Embedded Files
NEXT MEETING: 04/13/26, 7 PM, OZARK-DALE LIBRARY
Focus On the Second Trump Administration:
Military questioned use of makeshift office space in Kuwait where U.S. troops were killed
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-strike-kuwait-officials-question-fortifications/
Comment: "The first American service members to die in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran were killed in an apparent Iranian drone attack on a makeshift office space in Kuwait, three U.S. military officials with direct knowledge of Iran's attack told CBS News."
Comment: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the deadly strike was caused by a powerful Iranian weapon that made it through both air defenses and the operations center's fortifications."
" 'You have air defenses, and a lot's coming in, and you hit most of it,' Hegseth said during a news conference at the Pentagon. 'Every once in a while, you might have one, unfortunately, we call it a squirter, that makes its way through. And in that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons.' "
"But the three U.S. military officials questioned the assertion that the building was adequately fortified. They told CBS News the operations center was a triple-wide trailer made into an office space — a common setup at U.S. bases abroad."
"The trailer's only fortifications were T-walls, which are steel-reinforced concrete barriers that can range in height from 6 to 12 feet tall, used to protect military personnel from explosions, rocket attacks and shrapnel, the military officials said."
"But T-walls could not protect the facility from an overhead strike. Two officials told CBS News that the strike appeared to hit dead-center on top of the building."
"Three officials also told CBS News, speaking under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media outlets, that prior to the attack, there were discussions on the ground about whether the tactical operations center in question should not have been used, as it concentrated too many U.S. troops in a location that wasn't defendable."
"Preliminary battle damage assessments suggest the operations center in Kuwait was attacked by a one-way drone, according to three U.S. military officials with direct knowledge of Iran's attack. It's not clear what type was involved, but Iran typically uses Shahed-136 'kamikaze' drones."
Comment: Pete Hegseth spins a false narrative to hide the fact that the troops were in a facility that was inadequately fortified. It would have been easy for him to tell the truth, and acknowledge a problem that was being corrected at other sites. They may not have liked it, but most Americans would have understood that things sometime happen. However, by falsely stating the facts, Hegseth continues to damage his credibility and that of the Trump administration, at a time when credibility is very important for troop morale and for support from the American people.
5 times Trump pushed Congress aside to take control
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/trump-congress-iran-strikes-authority
Comment: "President Trump's historic strikes on Iran happened without Congress' approval, becoming the latest example of the president sidelining the GOP-controlled legislature in his second term."
Comment: "Since returning to office, Trump has bypassed Congress and asserted executive power in unprecedented ways that could have long-term consequences for the U.S. and international order."
"While Democrats have seethed, Republicans have largely defended Trump's broader decisions, though some signs of discontent are starting to show."
"Here are five ways Trump has sidestepped Congress in his second term."
"1. Iran strikes"
"2. Venezuela raid"
"3. Tariffs"
"4. Name changes"
"5. Gutting federal agencies"
Comment: The linked article provides more details.
John Bolton says Hegseth needs ‘attitude adjustment’ after Iran briefing
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5762855-trump-pentagon-bolton-hegseth-iran-strikes/
Comment: "John Bolton, President Trump's former national security adviser, criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, accusing him of muddling the administration’s message regarding the goals of the weekend’s U.S. strikes against Iran.
" 'Pete Hegseth needs to check with his boss on what the objective is,' Bolton told host Kate Bolduan on 'CNN News Central'."
"During a Monday morning press conference, Hegseth said the objectives of the military operation are to 'destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure, and they will never have nuclear weapons'.”
"But in the wake of the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes Saturday, which resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a slew of other political and military leaders, Trump urged Iranians to seize control of their country from the Islamic Republic."
Comment: "Bolton said the comments show the head of the Pentagon is not in lockstep with Trump."
Comment: As much as one might like to blame Hegseth for miscommunicating Trump's message, the truth may be that Trump himself is inconsistent in his messaging and is throwing out a multitude of different rationales for his attack on Iran.
Trump takes unconventional approach to communicating to the public about war in Iran
Comment: "Typical of an unconventional presidency, the Trump administration waited more than 48 hours to make any live, public communication to the American people about why it had decided to go to war with Iran."
"President Donald Trump discussed why he launched the attack prior to a White House ceremony honoring military heroes on Monday but took no questions from reporters. Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine briefed journalists at the Pentagon."
"The two days previous, Trump delivered two pretaped statements that were released on Truth Social, the social media site owned by the president’s media company, and granted telephone interviews to more than a dozen journalists — several of which produced fragmented responses that, to some, clouded as much as they cleared up."
"The communications strategy opened Trump to criticism that he hadn’t done enough to explain the rationale and objectives of the war, even as the American military suffered its first casualties."
Comment: "Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, wrote on social media that 'after Trump launched a new war on Iran, he did not rush back to the White House to make an Oval Office address to rally the nation as other presidents have done. He stayed at Mar-a-Lago to attend a glitzy political fundraiser.' "
Comment: Do you think, perhaps, that the reason Trump was reluctant to communicate his "rationale and objectives of the war" was because he didn't have a coherent and consistent rationale, strategy, or objective? Perhaps he was looking for a narrative that he could sell to the world to justify his impulsive and poorly planned actions.
The Trump team’s shifting story on war with Iran
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/02/politics/hegseth-rubio-trump-iran-messaging
3 American F-15 jets "mistakenly shot down" by Kuwait but all crew safe, U.S. military says
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-f-15-jets-mistakenly-shot-down-kuwait-riendly-fire-crew-safe/
Comment: Assuming it was a mistake, it was certainly a costly one. At least all the crew are safe. War isn't cheap.
Trump tells CNN the ‘big wave’ is yet to come in war with Iran
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/02/politics/trump-interview-iran-jake-tapper
From Iran to Venezuela, Here Are the Countries Trump Has Ordered Strikes On in His Second Term
https://time.com/7382074/countries-trump-has-ordered-strikes-on-second-term/
Comment: "Here are the countries and areas Trump has ordered strikes on in his second term:
2025"
"Somalia"
"Iraq"
"Yemen"
"Iran"
"Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean"
"Syria"
"Nigeria"
"2026
Venezuela"
"Iran"
Comment: The linked article provides additional detail on each strike.
Federal retirees face delays getting tax documents from OPM
Comment: Some federal annuitants are facing weeks of delays in accessing a key tax document from the Office of Personnel Management, as the filing deadline approaches."
"OPM updated its tax form delivery policy last year in an effort to ease and expedite processes for retirees. But the change has led to difficulties and frustrations for many annuitants who are still awaiting their 1099-R forms from OPM."
"Many federal retirees, however, are still waiting on their paper documents to arrive, which are now several weeks behind schedule. Others have reported difficulties with creating or logging into their OPM accounts to either obtain the 1099-R form digitally or change their settings to have the form delivered by mail."
Comment: More chaos and confusion due to the Trump administration Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the fine folks who, in 2025, helped bring you DOGE.
Leader of federal cyber defense programs resigns from CISA
Comment: "Shelly Hartsook led CISA efforts to improve cybersecurity capacity governmentwide. Her departure continues a steady string of resignations at the cyber agency."
Comment: "The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is losing another key leader who has played a critical role in spearheading government wide cyber defenses."
"Shelly Hartsook, acting associate director in CISA’s cybersecurity division, announced her resignation today, two sources confirmed to Federal News Network. The sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Hartsook’s departure was voluntary, though it comes at an uncertain time for the cyber defense agency. One of the sources said Hartsook’s last day at CISA will be March 6."
Comment: "Her departure comes after a leadership shakeup and continued personnel turmoil at the U.S. cyber agency."
"Last week, CISA's acting director was replaced and moved to another position at the Department of Homeland Security. But not before his reported clashing with CISA’s chief information officer and chief human capital officer led to their respective reassignments."
"Hartsook’s stepping down continues a steady drumbeat of resignations at the cyber agency over the past year. Last month, CISA’s associate director for threat hunting announced he would be leaving for a role in the private sector."
"CISA has lost roughly one-third of its staff since last January. Many of those departures happened last year under voluntary workforce transition programs as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the Trump administration sought to cut CISA’s budget and mission. The workforce cuts and the lack of a Senate-confirmed leader have left the cyber agency adrift over the past year."
Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted.
Comment: "As vaccination rates decline, the economic consequences will increase, research suggests."
Video: The real test of Trump’s Iran strategy: Regime change | Fareed’s Take - March 1, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpOyzzNuwVk
Pentagon offers no evidence to support claim it attacked Iran in defense
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/01/trump-iran-preparing-attack-no-evidence-00806447
Comment: "The Trump administration is making the case that it ordered expansive, deadly strikes to stop an imminent threat from Tehran, but is providing no evidence Iran had such plans."
"The White House, amid the largest military buildup in the region in decades, has yet to explain to the public or to Congress what Iranian threat prompted the massive attacks that have upended the region and could draw the U.S. into another Middle East war."
"The administration first tested out its justification more than 12 hours after the U.S. began bombarding Iran with missiles, drones and long-range artillery. A senior Trump administration official told reporters Saturday that the U.S. had determined American troops would have suffered far more casualties by waiting for an impending Iranian strike. In the same briefing, two other officials said the president ordered the strikes after he determined Iran would not agree to stop uranium enrichment altogether."
Comment: " 'Whatever imminent threat they’re posing was likely in reaction to our unprecedented military buildup in the region,' said Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.). 'This is an example of the president deciding what he wanted to do, and then making his administration go and find whatever argument they could make to justify it.' ”
"The administration briefed some Hill staffers Sunday on the operation. But officials did not present clear evidence the Iranians were preparing an imminent attack on U.S. troops, said two people who attended. They, like others in this report, were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic."
Comment: "Trump, in an eight-minute video on Truth Social after the first wave of attacks, said Iran had continued to develop long-range missiles that could threaten Europe and U.S. troops — although American intelligence agencies have assessed Tehran won't acquire those weapons for years."
3 US troops killed in Iran attack
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/01/3-us-troops-reported-killed-in-iran-attack-00806205
Comment: "Several more troops were wounded as part of the U.S. and Israel effort against Tehran."
Comment: People die in wars, including friendly forces. That's why careful consideration should occur before a decision is made to go to war. These three will probably not be the last tp perish. We can honor their sacrifice, but we must appreciate the gravity of the decisions that led to their demise.
Trump’s Medicaid work mandates are meant to save money. But first states will have to spend millions
https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-work-requirements-trump-baea2561c67b0d24eddacbeb77ce6ec3
Comment: "To receive Medicaid health coverage, some adults will soon have to show they are working, volunteering or taking classes. But to gather that proof, many states first will have to spend millions of dollars improving their computer systems."
Comment: Administrative costs to enforce new rules are already impacting Alabama state budget allocation.
Trump’s Own Intel Agencies Say His Iran Claims Are Nonsense
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-own-intel-agencies-iran-112258501.html
Comment: "U.S. intelligence experts believe that President Donald Trump’s claims about Iranian threats to the U.S. are vastly exaggerated."
"Trump, the self-proclaimed 'President of Peace,' launched a wave of missile strikes on Iran early Saturday morning, telling the public in a prerecorded address that the U.S. military had begun 'major combat operations'.”
"The strikes, unauthorized by Congress and performed alongside Israel, are designed to stop this 'very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests,' Trump, 79, claimed in the video message. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.”
"He accused the Iranian regime of building missiles that 'could soon reach the American homeland'.”
"However, this argument, which he also peddled during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, is tenuous at best. While Iran has a vast arsenal of short and medium-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East, it is years away from producing the intercontinental ballistic missile Trump warned of."
"In an assessment from May last year, a month before Trump’s first strikes on the country, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said it would actually take nearly a decade for Iran to produce such weaponry."
Reluctant MAGA demands swift results from Trump in Iran
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/maga-iran-strikes-reaction-trump
Comment: "The America First wing of the MAGA coalition wants swift results from Saturday's Iran strikes, often invoking the late Charlie Kirk's opposition to foreign wars."
"President Trump's invasion of Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro exposed a rift with some in his base, and a prolonged skirmish in the Middle East could exacerbate those tensions ahead of a difficult midterm election for Republicans."
"Many in the MAGA sphere said Trump had campaigned on no new wars. but they signaled a swift and victorious resolution in Iran could ease their concerns."
Comment: Good luck with that "swift and victorious resolution."
Trump launches the regime-change effort in Iran that he pledged to avoid
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/28/politics/regime-change-iran-trump
Comment: "It’s no secret that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy in his second term has been more militaristic."
"Trump has floated claiming the Panama Canal, Canada and Greenland for the United States. He launched strikes on seven countries in 2025 and even resurrected the US policy of deposing Latin American leaders with the operation in Venezuela. He has killed more than 150 people on alleged drug boats via extrajudicial strikes — which might well be war crimes."
"But his new attacks against Iran represent something else entirely."
"By Trump’s own account, these are not limited strikes, but rather a 'massive and ongoing' military campaign alongside Israel that he suggests is 'war' and warns up-front could cost American lives. While his brief Iran strikes in June were about debilitating the country’s nuclear program, he’s indicated these carry the broader and bigger goal of regime change."
" ' All I want is freedom for the people,' Trump told the Washington Post shortly after 4 a.m. ET, hours after the first strikes."
"But that’s decidedly not what Trump and his team have promised the American people over the years — or even recently."
Comment: "The president has explicitly pitted himself against regime change in the Middle East and argued for a focus that’s close to home."
"He invoked this position often during the 2016 campaign while running against the war in neighboring Iraq and pitching Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton as an irredeemable and 'trigger-happy' hawk."
Comment: "As recently as 2019, Trump doubled down."
" 'Our policy of never-ending war, regime change, and nation-building is being replaced by the clear-eyed pursuit of American interests,' Trump said. 'It is the job of our military to protect our security, not to be the policeman of the world.' "
Trump deliberated on Iran for weeks. His ‘massive and ongoing’ operation comes with acknowledgment US lives could be lost | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/28/politics/trump-iran-strikes-decision
Video: BREAKING NEWS: The United States And Israel Reportedly Launch Strikes Against Iran - February 28, 2028
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWO6nY70DUs
Canceled contracts, a failed polygraph and personal disputes: Inside the turbulent tenure of Noem’s former cyber czar
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/28/cisa-cyber-leadership-madhu-gottumukkala-00804515
Comment: "The interim chief of the nation’s top cyber defense agency had convinced many people he was not up to the task long before his sudden reassignment late Thursday. Put the one person who mattered most — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — stood firm on keeping him in place."
"In his roughly nine months as acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Madhu Gottumukkala made a series of decisions that alienated career staff, created friction with Trump appointees and provoked scrutiny from influential lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Nine current and four former cyber officials who spoke with POLITICO over the last several weeks said his tenure was so chaotic that it was hampering the agency’s core mission: protecting sensitive government networks from a crush of cyberattacks. All were granted anonymity for fear of retribution."
"Several who spoke with POLITICO said the agency was long overdue for a leadership change. Under Gottumukkala, said one current official, the agency was 'devolving every day'."
"The frustration with Gottumukkala was shared by several administration officials, two of whom told Noem as far back as November that Gottumukkala should not be in charge at CISA, according to three current cybersecurity officials with knowledge of those conversations."
"But Noem was hesitant to remove Gottumukkala until recently because she and DHS special adviser Corey Lewandowski — President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager — feared it would reflect poorly on her, as she was already facing immense pressure over DHS’s immigration crackdown and other issues, two of those three officials said."
Scoop: Noem burning deportation cash on luxury jets
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/noem-luxury-jets-dhs-deportations
Comment: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's plan to use border funds for an almost $300 million luxury jet fleet has horrified top Trump officials, Axios has learned."
Trump officials move to kill system that protects US from chemical disasters
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/27/trump-fire-chemical-safety-system-epa
Comment: "The Trump administration is slowly dismantling the federal disaster management system that protects the nation from chemical catastrophes, such as fires and explosions at high-risk facilities."
"The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Response Management Program (RMP) requires more than 12,500 high-risk facilities to develop protocols to prevent catastrophes, or limit fallout, and was largely designed to protect workers, first responders, and fence-line communities."
"In 2024, the Biden administration finalized a rule 12 years in the making that meaningfully strengthened protections. However, industry in early 2025 asked the incoming Donald Trump EPA to undo it because, chemical companies claim, its provisions are too expensive to implement."
"The Trump EPA is now moving to kill most of the 2024 rules after it eliminated a public website that informs communities and first responders which chemicals are in use at facilities. The White House has also targeted the Chemical Safety Board, which reviews accidents and develops actions to avoid a repeat."
Opinion - The US doesn’t need another quack in charge of public health policy
https://www.aol.com/articles/opinion-us-doesn-t-another-143000877.html
Comment: "On Tuesday, Casey Means had a long-delayed Senate hearing on her nomination to become surgeon general."
"This may be President Trump’s weirdest nomination so far — keep in mind that this is the administration that wanted to make Matt Gaetz the attorney general of the United States."
"Means, an influencer, got this nomination because her social media accounts and best-selling book helped launch the MAHA movement. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thinks that makes her the perfect pick for surgeon general, America’s top doctor."
"Except she’s not a doctor — not a practicing one, anyway. She did graduate from Stanford medical school, but she dropped out dropped out of her residency before completing it. Her license is listed as “inactive” by the state of Oregon and, by her own admission, she is not able to write prescriptions or practice medicine."
"Right off the bat, this appears to disqualify her from the job. But nothing like this has ever come up before, since no president has ever considered nominating a social media influencer as surgeon general."
"Part of the job description of being surgeon general is being the vice admiral of the Commission Corps, 'an elite group of multidisciplinary officers working throughout the federal government whose mission is to protect, promote, and advance the health of our nation.' But there are requirements for being an officer in the Corps, and one of them is that 'Each Corps officer must possess and maintain current, unrestricted licensure.' "
"In other words, Casey Means is legally ineligible to join the organization that she would be leading."
"Means has also expressed positions consistent with being an anti-vaxxer. She has come out particularly strong against the Hepatitis B vaccine, claiming that, 'The disease is transmitted through needles and sex exclusively. There is no benefit to the baby or the wider population for a child to get this vaccine who is not at risk for sexual or IV transmission. There is only risk.' "
"It turns out, that’s not remotely true. Hepatitis B can be spread that way, but it can also be spread through other bodily fluids, including saliva."
Hegseth says Pentagon cutting ties with top universities, calling them "woke breeding grounds"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-pentagon-cutting-ties-with-top-universities-woke/
Comment: Apparently, Secretary of Defense (unofficially AKA "War") Hegseth wants military commanders to be as ignorant as he and the Commander and Chief are. One has difficulty defining "woke," but one wonders if Hegseth will ever wake up.
Video: Trump says he’s not considering declaring a national emergency to seize control of elections - February 27, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5-d-3gMElU
Renee Good's family say neither investigators nor President Trump have been in touch since her death
Comment: Linked article includes video.
Iran strikes threaten to deplete US weapons supplies — and put American troops at risk
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/25/iran-weapons-trump-troops-defense-00797801
Comment: "Pentagon officials and Hill lawmakers are increasingly warning that prolonged Iran strikes could stress U.S. military stockpiles to the brink and make the country more vulnerable."
"Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, has raised concerns about the military’s shortage of air defense interceptors since January, according to a person familiar with the conversations. But the fears have magnified in recent weeks as the Pentagon amassed the largest military buidup in the Middle East since the Iraq War."
"They follow a huge expansion of the nation’s military operations. President Donald Trump has often relied on the Pentagon to pursue his foreign policy goals — from capturing Venezuela’s leader to killing alleged drug traffickers, bombing Yemen’s Houthi group and striking Iran last year to decimate its nuclear program. Many of these operations burned through significant numbers of Standard Missile-3s, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors and Patriot missiles."
_______________________________________________________________________________
Social Security is directing employees who normally process benefits to answer phones instead
Comment: "The Social Security Administration is shifting more employees to its phone line, a move that employees say risks adding to backlogs and processing times for the public as employees who typically handle those workloads are reassigned to take calls."
"Employees who receive and process retirement and disability claims, manage the agency’s technology and work in the agency's finances unit will be answering SSA’s phone line after only hours of training. The reshuffling comes after SSA pushed out over 7,400 employees last year, according to newly released government data. That total eclipsed the Trump administration’s intended target of shedding 7,000 SSA workers, a target it announced a year ago."
Comment: Government efficiency? Thanks Elon. [sarcasm added]
DOJ omitted communication from Bondi, Patel in Epstein files, watchdog says
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/06/epstein-bondi-patel-records-withheld
DHS’ problems go farther than Minneapolis. Republicans are noticing.
Comment: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is trying to navigate the ongoing furor over ICE unleashed after immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the embattled Noem faces a litany of other dysfunctions in her department that also imperil her tenure."
"President Donald Trump has insisted Noem will not lose her job. But her handling of other things under her agency’s sprawling remit – from disaster relief to the gutting of the nation’s cybersecurity agency – is increasingly alienating Republicans at a time when she needs them most."
" 'You’ve got to get adults in the room,' Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), said in an interview. 'Get people in there who actually have the kind of experience you need to run large, complex organizations. And there’s a lot, by the way, in this Cabinet that do that. It’s just not her.' ”
Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/05/minnesota-prosecutor-ice-sidelining-priorities-00766733
Comment: "The top federal prosecutor in Minnesota says his short-staffed office has been abandoning 'pressing and important priorities' to manage the flood of immigration cases stemming from Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s mass deportation push in the Twin Cities."
"U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, in a little-noticed filing last week with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, said his office is buckling under the crushing weight of hundreds of emergency lawsuits filed by immigrants arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent weeks. He said 427 had been filed in January alone, and that the pace is expected to continue into February."
Comment: "Rosen’s admissions contradict claims by the Department of Homeland Security that the flood of immigration cases filed in federal court has not overtaxed the Justice Department. A spokesperson said Wednesday that the administration is 'more than prepared to handle the legal caseload' caused by the mass deportation effort."
Comment: Who do you believe, DHS or the prosecutors trying to process the cases? How widespread is this problem? What other criminal prosecutions (nationwide) are being neglected so that the Trump administration can go after immigrants?
Exclusive: Justice Department unit on police misconduct sees staffing plunge and probes scaled back, sources say
Comment: "Summary:
Criminal civil rights unit has lost two-thirds of its prosecutors
Excessive probes would only proceed in egregious circumstances, lawyers told
Section plays leading role in fatal shooting investigations"
Justice Department under scrutiny for revealing victim info and concealing possible enablers in Epstein files
Trump grants tariff breaks to 'politically connected' companies, Senate Dems say
Comment: "Now they're raising 'significant concerns that the Trump Administration appears to have created a closed-door tariff exclusion process allowing relief largely for those with political connections,' according to the letter addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick."
"The tariff exemption process 'has lacked transparency and procedural fairness for American stakeholders, especially small businesses and family farms,' Wyden and Van Hollen added in the letter. An advance copy of the letter was seen by NPR."
"The letter comes at a time when President Trump is visibly favoring some companies and investors, some of whom have publicly courted him with personal gifts — like the gold-plated desk clock recently presented by Rolex's CEO — and donations to his controversial plans to build a White House ballroom."
"This blurring of the lines between business and government has led political commentators and business leaders across the political spectrum to warn that the United States is tipping into 'crony capitalism'."
Comment: See additional comments and excerpts from this article under our "Focus on US Congress" news page.
cnn.com: Trump wants Republicans to ‘nationalize’ US elections. The Constitution might get in the way
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/04/politics/trump-nationalize-elections-constitution-clause
Majority of voters don’t trust Trump admin’s account of Alex Pretti killing, poll finds
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/04/voters-trump-alex-pretti-poll-00766227
Comment: "Three in 5 voters said the administration has not given an honest account of the fatal shooting, per the poll."
How bad was Alex Pretti’s killing for the Trump administration? New data tells us
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/04/politics/alex-pretti-shooting-minneapolis-crackdown-polls
Comment: Two new polls from Ipsos and Quinnipac University are the first high-quality surveys conducted completely after Pretti’s death. The first shows Americans overwhelmingly view his killing as involving 'excessive force,' while the second shows voters overwhelmingly see the shooting as 'not justified' — with those responses even more pronounced than after Renee Good’s killing by an ICE agent earlier in January."
Pete Hegseth finds yet another culture war distraction to focus on: Scouting America
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/pete-hegseth-scouting-america-demands
Comment: "But his culture war crusade has expanded to include Scouting America. In November, the former Fox News host suggested he was prepared to cut all ties between the Defense Department and the organization — a move that generated bipartisan pushback — and almost three months later, the Pentagon is now demanding that Scouting America meet undisclosed demands to make Hegseth happy."
Those new tax breaks Trump is touting come with a catch
Comment: "Taxpayers may get bogged down in the complexities of claiming deductions for tips, auto loan interest and overtime pay."
Comment: "A new tax break for overtime work is so complicated the IRS is turning to the Labor Department to help administer it."
"A much-touted deduction for auto-loan interest comes with a thicket of stipulations, including that a vehicle had its 'final assembly' in the U.S."
"And some people taking a new break for tips could find it triggers a separate tax bill that could leave them worse off."
"Republicans are counting on those benefits from their new tax law to drive up refunds this year, hoping they’ll be rewarded at the ballot box in November. But unlike familiar and relatively easy-to-understand breaks like the Child Tax Credit, President Donald Trump’s new provisions come with fine print that could frustrate taxpayers."
"They aren’t as generous as Trump’s 'no tax on tips' and 'no tax on overtime' taglines suggest, and have complex rules that will prevent many from claiming them altogether."
New Epstein files fail to quell outrage as advocates claim documents are being withheld
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/03/new-epstein-files-advocates-claim-documents-withheld
Powerful people, random redactions: 4 things to know about the latest Epstein files
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/03/nx-s1-5696975/what-to-know-epstein-files-latest
DOJ raises 'national security' concerns in legal fight over Trump ballroom
Comment: "Even before a federal judge has decided whether he'll halt construction of the White House ballroom, the Trump administration has preemptively asked the judge to stay any injunction he might issue, warning that the project is 'imperative for reasons of national security'."
"The government’s overnight filing, entered just before the end of the day Monday, also says halting the construction would 'leave an unsightly excavation site in President’s Park indefinitely'."
"The administration’s stay motion comes a week-and-a-half after Judge Richard Leon publicly aired his deep skepticism of the government’s arguments that the president has the power to build a ballroom with private donations and without express authorization from Congress, comparing the plan to a 'Rube Goldberg contraption.' Leon also said he expected the losing side of the case to appeal."
"The Justice Department’s filing restates many of the arguments its lawyer made before Leon last month, including the administration’s view that it would be 'unworkable' to allow security-related portions of the project to continue while work on the ballroom has been stopped."
Comment: "The government now says it will submit a second classified declaration from the Secret Service that further explains why halting construction 'will endanger national security and therefore impair the public interest.' "
Comment: "Reasons of national security?" Is there more to this project than we've been told about, or is the Trump administration just grasping at straws in an attempt to keep the project from being stopped.
Venezuelan oil is key to Trump's Russia plan. There's a problem with that.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/03/business/venezuela-oil-russia-india-trump-tariffs
NASA delays the launch of Artemis II lunar mission by at least a month
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/03/nx-s1-5698214/nasa-artemis-ii-launch-delay-moon
More departures at the US attorney’s office in Minnesota, AP sources say
Comment: "A new wave of departures is rippling through the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minnesota, where additional federal prosecutors are leaving at a time of mounting frustration with the Trump administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement and the Justice Department’s response to fatal shootings of civilians by federal agents, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday."
"The latest departures are on top of a half-dozen attorneys who left the office last month amid disagreements over the Justice Department’s response to the shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. At least one supervisory agent in the FBI’s Minneapolis office is known to have resigned last month as well."
Don Lemon says a dozen agents came to arrest him even though he offered to turn himself in
https://apnews.com/article/don-lemon-jimmy-kimmel-arrest-5ea86785951237e39ed641571f792316
Comment: DOJ attempt to intimidate and embarrass a journalist?
CNN: When Trump makes election threats, it’s best to believe him
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/03/politics/when-trump-makes-election-threats
Trump says Republicans should ‘nationalize’ elections
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/02/trump-nationalize-elections-2026-midterms-00760015
Comment: "The comments come less than a week after the FBI raided an elections facility in Georgia."
Trump plans to roll back mileage standards for heavy pickup trucks and vans
Comment: "The Trump administration plans to roll back vehicle mileage standards for heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, it announced in a letter to manufacturers Friday."
"In the letter, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the administration would propose to roll back the standards, which were tightened under the Biden administration."
" 'NHTSA is moving forward with the next phase of its work to reset the fuel economy program: ensuring realistic standards for heavy-duty pickups and vans (HDPUV) that comply with the law,' Morrison wrote."
"He added that while the administration is already moving to loosen standards for passenger cars and light trucks, 'we are also working in parallel on a proposal to reset the HDPUV standards.' "
Comment: Do you think the large political contributions from the oil companies had anything to do with these reduced vehicle mileage standards?
Video: More than 10,000 Ph.D. science experts left U.S. government jobs last year - February 2, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um0FuC7pUZ8
Comment: Well that ought to improve government services, increase government efficiency, and make America more competitive! [sarcasm added]
Why Greenland is so important to Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’
Comment: One can only hope that "Golden Dome" was not the primary reason for Trump trying to acquire Greenland and, in the process, alienating our NATO allies and hurting our diplomatic standing the world. While much of the rationale presented in the linked article is valid, "Golden Dome" has other technical and fiscal challenges that appear to make the project (as envisioned by Trump) impractical.
Trump’s Golden Dome, a year in, is struggling to take shape
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/02/trump-golden-dome-missile-defense-00759943
Comment: "The president vowed to build a missile defense shield for the country in three years. It’s nowhere close to being done."
Comment: "President Donald Trump promised the country a stunning missile defense shield that the military would build in record speed."
"One year and billions of dollars later, his 'Golden Dome' dream is no closer to reality."
"The Pentagon hasn’t started rolling out the vast network of sensors and interceptors because — partly due to the project’s complexity — the White House has yet to release the billions Congress appropriated to build the architecture. And that means the defense industry hasn’t been able to start working in earnest, according to two industry insiders and two former defense officials."
" 'The whole thing is at risk,' a former senior Pentagon official said."
" The people warned that Trump’s desire to create such a Herculean feat in three years has been further hampered by inconsistent communication to industry. And they noted some of the technological and logistical hurdles facing the program are likely insurmountable."
"Space-based interceptors, for example, are a centerpiece of Trump’s original plan. The complex equipment is intended to destroy missiles just a few minutes after launch, but that narrow time frame is very difficult to hit. And even if the U.S. could build a reliable launch detection and interceptor network, ground-based missiles are much cheaper to manufacture. So an adversary could flood the skies with relatively low-cost missiles and easily overwhelm them."
Comment: "The Pentagon has already doled out small contracts to start developing space-based interceptors. The expectation is that companies will spend their own money in the development phase, in hopes of winning big production contracts down the line."
Comment: "But companies are frustrated that the Pentagon hasn’t tapped into the $23 billion already appropriated by Congress in the reconciliation package passed last summer."
" 'Behind the scenes, of course industry is a bit frustrated,' said one industry representative, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to talk about sensitive government contracting. 'Setting up a prize mechanism instead of putting companies on contract when there are billions appropriated is frustrating.' "
"And the industry is wary of investing too much up front. Companies fear the program might not survive in the next administration and a production contract for space-based interceptors may never materialize."
Comment: Neither the government nor the defense industry is ready to invest much of their own money on this boondoggle, although either will be happy for the other side to spend their own money.
Trump says DOJ should continue Fed Chair Powell probe 'to the end'
Comment:
"President Donald Trump said the criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell should continue.
U.S. Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro should 'take it to the end and see,' Trump said in the Oval Office.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has said he will oppose any new Fed nominee until the Powell investigation is fully resolved."
Justice Department expected to ramp up efforts to deliver on Trump’s ‘weaponization’ priorities | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/02/politics/justice-department-trump-weaponization-priority
The Education Department's efforts to fire staff cost over $28 million, watchdog says
Comment: Trump's Government efficiency?
The Trump administration exempts new nuclear reactors from environmental review
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/02/nx-s1-5696525/trump-nuclear-safety-regulations-environmental-review
Comment: "The Trump administration has created an exclusion for new experimental reactors being built at sites around the U.S. from a major environmental law. The law would have required them to disclose how their construction and operation might harm the environment, and it also typically required a written, public assessment of the possible consequences of a nuclear accident."
"The exclusion announcement comes just days after NPR revealed that officials at the Department of Energy had secretly rewritten environmental, safety and security to make it easier for the reactors to be built."
Is Trump winning or losing his war on offshore wind power?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/02/trump-offshore-wind
Comment: "Construction has resumed on four offshore wind mega-projects after they survived a near-fatal attack by Donald Trump’s administration thanks to rulings by federal judges. These are being seen as victories for clean energy amid a wider war being waged on it by the Trump administration."
"The windfarms are considered critical by grid planners as America faces an energy affordability crisis. Together, the four projects will contribute nearly five gigawatts of energy to the east coast, enough to power 3.5m homes."
"In December, the Trump administration issued an order halting the construction of five offshore wind projects along the east coast, citing 'reasons of national security'. On 9 January, during a White House meeting with oil and gas executives, the president said: 'My goal is to not let any windmill be built. They’re losers.' "
"But in mid-January, federal judges rejected the administration’s claims and allowed construction to resume on four of the five projects. Work began immediately on Vineyard Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Empire Wind 1 and Revolution Wind. A fifth project, Sunrise Wind, is also fighting the stop work order and has a court hearing on Monday that industry experts believe will have a positive outcome."
"Judges across different jurisdictions ruled against the Trump administration. 'This is a broad rejection of the administration’s arguments,' said John Carlson, the senior north-east regional policy manager for the climate non-profit Clean Air Task Force."
"The stop-work order argued that wind turbines could interfere with military radar, but Carlson said it was a pretext to undermine wind power. 'All these projects already went through very significant national security reviews,' he said."
" 'He’s losing in court, and I think he will continue losing in court. But that’s not the entire playing field,' Carlson noted."
"To the wind industry, the court rulings are bittersweet. Trump may be losing the court battle against offshore projects already under construction, but he has succeeded in causing a nosedive in new projects, leaving the industry and its allies longing for the day he leaves office."
Comment: "Experts see offshore wind as a critical energy source for north-eastern states. Datacenters are pushing up power bills, and offshore wind offers an environmentally friendly solution to increased energy demand. Grid operators such as ISO New England note that these projects are vital for winter reliability when other fuel sources are often constrained."
"On the east coast, wind is the only renewable resource that can be deployed at scale fast enough to meet science-driven emissions reductions targets. 'States in the north-east have climate targets that are relatively ambitious for this country, and there simply isn’t another clean resource that can fill the need,' said Carlson."
"While it has been observed that Trump’s dislike of wind began a decade ago after he lost a legal battle against a windfarm near his golf resort in Scotland, he has not been consistent on the issue. During his first presidency, his administration actually supported offshore wind, before turning against it in 2019."
Tulsi Gabbard accused of trying to 'bury' whistleblower complaint
Comment: "Gabbard's press secretary said that the intelligence chief hadn't tried to stonewall Congress and that the whistleblower complaint was “baseless.”
Attorney says Gabbard is holding up a complaint about her actions, which her office denies
Comment: "Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has withheld a complaint made about her conduct from members of Congress for eight months, claiming the delay is needed for a legal review, an attorney for the person making the allegations said Monday."
"The complaint was reviewed by the office of the intelligence community’s inspector general, which deemed it not credible, Gabbard’s office said. The person then sought to have the complaint referred to members of Congress’ intelligence committees, as is permitted by federal law, but that has not occurred."
"Andrew Bakaj, the attorney for the person who made the complaint, said he could not identify his client, their employer or offer specifics about the allegations because of the nature of their work. But he said there’s no justification for keeping the complaint from Congress since last spring."
"There was no delay in getting the complaint to members of the intelligence committees, Gabbard’s press secretary Olivia Coleman said, though she added that the number of classified details in the complaint made the review process 'substantially more difficult'.”
"Gabbard’s office disputed the claims, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Coleman noted that the inspector general who deemed the complaint non-credible wasn’t selected by Gabbard and began their work during then-President Joe Biden’s administration."
Comment: "Bakaj, meanwhile, has asked Congress to investigate the handling of the complaint."
"A spokesperson for Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Gabbard pledged under oath during her confirmation hearing that she would protect whistleblowers and make sure Congress was kept informed."
Comment: "A former intelligence officer with the CIA, Bakaj previously represented an intelligence community whistleblower whose account of a phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy helped initiate the first of two impeachment cases against the Republican leader during his first team."
Comment: The IG may be correct and the complaint may be non-credible, but Gabbard should have sent it the congressional intelligence committees anyway. The Trump administration has lied about and covered up so many things, its credibility is seriously in doubt.
New Epstein files reveal he may have trafficked girls to others despite official denials
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/epstein-files-new-batch
Comment: "Allegations prompt questions about officials’ contentions that there isn’t evidence to investigate third parties"
Handling of Epstein files is ‘outrageous’, say attorneys of his sex trafficking survivors
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/01/jeffrey-epstein-files-sex-trafficking-survivors
Comment: "Tranche of government-held files filled with ‘ham-fisted redactions’ and expose survivors’ identities, say attorneys"
'There’s something bigger going on': State election chiefs rebuff Trump bid to seize voter rolls
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/31/democrats-election-trump-voter-rolls-00758940
Comment: "Democratic state election officials say the Justice Department’s letter to Minnesota over its voter rolls represents a significant escalation, with several warning that the Trump administration could use immigration enforcement to exert influence over November’s midterm elections."
"The officials are baffled by the Trump administration’s continued demand for access to state voter information and refuse to comply, telling POLITICO they view the requests as part of a broader effort by the administration to insert itself into state election proceedings."
"Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, has been at the center of the push after Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a letter to Gov. Tim Walz that one condition of restoring 'law and order' in the state amid the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown would be for Minnesota to turn over its voter rolls to the federal government."
"Minnesota — one of two dozen states, along with the District of Columbia, sued by the administration — has rejected the request, prompting an unprecedented legal clash between the Justice Department and state election officials."
" 'To me, [it] seems to be a project in service of the president’s longstanding but false view that election systems around the country are rigging elections,' Simon told POLITICO. 'And this project seems to be in service of that, and that’s the best I can tell.' "
Comment: "Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat running for reelection this year, called the letter to officials in Minnesota 'extortion' and echoed the suggestion that the effort was aimed at something beyond voter rolls."
Comment: "The highly unusual push for access to states’ voter rolls is part of a yearlong campaign by the Trump administration, which says it is seeking to ensure that states’ voter registration practices comply with federal law and safeguard election integrity. The White House has requested voter records from nearly every state and Washington, D.C. The move comes as Trump frequently repeats his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was 'rigged'.”
Video: Journalist Don Lemon released after arrest over Minnesota church protest - January 31, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5SfegkUpJw
The world is about to discover America’s infrastructure issue
Comment: "Ever since the United States won the right to host World Cup matches and the final, the global games have been a chance for the nation to show itself off — or be embarrassed by its deficiencies."
"Sadly, many visitors who make the trip this summer are more likely to encounter a country that now lags behind other developed nations in building and upgrading infrastructure."
"Nowhere is it more conspicuous than in New York, where regional officials just announced they will have to pause work on the nation's largest public works project — a pair of new train tunnels to connect New York and New Jersey — after President Donald Trump decided to terminate it amid a spat with Sen. Chuck Schumer, the opposition leader."
Comment: "The American Society of Civil Engineers does a regular report card on the nation’s infrastructure. Last year, it gave the nation a C, in part because of a bipartisan spending plan signed into law by Biden. But it said to keep things up, there would have to be sustained funding."
