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A summit of Latin American countries to discuss a united front in the face of US President Donald Trump’s plans for mass migrant deportations has been called off, the organizers said Wednesday.Honduras had called an urgent meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) for Thursday to discuss migration after a blazing row between Colombia and the United States over Bogota’s refusal to accept two US military deportation flights.But the Honduras government on Wednesday cancelled the meeting after no leaders apart from Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced they would attend.The foreign ministry said it had been called off after Colombia said it had resolved its row with Washington.Petro is the only Latin American leader to have publicly blocked US deportation flights since Trump returned to office a week ago.Colombia’s first left-wing president refused two US military planes after taking umbrage at the treatment meted out to expelled Brazilian migrants flown home from the United States last week in shackles.A furious Trump retaliated by threatening punishing tariffs and sanctions and suspending visa applications at the US embassy in Bogota.The Colombian government later sent two of its own air force planes to bring home 201 of its nationals.No other leaders in the region have confronted Trump so forcefully on the issue.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has sought to avoid confrontation with the Republican leader, who has also threatened her country with stiff tariffs.Brazil on Monday summoned the top US envoy to Brasilia to explain the treatment of its deported citizens but has not refused deportation flights.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is removing the security detail for former top US military officer Mark Milley — a foe of President Donald Trump — and suspending his security clearance, the Pentagon said.The retired general, who reportedly once labeled Trump a “fascist” to a journalist, is the latest official-turned-critic to see their security protection pulled since Trump began his second term last week.Hegseth informed Milley “that he is revoking the authorization for his security detail and suspending his security clearance as well,” Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement late Tuesday.Milley was named by Trump during his first administration as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but their relationship deteriorated sharply.Milley is believed to be under threat from Tehran for overseeing the 2020 US drone strike ordered by Trump that killed powerful Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.”The secretary may determine whether it is appropriate to reopen his military grade review determination,” Ullyot added.Milley retired as a four-star general, but that process could see him demoted in retirement.Trump has repeatedly promised “retribution” against his opponents and threatened some with criminal prosecution.Trump was enraged after Milley told journalist Bob Woodward that the Republican was “fascist to the core” and a “dangerous person.”Milley also revealed he had secretly called his Chinese counterpart after the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters to reassure Beijing that the United States remained “stable” and had no intention to attack China.Trump subsequently wrote on his Truth Social network that “in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” for Milley.- Death threats -The general stepped down as chairman in 2023 at a ceremony in which he took a final swipe at Trump.”We don’t take an oath to a king, or queen, or a tyrant or a dictator,” Milley said of American troops. “And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”Milley’s portrait honoring his service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs was taken down at the Pentagon on the day that Trump was sworn in.The removal of the painting came after former president Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Milley and other Trump opponents in one of his last acts in office.Trump has also revoked security from former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former national security advisor John Bolton, believed to be facing the same threat from Iran.Bolton has become one of Trump’s most outspoken critics since leaving the White House, while Pompeo briefly considered a Republican run for president, reportedly annoying Trump.The president has also removed security protection from Anthony Fauci, who led the country’s fight against Covid-19 starting in Trump’s first term, and has received death threats over his handling of the pandemic.Senior Republican senators have urged him to reconsider.But the White House remained defiant over the decision Wednesday, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoing comments from Trump that officials were not entitled to security protection and clearances for life.”The individuals you’re mentioning are quite wealthy, I understand, so they can get their own private security if they wish,” she told reporters.