A federal judge on Tuesday reinstated Cathy Harris, the Democrat chairwoman of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

“The mission of the MSPB is to “Protect the Merit System Principles and promote an effective Federal workforce free of Prohibited Personnel Practices.”” the agency’s website says.

Cathy Harris was appointed to the MSPB in 2021 and her term was set to expire on March 1, 2028, but Trump fired her earlier this month.

Judge Rudolph Contreras, an Obama appointee with a history of anti-Trump bias, said Trump’s decision to fire Cathy Harris, a member of an agency in the executive branch, exceeded his authority.

“Federal law states that members of the Merit Systems Protection Board may be removed from office “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” On February 10, 2025, President Donald J. Trump informed Harris that her position on the MSPB was “terminated, effective immediately” but provided no reason for Harris’s termination,” Judge Contreras wrote in a 21-page opinion reviewed by The Gateway Pundit.

Contreras issued a temporary restraining order and reinstated Cathy Harris.

“The following day, Harris filed this lawsuit against President Trump and several other federal officials (“Defendants”), claiming that her termination violated federal law. She moves for a temporary restraining order declaring her removal from office to be unlawful, declaring that she remains a member of the MSPB, and enjoining Defendants from treating her as having been removed. For the following reasons, the Court grants that motion while the parties fully brief a motion for a preliminary injunction,” Contreras wrote.

Cathy Harris was ordered to file a motion for a preliminary injunction on or before February 23, 2025. Trump’s DOJ must file any opposition by on or before February 28. Harris must reply on or before March 3.

The court will rule on a preliminary injunction as soon as possible after both parties have filed replies.

Trump fired Cathy Harris earlier this month, Bloomberg Law reported.

“President Donald Trump fired Cathy Harris, a Democrat and member of the appeals board for terminated federal workers, and stripped another member of his vice-chair position,” Bloomberg Law reported a couple of weeks ago.

“The Merit Systems Protection Board received notice of Harris’s termination on Monday evening, agency spokesperson William Spencer said Tuesday. Trump also removed Democrat Ray Limon’s vice-chair title, but left him on the board. His term expires on March 1.” the outlet reported.

The post JUST IN: Obama Judge Reinstates Biden-Appointed Chairwoman of Merit Systems Protection Board, Says Trump Doesn’t Have Authority to Fire Her appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The full Senate will take two key confirmation votes at 5:30 pm ET to confirm Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary and to invoke cloture for a later vote on Kash Patel’s nomination as FBI Director. 

Kash Patel’s vote is expected to be more contentious as the MAGA firebrand vies for the top position at the FBI, where he plans to root out corruption and the agency’s recent history of targeting innocent conservatives.

JUST IN: FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel Passes Through First Major Hurdle in Confirmation Process – Confirmation Vote Expected Next Week!

Kash Patel has been one of the leading voices against the Deep State's weaponization of government, corruption, and conspiracies, including Russiagate, the Trump investigations, January 6, and more. He recounts all of it in his recent book, “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy.”

As President Trump noted when he nominated Patel for the role of FBI head, "He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution."

The far left is doing all it can to prevent Kash Patel from becoming FBI Chief. They know the truth is going to come out from the Comey and Wray years, and it terrifies them.

Here's Shifty Adam Schiff (D-CA) railing and fearmongering against Patel's nomination as FBI Director, noting that he's "poised to be confirmed" and calling it a "terrible tragedy for the country's preeminent law enforcement agency but also the American people":

According to GOP sources, Patel is expected to have enough votes for confirmation today and later this week.

Senator Markwayne Mullen (R-OK) explained the process for today's vote at 5:30 pm ET.

"We'll confirm Howard Lutnick, and then we'll proceed with a procedural motion to move to executive order... And then, we'll put Kash Patel on the clock, which means we could vote on him really as early as tomorrow if the Democrats want to play nice with us, which I doubt they will. More than likely, we'll be voting on him on Thursday morning," Mullen said.

An update on Senate procedure—

~5:30pm ET, the Senate will vote on a motion to proceed to executive session for @Kash_Patel. Then we'll file cloture to put him on the clock. Procedure aside — he’s set to be confirmed by Thursday.

Let’s get it DONE!@howardlutnick is next. pic.twitter.com/wuAghyXaL5

— Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) February 18, 2025

Lutnick's vote is expected later after Patel's vote.

The votes are expected at 5:30 pm ET.

Watch live below:

The post WATCH LIVE: Senate to Hold Key Vote on Kash Patel Confirmation, Confirm Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary – UPDATE: Kash Patel Moves to Final Confirmation Vote appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, denied a request for a restraining order on Tuesday in response to a motion filed by 14 Democrat state attorneys general after they sued to stop Trump and DOGE.

The Democrat attorneys general argued that Elon Musk is operating with unchecked power since he is not Senate-confirmed.

Blue states such as Arizona, Michigan, Rhode Island, New Mexico, California, Massachusetts, and others filed a lawsuit arguing President Trump violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution when he created DOGE and gave Elon Musk ‘unchecked power.’

