarily Ceases Production Of AR-15s For Civilian Market

Gun manufacturer Colt is suspending its production of certain rifles, including the AR-15, for the civilian commercial market, though it will continue to supply them to the military and law enforcement entities.

In a statement, CEO Dennis Veilleux cited a glut of “modern sporting rifles” for civilians saturating the market, adding that all of Colt’s manufacturing capabilities will be funneled into its “significant,” “high-volume” military and law enforcement contracts.

“At the end of the day, we believe it is good sense to follow consumer demand and to adjust as market dynamics change,” he wrote. “Colt has been a stout supporter of the Second Amendment for over 180 years, remains so, and will continue to provide its customers with the finest quality firearms in the world.”
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McConnell Finally Caves On Election Security Measure After Months Of Stonewalling

After months of constantly blocking bipartisan efforts to address foreign election hacking, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) finally gave in on Thursday and announced his support for an…
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McConnell Finally Caves On Election Security Measure After Months Of Stonewalling


After months of constantly blocking bipartisan efforts to address foreign election hacking, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) finally gave in on Thursday and announced his support for an election security funding measure of $250 million.


During a speech on the Senate floor, McConnell said he was “proud” that the Senate’s appropriations bill includes an bipartisan amendment that would grant states $250 million in funding to help them beef up security for their voting systems.

“I’m proud to have helped develop this amendment and to co-sponsor it in committee,” he continued.

The Republican leader also jabbed at his Democratic critics, saying that the amendment is “exactly the kind of positive outcome” that is possible “when we stop posturing for the press.”

McConnell’s turnabout came after House and Senate Democrats kept publicly blasting the senate leader for his stonewalling, even referring to the Kentucky Republican as “Moscow Mitch” (which McConnell had complained was “over the top” and “modern-day McCarthyism”).

In an official statement on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) applauded McConnell’s decision but warned that the measure alone isn’t sufficient to combat election meddling from foreign governments.

“While this funding is important, it’s not the only thing we must do to secure our elections from Russian, Chinese, Iranian or any other foreign country interfering,” Schumer said. “There are multiple, bipartisan pieces of legislation awaiting action on the floor that would counter foreign influence operations against our democracy, safeguard our elections, and deter foreign adversaries from even attempting to interfere.”
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Admin Threatens To Pull Funds From University Program Deemed Too Focused On Islam

The Trump administration has threatened to pull funding from a Middle East studies program offered by Duke University and the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, which the administration deems…
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Admin Threatens To Pull Funds From University Program Deemed Too Focused On Islam


The Trump administration has threatened to pull funding from a Middle East studies program offered by Duke University and the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, which the administration deems to be too biased in favor of Islam.

The Department of Education published its letter to the two universities this week regarding the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies (Duke/UNC CMES), informing university officials that the program may not qualify for Title VI funding.

According to the department, Duke/UNC CMES does not adequately “promote foreign language learning and advance the national security interests and economic stability of the United States.”

Assistant Secretary of Education Robert King laid out the department’s grievances in the letter sent on August 29, including complaints that the Middle East studies program is disproportionately balanced in favor of Islam.

“The Duke-UNC CMES appears to lack balance as it offers very few, if any, programs focused on the historic discrimination faced by, and current circumstances of, religious minorities in the Middle East, including Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Yadizis, Kurds, Druze, and others,” King wrote.

He also criticized the program for putting “considerable emphasis” on the “positive aspects of Islam” without “similar focus” on the positive aspects of “Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion or belief system in the Middle East.”

“This lack of balance is troubling,” the assistant secretary wrote.

The letter demanded that Duke and UNC provide a revised listing of the program’s activities in order to continue to receive federal funding.

The Department of Education did not respond to TPM’s request for comment.
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