The Department of Justice is rescinding job offers for the Attorney General’s Honors Program amid President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze, according to a new report.
The Attorney General’s Honors Program, established in 1953, hires graduating law students or recent law school graduates from top law schools such as Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford and the University of Virginia.
But the Department of Justice notified those who had been selected for the program, which serves as a pipeline to recruit top legal talent into the public sector, that their offers were being revoked, several people familiar with the decision told the Washington Post.
CAREER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS REASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS: REPORTS
A sign at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management distributed an email to those affected via email on Wednesday.
“Pursuant to the hiring freeze announced Jan. 20, 2025, your job offer has been revoked,” said the email,” according to an email the Post obtained.
Those familiar with the program said it may take on more than 100 lawyers annually, with recent hires assigned to the antitrust, national security, criminal and other divisions.
They told the Post that the program is critical in recruiting new top talent to the Justice Department in order to replace outgoing legal talent. The two-year program places young attorneys on a career path to stay at the Department once the program concludes.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FREEZES ALL CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION CASES: REPORT
The seal of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.(Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
The Post reports that it is uncertain whether the program will resume once federal hiring starts again.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump signed a series of executive orders on Inauguration Day this week, including those initiating the federal hiring freeze as well as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and directing every department and agency to address the cost-of-living crisis.
DOJ RACING THE CLOCK TO ENSHRINE ‘WOKE’ POLICING RULES, LAWYER SAYS, AS JUDGE HEARS BREONNA TAYLOR REFORM CASE
U.S. President Donald Trump sings a second executive order during the inaugural celebration inside Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on the first day of his second term, January 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
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“As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law,” a White House memo said. “Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.”
Those exempt from the hiring freeze include military personnel and other federal jobs pertaining to immigration, national security or public safety.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
New Delhi, January 21: PhonePe on Tuesday announced the launch of an extensive campaign around the ongoing Mahakumbh mela in Pragyaraj. The campaign among many exciting things includes – the ‘MahaKumba Ka MahaShagun’ offer, where first-time users attending the gathering in Pragyaraj city can avail Rs 144 flat cashback on their first transaction. The offer is valid only till the end of the mela on February 26, and on the transaction as low as Re 1.
To drive consumer awareness for the campaign, the company is also using a mix of Mahakumbh-themed QR codes, banners, posters, and other branding elements at relevant touch points. Further, to make this auspicious gathering even more exciting PhonePe has launched a special message on its SmartSpeaker, wishing attendees “Maha Kumbh ki Shubhkamnayein, Maha Shagun ke Saath”. ‘Entity Locker’: Government Launches Digital Platform To Transform Management, Verification of Business and Organisation Documents.
The campaign is aimed to help make the auspicious gathering of the Mahakumbh mela convenient and seamless for over 40 crore attendees, expected to attend the event. Allowing them to move about without the stress of carrying cash for paying at stalls or stores or even to pay for shaguns, as PhonePe will be an accepted mode of payment throughout the venue. This will also further enhance the adoption of digital payments in the country while driving financial inclusion for crores of Indians who are yet to come into the digital payments fold. WhatsApp New Feature Update: Meta-Owned Platform Introduces Redesigned Interface in Communities Tab and Bulk Management Feature for Channels for iOS Users.
PhonePe also described a step-by-step guide to avail of this special cashback offer. Users must first download the PhonePe app on an ioS or Android device, link bank account, and set a UPI PIN. To avail of the offer, one must allow location permission on the app. Users must also keep their location service ‘on’ on their devices. The offer is valid for users in Prayagraj city only. Users can pay seamlessly using the linked UPI account across use cases and can avail cashback which will reflect in the form of a scratch card on the PhonePe app.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2025 05:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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A U.S. startup company is reportedly offering wealthy couples the chance to screen their embryos for IQ and other favorable genetic traits, which has raised ethical concerns.
Heliospect Genomics is charging up to $50,000 to test 100 embryos and claims their technology can help couples undergoing IVF pick children with IQ scores six points higher or more over babies conceived naturally, The Guardian reports.
The company has already worked with more than a dozen couples, undercover video footage reviewed by the outlet reveals.
“Everyone can have all the children they want, and they can have children that are basically disease-free, smart, healthy; it’s going to be great,” CEO Michael Christensen said on a video call in November 2023, according to the report. The call was recorded by an undercover researcher for Hope Not Hate, an antifascist group that works to “expose and oppose far-right extremism.”
DESIGNER BABIES MAY BE ‘MORALLY’ ACCEPTABLE, UK ETHICS COUNCIL DECIDES
A microscopic view of a cryo solution during embryo prep in the IVF lab at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.(David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
On the call, Heliospect employees reportedly walk prospective parents through the experimental genetic selection techniques advertised by the company. One employee explained how couples could use polygenic scoring to rank up to 100 embryos based on “IQ and the other naughty traits that everybody wants,” including sex, height, risk of obesity and risk of mental illness, according to The Guardian.
Heliospect says its prediction tools use data from UK Biobank, a publicly funded genetic repository with half a million British volunteers. The database permits approved researchers and scientists around the world to access it for “health-related research that is in the public interest.”
United Kingdom law prohibits parents from selecting embryos on the basis of predicted high IQ, but the practice is currently legal in the U.S., even if the technology is not yet commercially available.