"Instead, the Trump administration has slashed or threatened to slash money to all kinds of infrastructure projects, including the train tunnels."
"A New York Democratic lawmaker, Tony Simone, who represents Midtown Manhattan, blasted the president’s cuts to transit funding last fall by mockingly comparing Trump to Mussolini, the Italian dictator whose regime promoted a myth of fascist efficiency and railway improvements."
" 'Donald Trump is the worst kind of fascist,' Simone said during a press conference on transit funding last year. 'He can’t even make the trains run on time.' "
It is beyond naive for Democrats – and Europe – to think Trump’s retreats are real. He never backs down for long
Comment: "Whether it’s Minneapolis or Greenland, the US president will do just enough to get through a damaging news cycle, then carry on as before"
Opinion: The arrest of Don Lemon is blatant censorship. And he is not the only one
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/30/don-lemon-arrest-first-amendment-journalism
Comment: "Two federal courts reviewed the government’s evidence against journalist Don Lemon and declined to approve his arrest last week. But nevertheless, the attorney general, Pam Bondi, persisted, desperate to please her authoritarian boss no matter what the constitution and law say or what her ethical obligations as an attorney require."
"Thursday’s arrests of Lemon and Georgia Fort, an independent journalist – like the recent raid on Hannah Natanson, the Washington Post reporter – demonstrate the administration’s lawless crusade against routine journalism. In normal times the expectation is that even when a journalist’s conduct might technically fit the legal elements of a crime – jaywalking to get footage of a protest, for example – prosecutors will exercise their discretion and judgment to not apply the law in a manner that chills the free press."
Video: DHS, Noem Suffer Turbulent Week As Leaders Call For Impeachment Following MN Shootings | TRENDING - January 30, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvDra84zbJ4
Comment: "Democrats continue their push to rein in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following two fatal shootings in Minnesota at the hands of federal immigration enforcement officials. Leaders across both parties have blasted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in recent weeks over the agency’s use of force in its deportation operations, calling on the DHS chief to resign or face impeachment."
Video: DOJ conducting civil rights probe into Alex Pretti shooting - January 30, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVdhFBSS7Nw
Comment: "The Department of Justice announced they are conducting a civil rights investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. MS NOW Reporter Alex Tabet, MS NOW Senior Legal Reporter Lisa Rubin, former federal prosecutor Paul Butler, former prosecutor Charles Coleman and former State Attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida Dave Aronberg join Erielle Reshef to share their analysis."
Video: Justice Department opens federal civil rights probe into Alex Pretti killing - January 30, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iNhUA-bOdI
Comment: "Deputy AG Blanche says the DOJ has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis resident killed by Border Patrol officers. The investigation is looking to 'shed light on what happened that day,' he says."
Comment: Watch the video and determine how confident and sincere Todd Blanche seems to be about the words coming out of his mouth.
Trump on pulling back federal presence in Minnesota: ‘Not at all’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5714506-trump-minnesota-immigration-enforcement/
Comment: "President Trump signaled Thursday that his administration would not pull back immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota, contradicting comments made earlier in the day by border czar Tom Homan about a 'draw down' of federal officials in the state."
Comment: "The president’s remarks stand in stark contrast to the position Homan outlined Thursday, in which he stated that staff from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were crafting a 'draw down plan'.”
Comment: More confusion and chaos in the Trump administration.
DNI Gabbard's role in Trump election probe under scrutiny
https://abcnews.com/Politics/tulsi-gabbards-role-trump-election-probe-scrutiny/story?id=129703574
Comment: "Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has now become a central figure in President Donald Trump's demands for a criminal probe into his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election."
"And congressional Democrats are demanding answers about why the president's spy chief -- who normally deals with foreign intelligence threats -- is involved."
"Gabbard has taken a leading role in efforts to investigate voting records from Fulton County, Georgia, a swing state that went blue in 2020 and helped secure Joe Biden's victory."
"She was seen on Wednesday at the county's Elections Hub and Operations Center as the FBI conducted a search warrant and seized voting records, but she did not explain her presence in any statements."
Confidence in Trump Dips, and Fewer Now Say They Support His Policies and Plans
Bondi Hands St. Louis Prosecutor Nationwide Election Fraud Remit
Comment: "The St. Louis-based US attorney overseeing the FBI search warrant executed on Fulton County’s election office Wednesday received a special appointment by Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate election integrity cases nationwide, said two people familiar with the matter."
"Thomas Albus, the Trump-appointed chief prosecutor in the Eastern District of Missouri, appeared on the FBI’s court-approved warrant—rather than the US attorney for the Northern District of Georgia—that enabled agents to seize records from the Atlanta government building at the center of the president’s discredited 2020 election conspiracy."
Comment: Pam Bondi handpicks one of the few US attorneys willing to cooperate with Trump's phony pursuit of 2020 election fraud evidence in Fulton County Georgia. One worries about what else the DOJ will try, where they will try it, and how much of your tax dollars will be spent on this unjustifiable pursuit. Trump's claim of 2020 election fraud has been litigated over and over, and Trump has never won.
Democrats express alarm at Tulsi Gabbard’s presence at FBI elections office raid
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/tulsi-gabbard-georgia-fbi-elections-raid
Comment: "Democratic lawmakers are raising questions about why Tulsi Gabbard, the president’s director of national intelligence, was 'lurking' in Fulton county on Wednesday while FBI agents carted off boxes of 2020 election documents. "
"Gabbard visited an elections hub in Fulton county, home to Atlanta, on Wednesday as the FBI executed a search warrant for records related to the 2020 election. The warrant sought all ballots from the 2020 election in the county, tabulator tapes, ballot images and voter rolls, according to a warrant obtained by the Guardian."
" 'My constituents in Georgia – and I think much of the American public – are quite reasonably alarmed and asking questions, after the director of national intelligence was spotted bizarrely and personally lurking in an FBI evidence truck in Fulton county, Georgia, yesterday,' said the senator Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat. 'I encourage all of us on a bipartisan basis to pursue the facts as quickly as possible to understand whether the office of the director of national intelligence is straying far outside of its lane.' ”
"In a statement released on Wednesday, the senator Mark Warner, of Virginia, described Gabbard, a former representative and army veteran known for adhering to widely debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, as 'totally unqualified' to be one of the nation’s spymasters, citing her presence in Georgia during 'a federal raid tied to Donald Trump’s obsession with losing the 2020 election' as evidence."
CNN: Why is Tulsi Gabbard involved in seizing 2020 ballots? How election conspiracies could affect the midterms
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/politics/fbi-fulton-county-gabbard-election-trump-analysis
Trump posts discredited conspiracy theories following seizure of 2020 ballots in Georgia
Comment "In the hours after FBI agents seized 2020 election ballots from an elections facility in Georgia on Wednesday, President Donald Trump posted a series of thoroughly discredited conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election -- and the 2016 election too."
"Fulton County officials said Wednesday that the FBI seized original 2020 voting records while serving a search warrant at the county's Elections Hub and Operations Center. The FBI said they were conducting court-authorized activity at the facility, but said they would provide no further information."
"Late Wednesday night, the president reposted to his social media platform a claim that Italian military satellites had been used to hack into U.S. voting machines to flip votes from Trump to Joe Biden."
' "China reportedly coordinated the whole operation,' the post reads. 'The CIA oversaw it, the FBI covered it up, all to install Biden as a puppet.' "
"That was just one of a flurry of posts and reposts by Trump making discredited claims about the 2020 election, directly tying the allegations to the FBI's seizure of ballots on Wednesday."
" 'This is only the beginning,' Trump said, reposting other posts about the FBI's action in Georgia. 'Prosecutions are coming.' "
"The development comes after Trump has repeatedly made baseless claims that there was voter fraud in the 2020 election, specifically in Georgia, that contributed to his election loss. Georgia officials audited and certified the results following the election, and numerous lawsuits challenging the election results in the state were rejected by the courts."
"Among the statements posted and reposted by Trump following the FBI's actions in Georgia is one on the 2016 election that falsely claims that 'Barack Hussein Obama' falsified intelligence and 'conspired with foreign powers, not one, not two, not three, but four times to overthrow the United States government in 2016.' "
"In addition to being baseless, the claim ignores the fact that Obama was president in 2016, so if he tried to overthrow the government, he would have been overthrowing himself."
Comment: Madness! One wishes that Trump could be polygraphed to see if he truly believes these wild conspiracy theories. If he does, it might be time to consider invoking the 25th Amendment, If it's all just a lie, there needs to be an investigation into possible plans to interfere with the 2026 midterm elections, somehow justified by these false claims.
Video: Georgia election official says they do not know where FBI took 2020 ballots after raid - January 29, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbSqRaUzvAo
Patel defends FBI raid as Georgia officials demand answers
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/29/kash-patel-fbi-georgia-fulton-county-raid-ballots
Comment: "Kash Patel on Thursday defended the FBI's raid of the Fulton County, Georgia election office and disputed that the search violated the federal statute-of-limitations."
Comment: "Local officials vehemently objected to the search, saying it amounts to retaliation by President Trump's allies over his 2020 election loss and subsequent election interference case."
"The search came months after the five-year statute of limitations for federal crimes expired in late 2025. Patel dismissed the concern in comments a day after the search, saying it was conducted in a 'timely fashion legally'."
Reuters: FBI searches Atlanta election office, chasing Trump 2020 vote fraud claims
Comment: "Summary
FBI searches Fulton County election office
Agents look to seize computers and ballots
Trump falsely claims he lost in 2020 due to fraud
He pressured Georgia officials to overturn election defeat"
JAGs are becoming federal prosecutors in Minneapolis. Experts warn it’s new territory
Comment: "Dozens of military lawyers have been temporarily assigned as federal prosecutors to support law-enforcement surges in Minneapolis and other cities, a novel arrangement that is stretching an overworked judge advocate general corps and drawing concern from legal experts."
Comment: "Wilson gave no numbers, but her press release followed the Jan. 7 announcement that 20 JAGs were being assigned to prosecute violent crime in Memphis, Tennessee, where federal agents and National Guard troops have been patrolling and making arrests since September, when President Trump ordered a surge."
"Similar orders have sent 20 other JAGs to federal prosecutors’ officers in Washington, D.C., where National Guard troops continue their patrols."
"There is precedent for military lawyers to help prosecute civilians, but not at this scale nor in these types of roles, experts said."
" 'The government has used JAGs to help prosecute offenses unrelated to military bases in a handful of cases over the years, but we've never seen JAGs used at this scale in civilian criminal cases with no military connection,' said Steve Vladeck, a Georgetown University law professor. 'Not only does the scale raise serious concerns about taking JAGs away from their regular duties, but it also raises the question of why the Department of Justice is having so much trouble trying these cases itself.' "
Trump directs team to beef up his public schedule to combat questions about his stamina
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/politics/public-schedule-trump-health-stamina
Comment: Just like "reality TV," it's all about the show!
CNN: Trump is scared of the politics of ICE. And it’s showing.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/politics/donald-trump-ice-politics
Noem says her response to Pretti shooting may have been wrong
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/29/noem-pretti-shooting-00756830
Comment: "The DHS chief dodged questions about her oversight of the agency following the killing of a Minneapolis man by immigration agents."
Comment: "May have been wrong"? Wow, that's some admission, while she blames mistake on information provided by CBP agents on ground in Minneapolis. Noem could have waited for an investigation before erroneously saying that Pretti was engaged in "an act of domestic terrorism."
‘Shameful’: Trump’s EPA accused of prioritizing big business over public health
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/28/trump-epa-environmental-rollbacks
Comment: "A year into Trump’s second term, critics say the EPA is rolling back dozens of protections and giving a leg up to polluters"
NRA Clashes With Trump as He Says Pretti ‘Shouldn’t Have Been Carrying a Gun’
https://time.com/7358403/nra-trump-clash-gun-carrying-rights-pretti-federal-agents/
CNN: Justice Department bracing for more resignations in Minnesota
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/28/politics/justice-department-resignations-minnesota
Estimating the Costs of Troop Deployments to U.S. Cities
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61943
Comment: "Since June 2025, the Administration has deployed National Guard personnel or active-duty Marine Corps personnel to six U.S. cities: Los Angeles, California; Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Chicago, Illinois; and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Administration has also kept 200 National Guard personnel mobilized in Texas after they left Chicago. CBO estimates that those deployments (excluding the one to New Orleans, which occurred at the end of the year) cost a total of approximately $496 million through the end of December 2025."
"The costs of those or other deployments in the future are highly uncertain, mainly because the scale, length, and location of such deployments are difficult to predict accurately. That uncertainty is compounded by legal challenges, which have stopped deployments to some cities, and by changes in the Administration's policies. The factors CBO used to estimate the costs of deployments in 2025 suggest that continuing the ongoing deployments at their size as of the end of 2025 would cost $93 million per month. More generally, deploying 1,000 National Guard personnel to a U.S. city in 2026 would cost $18 million to $21 million per month, depending mainly on the city's cost of living."
Comment: Since Trump has claimed that these troop deployments are designed to combat crime, how many of you think that the nearly half a billion dollars already spent might have been more effective if given to the police departments in the troop deployment cities? After all, the police are trained to combat crime, whereas troops are trained to fight a foreign war.
CNN: South Carolina measles outbreak is largest in US since measles was declared eliminated
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/health/largest-us-measles-outbreak-south-carolina
Comment: Americans can thank RFK Jr. and the rest of the anti-vaxx crowd.
Work on Gateway tunnel project linking New York and New Jersey to pause next month without federal dollars
Comment: "Construction on the nation’s largest public works project will pause in early February unless the Trump administration releases money it has held up since last fall, according to a person close to the project granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter."
"The Hudson River tunnel project — a $16 billion pair of train tubes to connect New York and New Jersey — is running out of money and a Feb. 6 pause will force 1,000 layoffs, including hundreds of laborers, according to the person."
"The Trump administration threatened to defund the project at the start of last year’s government shutdown. Since then, administration officials have been putting out mixed signals, with some insisting it would get its money."
"But President Donald Trump has taunted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who has championed the rail link, by saying the project was 'terminated.' The two had a rare one-on-one meeting about the project earlier this month and Schumer warned the president that the project urgently needs money. The federal government promised during the Biden administration that it would pick up the bulk of the project’s costs."
Comment: Is this Trump retribution against "blue states" or some attempt at extortion? The Hudson River tunnel project is a key national infrastructure need.
The Guardian: America has reached a tipping point on fascism – and on opposition to it | Robert Reich
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/27/america-tipping-point-fascism-opposition
Comment: "A chance encounter reminded me: there are two ways to look at what’s happened in Minneapolis"
Kristi Noem facing scrutiny from White House in wake of Minneapolis shooting but isn't likely to be fired, sources say
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kristi-noem-internal-scrutiny-expected-keep-job-sources-say/
Scoop: Blame game erupts over Trump team's false claim Alex Pretti sought "massacre"
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/trump-stephen-miller-massacre-minnesota-shooting
Comment: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is under fire for issuing misleading and incendiary information that claimed immigration agents killed an armed Minnesota protestor Saturday because he wanted to 'massacre' them."
"That language has now become a source of controversy in the Trump administration."
"White House officials are blaming Customs and Border Patrol for furnishing inaccurate information, while others are targeting Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and top Trump adviser, six sources with knowledge of the situation told Axios."
Comment: "The episode illustrates the confusion that gripped the administration after the Saturday shooting death of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti. And it shows the influence of Miller, Trump's close and longest-serving political adviser whose dominion in the White House far exceeds his title."
"Miller's power extends to de facto oversight of Noem, though she's a Cabinet secretary who technically outranks him."
" 'Everything I've done, I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen,' Noem told a person who relayed her remarks to Axios."
CNN: Trump held 2-hour meeting with Noem as his administration grapples with Minneapolis strategy
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/politics/noem-trump-oval-office-meeting
US families face ‘impossible choices’ as White House pushes to freeze childcare funding
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/26/trump-administration-childcare-funding-freeze
Comment: "US families are facing 'impossible choices' as the Trump administration pushes to freeze federal funds for childcare and family assistance in five states over claims of potential fraud and misuse of taxpayer funds."
"Billions of dollars of funding are at risk in Minnesota, New York, California, Illinois, and Colorado, each with state governments run by Democrats."
"Alice Dryden, a childcare worker in Chicago, Illinois, told the Guardian, freezing federal childcare funds would be a 'disaster' for the families reliant on them."
Comment: "According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the funds affected by the freeze include nearly $2.4bn through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), $7.35bn through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and $869m through the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)."
"The claims of fraud that incited the freeze come in the wake of a viral video from a conservative influencer, who worked with Minnesota Republicans, who made claims about fraud at a Somali daycare center in Minnesota."
"The allegations were debunked by media outlets which found no evidence of any of the childcare centers misusing federal funds."
"The recent fraud claims have cited a 2021 Covid-19 fraud investigation over a meals program, Feeding Our Future, that did find widespread fraud and was first prosecuted under the Biden administration and led to the convictions of dozens of Somali-Americans."
Comment: "The affected states sued the Trump administration to halt the freeze, securing a curt order to temporarily block the freezing of the funds on 9 January and will be seeking a longer-term injunction as a federal court hears the case."
Comment: So the Trump Administration, based on anecdotal information from one state, froze childcare funding for 5 different "blue" states", apparently in an attempt to punish those states for voting Democratic and also to retain previously allocated funds to help pay for his tax cuts for the wealthy.
Trump, Bondi statements fuel legal case against Minnesota surge
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/26/minnesota-operation-metro-surge-case-00746755
Comment: "At a hearing Monday, a judge focused on a letter the attorney general sent to Gov. Tim Walz that appeared to set conditions on winding down Operation Metro Surge."
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s threat of 'retribution' and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s explicit policy demands may be undercutting the federal government’s legal arguments defending its immigration crackdown in Minnesota."
"A judge hearing a lawsuit seeking to halt the ongoing surge of thousands of federal immigration agents in the Twin Cities repeatedly cited Trump’s and Bondi’s statements Monday as evidence that the massive 'Operation Metro Surge' in the Twin Cities isn’t aimed solely at enforcing immigration laws. Rather, their comments appear to suggest it is intended to strongarm Minnesota officials into complying with administration policy demands."
" 'Is the executive trying to achieve a goal through force that it can’t achieve through the courts?' U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez wondered as she weighed a push by Minnesota officials to call off the operation altogether."
'It's starting to turn against us': White House reckons with Minnesota fallout
Comment: "The Trump administration is rushing to contain the political fallout after a second person was killed by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis."
"Republicans across the spectrum have for weeks warned the White House that its implementation of the president’s immigration agenda had Americans increasingly anxious about the federal government’s heavy-handed role. The backlash exploded this weekend following the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis."
Comment: "Normally loyal Republicans criticized the president, a partial-government shutdown over Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics seems possible, and polling shows that the president is losing ground on immigration — including among voters who backed him in 2024."
"On Monday, President Donald Trump offered the first hint that the political crisis engulfing his administration would lead to changes on the ground. He deployed border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, a move viewed by some administration officials and Trump allies as a recognition that the president needed to change course. Homan, Trump said, will report 'directly to me.”
"Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who has led a series of aggressive raids in multiple blue cities, will also leave Minneapolis, though it’s unclear how many agents will depart with him, said an administration official, granted anonymity to discuss internal planning."
" 'That is intentional,' said a second administration official, granted anonymity to speak candidly. 'Tom needs to be in charge.' ”
Trump moved to cut funding for ICE body cameras and reduced oversight
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/26/ice-body-cameras-immigration-trump
Comment: "Donald Trump’s administration opposed efforts to expand the use of body cameras by immigration officers and sharply cut oversight staffing as it surged officers into US cities, including Minneapolis, where agents have fatally shot two American citizen protesters in January."
"Footage from bystanders of the two fatal shootings, including one by the border patrol that killed the ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday, has underscored the power of video in checking official statements that have portrayed people who have been shot as provoking violent encounters with immigration officers."
"Cameras worn by officers have long been central to police reform efforts for this reason. The Trump administration, however, moved last year to slow-walk a pilot program to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers body cameras, urging Congress in June to cut the funding by 75% and bucking a nationwide trend of cameras for law enforcement. Officials in 2025 also placed on paid leave nearly all staffers working for three internal watchdogs conducting oversight of immigration agencies, undermining their capacity to investigate abuses."
Comment: This is why concerned citizens try to video ICE actions and provide witness testimony, so as to provide some degree of accountability.
Comment: Why do you think the Trump administration fights the provision of body cameras and also cuts oversight? Given the massive funding increase for ICE and DHS, it is difficult for the administration to argue that there is insufficient money.
Video: Video analysis of Pretti shooting contradicts government's account - January 26, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jiUf8zg-QU
Comment: "Footage shows Minnesota man was not holding gun when killed. NBC News analyzed multiple angles of the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis."
Video: TikTok denies censoring anti-ICE content, blames outage - January 26, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQD8vaixCYE
TikTokers say anti-ICE videos won’t publish. The company blames tech issues | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/26/tech/tiktok-ice-censorship-glitch-cec
Comment: "Tech issues" or is it censorship? Prior DHS actions and statements lead to DHS's lack of credibility and suggestions of censorship by TikTok users.
Video: ‘Profound lack of trust’ in DHS to investigate Alex Pretti killing: Justice Reporter - January 25, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmq8ify1xiU
'Fundamentally wrong:' Gun groups, Republicans condemn Noem, Patel statements
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/25/noem-patel-minnesota-gun-law-pretti
'It is wrong': Witness in court docs disputes DHS account of Minneapolis shooting
https://abcnews.com/US/wrong-witness-court-docs-disputes-dhs-account-minneapolis/story?id=129546666
Lawmakers say veterans are paying the price after Department of Veterans Affairs workforce cuts. The VA is pushing back.
https://www.businessinsider.com/veterans-are-paying-the-price-for-va-cuts-lawmakers-say-2026-1
Comment: "A scathing report released this week by Democratic congressional staff sharply criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs, accusing the agency of reducing its healthcare capacity after its workforce shrank by tens of thousands of jobs in the past fiscal year."
"The report, issued by Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Democrats, argues that the sweeping overhaul of the VA has weakened its ability to deliver care, a criticism the department firmly rejected in an email to Business Insider."
"The VA workforce decreased by more than 40,000 employees in fiscal year 2025, marking the department's first net workforce decline in years, the report said; early planned cuts targeted over 80,000 jobs. Nearly 90% of those staffing losses, it continued, came from healthcare roles, including physicians, nurses, mental health providers, and appointment schedulers."
Comment: "Democratic staffers attribute the workforce cuts to last year's dramatic DOGE-driven actions — a federal hiring freeze, firings of probationary employees, deferred resignation and early retirement programs, and new staffing caps that limited the department's ability to backfill vacancies. The report maintains that those changes accelerated departures among clinicians and support staff."
US government passes surprising tracking rule for millions of Social Security recipients. Will your travel be monitored?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-government-passes-surprising-tracking-170000003.html
Comment: "A quiet regulatory update by the Social Security Administration (SSA) could spark fresh concerns about the government’s increasing use of surveillance tools to monitor ordinary Americans.:
"In early January, the SSA updated its Evidence of Foreign Travel – Foreign Travel Data Application to increase scrutiny of foreign travel by Americans receiving benefits. This change allows the agency to use travel data collected by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE."
"The update impacts millions of Social Security beneficiaries, as well as people receiving support from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program (1)."
"In other words, Americans who receive retirement benefits or support based on needs, life circumstances or disabilities could be impacted by this tightened surveillance. And it arrives at a time when the government’s data handling practices are under increased scrutiny."
Another killing by a federal officer deepens Trump’s self-inflicted political nightmare | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/24/politics/shooting-minneapolis-trump-politics
Comment: If you think Trump had a bad day, please consider that of Alex Pretti, now deceased.
Video: DHS, not FBI, to investigate fatal shooting of Alex Pretti - January 24, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4TeAoaLA48
Video: ‘A kindhearted soul who cared deeply’: Alex Pretti’s family issues statement after his killing - January 24, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEswvk3EG0M
Comment: "The parents of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse killed by federal agents in Minnesota, issued a statement to local news outlet KARE, remembering their son as a 'hero' and condemning the Trump administration’s response to his death as 'reprehensible.' Ayman Mohyeldin reports."
Video: Videos show different angles of fatal shooting of Alex Pretti - January 24, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkLd-6i8u70
Video: New video of federal agent shooting appears to go against DHS claim - January 24, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzqU0yDA-Pg
Comment: "New video showing the shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, by federal law enforcement appears to contradict DHS' description of what happened."
Pentagon foresees 'more limited' role in deterring North Korea | Reuters
Comment: "Summary
Key Pentagon document says aim is to shift more responsibility to South Korea
28,500 US troops based in South Korea
Priority for Pentagon is homeland defense"
Trump administration's defense strategy tells allies to handle their own security
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/24/nx-s1-5687168/trump-administration-defense-strategy
Comment: "The Pentagon released a priority-shifting National Defense Strategy late Friday that chastised U.S. allies to take control of their own security and reasserted the Trump administration's focus on dominance in the Western Hemisphere above a longtime goal of countering China."
"The 34-page document, the first since 2022, was highly political for a military blueprint, criticizing partners from Europe to Asia for relying on previous U.S. administrations to subsidize their defense. It called for 'a sharp shift — in approach, focus, and tone.' That translated to a blunt assessment that allies would take on more of the burden countering nations from Russia to North Korea."
" 'For too long, the U.S. Government neglected — even rejected — putting Americans and their concrete interests first,' read the opening sentence."
Comment: "As allies confront what some see as a hostile attitude from the U.S., they will almost certainly be unhappy to see that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's department will provide 'credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain,' especially Greenland and the Panama Canal."
"Following a tiff this week at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the strategy at once urges cooperation with Canada and other neighbors while still issuing a stark warning."
" 'We will engage in good faith with our neighbors, from Canada to our partners in Central and South America, but we will ensure that they respect and do their part to defend our shared interests,' the document says. 'And where they do not, we will stand ready to take focused, decisive action that concretely advances U.S. interests.' "
Comment: Just another slap in the face to our allies. If Trump wants our allies to take more responsibility for defense, couldn't he, at least, do it more diplomatically. His insulting rhetoric and actions just alienates our allies and makes them more likely to cooperate with our adversaries, certainly economically and, eventually, perhaps in their defense posture.
Joint Chiefs chairman to convene rare meeting of all Western Hemisphere military leaders
Comment: "As the U.S. military continues its campaign targeting alleged drug cartel boats, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is convening a rare meeting of all of the top military leaders from the 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere."
"This will be the first time that such a meeting has been convened and appears to be focused on improving cooperation against drug trafficking and criminal organizations."
Comment: " 'Chiefs of defense and senior military representatives from 34 nations will meet to build shared understanding of common security priorities and strengthen regional cooperation,' the statement said."
" 'Participating defense leaders will explore the importance of strong partnerships, continued cooperation, and united efforts to counter criminal and terrorist organizations, as well as external actors undermining regional security and stability,' the statement added."
Comment: "The statement referenced the Trump administration's U.S. National Security Strategy, released in November, which stated the U.S. seeks 'a Hemisphere whose governments cooperate with us against narco-terrorists, cartels, and other transnational criminal organizations; we want a Hemisphere that remains free of hostile foreign incursion or ownership of key assets, and that supports critical supply chains; and we want to ensure our continued access to key strategic locations.' "
Comment: The announcement of this scheduled meeting coincides with the release of the Pentagon's National Defense Strategy, and they both make reference to last November's U.S. National Security Strategy, which communicates the Trump administration's focus on a sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Pentagon no longer views China threat as top priority
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/23/pentagon-national-defense-strategy-00745499
Comment: "The Pentagon on Friday night released a long-awaited strategy that prioritizes the U.S. homeland and Western Hemisphere — a stunning reversal from previous administrations that aligns with President Donald Trump’s military strikes in Venezuela and efforts to acquire Greenland."
"The National Defense Strategy — a dramatic shift from even the first Trump administration — no longer focuses primarily on countering China. Instead, it blames past administrations for ignoring American interests and jeopardizing the U.S. military’s access to the Panama Canal and Greenland."
Comment: "The Pentagon’s plan, in contrast to the National Security Strategy released last month, does not focus heavily on Europe or call the the continent a place in 'civilizational decline'. But it does emphasize what the administration perceives as its declining importance."
" 'Although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and decreasing share of global economic power,' according to the strategy. 'Although we are and will remain engaged in Europe, we must — and will — prioritize defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China. ' "
"The document, which usually follows the National Security Strategy, came out after months of delay. POLITICO reported in September that a draft had reached Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s desk. But it stayed there for months as administration officials fought over how to describe the threat to the U.S. posed by China amid trade talks with the country."
"The strategy also says the U.S. should 'no longer cede access or influence over key terrain in the Western Hemisphere,' including the Gulf of Mexico. But it offers few details on how the Pentagon will accomplish that goal."
"The first Trump administration prioritized China in its 2018 defense strategy as the biggest threat to U.S. security. That sentiment was further echoed in the Biden administration’s 2022 strategy."
"But the 2026 strategy instead highlights a continued U.S. focus on diplomacy with China — an echo of its recent annual report on Beijing’s military buildup — while 'erecting a strong denial defense' in the Pacific to deter a potential war. It does not lay out what U.S. assets the Pentagon might send to the region."
"The document mentions threats to the U.S. from Russia, Iran and North Korea, but they are not as prominent."
How President Trump has challenged a constitutional foundation
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/23/g-s1-106562/trump-democracy-constitution-executive-power
Comment: "In his first year back in the White House, President Trump has presided over a sweeping expansion of executive power while eroding democratic norms."
"Many scholars of democracy say that these moves are unprecedented in U.S. history and that Trump has pushed the United States toward authoritarianism."
"The president and his supporters counter that the Constitution provides for precisely the type of muscular presidency he is exercising and that voters gave him a mandate to enact far-reaching changes to government."
"Trump remains popular with his base, but most Americans disapprove of his job performance. The president's critics hope that waning popularity — as well as this year's midterm elections — will provide a stronger check on Trump."
"So what has happened so far? From firing inspectors general, to sidelining Congress, to attacking the media to control information, Trump and his administration have moved at warp speed from the moment he was sworn in."
"As Year 2 of his second term begins, we wanted to look at just some of the ways the president has expanded his authority beyond what his predecessors have done and how his administration has tested the constitutional foundations of the country."
Comment: Please read this linked article! Trump's impacts regarding the following general topics are discussed, with examples provided.
"CHECKS AND BALANCES"
"FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION"
"RULE OF LAW"
"TRUMP, FAMILY BUSINESS AND POWER"
"PUBLIC HEALTH AND SCIENCE"
Trump privately frustrated that he risks losing control of immigration message amid Minnesota chaos | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/politics/minnesota-immigration-protests-trump-worries
Federal government watchdogs deny Duckworth's request for joint probe of immigration agents' use of force
Comment: "In October, Duckworth sent a letter to the inspectors general for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security calling for a joint investigative task force into federal agents' use of force amid Operation Midway Blitz, and to recommend any necessary corrective actions."
"On Wednesday, DHS inspector general Joseph Cuffari sent Duckworth a letter denying that request, saying he and his counterpart at the DOJ determined that their agencies could 'conduct appropriate oversight without establishing a task force'."
Comment: Do you think that's why Trump, early in his administration, fired many of the existing IGs and replaced them with his own choices?
Comment: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil!
US vaccine panel head questions polio recommendation
Comment: "Summary
Committee prioritizes individual autonomy over public health, says chair Milhoan
Trump and Kennedy have moved to overhaul vaccine policy without scientific backing
Top doctors group criticizes Milhoan comments as 'dangerous step backwards' "
Chair of CDC’s vaccine panel questions need for polio vaccines, citing personal autonomy
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5703667-kirk-milhoan-cdc-polio-vaccine/
Comment: "Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist recently appointed as chair of a highly influential federal vaccine committee, questioned the need for immunizing against illnesses like polio in a podcast interview released Thursday."
"He argued that public health is not the 'first order' of his group."
"Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed Milhoan to be chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)"
"Appearing on the podcast “Why Should I Trust You?” — which explores the gap between scientific data and public trust — Milhoan was asked to discuss how he views the efficacy and risk of vaccines like those for polio and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)."
" 'As you look at polio, we need to not be afraid to consider that we are in a different time now than we were then,' he said. 'Our sanitation is different, our risk of disease is different and so that those all play into the evaluation of whether this is worthwhile of taking a risk for a vaccine or not.' ”
"During the interview, Milhoan referred to school vaccine requirements as 'authoritarian' but rejected the label of 'anti-vaxxer'.”
"Brinda Adhikari, one of the podcast co-hosts, noted many people consider both the MMR and polio vaccines as safe, particularly because of their significant 'proven' history in helping to lower the rates of these diseases. Milhoan pushed back on this characterization."
" 'I think that ‘proven’ might be a little bit harsh, a little bit stronger, for what it’s done because of the pre-vaccine decrease in incidence of disease, but I understand what you’re saying,' he said."
" 'Remember, we’re just an advisory panel. We can’t make any declarations. We can tell you what we believe the evidence shows and we try to do that as transparently and honestly as the data supports and present data,' Milhoan added."
" 'But it’s been very important to us, members of committee, is that what we are doing is returning individual autonomy to the first order, not public health, but individual autonomy to the first order.' ”
"His comments come the same week that the U.S. hit 12 months of consistent domestic transmission of measles, potentially meaning the U.S. will lose its status as a country where the disease was eliminated. American health officials say they are coordinating with global health authorities but indicated they did not believe losing this status was significant."
Comment: Aren't you glad that the head of an influential "CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices" feels that its focus should not be on public health, but instead should be on individual autonomy? [sarcasm added]
Comment: Milhoan is an example of one of the anti-vaxx nuts that Trump and RFK Jr. have put into high level positions at Health & Human Services, specifically at the CDC.
US withdraws from the World Health Organization
Comment: "The United States officially left the World Health Organization on Thursday after a year of warnings that doing so would hurt public health in the U.S. and globally, saying its decision reflected failures in the U.N. health agency's management of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Comment: "Under U.S. law, it was supposed to give one-year notice and pay all outstanding fees - around $260 million - before departing."
"But a U.S. State Department official disputed that the statute contains a condition that any payment needs to be made before withdrawal."
Comment: Given the poor Covid-19 response of the first Trump administration, it is ironic that the second Trump administration finds fault with the World Health Organization's management of the COVID-19 pandemic. In case you have forgotten, please take a look at a related report from the Union of Concerned Scientists in March 2022:
Trump administration interfered with CDC’s public outreach on COVID-19
Trump administration targets 14 blue states, DC with federal funding review
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/22/trump-administration-federal-funding-blue-states-00741440
Comment: "It’s the latest step in the administration’s long-standing effort to choke off funding for states that have opposed the president."
CBS News: White House OMB seeks detailed list of federal funding for 14 blue states and D.C., documents show
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-omb-federal-funding-blue-states/
Trump administration orders review of federal funding in more than a dozen Democratic states | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/22/politics/trump-federal-funding-democratic-states
After Alina Habba's exit, more drama in New Jersey prosecutor's office
Comment: "A federal judge will hear arguments Friday that the Trump administration is illegally running the New Jersey federal prosecutor’s office — the latest challenge to the administration’s attempts to circumvent the Senate confirmation process."
"In December, Trump loyalist Alina Habba resigned as the U.S. attorney for New Jersey after an appeals court upheld a ruling that she was disqualified from holding the job."
"After Habba left, Attorney General Pam Bondi put a trio of Justice Department lawyers in charge of the office: Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox and Ari Fontecchio. That appeared to be a way around rulings that said President Donald Trump could not place someone in the job indefinitely without Senate confirmation."
"Each of the three do part of the job that Habba was doing, an unusual arrangement known as the 'executive office'.”
"None have been confirmed by the Senate."
"Defense attorneys immediately challenged the setup and are seeking to get cases against their clients tossed. In one case, attorneys argue that Bondi and Trump are 'effectively abolishing' the office, which handles thousands of criminal and civil cases each year across all of New Jersey."
"The case comes as the administration’s attempts to circumvent Senate confirmation for its prosecutors have repeatedly been rejected by federal judges. Habba was the first of them to be disqualified, followed by U.S. attorneys in Nevada, California, Virginia and New York."
Trump sues JPMorgan Chase and Jamie Dimon for at least $5bn
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/trump-sues-jpmorgan-jamie-dimon-debanking
Comment: Another nuisance lawsuit in attempts at extortion and intimidation.
We ran high-level US civil war simulations. Minnesota is exactly how they start
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/21/ice-minnesota-trump
Comment: "Since 6 January, roughly 2,000 ICE agents have been deployed to Minnesota under the pretext of responding to a fraud investigation. In practice, these largely untrained and undisciplined federal agents have been terrorizing Minneapolis residents through illegal and excessive uses of force – often against US citizens – prompting a federal judge to attempt to place limits on the agency's actions. The Trump administration is encouraging the lawlessness by announcing 'absolute immunity' for ICE agents. But if the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem, does not heed the court ruling, the consequences may be nothing short of civil war."
Comment: PLEASE vote and engage in the political process (including peaceful protest) to protect the Constitution and your Constitutional rights, so that the situation won't deteriorate to the point of causing a civil war.
Vance's Minnesota trip to show "unwavering support" for ICE
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/21/vance-minnesota-trip-ice-immigration
Comment: " Vice President Vance is heading to Minnesota on Thursday, and he's not planning any peace offerings to Twin Cities officials and protesters opposed to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics."
Comment: "Vance's planned events and speech underscore how the administration isn't backing down from its controversial raids and stops that resulted in the fatal shooting of protester Renee Good and damaged President Trump's poll numbers."
" 'JD took Minnesota on as an issue where he's going to lead. He wants a strong response,' an adviser said. 'He doesn't want to back down. Neither does the president.' "
CNN: Trump revels in Davos about making the rich even richer
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/21/politics/rich-davos-trump-newsom-miller
Watch out, Colbert and 'The View': FCC warns TV hosts to air both sides
Comment: "The Trump administration’s guidance will put new pressure on daytime and late-night TV hosts, and renew free expression concerns from Democrats."
Comment: "Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr issued regulatory guidance Wednesday directing broadcasters to provide political candidates with equal time on morning and late-night shows, specifically dinging programs 'motivated by partisan purposes'.”
"Carr singled out 'The View' last fall as a particular concern when teasing such a requirement. His comments followed high-profile threats to broadcasters airing Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC. On the eve of the 2024 election, Carr also criticized 'Saturday Night Live' for alleged evasion of the equal time rule when it featured then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris — prompting NBC to give Trump air time on NASCAR and NFL events."
Comment: "President Donald Trump also waded into the change on Wednesday, sharing a headline on Truth Social warning the FCC was going after 'The View' and Jimmy Kimmel using the equal time rule. Carr shared the post on his X feed."
Comment: "Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner and an ardent critic of Carr’s media moves, called Wednesday’s guidance misleading and said it marks 'an escalation in this FCC’s ongoing campaign to censor and control speech'.”
" 'Broadcast stations have a constitutional right to carry newsworthy content, even when that content is critical of those in power,' she said. 'That does not change today, it will not change tomorrow, and it will not change simply because of this Administration’s desire to silence its critics.' ”
Comment: It's interesting that Brendan Carr doesn't pressure corporate conglomerates like the Sinclair Broadcast Group that broadcast right-wing talk radio shows, almost continuously, all across the nation.
Video: Trump signs executive order addressing housing costs - January 21, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtwur4h0b-k
Comment: "President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at stopping Wall Street investment firms from buying single-family homes and potentially pricing lower-income Americans out of the market."
Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/21/doge-social-security-data
Comment: "After months of denials, the Trump administration has acknowledged in a federal court filing that employees working for Elon Musk’s supposed cost-cutting operation accessed and improperly shared Americans’ sensitive social security data."
"The justice department court filing, submitted on Friday in an ongoing lawsuit, reveals that a member of the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) signed a secret data-sharing agreement with an unidentified political advocacy group whose stated aim was to find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states."
"The Social Security Administration (SSA) told the court it had no prior knowledge of the March agreement and only discovered it during an unrelated review in November. The agency has referred two potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity, to the Office of Special Counsel for investigation."
Comment: Do you think Pam Bondi's DOJ has any plan to prosecute this case?
Ty Cobb: ‘Significant decline’ in Trump mental faculties
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5698558-trump-health-fitness-cobb/
Comment: "Former White House attorney Ty Cobb claimed President Trump is experiencing a 'significant decline' in his mental faculties, pointing to the commander in chief’s Tuesday appearance at a White House press briefing to mark the anniversary of his return to the Oval Office."
" 'I think there’s been a significant decline. He’s always been driven by narcissism. But I think the dementia and the cognitive decline are, you know, palpable, as do many experts, including many physicians,' Cobb told MS NOW’s Ari Melber on 'The Beat,' in comments highlighted by Mediaite."
"Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who served as a cardiologist for former Vice President Dick Cheney, on Monday pushed for a congressional inquiry into Trump’s fitness. Reiner noted a recent letter from Trump to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre featuring the president seemingly connecting his threats to acquire Greenland with not winning the 2025 the Nobel Peace Prize."
" 'This letter, and the fact that the president directed that it be distributed to other European countries, should trigger a bipartisan congressional inquiry into presidential fitness,' Reiner wrote on the social platform X."
Trump administration claims offshore wind poses a threat. But it won't say how.
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/21/nx-s1-5678635/trump-offshore-wind-national-security-climate-change
Comment: "Late last month, the Trump administration halted construction on billions of dollars worth of offshore wind projects after the Defense Department allegedly raised new national security concerns about the facilities. But no one outside the federal government seems to know what sort of threats the administration has found. So far, the government has been unwilling to release that information even to the companies building the projects."
"The Interior Department sent stop-work orders on December 22 to the developers of five wind projects off the East Coast. The orders were based on classified reports recently completed by the Defense Department. The Interior Department said pausing construction would give federal agencies time to work with project developers to try to mitigate potential risks."
"Companies building infrastructure projects routinely work with the federal government to deal with issues that regulators raise, including around national security. Without information about newly-discovered threats, companies building the wind projects have said in court filings that they can't address the government's concerns. They said the lack of transparency suggests the administration's goal is to block wind projects, rather than to deal with legitimate national security issues."
Comment: Previously, Trump has claimed that the windmills upset the whales. We also know that Trump has complained about wind projects, after he discovered windmills near his Scottish golf course and found them visually displeasing.
Comment: The new wind projects are expected to generate electricity which is less expensive than that generated from the fossil fuels currently used in the Northeast. Donald Trump is a big proponent of fossil fuels, and the fossil fuel industry has funded his campaigns generously.
Comment: Apparently 3 different federal judges also suspect that there are no legitimate national security issues. See the related article:
Related Article: Trump suffers major losses in his war on offshore wind
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/18/trump-offshore-wind-problems-00734850
Comment: "The administration’s arguments that offshore wind farms present a national security risk failed to convince judges in three separate courts."
CNN: Fact check: Trump marks one year back in office with numerous false claims
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/20/politics/fact-check-trump-one-year-false-claims
Fact-checking Trump's marathon press briefing at one-year mark of his second term
Comment: Pushback against some of the Trump's many falsehoods provided at the press briefing. How can an administration govern when it has no credibility left?
Trump Touts Accomplishments and Grudges in Rambling Speech to White House Press
https://time.com/7353631/trump-press-briefing-speech-greenland/
Comment: "President Donald Trump delivered a meandering and grievance-filled speech to a packed White House Press Briefing room on Tuesday, speaking for more than an hour to mark the one-year anniversary of his return to office before taking questions from reporters."
"The speech started with Trump defending the thousands of federal officers he’s sent to Minnesota to conduct sweeping immigration searches. The President slowly held up photo after photo of immigrants he said were arrested in the state after committing heinous crimes."
"He soon touched on dozens of other topics, insisting again he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, praising the impact of his tariffs and his Administration's gutting of investments in low-carbon emissions technologies, joked that the Gulf of Mexico should be called the Gulf of Trump, and blamed many of the country’s problems on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. He also said he 'felt terribly' about the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer in Minnesota."
"Trump repeatedly veered far from topics of policy or politics. At one point, he told a story from his childhood of playing at a park next to a mental institution and his mother telling him he could have been a professional baseball player."
"He also denigrated many of his perceived enemies, calling former Justice Department prosecutor Jack Smith, who brought charges against him for his actions trying to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, 'a sick son of a bitch,' and saying of Rep. Ilhan Omar, 'I can’t stand her.' "
Comment: Is it time to start considering invoking the 25th Amendment?
Trump administration says DOGE may have misused Social Security data
2 DOGE staffers at Social Security agency may have violated Hatch Act, DOJ says
https://abcnews.com/US/2-doge-staffers-social-security-agency-violated-hatch/story?id=129393252
Comment: "They allegedly communicated with an advocacy group seeking data, a filing said."
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have been subpoenaed by the DOJ
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/20/nx-s1-5683321/minnesota-tim-walz-mayor-jacob-frey-subpoena
Comment: "The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to multiple government officials in Minnesota, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, expanding the agency's probe alleging that Minnesota officials conspired to impede law enforcement amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown."
"Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her have also been subpoenaed. NPR has not yet confirmed reports that other state and local leaders have also been issued subpoenas.
"Frey's subpoena requires him to appear in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Feb. 3. The mayor accused the federal government of weaponizing its power to intimidate local leaders."
" 'We shouldn't have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,' he said in a statement."
Comment: Do you think that, maybe, the "Minnesota officials conspired to impede law enforcement" from attacking and killing their citizens?
Lindsey Halligan leaves post as US attorney after judges’ sharp criticism
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/20/lindsey-halligan-us-attorney-leaves-office
Comment: "Lindsey Halligan, a Trump-appointed federal attorney who led the failed prosecutions of two of the president’s political opponents, has left her position at the justice department, the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said on Tuesday."
"The departure of Halligan, who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, comes after multiple judges have sharply criticized her and cast doubts on her ability to lawfully remain in her position."
"Halligan, who had no prosecutorial experience, was sworn in as interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia in September after the president pushed out her predecessor, who had declined to bring charges against Letitia James, the New York attorney general, and James Comey, the former FBI director. Halligan oversaw indictments brought against James and Comey, which were criticized as politically vindictive, and a judge in November dismissed the cases."
"The judge who threw out the cases ruled that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed and did not have the legal authority to bring the indictments against James and Comey."
To restore trust in public health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must go
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5695581-kennedy-hhs-vaccine-policies/
Aimee Bock, 'mastermind' of Minnesota's biggest fraud scheme, says 'I wish I could go back and do things differently'
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/aimee-bock-minnesota-fraud-feeding-our-future-interview/
Comment: "The Trump administration has justified its ongoing immigration crackdown in Minnesota by citing a need to curb fraud and pointing to a widening scandal involving members of the Somali American community. Yet prosecutors say the mastermind of the state's biggest fraud scheme to date was not Somali but a White woman — 45-year-old Aimee Bock."
Comment: "So far, prosecutors have charged 78 defendents connected to Feeding Our Future, with more than 60 pleading guilty or convicted at trial. Nearly all are East African or of Somali descent, except for Aimee Bock."
Comment: Investigate and prosecute fraudsters, but not folks based solely on their race, ethnicity, or country of origin.
Video: Justice Department under Trump shifts focus to "reverse discrimination" - January 19, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXbhOx_JFuQ
Comment: "Since President Trump took office for the second time, his efforts to reshape the Justice Department have resulted in a new focus on so-called reverse discrimination. CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane has the details."
One month after the Epstein files deadline, only a fraction of the DOJ's records have been released
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/one-month-epstein-files-deadline-rcna254416
Comment: "Monday marks one month since the deadline for the Justice Department to release all its files related to Jeffrey Epstein, but only a fraction of the records have been made public."
"The delays have frustrated Epstein's victims and brought warnings of repercussions from the co-authors of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif."
"Massie claimed in a statement to NBC News on Friday that 'Attorney General [Pam] Bondi is making illegal redactions and withholding key documents that would implicate associates of Epstein.' His statement did not elaborate, but he posted on social media last week that the DOJ had redacted information it should have released, including information from FBI interviews and internal communications about the case. It’s unclear what he was basing his claims on."
"In a separate statement Friday, Khanna said the 'DOJ's refusal to follow the law' is 'an obstruction of justice'."
" 'They also need to release the FBI witness interviews which name other men, so the public can know who was involved. That is why Massie and I are bringing inherent contempt against Bondi and requested a special master to oversee this process,' he said."
Supreme Court's tariff decision may not bring much clarity
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/19/supreme-court-tariffs-decision-trump
‘Counterintuitive and dangerous’: advocates warn Trump administration policies will increase homelessness
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/19/homelessness-trump-policies-cuts
Comment: "Recent cuts to flagship federal program that funds housing and other services described as ‘chaotic and disruptive’ "
U.S. Justice Dept. appeals temporary restraining order on federal agents' response to protests
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/live-updates/minnesota-protests-ice-shooting-law-enforcement/
Comment: "The Department of Justice on Monday appealed a recent ruling that limits tactics federal law enforcement is permitted to use in the midst of anti-ICE enforcement protests in Minneapolis."
"About 1,500 active-duty soldiers are on standby in Alaska for possible deployment to Minneapolis, a U.S. defense official told CBS News Saturday. No decision has yet been made on whether to deploy the soldiers, the official said."
The Daily Beast: Trump, 79, Appears to Forget Name of Woman Who Just Gave Him Her Nobel Peace Prize
Trump's Gaza peace board charter seeks $1 billion for extended membership, document shows
Comment: "A draft charter sent to about 60 countries by the U.S. administration calls for members to contribute $1 billion in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters."
" 'Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,' the document, first reported by Bloomberg News, shows."
" 'The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.' "
Comment: "Board of Peace", or "Board of Grift?"
Trump puts $1B price tag on Gaza peace board permanent seats: Reports
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5694508-trump-board-peace-gaza-membership-fee/
Comment: "President Trump will ask countries that want to join his 'Board of Peace' to oversee Gaza to pay $1 billion for membership, according to reporting from Bloomberg and The Atlantic on Saturday."
"A draft charter seen by both outlets showed that Trump will serve as the executive board’s inaugural chairman, who will approve which member states can join on the board. The board will become official after three member states agree to the charter."
" 'Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,' the draft reads, according to Bloomberg. 'The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.' "
"Member states will be able to vote on board decisions, but Trump will have sole authority to approve them, the outlets reported."
"What the $1 billion for membership will fund remains unclear. The Atlantic reported that the draft charter does not address where membership fees go, only that funding for board expenses will be 'through voluntary funding from Member States, other States, organizations, or other sources.' "
Comment: "The draft charter also makes no mention of the Gaza Strip, The Atlantic wrote."
Multiple Labor Department staffers are on leave amid internal probe into Secretary Chavez-DeRemer
Comment: "Multiple employees at the Department of Labor have been placed on leave pending an inspector general’s investigation into alleged misconduct by Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, according to two people familiar with the matter."
"At least one additional staffer has been temporarily relieved of their duties after two longtime aides were placed on administrative leave earlier this week in connection with the probe, the sources said."
"The inspector general is investigating whether Chavez-Remer’s chief of staff, Jihun Han, and his deputy, Rebecca Wright, engaged in “travel fraud” by setting up professional events for their boss as an excuse for personal travel, these people said."
Comment: Another Trump cabinet member with questionable ethics?
As Trump’s deadline for a cap on credit card rates looms, banks have only questions and no answers
Comment: "President Donald Trump a week ago told the credit card industry it had until Jan. 20 to comply with his demand for a 10% cap on interest rates. With just days to go, consumer groups, politicians, and bankers alike remain unclear on what the White House has planned and whether Trump even remains serious about the idea."
"So far, the White House has not provided any detail about what will happen to credit card companies that don’t lower card rates. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president has 'an expectation' that credit card companies will accede to his demand that they cap interest rates on credit cards at 10%."
"“I don’t have a specific consequence to outline for you but certainly this is an expectation and frankly a demand that the president has made,” she said Friday."
Comment: Trump is not serious about this. He knows the GOP controlled Congress would never pass a law to mandate the cap, and he knows that financial institutions would not voluntary agree to it. This is just political rhetoric to make it look like he cares about middle class affordability.
Comment: Meanwhile, it does create a little chaos and confusion, which Trump seems to thrive on.
Confronted with thorny problems, Trump turns to the military
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/trump-military-first-option-00733431
Comment: "The president has used the armed forces during his second term as an initial option rather than a last resort.
Comment: "President Donald Trump threatened to unleash a familiar tool this week when he sought to stop protests against immigration agents in Minnesota: the military."
"His warning to send federal troops into the state came as administration officials debated whether to order Pentagon strikes against Iran and use troops to seize Greenland from Denmark. Faced with a domestic or international problem this term that he can’t resolve with traditional diplomacy or politicking, Trump has increasingly turned to the armed forces as an initial option rather than a last resort."
"When Venezuela’s leader wouldn’t step aside, he sent special forces into the country to grab him. When he thought negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program wasn’t working, he ordered U.S. missiles to destroy their development facilities. And when he wanted to lower crime rates in Democratic cities, he deployed the National Guard."
"The military is a natural choice for a president who prizes loyalty and action. As commander in chief, Trump has direct authority over the armed forces. Unlike Democratic governors or Congress, U.S. troops and their commanders are trained to follow orders from the president."
"But the dramatic display of power has worried some defense officials, who fear it blurs the military’s core mission of protecting the country, overextends troops and risks acting cavalier with deadly force."
Trump's immigration erosion worries his team
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/16/trump-polling-immigration-approval-rating-ice-noem
Measles is spreading fast in S.C. Here's what it says about vaccine exemptions
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/16/nx-s1-5677299/measles-outbreak-vaccines-kids-health
'Staring over the edge': South Carolina measles outbreak doubles in a week
Comment: "Because measles is so contagious and people can spread the virus up to four days before symptoms appear, each sick individual has the potential to infect 12 other people, LaCroix said during the briefing."
" 'The numbers that you see are actually an undercount,' said Dr. Deborah Greenhouse, a Columbia, South Carolina-based pediatrician, in a separate interview. 'The reality is that there’s a lot more. Not everyone with measles is going to see a physician.' Greenhouse is also a past president of the South Carolina chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics."
"The majority of patients reported in South Carolina are children and teenagers. Most are unvaccinated."
"No vaccine is 100% effective, but the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine comes close. Two doses, usually given around age 1 and then again around age 4, are 97% effective at preventing measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"According to NBC News data, the K-12 vaccination rate for MMR in Spartanburg County was 90% for the 2024-25 school year, below the 95% level doctors say is needed to protect against an outbreak. In neighboring Greenville County, the MMR vaccination rate was 90.5%."
"Few people in the outbreak zone are taking advantage of free shots provided by the state health department."
Comment: This measles outbreak is the result of the anti-vaxx crowd, like RFK Jr.
Trump struck deals with 16 drug companies. But they're still raising prices this year
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/16/nx-s1-5678915/trumprx-pharma-drug-price-deals-list-prices
Comment: "Since September, 16 major drug companies have inked deals with the Trump administration to lower prices. But in January — the time of year when pharmaceutical companies typically roll out price hikes — all 16 companies released higher list prices for some of their drugs."
"The agreements, nicknamed 'most favored nation' deals, were aimed at getting lower prices for American consumers and pushing other wealthy countries to pay higher prices for new drugs."
"But drug companies, including the 16 that made deals, raised the prices of 872 brand-name drugs in the first two weeks of 2026, according to a new analysis by 46brooklyn, a drug price research firm."
Some policy experts struggle to make sense of new Trump health plan
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/policy-experts-struggle-make-sense-new-trump-health/story?id=129261245
"The White House released 'The Great Healthcare Plan' on Thursday."
"On the last day to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance plans in most states, President Donald Trump presented his own ideas for a health care plan that left some health policy experts that spoke to ABC News with unanswered questions."
"Trump has long been asked for a health care plan amid sustained criticism of the ACA, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama. "The Great Healthcare Plan" presents a proposal to shift government insurance subsidies directly to consumers through health savings accounts and take advantage of his 'most favored nation' drug price initiative."
""My plan would reduce your insurance premiums by stopping government payoffs to big insurance companies and sending that money directly to the people,' Trump said in a video announcing the plan."
"However, the video and one-page fact sheet posted on the White House website were light on specifics about how much would actually go to Americans or how much funding the plan would require or how the funds would be distributed."
Comment: "The plan also proposes to hold insurance companies accountable with a 'Plain English' standard and institute pricing requirements for providers who accept Medicare and Medicaid to 'prominently post their pricing and fees'."
"Trump urged Congress to 'pass this framework into law without delay'."
Comment: "Some health policy experts believe with just a one-page fact sheet that there's no way to tell how impactful these ideas could be and if they will expand on the plans already in existence through the ACA."
Comment: " 'Several of these provisions would have virtually no effect because they're already in the ACA, or they look very similar to ones that are already in the ACA,' KFF Senior Vice President Cynthia Cox told ABC News."
"Cox, the director of the Program on the ACA at the independent health policy research organization, stressed that Trump's plan, in many respects, already exists, including price transparency and holding big insurance companies accountable."
"Speaking about his plan, the president said Thursday that 'nobody's ever heard of' this idea to give money directly to the consumer, but Jain noted that what's known as 'consumerism' has been around for a long time."
" 'One of the big challenges with consumerism is health care is a complex industry to navigate, and people don't often understand what it is that they're buying or not buying,' Jain told ABC News."
"Patients might also have a 'degree of anxiety' because they don't always know what bill they're going to get, according to Jain."
Comment: "Democratic Sen. Patty Murray blasted the plan in a post on X, writing that it took the president over a decade to come up with a health care plan that is ''one entire page'."
Comment: This is not a plan. It's not even a "framework," a word Trump frequently uses when he declares success with little or no details provided on the solution he claims to have provided. This is simply a vague concept or his philosophy to address the healthcare crisis facing many Americans. By calling it a plan, he hopes to alleviate the political pressure resulting from the GOP failure to extend the ACA subsidies.
12 ways the Trump administration dismantled civil rights law and the foundations of inclusive democracy in its first year
Comment: "One year after Donald Trump’s second inauguration, a pattern emerges. Across dozens of executive orders, agency memos, funding decisions and enforcement changes, the administration has weakened federal civil rights law and the foundations of the country’s racially inclusive democracy."
Comment: "Rather than repealing civil rights statutes outright, the administration has focused on disabling the mechanisms that make those laws work."
Comment: This is an excellent and organized analysis. Please read the entire linked article to discover the 12 ways and the resultig consequences of Trump's actions.
Trump administration pauses involuntary collections on defaulted student loans
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/16/student-loans-wage-garnishment-trump-collections
Trump administration delays wage garnishment plan for student loan borrowers in default
Comment: "The Trump administration is delaying its plans to withhold pay from student loan borrowers who default on their payments, backing off a measure that threatened to deliver a financial blow to millions of Americans."
"The Education Department announced Friday that involuntary collections on federal student loans will remain on hold as the agency finalizes new repayment plans. The shift reverses course on earlier plans to restart wage garnishments this month after a pandemic-era pause."
Watchdog group urges Blanche to step aside as Trump’s records gatekeeper
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/todd-blanche-trump-records-00732980
Comment: "American Oversight, a prominent left-leaning government transparency group, is urging Blanche to relinquish his role as the gatekeeper to Trump’s presidential records, saying his attorney-client relationship with the president — in addition to his role as deputy attorney general — presents a conflict. Anything less, the group argues, will erode public confidence in the process."
" 'Withdrawal from your role as one of President Trump’s [National Archives] designees is not merely appropriate but necessary to protect the integrity of the PRA’s disclosure process,' Ron Fein, the chief counsel of American Oversight, wrote in a letter to Blanche delivered Friday."
"Justice Department and National Archives spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment or to clarify whether Blanche remains one of the president’s designees."
"Trump installed Blanche and attorney Evan Corcoran as his representatives to the National Archives in Sept. 2023, just months after he was indicted in four criminal cases. That designation rescinded the designation of seven former White House and Justice Department advisers from Trump’s first term, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Justice Department official Steven Engel. Trump also briefly expanded the list in 2022 to include conservative journalist John Solomon and future FBI Director Kash Patel before revoking those designations with the appointment of Blanche."
"American Oversight has been preparing to pepper the administration with requests to access records from some of the central controversies of Trump’s first term, including his effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political adversaries — which led to Trump’s first impeachment. Those records could also include details of the first Trump administration’s handling of the sex trafficking conspiracy case against Jeffrey Epstein and Trump’s decisions surrounding classified documents at the end of his first term, which led to the criminal charges that Blanche defended him against."
"Trump’s designees to the National Archives became directly involved in another of Trump’s criminal cases: special counsel Jack Smith’s charges against him for seeking to subvert the 2020 election. When Smith obtained a search warrant to get Trump’s account details from X, the Elon Musk-owned company resisted and suggested informing Trump’s National Archives representatives about the demand."
"A judge rejected the company’s suggestion, however, and ordered X to turn over its records."
Comment: While this is a fairly obscure story, it is an important one. Please read the linked story in its entirety. Blanche, already suspected of suppressing information in the Epstein files, could suppress important presidential records from Trump's first term that are supposed to be made available to the public.
Trump doesn't 'think there’s any reason right now’ to invoke Insurrection Act
Comment: "The president’s comments follow his threats on Thursday to send the military into Minneapolis over widespread protests."
Comment: "President Donald Trump said Friday that he doesn’t see a 'reason right now' to invoke the Insurrection Act."
"But he could still change his mind."
" 'It’s been used a lot, and if I needed it, I’d use it,' Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for Mar-a-Lago. 'It’s very powerful.' "
"Trump’s remarks come after he threatened Thursday to use the Insurrection Act to send the military into Minneapolis amid widespread protests over an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent’s fatal shooting of Renee Good."
Comment: Someone might have warned Trump that he might instigate a real insurrection if he tried it.
CNN: National Guard troops to stay in Washington DC through the end of 2026
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/16/politics/washington-national-guard-mission-extended
CDC studies show value of nationwide wastewater disease surveillance, as potential funding cut looms
Comment: "Wastewater testing can alert public health officials to measles infections days to months before cases are confirmed by doctors, researchers said in two studies published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"Colorado health officials were able to get ahead of the highly contagious virus by tracking its presence in sewer systems, researchers wrote. And Oregon researchers found wastewater could have warned them of an outbreak more than two months before the first person tested positive."
"The findings add to evidence that wastewater testing is a valuable weapon in tracking disease, including COVID-19, polio, mpox and bird flu."
"But the national wastewater surveillance system, run by CDC since 2020, is newly at risk, under a Trump administration budget plan would slash its funding from about $125 million a year to about $25 million."
Comment: Would you rather your tax dollars go to this disease monitoring, or to a day or two of ICE operation (yearly budget - tens of billions)?
Alarm as Trump DoJ pushes for voter information on millions of Americans
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/15/justice-department-voter-information
Comment: "The justice department is undertaking an unprecedented effort to collect sensitive voter information about tens of millions of Americans, a push that relies on thin legal reasoning and which could be aimed at sowing doubt about the midterm election results this year."
"The department has asked at least 43 states for their comprehensive information on voters, including the last four digits of their social security numbers, full dates of birth and addresses, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Eight states have voluntarily turned over the information, according to the Brennan Center, and the department has sued 23 states and the District of Columbia for the information."
"Many of the states have faced lawsuits after refusing to turn over the information, citing state privacy laws. Some of the states have provided the justice department with voter lists that have sensitive personal information redacted, only to find themselves sued by the department. Nearly every state the justice department has sued is led by Democratic election officials."
Comment: According to the map found in the article, Alabama, to its credit, has not yet turned over its voter information. Since Alabama has not sued, perhaps the Trump administrated has not requested the voter information from Alabama.
24 hours of chaos as mental health grants are slashed then restored
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/15/nx-s1-5677711/mental-health-addiction-grants-cut-then-restored
Comment: "After a tense day of confusion and backroom negotiations, the Trump administration moved Wednesday night to restore roughly $2 billion in federal grant money for mental health and addiction programs nationwide."
"The money had been cut off late Tuesday without warning, sending shockwaves through a segment of the country's patchwork system of public health that relies on grant funding. "
" 'After a day of panic across the country, non-profits and people with mental health conditions are deeply alarmed, but also hopeful that this money is being restored,' said Hannah Wesolowski with the National Alliance on Mental Illness."
"An administration official confirmed to NPR that the cuts, first announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), were being reversed. They asked not to be identified because they didn't have permission to speak publicly about the decision."
"They said all of the roughly 2,000 organizations affected by the whiplash series of events were being notified that full funding would be restored."
Comment: Chaos: One of the best ways to describe the Trump administration.
Female troops bristle at Pentagon’s review of combat roles
Comment: "The Pentagon, in a statement to Military Times, said the study is intended to ensure the military can meet the most rigorous demands. The statement added that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 'will not compromise standards to satisfy quotas or an ideological agenda – that is common sense.' "
"But critics contend women have already proven they can successfully fill elite combat roles, pointing to the 4,594 female soldiers who are currently deployed in the Army’s conventional combat units — a count based on data independently collected by Women in the Service Coalition. The Pentagon declined to comment on the numbers."
"There’s a bigger and more visceral issue, too. Women suspect the review has been launched merely to buttress a predetermined conclusion: that they do not belong in the infantry."
Comment: "This much we know: at least 154 women have earned the vaunted black-and-gold Ranger tab, according to U.S. Army data from early 2025."
"Ranger School is designed to push soldiers to their limits. It demands peak performance while sleep deprived and hungry. A swim test conducted in full uniform. A five-mile run in no more than 40 minutes. A 12-mile foot march lugging a 35-pound rucksack. And that’s just the preliminary phase."
"Hegseth, before assuming his role as defense secretary, was an outspoken critic of allowing female service members to serve in frontline combat roles."
CNN: ‘Tip of the iceberg’: The FBI search of a reporter’s home has newsrooms bracing for more
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/media/fbi-hannah-natanson-washington-post-doj-search
Trump underwater on issues that got him elected, polling shows
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/15/trump-ice-foreign-policy-economy-immigration-polls
Comment: "President Trump won over many voters in the 2024 with his hardline stances on immigration, an assertive foreign policy and promises to strengthen the economy."
Comment: "Those same policies are now creating political headwinds, as polling shows broad opposition to how he has handled many of his second-term initiatives."
CNN: Trump using Insurrection Act in Minneapolis would be a huge risk – even by his standards
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/politics/donald-trump-insurrection-act-minneapolis
Video: Vance’s former friend responds to the Vice President’s ICE ‘absolute immunity’ claim: ‘I don’t know if JD knows the law’ - January 15, 2026
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/us/video/ebof-sofia-nelson-dhs-noem-jd-vance
Opinion: Trump’s imperial overreach is a clear and present danger to the US
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5688055-trump-war-economy-trap/
Comment: Please read the linked article for the author's justification for the sentiment expressed in the title of his opinion piece.
Trump revives push to cut federal funding for sanctuary cities and states
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/trump-sanctuary-cities-funding
Comment: "Critics call move to cut payments after 1 February for number of Democratic-run states ‘unconstitutional’ "
MLK Day concert held annually at the Kennedy Center for 23 years is relocating
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5668206/mlk-celebration-kennedy-center
Comment: "Let Freedom Ring, an annual concert in Washington, D.C., celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr., has been a signature event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for more than 20 years. Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan have performed, backed by a choir made up of singers from D.C.-area churches and from Georgetown University, which produces the event."
"But this year's event, headlined by actor and rapper Common, will not be held at the Kennedy Center."
"Georgetown University says it is moving Let Freedom Ring to D.C.'s historical Howard Theatre to save money."
Comment: Do you think that the renaming of the venue after Donald Trump had anything to do with the decision?
DoJ deemed it ‘unnecessary’ to conclude whether seizing Maduro violated international law, memo reveals
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/maduro-international-law-memo
Comment: "Memo on US military raid to capture Venezuela’s president effectively argued that presidents can blow through UN charter"
Comment: "The Trump administration received approval from the justice department to use the military to seize Nicolas Maduro even as it declined to address whether the operation would violate international law, according to its legal memo released on Tuesday."
"The dark-of-night raid to capture Venezuela's president has raised a host of legal issues concerning the US president’s power to start an armed conflict without congressional approval and possible breaches of international law."
"In a 22-page memo, T Elliot Gaiser, the top lawyer at the office of legal counsel (OLC) briefly discussed international law and the UN charter, which says a nation cannot use force inside another country without its consent, a self-defense rationale or the permission from the UN security council."
"But Gaiser stopped short of deciding whether the operation violated international law, arguing it did not matter as long as Donald Trump had the authority under domestic law to authorize the operation."
Hegseth: Trump’s $1.5T defense budget request ‘a message to the world’
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5685814-hegseth-trump-defense-budget-request/
Comment: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday declared President Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget a 'message to the world' in its reestablishment of the U.S.’s military might."
Comment: And the message to the world is that the Trump administration's intent is to abandon its traditional diplomatic efforts and attempt to rule the world, or at least its hemispheric sphere of influence, using brute force rather than the rule of law, democratic principles, and respect for its traditional allies.
Comment: "Speaking to employees at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas, Hegseth declared that the Trump administration is 'rebuilding our military,' and plans to increase the U.S. defense budget by more than 50 percent — from roughly $901 billion in fiscal year to $1.5 trillion in 2027."
Comment: Trump proposes a defense budget increase of $600 billion (more than 50%) while domestic programs are cut and the federal deficit balloons. And who is in charge? Pete Hegseth and the Trump appointed military generals/admirals whom Hegseth replaced after purging many of the experienced U.S. military leadership. Do you have confidence that Hegseth and his crew can manage this massive defense increase, and the associated expenditures?
Comment: "Trump last week pressed Congress to increase the defense budget, arguing it will allow the country to build its 'dream military'.”
Comment: A "dream military" so that Trump can pursue his nightmare wars of aggression and territorial expansion. A "dream military" so that Trump has the troops to deploy on every street corner in America to quell domestic dissent. A "dream military" with tanks that can be paraded through the streets of Washington and an obsolete battleship armada that bears his name (Trump class battleships). It's an authoritarian's dream.
Comment: We'll see what the U.S. Congress says about this proposed massive military budget increase. And if Congress won't speak, the American people must.
Video: FBI searches reporter’s home, raising concerns about intimidation of free press - January 14, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqbtNjrdBP0
From Minneapolis to Venezuela, Trump starts new year with fresh risks as he faces midterm verdict
Comment: "It’s only two weeks into the new year, and President Donald Trump has already claimed control of Venezuela, escalated threats to seize Greenland and flooded American streets with masked immigration agents.
"And that’s not even counting an unprecedented criminal investigation at the Federal Reserve, a cornerstone of the national economy that Trump wants to bend to his will."
"Even for a president who thrives on chaos, Trump is generating a stunning level of turmoil as voters prepare to deliver their verdict on his leadership in the upcoming midterm elections that will determine control of Congress."
"Each decision carries tremendous risks, from the possibility of an overseas quagmire to undermining the country’s financial system, but Trump has barreled forward with a ferocity that has rattled even some of his Republican allies."
" 'The presidency has gone rogue,' said historian Joanne B. Freeman, a Yale University professor. She said it’s something 'we haven’t seen in this way before'.”
In his own words: Stephen Miller’s arguments for White House actions in US cities and abroad
PBS weekend newscasts shut down due to funding cuts, replaced by single-topic programs
Comment: "PBS will premiere separate programs on science and foreign affairs next weekend after shutting the doors on its Saturday and Sunday breaking newscasts because of the federal government's cut of $1.1 billion in funding to public broadcasting."
Trump is really pressing his luck on foreign interventions
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/13/politics/military-intervention-trump-global-conflict
Video: Donald Trump says he'll unveil plan to lower health costs after Obamacare (ACA) subsidies expired - January 13, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wRKUnkilZ0
Comment: "President Trump said his administration will soon unveil a framework to lower health care costs. Enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which were part of the COVID-era American Rescue Plan signed by Joe Biden in 2021, expired at the end of 2025."
Comment: Notice the word "framework" which in Trump-speak means a plan with little or no details. This appears to be just a vague political promise, provided just one day after Trump threatened to veto any extension of Obamacare subsidies that the Senate might pass.
Trump allies distance themselves from potential Powell investigation
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/13/fed-powell-trump-republicans
US aircraft that attacked suspected drug boat reportedly disguised as civilian plane
Comment: "Experts say obscuring plane’s military identity would constitute a war crime
Comment" "The New York Times reported that the aircraft had been painted to obscure its military identity, and its munitions were hidden inside its fuselage rather than visible under its wings."
Painted plane used in 1st military strike in Caribbean was part of fleet disguised as civilian aircraft: Sources
Comment: "The aircraft used to strike a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean last September was part of a fleet of disguised planes that are painted to look like civilian aircraft and typically reserved for conducting surveillance, two people familiar with the matter told ABC News."
Comment: " 'I have very, very severe doubts about the legality of our use of certain aircraft, and I think there has to be further investigative effort,' Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters Tuesday after a classified briefing on military operations."
"The laws of armed conflict prohibit troops from pretending to be civilians, who are granted special protections in warfare."
"A third person familiar with the incident, who declined to discuss the type of plane used due to security concerns, told ABC News the plane had been registered to the Air Force and was 'squawking,' or emitting signals, that made clear the plane belonged to the U.S. Air Force."
Comment: The plane may have been 'squawking,' but that would have only been apparent to a second party having a radio designed to receive the emitted signals. It is unclear whether or not the "squawking" impacts the legality of an attack using an unmarked plane.
Wall Street executives warn Trump: Stop attacking the Fed and credit card industry
Reuters: Trump says he may veto extension of Obamacare subsidies
Comment: "The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Democratic-backed legislation that would restore the subsidies to the Affordable Care Act, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats."
"The Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans, has already rejected a similar bill, but House passage could spur a compromise."
"Americans have until January 15 to enroll in ACA coverage for this year, although the Trump administration could extend that deadline."
Trump announces 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran
Comment: "President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran, after repeatedly warning Tehran against the use of force to suppress ongoing protests."
" 'Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,' Trump said in a social media post on Monday. 'This Order is final and conclusive.' "
Comment: Other than the headline and these 2 opening paragraphs, the linked article does not discuss tariffs.
Comment: Is Trump serious, or is he just making idle threats?
Comment: Does a social media post carry the weight of an official written order? How will customs officials immediately determine which countries do business with Iran, and are thus subject to tariffs?
Comment: How can American importers and corporations continue to operate in this chaotic business climate, where tariff changes are introduced almost continuously, depending on rapidly changing world events and Trump's mood on a given day?
Comment: Does Trump not realize the impact that these pronouncements have on world financial markets and on the US economy in general? Does he care? Is he manipulating the markets intentionally?
Capital One drops 6%, other banks hit after Trump calls for credit card rate cap
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/12/trump-credit-card-limit-banks-jpmorgan-citi.html
Comment: "Financial services stocks including Capital One, Synchrony, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America slid in early trading on Monday."
"It follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for a 10%, one-year cap on credit card interest rates."
"Trump made the call in a post on Truth Social on Friday, without outlining how such a move would play out."
Comment: Is Trump manipulating the stock market with his Truth Social posts?
Bessent unhappy with criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/12/politics/bessent-unhappy-jerome-powell-investigation
Comment: Even Trump's Treasury Secretary thinks it's a bad idea for Trump's DOJ to go after Fed chair Jerome Powell without legal justification.
CNN: ‘Completely bonkers’: Trump’s Greenland mining dreams collide with reality
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/12/business/greenland-trump-venezuela-mining
Trump, 79, Answers Simple Question With Bizarre Word Salad
Comment: "President Donald Trump gave a bizarre response to a simple question about what it would mean for the ICE agent who killed a woman in Minneapolis to be immune from prosecution."
"Members of the administration have falsely claimed that ICE agents enjoy 'absolute immunity' after Wednesday’s killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen who was shot in the face while trying to drive away from the scene of an ICE protest."
Comment: "After video emerged showing that in fact Good's tires were turned away from the agent, Yale Law School graduate Vice President JD Vance implied the facts were irrelevant because the shooter was 'doing his job' and was therefore covered by full federal immunity."
"In fact, the Supreme Court has held that the president enjoys absolute immunity from criminal persecution for all 'official acts,' but has not extended that same protection to other federal officials."
"On Sunday, a reporter aboard Air Force One asked Trump, 79, how the administration defined 'absolute immunity,' and what it would mean for ICE agents."
" 'Everyone’s seen it,' Trump replied. 'A woman who’s very violent. She’s a, you know, very radical person. Very sad what happened. Her friend was very radical.' ”
"Asked again how he would define absolute immunity, the president offered an even more muddled reply."
" 'Well, I’m going to let the people define it. But immunity, you know what immunity, what knows means as well as I do,' he said."
Comment: "Asked aboard Air Force One whether he believed it was necessary to use deadly force against Good, Trump refused to give a straight answer."
" 'It was highly disrespectful of law enforcement,' said Trump, who last year pardoned more than 1,500 defendants who attacked police officers during the deadly Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021."
" 'The woman and her friend were highly disrespectful of law enforcement,' Trump continued. 'You saw that they were harassing them, were following for days and for hours. Uh, and I think frankly they’re professional agitators.' "
Comment: "When the reporter tried to ask Trump whether 'disrespect' was enough to justify summarily killing a U.S. citizen, the president interrupted her."
" 'I’d like to find out—and we are going to find out—who’s paying for it,' he said."
Comment: The linked article contains a video where one can see Trump's bizarre exchange with reporters on Air Force One.
Noem limits Congress' ICE facility access after shooting
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/11/noem-limits-congress-ice-facility-access-after-shooting
Reuters: Trump moves to block courts from seizing Venezuelan oil revenue in US accounts
Comments: "U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at blocking courts or creditors from impounding revenue tied to the sale of Venezuelan oil held in U.S. Treasury accounts, the White House said on Saturday."
"The emergency order said the revenue, held in foreign government deposit funds, should be used in Venezuela to help create 'peace, prosperity and stability.' The order was signed on Friday, less than a week after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas."
Trump declares national emergency to shield Venezuelan oil cash
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/10/trump-venezuela-oil-national-emergency
Comment: "President Trump declared a national emergency to shield Venezuelan oil revenue held by the U.S. government from seizure by private creditors, framing it as critical to U.S. national security and regional stability."
"Trump said in the recent order, signed late Friday, that losing control of Venezuelan oil revenue would 'materially harm the national security and foreign policy of the United States' by undermining efforts to stabilize Venezuela."
Trump announces one-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/trump-credit-card-interest-rate-cap
Comment: "Critics express doubt president can implement such a move without approval from Congress"
Comment: "Donald Trump announced a one-year cap that would limit credit card interest rates to 10% this week, in a move that has prompted mixed reaction from lawmakers and beyond."
"The president’s social media post on Friday night said the restriction would take effect on 20 January, but he did not provide specifics on how the government would implement it or ensure that companies comply."
