Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas fires almost every member of Homeland Security Advisory Council. March 2021

Some of the members had been installed under former President Donald Trump.

ByLuke Barr

March 26, 2021, 8:56 PM

• 4 min read

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas fired most of the members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council on Friday, according to a letter obtained by ABC News.

"I am considering how the HSAC can bring the greatest value to the Department and how the expertise, judgment, and counsel of its Members can be harnessed most effectively to advance the Department's mission. I expect to work closely with the HSAC and to rely on its Members to help guide the Department through a period of change," Mayorkas wrote.

The HSAC produces reports and advises the secretary on a range of issues from domestic violent extremism to biometrics.

The Homeland Security Advisory Council is made up of 30 members -- both Democrats and Republicans. Some of those who were fired included allies of former President Donald Trump, such as former acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli and former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan.

"In the service of an orderly transition to a new model for the HSAC, I have ended the term of current HSAC members effective March 26, 2021," he wrote. "I will reconstitute the HSAC in the next few weeks, once the new model has been developed. Chairman William Bratton and Vice Chair Karen Tandy will remain in their HSAC leadership positions. William Webster will remain the HSAC's Chair Emeritus. I was privileged to work with Judge Webster throughout my prior service in the Department."

Bratton, Tandy and Webster are the only three members still listed on the HSAC website. Bratton, the former NYPD commissioner, serves as commissioner.

Ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee John Katko, R-N.Y., slammed the action.

"While these members serve at the pleasure of the Secretary, today's action sends the message that this Administration has no intention of upholding a bipartisan, unifying approach to securing our homeland," Katko said. "The HSAC is not intended to be an echo chamber for what the current DHS Secretary wants to hear. Its mission is to provide a knowledgeable, diverse set of perspectives to combat the evolving threats of today and tomorrow."

Trump's former acting DHS secretary, Chad Wolf, who appointed some of the members, tweeted that it was a mistake as well.

"While I respect the right for a DHS Secretary to alter the HSAC to address their needs, dismissing the entire council outright and stopping a lot of important work (that was underway) is not the right approach," Wolf wrote.

ABC News' Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

G20 IFA Members gathers to discuss support to most vulnerable economies. March 2021

G20 IFA Members gathers to discuss support to most vulnerable economies | G20

 

The IFA Working Group met for the third time to discuss on initiatives to support vulnerable countries through SDR allocation, debt suspension and debt treatment, and a push to maximize the impact of development finance.

California. Climate Change & Health Equity Program. Disaster Preparedness and Response Training Event

 Disaster Preparedness and Response Training Event (West, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, Plains Regions)

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Eastern (5:00 p.m. Central / 4:00 p.m. Mountain / 3:00 p.m. Pacific)

Target Audience: Community members, grassroots organizations, local and state governments, and volunteers

 

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) will host a virtual disaster response training as part of the Federal Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Environmental Justice (EJ) EJ and Natural Disasters Subcommittee Town Hall Meetings.

 

The training will be conducted by WTP grantees and aims to provide a general awareness about how to safely respond to disasters. Participants will learn more about preparedness, mental health resilience, and response as it relates to wildfires and other natural disasters or public health emergencies.

 

Space is limited for this event and is on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a free event; however, registration will close when capacity is reached. The Zoom link will be sent to you once we receive your registration, assuming space is available.

 

This event will be primarily in English; however, simultaneous interpretation will be available during the general session.

 

Training Registration:  https://nih.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsduyurzMqHFxJJna_T4X4ferJJ58fr30

 

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Capacitación de preparación y respuesta ante desastres (Regiones oeste, suroeste, montañas rocosas y llanuras)

Miércoles, 7 de abril de 2021

6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Eastern (5:00 p.m. Central / 4:00 p.m. Mountain / 3:00 p.m. Pacific)

Audiencia: Miembros de la comunidad, organizaciones de base, gobiernos locales y estatales y voluntaries

 

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) será el patrocinador de una capacitación de respuesta ante desastres como parte las asambleas del grupo Federal Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Environmental Justice (EJ) EJ and Natural Disasters Subcommittee. (Sitio web para la asamblea)

 

La capacitación será impartida por beneficiarios del WTP y tiene como objetivo sensibilizar a la gente en general respecto a cómo responder en casos de desastre, pero sin exponerse. Los participantes pueden aprender más sobre cómo prepararse, cómo tener resiliencia mental y cómo responder en relación a fuegos incontrolados y otros desastres naturales o emergencias de salud pública.

 

Los cupos para este evento son limitados y se concederán por orden de llegada. Este es un evento gratuito que se cerrará una vez que se agote la capacidad. Una vez que recibamos su inscripción, siempre y cuando haya cupo disponible, se le enviará un vínculo a Zoom.

 

El evento tendrá lugar en inglés, pero habrá interpretación simultánea durante la sesión general.

 

Inscripción: https://nih.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsduyurzMqHFxJJna_T4X4ferJJ58fr30

 

 

California. Save the Date for Upcoming Workshops

The California Natural Resources Agency is pleased to announce upcoming dates for our regional workshops to engage the public on Governor Newsom’s Executive Order on Nature-Based Solutions (N-82-20).  Attached you will find save the date flyers in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese, and we hope you will share them broadly with your networks.

 

Registration and participant information will be shared publicly and available on our Nature-Based Solutions webpage in early April. We look forward to your participation.

 

 

 

 

 

Stay informed – SIGN UP for California Natural Resources Agency updates

  

Why There Are No George Floyds in Cuba. Register for Sunday April 11, 2021.

 

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Speakers - Aislinn Pulley - co-founder of Chicago Black Lives Matter. - Kimberley Washington -  Long-time Black rights activist, member 2019 Venceremos Brigade trip to Cuba. - August Nimtz - co-chair Minnesota Cuba Committee, professor of Political Science, University of Minnesota Moderator - Sandi Sherman - Minnesota Cuba Committee         On May 25, 2020 video of George Floyd being tortured to death by Minneapolis police outraged the world leading to protests by millions of people around the world.  Today even as people like Breonna Taylor are being killed with impunity by police, Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd as the world watches.      62 years ago the people of Cuba made a revolution, showing that a better world is possible.   While a big percentage of people in Cuba are Afro-Cubans, they are not gunned down or strangled to death by police.   Register in advance   Sponsored by the US – Cuba Normalization Committee and the Minnesota Cuba Committee     For ZOOM Technical Support Click Here   In Solidarity, Organizing Committee, International Conference for the Normalization of US-Cuba Relations us-cubanormalization.org Saving Lives Campaign US-CANADA-CUBA Cooperation savinglivescampaign.org New York-New Jersey Cuba Sí Coalition cubasinynjcoalition.org National Network On Cuba nnoc.info Canadian Network on Cuba canadiannetworkoncuba.ca Table de concertation et de solidarité Québec - Cuba https://www.facebook.com/TCSQC   End All Economic and Travel Sanctions Against Cuba! Return Guantanamo Territory to Cuba! Stop US “Regime Change” Policy Against Cuba!