Expert geneticists and bioethicists told The Guardian the prospect of selecting embryos for favorable genetic traits is ethically questionable since it could reinforce the idea of “superior” and “inferior” genetics. Hope Not Hate went further in its own reporting, tying a handful of Heliospect employees to people and publications that have purportedly promoted so-called scientific racism, or the contested belief that human races have innately different levels of physical, intellectual and moral development determined by their genetics.
TRUMP PLEDGES COVERAGE FOR IVF TREATMENT
U.S.-based startup Heliospect Genomics claims it can help parents screen embryos to predict higher intelligence and other desirable genetic traits.(iStock)
Katie Hasson, associate director of the Center for Genetics and Society in California, warned in comments to The Guardian that embryo selection technology could mainstream “the belief that inequality comes from biology rather than social causes.”
Heliospect Genomics did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Heliospect managers told The Guardian the U.S.-based company operates within the bounds of all applicable law and regulations. The company said it is currently in “stealth mode” and is still developing its services before a planned public launch. They added that couples who have screened fewer embryos were charged around $4,000 for the service.
On the calls recorded by Hope Not Hate, Heliospect’s team described how its “polygenic scoring” service uses algorithms to analyze the genetic data given by parents to predict the specific traits of their individual embryos. The company does not offer IVF services, according to The Guardian.
Christensen presented an ambitious vision for how the technology could develop, even suggesting that “lab-grown eggs would allow couples to create embryos on an industrial scale – a thousand, or even a million – from which an elite selection could be handpicked,” the report said.
According to The Guardian, he suggested that future technology might be able to screen for personality types, including what he referred to as “dark triad” traits, namely machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.
AI BABIES: NEW TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING FERTILITY DOCS CHOOSE THE BEST EMBRYOS FOR IVF
Blood samples taken from volunteers are labeled and ready to be stored at the UK Biobank on April 17, 2007, in Manchester, England.(Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“Beauty is something lots of people actually ask about,” he reportedly added.
Heliospect told The Guardian it does not condone industrial-scale egg or embryo production or elite selection and that it does not plan to offer personality screening services.
Among Heliospect’s senior staff is Jonathan Anomaly, a controversial academic who has defended so-called “liberal eugenics,” or the idea that parents should use genetic technology to enhance their children’s prospects.
Anomaly told The Guardian that as a professor of philosophy, he has published provocative articles intended to stimulate debate and that “liberal eugenics” was an accepted term by bioethicists.
Records show Heliospect gained access to UK Biobank’s data in June 2023. In its application, the company said it planned to use advanced techniques to improve the prediction of “complex traits.” But Heliospect did not disclose screening embryos as an intended commercial application or mention IQ, The Guardian reported.
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UK Biobank told the outlet Heliospect’s use of its data appeared to be “entirely consistent with our access conditions.”
Experts suggested to The Guardian that restrictions on access to databases like UK Biobank may need to be strengthened in light of the ethical concerns around embryo screening.
“UK Biobank, and the UK government, may want to think harder about whether it needs to impose some new restrictions,” said professor Hank Greely, a bioethicist at Stanford University.
Heliospect emphasized that its use of UK Biobank data is lawful and complies with relevant regulations. The company told The Guardian it supports addressing concerns about preimplantation embryonic screening through public education, policy discussions and properly informed debates about the technology, which it strongly believed had the potential to help people.
With just hours remaining for people to welcome the New Year 2025 and begin the celebrations, cybercriminals are ready with their stunt. They are new methods to exploit unsuspecting users in the name of New Year greetings.
Experts are suggesting people exercise caution while opening an e-card on WhatsApp wishing you a happy New Year or responding to an automated call promising tempting offers, citing these may be part of a well-crafted scam and can compromise personal information and drain the bank account, reported News18 on Tuesday.
According to the report, the hackers are using APK files, which are unauthorised applications that give them control over your device. They can monitor activities, steal sensitive information, and even manipulate financial transactions.
Experts also state that once the malicious APK is downloaded, hackers can access contact list, photo galleries, banking details, and more.
Not only this, these hackers can gain control over WhatsApp account and steal crucial data like OTPs, credit/debit card details, and banking credentials.
Jodhpur IGP Vikas Kumar warned people about the dangers lurking in New Year e-cards. He said, as News18 quoted Local 18, “You might receive a link for a New Year greeting message, but clicking on it could be disastrous.”
He added, “If the message is from someone you know and trust, you may click the link after ensuring it’s safe. However, if there’s any doubt, refrain from clicking..”
Among other things, he advised include immediately call the toll-free helpline 1930 or visiting the nearest police station to report the incident.
How to stay protected from these scams:
1) Avoid downloading or opening APK files from unknown numbers or sources.
2) Avoid falling for mobile auto-call schemes which ask you to dial any number.
3) Be very suspicious of call which ask for personal or financial details.
4) Don’t fall for false offer as no offers are distributed via calls, OTPs, or through dialing unknown numbers.
5) Download apps only from trusted sources.
6) Try checking rating and reviews before installing any app.
7) Install reputable antivirus software.
These small and vital precautions can help people protect their personal and financial data, and have a safer digital experience in the new year.
