I was glad that Trump ignored the plans of his COS Susie Wiles who wanted a slower roll out of his EOs, because by going for shock and awe he revealed to all the people who did not know or had been in denial of his plans, that his plans are going to effect everyone in the country in one way or another. Businesses were in shock because that much money removed from the economy would effect their bottom lines. Our medical system is also not prepared to lose that much money, and even the super rich will be affected if they have to fly to another country every time they get sick, unless they plan on abandoning their American homes. If you are going to do that, why influence the politics in the US at all anyway? Hospitals will shut down, not offer as many services when huge amounts of money are taken out, things that DT does not think about. Schools shutting down, and the ICE raids are making clearer to delusional immigrants who for whatever reason decided to support DT, and now find out that anyone, even citizens are at risk of being picked up and deported if they go anywhere without the proof on them. Harder for children to do.
I am even more glad that the freeze was placed on it by a Republican judge and that Trump has to withdraw his money freeze. My friend shared with me her university's letter to the faculty telling them to continue using their grant monies as they have been until further notice.
My husband shared his university's 2 letters to faculty. The first telling them only to use grants for salaries right now, and not for travel, conferences, supplies, until further notice. The second told them that they could go back to using the funds as they had planned until further notice because the freeze had been withdrawn.
There has not been one action that has surprised me because I have read Project 2025. I had the advantage of reading it in a political book club and we are a support group for each other, as well as planning on our support actions together. I really recommend that everyone read this document, at least the chapters that seem most relevant to your lives, because this is the blue print for at least the next 4 years, unless Americans get it together to insist on Trump being impeached and removed from office and tried. Let South Korea be an inspiration.
You know, if I cared about Donald Trump and wanted his administration to succeed, then I'd think twice about setting him up as Russell Vought's Project 2025 crash test dummy. I mean, the illegal firings, unconstitutional funding freeze, and the federal workforce Schedule F f*ck-up.
With friends like Vought ...
Russell Vought, Stephen Miller
Trump's twisted TweedleDee and TweedleDum ... we need a 2025 Pinky and the Brain.
I believe Jefferson Davis was never punished because the North indulged in misplaced magnaminity: They mistakenly and naively thought that making nice to the South would knit up the wounds of the Civil War. What they didn‘t understand was that, although the South was defeated militarily, it was not defeated in spirit and ideology.
Similarly, Trump and Trumpsters have not abandoned their strategic aims; tactical setbacks leave them capable and strongly motivated to impose their ideological agendas on America and even the world. It‘s critical that non-MAGAites not „be reasonable“ (which is not the same as being UNreasonable) by compromising with Trump and MAGA on matters of principle and give them running room.
I think it might be more dangerous with Vance. He's smarter, he's clever, and he's "smoother." After watching him lie as easily as he breathes on one of the morning shows, I shudder at the thought. Talk about being between a rock and a hard spot...that's where we are.
That said, we cannot give up. We can resist by donating funds to those organizations that are fighting for our democracy, contacting the elected officials, writing letters to the editor, and spreading the word to to anyone and everyone who will lend an ear.
Lack of charisma won't make any difference if he becomes President. It's foolish to think that removing Trump will make a difference. Trump isn't running things, and Vance wouldn't be either. I suspect that we are right now at the best point to take power back legally and with minimum damage, by continuing to protest any and all EOs that come out of P25, by continuing to write our Congress people to demand that they together stand up against what the Trump "administration" is doing, by donating what we can to orgs like ACLU and LDAD and others working to keep democracy functioning, by letting our marginalized neighbors know we support them, and by standing up ourselves when occasions present the opportunity. It's on us.
Thank you for bringing up the immigration raids. While I’m aware of the daily outrages, my main focus has been the safety of my family and friends, all citizens born or naturalized but in danger from indiscriminate raids because we don’t ’look like citizens.’ So we are learning how to hide photos of our passports on our phones. But it is the younger generations who are most at risk.
We have photos of our passports on our phones too. I have told my husband that when I come back to the US, I will not go anywhere without carrying ID on me. Those citizens who cannot afford ID are shit out of luck, because Laken-Riley does away with all due process, so one does not even have the opportunity to prove one is a citizen before.