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr faces a pivotal Senate hearing Wednesday where he will be grilled on his history of promoting vaccine misinformation and plans to upend US science agencies as he bids to become President Donald Trump’s health secretary.If confirmed, the 71-year-old Kennedy family scion and former environmental lawyer would take the helm of a department overseeing more than 80,000 employees and a $1.7 trillion budget at a time when scientists are sounding the alarm over the potential for bird flu to trigger a human pandemic.Critics have labeled him dangerously unqualified, citing his promotion of debunked claims linking measles vaccines to autism, his suggestion that HIV does not cause AIDS, his financial interests in law firms suing pharmaceutical companies, and more.At the same time, the former Democrat has garnered praise for his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, which riffs on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan and emphasizes combatting the nation’s chronic disease epidemic through healthier eating and prioritizing wellness.Complicating his path to confirmation, a conservative group founded by former vice president Mike Pence has raised concerns about Kennedy’s past donations to organizations supporting abortion access — an issue that could alienate Republicans and jeopardize his chances of securing the necessary 50 votes.”His stance on multiple health issues goes against established scientific knowledge — and these are huge red flags,” Syra Madad, an epidemiologist and fellow at Harvard Belfer Center told AFP.- Vaccine opposition -Though he has tried to soften his vaccine skepticism in recent months, Kennedy, or “RFK Jr” as he is widely known, spent two decades promoting vaccine conspiracy theories, especially around Covid-19 shots — which he called the “deadliest ever made.”He has also stated that he exclusively drinks raw milk, claiming it “advances human health” — a stance he maintains even as bird flu spreads among US cattle and has been shown to contaminate unpasteurized milk.Another frequent target of his ire is the presence of fluoride in the nation’s public water supplies, introduced in the mid-20th century to reduce dental cavities.While his criticism of this practice has generated controversy, he also has the support of some in the scientific community who question whether the benefits of water fluoridation outweigh potential neurotoxic risks, particularly as fluoride is now readily available through toothpaste.- Bizarre behavior -Kennedy initially ran as an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election, setting the campaign ablaze with a string of bizarre and headline-grabbing revelations.His claim of recovering from a parasitic brain worm, made during a divorce deposition, resurfaced in a New York Times report.He also released a video admitting that, a decade earlier, he had placed a dead six-month-old bear cub in Central Park after initially planning to skin it for meat. Meanwhile, a government agency reportedly launched an investigation into a claim made by his daughter that Kennedy had once used a chainsaw to decapitate a dead whale.His decision to back Trump after withdrawing from the race led to condemnation from his siblings — and on Tuesday, his cousin Caroline Kennedy published a scathing letter to senators, urging them to reject him and calling him a “predator” who led younger relatives down the path of drug addiction.”His basement, his garage, and his dorm room were the centers of the action where drugs were available, and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in the blender to feed his hawks,” wrote Kennedy, a former ambassador and daughter of slain former president John F. Kennedy.

Taiwan will consider supporting its domestic industrythe government said Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump warned he will soon place tariffs on overseas-made semiconductor chips.The self-ruled island is a global power in the manufacturing of chips, which are used in products from Apple’s iPhones to Nvidia’s artificial intelligence hardware and are a key driver of its economy.”In the next day or two, we will urgently assess whether additional collaboration plans or support measures for the industry are needed,” Premier Cho Jung-tai told reporters.”Taiwan’s position in the global supply chain cannot be ignored, and we will continue to maintain this advantage.”Trump, who previously accused Taiwan of stealing the US chip industry, has threatened several key trade partners with tariffs in an attempt to drive companies to shift manufacturing to the United States.Speaking at a Republican congressional retreat in Miami on Monday, Trump warned the United States will soon place tariffs on foreign-made semiconductor chips, pharmaceuticals and metals such as steel.The levies could be implemented in the “very near future” so as to “return production of these essential goods to the United States of America”, he said.”They left us and they went to Taiwan… which is about 98 percent of the chip business… and we want them to come back,” he added.”The incentive is going to be they’re not going to want to pay a 25, 50 or even 100 percent tax.”Trump has previously criticised the CHIPS Act, a major law passed during former president Joe Biden’s tenure aimed at strengthening the US semiconductor industry and reducing the country’s reliance on Asian suppliers, including Taiwan.The United States finalised a deal to award Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC up to $6.6 billion in direct funding to help build “state-of-the-art facilities in Arizona”, officials said in November.Similar deals were struck with US chipmakers GlobalFoundries, Intel and South Korea’s SK Hynix before Trump took office, ensuring the funds can start flowing as companies reach milestones.TSMC, which is the world’s largest chipmaker, has long been under pressure to move more of its production away from Taiwan, where the bulk of its fabrication plants are located.While Taiwan is a self-ruled island, China claims it as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.TSMC’s new factories overseas include three planned in the United States and one that opened in Japan last year.