Comment: "During Trump’s second campaign, he had said he would implement such a cap, as American credit card debt hit a record of more than $1.1tn. That debt later reached a whopping $1.17tn in the third quarter of 2024, growing from $770bn in the first quarter of 2021."
"After not seeing action on that campaign promise, senators Bernie Sanders and Josh Hawley introduced a bipartisan bill in February 2025 to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for the next five years."
Comment: "With major opposition from banking groups, the bill has not progressed in Congress."
"Just one day before Trump’s announcement, Sanders criticized Trump for not fulfilling his campaign pledge."
" 'Trump promised to cap credit card interest rates at 10% and stop Wall Street from getting away with murder,' Sanders wrote on X on Friday. 'Instead, he deregulated big banks charging up to 30% interest on credit cards.' "
"Hours later, the president made the announcement, drawing pushback from billionaire hedge fund manager and Trump supporter Bill Ackman."
"Ackman initially posted, then deleted, a tweet that called Trump’s announcement 'a mistake' and warned that credit card lenders could cancel consumer cards if they couldn’t charge rates 'adequate enough to cover losses and to earn an adequate return on equity'."
Comment: "Elizabeth Warren, the senator from Massachusetts, also expressed skepticism about whether Trump could implement such a cap without approval from Congress."
" 'Begging credit card companies to play nice is a joke. I said a year ago if Trump was serious I’d work to pass a bill to cap rates,' Warren said in a statement."
" 'Since then, he’s done nothing but try to shut down the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]. Trump doesn’t care about affordability. Americans know a fraud when they see one.' "
Comment: Trump can make these phoney announcements all he wants. However, he cannot unilaterally cap credit card rates, and it's very doubtful that the GOP controlled Congress and the banking/credit card lobby will allow Congress to pass legislation to cap credit card rates at 10%.
Comment: This sounds like a political ploy in response to Bernie Sanders calling Trump out on one of his campaign promises.
Update: GOP leaders throw cold water on Trump’s credit-card push - Jan. 13, 2026
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/01/13/congress/trump-credit-cards-thune-johnson-00725061
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson voiced skepticism Tuesday on President Donald Trump’s move to temporarily cap credit card interest rates."
" 'I think that would probably deprive an awful lot of people of access to credit around the country,' Thune told reporters. 'Credit cards would probably become debit cards.' "
" 'That’s not something I’m out there advocating for — let’s put it that way,' he added."
"Thune’s comments come after Trump posted on Truth Social that he was calling for a one-year cap of 10 percent interest on credit cards starting Jan. 20."
"Johnson also appeared to tamp down the prospects for immediate action Tuesday, telling reporters he spoke to Trump about it on Monday. He called it among a 'long list' of affordability ideas Trump has in mind."
Smithsonian swaps Trump portrait at national gallery, removes impeachment text: Report
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5683140-trump-portrait-gallery-exhibit-changes/
Comment: "The Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery revealed President Trump’s new photographic portrait but also removed most of the adjoining text that mentions his two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, The Washington Post reported Saturday."
Comment: Trump administration eliminating some unflattering history?
The CDC just sidelined these childhood vaccines. Here's what they prevent
Comment: "The federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations, sidelining six routine vaccines that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death."
"Just three of the six immunizations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will no longer routinely recommend — against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus — have prevented nearly 2 million hospitalizations and more than 90,000 deaths in the past 30 years, according to the CDC's own publications."
"Vaccines against the three diseases, as well as those against respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, and COVID, are now recommended only for children at high risk of serious illness or after 'shared clinical decision-making,' or consultation between doctors and parents."
Comment: This is what happens when an unqualified, anti-vaxx lawyer is appointed to head the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
Comment: Please read the linked article for more details.
Video: Trump meets with oil executives to discuss future of industry in Venezuela - January 9, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXoxC4WrD0c
CNN: ‘It’s uninvestible’: Trump’s Venezuela pitch met with skepticism from oil executives
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/politics/oil-executives-venezuela-white-house
U.S. oil giants tell Trump they're noncommittal on Venezuela
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/09/us-oil-giants-noncommittal-on-venezuela
Oil CEOs are meeting with Trump today. These are their demands | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/business/oil-executives-trump-meeting-venezuela
Energy executives scramble to head off Trump demands on Venezuela | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/08/politics/oil-executives-trump-venezuela-meeting
Morality, military might and a sense of mischief: key takeaways from Trump’s New York Times interview
NYTimes.com: Trump Says U.S. Oversight of Venezuela Could Last for Years
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/trump-interview-venezuela.html?smid=em-share
Outrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisations
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/07/trump-international-groups-un
Comment: "Experts decry move to leave UNFCCC as ‘embarrassing’ as president orders withdrawal from 66 international groups"
Comment: "Donald Trump has sparked outrage by announcing the US will exit the foundational international agreement to address the climate crisis, cementing the US’s utter isolation from the global effort to confront dangerously escalating temperatures."
"In a presidential memorandom issued on Wednesday, Trump withdrew from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), along with 65 other organizations, agencies and commissions, calling them 'contrary to the interests of the United States'.
Update: Trump’s move to pull US from key UN climate treaty may be illegal, experts say - Jan 12, 2026
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/trump-un-climate-treaty-unfccc
Comment: "The Trump administration's long-anticipated decision this week to pull the US from the world’s most important climate treaty may have been illegal, some experts say."
" 'In my legal opinion, he does not have the authority,' Harold Hongju Koh, former head lawyer for the US state department, told the Guardian."
"In a Wednesday presidential memorandum, the president said the US 'shall withdraw' from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), along with 65 other organizations, agencies and commissions that it deemed 'contrary to the interests of the United States'. It marks the first time any country has ever moved to exit the agreement."
"The UN climate body requires one year’s notice for withdrawal, so the United States will not cease being a party for a year. Trump’s memo did not specify whether or not his administration will submit a formal notice of termination to the UN."
"Reached for comment, a state department spokesperson noted that Trump’s memo said the agency will take all necessary 'steps to effectuate the withdrawal of the United States from the organizations as soon as possible'."
Trump administration tells 5 states their child care funds have been frozen
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/07/trump-child-care-states-funding
Comment: "The Trump administration sent out letters Tuesday night to five blue states, freezing about $10 billion in funding for child care and social services programs pending a 'thorough review,' citing concerns over 'systemic fraud'."
Comment: "The letters, viewed by Axios, went to California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York — suspending about $10 billion in funds for three programs:
TANF, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, cash assistance that is the modern-day successor to welfare.
Child Care Development Fund money that subsidizes child care programs in these states.
SSBG, Social Services Block Grants, which fund child welfare services, like foster care."
Comment: How many of you think this is not about "systemic fraud," but is, instead, about retribution against Democratic leaning states that voted against him?"
Trump orders defense companies to stop stock buybacks, dividends
Comment: "President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not allow defense companies to buy back their own stocks, offer executives large salaries and issue dividends to shareholders, singling out one of America’s largest missile manufacturers as his biggest target."
"In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump blasted the defense industry for moving too slowly to produce 'Great Military Equipment' and criticized them for not 'maintaining it properly or quickly' thereafter. Executive pay packages in the industry, he said, are 'exorbitant and unjustifiable given how slowly these companies are delivering vital Equipment to our Military, and our Allies.' "
Comment: "The posts are another example of the Trump administration seeking to exert greater control over parts of corporate America and individual companies. That has also included taking stakes in private businesses, such as the chipmaker Intel. Earlier on Wednesday, in a push to curb housing costs, Trump posted that he wants to bar large investors from acquiring more single-family homes."
"How Trump would implement such restrictions was not clear, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. RTX also did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment."
Comment: If a Democrat made these demands on corporations, he/she would be labeled by the GOP as a "socialist", a "communist", or worse.
Insiders spill on Stephen Miller’s daily yelling meltdowns - Jan. 7th
Pentagon will begin review of 'effectiveness' of women in ground combat positions
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/06/nx-s1-5667583/pentagon-review-women-in-ground-combat-roles
Comment: "Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson wrote in an email to NPR that the study is to 'ensure standards are met and the United States maintains the most lethal military. Our standards for combat arms positions will be elite uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn't care if you're a man or a woman. Under [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the Department of War's [sic] will not compromise standards to satisfy quotas or an ideological agenda—this is common sense.' "
"Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, opposed women in ground combat units while he was a Fox News host and author. 'I'm straight up saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective. Hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated,' he said in a November 2024 podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan. But during his confirmation hearing last year, he softened his stance, saying women can serve in combat roles as long as they meet the same standards as men."
Trump warns Republicans they have to win midterms or he'll 'get impeached'
Bolton on Trump Venezuela plan: ‘I don’t think he understands anything’
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/5674815-venezuela-leadership-bolton-trump/
Comment: "John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Trump, said he doesn’t think the president grasps the specifics of the situation in Venezuela in the wake of the U.S. capturing its leader, Nicolás Maduro."
"Outlining the next steps for the South American country and arguing that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and her party should lead it, Bolton told host Kate Bouduan Tuesday on 'CNN News Central' that Trump 'is very confused about this'."
" 'I don’t think he understands anything about what we just talked about,” he continued."
Trump suggests US taxpayers could reimburse oil firms for Venezuela investment
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/06/trump-us-taxpayers-oil-firms-venezuela-investment
Comment: "Do you want your tax dollars handed over to the oil companies to repair Venezuela's oil infrastructure?
Trump administration cuts number of vaccines it recommends for every child
Comment: "The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child -- leaving other immunizations, such as flu shots, open to families to choose but without clear guidance."
"Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won't result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move, saying it could lead to reduced uptake of important vaccinations and increase disease."
Yahoo: US expands list of countries whose citizens must pay up to $15,000 bonds to apply for visas
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-expands-list-countries-whose-163556476.html
Comment: "The Trump administration has added seven countries, including five in Africa, to the list of nations whose passport holders are required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States."
"Thirteen countries, all but two of them in Africa, are now on the list, which makes the process of obtaining a U.S. visa unaffordable for many."
"The State Department last week quietly added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia and Turkmenistan to the list."
DOJ says millions of Epstein files have yet to be released
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/05/doj-epstein-files-timing-delays-00712169
Comment: "More than two weeks after the deadline to release the vast trove of files connected to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Justice Department officials disclosed Monday that they’re still reviewing millions of documents and have released less than 1 percent of the total."
US-based multinational companies will be exempt from global tax deal
https://apnews.com/article/tax-europe-oecd-91627ddcf78c145dab9775252aa08c85
Comment: "U.S. multinational corporations will be exempted from paying more corporate taxes overseas in a deal finalized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development."
"The OECD announced Monday that nearly 150 countries have agreed on the plan, initially crafted in 2021, to stop large global companies from shifting profits to low-tax countries, no matter where they operate in the world."
"The amended version excludes large U.S.-based multinational corporations from the 15% global minimum tax after negotiations between President Donald Trump’s administration and other members of the Group of Seven wealthy nations."
Comment: "The most recent version of the deal waters down a landmark 2021 agreement that set a minimum global corporate tax of 15%. The idea was to stop multinational corporations, including Apple and Nike, from using accounting and legal maneuvers to shift earnings to low- or no-tax havens."
"Those havens are typically places like Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, where the companies actually do little or no business."
"Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was a key driver of the 2021 OECD global tax deal and made the corporate minimum tax one of her top priorities. The plan was widely panned by congressional Republicans who said it would make the U.S. less competitive in a global economy."
Comment: "Tax transparency groups have criticized the amended OECD plan."
"“This deal risks nearly a decade of global progress on corporate taxation only to allow the largest, most profitable American companies to keep parking profits in tax havens,” said Zorka Milin, policy director at the FACT Coalition, a tax transparency nonprofit."
"Tax watchdogs argue the minimum tax is supposed to halt an international race to the bottom for corporate taxation that has led multinational businesses to book their profits in countries with low tax rates."
Comment: The Trump Administration lowers taxes for large corporations and encourages them to pay their taxes overseas. Meanwhile, Trump's new tariffs are taxes that hit American middle class consumers. Rob from the poor and middle class and give to the rich.
Video: With brazen Venezuela raid, Trump dares legal system to stop him - January 03, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfrTdV3srGw
Comment: "Former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade talks with Jen Psaki about the myriad ways Donald Trump's attack on Venezuela puts him in opposition to U.S. law."
A top DoJ official trained Pam Bondi on ethics rules in the department. Then he was fired
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/03/pam-bondi-doj-joseph-tirell-fired
The Daily Beast: ICE Barbie Quietly Launches Purge of Disaster Relief Staff After Floods Humiliation
CNN: Exclusive: DHS begins slashing FEMA disaster response staff as 2026 begin
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/01/politics/dhs-cutting-fema-disaster-response-staff
Video: Why PolitiFact has labeled 2025 the 'Year of the Lies' - December 31, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S4OUHe7lYE
Comment: "For the past 15 years, the fact-checkers at PolitiFact have sorted through hundreds of statements by politicians to name the "Lie of the Year." This year, the editors dubbed 2025 the 'Year of the Lies.' Lisa Desjardins discussed more with PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief Katie Sanders."
GOP Veteran Strategist Admits People Are ‘Tiring’ of Trump
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/gop-veteran-strategist-admits-people-161211637.html
Comment: "Veteran GOP strategist Karl Rove warned Republicans that the biggest threat to Donald Trump’s second-term agenda may be Trump himself, because the electorate is growing sick and tired of his antics."
"In a year-end Wall Street Journal opinion column published Dec. 30, Rove wrote that Trump’s 'unrelenting' pace has flooded the political ecosystem with 'fluff' and grievance, leaving the public numb to even consequential developments."
Trump says National Guard being removed from Chicago, LA and Portland
Trump says he's dropping push for National Guard in Chicago and other cities
Comment: "President Donald Trump said he's dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks hung up the effort."
"Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that he's removing the Guard troops for now. 'We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!' he wrote."
Jack Smith told lawmakers Trump was 'the most culpable' in election interference case, deposition transcript shows
Comment: "The former special counsel who brought charges against Trump during the Biden administration had wanted to testify in public, but Republicans refused his request."
The plot to redraw America
Comment: "How Donald Trump launched a redistricting caper he couldn’t pull off."
Trump administration reportedly freezes all childcare payments to all states
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/31/trump-administration-childcare-funding-freeze
Comment: "The Department of Health and Human Services is freezing all childcare payments to all states, an official for Donald Trump’s administration told ABC News in a report published Wednesday. States’ funds will be released only when states prove they are being spent legitimately'."
"The report came a day after Jim O’Neill, the HHS deputy secretary, and Alex Adams, an HHS assistant secretary who oversees the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), appeared in a Tuesday evening video message. O’Neill declared that the department had 'activated our defend-the-spend system for all ACF childcare payments across America' and would now require 'justification, receipt or photo evidence before we make a payment'."
"Originally, O’Neill and Adams’s message was interpreted as an announcement that HHS would stop childcare funding in Minnesota, not all 50 states. However, the Associated Press reported late on Wednesday that the freeze would apply to every state, and that all states would need to provide more documentation about their childcare programs before receiving federal money."
HHS freezing child care payments to all states after Minnesota fraud allegations: Official
https://abcnews.go.com/US/hhs-freezing-child-care-payments-minnesota-after-fraud/story?id=128793851
Comment: Please see news video which is part of the article.
Comment: "The Trump administration is pausing child care funding to all states after allegations of fraud in daycare centers in Minnesota emerged, an official with the Department of Health and Human Services said."
Comment: "The federal actions came after an unverified online video from conservative influencer Nick Shirley alleging fraud in child care in Somali communities in Minneapolis. Minnesota officials had disputed the allegations."
"In the post, O'Neill wrote the agency was taking steps to address 'blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country' and said HHS was demanding Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz conduct a 'comprehensive audit' of day care centers identified in the viral video."
In a post on social media, Walz responded to the move by HHS, writing: 'This is Trump’s long game. We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue - but this has been his plan all along. He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.' "
"Earlier this week, Minnesota officials had also pushed back on the claims made in the video that went viral last week."
"Conservative influencer Nick Shirley posted a 40-minute-long video alleging fraud in childcare in Somali communities in Minneapolis. In the video, Shirley allegedly visited daycares that he said have taken public funds, but there were no children when he visited."
"ABC News has not independently verified any of his claims. Unrelated allegations of fraud have been under investigation by state officials dating back to the time of the Biden administration."
"According to Minneapolis-St. Paul ABC News affiliate KSTP, Tikki Brown, the commissioner of the state Department of Children, Youth and Families, raised concerns about the video, including whether videos were taken during times when the businesses were scheduled to be open."
" 'While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously,' Brown said on Monday."
Related Story: Right-Wing Youtuber Behind Viral Minnesota Fraud Video Has Long Anti-Immigrant History
https://theintercept.com/2025/12/31/nick-shirley-videos-minnesota-somali-day-cares-fraud-claims/
In one year, Trump pivots fentanyl response from public health to drug war
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/31/nx-s1-5653370/trump-fentanyl-drug-policy-pivot
Comment: "In his first year back in office, President Trump reshaped U.S. drug policy and the response to fentanyl deaths in sweeping, often chaotic fashion, rapidly dismantling efforts launched by the Biden administration aimed at expanding drug treatment."
"Many experts credit Biden-era public health policies with saving tens of thousands of lives. But with new laws, executive orders, budget cuts, and military redeployments, Trump pivoted the nation from those strategies to a militarized drug war."
Comment: "Trump has launched U.S. Naval strikes against alleged drug boats; designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations; classified fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction; and deployed National Guard troops in American cities and along the U.S.-Mexico border."
"Meanwhile, his administration threw into question support for even basic federally funded addiction treatment programs, at one point temporarily freezing $140 million in federal grants as front-line care providers scrambled to maintain services."
Secret Data Exposes True Scale of Social Security Chaos Under Trump
Comment: "Record backlogs and staffing losses are reportedly driving delays for millions seeking basic help."
2025 was so hot it pushed Earth past critical climate change mark, scientists say
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-2025-critical-mark-eclipsed/
Comment: "Climate change worsened by human behavior made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, scientists said."
"It was also the first time that the three-year temperature average broke through the threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times. Experts say keeping the Earth below that limit could save lives and prevent catastrophic environmental destruction around the globe."
Video: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump expanding presidential power - December 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW0yoJqki58
Trump administration rolls out rural health funding, with strings attached
https://apnews.com/article/rural-hospitals-fund-medicaid-cuts-48fb63019a6e73504eb13411abc6bc1e
Comment: "States will share $10 billion for rural health care next year in a program that aims to offset the Trump administration’s massive budget cuts to rural hospitals, federal officials announced Monday."
"But while every state applied for money from the Rural Health Transformation Program, it won’t be distributed equally. And critics worry that the funding might be pulled back if a state’s policies don’t match up with the administration’s."
Comment: "But experts say it won’t nearly offset the losses that struggling rural hospitals will face from the federal spending law’s $1.2 trillion cut from the federal budget over the next decade, primarily from Medicaid. Millions of people are also expected to lose Medicaid benefits."
"Estimates suggest rural hospitals could lose around $137 billion over the next decade because of the budget measure. As many as 300 rural hospitals were at risk for closure because of the GOP’s spending package, according to an analysisy The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
" 'When you put that up against the $50 billion for the Rural Health Transformation Fund, you know — that math does not add up,' Cochran-McClain said."
Video: 'You can see the cracks': Growing frustration in MAGA over Epstein files - December 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX4LKrBXWe4
Related Video:
Video: Police Were Aware Of Epstein Since 2001 But Didn't Begin Investigation Until Years Later: Author - December 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8_vj9-bsWY
US pledges $2 billion for UN humanitarian aid as Trump warns agencies must ‘adapt or die’
Comment: "The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration slashes U.S. foreign assistance and warns United Nations agencies they must 'adapt, shrink or die' in a time of new financial realities."
Comment: "The $2 billion is only a sliver of traditional U.S. humanitarian funding for U.N.-coordinated programs, which has run as high as $17 billion annually in recent years, according to U.N. data. U.S. officials say only $8 billion to $10 billion of that has been in voluntary contributions. The United States also pays billions in annual dues related to its U.N. membership."
Video: Trump administration to send 350 National Guard Troops to New Orleans before the end of the year - December 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhBytNLoTUk
Comment: "The announcement came just minutes after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency decision blocking President Trump’s deployment of troops to Chicago."
"The court ruled 6-3 against President Trump Tuesday, one of only a handful of times the conservative court has ruled against the president on the emergency docket this term. This ruling from the court applies only to Illinois, and the issue could come before the high court again."
Video: The top Trump administration legal battles of 2025 - December 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3eJQTdUsy8
Comment: "This video summary cover many topics, but it is by no means comprehensive. Because it is a summary, it is unable to address the issues in any detail. However, the summary serves as a reminder of some major Trump related legal battles events. Once the viewer is reminded of the 2025 battles, he/she can use the articles and videos presented in our news article section (presented in reverse chronological order) to explore the facts and issues associated with those battles in greater detail. These articles/videos are provided under many of the news subpage topics, for example "The 2nd Trump Administration," "More Outrages From GOP." "Resistance to Trump Agenda," the "US Congress, etc."
Video: Top moments in US politics in 2025 - December 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1x6zKffWms
Comment: These short news clips cover many topics, but are not comprehensive and are unable to address the issues in any detail. However, they serve as a reminder of some major events (many of them Trump related). Once the viewer is reminded of the 2025 events, he/she can use the articles and videos presented below (presented in reverse chronological order) to explore the facts and issues associated with those events in greater detail.
Video: U.S. now mandating photos of non-citizens at all land borders, airports - December 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M_NllQVas4
The ‘Trump-class’ battleship faces a large obstacle in its way: Reality
Comment: "Trump’s battleship plan clashes with decades of U.S. naval strategy and technology shifts;"
"Experts described it as a 'prestige project,' a 'bomb magnet' and said that 'this ship will never sail'.”
"Even if it were technically feasible, the cost of building the battleship would be prohibitive."
Comment: The facts above will not prevent Hegseth and various defense contractors from spending vast amounts of your tax dollars to feed Trump's ego, during design and engineering efforts prior to the project's eventual cancellation.
Related video from December 22nd, where Trump announces his "Trump-class" battleship plans:
Video: Trump Announces ‘Golden Fleet’: '100 Times More Powerful Than Any Battleship Ever Built' - December 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjneqZE0oFI
Comment: The larger the ship, the bigger the target. Doesn't it make more sense to distribute the "firepower" over smaller platforms offering greater deployment and operational flexibility? The only reason to build these huge ships is to placate Trump's silly belief that bigger is better. With that kind of mentality, smart phones would be the size of WWII walkie-talkies. Note that Trump kept talking about the great battleships of WWII. Even 80 years ago, battleships were not the most effective naval platforms. They certainly are not now. Trump is insanely talking about building 20-25 of these battleships. Does he have any idea how much it would cost to build them, not to mention the cost to staff them? Reagan spent a small fortune refurbishing the WWII battleship NJ in the 1980s. It lobbed a few shells into Lebanon before quickly being retired once again. While a larger navy with newer warships may (or may not) be necessary, this battleship approach is ridiculous. ,
Comment: Congress needs to stop this now, before any more money is wasted.
Another related video from December 23rd, where Trump says he will be involved with the design of his new battleships
Video: Trump announces he will co-lead design of US Navy ships: ‘I’m a very aesthetic person’ - December 23, 2025
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/trump-us-navy-battleships-war-video-b2889405.html
Comment: Trump as ship designer. What could go wrong? [sarcasm added]
White House pushes to dismantle leading climate and weather research center
Trump rings in Christmas Day with a flurry of posts denouncing perceived foes and casting doubt on the 2020 election
Comment: The Christmas spirit, courtesy of Donald Trump. [sarcasm added]
Into the void: how Trump killed international law
https://www.theguardian.com/law/ng-interactive/2025/dec/25/how-donald-trump-killed-international-law
Comment: "The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns away"
Comment: "No one can say they were not warned about the wrecking ball that was about to be inflicted on the global order by Donald Trump."
"The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, spelled out with admirable clarity in his Senate confirmation hearing in February how Trump disowned the world his predecessors had made. 'The postwar global order is not just obsolete, it is now a weapon being used against us,' he said. 'And all this has led us to a moment in which we must now confront the single greatest risk of geopolitical instability and generational global crisis in the lifetime of anyone alive here today.' ”
"The rules-based international order had to be jettisoned, Rubio said, because it had been built on a false assumption that a foreign policy serving core national interests could be replaced by one that served the 'liberal world order, that all the nations of earth would become members of the democratic western-led community', with humankind now destined to abandon national identity and become 'one human family and citizens of the world. This was not just a fantasy. We now know it was a dangerous delusion'.
Comment: Trump and Rubio's alternative: Survival of the fittest?
Noem, Patel face scrutiny at end of first year under Trump
https://thehill.com/national-security/5661766-trump-officials-scrutiny-jobs/
Comment: "As President Trump's first year back in office comes to a close, two officials in particular are under intense scrutiny, raising questions about how long they will remain in their jobs: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel."
"Trump has publicly expressed support for both officials, but Noem and Patel have each been the subject of speculation about whether they may step down or be pushed out in the new year."
"Patel has been dogged by criticism over his use of government resources; his handling of high profile investigations, like the manhunt for the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk; and his use of social media."
"Noem, meanwhile, has been at the forefront of Trump’s aggressive deportation efforts, but she has clashed with others in the administration, such as border czar Tom Homan, according to sources familiar with the matter."
Video: Doctors Warn Politics Is Undermining Actual Vaccine Science | WSJ - December 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm55mouSC-w
Comment: "The Trump administration’s controversial public health strategy has created a new kind of influencer: Doctors taking to social media to combat misinformation."
CNN: Supreme Court’s National Guard decision could force new debate over how Trump could use Insurrection Act
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/24/politics/national-guard-trump-insurrection-act-supreme-court
Donald Trump and Mike Lindell are targeting Tim Walz. Some Republicans are worried that could backfire.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/24/minnesota-elections-2026-tim-walz-mike-lindell-00701462
Comment: "Minnesota has been the white whale for Republicans in the Trump era. And 2026 could be the year they finally break through — if President Donald Trump and one of the most prolific peddlers of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election don’t sink their chances."
"Republicans are growing optimistic about their chances of unseating Democratic Gov. Tim Walz next year, as he seeks a historic third term. But Trump’s increasingly caustic attacks on Walz and disparagement of Minnesota’s Somali community — and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s entrance into the gubernatorial race — could hurt Republicans’ chances of regaining ground in the state, some party strategists argue."
" 'When the president comes in with a flamethrower and just throws that type of rhetoric, there’s no oxygen, and there’s no space for the Republican to offer suggestions and to be thoughtful in that space, because the rhetoric of the president just paints them into a corner,' said Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP who backed the Democratic ticket in 2024."
Comment: Mike Lindell, are you kidding? This ranks right up there with Trump's endorsement of Herschel Walker for the U.S. Senate seat in Georgia.
Where the national redistricting fight is heading in 2026
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/national-redistricting-fight-heading-2026-rcna247836
Comment: "The redrawing of district lines typically happens at the start of each decade after the new census results. But President Donald Trump kicked off an unusually frenzied midcycle redistricting battle over the summer, when he called on Republican-controlled states across the country to draw new maps to shore up the GOP's narrow House majority. Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina all enacted new maps, which in total could net Republicans as many as seven seats."
"But Republicans were not able to build as robust of an advantage as they initially hoped. California Democrats responded with a map, approved by voters last month, that could allow the party to gain up to five seats and effectively cancel out Texas' effort."
Comment: States that could attempt redistricting in 2026 include Virginia, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Illinois, and Missouri. The linked artilce describes the likelihood and issues associated with possible redistricting in these states.
Comment: A Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act could result in the redrawing of congressional districts, but it is anticipated that any ruling will occur too late to impact the 2026 midterms.
Comment: Do you see what Trump's attempt to gain an unfair advantage for the GOP has caused? More chaos and confusion.
DOJ says it has found more than a million additional Epstein documents
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/24/doj-epstein-documents-new-files-00706387
Comment: "The Justice Department on Wednesday said it had uncovered more than a million documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case and will need more time to fulfill the release of files ordered by Congress."
"In a post to X, the Justice Department said it received the documents from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI — but it may take 'a few more weeks' before they can be processed and released to the public in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act."
Comment: One has to wonder if the DOJ is dumping the million additional documents in an attempt to bury or delay the document review process with irrelevant or redundant documentation.
Comment: If one assumes that the additional million documents are relevant, one has to question why the DOJ is just now discovering them. Given Epstein's residence and ties to New York City, wouldn't the Southern District of New York have been an obvious place to check for prior Epstein related investigative documentation?
Video: DOJ says a million more potential Epstein documents were found | REUTERS - December 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NghPEXntkCY
Comment: Please see comments related to linked article immediately above.
State governors must act now to prevent a mass homelessness crisis
Comment: "On July 24, the Trump administration quietly set in motion a policy shift that could push nearly 170,000 Americans out of their homes this winter."
"Most readers probably have not heard of Executive Order 14321, 'Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets.' But they will see its effects when homeless encampments start popping up along every Main Street next year, if HUD carries through its intended course of action — temporarily put on hold — and governors do not act to mitigate the damage."
"The order directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to dramatically reduce 'permanent housing," a service model which has helped keep thousands of people stably housed without requiring treatment or sobriety as a precondition for getting off the street. For two decades, this approach has been backed by rigorous evidence and adopted by Republican and Democratic administrations alike."
"But the recent order and 2025 funding notice show that consensus is over."
"Without warning, HUD was about to require local homeless service providers to completely remake their systems around 'transitional housing' models that put preconditions on housing assistance and facilitate the criminalization of people experiencing homelessness by partnering with law enforcement to ban encampments. And the administration expected them to do it in two months."
"To understand the recklessness of this decision, it helps to know how homelessness policy actually works. Communities across the country annually apply for funding from HUD that houses people and keeps them housed. These funds support thousands of people with emergency shelter case management or rental subsidies. HUD usually releases the funding notice in the summer, giving local agencies seven months to plan, write applications, coordinate with nonprofits, and make system changes."
"Last year’s funding contracts are scheduled to end in 2026, but HUD announced its intentions to terminate those agreements before releasing a funding notice on November 13, which imposed radical changes to the status quo."
"These changes include a mandatory 40-hour per week engagement requirement that is unrealistic for cash-strapped service providers to deliver. They would also exclude people with mental illnesses or substance-use disorders from permanent housing programs. They would require the involvement of law enforcement on local governing bodies alongside stakeholders who approach homelessness with different values. Finally, the changes contain new performance benchmarks that several administrators privately told me will be simply impossible to meet."
"HUD provided almost no guidance for how to implement any of this. Although the agency held a webinar on Nov. 14, administrators described it to me as a public-relations exercise that repeated talking points without answering the questions they urgently needed to complete their applications."
"I spoke with administrators in eight different homelessness systems over the last month. They were all panicked and confused. But most of all, they were terrified of what will happen to their clients if they can’t comply."
Trump administration orders 2 Indiana power plants to keep burning coal
Comment: "Federal officials have ordered a temporary halt to the planned shutdowns of two coal-burning Indiana power plants amid President Donald Trump’s attempts to boost the coal mining industry."
"The U.S. Department of Energy orders issued Tuesday require Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and CenterPoint Energy to keep those generating plants operating despite their intentions of closing them this month."
Comment: "The orders come as Trump has pushed policies to promote the coal industry while deriding the shift toward solar and wind energy as sources of electricity."
"The Energy Department said the Indiana plants orders were needed because the 'reliable supply of power from these coal plants is essential for keeping the region’s electric grid stable.' Both orders cited the growing power demands of data centers among the reasons for keeping the plants in operation."
Comment: "Environmental groups and consumer advocates denounced the Energy Department orders, arguing they would force 'households to pay more for coal’s deadly air and toxic water pollution.' "
" 'The federal government’s order to force extremely expensive and unreliable coal units to stay open will result in higher bills for Hoosiers who are already reeling from record-high rate increases in 2025,' said Ben Inskeep, program director for the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana. 'We can’t afford this costly and unfounded federal overreach.' "
Comment: Do you remember when Republicans blamed Democrats for "federal overreach?" However, Repubicans employ "federal overreach", not to protect consumers or working Americans, but to protect their special interest supporters in the coal industry.
Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment and threats have changed their lives
Comment: "In his almost 45 years as a federal judge, John Coughenour has seen it all, including high-profile criminal trials that put his own safety at risk."
"But this year, the 84-year-old senior district judge did something he hadn’t considered for a long time: He retrieved a gun he had stored at the federal courthouse in Seattle years ago and brought it back to his home in case he needed it to defend himself."
"Coughenour is one of dozens of federal judges who have found themselves at the center of a political maelstrom as they have ruled against President Donald Trump or spoken up in defense of the judiciary. With Trump administration officials vilifying judges who rule against the government, a wave of violent threats and harassment has often followed."
Comment: Is it MAGA or Mafia? The Don(ald) resorts to threats, intimidation and extortion?
CNN: Trump administration to start garnishing wages of defaulted student loan borrowers in January
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/23/politics/student-loans-trump-garnishing-wages
Video: '60 Minutes’ CECOT episode ‘mistakenly’ streams in Canada - December 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJlUPcEDq3c
Email from ‘A’ at British royal family’s residence asked Ghislaine Maxwell for ‘inappropriate friends’ | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/23/europe/ghislaine-maxwell-email-british-royal-family-latam-intl
Comment: Looks bad for former prince Andrew!
Video: Chris Murphy: Trump Has Taken 'Editorial Control Of CBS' After 60 Minutes Pulls Critical Segment - December 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKLhd__VYXw
CBS News chief Bari Weiss pulls '60 Minutes' story, sparking outcry
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/22/g-s1-103282/cbs-chief-bari-weiss-pulls-60-minutes-story
Comment: "Just a day and a half before it was set to be broadcast, new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss pulled a planned 60 Minutes investigative segment centering on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants last March."
Comment: Do you believe that this is self-censorship by the network, resulting from Trump's threat to pull broadcast licenses and the FCC's ability to stop media mergers.
Video: Trump announces plans for new class of Navy ships | full video - December 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y6kvNJY404
Comment: The larger the ship, the bigger the target. Doesn't it make more sense to distribute the "firepower" over smaller platforms offering greater deployment and operational flexibility? The only reason to build these huge ships is to placate Trump's silly belief that bigger is better. With that kind of mentality, smart phones would be the size of WWII walkie-talkies. Note that Trump kept talking about the great battleships of WWII. Even 80 years ago, battleships were not the most effective naval platforms. They certainly are not now. Trump is insanely talking about building 20-25 of these battleships. Does he have any idea how much it would cost to build them, not to mention the cost to staff them? Reagan spent a small fortune refurbishing the WWII battleship NJ in the 1980s. It lobbed a few shells into Lebanon before quickly being retired once again. While a larger navy with newer warships may (or may not) be necessary, this battleship approach is ridiculous. ,
Comment: Congress needs to stop this now, before any more money is wasted.
Trump administration suspends 5 wind projects off the East Coast, cites national security concerns
Comment: "The Trump administration on Monday suspended leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast due to what it said were national security risks identified by the Pentagon."
"The suspension, effective immediately, is the latest step by the administration to hobble offshore wind in its push against renewable energy sources. It comes two weeks after a federal judge struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, calling it unlawful."
Comment: "Wind proponents slammed the move, saying it was another blow in an ongoing attack by the administration against clean energy. The administration’s decision to cite potential national security risks could complicate legal challenges to the move, although wind supporters say those arguments are overstated."
Comment: "National security expert and former Commander of the USS Cole Kirk Lippold disputed the administration’s national security argument. The offshore projects were awarded permits 'following years of review by state and federal agencies,' including the Coast Guard, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, the Air Force and more, he said."
" 'The record of decisions all show that the Department of Defense was consulted at every stage of the permitting process,' Lippold said, arguing that the projects would benefit national security because they would diversify the country’s energy supply."
"Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I, said Revolution Wind was thoroughly vetted and fully permitted by the federal government, 'and that review included any potential national security questions.' Burgum’s action 'looks more like the kind of vindictive harassment we have come to expect from the Trump administration than anything legitimate,'' he said."
FCC bans foreign-made drones over national security, spying concern
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/22/fcc-drone-ban-dji-00703742
Epstein's alleged victims accuse DOJ of legal violations over state of files released
Vance refuses to set red lines over bigotry at Turning Point USA's convention
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/22/g-s1-103284/vance-at-turning-point
Video: Why Turning Point USA's AmericaFest Turned on Itself: Shapiro, Carlson, Bannon, Owens Clash | APT - December 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO6yGmp-Pqo
Trump Takes America’s ‘Imperial Presidency’ to a New Level - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/us/politics/trump-imperial-presidency.html
Vance Refuses to Take Sides in G.O.P. Fight Over Bigotry
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/us/politics/vance-republicans-trump-antisemitism.html
Video: JD Vance Says, 'You Don't Have To Apologize For Being White Anymore' In Attack On DEI At TPUSA Event - December 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt0JrXCmBqk
Vance tries to weather the MAGA storm at Turning Point
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/21/vance-maga-infighting-turning-point-usa-00702396
Comment: "After three straight days of MAGA infighting here at Turning Point’s AmericaFest, top Republicans — including Vice President JD Vance — tried to find agreement on Sunday afternoon, shifting their focus to countering the opposition."
Comment: "His speech at the Phoenix Convention Center is the culmination of a weekend-long festival for 30,000 of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters. But until Sunday, much of the weekend was clouded by an intra-party schism that kicked off during night one on Thursday, when conservative commentator Ben Shapiro ripped into a number of fellow MAGA-verse influencers, especially Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Steve Bannon."
" 'The conservative movement is in serious danger,' Shapiro said, especially from some “charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.”
"Those themes carried through on Friday and Saturday, with presidential-hopeful turned Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy casting the moment as 'a time for choosing in the conservative movement'.”
"Like Shapiro, Ramasawamy focused significant time on Carlson and his interview with far-right influencer and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, listing some of his inflammatory remarks and saying they 'have no place in this movement'."
"Then, Bannon hit the stage and reversed course, comparing Shapiro to a 'a cancer, and that cancer spreads'."
" 'Ben Shapiro is the farthest thing from MAGA,' Bannon told the crowd."
Don't call it a tax hike? Trump's demand for a cut of Nvidia's China profits raises novel questions.
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s decision to allow Nvidia to sell chips to China has produced a flood of national security concerns, but that’s not all."
"His demand that the government also get a cut of the proceeds is raising a whole other set of questions, including: Did he just raise taxes?"
"His demand that Nvidia and other semiconductor companies pay 25 percent on their China sales looks to some a lot like a tax increase, and it comes in the face of Republicans’ long-standing opposition to tax hikes and the fact that tax policy is supposed to be set by Congress, not the White House."
"It would actually be the second charge the administration has imposed on Nvidia. Earlier this year, the administration said it would permit the company to sell an older chip to China provided it paid the government 15 percent."
"Republicans, though, have had little to say about the plan, with some claiming they weren’t even aware of it."
Comment: Tax increase or a form of extortion? Republicans in Congress just stick their head in the sand and pretend the issue doesn't exist.
RFK Jr. wants states to ban junk food. No one knows what counts.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/20/rfk-snap-state-junk-food-bans-00698790
Comment: "Retailers are scrambling to find out what thousands of foods will no longer be eligible under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program come January."
Comment: More chaos and confusion, courtesy of the Trump administration.
Exclusive: Top lawyer for military joint chiefs told chairman that officers should retire if faced with an unlawful order | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/19/politics/unlawful-order-caine-widmar-retire
NASA's new leader makes his priorities clear on day one
Comment: "NASA’s new leader, billionaire entrepreneur Jared Issacman, is making his priorities for the space agency clear in his first days on the job."
"Isaacman was sworn in Thursday as the 15th administrator of NASA. The same day, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing NASA to return astronauts to the moon by 2028, begin the development of a permanent outpost on the lunar surface by 2030, and lay the foundations for future exploration of Mars."
"The order will likely provide a roadmap for Isaacman and NASA."
" 'Within the next three years, we are going to land American astronauts again on the moon, but this time with the infrastructure to stay,' Isaacman told NBC News in an interview after his swearing in on Thursday."
"He has stepped into the role at a key time for NASA: The Trump administration has made it an urgent objective to return astronauts to the moon before China’s astronauts reach the lunar surface."
" 'We are faced with another space race,' Isaacman said."
Comment: While these are lofty goals, do you think that given current federal deficits and the massive monetary resources necessary to achieve these goals, that these are the nation's highest priorities? Do you think Trump fully understands the nation's investment necessary to achieve these objectives, especially in the short schedule he has outlined in his executive order? Has NASA submitted a realistic budget to achieve these objectives, and has Congress evaluated the budget and approved it? Or are we just wasting our time and money on a dream of a few billionaires (Trump, Issacman & Musk)?
Noem says Brown shooting suspect got U.S. visa through diversity lottery, announces pause to program
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/noem-alleged-brown-shooter-diversity-visa-lottery/
Comment: "Launched in the 1990s, the program offers 50,000 visas per year to people from countries with relatively low rates of immigration to the U.S., with recipients selected at random using a lottery. Every year, tens of millions of people vie for visas through the program."
"In order to qualify for a diversity visa, applicants must have at least a high school education or two years of work experience in a field that requires training. They are also required to undergo vetting and an interview before getting a visa."
"The program was created by Congress, and it's not clear under what legal mechanism the administration can order a pause. Most visas issued through the lottery are overseen by the State Department, and a small number are processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — which is part of DHS — for applicants already in the U.S."
Comment: The Trump administration will use any excuse to restrict entry of any foreign national into this country. What about the other thousands (hundreds of thousands) of visitors to this country using the Visa lottery that did not shoot anyone at Brown University? Why pause an entire program for the actions of a single individual from Portugal? Unfortunately, home grown American citizens also commit mass shootings.
Video: 'Nothing to do with tariffs': Joe fact checks Trump's claims on one-time payments to service members - December 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wqr-KBHoxs
Comment: "President Donald Trump during his address on Wednesday promised to pay troops a 'warrior dividend' bonus he said came from tariffs. The money is actually a military housing stipend already approved by Congress."
Video: Brooks and Capehart on Trump's approval ratings and mental acuity - December 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jyoTr-M8Ak
Comment: "New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including President Trump’s attempts to address his sinking approval ratings on the economy, the Department of Justice begins to release the Epstein files and the renaming of the Kennedy Center."
What’s missing from the Epstein files release
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/19/epstein-files-justice-department-missing-00701512
Comment: "The Justice Department’s long-awaited release Friday of documents related to the federal government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein was perhaps most notable for what it lacked."
"Financial records, internal memos from prosecutors who investigated Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, key material obtained from the searches of Epstein’s palatial homes — none of it figured prominently in the documents released Friday."
"Interested in records that would help explain how Epstein grew so wealthy? None to be found."
"Want to read emails from federal prosecutors deciding who to charge — and, equally importantly, who not to charge — during their 2019 investigation? You’re out of luck."
"Curious about the role of Maurene Comey, the prosecutor who co-led the probes into Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, before being fired without explanation in July? Nothing from her to see here."
"The department was obligated by law to release the entire universe of documents related to Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, and Maxwell, who was convicted of aiding and participating in his sex-trafficking ring, by Friday. The trache made public represented only a fraction of the total material, which the government has said exceeds 300 gigabytes worth of data and physical evidence."
Video: Steve Rattner: The economy will grow more slowly this year than it did in last year of the Biden WH - December 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnqjTD79kU0
Comment: "Morning Joe economic analyst Steve Rattner joins Morning Joe to discuss the latest U.S. jobs data and the president's Wednesday White House address."
Comment: Good economic analysis, especially on jobs and unemployment.
Video: Analysis of Trump's primetime speech from White House - December 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpfLUdrxboE
Comment: "ABC News' Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl breaks down the claims made by President Donald Trump during his primetime speech Wednesday night from the White House."
‘It was delusional.’ Sen. Van Hollen reacts to Trump’s fact-adjacent address to the nation | CNN
‘Execution was abysmal’: Trump economy speech doesn’t meet GOP hopes
Comment: "As soon as President Donald Trump finished delivering his primetime address to the nation Wednesday night, he asked his senior aides how he did."
" 'They all responded with some version of ‘great’,' a journalist inside the White House Diplomatic Room for Trump’s speech later shared in a pool report. And on the airwaves and across the internet, Trump’s usual defenders gushed about the speech."
"But offline and away from the cameras, many Republicans on Wednesday were far less ebullient about the president’s attempt to improve his dismal numbers on the economy — and increasingly downbeat about what that may mean for their party’s chances in next November’s midterm election."
" 'It’s the right idea to talk about the economy more, but the execution was abysmal,' said one Republican operative who served in the first Trump administration and, like others interviewed for this story, was granted anonymity to speak candidly without fear of retribution. 'He’s a very effective salesman when his heart is in it or when he’s on the attack. But the ‘I feel your pain’ speech — he just doesn’t have that club in his bag.' "
What’s going on with Donald Trump’s health?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/18/donald-trump-health
Video: Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell asks court to set aside her conviction - December 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakInOiD_QQ
Comment: "Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell has asked a judge to vacate her sex-trafficking conviction -- a move that could complicate the release of the Epstein files."
American Academy of Pediatrics loses HHS funding after criticizing RFK Jr.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/12/17/aap-hhs-funding-rfk/
FCC chair suggests agency isn't independent, word cut from mission statement
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/17/brendan-carr-fcc-independent-senate-testimony-website
Comment: "FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in his Wednesday Senate testimony that the agency he governs 'is not an independent agency, formally speaking.' During his testimony, the word "independent" was removed from the FCC's mission statement on its website."
Comment: "The extraordinary statement speaks to a broader trend of regulatory agencies losing power to the executive branch during the Trump era."
Comment: "Carr would not respond directly to questions about whether he believed the president was his boss.
"He would not answer whether it's appropriate if the president were to pressure him to go after media companies. He suggested the president has the power to fire him and other FCC commissioners."
"Carr tried to push back against questions about the agency's independence from Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) by saying that the FCC makes decisions by vote, but ultimately, he conceded that Trump could remove any member of the commission for 'any reason or no reason'."
" 'Do you think that's appropriate?' Kim asked."
" 'It's up to the president to decide,' Carr responded."
Comment: Do you believe it is appropriate for Trump to be handed control of previously independent agencies?
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino says he will step down in January
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/17/nx-s1-5647821/fbi-deputy-director-dan-bongino-stepping-down
Comment: "Bongino was an unusual pick for the No. 2 post at the FBI, a critical job overseeing the bureau's day-to-day affairs traditionally held by a career agent. Neither Bongino nor his boss, Patel, had any previous experience at the FBI."
Comment: "Bongino made his name over the past decade as a pro-Trump, far-right podcaster who pushed conspiracy theories, including some involving the FBI. He had been critical of the bureau, embracing the narrative that it had been 'weaponized' against conservatives and even calling its agents 'thugs'."
"His tenure at the bureau was at times tumultuous, including a clash with Justice Department leadership over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files."
Comment: "In an unusual arrangement, Bongino has had a co-deputy director since this summer when the Trump administration tapped Andrew Bailey, a former attorney general of Missouri, to serve alongside Bongino in the No. 2 job."
Trump’s dismantling of climate research center is a ‘destruction of knowledge,’ critics say
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/17/trump-team-breaking-up-top-climate-research-center-00694887
Comment: "The White House’s planned elimination of a major scientific research center is the latest step in the Trump administration’s quest to obliterate federal climate change programs."
"The National Science Foundation will be 'breaking up' the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought posted on social media Tuesday. He called the facility one of the 'largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.' "
"Trump’s critics warned that the plans will devastate U.S. climate research."
" 'NCAR is a crown jewel of our weather and climate research infrastructure,' Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, the top Democrat on the House Science Committee, said in a statement Wednesday."
" 'At a time when natural disasters are on the rise, the last thing we should be doing is slashing our own ability to better understand the weather,' she added. 'NCAR’s elimination would put every American at greater risk.' ”
Comment: When the next major hurricane strikes South Florida, perhaps Russ Vought can personally measure the storm surge by trying to stand outside on the grounds of Mar-A-Lago (knee high?, waist high?, neck high?, or washed away-good riddance?).
Trump administration moves to dismantle prominent US weather and climate research center
Video: Trump says Wiles will remain chief of staff after explosive interview - December 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYJEPOoaIh4
Video: Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, criticizes Bondi and opines on Trump in Vanity Fair interview - December 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiY92cS4z0
Behold, it’s the Trump who stole Christmas
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/16/trump-who-stole-christmas-affordability
Comment: "Trump gave what was billed as a 'Christmas speech' in rural Pennsylvania this past week that began with his 'wishing each and everyone one of you a very merry Christmas, happy New Year, all of that stuff' and boasting that now, under his presidency: 'Everybody’s saying ‘merry Christmas’ again.' ”
"He then claimed – contrary to the experience of nearly everyone in the crowd – that he had gotten them 'lower prices' and 'bigger paychecks'. He also asserted that anyone having difficulty making ends meet should just cut back on buying stuff. 'You can give up certain products. You can give up pencils … Every child can get 37 pencils. They only need one or two,” he said, adding: 'You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice. You don’t need 37 dolls.' ”
"It’s rich – Trump preaching austerity while raking in billions from his crypto investments."
" 'The only thing that is truly going up big, it’s called the stock market and your 401(k)s,' Trump continued, apparently unaware that 92% of the stock market is owned by the richest 10% of Americans while most Americans own no stock at all. Just over a third have a 401(k), 403(b), 503(b) or Thrift Savings Plan."
"He was supposed to talk about affordability, but Trump’s narcissistic brain seemed incapable of the minimal empathy to recognize the public’s angst over the cost of living. So he veered far off the affordability script to attack Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota congresswoman, ridicule windmills, mock transgender people, and call Joe Biden a 'son of a bitch'.
"Small wonder that most voters have had it with Trump. Even the Maga faithful are starting to have second thoughts."
Judge lets Trump’s ballroom construction proceed
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/16/white-house-ballroom-construction-ruling-00694019
Video: Pete Hegseth says full Venezuela boat strike video won't be released to general public unedited - December 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h21gvunfTs
Public won't see Venezuela second strike video: Hegseth
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/16/venezuela-second-strike-video-hegseth
Comment: Hegseth didn't seem to have any trouble showing the other boat strike videos.
Susie Wiles seems to criticize Bondi, Vance and talks Trump in Vanity Fair
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/susie-wiles-calls-bondi-vance-trump-vanity-fair/story?id=128449325
Comment: Article link also includes video.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles says Trump 'will go for it' when there's an 'opportunity' for retribution
Comment: "White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said the administration's accusations against New York Attorney General Letitia James 'might' be 'retribution,' and 'when there’s an opportunity' for President Donald Trump to take retribution, 'he will go for it,' Vanity Fair reported in a new profile of Wiles."
Wiles says Trump was ‘wrong’ for tying Clinton to Epstein’s criminal activity, according to Vanity Fair
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/16/susie-wiles-trump-clinton-epstein-interview-00692570
Comment: "White House chief of staff Susie Wiles contradicted President Donald Trump’s efforts to tie former President Bill Clinton to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activity in a Vanity Fair profile published on Tuesday."
" 'The president was wrong about that,' Wiles said in a series of wide-ranging interviews over the last year that touched on topics including Elon Musk’s gutting of the United States Agency for International Development and Trump’s focus on ending international conflicts."
Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, criticizes Bondi and opines on Trump in Vanity Fair
Comment: "Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump’s understated but influential chief of staff, criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and offered an unvarnished take on her boss and those in his orbit in interviews published Tuesday in Vanity Fair that sent the West Wing into damage control."
Video: Trump officials push back on Susie Wiles’ Vanity Fair interview - December 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=k4JndYvgfrw
White House launches damage control over unfiltered Wiles interviews
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/16/susie-wiles-trump-interviews-white-house
Video: Susie Wiles says Trump ‘has an alcoholic’s personality’ and much more in candid interviews - December 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7fGAgzOvcg
Trump expands travel ban list to 39 countries | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/politics/travel-ban-trump-expands-countries
Video: ‘Incredibly cruel’: Ex-FBI agent slams Kash Patel over misinformation in Brown University shooting - December 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKT3xamoe0k
Comment: "After the FBI prematurely touted a break in the Brown University shooting case, new details reveal a wrongful apprehension, sparking criticism of Director Kash Patel’s leadership. Michael Feinberg, MS NOW national security and intelligence analyst, a former assistant special agent in charge with the FBI, and a fellow at Lawfare, joins The Weeknight to respond."
Opinion: Trump is the world’s most dangerous man
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5646761-trump-second-presidency-danger/
Flag linked to Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 hung at Education Dept.
Comment: "A top official at the U.S. Department of Education has been keeping a controversial flag linked to Christian nationalism and the Jan. 6 insurrection hung outside his office, according to the agency's union and a department employee who has observed it."
"It's the latest in a series of instances in which the flag – which depicts a pine tree and the words 'An Appeal to Heaven' – has been associated with agencies and figures at the highest levels of the federal government."
"Though long tied to the American Revolution, the banner in more recent years "has been adopted primarily by evangelical Christian nationalist groups," as well as the Proud Boys and certain neo-Nazi groups, according to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, an independent nonprofit organization. It was flown in 2021 by rioters at the U.S. Capitol as they tried to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election results."
A very hostile climate for workers’: US labor movement struggles under Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/14/labor-movement-union-trump-nlrb
Thousands of carve-outs and caveats are weakening Trump’s emergency tariffs
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/14/trump-tariff-exemptions-us-imports-data-00685168
Comment: "In September, the White House exempted hundreds of goods, including critical minerals and industrial materials, totaling nearly $280 billion worth of annual imports. Then in November, the administration exempted $252 billion worth of mostly agricultural imports like beef, coffee and bananas, some of which are not widely produced in the U.S. — just after cost-of-living issues became a major talking point out of Democratic electoral victories — on top of the hundreds of other carve-outs."
" 'The administration, for most of this year, spent a lot of time saying tariffs are a way to offload taxes onto foreigners,' said Ed Gresser, a former assistant U.S. trade representative under Democratic and Republican administrations, including Trump’s first term, who now works at the Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. 'I think that becomes very hard to continue arguing when you then say, ‘But we are going to get rid of tariffs on coffee and beef, and that will bring prices down.’ … It’s a big retreat in principle.' "
Comment: "In an interview with POLITICO on Monday, Trump said he was open to adding even more exemptions to tariffs. He downplayed the existing carve-outs as 'very small' and 'not a big deal,' and said he plans to pair them with tariff increases elsewhere."
Comment: "In addition to the exemptions from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, more than $300 billion of imports are also exempted as part of trade deals the administration has negotiated in recent months, including with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan and more recently, Malaysia, Cambodia and Brazil. The deal with Brazil removed a range of products from a cumulative tariff of 50 percent, making two-thirds of imports from the country free from emergency tariffs."
Comment: "As the rates of tariffs and their subsequent exemptions are quickly added and amended, businesses are struggling to keep pace, said Sabine Altendorf, an economist with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations."
" 'When there’s uncertainty and rapid changes, it makes operations very difficult,' Altendorf said. 'Especially for agricultural products where growing times and planting times are involved, it’s very important for market actors to be able to plan ahead.' "
Comment: Notice, that as currently implemented, the tariffs give Trump the ability to easily pick economic winners and losers, when it comes to certain U.S. businesses and industries, or to extort individual trading partners into compliance with unrelated U.S. diplomatic or foreign policy objectives. Sometimes, tariffs have been adjusted based solely on Trump's whims or a perceived personal slight from the effected country.
Comment: Constantly changing tariffs significantly impact business planning, as companies try to guess the rapidly changing costs of imported sales inventory, manufacturing components, or production equipment/supplies. International supply chains, even where the finished product is assembled/manufactured in the United States, can be severely disrupted.
Video: AG Bondi’s priority is ‘protecting Donald Trump’ as Epstein files deadline looms: Fmr. U.S. attorney - December 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=552acTWIu0g
RFK Jr. has turned the CDC into ‘a zombie organization’
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5646842-rfk-kennedy-cdc-zombie-organization/
As Epstein releases near, Americans think Trump knew about Epstein’s alleged crimes | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/13/politics/epstein-files-trump-poll-analysis
Rising tensions and finger-pointing at DHS amid pressure to ramp up deportations
Comment: "White House pressure to ramp up deportations has sparked rising tension and finger-pointing inside the Department of Homeland Security, with the agency’s secretary, Kristi Noem, and her top adviser blaming subordinates for not hitting arrest quotas and undermining their relationships inside the West Wing, according to two DHS officials with direct knowledge of the matter."
"Noem and her close adviser Corey Lewandowski have sought to deflect blame from themselves for any White House frustration with the pace and scope of the deportations, pinning it instead on the leaders of the agencies in charge of immigration enforcement — acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, the DHS officials said."
"Underscoring the turmoil, Scott recently expressed concern to colleagues that Lewandowski is able to monitor his emails, the two officials and another DHS official said, sparking concern among other top staffers that their messages were being reviewed."
" 'Everyone in leadership is so worried about what they say in email and text,' one of the top staffers said."
"As the agency that carries out President Donald Trump’s mass deportations policy — a core tenet of his agenda — DHS is often under intense scrutiny both inside and outside the White House. The rising tensions within DHS come as deportation numbers continue to lag behind the administration’s goals, with Trump nearing the one-year mark of his second term."
Comment: One wonders how the "pressure" and "tensions" experienced by DHS officials compare with that of 30 year U.S. residents (employed and having no arrests or criminal history) suddenly arrested, detained/imprisoned, and then forcibly deported (sometimes to a country they have never set foot in). Do you think the pressures are comparable? What about the fear and tensions experienced by those who have not yet been arrested, but worry about what will happen to their minor children (often U.S. citizens) if they are arrested?
After Trump’s ‘garbage’ slur, a Vermont school building flew a Somali flag. Then came the threats
Comment: "A small school district in Vermont was hit with racist and threatening calls and messages after a Somali flag was put up a week ago in response to President Donald Trump referring to Minnesota’s Somali community as 'garbage'."
"The Winooski School District began to display the flag Dec. 5 to show solidarity with a student body that includes about 9% people of Somali descent."
" 'We invited our students and community to come together for a little moment of normalcy in a sea of racist rhetoric nationally,' said Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavarria, himself a Nicaraguan immigrant. 'We felt really good about it until the ugliness came knocking Monday morning.' "
"The Somali flag was flown alongside the Vermont state flag and beneath the United States flag at a building that includes K-12 classrooms and administrative offices. Somali students cheered and clapped, telling administrators the flag flying meant a great deal to them, he said."
"What ensued was a deluge of phone calls, voicemails and social media posts aimed at district workers and students. Some school phone lines were shut down — along with the district website — as a way to shield staff from harassment."
Comment: " 'Our staff members, our administrators and our community are overwhelmed right now, and they are being viciously attacked. The content of those attacks is extremely, extremely deplorable. I don’t know what other word to use,' Chavarria said Tuesday."
Comment: Welcome to Trump's America! Should Trump's new slogan be "Make America Hate Again?"
U.S. could owe businesses $168 billion if Supreme Court rules against Trump tariffs, analysis finds
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tariff-refund-supreme-court-ruling/
Comment: "The U.S. government could owe businesses as much as $168 billion if the Supreme Court rules that the Trump administration improperly invoked a federal emergency powers law earlier this year in hitting dozens of countries with new tariffs, according to a recent analysis."
"Through December 5, the U.S. government has collected $259 billion in tariff revenue, the nonpartisan research initiative found. But a ruling by the high court that Mr. Trump unlawfully invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose the country-specific tariffs could force the government to offer refunds to importers, said Kent Smetters, a professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School."
Comment: And the refund amount grows each day!
The Justice Department has now sued 18 states in an effort to access voter data
Comment: "The Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against four more states as part of the Trump administration's attempt to access sensitive voter data. The DOJ is also suing one Georgia county, seeking records from the 2020 election."
"The department has now filed suit against 18 states — mostly Democratic-led, and all states that President Trump lost in the 2020 election — as part of its far-reaching litigation."
"For months, the Justice Department has been demanding certain states turn over complete, unredacted copies of their voter registration lists, including any driver's license numbers and parts of voters' Social Security numbers."
"In court filings, the DOJ says it wants this personal information to check if states are following federal law on keeping accurate voter rolls."
"But most states have refused, citing privacy restrictions."
"The latest states to be sued are Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada, the Justice Department announced Friday."
Comment: The fact that the DOJ only wants voter data from states (mostly Democratic-led) "that President Trump lost in the 2020 election,' seriously undermines the credibility of the rationale for the DOJ requests for the data. This is the Trump administration spending your tax dollars (and collecting your personal data) in legal attempts to justify Trump's false claims about the 2020 election.
'Windmills are a disgrace’: Inside Trump’s war against a growing US industry
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/11/how-the-wind-industry-misread-trump-00666895
Comment: "Since Trump returned to the White House, his regulators have moved to withdraw permits for six offshore wind projects along the East Coast and halted construction of two others, including one south of New England that was 80 percent complete. He has also wiped out federal tax credits supporting wind and solar, while his agencies have opened reviews of the wind industry’s national security implications and alleged health hazards and erected barriers to turbine projects on both water and land."
Comment: "The uprooting of wind projects is especially striking at a time when political leaders from both parties are calling for a massive increase in electricity generation nationwide, citing rising consumer prices and the soaring power demands of data centers. And the ferocity of the president’s attacks stunned executives who had assumed they could work with him, even after a 2024 campaign in which Trump baselessly alleged that wind power causes cancer and has killed hundreds of whales."
"Some assumed that Trump’s sensibilities as a businessman would prevent him from ripping up permits for multibillion-dollar energy projects that were already under construction."
" 'The industry was surprised by the level of aggression and opposition that the administration launched on Day One,' ACP’s Grumet said in an interview, noting that the industry had endured a less brutal environment during Trump’s first four years in the White House. The U.S. installed 38 gigawatts of onshore wind capacity in Trump’s first term, compared with 35 gigawatts during Biden’s presidency, according to a POLITICO review of federal statistics."
Comment: "The White House says no one should have been shocked by Trump’s actions."
" 'President Trump has been extremely transparent: wind energy is the scam of the century,' spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement."
"Trump denounces wind power just about every chance he gets, including during the White House’s July 4 picnic for military families, his address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, last month’s U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, and numerous posts on his social media network, Truth Social."
Comment: "During the Biden era, the idea of erecting turbines along the nation’s coasts symbolized a vision of greening the economy, easing the threat of climate change and creating a new generation of manufacturing jobs. But now, unraveling the industry has come to represent Trump’s push for a rapid ramp-up of fossil fuels, which would include opening wide stretches of the shoreline to oil and gas drilling."
"Overnight, the United States’ appeal to wind developers worldwide has vanished."
" 'There is no one in the world right now that is looking to do a wind project in the United States,' one industry lobbyist told POLITICO."
" 'What you’re seeing,' remarked another executive, 'is a destruction of the industry'."
Comment: "In September, a federal judge overturned the Interior Department’s decision to halt construction of a nearly completed wind project south of New England. Unlike other lower court rulings on Trump’s use of tariffs and the deployment of the National Guard, the administration did not appeal the decision. And on Monday, a separate federal judge declared Trump’s permitting freeze unlawful, handing a major victory to Democratic states in the case that Brown had argued the wind industry should join."
Comment: "Already, wind produced more than 10 percent of the nation’s electricity in 2024. Last year, wind, solar and batteries accounted for an estimated 93 percent of the new power added to the U.S. grid, according to a POLITICO review of federal data."
"But it’s unclear if any additional offshore wind projects will ever be built, regardless of what Trump decides. Even if they are, the mere attempt to repeal their permits has shaken wind companies’ faith in the U.S. market. Some executives said their companies would be wary of investing in the U.S. in the future."
Comment: " 'I think what’s happening now is a reflection of one person’s very specific views about offshore wind,' said Liz Klein, a former Biden administration official who led offshore wind efforts as director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management."
Comment: "The decision to halt Empire Wind was one of the first signs that the wind policies of Trump’s second term would be dramatically different from those of his first. But the administration’s efforts reached new heights over the summer after Trump traveled to Scotland for a diplomatic summit with European leaders."
"The trip included a stop at Aberdeenshire, the site of one of Trump’s Scottish golf courses. Nearly a dozen offshore wind turbines tower on the horizon, a visual reminder of the unsuccessful decade-long campaign Trump waged before he was president to prevent their construction."
" 'Windmills are a disgrace,' Trump told reporters during the trip. 'They hurt everything they touch.' "
"When the president got home, a regulatory blitz followed."
"Within a month, Interior issued regulations rescinding designated wind energy areas on the Outer Continental Shelf and announced its intention to pull back permits for three projects that had yet to start construction. The Commerce Department opened its tariff investigation into imported wind components. The Department of Transportation canceled $679 million in grants intended to aid the sector’s development. The Energy Department withdrew a conditional $716 million loan for offshore transmission development in New Jersey."
" 'He got back from Scotland. It reminded him how much he hated these windmills and he asked why the hell they haven’t been shut down yet,' said one of the people familiar with the White House’s deliberations."
Comment: Do you believe U.S. energy policy should be driven by Trump's dislike of how windmills hurt the view at his Scottish golf course?
Comment: This is a lengthy article and was difficult to summarize using quoted excerpts. Because it is an important issue, recommend reading the entire linked article.
Video: Preservationist says Trump is eyeing demolition of four federal buildings - December 11, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAgq6EPPUOY
The New York Times: Hundreds Quarantined in South Carolina as Measles Outbreak Shows No Sign of Slowing
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/well/measles-cases-outbreak-south-carolina.html
Comment: Should this be surprising with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vaxx sentiment installed at the head of Health and Human Services (HHS)? Scientific ignorance has real world consequences.
Video: U.S. plans to require foreign tourists from dozens of countries to disclose social media history - December 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdVhGCB8NOo
Tourists to US would have to reveal five years of social media activity under new Trump plan
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/tourists-social-media-trump
Tourists from 42 countries will have to submit 5 years of social media history to enter U.S. under Trump plan
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-tourists-social-media-history-5-years-trump/
Comment: "The Trump administration is proposing to ask visitors from several dozen nations that enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S. to submit additional personal information before entering the country, including five years of their social media history, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice this week."
"Citizens of 42 countries enrolled in the visa waiver program can generally come to the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business travel, without needing to apply for a visa at an American embassy or consulate, a process that can take months or even years."
"The list of countries in the visa waiver program includes many European nations like the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as some U.S. allies around the world, including Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea."
Comment: "The notice said CBP plans to ask visa waiver travelers to share their social media history for the past five years, emails they have used for the past 10 years and the personal information of immediate family members, including phone numbers and residences. The submission of social media history from the last five years will be a mandatory requirement under the proposal, according to the notice."
Comment: How do you think this proposed requirement will impact tourism and those trying to conduct international business here in the U.S.
Comment: How do you think a European CEO (or his European subordinates) will react when asked to submit 5 years of social media activity, just to enter the country to do business. Do you think he might reconsider opening an auto manufacturing plant here in Alabama?
Comment: Did this harebrained proposal originate from Stephen Miller?
More big warning signs for the GOP after Trump "weaves" on affordability
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/politics/republicans-special-elections-trump-affordability
Trump veers off-script and does little to calm Republican nerves
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz94133zl9qo
Comment: "When Donald Trump took the stage at a rally on Tuesday night, he was expected to address concerns around affordability and the state of the US economy."
"Over the course of a sprawling 90-minute speech in Pennsylvania, he did talk about the economy – but also immigration, his Democratic critics, Venezuelan boat strikes, windmills and golfing."
"If some Republicans, and his White House aides were hoping for a focused message that the party could use to deflect repeated Democratic attacks over the economy, the president did little to deliver."
"Instead, it was a typical Trump rally speech, with his 'weave', as he likes to describe his style of frequent rhetorical tangents, on full display."
"He said Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who he called 'Susie Trump', had instructed him to focus on the economy."
"He complained about his advisers not wanting him to talk about border security – which he talked about anyway."
" 'I haven't read practically anything off the stupid teleprompter,' Trump said about an hour into his speech."
"And when he did talk about economy, the president's message was that things were bad during his predecessor's term, they were getting better now and that the best was yet to come."
Comment: Do you think Trump's rambling speech is indicative of his inability to focus on the economy, other than to make vague promises and blame any problems on his predecessor?
CNN: Exclusive: Trump’s FEMA council to recommend dramatic downsizing and overhaul – but not elimination – of the agency
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/politics/fema-council-report-recommend-downsizing-overhaul
Video: Trump Says Any Warner Deal Must Include Sale of CNN - December 10. 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x99o5J7iggQ
Comment: Trump trying to control news source that he doesn't like.
Donald Trump and Jared Kushner’s Cynical Plot to Turn CNN Full MAGA Exposed
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/donald-trump-jared-kushner-cynical-071038862.html
Comment: "President Donald Trump wants to see changes at his least favorite news network, and a Hollywood megadeal could make those wishes come true, according to a new report."
"Trump, 79, has told people in his circle that he wants to see new ownership and changes to programming at CNN, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday."
"David Ellison, the son of billionaire Trump ally and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, told administration officials that he would make big changes to CNN if Paramount’s hostile bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery succeeds, according to the Journal."
"Paramount launched a $108 billion hostile takeover bid—backed by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner—after it lost out to Netflix in a bidding war for Warner, which owns Hollywood studios, CNN, HBO, HGTV, and a vast movie and TV catalog."
"After news broke that Netflix’s mammoth bid to take over Warner would be accepted, Larry Ellison, 81, called his friend Trump to warn that the transaction would hurt competition, insiders told the Journal."
"Trump appeared to echo those concerns at the Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night. Asked about the potential Netflix merger, he said it would create a 'big market share' and that—he warned ominously—'could be a problem.' "
"He did not disclose that his son-in-law had a financial stake in his friend Larry Ellison’s rival bid."
Trump wants Supreme Court's oldest justices, Thomas and Alito, to stay
Comment: "President Donald Trump would add to his already considerable imprint on the Supreme Court if he gets to pick another justice, but he's not trying to push either of the court's two oldest members out the door."
"Trump told Politico in an exclusive interview that he would like to see Justices Clarence Thomas, 77, and Samuel Alito, 75, stay on the bench."
" 'I hope they stay ’cause I think they’re fantastic, OK? Both of those men are fantastic,' Trump said."
"Replacing Alito or Thomas with a younger justice would increase the likelihood of a conservative majority further into the future. If either were to retire or die under a Democratic president, it could shift the balance of the court."
Comment: This is another reason it is important to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate. Otherwise Republicans might easily rubberstamp even more right-wing justices that Trump could pick, if any sitting justices die or retire. A Democratic controlled Senate could stop the confirmation of radical right-wing Trump Supreme Court selections.
Noem claims Mamdani could be violating Constitution with advice to migrants
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/5640509-noem-mamdani-migrants-advice/amp/
Comment: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) may have 'violated the Constitution' by informing migrants of their rights if approached by immigration officers."
" 'We’re certainly going after and looking into all of that with coordination of the Department of Justice,' she said during an appearance on Fox News’s 'Hannity,' adding that Mamdani 'could be violating the Constitution by giving advice on how to evade law enforcement and how to get away with breaking the law.' "
"Mamdani on Monday said that as mayor, he would 'protect the rights' of the roughly 3 million migrants in New York City in a 'know your rights' video posted on the social platform X."
"In the video, Mamdani is seen reminding viewers that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can be refused entry into a home if they do not have a warrant but also said that people may not impede an investigation."
" 'If ICE does not have a judicial warrant signed by a judge, you have the right to say, ‘I do not consent to entry,’ and the right to keep your door closed,' Mamdani added."
"He also said that individuals have the right to remain silent, ask whether they are free to go while being detained and film ICE activities so long as they do not interfere with an arrest."
"Noem doesn’t offer specifics about how Mamdani may have run afoul of the law, but her comments have parallels with those made by Trump administration officials after six congressional Democrats posted a video noting that military service members have the right to refuse illegal orders."
Comment: Trump administration officials like Kristi Noem take an oath to defend the Constitution, but apparently don't understand the contents of the document, especially the Bill of Rights which cover Mamdani's actions. (Mayor Mamdani is, of course, a U.S. citizen), Perhaps Noem just doesn't care and hopes to intimidate Mamdani like ICE and CBP often do with immigrants.
Trump backtracks on releasing boat strike video, distances himself from controversy
Trump will again test ‘blame Democrats’ message on the economy — this time at a casino
Trump Administration Says It Wants More OTC Meds, But So Far No Action
Comment: "Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary tweeted last week that 'we need more drugs to be 'over-the-counter' (no prescription required),' adding that OTC medications offer more price transparency, competition and convenience. This message echoes what previous presidential administrations have said for 15 years about facilitating switches of prescription-only products to OTC status. Yet switch activity has trended mostly downward during this time. And thus far in 2025, there have been no switches, just as in 2024."
Comment: Talk is cheap, but, unfortunately prescription drugs are not.
Education Dept. officially kills Biden-era student loan repayment plan
Comment: "It's official: Former President Joe Biden's signature student loan repayment plan is over. And the clock is ticking for millions of borrowers to enroll in another program."
"On Dec. 9, the federal Education Department announced a proposed legal agreement meant to kill the program known as the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan. The agency said it settled with several red states who sued to stop SAVE in March 2024."
"If approved by the courts, the settlement will require that no new borrowers are enrolled in the SAVE program, which based monthly bills on borrowers' incomes and was hailed by the Biden administration as the most affordable student loan repayment option in history. The department will also deny any pending SAVE applications and move current borrowers into different repayment plans."
"The settlement, a death knell for one of Biden's main education policy achievements, puts an end to the legal limbo in which more than 7 million SAVE borrowers have been stuck for more than a year and a half. Those borrowers have been in administrative forbearance, not requiring them to make payments, since June of last year. Interest on their debt restarted this August."
Trump administration announces deal to end key Biden-era student loan repayment program
Trump had two mortgages he claimed were primary dwellings, records show
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/trump-mortgage-records-primary-dwelling
Comment: "President did same thing his administration is now calling ‘mortgage fraud’ in case against Fed governor Lisa Cook"
USA Today: Report says Trump did same 'mortgage fraud' he accuses his targets of
NPR: Trump administration announces $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers
Comment: "The Trump administration announced $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers in the wake of this year's tariff hikes on Monday, primarily targeting farmers who grow crops such as soybeans and corn."
Comment: "Trump touted the program in relation to the revenue the government is taking in as a result of his sweeping tariff program and also referenced his popularity among farmers."
Comment: Do you think that $12 billion, even if distributed fairly, will compensate for the massive losses to soybean farmers when the Chinese retaliated to Trump's trade war by refusing to buy soybeans from the U.S.? Not to mention the long term market share loss, as the Chinese discover other sources of soybeans from Argentina and Brazil.
Comment: Notice that by referencing "his popularity among farmers," Trump acknowledges that this government payout is primarily designed to help shore up diminishing support from a key component of his political base.
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-formaldehyde-risk-assessment
Comment: "The chemical industry finally got its wish."
Comment: "Industry lobbyists have long pushed the federal government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them."
"Last week, in a highly unusual move, the Environmental Protection Agency embraced that approach in announcing that it is revising an assessment of the health dangers posed by formaldehyde, a widespread pollutant that causes far more cancer than any other chemical in the air. Working on that effort were two of those former industry insiders, who are now top EPA officials."
"The proposed revisions to the assessment, released Wednesday, nearly double the amount of formaldehyde considered safe to inhale compared with the version that was finalized in the last weeks of the Biden administration. Even that older assessment significantly underestimated the dangers posed by formaldehyde, a ProPublica investigation published last year found."
Supreme Court seems likely to let Trump fire independent agency heads
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/supreme-court-slaughter-trump-firings-00681078
Reuters: Trump ally Habba resigns after court disqualified her as US Attorney
Video: On thin ice? Trump considering removing Noem as DHS Secretary - December 08, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THmJWDfeVZs
Fact check: Trump denies saying something he said on camera five days ago
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/08/politics/fact-check-trump-september-strike-video
Comment: Trump earlier said that he wouldn't have a problem publicly releasing the video of the second strike against an alleged drug boat, the strike that killed the two remaining survivors of the initial strike. Now Trump claims that he didn't make the statement, and says that the decision to release the video lies with Pete Hegseth.
CNN: All the ways the Trump administration has changed its story on the boat strikes
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/08/politics/boat-strikes-venezuela-trump-administration
Video: ‘Wrong and illegal’: Dem AGs slam Trump’s Agriculture Dept for SNAP cut threat - December 07, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiZUNjIsMQU
Trump is immune from accountability for boat strikes. What about everyone under him? | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/politics/trump-immunity-drug-boat-strikes-hegseth
National parks fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump's birthday
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/06/g-s1-101090/national-parks-fee-free-calendar-mlk-juneteenth
Comment: Trump never misses a chance to show disdain for Black history and to tout his own self importance.
Supreme Court to hear major test of presidential power over Trump's firing of FTC commissioner
Comment: "President Trump's efforts to reshape the executive branch and flex his presidential power are set to be tested at the Supreme Court on Monday, when the justices convene to hear a case that could lead to the dismantling of protections meant to insulate independent agencies from political pressure."
"The case, known as Trump v. Slaughter, arose from Mr. Trump's move to fire Rebecca Kelly Slaughter from her post at the Federal Trade Commission without cause, despite a federal statute that limits a commissioner's removal to instances of inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office."
Trump’s plans to shatter the bureaucracy have a green light at the Supreme Court
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/07/supreme-court-trump-firings-humphreys-executor-00679728
Comment: "The Supreme Court will debate Monday whether to finally finish off a teetering, 90-year-old precedent that limited presidents’ power over many federal agencies."
"But lurking in the wings is a far more radical bid by the Trump administration to remake the federal government from top to bottom by ending the concept of the civil service."
"Indeed, some legal experts say that as a practical matter, the administration — emboldened by the justices — has already managed to eliminate job protections that have been on the books for nearly 150 years."
"President Donald Trump’s drive to replace agency leaders and his mass firings across the federal government are all based on the same basic legal concept: the unitary executive theory. It holds that every employee of the executive branch is answerable to, and fireable at will by, the president."
"The most extreme version of the unitary executive theory holds that the central premise of the civil service — that rank-and-file government employees shouldn’t be hired or fired for political reasons or simply on the president’s whim — is unconstitutional because it tramples on the president’s power to control the federal government."
" 'It’s the logical endpoint to unitary executive theory,' said Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. 'Their desired end goal would be to arrive at a completely ‘at-will’ workforce. ... I think the administration is going to push the unitary executive idea as far as it can, and all of the signals it has been getting from the Supreme Court is to push further and push faster.' "
"While it’s unclear whether the Trump administration will ask the current court to dismantle the federal civil service system, some experts say the justices’ deference to Trump in firing-related cases is egging the administration on."
" 'This is the real-world implication of the path that the Supreme Court is on. It’s not an academic exercise,' said Max Stier of the Partnership for Public Service. One hopes that they recognize that, whatever interest they’ve had in theory, in practice they’re unleashing an autocracy. And the further down that road they go, the worse it will be. It’s bad already.' "
Homeland security head reveals plans to widen US travel ban to more than 30 countries
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/05/kristi-noem-travel-ban
Comment: "The US plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Kristi Noem has announced."