Impeachment proceedings are in order. Trump has committed several impeachable offences in his first few days in office. It needs to be stopped and reigned in now. These lawless actions will continue unabated as we know because his malignant narcissistic ego insists on it. He is evil and sadistic.
Hearing that this woman is the daughter of Pat Summerall, I was relieved. Pat was one of the wonderful sports commentators and even sports commentators, if they’re good,show their basic respect for the truth.
Another question we should be asking is “where are General Milley’s brothers-in-arms? They should be standing beside him in defiance of Hegseth’s recent actions. From the General staff to the lowest ranks of enlisted members of the military, American warriors seem to have gone AWOL on the matter of the oath they all swore to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC as General Milley did and continues to do. We should all, active duty and retired, be standing shoulder to shoulder in support of General Milley in unified defiance of Hegseth’s fascist orders in violation of the rule of law and moral conscience.
I'm not a military man but this strikes me as unreasonable. Asking serving officers to break the chain of command seems like a pretty heavy and pretty inappropriate lift. If you're talking about retired officers, that would be different.
I don't belief Milley said anything about breaking the chain of command. It is a right wing spin. He said the military oath was to protect America and they did not take the oath to support a tyrant or a king. He did not tell them not to protect the presidency or any other officer in the line of command. "If the shoe fits . . . ."
Stewart, are you sure they’re AWOL? You may be making a false assumption because of false expectations. You will not see active duty or retired military personnel marching in the streets. If you know any military folks, ask them what they’re hearing. Find out where they communicate with each other (like the Reddit group for federal employees). Try to refrain from making accusations unless you can verify they are correct. And while you’re at it, let us know what you plan to do to support General Milley.
I’m going to go off on a tangent here with a story about how this bullshit affects everyone. As many of you know, I am a heart transplant recipient, and as such, I’m a member of a heart transplant support group. On Tuesday, terrified members started asking about the implications of the spending freeze to their lives. It started civilly but quickly devolved into accusations and typical MAGA bluster and defense of lies. Then, yesterday, one of the administrators posted on the dangers of RFK Jr. and posted a link for a calling campaign to oppose his confirmation. All hell broke out with demands that the post be taken down, testimonials to RFK’s supposed “impeccable character,” and various insults and lies all directed at the administrator who rightly pointed out the danger of this man.
I bring this up because this fight is the last thing sick people need. “Bobby,” as many of his defenders referred to him, is a danger to the members and the Administrator tried to help only to be attacked. Like our nation, the response was about fifty-fifty. My wife, who works in public health within the cancer space, tells me this tableau has repeated itself in their cancer support groups. What it amounts to is that sick people are having to fight disinformation along with their illnesses. It’s not OK. This is why we fight.
This story is so hard to read. How can people be SO disinformed about very clearly dangerous and damaged, not to mention sadistic sociopaths? There is no nuance or possible positive qualities about RFK Jr. Like the Felon and the rest of them, he is the antithesis of the character and qualities needed for these positions. People who have had serious medical operations and who are in the cancer support or public health field (or any medical field), should know better. Where are they getting their information??
Gosh, Dean…so sorry! At this juncture, it’s sad that virtually everything, especially those of an extremely serious nature, can’t be approached with understanding and unity. It’s not OK. Please carry on!
Dean so on point, and true across the spectrum of undertrodden. Those fighting for their survival, lack additional bandwidth bc of their struggles, & are being targeted.
I’m starting radiation treatment for breast cancer. Until I read Dean Gavney’s comment, it didn’t occur to me that a freeze on funds might affect my Radiation Oncologist and my treatments. I was already writing to my CA US Senators and asking them to oppose the nomination of JFK,Jr. and the other remaining odious nominees. I had to drop out of my cancer support group because I have a class at the same time. Maybe it’s for the best. I don’t know if the other women are trump supporters and I am happy not to find out. If anyone is interested, I wrote a post about my surgery called Oh Mama! Things Just Got Worse.”
Someone needs to start a "Trump and his administration lie tracker and fact checker" to keep a record of the flood of lies already coming out of the administration and provide corrective facts. I don't know if the Contrarian could do this, or possibly Indivisible, but it needs to get set up immediately. The Post isn't going to do it this time round.