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Elon Musk’s company SpaceX will “soon” begin a mission to repatriate two American astronauts who have been stranded for months on the International Space Station.Veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the ISS in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner, and were due to spend only eight days on the orbiting laboratory, but technical problems on the spacecraft prompted NASA to change plans. The US space agency announced in August that Boeing rival SpaceX would bring the crew home in February, before their return was further postponed to late March due to SpaceX preparing a new spacecraft.”Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without specifying when the mission would take place.Musk, who heavily funded Trump’s election campaign, wrote earlier on X that the president had asked SpaceX to bring home the two astronauts “as soon as possible.”SpaceX, the private company founded by billionaire Musk, has been flying regular missions every six months to allow the rotation of ISS crews.In January, Wilmore and Williams said their spirits were still high despite being stranded above Earth, adding that they had plenty of food and were enjoying their time on the space station.While their protracted stay is notable, it has not yet surpassed Frank Rubio’s record-breaking 371 days aboard the ISS, which he completed in 2023 after the Russian spacecraft designated for his return developed a coolant leak. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed that Pyongyang’s nuclear programme would continue “indefinitely”, state media reported Wednesday, days after new US President Donald Trump said he would make renewed diplomatic overtures to the reclusive leader.Kim recently visited a nuclear-material production facility, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said, where Kim warned of an “inevitable” confrontation with hostile nations and said 2025 would be a “crucial year” for bolstering North Korea’s nuclear forces.”It is our firm political and military stand and invariable noble task and duty to develop the state’s nuclear counteraction posture indefinitely,” Kim said, according to KCNA.The report, and Kim’s nuclear factory visit, follow Pyongyang’s test-firing on Saturday of sea-to-surface strategic guided cruise missiles, its first weapons test since Trump returned to the White House on January 20.In response, an official with the US National Security Council said Trump would pursue “the complete denuclearisation of North Korea, just as he did in his first term”, according to a report from South Korean Yonhap news agency. Trump, who had a rare series of meetings with Kim during his first term, said in an interview last week that he would reach out to the North Korean leader again, calling Kim a “smart guy”.Despite enduring crippling economic sanctions, North Korea declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state in 2022. Pyongyang says the weapons are necessary for its self-defence and to counter hostilities from Washington.Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Wednesday that the Trump administation appeared to be “adopting a two-track approach”. “Trump is extending overtures for dialogue with Kim to encourage discussions from a political perspective,” Yang told AFP.”On the other hand, Washington’s working-level officials are now making clear that they focused on negotiating with the ultimate goal of achieving complete denuclearisation,” he said. But Yang added that North Korea might still want to speak to Washington “as they do need sanctions relief to keep its regime”.- ‘In love’ – During his first term in office, Trump met with Kim three times, beginning with a landmark summit in Singapore in June 2018. A few months after, Trump famously told a rally of his supporters that the two men had fallen “in love”.  But their second summit in Hanoi collapsed in 2019 over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return. “I think he (Kim) misses me,” Trump said in July last year, adding “it is nice to get along with somebody that has a lot of nuclear weapons”.In a commentary released the same month, North Korea said while it was true Trump tried to reflect the two leaders’ “special personal relations”, he “did not bring about any substantial positive change” during his first term in office. “Even if any administration takes office in the US, the political climate, which is confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change and, accordingly, we do not care about this,” it added. 

Blurred posts, downranked searches and deleted accounts: Since President Donald Trump’s election, groups sharing information about abortion pills say they have faced a surge in online censorship—hindering their ability to reach women urgently seeking the procedure.Reproductive rights organizations accuse Meta of leading the latest wave of digital suppression on Instagram and Facebook, drawing attention to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pledge to refocus on free speech. Meta confirmed to AFP that groups including Aid Access, Women Help Women, and Plan C had experienced varying degrees of issues with their content.”These groups encountered both correct enforcement and a variety of issues, including overenforcement and a technical bug,” a spokesperson said, citing prohibitions on the sale of drugs without proper certification as an example of legitimate enforcement. “We’ve been quite clear in recent weeks that we want to allow more speech and reduce enforcement mistakes — and we’re committed to doing that.”But the accounts were only restored after AFP and other news outlets initiated queries, with the organizations crediting media pressure for the change.- Anti-abortion administration -Zuckerberg’s recent overtures to Trump, whose inauguration he attended with other tech moguls, could point to alignment with the new anti-abortion administration, observers say.In its first days, the Trump administration took down reproductiverights.gov and targeted abortion access at home and abroad, including by rescinding orders that protected access to abortion pills and women’s ability to travel to states where the procedure is not banned.It also cut off funding to foreign groups providing such services.”Meta has said that they’re trying to get back to the roots of free expression — but right now, it’s hard to tell who exactly is going to be able to exercise that right fully,” Jane Eklund, author of an Amnesty International report on abortion information censorship, told AFP. “It really is a wait and see in how these tech bros are cozying up to the new administration and trying to gain favor with it — I am concerned about how this is going to play out.”Aid Access was founded by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts to provide abortion pills over the internet, a key means of accessing the procedure in the United States, where abortion has been outlawed or restricted in nearly half of states since a landmark court ruling in 2022.”It was in the beginning of January that we first noticed it,” the 59-year-old told AFP, referring to pages removed on Instagram and Facebook. They were later restored, though some posts were still blurred. Gomperts, known for her “abortion boat” that anchored off coasts of countries banning the procedure, said she was no stranger to censorship having previously lost her personal Facebook account and access to Google ads.Though Aid Access’s pages are now back, she remains concerned for the future. People “need to have the help they need, period,” she said.- Perpetuates ‘stigma’ -Another group, Women Help Women, only regained its account after AFP queried Meta. “On December 26, Meta blocked our Instagram account, @womenhelporg, without warning, claiming it violated ‘community standards,'” Lucia Berro Pizzarossa of the group told AFP. “This account had been reaching thousands with crucial, evidence-based information and messages aimed at reducing stigma around abortion.””Search engines have deprioritized our website, and shadow banning has invisibly suppressed our reach on social media, making it harder for individuals to find accurate and timely resources.”Advocates worry that such measures perpetuate stigma, with abortion-seekers at times resorting to “algospeak” or coded expressions to circumvent automated moderation measures. “People try to share information and they can’t, and then they tell us ‘we don’t know what we did wrong,'” said Martha Dimitratou, digital strategist for Plan C, a US group that provides information on self-managed, at-home abortion with pills.Plan C lost access to its Meta advertising account in December, severely curbing how many people it could reach, Dimitratou said. That too was restored after AFP made inquiries. Even with accounts now restored, Berro Pizzarossa of Women Help Women said there was no clear process for appeal if suppression happens again.

Unfounded cancer cures, dubious anti-vaccine narratives, and false claims that neurological disorders can be “reversed” through diets: influential American and European podcasters are peddling harmful health misinformation while largely escaping scrutiny, researchers say.The problem will come under the spotlight this week as Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a vaccine skeptic with a longstanding reputation of promoting health misinformation, faces US Senate grilling over his nomination to be President Donald Trump’s health secretary.Falsehoods on podcasts, which experts warn are fueling mistrust in conventional medicine, often go unchecked as fact-checkers must sift through hours of transcripts. They can quickly be amplified when short clips extracted from podcasts ricochet across social media.Earlier this month, actor and director Mel Gibson said on the Joe Rogan Experience — the number two podcast on Spotify in the United States — that some of his friends had overcome stage four cancer after taking the antiparasitic drugs ivermectin and fenbendazole.The Canadian Cancer Society said those treatments were “not scientifically proven,” adding that such misinformation was “dangerous” as it gives false hope to people battling the disease.The podcast garnered millions of views, while posts focused on Gibson’s claim spread across platforms such as Facebook, X, and Instagram, AFP’s fact-checkers reported.