"Noem, in an interview on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle on Thursday evening, was asked to confirm whether the Trump administration would be increasing the number of countries on the travel ban list to 32."
" 'I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries,' she said."
"Donald Trump signed a proclamation in June banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricting those from seven others, saying it was needed to protect against 'foreign terrorists' and other security threats."
"The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travelers."
"Noem did not specify which countries would be added to the list."
Comment: "Reuters previously reported that the Trump administration was considering banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the US, according to an internal state department cable."
Comment: Can Trump legally do this (unilaterally) without an act of Congress, or some specific (and legitimate) national security justification?
Comment: Has anyone evaluated the economic impact of banning tourists and business travelers from so many nations?
CNN: Supreme Court agrees to decide if Trump may end birthright citizenship
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/05/politics/supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-birthright
Government Accountability Office launches probe into Bill Pulte over mortgage-fraud referrals | CNN Business
Video: Grand jury rejects DOJ's attempt to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James - December 04, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkzjVDCCmPI
Trump is fighting the Institute of Peace in court. Now, his name is on the building
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/04/g-s1-100576/trump-institute-of-peace-name
Comment: "The Trump administration has renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after President Donald Trump and has planted the president's name on the organization's headquarters despite an ongoing fight over the institute's control."
"It's the latest twist in a seesaw court battle over who controls the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonprofit think tank that focuses on peace initiatives. It was an early target of the Department of Government Efficiency this year."
"On Wednesday, the State Department said it renamed the organization to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace to 'reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history.' The new name could be seen on its building, which is near the State Department."
Comment: "The takeover of the Peace Institute was also anything but peaceful, with his administration seizing the independent entity and ousting its board before actually affixing his name to the building."
Comment: "George Foote, a lawyer for the former Institute leadership and staff, said the renaming 'adds insult to injury'."
" 'A federal judge has already ruled that the government's armed takeover was illegal. That judgment is stayed while the government appeals, which is the only reason the government continues to control the building,' Foote said."
"Since March, the headquarters has switched hands multiple times in court actions related to the DOGE takeover. A final decision on its fate is pending in federal appeals court."
"USIP has maintained the organization is an independent creation of Congress and outside the president's executive authority. The administration argues it is an executive branch organization."
"After Trump fired the institute's board in the the spring, the staff was fired as well and the building was turned over to the General Services Administration."
Comment: "The Institute of Peace was created by Congress in the 1980s. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law in 1985. Described as an independent, nonprofit think tank funded by Congress, its mission has been to work to promote peace and prevent and end conflicts while working outside normal channels such as the State Department. It was operating in 26 conflict zones, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mali and Burkina Faso, when DOGE shut the operation down."
Video: Trump announcing federal fuel standard changes - December 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phclFrW5sjI
Comment: Trump claims that this will lower new car costs, but his claim ignores fuel cost. Also not mentioned are cost increases resulting from climate change impacts, including increased home and auto insurance rates due to more frequent and more powerful storms like hurricanes, floods, and tornados.
CNN: Trump announces plan to rescind Biden-era fuel-economy standards for vehicles
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/03/politics/fuel-economy-standards-rollback-trump
Trump administration rolls back fuel economy standards
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/03/nx-s1-5630389/trump-administration-rolls-back-fuel-economy-standards
Comment: "The Trump administration has started the process of dramatically easing fuel economy requirements for new vehicles, part of the administration's broader pivot away from cleaner cars."
"At the White House on Wednesday, surrounded by the executives from several major car companies, President Trump said the move would save consumers money by making cars cheaper."
Comment: "Previous research from Consumer Reports has challenged the argument that regulations make cars more expensive. Stringent fuel economy standards also carry an economic benefit in the form of lower fuel costs over time."
"CAFE standards require that the entire fleet of vehicles sold by a given automaker, on average, get more fuel-efficient over time. Automakers who fall short have previously needed to either pay hefty fines, or buy credits from a company that over-performs on efficiency, like Tesla and other all-electric automakers."
"The Trump administration has already defanged the existing CAFE standards by eliminating the fines associated with them, as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Under Former President Joe Biden, the rules called for vehicles to get 2% more efficient every year; the Trump administration is now proposing to revert to the 2022 baseline and increase by .5% annually."
Comment: The linked article also discusses other Trump efforts to cut electric vehicle incentives and to reduce auto emission requirements.
DHS Continues Airport Cash Seizures, a Year After the Justice Department Ended Them Due to Constitutional Concerns
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dhs-continues-airport-cash-seizures-205328385.html
Comment: "A year after the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stopped seizing suspected drug money from airline passengers because of significant constitutional concerns, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is quietly keeping the practice alive."
"The Dallas Morning News reported Monday that task forces of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and local police officers have been flagging suspicious passengers at two Dallas-area airports and using drug-sniffing dogs to get probable cause to search their luggage."
" 'Such searches have been conducted throughout the year at DFW Airport and Love Field, according to federal court records,' the newspaper reported. 'And just like with the DEA tactic, agents often seize money from suspects without charging them with a crime, court records show.' "
"The shift is not only another example of mission creep at DHS, but the continuation of a program that civil liberties groups, media investigations, and independent and internal government reviews all concluded leads to innocent Americans having their cash seized."
"Although it's completely legal to fly domestically with large amounts of cash, police consider it indicative of drug trafficking, especially when combined with factors like a passenger booking a one-way ticket or having a short turnaround between flights. Federal task forces can seize suspected drug cash under civil asset forfeiture, a practice that allows law enforcement to seize property based on the mere suspicion that it's connected to criminal activity. Even if the owner is never charged with a crime, and even if there isn't a single gram of drugs found during the search, police can still take the money, forcing the owner to challenge the seizure in federal court."
"For example, The Dallas Morning News investigation revealed that in one case this January, Homeland Security agents claimed they could smell marijuana coming from two suitcases belonging to a passenger arriving at Love Field. The search didn't turn up any marijuana, but agents did find $800,000 in cash, which they seized. The passenger, who has not been charged with a crime, is contesting the seizure in federal court, according to the newspaper."
"In another case, task force officers seized roughly $350,000 in cash from a passenger's suitcases after a drug dog alerted on the luggage. The owner was not charged with a crime, and the government later settled the case by returning $178,000 to him."
Video: Pentagon may cut ties with Scouting America over inclusion of girls, according to report - December 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nknr0R_wCRU
Video: Hegseth's Signal chat put U.S. personnel at risk, Pentagon watchdog finds - December 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75mK0JMxCFY
Watchdog finds Hegseth risked endangering troops by sharing of sensitive war plans on Signal, sources say | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/03/politics/report-hegseth-signal
Trump asserts executive privilege to thwart Jan. 6 lawsuit
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/03/trump-executive-privilege-jan-6-lawsuit-00676383
Comment: "President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege to prevent courtroom adversaries from accessing evidence in a long-running lawsuit that accuses him of stoking violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021."
"The Justice Department disclosed Trump’s secrecy claim Wednesday in a hearing related to that five-year-old lawsuit, brought by police officers injured while attempting to repel the violent mob that day. The officers say Trump’s incendiary remarks to a crowd of supporters — and his direction that they march on the Capitol — fueled the riot that nearly derailed the transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden and left 140 officers injured."
"Trump’s decision to assert privilege adds to a concerted push to rewrite the story of his bid to subvert the 2020 election. Trump pardoned and ended the criminal cases of more than 1,500 people charged for their role in Jan. 6, and last month he issued a sweeping pardon for prominent allies who faced legal scrutiny for their part in the effort. In recent months, Trump has routinely promoted false and inflammatory claims that the FBI intentionally ignited the mayhem at the Capitol."
"It’s unclear precisely which records Trump is attempting to keep out of the hands of the plaintiffs in the Jan. 6 lawsuit. However, a White House spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the president has decided to fight disclosure of some material subpoenaed from the National Archives and Records Administration last year."
How Pete Hegseth’s Account of a Deadly Strike in the Caribbean Keeps Changing
https://time.com/7338336/hegseth-caribbean-boat-strike-timeline/
New details emerge about controversial Sept. 2 strike on alleged drug boat that killed survivors
Trump administration latest: Hopes for Russia-Ukraine peace plan dampened | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-venezuela-ukraine-russia-12-03-2025
Trump to Close Voice of America’s Overseas Offices and Radio Stations
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/trump-voice-of-america-overseas-offices.html
Comment: "The Trump administration last week told lawmakers that it would further shrink the broadcasting capacity of Voice of America despite a judge’s order to maintain robust news operations at the federally funded news group, which provides independent reporting to countries with limited press freedoms."
"Kari Lake, a Trump ally who leads the broadcaster’s parent agency, wrote in a Nov. 25 notice to Congress reviewed by The New York Times that the administration intended to close its six overseas news bureaus and four overseas marketing offices, including in Jakarta, Indonesia; Islamabad, Pakistan; Nairobi, Kenya; and Prague, Czech Republic."
"The plans are part of the Trump administration’s broader, monthslong effort to shutter federally funded news groups. President Trump first moved to shut down Voice of America in March, and has also targeted other broadcasters, such as Radio Free Asia."
"The campaign has met resistance from courts and even from some Republican members of Congress, who believe V.O.A.’s reporting helps counter misinformation and propaganda campaigns from American adversaries like China and Russia."
"The expected closures appear to contradict a federal judge’s order from April, which required Trump officials to resume operations at V.O.A. so that it would 'fulfill its statutory mandate' to serve 'as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news'."
SNAP benefits at risk as states resist Trump's immigration data demands
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/02/trump-snap-benefits-pause-democrat-states-immigration
Comment: The Trump administration will pause aid for Democrat-led states that don't provide the government with identifying information about SNAP recipients, such as immigration status, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday.
Comment: "If the administration goes through with the threat, millions of Americans could lose their SNAP benefits, sometimes known as food stamps, just over a month after recipients were put in limbo during the longest-ever government shutdown."
Comment: "Rollins said her department asked all states 'to turn over their data' to the federal government in February so that USDA and state agencies could 'root out' any fraud in the system."
"Rollins said Republican-led states complied and those records helped the administration determine examples of food stamp fraud, but Democrat-run states including California, New York and Minnesota 'continue to say no'."
"It was not clear from Rollins remarks if the administration had proof of fraud prior to requesting the data and USDA representatives did not immediately respond to Axios' request to clarify this."
Comment: The states' fear is that the information will not be used to prevent fraud, but will instead be used in Trump's campaign against immigration.
Justice Department expands legal action against states that have refused its demands for voter data
Comment: "The Justice Department on Tuesday sued six more states in its ongoing campaign obtain detailed voter data and other election information."
"The department announced it was suing Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington over their “failure” to produce statewide voter registration lists. It has portrayed the litigation as part of an effort to ensure the security of elections, but Democratic officials have raised concerns over how the data will be used and whether the department will follow privacy laws in protecting it."
"Tuesday’s actions bring to at least 14 the number of states the Justice Department has sued in its quest for the voter information."
Comment: This is voter information and differs from the SNAP recipient data that the Trump administration is also trying to obtain.
CNN: Fact check: Trump delivers long list of false claims at Cabinet meeting
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/politics/fact-check-trump-cabinet-meeting
Video: Trump administration considering expanding travel ban to around 30 countries - December 02, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3f8lKisHiE
US Homeland Security secretary calls for sweeping travel bans - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79x3rwxjryo
Comment: "Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said she will recommend a travel ban on several countries which she claims are 'flooding' the US with criminal activity."
"Writing on social media on Monday, Noem said she had met President Donald Trump and decided to suggest 'a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies'."
"Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) then shared Noem's post on their respective official social media accounts."
"It is not yet clear which countries the proposed travel ban would impact, or when it could begin. The DHS told the BBC it would announce the list soon."
Comment: How do you think Kristi Noem's characterization of countries as "flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies" plays overseas? Do you think such statements help our foreign policy or do they build resentment, hatred, and fuel future terrorism attempts? This article originated with the BBC, and its news is consumed throughout much of the world.
Record-setting personnel issues are marring Trump’s second term
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/01/trump-nominations-withdrawals-record-00669890
Comment: "On the surface, President Donald Trump’s second-term personnel operation has been a smoothly running machine. The Senate has confirmed more than 300 civilian nominees since January, even changing the chamber’s rules to move them faster."
"But there are clear signs of breakdowns behind the scenes. Trump has withdrawn a record number of nominees for a president’s first year in office as he faces a combination of GOP pushback against some picks, vetting issues, White House infighting and, in some cases, the president’s own mercurial views."
"Trump has withdrawn 57 nominations, according to Senate data — roughly double the 22 nominations he withdrew during the first year of his first administration and the 29 his immediate predecessor, Joe Biden, withdrew during his first year."
"The pace of withdrawals, the highest since at least the Ronald Reagan presidency, has flown below the radar in the day-to-day churn on Capitol Hill, with many Republican senators expressing surprise at the data in interviews. But they also acknowledged the obvious: In some instances, the White House just isn’t making sure Trump’s nominees can get the votes."
" 'It would appear that some nominees haven’t been vetted, and … somebody says, 'Go with them anyways,’ ' Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in an interview."
"Perhaps the most vivid example was the monthslong intraparty drama over Paul Ingrassia’s nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel."
"After POLITICO reported he made racist comments in a group chat, Ingrassia withdrew despite telling senators he had 'no recollection of these alleged chat leaks, and do not concede their authenticity.' But Senate Republicans had already privately telegraphed to the Trump administration for months that his nomination was in serious peril."
"Asked about the withdrawals, a person close to the White House granted anonymity to speak candidly about internal dynamics pointed to Ingrassia as a key example."
" 'Would I say some vetting has been questionable? One thousand percent,' the person said, adding of Ingrassia: 'That was a vetting nightmare that was only allowed to happen based on certain relationships and acquaintances with people that are making the decisions.' "
"Trump faced similar pushback from Republican senators over Ed Martin’s nomination to be the U.S. attorney in Washington. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a key vote on the Judiciary Committee, essentially killed Martin’s nomination after he told the White House that he couldn’t support him over his past defense of accused Capitol rioters. But even before that, Martin was on thin ice with GOP senators."
Comment: Early in Trump's administration, Republicans in the U.S. Senate quickly rubberstamped his appointments, including several incompetent and ethically challenged cabinet members. In fact, some GOP Senators, including Tommy Tuberville, suggested that Trump's nominees be approved without normal FBI background checks. Early on, the media and the public in general were willing to give Trump the benefit of a doubt ("presidential honeymoon period"). However, as time went on, problems with these and with many lower level appointments became obvious. Once background issues were reported, the problem nominees started to become an embarrassment to the GOP Senators who had blindly approved them. Only recently, are GOP Senators starting to do their due diligence and are questioning the personal background and qualifications of the nominees. When there is pushback, the Trump Administration usually withdraws the nominations, rather than trying to defend them and face more public scrutiny.
Fact Check: FBI paid nearly $1M in overtime to redact Epstein files, documents show
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fbi-overtime-redact-epstein-files/
Comment: True.
‘America, uh... First!’: ICE to buy $7.2 million worth of Canadian armored personnel carriers
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/america-uh-first-ice-buy-192621553.html
Comment: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is spending more than $7 million on a fleet of armored vehicles designed to protect occupants against bomb blasts and which can stop a .50 caliber round, according to federal procurement records reviewed by The Independent."
"However, the 20 bulletproof personnel carriers ordered by the nation's deportation agency are not coming from an American manufacturer, but a Canadian company headquartered in Ontario – the province whose recent anti-tariff TV ad so infuriated Donald Trump, the president threatened additional levies on all goods coming in from the country."
"On Trump’s first day back in office, he announced his 'America First Trade Policy,' calling it 'a critical component to national security' that he claimed would lessen America’s 'dependence on other countries to meet our key security needs,' and, 'above all,' benefit the nation’s workers and businesses."
"In a so-called sole-source justification document issued the day before Thanksgiving, ICE’s Office of Acquisition Management laid out the reasons why Roshel LLC, headquartered in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, is the only approved vendor 'that possesses sufficient inventory to meet the required delivery schedule and the salient characteristics identified by ICE.' "
Comment: First, are ICE actions so hated by the American people, that the agency needs 20 (yes 20) armored vehicles "designed to protect occupants against bomb blasts and which can stop a .50 caliber round?"
Comment: Secondly, is the need for these armored vehicles so urgent that ICE has to order them from Canada to "meet the required delivery schedule." Is ICE planning to incite a citizen insurrection in the near future? Is ICE expecting a threat from American citizens similar to the IED threat encountered by our troops in Iraq?
Appeals Court Says Alina Habba Is Unlawful U.S. Attorney
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/nyregion/alina-habba-unlawful.html
Comment: "A federal appeals court said on Monday that Alina Habba had been serving unlawfully as the U.S. attorney in New Jersey, dealing a blow to the Trump administration and most likely setting up a showdown at the Supreme Court."
"Ms. Habba is one of a number of U.S. attorneys whom the Trump administration has sought to keep in power through a series of unusual maneuvers even though she was neither confirmed by the Senate nor appointed by district trial court judges — the two traditional pathways. Defendants in New Jersey had challenged her authority as U.S. attorney, leading to Monday’s decision."
"In its ruling, the three-judge panel, based in Philadelphia, affirmed an earlier ruling by a Federal District Court judge. The court said that the government’s tactics had violated the law as written and concluded that, overall, the Trump administration appeared to have become frustrated by legal and political barriers to placing its favored U.S. attorneys in charge."
National guard shooting suspect spent ‘weeks on end’ in isolation, emails show
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/01/national-guard-shooting-suspect-mental-health
Comment: "Mental health of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who is charged with murder, had reportedly been unravelling for years"
Death of Afghan commander, financial stress surface in National Guard shooting investigation: Sources
Comment: "As investigators continue to delve into what may have motivated the suspect in the deadly National Guardsmen shooting last week, a portrait of a life of increasing financial stress and a potential mental health crisis has emerged, sources familiar told ABC News."
"Additionally, multiple sources said that investigators are looking into the impact of the recent death of an Afghan commander, who allegedly worked with the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal."
"The death of the commander -- whom Lakanwal is said to have revered -- had deeply saddened the suspect, sources said."
"This may have compounded on Lakanwal’s financial burdens, including not being employed, having an expired work permit and allegedly struggling to pay rent and feed his children, sources said."
"Officials said the suspect has a wife and five children. He drove from his residence in Washington state to the nation's capital prior to the shooting and targeted the Guardsmen, officials said."
"A senior law enforcement source told ABC News on Sunday that investigators are looking at everything and are closely examining the role of an apparently deteriorating situation at home."
"The FBI, Homeland Security and intelligence officials are also investigating the possibility that the attack was directed by or inspired by international terrorists. But thus far, authorities have not publicly released any specific evidence tying Lakanwal to a terrorist organization and no terror charges have been filed."
"The investigation into the deadly shooting is still in its early phases."
Comment: This new information does not justify Lakanwal's action but it may help explain them. If it can be shown that his action was not directed or inspired by international terrorists, then this should help undermine Trump's plan to punish all Afghan refugees in the U.S.
Video: White House says admiral directed second strike that killed alleged drug boat survivors - December 01, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4RkZoWsae4
Experts explain what the law says about killing survivors of a boat strike
https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-survivors-hegseth-72b0a498ca08615b2589c772a1d9e642
Comment: "The U.S. military would have committed a crime if it killed the survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat, legal experts say."
"It doesn’t matter whether the U.S. is in 'armed conflict' with drug cartels as the Trump administration asserts. Such a fatal second strike would have violated peacetime laws and those governing armed conflict, the experts say."
" 'I can’t imagine anyone, no matter what the circumstance, believing it is appropriate to kill people who are clinging to a boat in the water,' said Michael Schmitt, a former Air Force lawyer and professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College. 'That is clearly unlawful.' "
"The White House confirmed Monday that a second strike was conducted in September against a vessel accused of trafficking drugs off the coast of Venezuela and insisted it was done 'in self-defense' and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict."
White House confirms second strike on alleged drug boat, but denies Hegseth gave the order
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-alleged-drug-boat-strike-venezuela-hegseth/
Comment: "The White House on Monday said a U.S. attack on an alleged drug boat in September included more than one strike on the vessel, seemingly confirming a Washington Post report that the U.S. targeted the boat for a second time to take out survivors of the initial attack."
"The Post reported on Friday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a verbal order to leave no survivors before the U.S. attack on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2. The Post reported that the first strike left two men alive in the water. The paper said the commander of the operation, Adm. Frank Bradley, ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth's directive, killing the two. CBS News has not independently confirmed the Washington Post's reporting."
"The report sparked calls for an investigation by lawmakers of both parties in Congress, some of whom raised the prospect that targeting the survivors could constitute a war crime. Hegseth has called the reporting 'fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory,' claiming the operations in the Caribbean are 'lawful under both U.S. and international law.' "
Hegseth jokes about boat strikes as Congress ramps up scrutiny
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5627952-defense-secretary-orders-drug-boat-attack/
Video: Legality of U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean gets blurrier after latest Washington Post report - November 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lq7JsMWEVY
Liberal towns backtrack on license plate trackers amid concerns about privacy — and Trump
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/30/license-plate-trackers-pushback-00670550
Comment: "A nationwide license plate recognition system tasked with reducing crime is being ousted from communities across the country — forcing local officials to reckon with mounting fears of federal surveillance during President Donald Trump’s second term."
"Public safety company Flock Safety has billed its surveillance systems as a program to root out criminal activity on local streets, with its cameras already installed in more than 6,000 municipalities nationally. But as Trump’s deportation campaign brought an increased, forceful presence of federal agents to states across the country, some local officials in predominantly liberal cities and towns now argue the cameras themselves pose the bigger danger for their cities, offering federal law enforcement a back door for tracking residents’ movements."
Experts say strict new FDA protocol for vaccine approval is ‘dangerous and irresponsible’
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/29/regulator-fda-stricter-protocols-vaccine-approvals
Comment: "The leading vaccine regulator at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a far stricter course for federal vaccine approvals, following claims from his team that Covid vaccines were linked to the deaths of at least 10 children."
"Experts suggest the announcement will make the vaccine approval process significantly more difficult."
"Dr Vinay Prasad, whose vaccine policy direction has been supported by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, told FDA staff that the agency would rethink its approach to vaccination programs, according to an internal agency email circulated on Friday and later obtained by several media outlets."
"Prasad said the agency planned to re-examine annual flu-shot policies, consider limits on simultaneous vaccinations, and require more robust safety and efficacy data from pharmaceutical manufacturers before approval."
Comment: "A PBS NewsHour correspondent first reported on the memo’s contents in a post on X. The New York Times noted that the document did not include identifying details such as the children’s ages, any existing health conditions, or how the causal relationship between vaccination and death was determined. The vaccine manufacturers involved were also not named."
"Dr Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who reviewed the memo, told MedPage Today that it was a 'dangerous and irresponsible thing to do'."
" '[Prasad] says he has evidence that this vaccine killed 10 children, but that’s not the way it works,' Offit said. 'If you think you have an extraordinary claim, you should back it up with extraordinary evidence. He should have submitted it to an excellent journal where it can be reviewed by subject matter experts who can say, ‘Yes, this is clear evidence,’ then it can be published. That’s the way it works.' "
"Prasad’s predecessor, Dr Peter Marks, who led the FDA division throughout the pandemic, told the New York Times that he was taken aback by the 'clearly political tone of the communication' and noted that the case reports of child deaths needed to be further investigated."
Comment: "Current and former FDA staff, as well as outside public health specialists, said the new plan could dramatically slow the vaccine pipeline, according to the Washington Post. Requiring far larger studies before granting approvals, they said, could delay product launches and make companies more cautious about developing or expanding vaccines and may discourage innovation in vaccine research."
Comment: Kennedy's anti-vaxxers are at it again.
America stares down erasure of Black history and progress
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/29/funding-cuts-erasing-black-history-blackout-report
Comment: "In the past year, federal, state and institutional decisions have gutted major pillars of America's civil rights protections and racial equity infrastructure, wiping away public data, slashing research funding and erasing Black history."
Comment: "Taken together, these moves amount to an unprecedented rollback of civil rights progress, historians say — the largest since Reconstruction."
Comment: The linked article specifically lists major impacts of these efforts.
Comment: " 'When datasets or historical materials disappear, it becomes harder to see, and fix, racial disparities,' says Maya Wiley, who leads the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights."
Trump to pardon ex-Honduras leader serving drug trafficking sentence in US
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/28/trump-pardon-honduras-hernandez-drugs
Comment: "Hernández was convicted in 2024 of accepting millions in bribes to protect cocaine shipments"
Comment: "In March of last year, Hernández was convicted in US courts of accepting millions of dollars in bribes to protect US-bound cocaine shipments belonging to traffickers he once publicly proclaimed to combat. Speaking during closing arguments at the trial, assistant US attorney Jacob Gutwillig said Hernández had 'paved a cocaine superhighway to the United States'."
Comment: "Trump’s announcement to pardon Hernández comes even as the Republican leader casts himself as being tough on combating drug problems."
" Trump’s administration designated multiple drug cartels as 'foreign terrorist organizations' and used claims of a 'war on drugs' to justify deadly airstrikes on vessels across the Caribbean and Pacific. These strikes have prompted the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations to condemn the operations as extrajudicial executions."
Comment: Trump claims to be fighting drug trafficking and then pardons one of the leaders in the activity. Who says crime doesn't pay, especially when you've got friends like Donald Trump?
Trump Announces Pardon for Honduran Ex-President Convicted in Drug Case
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/world/americas/trump-pardon-honduras-hernandez.html
Comment: "President Trump announced on Friday afternoon that he would grant 'a Full and Complete Pardon' to a former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who, as the center of a sweeping drug case, was found guilty by an American jury last year of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States."
"The news came as a shock not only to Hondurans, but also to the authorities in the United States who had built a major case and won a conviction against Mr. Hernández. They had accused him of taking bribes during his campaign from Joaquín Guzmán, the notorious former leader of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico known as 'El Chapo,' and of running his Central American country like a narco state."
"The judge in his case, P. Kevin Castel, had called Mr. Hernández 'a two-faced politician hungry for power' who masqueraded as an antidrug crusader while partnering with traffickers. And prosecutors had asked the judge to make sure Mr. Hernández would die behind bars, citing his abuse of power, connections to violent traffickers and 'the unfathomable destruction' caused by cocaine."
"The prosecution stretched across Mr. Trump’s first term and concluded during Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s time as president. In the end, Mr. Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in prison in Federal District Court in Manhattan, capping what prosecutors had presented as a sprawling conspiracy."
"A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, where Mr. Hernández was tried, declined to comment. A Drug Enforcement Administration agent, who worked on the investigation into Mr. Hernández and spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, called the pardon 'lunacy'."
"Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations at the same agency, also reacted with disbelief to the news of the pardon. Mr. Vigil said the move imperiled the reputation of the United States and its international investigations into drug trafficking."
" 'This action would be nothing short of catastrophic and would destroy the credibility of the U.S. in the international community,' Mr. Vigil said on Friday."
"Mr. Trump’s vow to pardon such a high-profile convicted drug trafficker appeared to contradict the president’s campaign to unleash the might of the American military on small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that his administration says, without evidence, are involved in drug trafficking. That campaign has so far killed more than 80 people since it began in September.
Comment: "Since Mr. Trump took office this year, Mr. Hernández’s family has attempted to portray his conviction as political persecution by the Biden administration. But the investigation into his ties with drug traffickers took place primarily during Mr. Trump’s first term."
"His cause was taken up by figures like Roger Stone, the conservative political operative and Trump ally. Mr. Stone claimed that Mr. Hernández had been 'trapped' and was a victim of a conspiracy tied to the U.S. government."
Comment: One might have guessed that Roger Stone was somehow tied into this scandal.
Comment: And Republicans claim that they are the party of law & order!
Video: Trump's string of personal attacks on female reporters in November - November 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB_0IqcTkU8
Trump Post Hints At Stopping Legal Immigration To The United States
Comment: "In a new social media post, Donald Trump hinted that he might stop nearly all legal immigration to the United States. The post came after an Afghan national killed a National Guard member in Washington, D.C. during an attack. In 2020, during Trump’s first term, the president suspended the entry of nearly all immigrants and temporary visa holders, citing the economic conditions created by the Covid-19 pandemic."
Comment: "The details, such as the official Census number of 53 million, the term 'public charge' and the reference to post-World War 2 conditions in America, indicate to analysts that Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller may have drafted or assisted on the post to carry out a new policy objective—a permanent pause on immigration. Miller has credited the 1924 Immigration Act, which ended almost all immigration to the United States from most countries, for America’s conditions after World War 2. Economists dispute that the 1924 Immigration Act helped the United States economically. Historians note the law prevented many Jews from finding safe refuge from fascist regimes in Europe in the 1930s."
Comment: "The Truth Social post may foreshadow a new proclamation blocking the immigration of people from many more countries. That could carry significant economic ramifications since the Trump administration’s policies have already reduced the number of foreign-born workers in the United States by approximately one million since January 2025."
"According to a National Foundation for American Policy analysis, 'The Trump administration’s policies on illegal and legal immigration would reduce the projected number of workers in the United States by 6.8 million by 2028 and by 15.7 million by 2035 and lower the annual rate of economic growth by almost one-third, harming U.S. living standards.' "
"The analysis notes that labor force and productivity growth determine U.S. economic growth, which is crucial to achieve higher standards. 'Immigrants play key roles in the growth of the labor force and productivity growth,' according to the report. 'In sum, it is difficult to achieve higher levels of economic growth, also known as GDP or Gross Domestic Product Growth, without a growing supply of labor.' "
"The analysis does not detail the financial, emotional or other costs to Americans of being unable to sponsor close family members or to individual U.S. business owners unable to find or retain employees. The analysis also does not include the likely significant economic impact of restricting U.S. companies’ access to high-skilled foreign nationals through regulatory actions on H-1B visas, which could affect productivity growth. According to economists Giovanni Peri, Kevin Shih and Chad Sparber, 'When we aggregate at the national level, inflows of foreign STEM workers explain between 30% and 50% of the aggregate productivity growth that took place in the United States between 1990 and 2010.' "
Comment: "In an editorial, The Wall Street Journal rejected the idea of 'collective punishment' of Afghans due to 'this single act of betrayal' by Rahmanullah Lakanwal. However, Trump’s social media post indicates potential 'collective punishment' of not only Afghans, but of all immigrants from 'Third World' countries and the Americans who want to sponsor them. 'Mr. Lakanwal was granted asylum by the Trump administration this past April, according to three people with knowledge of the case,' reported the New York Times. According to the 2021-23 American Community Survey, the incarceration rate (in jails or prisons) for Afghans (18- to 50-year-old males) in the United States born in Afghanistan was only 0.02%, indicating criminal behavior by this group has been rare."
" 'The official United States Foreign population stands at 53 million people (Census), most of which are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels,' Trump stated in his Truth Social Post. 'This refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America, something that did not exist after World War II (Failed schools, high crime, urban decay, overcrowded hospitals, housing shortages, and large deficits, etc.).' "
"Economists dispute these statements. The statements in the post appear similar to comments made by Stephen Miller, who argued that with fewer immigrants in Los Angeles the city would have less crowded schools and hospitals, among other things."
"Economist Mark Regets found in a recent NFAP report that family immigrants have higher labor force participation rates than comparable U.S.-born individuals and, on average, only 1.6% received public assistance income in 2021-2023, which is less than the 1.7% for U.S born in the same age range. Haitians had a labor force participation rate of 90% (compared to 76.5% for U.S.-born individuals in the same age range) in 2021-23 and experienced earnings growth of 154% from 2009-11 to 2021-23."
Comment: Nothing quite like a few facts to contradict the biased and false statements from Trump and Stephen Miller.
An emboldened Trump escalates his anti-immigration crackdown after National Guard shooting
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/28/politics/trump-immigration-crackdown-national-guard-shooting
Video: Trump's deployment of National Guard in U.S. cities gets renewed scrutiny - November 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WmNccXaIN4
National Guard shooting in D.C. draws condemnation from Trump, lawmakers
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/27/national-guard-shooting-dc-trump-lawmakers-react
Comment: "President Trump, other political leaders and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle swiftly condemned the shooting in D.C. that critically injured two West Virginia National Guard members on Wednesday."
Comment: "Many leading Republicans and Democrats joined Trump in paying tribute to the service members, offering prayers and condemning violence."
Video: 500 additional National Guard members will be sent to D.C., Hegseth says - November 26, 2025
Comment: Does anyone really believe that the presence of 500 additional national guard troops would have prevented the tragic shootings in Washington D.C. of two West Virginia national guard troops already deployed there? Perhaps, a better solution would be to reassign FBI and DHS personnel back to national security and anti-terrorism duties, after they were previously reassigned to anti-immigration tasks by the Trump administration.
Trump to send 500 more National Guard troops to DC after shooting
Video: Report shows Trump administration cut $500 million in funding for food banks -https://www.axios.com/2025/11/27/national-guard-shooting-dc-trump-lawmakers-react
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqv2RwSBGbU
Axios: "America First" scars loom over Trump's Venezuela campaign
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/26/trump-venezuela-maduro-america-first
Comment: "President Trump is flirting with one of the most toxic ideas in American politics — a new foreign military intervention — at one of the most precarious moments of his second term."
"Trump's push toward regime change in Venezuela threatens to deepen a MAGA rift that detonated last week with the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)."
"The tensions mark the most public fracturing of Trump's coalition since he entered politics, unfolding against a backdrop of brutal polling for Republicans across the board."
"For a president who has long sold 'no new wars' as his foreign-policy calling card, even a narrowly framed mission in America's 'backyard' could shatter that promise."
Comment: Trump's problems are not limited to a unpopular policy toward Venezuela, but it doesn't help.
Video: Trump confirms Kash Patel will stay as FBI director - November 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OtvlxWj7SY
National Parks to raise fees by $100 for international tourists to popular U.S. parks
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/26/g-s1-99442/national-parks-fees-international-tourists
Comment: Impact to local tourist economy near parks, and impact to overall U.S. international tourist economy?
Video: What is the Trump administration’s strategy for tackling homelessness? - November 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6PMHkcw0dg
Trump calls female reporter "ugly" after insulting another as "piggy"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-calls-female-reporters-ugly-piggy/
White House denies report of Trump considering removing FBI director
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/25/donald-trump-fbi-kash-patel/87470833007/
Video: Experts say Trump administration's new international visitor fees may impact national park tourism - November 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpZfSbopeHU
Trump’s Retribution Push Has Expanded Even as It Hits Legal Barriers
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/us/politics/trumps-retribution-legal-barriers.html
Comment: "A judge dismissed indictments against two of the president’s foes, but a new Pentagon investigation of a prominent Democrat shows how he is using a whole-of-government approach to punish those who cross him."
The Independent: Trump abruptly pulled plan to announce Obamacare extension after ‘significant congressional backlash’: report
Video: Trump delays announcing framework to manage health care costs - November 24, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWE9QrhfYZw
Video: Pentagon launches investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly after video to military troops - November 24, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4weVpLbQO_I
Comment: Sen. Mark Kelly committed no crime. Any FBI agent involved in any investigation of Kelly, based on his statements, is violating FBI policy and should be punished and reprimanded, and that includes Kash Patel if he officially ordered the investigation based on instructions from Hegseth or Trump. As for Trump, this constitutes an abuse of power, an impeachable offense.
CNN: Fact check: 78 times Zelensky has expressed gratitude to the US
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/politics/fact-check-zelensky-trump-ukraine
Comment: Facts contradict recent publicly stated complaints from Donald Trump.
Trump DoJ’s focus on Maga goals harms other investigations, experts warn
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/24/trump-doj-investigations
Comment: "Donald Trump’s weaponization of the US Department of Justice to focus on retribution against political foes, on fulfilling Maga goals and on granting pardons for allies has seen thousands of lawyers depart or be fired and weakened investigations in civil rights, national security and other areas, say ex-prosecutors and legal experts."
"Data compiled by the non-partisan Justice Connection showed that overall justice department employment has dropped by about 5,500 lawyers and non-lawyers who have left since Trump took office. That included people who were fired, quit or took a deferred resignation program, underscoring a sharp drop in justice department resources. By contrast, the department last year employed about 10,000 attorneys, according to Department of Justice data."
"In revamping the department, the attorney general, Pam Bondi, and other top officials have ousted many attorneys they deemed anti-Trump, including about 20 who worked on the prosecutions of the mob who stormed the Capitol on January 6 to try to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden as president."
Comment: "Alongside the drop in veteran prosecutors, some longtime justice department priorities have shifted under Trump and Bondi to pursue Maga agendas, such as its aggressive crackdown on illegal immigrants, leaving some key areas strapped for resources, say critics."
"Among the areas especially hard hit with departures is the civil rights division, which has lost 70% of the 600 lawyers and staff who worked there when Trump took office, according to former justice department lawyers and reports."
Comment: " 'While the Trump administration’s purge of attorneys may help advance his agenda to exact revenge on his perceived enemies, the loss of experience comes at a cost to public safety,' said Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney for eastern Michigan who now teaches law at the University of Michigan."
" 'While the Trump administration’s purge of attorneys may help advance his agenda to exact revenge on his perceived enemies, the loss of experience comes at a cost to public safety,' said Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney for eastern Michigan who now teaches law at the University of Michigan."
"McQuade’s concerns are underscored by the loss of veteran attorneys who focused on national security and white-collar crime in one key US attorney’s office, the eastern district of Virginia."
"That office has been roiled for weeks since Trump badgered Bondi publicly in a Truth Social post in September to bring criminal charges against the former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general, Letitia James, two longtime foes of his."
"After US attorney Erik Siebert in the eastern district balked at charging Comey because he thought the case was weak, he resigned under pressure from Trump, who then tapped the White House lawyer and novice prosecutor Lindsey Halligan to replace him."
Comment: Please read the entire linked article.
Video: DOJ to appeal Comey, James case dismissals | Elizabeth Vargas Reports - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzJIy1kLSD4
Comment: This is where the Bondi's DOJ wants to waste its time and resources, on cases that they are very unlikely to win, just to contribute to Trump's campaign of retribution.
Video: Cases dismissed against James Comey, Letitia James | Special Report - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLK8u7m2_ko
CNN: Federal judge dismisses indictments against Letitia James and James Comey, saying Lindsey Halligan appointment was unlawful
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/politics/james-comey-letitia-james-indictments-dismissed
Politico: The Education Department gave another agency power to distribute money. It hasn’t gone smoothly.
Trump exempts coal used in steelmaking from Clean Air Act rule
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5620584-donald-trump-clean-air-act-coal-steel/
White House circulates a plan to extend Obamacare subsidies as Trump pledges health care fix
Politico: White House to pitch a Trump Obamacare extension with limits
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/23/white-house-to-propose-new-health-care-framework-00666701
Exclusive: DOGE 'doesn't exist' with eight months left on its charter
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doge-doesnt-exist-with-eight-months-left-its-charter-2025-11-23/
Comments: "U.S. President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has disbanded with eight months left to its mandate, ending an initiative launched with fanfare as a symbol of Trump's pledge to slash the government's size but which critics say delivered few measurable savings."
" 'That doesn't exist,' Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about DOGE's status."
" 'It is no longer a 'centralized entity,' Kupor added, in the first public comments from the Trump administration on the end of DOGE."
"The agency, set up in January, made dramatic forays across Washington in the early months of Trump's second term to rapidly shrink federal agencies, cut their budgets or redirect their work to Trump priorities. The OPM, the federal government's human resources office, has since taken over many of DOGE's functions, according to Kupor and documents reviewed by Reuters."