I can't believe there are only 2 lies since the inauguration. Somewhere someone needs to keep track of all the laws that are being broken by him and his staff. But again not sure the maga crowd will read it or care 😭
Joyce Vance is doing that tracker! She announced toward the end of last year that she would commit to keeping just such a tracker, and I can’t wait to see it unroll.
Amen to that Bea. I have taken a stiff approach to Facebook 'buddies' that were going past normal BS. Ultimately I blocked one, but the others have toned down their rhetoric as I hope/believe they have observed some of the insane actions. And now are well but damn WTF has my vote wrought.
Of course I could be completely delusional, but I pray that the vibes I get are on point.
I got rid of Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and Messenger two weeks ago. I cancelled NYT and WaPo many months ago. I will not let these monsters and another Jewish Nazi, have my money and then give it to the traitor, the wannabe dicktator! What they can all do is cram their billions up their assholes where the sun doesn’t shine!
I think there are large swathes of Red America that have limited news sources and those news sources have no need to balance the tripe they peddle because there is no effective Fairness Doctrine anymore. FOX is the head coach but outfits like Sinclair Broadcasting are the quarterback and defensive coaches. This wouldn't matter so much if there was equally strong Democratic news and opinion alternatives in these (largely) rural areas, but there isn't. Gerrymandering, REDMAP, and Citizens United have turned our country on its ear.
That is so important to note. I have found being a source for information and actions that can be taken on Reddit is helpful. I am not saying I am talking to many Reps directly, but folks on the Subreddits with which I have shared info, share it with folks they know. Western NC is one area I believe I have made a multiple drop in the bucket difference.
Also the amount of trolls on Reddit are far less. And the moderators and communities do a good job keeping that distraction to a minimum.
And we pay for this lack of a Fairness Doctrine through the disproportionate un-representation in the Electoral College. i.e. LA County has a population greater than 1/3 of the states in the Union. But California and those small states each get two senators. So.... in cabinet confirmations - Kansas, Wyoming and California are all equal.
I don’t understand how Hegseth has any authority to cancel these days of remembrance in the Armed Forces. These days we’re put in place in the legislative branch: The Senate and House. How many Blacks, Hispanics, etc are in the military or were in the past?
Further to that, it may face substantial legal scrutiny. Not long ago, the S.C. upheld affirmative action for military academies. Not to mention your crucial point of how many members belong to these groups, and have served valiantly for centuries. And I'd like to know how Trump's near-genocidal support of Israel squares with banning Holocaust Memorial Day; or how they can justify erasing Native American / First Nations remembrance for American service members. Etc. It's not enough for this charlatan to re-christen the U.S. military as a weakened, neo-Nazi recruiting station. Let's hope that resistance will build and prevail.
Keep in mind that this is one man, and that by himself, he cannot cause any of these things to happen (in other words, he does not have the authority). Rather than spend a lot of indignant energy on it, write your Congress people and tell them that this is not acceptible. My own sense of Hegseth's list is that it is a distraction away from some other issues that we really need to take action on.
Hegseth would not do this if he didn't have the tacit approval of Trump, and Russell Vought.
The removal of Holocaust days of remembrance is another indicator of the rise if Christian nationalists within Trump's inner circle. Their interest in Israel is solely as a prop for bringing about Armageddon and the Second Coming.
My immediate reaction to Kathleen Leavitt's bumbling was waiting to see if she would be found in contempt of court. That may yet happen, especially of she doubles down on what turns out to be a lie.
I'm feeling her shelf life may be shorter than Liz Truss's head of lettuce, if only because she may be bleeding the new administration's key metric: money (spent on incompetent lawsuits). Her actions are jeopardizing their attempts at policy (or mandate), and pissing judges off who might have been more deferential in rulings. Not now.
Yes, though Wiles isn't the one picking people for telegenic appeal. It's Trump who impulsively favors TV talking heads / extremist pop stars, which is a clear danger for us, and an increasing liability for them. I'd wager Wiles prefers people to advance their "agenda," while remaining longer than a month, or a Scaramucci.
Wiles / Trump is a weird dynamic -- in a perverse sort of way, he's lucky to have her. Probably why Wiles is still there.