The attorneys general argued that since Elon Musk is not senate confirmed, he should be barred from issuing orders to anyone inside of the executive branch.

They argued that the Trump Admin’s creation of DOGE with Elon Musk at the helm violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.

This exact Appointments Clause argument previously played out in Tanya Chutkan’s court. Recall that President Trump’s lawyers, in a motion to dismiss, argued that Jack Smith’s appointment to special counsel violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution because he was not Senate-confirmed.

Judge Chutkan tossed out Trump’s motion to dismiss based on the Appointments Clause argument. However, Judge Cannon dismissed the classified documents case based on this very argument.

On Friday, during a hearing, Judge Chutkan appeared to be skeptical of the emergency restraining order request. The judge asked the plaintiffs to file a proposed order narrowing its scope.

The drama continued to unfold in Chutkan’s court this week as the attorneys general awaited a ruling from the judge.

On Tuesday, Judge Chutkan denied the request for a TRO.

“Based on the parties’ briefing, oral argument, and the current record, the court finds that Plaintiffs have not carried their burden of showing that they will suffer imminent, irreparable harm absent a temporary restraining order, and therefore Plaintiffs’ motion is DENIED,” Chutkan wrote.

Chutkan said she is considering whether Elon Musk’s role is a violation of the Appointments Clause.

“Plaintiffs legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight. In these circumstances, it must be indisputable that this court acts within the bounds of its authority,” Chutkan wrote.

The Trump Administration on Monday filed a declaration explaining what authority Elon Musk has in response to a lawsuit arguing Musk and DOGE violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.

Elon Musk is an employee of the White House Office. He holds the position as a non-career Special Government Employee (SGE),” Joshua Fisher, the White House’s Director of the Office of Administration said in a sworn declaration.

The post BREAKING: Judge Chutkan Denies Democrat AGs Request For Restraining Order Against Elon Musk and DOGE appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Record-low temperatures are set to hit the United States over the next few days.

Thirty-five states have issued weather advisories due to the bitterly cold weather, with risks of deadly winter storms and deadly conditions.

CNN Weather reports:

Arctic air will interact with a storm system moving out of the Rockies to create hazardous winter weather from the Central US to the mid-Atlantic coast.

The bitter cold and snow will also complicate recovery efforts in parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, where communities are still reeling from a deadly flooding caused by a storm over the weekend.

…

The cold air will get more intense and expansive throughout the week and about three-quarters of the US population is expected to experience below-freezing conditions by Friday.

Temperatures will plunge as much as 50 degrees below February averages, threatening to break more than 270 temperature records across at least 27 states.

The reports come after 15 people perished as a result of a storm affecting Kentucky and West Virginia.

Meanwhile, two individuals are said to have died from hypothermia.

“That should tell all of us the weather conditions are as dangerous as that water is,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said at a news conference on Tuesday morning.

“The Kentucky National Guard is transitioning from life-saving missions to recovery efforts focused on debris removal, restoring access and transporting supplies to affected communities,” he continued.

“If you cannot safely power your home by the middle of today, you need to be looking at a shelter option,” Beshear urged. “You need to make sure you’re safe.”

According to NOAA’s Winter Storm Severity Index, states including Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas could all receive over a foot of snow over the next 24 hours, making driving much more perilous.

Despite constant scaremongering about global warming and supposedly record-high temperatures, Americans continue to experience freezing-cold winters that show no signs of abating.

Back in December, a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) found that the number of people who have died from cold weather-related complications has doubled between the period of 1999 to 2022.

Cold Weather-Related Deaths Soar Despite ‘Global Warming’ — Doubled Over Past 20 Years

The post GLOBAL COOLING: Temperatures Expected to Fall to Record 50 Degrees Below Average — Brace For ‘Deadly’ Winter Storms appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Joe Biden was spotted out and about at a local bakery on Monday and he looked completely lost.

Biden has kept a low profile since exiting the White House last month. It was recently reported that he signed a deal with a Hollywood agency that represents celebrities.

“President Biden is one of America’s most respected and influential voices in national and global affairs,” Richard Lovett, co-chair of CAA, said in a statement.

“His lifelong commitment to public service is one of unity, optimism, dignity, and possibility,” he continued.

“We are profoundly honored to partner with him again.”

Earlier this month Joe Biden met with the new DNC Chair Ken Martin.

NEW: Biden meets with new DNC Chair Ken Martin

The face of the Democratic Party: white and male pic.twitter.com/4oPAp9hAqf

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 4, 2025

After keeping a low-profile for the last couple of months, Joe Biden meandered over to a local bakery to pick up some treats on Monday.

A bakery employee posted a TikToK video of 82-year-old Joe Biden interacting with the other workers.

Biden looked completely shot as he greeted the workers.

WATCH:

A TikToker shared a new video from yesterday, capturing the moment she met @JoeBiden while he was eyeing pies and other sweets at a local bakery.

She called him “literally the sweetest.”

Who else misses Uncle Joe? pic.twitter.com/aqWl5Yx5Qv

— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) February 18, 2025

The post Joe Biden Looks Totally Lost During Outing at Local Bakery (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.