Comment: Good riddance to DOGE, a colossal failure at saving money, but very successful at damaging important government services which had been serving the American people. The new question is whether OPM will continue the dismantling of government institutions and infrastructure, just with less fanfare and negative publicity.
Patel Under Scrutiny for Use of SWAT Teams to Protect His Girlfriend
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/us/politics/kash-patel-girlfriend-fbi-protection.html
With the rest of the world at a climate summit, Trump administration announces major environmental rollbacks
Comment: "This week, the administration released a series of sweeping proposals to encourage oil drilling and roll back protections for wetlands and endangered species."
Amid GOP grumbling, White House makes course corrections
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/22/trump-gop-affordability-epstein-mtg-00665988
Inside Trump and Mamdani's surprising bond of convenience
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/22/trump-zohran-mamdani-new-york-bond
Comment: "Mamdani, facing a city budget deficit, needs federal money and doesn't want Trump to send National Guard troops into New York City."
"Trump, reeling from bad polling on the economy, sought to co-opt some of the shine from the charismatic Mamdani's message on affordability."
How could Trump interfere in the midterms? Here's what voting officials are watching
Comment: "Less than a year from the midterm elections, state and local voting officials from both major political parties are actively preparing for the possibility of interference by a federal government helmed by President Trump."
"The problem is, no one knows what might be coming."
Comment: "Trump, who continues to spread false claims about voting in America, issued an executive order in the spring that sought to mandate major changes to the elections system. That order has so far mostly been blocked by the courts, but he's teased other executive action as well. And his administration is still investigating his loss five years ago, while pardoning people associated with his efforts to try to overturn that defeat."
"All of that has made it clear to those in the elections community that Trump plans to have a heavy hand in their processes next year. Here are a few things voting officials are watching for."
Comment: Please read the linked article for a description of the potential risks to fair and honest elections.
CNN: Supreme Court pauses lower court order that blocked Texas’ new congressional maps
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/politics/texas-supreme-court-congressional-redistricting
CNN: Trump officials prepare for potential cabinet shakeup after one-year mark
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/politics/trump-cabinet-kristi-noem-chris-wright
Party of one: Trump chews up and spits out his inner circle
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/trump-mtg-white-house-advisers
Comment: "President Trump's blowup with Marjorie Greene just the latest spectacular split with a one-time confidante who held prized status in his inner sanctum."
Comment: "Those who have secured a spot as a trusted Trump lieutenant have often found that it doesn't last for long."
"Taylor Greene in recent days joined Elon Musk as this year's biggest victims of Trump's wrath."
"In his last administration, Trump severed ties with a string of one-time right-hand men: VP Mike Pence, personal fixer Michael Cohen and White House chief strategist Steve Bannon."
"There's an entire graveyard of Trump appointees who became bitter enemies, from former White House chief of staff John Kelly to former national security adviser John Bolton to former Attorney General Bill Barr."
Comment: "In contrast with past presidents who maintained close circles of advisers and worked with them for years, Trump's sounding board roster is shifting and sprawling."
Trump, Mamdani make love — not war
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/21/trump-mamdani-make-love-not-war-00665861?cid=apn
"A high-stakes White House meeting between President Donald Trump and mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani turned into a lovefest — with both men heaping populist praise on each other for pursuing ways to address the cost of living."
"Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, needed to avoid the mercurial Republican president using the might of the federal government to cut New York City’s aid or send in the National Guard. Trump allies wanted the president to show he would prevent the Big Apple from being bankrupted by socialism."
"But Mamdani appeared — at least for the time being — to neutralize those threats during the closed-door tête-à-tête by sticking to a strategy of staying laser-focused on issues of affordability, according to a top aide who sat in on the talk. After they emerged from the private meeting, Trump even told reporters that Mamdani had played up their unlikely political similarities: Mamdani 'said a lot of my voters actually voted for him,' said the evidently pleased president. Mamdani noted that he often spoke with those voters — a point that elicited a grin from the president sitting behind the Resolute Desk."
"The meeting was dominated by presidential compliments for Mamdani’s upstart campaign, a focus on blue-collar people and Trump’s interest in helping enact aspects of the new mayor’s agenda, like an expansion of much-needed housing."
"The meeting between two leading populist avatars operating from differing ends of the political spectrum arrived as affordability has become a crucial watchword for campaigns. The president, struggling to get costs down, has begrudgingly returned to focusing on pocketbook concerns after his popularity began to suffer." Mamdani, who is viewed with deep skepticism by New York City’s powerful business leaders, has tried to demonstrate he will not upend an economy that is heavily reliant on real estate and Wall Street."
"Trump, though, appeared to go beyond simply agreeing with the mayor on broad issues. He was practically smitten by the Queens state assembly member, who was a virtual unknown a year ago."
Comment: "A person close to Mamdani’s transition team said the strategy going into the meeting was straightforward: Open up a line of communication with the president given the large role the federal government plays in city affairs, focus on issues of affordability and areas of shared agreement and emphasize the mayor-elect’s priorities."
"Elle Bisgaard-Church, Mamdani’s newly appointed chief of staff and one of his closest aides, said the mayor-elect also made clear his concerns with federal immigration enforcement tactics."
" 'We certainly were clear about our disagreements in the room,' she said during an interview with NY1. 'And the mayor-elect made clear that we uphold sanctuary laws in our city and all immigrants will be safe in our city.' "
" 'We also made very clear that we feel there has been inhumane raids just this week,' she added, while noting that Mamdani and Trump agreed on focusing immigration enforcement on individuals who have committed violent crimes."
The Guardian: ‘I’ll stick up for you’: key moments from the cordial Trump-Mamdani meeting
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/trump-mamdani-white-house-key-moments
Trump and Mamdani form an unlikely alliance at White House meeting
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/donald-trump-zohran-mamdani-meeting
Comment: " ‘We agreed a lot more than I would have thought,’ the US president said of his first face-to-face meeting with the New York mayor-elect"
Comment: "Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor-elect, walked out of their meeting on Friday afternoon with an unlikely alliance, agreeing to work together on housing, food prices and cost-of-living concerns that have defined both their political appeals to working-class voters."
" 'We agreed a lot more than I would have thought,' Trump said in the Oval Office, sometimes jumping in to shield Mamdani from aggressive questioning from the press."
"The sit-down – which many had anticipated would be contentious, given months of intense rhetoric in which Trump branded Mamdani a 'communist lunatic' – instead produced camaraderie, warm words and concrete pledges of cooperation between the Republican president and the self-described democratic socialist who secured a commanding electoral victory earlier at the beginning of November with over 50% of the vote."
" 'I feel very confident that he can do a very good job,' Trump said after the meeting, offering praise for his ideological opposite. 'The better he does, the happier I am. I will say there’s no difference in party. There’s no difference in anything, and we’re going to be helping him to make everybody’s dream come true, having a strong and very safe New York.' "
"The president congratulated Mamdani on his mayoral victory, describing it as 'an incredible race against smart people' – and the two politicians shook hands."
Comment: An optimist would hope that Trump and Mamdani would have mutual respect for one another and truly work together to make New York City (NYC) a better and more affordable place for its residents.
Comment: However a cynic might point out that Trump still has significant real estate holdings in NYC, meaning that Mamdani has significant financial leverage over Trump when it comes to NYC property taxes and assessments, housing regulation, etc., etc. Trump's charm offensive may be a preemptive effort to simply protect his business and financial interests. It is unclear whether Mamdani would fall for such a ploy, and what Trump's response would be if he didn't.
(Just a perspective from a cynical individual.)
Mamdani’s meeting with Trump comes with a power disadvantage
Comment: "President Donald Trump has all the power in his Oval Office sit down Friday with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. And his advantage over the incoming mayor is vast."
"The temperamental president has vowed to cut New York’s federal aid and may deploy the National Guard in response to Mamdani’s win. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan is again threatening to flood the city’s streets with immigration enforcement officers and conduct mass deportations. The president's Congressional allies have pressed for the Ugandan-born mayor-elect’s citizenship to be revoked."
" 'The city or the state cannot do without the federal government and the federal government holds the money,' said John Catsimatidis, a billionaire oil executive and grocery store tycoon who speaks frequently with Trump. 'Look, the president is going to do whatever he wants to do. He loves New York, no if’s, and’s about it. He loves New York, but he doesn’t love that the socialists are taking over New York.' "
Comment: This article was apparently written prior to the Trump-Mamdani meeting, which turned out to be surprising cordial and agreeable. Perhaps, Mamdani had some leverage of his own. Please see comments pertaining to the very next article, especially the comments from a cynical perspective.
Trump administration announces plan for new oil drilling off the coasts of California and Florida
Comment: "The Trump administration announced on Thursday new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades, advancing a project that critics say could harm coastal communities and ecosystems, as President Donald Trump seeks to expand U.S. oil production."
"The oil industry has been seeking access to new offshore areas, including Southern California and off the coast of Florida, as a way to boost U.S. energy security and jobs. The federal government has not allowed drilling in federal waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which includes offshore Florida and part of offshore Alabama, since 1995, because of concerns about oil spills. California has some offshore oil rigs, but there has been no new leasing in federal waters since the mid-1980s."
Comment: "The drilling proposal drew bipartisan pushback in Florida, where a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Trump administration should reconsider and Republican Sen. Rick Scott said the state’s coasts 'must remain off the table for oil drilling.' California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump critic, called the administration’s plan 'idiotic'."
"Tourism and access to clean beaches are key parts of the economy in both states."
Comment: "The administration’s plan proposes six offshore lease sales between 2027 and 2030 in areas along the California coast."
"It also calls for new drilling off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico at least 100 miles from shore. Drilling leases would be sold in the newly designated South-Central Gulf region, adjacent to the central Gulf’s thousands of wells and hundreds of drilling platforms."
Comment: "[Senator] Scott, a Trump ally, helped persuade officials in Trump’s first term to drop a similar offshore plan in 2018 when Scott was governor. Scott and Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody introduced legislation this month to maintain the drilling moratorium from Trump’s first term."
"Newsom, who often touts the state’s status as a global climate leader, said in response to Thursday’s announcement that California would 'use every tool at our disposal to protect our coastline'.”
"California has been a leader in restricting offshore drilling since an infamous 1969 Santa Barbara spill helped spark the modern environmental movement. While no new federal leases have been offered since the mid-1980s, drilling from existing platforms continues."
Comment: "Lawmakers from California and Florida warned new offshore drilling would hurt coastal economies, jeopardize national security, ravage coastal ecosystems, and put the health and safety of millions of people at risk."
Comment: "The state is also still recovering from the environmental and economic havoc caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, which fouled coasts across the Gulf, said Florida Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor."
Comment: As proposed oil drilling moves east from the Louisiana coast, the beaches of Gulf Shores, Destin, and Panama City become more likely to experience oil spills, which would devastate the local tourism economies and adversely impact the quality of life for residents and frequent visitors from South Alabama.
Schools fear disruptions as the White House begins dismantling the Education Department
Comment: "The Trump administration says its plan to dismantle the Education Department offers a fix for the nation’s lagging academics — a solution that could free schools from the strictures of federal influence."
"Yet to some school and state officials, the plan appears to add more bureaucracy, with no clear benefit for students who struggle with math or reading."
"Instead of being housed in a single agency, much of the Education Department's work now will be spread across four other federal departments. For President Donald Trump, it’s a step toward fully closing the department and giving states more power over schooling. Yet many states say it will complicate their role as intermediaries between local schools and the federal government."
Workers inside Department of Education say Trump’s latest bid to dismantle agency ‘makes no sense’
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/nov/21/workers-department-education-trump
Comment: "Donald Trump's bid to gut the US Department of Education 'makes no sense', according to workers inside the federal agency, who accuse the administration of trying to make their lives 'as difficult and traumatic as possible'."
"Three employees inside the department spoke to the Guardian, with one warning that morale has been 'completely lost', 10 months after Trump returned to the White House. All requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation."
"On Tuesday afternoon Linda McMahon, the education secretary, held an all-staff meeting and announced plans to press ahead with dismantling the department."
"Key operations are set to be handed off to a string of other agencies, including the departments of interior, health and human services, labor and state. While the move is technically temporary, the administration intends to seek approval from Congress to make the changes permanent."
Comment: "They explained it had been 'disheartening' to have been brought back and working on cases again for a few weeks, then for the shutdown to happen and then be locked out of their account. It feels 'as though the administration is mad about its inability to get rid of' the education department as easily as it had wanted to, 'and so it is making it as difficult and traumatic as possible for us'."
"The latest plan to transfer functions to different federal agencies 'makes no sense', they added. 'It will only create more chaos and confusion, the complete opposite of efficiency. It’s not giving a single thing ‘back to the states’, and only creating more red tape and cost to the American people.' "
"The worker said: 'There has been zero transparency, so no one knows what is actually being redistributed versus shut down.' "
"Where operations have been earmarked to be moved to different departments, 'it’s unclear whether staff are also moving, or just the work', they added. 'If it’s just the work, who will staff it? So while the technicality is unclear, the practical effect is the work cannot, and will not, be done in the manner necessary or required to serve the people.' "
Inside the CDC whiplash
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/21/inside-the-cdc-whiplash-00664632
Comment: "Over the past nine months, under the supervision of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., CDC employees have experienced more turmoil than most under the Trump administration."
"They've faced several rounds of firings and sporadic reinstatements, witnessed the dramatic ousting of their director and the resignation of top career leaders in protest. Some were shot at by a gunman targeting the agency's Atlanta headquarters in August and all have watched as Kennedy fired and then replaced a key panel of CDC vaccine advisors."
"In addition to all that, like most federal workers, many CDC employees went without paychecks during the longest-ever closure of the federal government."
"On Wednesday, as some employees returned to buildings riddled with bullet holes, morale took another hit with a surprise update to the CDC's vaccines and autism webpage. It suggests that vaccines may cause autism and states that 'studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.' The move upended decades of work by senior career vaccine scientists to combat misinformation about a potential link between vaccines and autism – which many large studies have found no evidence of."
Comment: "Taken together, the eight workers described a culture of declining faith in the agency and a lack of guidance and communication from leadership. In his nearly three months on the job, CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill has sent only one agency-wide email, two employees said, about how the agency should improve."
Comment: This is a lengthy article describing many problems at the CDC.
4 questions — and answers — about the Epstein files release
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/21/epstein-files-what-to-know-00665689
Nursing Is No Longer Counted as a ‘Professional Degree’ by Trump Admin
https://www.newsweek.com/nursing-not-professional-degree-trump-admin-11079650
Comment: The Department of Education has excluded nursing as a 'professional degree' program as it sets about implementing various measures regarding student loans laid out in President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'."
"The move has sparked significant uproar among nurses and nursing groups, with the American Nurses Association saying, as reported by Nursing World, that 'limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care'."
Comment: "In the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Grad PLUS program, designed to help graduate and professional students cover educational expenses, is being eliminated, while Parent PLUS loans, student loans available for parents of dependent undergraduate students, are being capped."
"These measures were brought in with the intention of creating a 'new and simplified' Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)—whereby annual loans for new borrowers were capped at $20,500 for graduate students and $50,000 for professional students."
"As part of this implementation process, the Department of Education decided to change the definition of what counted as a professional program, and therefore eligible for the $200,000 aggregate limit available for professional students."
"The department determined that the following programs were professional: medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, law, veterinary medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, theology and clinical psychology."
"This meant that physician assistants, nurse practitioners, physical therapists and audiologist were excluded from the list."
Comment: In recent years, nurse practitioners and physician assistants have taken a much larger role in treating common medical issues that used to be handled by doctors. This practice has reduced medical costs for patients, insurance companies, and Medicaid/Medicare. A reduction in student loans for nurses will result in a shortage of these important medical contributors that will likely increase the cost and availability of medical care.
Video: CDC website revised to include false claim about autism and vaccines - November 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKQMnZYaLSE
Video: DOJ reviewing probe into Adam Schiff's alleged mortgage fraud, sources say - November 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX2oH7n4YxQ
A federal grand jury is investigating the handling of the Adam Schiff criminal probe
DOJ, FBI probing top Trump administration officials over investigations of president's adversaries: Sources
Comment: "The Department of Justice is probing the conduct of at least two top Trump administration officials for allegedly interfering with and potentially jeopardizing the ongoing criminal investigations of the president's political adversaries, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News."
"Sources said the DOJ and FBI are scrutinizing whether U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte enlisted individuals outside the Department of Justice to probe allegations of mortgage fraud amid ongoing investigations of Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James."
"At least one witness in the Schiff investigation has received a grand jury subpoena to hand over any correspondence with Martin's associates as well as with Pulte himself, sources told ABC News."
"In what would be an extraordinary breach of DOJ protocol, Martin is also believed to have shared sensitive grand jury information about the James case with at least one unauthorized individual as well as worked with another person from outside the federal government to examine potential evidence in the Schiff and James probes, sources familiar with the matter said."
"Senior Trump administration officials have expressed concerns that the potential misconduct may have compromised the investigations and jeopardized the viability of the cases if they proceed to trial."
"While Attorney General Pam Bondi tapped Martin as a 'special attorney' for mortgage fraud, officials say the alleged rogue conduct -- operating outside of the two U.S. attorneys' offices investigating the cases and usurping the FBI agents assigned to the cases -- violates DOJ guidelines and necessitates a full review of Martin's conduct to determine what would need to be disclosed to defense lawyers."
Video: President Trump signs bill directing DOJ to release Epstein files - November 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg4_hXwJRN0
Trump Approves the Release of the Epstein Files, but Loopholes Remain
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/us/politics/trump-epstein-files-loopholes.html
Comment: "Relenting to pressure from his base, President Trump on Wednesday announced on social media that he signed legislation calling on the Justice Department to release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein within 30 days."
"Mr. Trump’s signature does not guarantee the release of all the files. The bill contains significant exceptions, including a provision protecting continuing investigations, which could mean many documents would stay confidential."
How is Linda McMahon making good on Trump’s promise to close the Department of Education?
Majority of corporate Trump ballroom donors represented by 3 lobbying firms, watchdog says
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/corporate-trump-ballroom-donors-represented-by-3-lobbying-firms/
Comment: "The majority of the corporations known to have donated to the fund for President Trump's new White House ballroom are represented by three lobbying firms, according to a new report from government accountability watchdog Public Citizen."
"Lobbyists from those three firms — Miller Strategies, Ballard Partners and Michael Best Strategies — mingled last month with the president and executives from America's top technology and cryptocurrency companies over tomato salad and Beef Wellington."
Comment: "Lobbyists were instrumental in connecting their corporate clients with ballroom fundraisers, multiple sources told CBS News."
Trump Administration Makes Major Changes to a Report It Commissioned on FEMA Reforms, AP Sources Say
Comment: "A draft of a much-anticipated report on reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been whittled down in size, with recommendations compiled by a council appointed by the president slashed and amended by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's office, according to three people familiar with the developments."
"The report 'got nuked,' said one former FEMA official. The three people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue with the media, said the report shrunk from over 160 pages to roughly 20. They said it left council members and other emergency management leaders concerned that some of the recommendations about the country's disaster preparedness won’t make it into the final copy, which is expected around Dec. 12."
"The draft report's downsizing reflects the Trump administration's push to disengage the federal government from disaster management and the agency overseeing it, FEMA, pushing more responsibility for preparing, responding to and recovering from climate on states, tribes and territories."
"The former officials said that cutting some of the original recommendations and adding others that further diminish FEMA will not only show that the administration is intervening politically in a professional undertaking. They said the changed recommendations could ultimately leave states and other governments unequipped to prepare for or recover from disasters."
"Those who oppose shrinking FEMA say most state and local governments can’t take on more of the enormous financial and logistical strains of rebuilding, especially as the frequency and severity of extreme weather wrought by climate change grows, and that FEMA plays a key coordinating role, shepherding help from across the federal government."
Comey case hanging by a thread as judge squeezes DOJ over Halligan’s handling
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/19/james-comey-case-lindsey-halligan-hearing-00659479
Welcome to Trump’s America! A place where people can’t afford to call an ambulance
Comment: "How are people expected to handle increased health insurance costs when everything else in life has also become more expensive? I think the answer is: they’re not. Welcome to Trumpcare everyone: you may bankrupt yourself trying not to die, but at least you’re not living under socialism."
‘Utterly foolish’: Redistricting roadblocks leave Republicans wary of White House push
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/trump-redistricting-push-texas-map-00658144
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s bad week got a lot worse on Tuesday when judges blocked his Texas gerrymander, leaving Republicans wondering whether the nationwide remapping effort was worth the political capital."
"A panel of federal judges ruled against Texas’ redrawn congressional maps that offered Republicans a five-seat pickup opportunity, saying they likely created an illegal, race-based gerrymander. The ruling came as Indiana Republicans punted the White House's redistricting push there to January’s regular session, amid local opposition."
"Together, they represent roadblocks for the White House’s push to shore up a House majority through mid-decade redraws. Republicans began their rush to redraw the maps with the upper hand, but state-level backlash, Democrats’ big Election Day win for California’s redistricting measure and this court ruling have cut into that advantage, with just under a year until voters head to the polls in next year’s midterms."
"Now, if the Texas ruling withstands an already-filed appeal and hesitant Republicans across the country don’t budge, Trump stands to end the fight he began behind or near a draw."
" 'The whole thing is just utterly foolish,' said Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), who is pushing a bill to end mid-cycle redistricting after his seat was redrawn to favor Democrats. 'Frankly, the [House] speaker needed to show more leadership from the beginning on this.' "
CNN: Analysis: Trump’s anti-press outburst hits differently with a Saudi prince by his side
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/18/media/trump-mbs-saudi-prince-abc-mary-bruce-oval-office
All SNAP recipients will have to reapply, USDA chief says
https://www.al.com/news/2025/11/all-snap-recipients-will-have-to-reapply-usda-chief-says.html
Will SNAP recipients need to reapply? Here’s what we know.
Trump has ‘blurred’ line between military and politics, ex-officers warn
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/17/trump-politicizing-military-report
Comment: "With months of escalation between US cities and the Trump administration amid the deployment of national guard troops, former military officials released a report on Monday about the risks of politicizing the nation’s armed forces."
"The report warns that increasing domestic military deployments, such as using national guard troops for immigration enforcement in the US, and removing senior military officers and legal advisers have made the armed forces appear to serve partisan agendas."
" 'The use of troops, bases, and ceremonies in partisan settings has blurred the line between military service and political messaging, eroding morale and public trust in the military’s apolitical character,' the report reads."
"The report, The Perils of Politicizing the US Military, was authored by six former service secretaries and retired four-star admirals and generals, including former army secretary Louis Caldera, former air force secretary Deborah Lee James, former navy secretary Sean O’Keefe, retired navy admiral Steve Abbot, retired coast guard admiral Thad Allen, and retired army general George Casey."
Analysis: Trump’s team tried to walk back these false claims. He won’t let them
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/politics/grocery-prices-fbi-january-6-trump
CNN: The prospect of an embarrassing defeat convinced Trump to reverse course on Epstein files
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/politics/trump-epstein-files-reluctant-reversal
Whistleblower accuses Ed Martin of ‘concealing and destroying’ records related to DOJ’s weaponization group
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/whistleblower-accuses-ed-martin-concealing-154348625.html
Trump administration to prioritize visa interviews for World Cup ticket holders
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/trump-prioritize-visas-world-cup-ticket-holders-00655272
Comment: "Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in some countries where consular staff has been beefed up, visa wait times have been reduced from a year to just a few months."
" 'I’ve directed my administration to do everything within their power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success,' Trump said from the Oval Office, where he was flanked by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and White House World Cup Task Force director Andrew Giuliani."
"Under the 'FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System' — or FIFA PASS — program, people who purchase tickets directly through FIFA will be able to schedule expedited interviews at U.S. consulates around the world."
Comment: Apparently, FIFA has learned that it pays to flatter President Trump. Please see related article below.
RELATED ARTICLE: Trump ally Infantino to award first Fifa peace prize at World Cup draw in DC - November 5, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/nov/05/fifa-peace-prize-world-cup-draw-trump
Comment: "One of Donald Trump’s closest sporting allies has created what some are calling football’s version of the Nobel peace prize, only weeks after the US president was snubbed for the real thing."
"Fifa president Gianni Infantino announced the creation of the Fifa peace prize, to be awarded each year to 'individuals who help unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions'. The inaugural award will be presented on 5 December during the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, a high-profile event that Trump is expected to attend."
Comment: "Still, the optics of the Miami announcement have fueled questions about the blurring of sport and diplomacy. Fifa’s close alignment with Trump's administration, which has been instrumental in staging the 2026 World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico, continues to test Infantino’s insistence that football exists beyond politics."
Trump administration sues California for banning federal agents from wearing face coverings
FEMA acting chief David Richardson resigns amid criticism over Texas flood response
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fema-acting-head-david-richardson-resigns-dhs-sources/
Video: Acting FEMA chief David Richardson resigns from Trump administration - November 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D-HS0PBVAo
FEMA acting chief David Richardson departs after six months on the job
Comment: "The acting chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency left his job Monday after just six months, according to the Department of Homeland Security, the latest disruption in a year of mass departures, program cuts and policy upheaval at the agency charged with managing federal disaster response."
"David Richardson, who in his brief term remained largely out of public sight, is leaving the post after he faced a wave of criticism for his handling of the deadly Texas floods earlier this year. He replaced previous acting head Cameron Hamilton in May."
Video: JUST IN: Trump Asked What Roles Tucker Carlson & Nick Fuentes Should Play In Conservative Movement - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPDsaEcjEYk
Comment: Notice that Trump didn't mention that Nick Fuentes is a white nationalist commentator and anti-semite. He downplayed Tucker Carlson giving Fuentes an important media platform to spout his racists opinions. Trump did acknowledge that Fuentes met him at Mar-a-Lago between his two terms, but said that Fuentes tagged along with Kanye West. Trump did not criticize Fuentes.
Trump calls for Indiana GOP members to be ousted after redistricting efforts stall
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/16/trump-indiana-gop-redistricting-primary-00653932
Comment: " 'Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED,' the president said."
Comment: More threats and intimidation, even against members of his own political party. Trumps wants Indiana officials to ignore their constituents and pledge their allegiance to MAGA and Trump.
A puppy and unlimited toilet paper? Legal experts say Ghislaine Maxwell’s alleged prison life is uncommon
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/16/ghislaine-maxwell-low-security-prison-treatment
Comment: "Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking of teen girls – and her treatment is prompting speculation"
Comment: "Since Ghislaine Maxwell's controversial transfer to a low-security prison camp this summer, her time at Texas’s FPC Bryan has prompted uproar over alleged favorable treatment – including claims this week that she was provided custom-made meals, access to a puppy and as much toilet paper as she wants."
"Some of the recent accusations were in a 9 November letter that Jamie Raskin sent to Donald Trump. The Democratic representative’s letter, which cited whistleblower information, demanded answers about Maxwell’s conditions – including whether Trump directed anyone in his administration to give her special treatment."
Video: Dr. Oz says Trump has a plan for Obamacare. What is it? - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuu8YHmiDQ
Comment: If Dr. Oz ideas for improving/replacing Obamacare are such good suggestions, why haven't Republicans woven them into a comprehensive plan for presentation to the American people? They've only had 15 years since Obamacare was passed. They always present concepts and talking points that sound good, but they are never rigorously evaluated for practicality and negative consequences.
Fortune: Bessent says Trump’s $2,000 checks would need congressional vote
https://fortune.com/2025/11/16/bessent-trump-2000-tariff-dividend-check-congressional-vote/
Comment: The Headline says it all. Trump's proposed $2,000 check is very unlikely to occur.
At Trump's urging, Bondi says U.S. will investigate Epstein's ties to political foes
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/15/g-s1-97958/bondi-investigate-epstein-ties-to-political-foes
Comment: "Acceding to President Donald Trump's demands, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she has ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's ties to Trump political foes, including former President Bill Clinton."
"Bondi posted on X that she was assigning Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the probe, capping an eventful week in which congressional Republicans released nearly 23,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate and House Democrats seized on emails mentioning Trump. "
"Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years, didn't explain what supposed crimes he wanted the Justice Department to investigate. None of the men he mentioned in a social media post demanding the probe has been accused of sexual misconduct by any of Epstein's victims. "
"Hours before Bondi's announcement, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he would ask her, the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Epstein's 'involvement and relationship' with Clinton and others, including former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman."
Video: Trump feuds with MAGA ally ahead of vote to release Epstein files - November 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhKa59iRYZc
A crucial system of ocean currents may be on course to collapse. This country just declared it a national security threat | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/15/climate/iceland-warming-current-amoc-collapse-threat
Comment: But Trump calls climate change a "hoax."
Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/14/trump-usda-snap-participants-reapply-benefits-00651874
Comment: "The Trump administration will require millions of low-income people to reapply for food stamps as part of an effort to crack down on 'fraud,' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said."
"Rollins told Newsmax on Thursday that she plans to 'have everyone reapply for their benefits, make sure that everyone that’s taking a taxpayer-funded benefit through ... food stamps, that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it. ' "
"She did not provide further information on when or how people would need to reapply."
"Her comment comes after funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ran out of federal funding during the government shutdown, leading many conservative pundits and even President Donald Trump to criticize just how much the government spends on food stamps. SNAP, which serves nearly 42 million Americans, cost roughly $100 billion in fiscal year 2024."
"SNAP fraud can occur when participants intentionally lie about their qualifications for the program, retailers exchange benefits for cash or criminals skim EBT cards for benefits, per USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. But anti-hunger groups say there’s not nearly as much fraud as the Trump administration alleges and note that SNAP only issues about $6 a day in benefits to the average participant."
"State SNAP administrators already require participants to recertify their information as often as every six months, and families that receive benefits are expected to keep their work history, income and other personal information up to date."
"USDA did not immediately respond to a request to clarify a timeline for Rollins’ new plan or how it differs from current state-level requirements for participants to reapply for the program."
Comment: "Federal officials and GOP lawmakers have been determined to show they’re taking wasteful spending seriously after months of work to reduce spending through DOGE. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July, implemented a $186 billion slash to SNAP spending and included new work requirements and other restrictions on who receives benefits — the biggest overhaul of the food aid program to date."
Comment: A cynic might wonder if the new requirement to reapply for benefits (along with the lack of process detail / timeline on how to reapply) is actually designed to confuse and discourage a valid applicant from participating in the program.
Trump accused of caving to big business after deal to cut Swiss tariffs to 15%
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/14/tariffs-swiss-goods-reduced
Comment: "Rolex denies ‘any negotiation’ with US although luxury watchmaker entertained Trump and gave him gold clock "
Placques installed on Pentagon proclaiming it Department of War
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2025-11-14/department-of-war-hegseth-19762999.html
Comment: Name change still requires congressional approval.
Trump pulls nominee for top IRS post who drew conservative activist's ire
Comment: "President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew Donald Korb’s nomination for IRS chief counsel on Friday."
"While Trump didn’t explain his decision, right-wing political activist Laura Loomer reposted Trump’s announcement on her X account, along with the hashtag '#LOOMERED.' Loomer, who’s sidelined several administration officials, chastised Korb on Wednesday for praising Democrats and donating to them."
Comment: "Loomer, a popular fixture on social media, has wielded her influence in the second Trump administration to identify government officials she sees as disloyal or not fully loyal to the president. Her probes have prompted the administration to oust myriad officials."
"Korb, who served as the IRS’s chief counsel during the Bush administration, has also faced backlash from Democrats for defending a data-sharing deal between the IRS and federal immigration enforcement that’s helped the administration juice up its deportation agenda."
Comment: "In an interview with POLITICO, Loomer said a senior White House official told her that her social media posts about Korb prompted the president to oust him."
Comment: Why does Linda Loomer have so much influence over Donald Trump?
She criticized President Trump during the shutdown. Now she's been put on leave
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/nx-s1-5608969/federal-employees-shutdown-trump-leave
Comment: "Jenna Norton, a program director at the National Institutes of Health, says she has been put on paid leave following the end of the government shutdown."
Comment: " 'I was not given a reason for being put on leave, but I strongly suspect it is because I have been speaking up in my personal capacity about the harms that I have been witnessing inside the National Institutes of Health,' she said in a video posted to TikTok."
Comment: "In an interview with NPR in early October, Norton said she believed the Trump administration's deep funding and staffing cuts have created a situation inside NIH that is far worse than the public realizes."
" 'I feel like I have this front row seat to the destruction of our democracy,' she said. 'We are seeing it in real time with a president who is asking us to do things that are illegal and harmful to the American public.' "
"The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH, did not respond to NPR's questions about why Norton was placed on leave and instead issued a statement calling her a 'radical leftist' who 'chooses to constantly criticize this administration, even when she is supposed to be working.' "
"Norton responded on TikTok, saying 'If it is radically leftist to believe that NIH policies should not be actively harming research participants, then I will wear the radical left label proudly.' "
Trump withdraws his support for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Comment: "Trump said he would consider backing a primary challenger to Greene, who was once a staunch ally but has been increasingly critical of the president in recent weeks."
Comment: If one disagrees with Trump, no matter how loyal one has been in the past, he'll turn on that person in a minute.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene questions if Trump is still the 'America First' president
Trump administration appeals ruling blocking National Guard troop deployment in Portland
Comment: "President Trump's administration on Friday appealed a ruling from a federal judge in Oregon that barred it from deploying the National Guard to Portland."
The Trump administration plans major shift away from long-term housing for homelessness
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/nx-s1-5553561/homelessness-housing-funding-trump-administration-hud
Trump administration policy change makes deep cuts to homeless permanent housing program
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/13/trump-cuts-homeless-housing-program-00650758
USDA searched for terms like 'diversity,' 'climate modeling' to target grants for cancellation
Comment: "The effort was undertaken as part of a broad campaign across federal agencies to comply with President Donald Trump's directives to end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and climate regulation in the federal government. Trump has called DEI has called DEI 'racist' and 'illegal' and pressured private entities like universities to also end diversity practices. He has called climate change a 'con job.'
"The documents, obtained by legal advocacy group FarmSTAND in the course of litigation against the USDA and shared with Reuters, show the breadth of that effort at the farm agency, whose remit includes a wide-ranging portfolio from food stamps to farm subsidies to conservation programs."
"The USDA has terminated about 600 grants totaling more than $3 billion, according to information published on the Department of Government Efficiency website."
Comment: One would have hoped that grant cancellations would have been prioritized by reasonable scientific or economic considerations, rather than arbitrary consideration of so called "Woke" terminology.
Top officials present Trump with military options for Venezuela in the coming days
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-venezuela-military-options/
Comment: "Senior military officials on Wednesday presented President Trump with updated options for potential operations in Venezuela, including strikes on land, according to multiple sources familiar with the meetings at the White House."
"Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and other senior officials briefed the president on military options for the coming days, the sources said."
"No final decision has been made, however, two of the sources told CBS News."
Comment: Hopefully, saner minds than Trump and Hegseth, will provide input into the decision making process.
Trump official refers Rep. Eric Swalwell for a federal criminal probe over alleged mortgage fraud
Comment: "Swalwell is the latest Democrat to face mortgage fraud allegations from Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte, who sent a letter to the Justice Department on Wednesday."
Comment: Trump's campaign of retribution continues.
Video: Why newly-released Epstein emails 'puts a spotlight' on Blanche's interview with Maxwell - November 13, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98V2h7ahgws
Video: Newly released records raise questions about friendship between Trump and Epstein - November 13, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrnH4n2m2U0
Latest Epstein files knock White House on its heels
Comment: "Jeffrey Epstein is back in the news — and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for the president."
"Following a brutal week for President Donald Trump during which his party took a beating at the polls, the Supreme Court seemed skeptical of his beloved tariffs and Republicans continued to feud over accusations of antisemitism, the White House had hoped to take a victory lap on ending the 43-day government shutdown."
"But on Wednesday, House Democrats released documents revealing that, in the words of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump 'knew about the girls' the late convicted sex offender was trafficking [emphasis added], the latest blow to a White House already reeling from a series of setbacks in recent days."
Comment: "The president, in a post on Truth Social, warned Republicans who are working with Democrats to force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files. A vote on the measure is expected to come to the floor the first week of December, if things go as expected."
:“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects. Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap,” Trump wrote."
Comment: "But Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), the co-sponsor of the bill with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), told reporters Wednesday he believed '40 to 50' Republicans would join Democrats in supporting the bill in the House."
CNN: Trump is getting pulled deeper and deeper into the Epstein drama
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/13/politics/epstein-trump-emails-boebert-mace-analysis
Top Fannie Mae officials ousted after sounding alarm on sharing confidential housing data
https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/fannie-mae-freddie-mac-firing-pulte-data-d89951
DHS has turned college football games into surveillance test beds
Comment: "What remains unsettled is oversight"
Comment: At what point will the Department of Homeland Security surveillance video be used to help game officials make the right call? [sarcasm added]
CNN: Exclusive: Trump administration holds Situation Room meeting over House effort to force release of all of DOJ’s Epstein files
Analysis: Trump’s 2026 redistricting scheme could wind up hurting democracy more than Democrats | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/politics/redistricting-trump-democrats
Defense industry heaps praise on Hegseth's weapons-buying reformation
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/12/hegseth-arsenal-freedom-industry-speech
Comment: Does anyone believe that the inexperienced, incompetent Hegseth will preside over a successful transformation of the defense acquisition process? The defense industry will make even greater profits as the so called "reformation" takes place. It is no wonder that the defense industry is heaping praise.
Trump's Pentagon name change could cost up to $2 billion
Comment: "Officially changing the Department of Defense to the Department of War can only be done by Congress and would require updating thousands of signs, rewriting digital code and creating new letterheads, placards and badges."
Trump is 'committed' to $2,000 tariff dividend payments, White House says
Comment: "This comes after the treasury secretary appeared to cast doubt on payments."
Comment: Trump may be 'committed,' but what do the deficit hawks in the Congress say about writing checks that will likely seriously increase the federal deficit in the short run? Analysis shows that the currently collected tariffs don't come close to covering the cost of the $2000 payments. Congress would have to appropriate the funds for the payments.
US ethics officials removed for inquiring into improper access of mortgage files
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/11/fannie-mae-mortgage-documents-letitia-james
Comment: "Fannie Mae officers were investigating whether Trump ally inappropriately accessed mortgage details of Letitia James, Adam Schiff and others"
Comment: "Ethics officials at Fannie Mae were removed from their jobs as they investigated whether a top Trump ally improperly accessed mortgage documents of Letitia James, the New York attorney general, and other Democratic officials, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday."
"William Pulte, a staunch Trump defender and the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), has accused James, Adam Schiff, a California senator, and Lisa Cook, a federal reserve governor, of mortgage fraud. All three have denied the accusations and James was indicted on specious federal charges last month."
"Experts have raised questions about all three referrals and see them as a thinly veiled effort by Trump to target political rivals."
"After Pulte made the referrals, former agency officials and experts told the Guardian they were highly unusual. Individualized mortgage data is highly sensitive and protected. And investigations into mortgage fraud are typically handled by the FHFA inspector general, an agency watchdog staffed with investigative agents."
Trump says "we can reform" SNAP
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/11/trump-snap-benefits-reform-fox-news-interview
Comment: "There are fairly srict requirements to get food benefits, contrary to Trump's claim."
"SNAP is for people with very low incomes — with a household's gross monthly income at or below 130% of the poverty line (about $34,000 a year) — and almost no financial assets."
"Adults who don't live with children are limited to just three months of benefits every three years or subject to other strict work requirements."
"Nearly 80% of those on SNAP are in households with children, an elderly adult or someone who is disabled, notes the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities."