We need to draw a straight line between firing the head of TSA and the Coast Guard and hollowing out the Aviation Safety Advisory Board and higher risk of tragedies like last night's DC crash. Show the American people that there are consequences to eliminating federal employees who have real skills and knowledge. I have already emailed Amy Klobuchar, one of my Senators who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee. Let's force Democrats to speak up for competent government.
Also, Musk demanded and received the resignation of the head of FAA, and there is not yet even a nominee to replace him. I believe there have also been FAA layoffs, but couldn't find that in a quick search. Remember that when they say they are eliminating DEI hires, they mean everyone is is not a white male.
This arrived in my news feed early yesterday morning from a friend who is the Supervisor of a National Forest "Um NO. Negative. Absolutely not. Nope. Not happening.". We forget just how diverse a group Federal Employees are.
Thanks for sharing,Lynell.I reached out to my nephew yesterday,high level Civil Service,and he shared similar sentiment….”every day brings new challenges”. So proud of him,although I know he’s fearful.
Please all, reach out to those in your circle who are being targeted with these EO’s.Civil servants,LGQBT,military…
As a proud mother of a 19 year DOD Federal Employee, the stress his workers and co-workers are feeling right now is heartbreaking to watch. The e-mail that was sent to each federal worker was so disrespectful that there are no words!! I have never seen my son this stressed and he is the father of four children!!! I am so thankful for Robert’s newsletter and for the “like-minded” individuals that offer hope, suggestions of articles and newsletters, and the reminder of the amazing power the American people have when the band together. We all need each other during these very stressful days!! Thanks again to Robert, his managing editor Jill, and this wonderful community of people fighting for Democracy!!!
Yes! Living in NoVa I was pleasantly surprised to see the increasing outrage & sharing of documents on FB. My hope is this will continue across platforms, my greater concern is the destruction of documentation (e g., J6 files). Does anyone know if there are organizations working to preserve these before this administration can wipe the slate?
Yes, I second what Alice just said. My sister ,a 30 yr civil servant, is delaying her retirement because if she leaves now “they win.” I’m proud of her and know that people who work in the Federal government are tough and will not let this go. Resistance is in the cards .
Superb column and reporting Rob. Always at your best when explaining complex and sometimes absurd legal goings on! Thank you. And thank you for the referral to Lawyers Coalition for Democracy.
I’m concerned that it was just the few minutes of fear of losing personal benefits that got people stirred up. When it doesn’t impact a person they ain’t paying attention. The list of holidays that the DOD will now ignore isn’t being protested. Today’s news on changes in education will not cause great protest. The dismay on the release and pardons of the J6 violent criminals is yesterday’s news. The plan to make Guantanamo Bay a prison camp for migrants is not an outrage.
Follow the arc of where this is all leading. Great idea to register young voters until this is accused as fomenting dissent, indoctrination and another reason to call off elections.
I am very pessimistic and I wish I wasn’t, but I’ve grown up in a family where the Holocaust was personal history. Things happen in increments and gradually the impossible horrors become the reality.
I echo these comments. The Holocaust is lived memory for my family, as is military service and higher education. The reactionary combination is toxic and very difficult to stomach.
I do think, beyond myopic, red state clamor for reinstating benefits (critical, but admittedly compelled by their immediate pain), the outcry was more robust and comprehensive. So many functions were paralyzed simultaneously that informed citizens and reps, of which there are many, were aghast and outraged. I was one of them.
I do think the "gish gallop" effect is unfortunately sidelining vital issues and historical precedents by deflecting attention spans. Writing, reading, communicating and connecting during this time is essential to keep people and students informed and fact-based. It's an epistemological assault. They want people to forget, or actively defame and propagandize.
The airline/helicopter crash has been dominating the news since early this morning. So heartbreaking for those who have died and their loved ones.
Beforehand, though, when news broke that the Executive Branch rescinded their order to freeze the funds, Don Scott had this to say:
“This is priceless,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) wrote on X moments after news broke that the freeze had lifted. “Republicans — especially, Governor Youngkin — spent all day twisting themselves into pretzels defending Trump’s disastrous decision. And then — bam — it gets rescinded. Eventually, everyone who ties themselves to Trump ends up looking like a fool. Stand by for more chaos.”
