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WASHINGTON D.C. - President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered all federal departments and agencies to provide lists of employees who are underperforming, as it seeks to shrink the workforce and awaits a court ruling related to its deferred resignation offers.

A memo sent by the Office of Personnel Management on Thursday directs the agencies to submit names of every employee who has received less than a “fully successful” performance rating in the past three years and to note whether the workers have been on performance plans.

The memo, which was viewed by The Associated Press, also emphasized that the agencies report any obstacles to making sure they have “the ability to swiftly terminate poor performing employees who cannot or will not improve.”

The memo seeks the employee’s name, job title, pay plan and other details, as well as whether that employee is “under or successfully completed a performance improvement plan within the last 12 months.”

The office also is asking if an agency has proposed or issued a decision in such cases, and whether any action is being appealed or challenged, as well as any outcome.

The data is due by March 7. Click here to read more.

 

The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on December 18, 2019, after a White House whistleblower went public with evidence that Trump abused his powers by withholding military aid to Ukraine in order to dig up dirt on his rival, Joe Biden. In the complaint, the whistleblower claimed to have heard from White House staff that Trump had, on a phone call, directed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to work with his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to investigate Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. The whistleblower who triggered the impeachment was a CIA analyst who was first brought into the White House by the Obama administration.

Reporting by Drop Site News last year revealed that the CIA analyst relied on reporting by a supposedly independent investigative news organization called the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which appears to have effectively operated as an arm of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which President Trump has just shut down. Click here to read more.

 

CHICAGO, IL - The Chicago Teachers Union rejected recommendations from a neutral factfinder. The union will be free to strike after the report is public for 30 days and the union gives 10 days’ notice of striking.

The Chicago Teachers Union may soon be going on strike against the mayor it bankrolled into office.

The union announced it rejected recommendations from a neutral third-party “fact finder” in its latest phase of negotiations with Chicago Public Schools. That moves the teachers union one step closer to going on strike against CPS and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who gained control of City Hall after CTU funneled $2.3 million into his campaign coffers.

The union thought having Johnson in office would facilitate negotiations this time around. “This year’s CTU contract negotiations will be different than any other,” CTU wrote in an April 2024 bulletin. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall is cutting off taxpayer funds for municipalities that provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

The Richland Township Republican on Thursday introduced House Resolution 19 to block state appropriations for local governments that shield illegal immigrants from federal immigration enforcement.

“I would like to see us use funding as a way to punish these sanctuary jurisdictions,” Hall told reporters Thursday. “Let me say it differently: I think it should be an incentive – increased funding beyond what’s constitutionally required is an incentive for things like working to have safer communities through complying with ICE and working and partnering with ICE.” Click here to read more.

 

SAULT ST. MARIE, Mich- U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week arrested a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in Sault Ste. Marie as he tried to cross into the U.S. from Canada.

“Violent criminal organizations and transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua are a plague upon our communities that rely on fear and violence to reign terror on hardworking and law-abiding residents,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Travis Pickard said in a statement cited by MLive.

“By coming together as a law enforcement community to successfully locate and arrest these fugitives across state lines, we have sent a resounding message that we are united in our efforts to dismantle these violent criminal networks and put an end to the lawlessness they spread.” Click here to read more. Click here to read more.

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LANSING, Mich - Michigan’s employment numbers have dropped since spring 2024, while unemployment has risen.

The number of people employed in the state has dropped by 58,848 since May 2024, according to Mackinac Center for Public Policy research. The 1.2% loss puts the state in second-to-last place among the states, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Since May, Michigan’s unemployment rate increased more than every other state, except South Carolina. Michigan moved from 18th place in the nation for unemployment to sixth place, with an unemployment rate of 5%.

“The current unemployment rate is still pretty low for Michigan for the past generation,” said James Hohman, fiscal policy director at Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The state’s employment rate was above 5% from July 2001 to December 2015. Click here to read more.

 

DENVER, COL - Border czar Tom Homan said Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “The Faulkner Focus” that he would “seek prosecution” of any mayor or governor that impeded their mass deportation operation.

Homan said, “I think the American people, they gave President Trump a mandate. It’s immigration, the border security, immigration enforcement’s number one, and we’re going to keep President Trump’s promise. I looked at the numbers this morning, ICE has already arrested just short of 12,000 people in this country, vast majority are criminals, public safety threats. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

He continued, “And for any mayor or governor who doesn’t want public safety threats removed from the communities, I find it hard to believe that. But we’re going to do it, with or without them. If they’re not going to help, get out of the way. But don’t cross that line. Do not impede our operations. Do not knowingly conceal or harbor an illegal aliens because we will seek prosecution. We’re going to do what the President promised the American people.” Click here to read more.

 

CHICAGO, IL - The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday sued the state of Illinois, the City of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois for allegedly enforcing multiple laws which interfere with the federal government’s enforcement of immigration law.

In its lawsuit, the DOJ accused the governments of enforcing Chicago’s Welcoming City Act, Cook County’s Ordinance 11-O-73 and Illinois’s Way Forward Act, which allegedly discriminate against the federal government.

Each of the laws include instructions on enforcing federal immigration law.

“The challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law reflect their intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and to impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe,” the lawsuit reads.

LANSING, Mich - Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," which prohibits transgender women and girls from participating in female sports at educational institutions across the United States.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association said they will not follow Trump’s order at this time.

“The MHSAA is awaiting further guidance as to potential conflicts between yesterday’s executive order and Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act,” said MHSAA spokesperson Geoff Kimmerly said in a statement to Dave Bondy Keeping it Real.

Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), first enacted in 1976, protects residents from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and public services. Originally covering categories such as race, religion, sex, and age, the law was significantly expanded in 2023 to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. This change modernized the law supporters say, ensuring that LGBTQ+ individuals in Michigan are now explicitly safeguarded against discrimination in workplaces, housing, and public spaces.

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Trump’s order mandates that federal agencies enforce Title IX based on gender assigned at birth and threatens to withdraw federal funding from schools and universities that allow transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. Additionally, it directs the Department of State to advocate for similar policies internationally and to press the International Olympic Committee to exclude transgender women from female sporting events.

I interviewed Monica Yatoom from the Great Education Initiative who discussed the possibility that Michigan schools may not comply with President Trump’s executive action.

Click here to watch interview.

NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement, saying it provided a "clear, national standard."

Baker said the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization’s policy in the coming days.

The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes," the statement said. "We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard.

"The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy."