Catégorie oBox : OBOXMA

According to a complaint filed by the organization Whistleblower Aid, Daniel Berulis, a former computer specialist at the US government agency National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), recently raised the alarm about a potential serious security breach involving the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and his team.

EXCLUSIVE: A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that … information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.

— NPR (@npr.org) 2025-04-15T10:10:22.927Z

Berulis claims that he observed disturbing things in March 2025, when members of the DOGE team obtained extended access to the NLRB’s internal systems, allowing them to view, copy, and modify sensitive data.

According to the whistleblower, the data in question included files related to ongoing union cases, confidential testimonies, personal information about employees, and sensitive information about business owners.

According to the computer specialist, he immediately observed unusual activity on the NLRB’s computer network, including a significant increase in outgoing data volume, estimated by him to be around 10 gigabytes.

At the same time, Berulis also noticed that the logging protocols, essential for monitoring user activity, had been modified. According to him, these alterations significantly complicated the traceability of operations performed on the system.

The computer specialist reports that shortly after the DOGE team accessed the systems, suspicious login attempts from a Russian IP address were observed.

One of them used a recently created account by the DOGE, with a correct username and password, which suggests potential compromise. Although these connections were blocked thanks to the geographical restrictions in place, they greatly concerned the whistleblower.

The whistleblower stated in an interview with CNN that he had received a threatening note accompanied by drone photos showing him at home, shortly after trying to alert the authorities.

He adds that his superiors ordered him to abandon his investigation and not transmit his concerns to national security agencies, while the NLRB rejects all of his accusations.

During the recent visit of the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to the White House, Donald Trump stated, in a discussion filmed by Bukele’s team and broadcasted live on X, that in addition to illegal immigrants, he was also considering sending American citizens, or as he put it, «homegrown criminals».

President Trump suggests that certain "homegrown" criminals, who are U.S. citizens, should be deported to El Salvador. nbcnews.to/42GumOB

— NBC News (@nbcnews.com) 2025-04-14T21:30:08.689Z

This conversation, captured just before journalists entered the Oval Office, shows Donald Trump addressing the President of El Salvador, saying: « They love you, they love what you’re doing. »

Trump then adds: « Homegrown criminals are next. »

Trump, apparently believing that the existing mega-prisons in El Salvador are not large enough, then told Bukele that at least « five more places » would need to be built.

To which Bukele responded: « Yeah, we’ve got space, » a reply that reportedly provoked laughter in the Oval Office.

Donald Trump’s comments raise serious concerns, as he is already at the center of a controversy for refusing to facilitate the repatriation of a man sent to one of these mega-prisons, despite a Supreme Court decision.

Deported by mistake and without legal procedure by his administration, which refers to his deportation as a simple « administrative error, » Kilmar Abrego Garcia is now presented by the Trump administration as a dangerous individual, claims that are widely disputed and not backed by solid evidence at this moment.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, entered the United States illegally at the age of 16, fleeing gang violence in El Salvador, and has been living in the country since 2011. In 2019, a US court granted him a protection order allowing him to stay in the country, and he has never been charged or convicted.

The US Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return.

At the time of his arrest by ICE, Kilmar Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland with his wife and their three children: their biological son, who has autism, as well as two children from a previous relationship.

While the Trump administration tries to portray him as a criminal by citing a 2021 protection order, his wife claims that, even if no marriage is perfect, Kilmar has always been a « a loving partner and father, » and that his expulsion is in no way justified.

The way the administration handled Garcia’s case raises serious concerns about the respect for legal procedure for anyone who would be sent to these five mega-prisons, especially if they are designated as criminals according to Donald Trump’s vague criteria.

Trump regularly threatens his political opponents, as well as journalists and critical media, stating that some should « go to prison » simply for opposing his government.

Donald Trump frequently suggests that his political opponents or unfavorable media are criminals.

The « Lock her up » slogan, launched against Hillary Clinton, has become emblematic of his 2016 campaign and marked the beginning of a rhetoric that equates political opposition with a criminal threat.

He regularly calls Joe Biden the « head of a criminal organization » and accuses members of the January 6 committee of manipulating or suppressing evidence, stating: « What they did is criminal. They should go to prison. »

Attorney General Merrick Garland is, according to him, « corrupt » and should be « held accountable, » while he claims that special prosecutor Jack Smith « should be arrested. » Judges involved in his trials, such as Judge Engoron, are also labeled « corrupt. »

On the media side, Trump calls CNN, MSNBC, or the New York Times « criminals, » going so far as to say that some journalists « should go to prison » for refusing to reveal their sources.

This systematic criminalization of all opposition or criticism raises deep concerns.

Especially since Trump has now openly stated that he is considering the idea of sending American citizens to prison in El Salvador.

The guy who recently stated at CPAC that he’s « just living the meme », Elon Musk, is once again changing the results he’s been promising for months.

Elon Musk now admits his Department of Government Efficiency will produce only 15% of the savings it promised. But even that estimate is inflated with errors and guesswork. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/u…

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-04-13T19:27:41.265Z

He recently admitted to having significantly reduced the savings he promised to Americans once again.

This, despite brutal cuts with no regard to the government apparatus and despite a first downward revision of almost half announced a few weeks earlier.

Originally, he promised nothing less than $2,000 billion in savings thanks to the cuts by DOGE!

This promise was reduced by half once, then a second time, to the point where only $150 billion in savings remains on the table in a context where the federal budget approaches $7,000 billion.

According to the New York Times, barely 15% of the savings announced by Musk would be truly achievable.

The rest would be based on inflated figures and approximations: according to the newspaper, Musk would include exaggerated amounts, predict uncertain future spending, and count funds that would only be committed during the next budget cycle.

Several of the savings put forward by DOGE have proven to be false or greatly exaggerated.

Certain « discovered frauds » had already been discovered under the previous administration, and blatant errors have been pointed out, such as an $8 million contract presented wrongly as a savings of $8 billion.

Experts point to a serious lack of rigor and transparency.

Surprised?

A few hours after Harvard announced its refusal to comply with a series of demands from the Trump administration, Donald Trump retaliated by announcing the freeze of over two billion dollars in federal funds intended for the university.

Obama's criticism of Trump's "ham-handed" demands could encourage other universities to follow Harvard's example.

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-04-15T14:22:55.271Z

According to a letter from the Trump administration to Harvard, obtained by the New York Times, the White House was demanding that the university comply with a series of measures, under penalty of losing its funding, mainly intended for research.

Harvard accuses the government of hiding, behind certain requirements related to the fight against anti-Semitism, an attempt to directly regulate intellectual conditions within the university.

The message from the president of Harvard University to the Trump administration is unequivocal:

«The University will not surrender its independence or its constitutional rights».

It also stated: «No government, regardless of which party is in power, should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue».

This firm statement was quickly applauded by former President Barack Obama, himself a graduate of Harvard’s prestigious law school. He described the Trump administration’s attempts to control academic freedom as «unlawful and ham-handed».

Obama expressed hope that Harvard’s decision would serve as an example and encourage other universities and institutions to follow the same path.

American universities are facing pressure from the Trump administration, accused of attacking the fundamental principles of a democratic society, such as freedom of expression, association, and academic freedom. This attempt was condemned in a letter signed by nearly 900 institutions, including members of the faculty at Yale, according to The Guardian.

Trump’s requirements included removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, changing admission policies to be based solely on merit, restricting the admission of international students deemed hostile to American values, banning pro-Palestinian student groups, collaborating with immigration authorities, and imposing a ban on wearing masks during protests on campus.