"A White House spokesperson referred Axios to the OMB for comment on Trump's claims and whether a reform plan was in the works."
Trump administration declares CFPB funding illegal
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/11/trump-administration-declares-cfpb-funding-illegal-00646354
Comment: "The Trump administration has formally determined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s current funding mechanism is unlawful, a move that puts the agency on track to close in the coming months when its existing cash runs out."
"The decision, disclosed in a court filing late Monday, marks the administration’s most direct effort yet to dismantle the consumer watchdog and sets up a new front in the ongoing legal battle over its future. The administration said it now considers the CFPB legally barred from seeking additional money from the Federal Reserve, which is the agency’s typical source of funding."
Comment: "The move would leave the CFPB without money to operate starting next year, even to carry out its required activities, unless Congress passes fresh funding for the agency. That is unlikely, given widespread Republican opposition to the CFPB."
"A new opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, submitted in court, contends that the CFPB cannot draw money from the Federal Reserve currently because the agency is only entitled to the central bank’s surpluses and the Fed has operated at a loss since 2022."
"The Dodd-Frank Act, which created the CFPB, requires the Fed to transfer from the 'combined earnings of the Federal Reserve System' the amount that the CFPB director determines is necessary to operate the agency, with certain limits."
"The Justice Department said that it now believes that 'combined earnings' refers to profits. 'If the Federal Reserve has no profits, it cannot transfer money to the CFPB,' the DOJ wrote."
"That argument gained traction in conservative circles as a new way to attack the CFPB after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality in 2024. But several federal judges have rejected that theory when companies raised it to dismiss CFPB lawsuits. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, similarly rejected the premise that the CFPB can only be funded through Fed profits."
"The decision, which Acting Director Russ Vought has telegraphed for months, moves the administration closer to dismantling the CFPB entirely. That would be unprecedented in the 17 years since Congress created the agency in response to the global financial crisis."
"Democrats warn that closing the CFPB would strip oversight from the nation’s $18 trillion consumer debt market just as delinquencies on credit cards, auto loans and student loans remain elevated. It’s unclear who would take over the CFPB’s handling of consumer complaints or enforcement of federal consumer protection laws."
Comment: Look at the efforts by Republicans to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau so that banks and financial institutions can take funds from consumers and customers through exorbitant fees and charges, while providing less protection against future bank failures. The Trump Justice Department offers dubious legal opinions in an attempt to starve the agency of operating funds, while Russell Vought attempts to fire the CFPB staff. Is this an attempt to "defund" the consumer protection police? As a consumer and credit card holder, will you miss the protection that this agency provides?
Video: Air traffic controller union leader calls freeze on federal paychecks 'un-American' - November 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNH5dtsDyX4
Trump slams air traffic controllers who called out during the government shutdown
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/10/nx-s1-5604664/trump-air-traffic-controllers-forced-time-off-bonus
Comment: "President Trump is slamming U.S. air traffic controllers who called out of work during the government shutdown, during which they were forced to stay on the job without pay."
"Trump said in a post on Truth Social Monday morning that he was 'NOT HAPPY' with controllers who took time off. 'All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn't will be substantially 'docked,' ' he wrote."
"The Federal Aviation Administration had been contending with a shortage of air traffic controllers since well before the shutdown began, but the crisis deepened when the government closed and controllers received a partial paycheck and then no pay at all.. Some have taken on second jobs, while others have called in sick. Controllers are set to miss their second full paycheck this week."
"In a statement to NPR, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said, 'This nation's air traffic controllers have been working without pay for over 40 days. The vast majority of these highly trained and skilled professionals continue to perform one of the most stressful and demanding jobs in the world, despite not being compensated. Many are working six-day weeks and ten-hour days without any pay.' "
Comment: "Others offered sharp criticism of Trump's comments. 'The President wouldn't last five minutes as an air traffic controller,' former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a post on X, "and after everything they've been through - and the way this administration has treated them from Day One - he has no business s****ing on them now.' "
In an encrypted group chat, National Guard members question Trump deployments
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/10/nx-s1-5601819/national-guard-signal-trump-deployments
Comment: "As President Trump calls for National Guard deployments across the U.S., a small contingent of Ohio guard members has been quietly expressing concern in an encrypted group chat."
"The administration started sending troops into several Democratic-led cities this summer, citing the need to crack down on violent crime and protect federal immigration facilities. The Ohio guard members now say they're alarmed at the turn the country is taking. They're even questioning their potential role in it."
" 'I really went to a dark place when they sent the troops to [Los Angeles], and then eventually [Washington, D.C.], and now, Chicago. This is just not what any of us signed up for, and it's so out of the scope of normal operations,' says J, a member of the Ohio National Guard who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity."
Trump responds to criticism from Marjorie Taylor Greene: 'She's lost her way'
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Monday said that MAGA-aligned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., had 'lost her way' with her criticism of the administration’s focus on foreign policy."
Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell plans to seek commutation from Trump, whistleblower says
Trump tariff rebate checks could cost twice as much as their revenue: Analysis
https://thehill.com/business/5599180-trump-tariff-revenue-analysis/amp/
Comment: "President Trump’s potential tariff rebate checks could cost twice as much as the revenue generated by his import taxes, according to an analysis released Monday."
"The president has floated sending checks of 'at least $2,000'to every American below a certain income threshold, which would be funded by the money paid by U.S. importers to comply with Trump’s tariffs."
"But checks of the size and scope suggested by Trump would likely cost far more money than what the president’s tariffs are projected to bring in, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB)."
"The nonpartisan budget watchdog group said Trump’s rebate checks would likely cost $600 billion if the administration follows the guidelines used for COVID-19 stimulus payments."
"U.S. tariffs are only projected to generate $300 billion in federal revenue by the end of the year and are responsible for just $100 billion in federal funds so far, according to the CRFB."
" 'With our national debt quickly approaching an all-time high and annual budget deficits approaching $2 trillion per year, it is imperative that policymakers focus on actually reducing deficits and putting debt on a downward path,' the CRFB wrote."
Comment: If you are waiting on that $2000 check, don't count on it. The numbers don't add up. This is just another phony promise from Donald Trump. One can't imagine Congress approving such a payout.
Trump says tariffs to yield dividends 'of at least $2,000 a person'
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/09/trump-tariff-dividends-bessent-00643768
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Sunday posted on Truth Social that tariffs on foreign goods will lead to 'a dividend' of $2,000 per person or even more."
" 'A dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,' Trump said in a post that began: 'People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!' "
Comment: "Host George Stephanopoulos asked Bessent about Trump’s dividend vow, and Bessent hedged a little bit, suggesting the dividend, for which there is not a specific proposal, could show up in different types of economic benefits."
" 'I haven’t spoken to the president about this yet,' he said."
" 'The $2,000 dividend could come in lots of forms and lots of ways, George,' he added."
"Bessent suggested that the dividend could take the form of paying for 'the tax decreases that we are seeing on the president’s agenda,' citing the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime, among other things."
Comment: What Bessent didn't say is that Trump doesn't unilaterally have the authority to write a $2000 check to everyone. Congress could authorize the funds, but even with Trump's rosy tariff projections, Congress is already running a huge federal deficit trying to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Trump is just trying to build public support for his tariffs (one of the most regressive forms of taxation for American consumers) ahead of Supreme Court decision that will likely strike down many of them. He may have a Plan B for tariffs, but his Plan B will most likely require congressional, and therefore, public support.
Comment: The average citizen shouldn't plan on getting a tariff related dividend check, despite what Trump posts on "Truth Social."
USDA orders states to stop issuing full SNAP benefits and to ‘undo’ benefits sent for November | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/09/politics/usda-pauses-snap-benefits
Comment: "The judge's temporary order halted enforcement of the latest guidance from the Trump administration, which came after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a judge's decision that ordered immediate payouts."
Trump team is secretly handing out massive tax breaks to wealthy American corporations: report
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-team-secretly-handing-massive-191513201.html
How the Trump Administration Is Giving Even More Tax Breaks to the Wealthy
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/business/trump-administration-tax-breaks-wealthy.html
Comment: "With little public scrutiny, the Trump administration is handing out hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts to some of the country’s most profitable companies and wealthiest investors."
"The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, through a series of new notices and proposed regulations, are giving breaks to giant private equity firms, crypto companies, foreign real estate investors, insurance providers and a variety of multinational corporations."
"The primary target: The administration is rapidly gutting a 2022 law intended to ensure that a sliver of the country’s most profitable corporations pay at least some federal income tax. The provision, the corporate alternative minimum tax, was passed by Democrats and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. It sought to stop corporations like Microsoft, Amazon and Johnson & Johnson from being able to report big profits to shareholders yet low tax liabilities to the federal government. It was projected to raise $22 billion over a decade."
"But the succession of notices the Treasury and I.R.S. have issued beginning this summer means the tax could bring in a fraction of that."
Comment: "With its various tax relief provisions, the administration is now effectively adding hundreds of billions of dollars in new breaks for big businesses and investors. The Treasury is empowered to write rules to help the I.R.S. carry out tax laws passed by Congress. But the aggressive actions of the Trump administration raise questions about whether it is exceeding its legal authority."
Comment: " 'Treasury has clearly been enacting unlegislated tax cuts,' said Kyle Pomerleau, a tax economist at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank. ' Congress determines tax law. Treasury undermines this constitutional principle when it asserts more authority over the structure of the tax code than Congress provides it. ' "
"The alternative minimum tax isn’t the administration’s only effort to roll back taxes on large businesses and wealthy individuals. Last month, the Treasury and I.R.S. granted new tax relief to foreign investors in U.S. real estate. In August, they withdrew regulations to prevent multinationals from avoiding taxes by claiming duplicate losses in multiple countries at once. And, as The New York Times previously reported, the Treasury and I.R.S. have rolled back a crackdown on an aggressive tax shelter used by big companies, including Occidental Petroleum and AT&T. That amounts to another $100 billion in cuts — and likely far more, according to tax advisers."
Comment: Please read this linked article in its entirety. There are numerous other outrageous tax breaks given.
Trump’s ‘bonus depreciation’ rule is turning luxury travel into a tax break. How the ultra-wealthy can cash in
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-bonus-depreciation-rule-turning-110000939.html
Exclusive: US Army to buy 1 million drones, in major acquisition ramp-up
Video: Pete Hegseth Breaks Down Plan For 'Five Broad Transformations' In America's Military Industry - November 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQAQdnVOE-w
Hegseth says he wants the Pentagon to prioritize speed over cost when buying weapons
https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-weapons-purchases-6f9326c2bad4355541d1a02b54d899db
Comment: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday the Pentagon is revamping how the military buys weapons, shifting the focus away from producing advanced and complex technology and toward products that can be made and delivered quickly."
"Hegseth, speaking to military leaders and defense contractors in Washington, said the 'objective is simple: transform the entire acquisition system to operate on a wartime footing, to rapidly accelerate the fielding of capabilities and focus on results'."
Comment: Wartime footing? Are we at war, or about to go to war? Our advanced and complex technology and the fear that our adversaries have of it, has kept us out of war (except for those strikes we have chosen to take). That's the concept of "defense", which differs from Hegseth's apparent preference for "war." Hegseth's desire to project a "tough guy" persona rather than act as a defense professional was why he renamed the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Hegseth's tactical perspective as a National Guard Company level leader is totally inconsistent with the strategic vision required by a U.S. Secretary of Defense. While, the military acquisition process and priorities can always be improved (especially regarding drones and other weapons of a tactical nature), Hegseth is totally inadequate for that responsibility. It sounds like Hegseth's approach of "work harder - not smarter" is completely backward.
Comment: To illustrate the chaos and conflicting vision of the Trump administration's defense posture, please contrast Hegseth's vision with Trump's vision of the so called "Golden Dome." To protect the entire U.S. with a space based anti-missile system (Golden Dome), it will likely require a very complex technological development and it will not be fielded quickly or inexpensively. It seems that Hegseth's vision and Trump's vision are at the two extremes of possible defense acquisition approaches.
Axios: The affordability crisis, once Biden's, is now Trump's
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/07/trump-prices-costs-affordability
Ballroom Blitz: Union Pacific donates to White House ballroom while proposing massive merger
Comment: "Union Pacific Railroad is the lone Nebraska-based company publicly known to have donated to the new White House ballroom championed by President Donald Trump. It’s also a Nebraska-based company that will soon need a federal regulator to approve a massive merger that, if green-lit, would give the company control of more than 40% of rail freight traffic in the United States."
"Trump recently fired the most anti-merger board member of that federal regulator, the Surface Transportation Board, as he tries to exert unprecedented influence over ostensibly independent federal agencies."
"Union Pacific is far from the only White House ballroom donor that may have reason to curry presidential favor. Many of the publicly known donors are massive companies or billionaires. A recent report by Public Citizen, a consumer rights advocacy group, says that 14 out of 24 known corporate donors to the ballroom are facing federal enforcement action or have had enforcement suspended this year by the Trump administration."
Comment: Coincidence or corruption?
'A battlefield victory': Trump's tariff critics doubt they'll win the war, even if Supreme Court steps in - POLITICO
Comment: "Voters in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere flocked to Democratic candidates who hammered the president and his party for stubbornly high prices of everyday goods. It was an implicit — and sometimes explicit — rebuke of Trump’s use of tariffs, which are driving up the cost of coffee, cars, aluminum cans and other foreign imports Americans rely on. A day later, even Trump-appointed justices on the Supreme Court raised doubts about the president’s decision to raise levies, seemingly at will, on the country’s largest trading partners."
"Put together, it was validation for the retailers, free-market economists and old-school, business-friendly Republicans who have been warning about the potential long-term economic damage of Trump’s tariff regime and GOP prospects in the midterms. But few see much hope in pressing the White House’s self-described Tariff Man to pull back now."
"The Supreme Court is now weighing that question vis-a-vis Trump’s moves to hike duties substantially on countries around the world, and Wednesday’s arguments raise the prospects they will strike at least some of them down. In theory, it could give the president an excuse to rein in some of his most controversial tariffs — and help Republicans defend against Democrats’ attacks on affordability."
Comment: " 'I think people see that something’s driving up costs and tariffs are at the front of it,' said a Republican senator, granted anonymity to speak candidly about Tuesday’s election results. 'The president is so enamored with tariffs that it’s clearly a Trump-Republican thing, so it has a consequence.' "
Comment: " 'Tariffs are fundamentally one of the biggest reasons why costs are so high and Americans know that,' said Sam Newton, the communications director for the Democratic Governors Association. 'So in many ways, whether candidates are talking about tariffs or not, they’re raising prices in a way that sets the groundwork for Democrats to go on offense on the economy and on affordability.' "
Comment: "But strategists see potential electoral risk in Tuesday’s voter backlash to rising costs and the possibility that the Supreme Court could kick control over tariffs back to Congress — and set Republicans up for more thorny votes that could cost them at the ballot box."
Comment: "Trump has portrayed his ability to impose tariffs as 'life or death' for the economy, but the Supreme Court seemed skeptical that he could override Congress to impose a duty on nearly every country in the world with few guardrails. In oral arguments on Wednesday, several conservative justices questioned whether Trump’s national security argument for imposing tariffs justified his decision to take a core power from the legislative branch."
"But while a court ruling could make it more difficult to impose tariffs on a whim, Trump and top administration officials have pledged to find other legal routes to raise duties on foreign imports, even if it takes longer or is more cumbersome to enforce."
Comment: "Stephen Moore, a former Trump economic adviser, said Thursday that Republicans quietly hoping the Supreme Court will offer an escape hatch on tariffs may be disappointed."
" 'One of the problems with the tariff strategy is it’s been a lot of turmoil — uncertainty and turmoil,' said Moore. 'And if he loses the court case, I think that would only add to the turmoil in the short term. So I don’t think it’s going to be necessarily a victory for the economy.' "
Trump pardons former Tennessee House speaker and his aide, who were convicted on federal corruption charges
Comment: "President Donald Trump pardoned former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who were convicted on federal corruption charges."
"Casada, a Republican, was sentenced in September to 36 months in prison after being convicted on 17 charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Cothren, the aide, received a shorter sentence."
Comment: "The president this term has also pardoned several other former politicians, including former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former Tennessee GOP state Sen. Brian Kelsey and former GOP Las Vegas City Councilmember Michele Fiore. He also commuted former GOP Rep. George Santos' prison sentence."
Comment: If Casada was sentenced in September, did he spend ANY time in jail before Trump pardoned him?
Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments
https://apnews.com/article/snap-food-government-shutdown-trump-a807e9f0c0a7213e203c074553dc1f9b
Supreme Court allows Trump administration to temporarily withhold some SNAP payments for November
Comment: "Shortly after telling states that the food assistance program would be fully funded, the administration asked the Supreme Court to step in"
Comment: "The Supreme Court on Friday at least temporarily allowed the Trump administration to withhold about $4 billion in payments for the SNAP food benefits program that a federal judge had ordered."
Video: BREAKING: SCOTUS allows Trump admin. to temporarily suspend SNAP benefits - November 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIGWerKxMrQ
Video: USDA says it will begin fully funding SNAP benefits after court ruling - November 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yC1nFF7tcM
Video: Judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits by Friday - November 6, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mOQAhtc6m4
Video: Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund November SNAP benefits - November 6, 2025
Trump administration speeds up new rules that would make it easier to charge some protesters
Comment: "The Trump administration is speeding up the implementation of new rules that would give the agency tasked with protecting federal government facilities greater authority to charge people for a broader array of offenses on or off those properties."
"The changes outlining the powers of the Federal Protective Service, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, were put forward in early January under the Biden administration and were slated to take effect on Jan. 1 of next year but instead went into effect Wednesday. The administration said the rules were being changed ahead of time so they could address a 'recent surge in violence'."
"They come as protests have surged against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, especially near buildings associated with immigration enforcement, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices or facilities. They also come as the Trump administration is facing lawsuits in both Chicago and Portland against what critics say is the excessive use of force by federal officers against protesters and others or unjustified attempts to bring in federal forces to protect facilities."
"Activists and many political leaders have accused Homeland Security of aggressively suppressing peaceful protests and targeting activists trying to hold them accountable. Critics said the new rules could be used to target protesters."
Comment: "Spencer Reynolds, a former intelligence and counterintelligence lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security who’s now with the Brennan Center for Justice, a think tank, said Congress gave the Federal Protective Service the ability to work and carry out arrests off of federal property as necessary. But he’s concerned that the new regulations codifying these powers will be used as a way to target protesters."
" 'I see this as being guidance to go after peaceful protests where they are happening in the vicinity or even not in the vicinity of federal property,' he said."
"In a report last year issued by the Brennan Center, Reynolds said the FPS expanded dramatically after Sept. 11 and that’s led to 'overreach under political pressure'.”
abcnews.go.com: The Supreme Court could say Trump's tariffs are illegal. What happens then?
https://abcnews.go.com/US/supreme-court-trumps-tariffs-illegal/story?id=127258770
CNN: Trump admin tells Congress it currently lacks legal justification to strike Venezuela
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/politics/trump-venezuela-legal-congress-land
Judge in Comey case scolds prosecutors as he orders them to produce records from probe
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/nx-s1-5600580/judge-comey-probe-evidence
Comment: "A federal judge on Wednesday ordered prosecutors in the criminal case of former FBI Director James Comey to produce to defense lawyers a trove of materials from the investigation, saying he was concerned the Justice Department's position had been to 'indict first' and investigate second."
Comment: "Comey's defense lawyers had already asked for a transcript of grand jury proceedings, citing irregularities in the process and potential legal and factual errors that they said could result in the dismissal of the case."
"Fitzpatrick on Wednesday ordered prosecutors to produce grand jury materials and also directed them to give defense lawyers evidence seized through search warrants in 2019 and 2020 from Daniel Richman, a Columbia University law professor and close friend of Comey."
Trump faces rare Republican pushback as he presses Senate to scrap the filibuster
Video: Trump doubles down on Republicans ending the filibuster as government shutdown makes history - November 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-1xjPkdmWk
Supreme Court teases taking away Trump’s favorite foreign policy tool - POLITICO
Video: Supreme Court appears skeptical of tariffs argument - November 5, 2025
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp-video/mmvo251424325589
CNN: Takeaways from Trump’s rocky Supreme Court arguments over global tariffs
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/05/politics/takeaways-supreme-court-tariffs-trump
Video: Chief Justice Roberts and Solicitor General Sauer argue Trump's tariffs - November 5, 2025
Video: Supreme Court hears arguments for the Trump administration's tariffs - November 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niwDNOunvEo
Politico: Trump and Republicans admonish others for their Election Night losses
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/05/republicans-blame-losses-2025-elections-00636986
Comment: Excuses and they're starting to turn on each other.
Trump may become the face of economic discontent, a year after such worries helped him win big
Comment: "President Donald Trump got a serious warning from voters that he’s out of touch with their fears about a deteriorating U.S. economy."
"Democrats cruised in key races across the country Tuesday by harnessing some of the same populist fervor that helped get Trump reelected a year ago — but also by focusing on the kitchen table issues the Republican had vowed to fix. Now, as the incumbent, fears about the economy have made Trump the face of much of the public’s discontent."
" 'We learned a lot.' Trump acknowledged Wednesday. In a Fox News Channel interview, he said his party wasn’t doing enough to spread the word about the country’s economic progress."
Comment: The economic reality is starting to become clear to the public. However, Trump continues to claim the public's "economic discontent" is just a problem of messaging. Trump's primary messaging problem is the public realization that he has not been telling them the truth.
US fires Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile after Trump called for restarting nuclear weapons tests
Comment: Test of unarmed nuclear weapon delivery system, not a nuclear weapons test.
Trump nominates ex-New Mexico lawmaker to oversee public lands
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/05/trump-public-lands-nominee
Comment: "Donald Trump nominated a former lawmaker from New Mexico on Wednesday to oversee the management of vast public lands that are playing a central role in Republican attempts to ramp up fossil fuel production."
"The nominee for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), former representative Steve Pearce of New Mexico, must be confirmed by the Senate. The agency manages a quarter-billion acres – about 10% of land in the US. It’s also responsible for 700m acres of underground minerals, including major reserves of oil, natural gas and coal."
"The agency’s policies have swung sharply as control of the White House has shifted between Republicans and Democrats."
"Under the Democratic president Joe Biden, former bureau Director Tracy Stone-Manning curbed oil drilling and coal mining on federal lands while expanding renewable power in a bid to curb the climate crisis."
"Trump and Republicans in Congress have moved quickly to unravel Biden’s actions. In a matter of months they have opened millions of acres of public lands for mining and drilling and canceled land plans and conservation strategies that Biden’s administration took years to formulate."
"But some moves have fallen flat, including a proposal by the Utah Republican senator Mike Lee to sell more than 2m acres of federal lands to states or other entities. In October, the largest government coal lease sale in more than a decade drew a dirt-cheap bid that was rejected by the BLM."
Comment: "Pearce is a a former fighter pilot and Vietnam war veteran who led a successful oil-services company in New Mexico. He was first elected to the House in 2003 and served seven terms in a district spanning oil fields and vast tracts of public land under federal oversight."
White House says Americans will receive SNAP benefits despite Trump's post about withholding aid until shutdown ends
Comment: "The White House on Tuesday said Americans will receive SNAP benefits, 'fully complying' with a recent court order, after President Trump earlier said his administration would withhold benefits until the government shutdown ended, sparking confusion. When the more than 40 million Americans who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will receive those benefits was still unclear."
After Trump post on SNAP funds sparks confusion, White House says administration is complying with court order
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-snap-food-stamps-government-shutdown/
Trump threatens food aid as cities, nonprofits ask judge to intervene
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-snap-benefits-begin-only-when-us-government-opens-2025-11-04/
FBI fires, unfires, then refires agents linked to Jack Smith probe
Comment: "At least two FBI agents involved in past investigations into President Donald Trump were told Monday that they had been fired, only to learn later in the day that those terminations had been reversed or put on hold, according to six people familiar with the decisions."
"Then on Tuesday morning, the two agents learned they had indeed been fired, along with two other employees, according to three of the people familiar with the decisions."
"The chaotic process highlights the turmoil and uncertainty across federal law enforcement amid overhauls at the Justice Department and FBI that have targeted those who helped secure indictments against Trump or are viewed by the president as aligned with his political enemies."
"The targeted FBI agents were tied to either special counsel Jack Smith’s probe or the initial investigation into Trump that began in 2022 and that the FBI dubbed 'Arctic Frost'."
Despite recent turmoil at FDA, White House praises the agency's leader
Comment: "The White House is rallying behind Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary after the abrupt ousting of one of his top deputies over the weekend, the latest tumult in an agency that’s seen plenty this year."
"A new top drug regulator will likely be installed on Wednesday to replace George Tidmarsh as director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, according to a Health and Human Services official granted anonymity to discuss personnel planning."
"That individual will not be Vinay Prasad, the controversial head of the FDA’s biologics center, in charge of vaccines, who also works as the agency’s chief medical and scientific officer, they added."
Comment: "The lawsuit claims Tidmarsh used his FDA position to follow through on a yearslong intimidation campaign against Kevin Tang, a biotech investor who once worked with him, and companies Tang backed. The complaint details messages from Tidmarsh to Tang and other associates and contains copies of emails Aurinia says show that the former CDER chief tried to solicit a bribe through his lawyer in exchange for regulatory aid."
"The Tidmarsh departure is the latest development to rock the FDA."
"Earlier this year, Prasad was temporarily ousted by the White House after right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer led a crusade 'to remove the hematologist-oncologist and health researcher. That followed his push to get Sarepta Therapeutics to stop selling its Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug Elevidys due to safety concerns.' "
Comment: "Morale among rank-and-file FDA staff has nosedived in the months following steep Department of Government Efficiency-driven staff cuts at the agency earlier this year, according to two current FDA employees granted anonymity to discuss the impact of Tidmarsh’s departure."
Trump nominates Isaacman to run NASA — again
Comment: "President Donald Trump has picked Jared Isaacman to run NASA, handing the former nominee a remarkable second chance to lead the agency."
Comment: "The billionaire astronaut has already been tapped once to lead the space agency, but Trump pulled his nomination in May, just before the Senate was slated to vote on his confirmation, over concerns about his close ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and previous donations to Democrats."
"Isaacman has since sought to get back into the president’s good graces. He attended a White House event with major GOP donors in October, according to Axios, and has the backing of several lawmakers, including Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and high-profile MAGA influencer Laura Loomer."
Comment: "But Isaacman’s comeback push has faced resistance from Sean Duffy, who is serving as the acting head of the agency and the head of the Transportation Department. The effort has caused a high-stakes tussle over the role."
"The CEO of the payment processing company Shift4, Isaacman is a close business partner of Musk, who has a particular disdain for Duffy."
"But Isaacman faces an uphill battle to gather enough votes for his confirmation. Some Republicans have voiced concern about his past support for Democrats. And Isaacman has criticized Artemis, NASA’s program to land humans on the moon, arguing that the current setup is too expensive and built around a non-reusable rocket."
"Isaacman, if confirmed, would lead NASA at an uncertain time for the agency, which is grappling with steep budget cuts and fallout from the exodus of thousands of senior employees after cuts to the federal workforce."
"Isaacman also would need to try to execute Trump’s ambitious goal to land humans on the moon before the end of his term — and address major delays plaguing the effort."
Comment: Given Isaacman's "close ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk," do you think that his criticism of Artemis' "non-reusable rocket" is because the NASA developed SLS rocket is built by Boeing, and is planned instead of Musk's still unproven Falcon Heavy rocket?
Video: Trump will 'be involved' in Netanyahu corruption trial | NewsNation Now - November 4, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqWfoay6aq8
Trump says he'll "be involved" in Netanyahu's corruption trial "to help him out"
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/03/trump-netanyahu-corruption-trial-60-minutes
Comment: "President Trump told CBS' '60 Minutes' that he'll 'be involved' in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial 'to help him out a little bit'."
Comment: "Trump has repeatedly intervened into Israel's judicial system and domestic politics over Netanyahu's ongoing trial."
Comment: Why is the President of the United States sticking his nose into a judicial matter in a foreign country, especially when it involves a prime minister charged with corruption? Could it be a case of "birds of a feather, flocking together?"
How the ‘heartbreaking’ lack of a confirmed leader is impacting CYBERCOM and NSA
Comment: " 'It's indefensible and it shows just a total disregard by the administration and the secretary of defense for this mission area,' Rep. Don Bacon, R-NE, told Breaking Defense."
Comment: "It’s been nearly seven months since the Trump administration fired Gen. Timothy Haugh, commander of US Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency. And with no nominee named yet, experts, former military officials and a sitting Congressman are all raising red flags that the long gap has hurt American cyber preparedness."
"At the core of the issue, eight sources Breaking Defense spoke to said, is that the absence is undermining stated goals from the administration as well as military readiness, while noting how unprecedented it is to go this long without a name chosen."
" '[It’s] just sort of heartbreaking to see what’s going on with cyber and NSA under this administration right now. I say that as a Republican,' Rep. Don Bacon, R-NE, who also chairs the House Armed Services subcommittee in charge of cyber oversight, said in an interview. 'This is seven months. It’s indefensible and it shows just a total disregard by the administration and the secretary of defense for this mission area.' "
"For Bacon and others, one of the key issues is that the US is 'under cyberattack every day' and there is no one in charge of the top military and intelligence agency responsible for defending against such attacks and going on the offensive."
A Fox News report prompted Trump to post about Nigeria, setting off White House scramble
Comment: "A Fox News report prompted President Donald Trump to call out Nigeria over the killing of Christians and then threaten military action, setting off a scramble in the White House over the weekend, according to multiple U.S. officials."
Comment: "Trump's first social media post on Nigeria came Friday night after he watched a Fox News report on violence in the West African nation, two administration officials said. The president asked his staff for more information about the situation and, shortly after, declared in a Truth Social post that he was designating Nigeria a 'country of particular concern' over its failure to, in his words, stop the 'mass slaughter' of Christians."
"Trump then went further in a Saturday post, directing the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action."
Comment: "It’s not the first time the president’s rapid fire social media posts have moved faster than policy deliberations, with officials rushing to draft diplomatic and military options and allied governments taken by surprise."
"Experts and scholars who follow events in Nigeria say Trump’s portrayal of the security situation in the country as a 'Christian genocide' is misleading and oversimplified, as Nigerians of all faiths have suffered at the hands of Islamist extremists and other groups."
"Trump's posts even contradicted one of his own senior State Department advisers, Massad Boulous, who said last month that Muslims have died in larger numbers than Christians."
Video: Head Start programs begin to close as government shutdown disrupts funding - November 3, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3HNYYEg7Bs
Comment: It's not just the shutdown. What happens when the Trump Administration eliminates the Dept. of Education?
Report: Donors to Trump’s White House ballroom have $279B in federal contracts
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/11/03/trump-ballroom-donors-contracts-enforcement/
Trump says Maduro’s days are numbered but ‘doubts’ US will go to war with Venezuela
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/03/trump-us-venezuela-maduro-doubts-war
Comment: "Donald Trump has sent mixed signals about potential US intervention in Venezuela, playing down concerns of imminent war against the South American nation but saying its leader Nicolás Maduro’s days were numbered."
Comment: This was one of several confusing and seemingly contradictory statements from the President during an interview with CBS.
A confidential manifesto lays out Isaacman's sweeping new vision for NASA
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/03/jared-isaacman-confidential-manifesto-nasa-00633858
Comment: "When Jared Isaacman was the nominee for NASA chief this spring, the billionaire entrepreneur wrote an opus proposing drastic changes to the agency. And that document — now that he’s back in the running — could complicate his surprise comeback."
"The 62-page plan, obtained by POLITICO, proposes outsourcing some of NASA’s missions to the private sector and treating the government agency more like a business. The draft, known as 'Project Athena,' not only showcases Isaacman’s radical vision for the space agency. It comes as he reemerges as a potential candidate for the position against acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy."
"The longtime space enthusiast gave the confidential manifesto to Duffy this summer, according to two people familiar with the plan, but never meant for it to go public. Isaacman and Duffy are now battling for control of the agency and President Donald Trump’s support."
Comment: "Isaacman’s manifesto would radically change NASA’s approach to science. He advocates buying science data from commercial companies instead of putting up its own satellites, referring to it a 'science-as-a-service'."
Comment: "Critics argue that such a move misunderstands the nature of scientific funding, since science, by its nature, isn’t a commercial venture."
Isaacman and Duffy are playing a ‘Game of Thrones’ for control of NASA
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5581613-nasa-administrator-race-isaacman-duffy/
'No idea who he is,' says Trump after pardoning crypto tycoon
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7ek63e5xyo
Comment: "US President Donald Trump says he does not know who Changpeng Zhao is, despite pardoning the cryptocurrency multi-billionaire last month."
"Trump was asked about the pardon during an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes programme, which was broadcast on Sunday."
"Zhao, who is also known as 'CZ' pleaded guilty to enabling money laundering in 2023. He served four months in prison and agreed to step down as the chief executive of Binance, the crypto exchange he co-founded."
"His companies have partnered with firms linked to Trump on new digital-currency projects including Dominari Holdings, where his sons sit on the board of advisers and which is based in Trump Tower."
"The host of 60 Minutes, Norah O'Donnell, asked Trump why he pardoned Zhao even though government prosecutors had said he caused "significant harm to US national security."
" 'Okay, are you ready? I don't know who he is,' the president said."
"Trump added that he did not recall meeting Zhao and had 'no idea who he is', only that he had been told that the businessman was a victim of a 'witch hunt' by the administration of former US President Joe Biden."
Comment: Do you suppose that Trump knew that lie was so big that he had to prepare O'Donnell and the nation by asking "are you ready?"?
Trump on Binance cryptocurrency tycoon he pardoned: "I don't know who he is"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-binance-cryptocurrency-tycoon-he-pardoned-dont-know-who-he-is/
CNN: Fact check: 18 false claims Trump made on ‘60 Minutes’
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/03/politics/fact-check-trump-cbs-interview
5 takeaways from Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ interview
https://thehill.com/homenews/5586010-trump-interview-60-minutes/
President Trump on nuclear testing, the government shutdown, immigration, tariffs and U.S.-China relations
Comment: Transcript and video of Trump interview on "60 Minutes".
Comment: This is only the portion of the interview that made it onto "60 Minutes". The transcript of the entire interview (including the unaired portion) follows immediately below.
Comment: Many of Trump's answers lacked credibility and made no absolutely sense. Was Trump lying? Was he delusional? Was it a combination of both? His display of arrogance and ignorance was astounding coming from a President of the United States.
Comment: Many Americans don't have the time or inclination to follow the news and keep track of political activities. Perhaps Trump's statements sounded reasonable to these people. That's why it is so important to stay informed and to understand how American government is supposed to work. If Trump's statements in this interview sounded reasonable to you, please take the time to become better informed. The future of our country depends on a reasonably informed electorate.
Read the full transcript of Norah O'Donnell's interview with President Trump here.
Comment: "Editor's note: On October 31, 2025, correspondent Norah O'Donnell spoke with President Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, FL, and this is a transcript of that conversation. They started by discussing the president's recent meeting with China's President Xi Jinping."
Comment: This is the entire Trump interview with Norah O'Donnell. The "60 Minute" segment discussed in the next article link was taken from portions of this interview. The order of some conversation portions are different in the "60 Minute" presentation.
Interior opens lands adjacent to Zion, other national parks to coal leasing
Comment: "A recent announcement by the federal government could bring coal development to Southern Utah's public lands, including tracts adjacent to national parks."
"In September, the Trump Administration announced plans to open 13.1 million acres of federal lands to coal leasing — more than triple the 4 million-acre benchmark included in the One Beautiful Bill Act, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This includes 48,000 acres in Utah."
Comment: Do you think the Trump administration's perspective would be a little different if the coal leases were adjacent to Trump's golf courses?
FDA’s top drug regulator resigns after federal officials probe ‘serious concerns’ about his conduct
Comment: "The head of the Food and Drug Administration’s drug center abruptly resigned Sunday after federal officials began reviewing 'serious concerns about his personal conduct,' according to a government spokesperson."
"Dr. George Tidmarsh, who was named to the FDA post in July, was placed on leave Friday after officials in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel were notified of the issues, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said in an email. Tidmarsh then resigned Sunday morning."
Comment: "The departure came the same day that a drugmaker connected to one of Tidmarsh’s former business associates filed a lawsuit alleging that he made 'false and defamatory statements,' during his time at the FDA."
Comment: "Tidmarsh’s ouster is the latest in a string of haphazard leadership changes at the agency, which has been rocked for months by firings, departures and controversial decisions on vaccines flouride and other products."
Comment: "The FDA’s drug center, which Tidmarsh oversaw, has lost more than 1,000 staffers over the past year to layoffs or resignations, according to agency figures. The center is the largest division of the FDA and is responsible for the review, safety and quality control of prescription and over-the-counter medicines."
Comment: Read the linked article to see the details of what Tidmarsh allegedly did.
CNN: Hegseth bars military officials from discussing drug boat strikes with Congress without prior approval
Trump’s testing plans for US nuclear weapons won’t include explosions, energy secretary says
Comment: "New tests of the U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered up by President Donald Trump will not include nuclear explosions, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday."
"It was the first clarity from the Trump administration since the president took to social media last week to say he had 'instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.' "
" 'I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests,' Wright said in an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing.' 'These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions.' "
"Wright, whose agency is responsible for testing, added that the planned testing involves 'all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion.' "
"The confusion over Trump’s intention started minutes before he held a critical meeting in South Korea with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump took to his Truth Social platform and appeared to suggest he was preparing to discard a decades-old U.S. prohibition on testing the nation's nuclear weapons."
Video: Pictures released of renovated White House bathroom - November 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRyPRf0GmNM
Comment: Is Trump just "tone deaf," or is this display an attempt to project the regal power of the presidency to the average American.
Roll Call: Federal judge thanks Trump, orders him to make SNAP payments
https://rollcall.com/2025/11/01/federal-judge-thanks-trump-orders-him-to-make-snap-payments/
Comment: "A federal judge in Rhode Island followed up his Friday oral ruling with a written order Saturday requiring President Donald Trump’s Agriculture Department to make full food stamp payments no later than end of day Monday, or alternatively, partial payments by the end of day Wednesday."
"Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island was responding to the administration’s request for a written order, as well as Trump’s Friday night social media post asking the court for clarity as to how USDA could legally make the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments."
" 'I do not want Americans to go hungry,' Trump wrote on Truth Social after McConnell’s earlier ruling from the bench on Friday afternoon. '[I] ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible. . . . If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.' "
"In his seven-page order Saturday, McConnell acknowledged the president’s social media post and wrote in a footnote: 'The Court greatly appreciates the President’s quick and definitive response to this Court’s Order and his desire to provide the necessary SNAP funding.' "
Comment: Do you think there may have been a bit of sarcasm in the judge's expression of gratitude to Trump, or do you think he was sincere? In any event, his message setting deadlines for food stamp payments was quite clear.
Comment: The judge also suggested means for the Trump administration to come up with the needed funds.
Comment: "Separately, a Massachusetts federal judge said Friday she’d likely order benefit payments to go out if USDA hasn’t acted accordingly by Monday."
For News Articles links from before November 1st, 2025, please go to one of the following, depending on the article date:
https://sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/old3-the-second-trump-administration
https://sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/old2-second-trump-administration
or
https://sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/old-trump-dangers-of-2nd-term
There you will find a continuation of the news links & comments from the period prior to November 1, 2025. The article history can be viewed as follows:
www.dalecodemocrats.com (latest)
sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/ (May 1, 2025 - October 31,2025)
sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/ (Nov 2024 election - April 30, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/ (Prior to 2024 election)
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