- ‘Off the cuff’ -With podcasts easy to launch, huge volumes of audio content are being produced.”The nature of medium itself makes it challenging to detect misinformation and also makes it more likely that false claims will circulate,” Valerie Wirtschafter, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, told AFP.”Often these conversations are really off the cuff, which is part of their authentic appeal, longer than your average media clip, and more frequent — sometimes for hours, multiple times a day.”A study she published in 2023 examined over 36,000 episodes produced by 79 prominent podcasters. It found that one out of every 20 episodes — and more than 70 percent of those podcasters — included at least one “unsubstantiated or false claim.”And with the popularity of podcasts soaring around the world, the phenomenon is not limited to the United States.In December, a BBC investigation found that prominent host Steven Bartlett was amplifying health misinformation on “Diary of a CEO,” his top-ranked podcast on Spotify.Its analysis of 15 health-related episodes found that each contained an average of 14 “harmful health claims.”Flight Studio, the podcast production company owned by Bartlett, told the broadcaster their guests were offered “freedom of expression” and were “thoroughly researched.”- ‘Duty of care’ -One London-based fitness coach, Richard Holley, told AFP he was drawn to a “Diary of a CEO” episode that featured a guest advocating for a keto diet to treat cancer.Holley said he did not feel the need to “fact-check” the dubious claim, floated casually as a lifestyle recommendation rather than scientific fact, but added in hindsight that “one has to be cautious.”Podcasts reaching millions of listeners are a lucrative business, with Bartlett telling UK media his show was expected to generate 20 million pounds ($25 million) last year, mainly from advertising.Some leading podcasters regularly featuring guests accused of undermining evidence-based medicine — and failing to challenge them — have created financial incentives to amplify misinformation, experts say.”Prominent podcasters have invested in wellness and health ventures at the same time as they have given airtime to health misinformation,” Cecile Simmons, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, told AFP.Last year, a Rogan-backed health supplement company was hit with a lawsuit over false advertising about one of its products, which was regularly promoted on his podcast.Researchers say the medium, which has also strongly influenced political discourse, has long been poorly regulated for accuracy.In a rare action in 2023, YouTube removed a video of podcaster Jordan Peterson interviewing Kennedy for violating its policy prohibiting vaccine misinformation.”Given podcasts’ reach and popularity, we need to think about how to ensure duty of care towards users, while preserving some of the creative freedoms that the medium allows,” said Simmons.burs-ac/des/sms

Beyonce is the most decorated artist in Grammys history, and her album releases have both triggered cultural earthquakes and reshaped music industry norms.But few artists have ever been snubbed so conspicuously by the Recording Academy — for all her trailblazing accomplishments, Beyonce has never won the prestigious prizes for best album or record.Once again on Sunday, she will head to the Grammys gala with the most chances to win, after “Cowboy Carter” — her genre-spanning, sociopolitically charged conversation piece of an album — dropped last spring to critical acclaim.It earned her a fifth nomination for Album of the Year: in years past, she has lost to Taylor Swift, Beck, Adele and, most recently, Harry Styles.As for Record of the Year, this is her ninth shot at a golden gramophone.And in a glaringly consistent pattern, nearly all of Beyonce’s losses have been to white pop and rock artists.”If she wins the Album of the Year category for ‘Cowboy Carter,’ it would be — for me, personally — similar to when Barack Obama won the presidency,” said Birgitta Johnson, a professor of African American studies and music history at the University of South Carolina.To explain the parallel, Johnson said that upon Obama’s victory, “as a Black person in America… I was totally shocked.”- ‘Fault lines’ -For Johnson, Grammy voters tend to dismiss collaborative projects, which is Beyonce’s bread and butter: the megastar showcases Black music and traditions while elevating fellow artists.Musicologist Lauron Kehrer seconded that point, citing Beyonce’s 2015 loss to Beck for Album of the Year; the chatter afterwards was that while Beyonce worked with a team, Beck put the album together himself.Voter “values have been more aligned with white-dominated genres like rock and alternative,” said Kehrer.”When we look at pop and R&B and other genres, they take a more collaborative approach — but that approach to collaboration hasn’t really been valued by Grammy voters.”Kehrer said Beyonce’s career is emblematic of “fault lines in how organizations think about style and think about genre, especially around race and gender lines.”And though the Grammys have increased the number of contenders in the top categories — it used to be five, was bumped to 10, and is currently eight — in a bid to promote diversity, the change has actually meant votes are split to a degree that people of color and less conventional artists still rarely win.”All those things are coming into play when it comes to Beyonce, this iconic global star that keeps missing this particular brass ring,” Johnson said.