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 Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via GettyRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is pushing for the creation of a space laser to defend the U.S.-Mexico border. Yes, really.
The MAGA congresswoman, who has notoriously made bizarre comments about "Jewish space lasers" in the past, called for the technology in a proposed amendment to a bill that would provide funding for Israel during its war against Hamas in Gaza. "By the funds made available by this Act, such sums as necessary shall be used for the development of space laser technology on the southwest border," the text of her amendment reads.
"Israel has some of the best unmanned defense systems in the world," Greene wrote in an X post Wednesday. "I've previously voted to fund space lasers for Israel's defense. America needs to take our national security seriously and deserves the same type of defense for our border that Israel has and proudly uses."
Read more at The Daily Beast.
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 Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty ImagesPay Dirt is a weekly foray into the pigpen of political funding. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Thursday.
A watchdog group is asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Donald Trump repeatedly lied in sworn statements to the federal government—including his own administration—about a $50 million loan that apparently never existed in the first place, and which could be evidence of tax evasion.
The criminal complaint, filed on Thursday by watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and first obtained by The Daily Beast, asks the FBI and the Justice Department's Public Integrity Unit to probe whether Trump "knowingly and willfully" lied about the mystery loan on his personal financial disclosures.
Read more at The Daily Beast.
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WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the creation of a new Climate Change Professionals Program to recruit recent graduates and current federal employees to support the Department's growing focus on adapting to climate change and improving resilience. The program is one of many new activities under the umbrella of the DHS Climate Change Action Group, established in 2021 by Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.
"The Climate Change Professionals Program will be instrumental in helping the Department adapt to our changing climate by providing hands-on experience and guidance to young professionals interested in climate adaptation and resilience," said . "This program will develop the next generation of climate experts, improve climate literacy throughout the Department, and help us execute our Climate Action Plan to remain mission-resilient while reducing our own impacts on the environment."
This two-year program will be run by the DHS Office of the Chief Readiness Support Officer and provide participants with hands-on opportunities to contribute to new initiatives that have the potential to substantially help DHS adapt to climate change and improve resilience. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will receive a Climate Change Professional accreditation from the Association of Climate Change Officers and be eligible for permanent, full-time positions at DHS.
Participants in the program will work under the leadership of the Climate Change Action Group. The CCAG is comprised of senior officials from across the Department and focuses on promoting resilience and addressing multiple climate change-related risks, including flooding, extreme heat, drought, and wildfires.
The Climate Change Professionals Program is part of the Secretary's Honors Program, which was
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