- No ‘one-trick pony’ -Beyonce’s work is difficult to define — beyond the top categories, her 11 Grammy nominations this year span Americana, country, pop and rap.She has previously scooped awards for dance and electronic music.”She refuses to be a one-trick pony,” Kehrer said. “It does feel like ‘Cowboy Carter’ especially was a project to show, among other things, that she’s a versatile artist who can’t be pigeon-holed, and to kind of force institutions in the industry to pay attention to that.”Beyonce has thus challenged the Recording Academy to keep up with her by improving on its categorization of music to better reflect industry trends — something that the Grammy organizers have indeed endeavored to do.In the end, the Grammys need Beyonce a whole lot more than she needs the Grammys, Johnson says.Her touch is vital to the gala “so they can seem not only relevant, but as inclusive as they claim they have been trying to be,” she told AFP.- ‘Litmus test’ -As for winning prizes, if that were Beyonce’s primary concern, she would write music tailored for that, Johnson notes.Instead, “she’s trying to do more work around narratives and identity,” the professor said.”She’s one of those rare artists who are free creatively, but also has the wealth to propel her vision.”That vision trickles down to the artists who routinely win the big prizes, Johnson said, pointing to Grammys darling Billie Eilish as an example of how younger generations take inspiration from Beyonce to work across genres.Ultimately, even if Queen Bey doesn’t need institutional approval, wins matter for fans — and, in turn, representation.”It’s hard to get around the fact that it’s such a significant recognition,” Kehrer said, calling the Grammys a “litmus test for where we are on race and genre in the music industry.”

Abrupt firings, senior officials demoted, and career employees left reeling — US President Donald Trump is taking a sledgehammer to a Justice Department he accuses of unjustly prosecuting him.Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought two criminal cases against Trump, resigned before the Republican could fulfill his campaign pledge to fire him, but more than a dozen members of his team were sacked on Monday.Across the Justice Department a number of high-ranking officials have been demoted or reassigned in moves by the new administration that have unsettled career employees.A Justice Department official said those fired had played a “significant role” in Trump’s prosecution and acting attorney general James McHenry did not believe they “could be trusted to faithfully implement the president’s agenda.”Smith charged Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.Neither case came to trial and the special counsel — in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after Trump won the November presidential election.McHenry was appointed by Trump to head the Justice Department until his nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, is confirmed by the Senate.Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, defended Trump at his first impeachment trial and is one of several personal lawyers the real estate tycoon has named to key Justice Department posts.Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, Trump’s attorneys in his hush money trial in New York and his two federal cases, were named to the second- and third-ranking jobs in the Justice Department.- ‘Personal law office’ -Steven Schwinn, a constitutional law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, said Trump’s stacking of the department’s leadership with loyalists raises “significant concerns” for its traditional independence from the White House.”There’s nothing in the Constitution that requires or mandates an independent Department of Justice,” Schwinn said. “But historically speaking, Congress and the president have both recognized that some measure of independence from the White House is critical.””Trump treated the Justice Department in his first term as if it were his personal law office,” Schwinn said, and has installed individuals this time who will seemingly “bend to his will and do his bidding.”Asha Rangappa, an ex-FBI agent and former Yale Law School associate dean, also noted that “nothing prevents — legally — the president from actually controlling investigations.”But that firewall between the White House and Justice Department has historically been respected and Trump has been the first president since Richard Nixon to “breach that norm,” Rangappa added.- ‘Unfair weaponization’ -In his inauguration speech, Trump, the first former president to be convicted of a crime, vowed to end the “vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department.”In a subsequent interview, however, Trump said he “went through four years of hell” and “it’s really hard to say that they shouldn’t have to go through it also.”Bondi, at her confirmation hearing, said that “the Justice Department must be independent” and that she will “not target people just because of their political affiliation.””There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice,” she said.Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said Trump’s actions show otherwise and his nomination of his personal lawyers to top Justice posts shows he “intends to weaponize the Justice Department to seek vengeance.”The personnel shake-up was one of a number of actions taken by Trump during his first week in office that have rocked the Justice Department.His sweeping pardons of more than 1,500 supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, including individuals convicted of violent assaults on police, eviscerated years of work by prosecutors.Trump also ordered a freeze on all civil rights cases and police reform agreements and threatened to take legal action against state and local officials who fail to cooperate with his immigration crackdown.Trump additionally tasked the Justice Department with defending his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, a move which met with an immediate rebuke from a federal judge who called it “blatantly unconstitutional.”