Good. D-reps going public and exposing GOP depraved hypocrisy is exactly what we need to pull things back from the disinfo campaigns and crass dismantling. Thanks for the state-level reportage.
I was glad that Trump ignored the plans of his COS Susie Wiles who wanted a slower roll out of his EOs, because by going for shock and awe he revealed to all the people who did not know or had been in denial of his plans, that his plans are going to effect everyone in the country in one way or another. Businesses were in shock because that much money removed from the economy would effect their bottom lines. Our medical system is also not prepared to lose that much money, and even the super rich will be affected if they have to fly to another country every time they get sick, unless they plan on abandoning their American homes. If you are going to do that, why influence the politics in the US at all anyway? Hospitals will shut down, not offer as many services when huge amounts of money are taken out, things that DT does not think about. Schools shutting down, and the ICE raids are making clearer to delusional immigrants who for whatever reason decided to support DT, and now find out that anyone, even citizens are at risk of being picked up and deported if they go anywhere without the proof on them. Harder for children to do.
I am even more glad that the freeze was placed on it by a Republican judge and that Trump has to withdraw his money freeze. My friend shared with me her university's letter to the faculty telling them to continue using their grant monies as they have been until further notice.
My husband shared his university's 2 letters to faculty. The first telling them only to use grants for salaries right now, and not for travel, conferences, supplies, until further notice. The second told them that they could go back to using the funds as they had planned until further notice because the freeze had been withdrawn.
There has not been one action that has surprised me because I have read Project 2025. I had the advantage of reading it in a political book club and we are a support group for each other, as well as planning on our support actions together. I really recommend that everyone read this document, at least the chapters that seem most relevant to your lives, because this is the blue print for at least the next 4 years, unless Americans get it together to insist on Trump being impeached and removed from office and tried. Let South Korea be an inspiration.
I read enough to not be surprised, either. Scared, yes.
Agreed! In fact, terrified at some moments.
You know, if I cared about Donald Trump and wanted his administration to succeed, then I'd think twice about setting him up as Russell Vought's Project 2025 crash test dummy. I mean, the illegal firings, unconstitutional funding freeze, and the federal workforce Schedule F f*ck-up.
With friends like Vought ...
Russell Vought, Stephen Miller
Trump's twisted TweedleDee and TweedleDum ... we need a 2025 Pinky and the Brain.
https://youtu.be/VMxX_AlUzOQ?si=ygjN45jaUdklt0T-
America has never punished its traitors. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy was not tried for treason. Ponder that fact for a while.
I believe Jefferson Davis was never punished because the North indulged in misplaced magnaminity: They mistakenly and naively thought that making nice to the South would knit up the wounds of the Civil War. What they didn‘t understand was that, although the South was defeated militarily, it was not defeated in spirit and ideology.
Similarly, Trump and Trumpsters have not abandoned their strategic aims; tactical setbacks leave them capable and strongly motivated to impose their ideological agendas on America and even the world. It‘s critical that non-MAGAites not „be reasonable“ (which is not the same as being UNreasonable) by compromising with Trump and MAGA on matters of principle and give them running room.
If 🙏🤞rump💩 is impeached will it be any different with Vance? 😭 We will have to impeach many people until we get one who wants to keep Democracy.
I think it might be more dangerous with Vance. He's smarter, he's clever, and he's "smoother." After watching him lie as easily as he breathes on one of the morning shows, I shudder at the thought. Talk about being between a rock and a hard spot...that's where we are.
That said, we cannot give up. We can resist by donating funds to those organizations that are fighting for our democracy, contacting the elected officials, writing letters to the editor, and spreading the word to to anyone and everyone who will lend an ear.
We CANNOT GIVE UP.
I agree. Vance is an unknown, so people assume he'll be better. Anyone reading his background will known he is intelligent and unhinged.
Vance has no charisma, and he comes across as a smartass eho thinks he's better than everyone else. I don't know if that will play well
Lack of charisma won't make any difference if he becomes President. It's foolish to think that removing Trump will make a difference. Trump isn't running things, and Vance wouldn't be either. I suspect that we are right now at the best point to take power back legally and with minimum damage, by continuing to protest any and all EOs that come out of P25, by continuing to write our Congress people to demand that they together stand up against what the Trump "administration" is doing, by donating what we can to orgs like ACLU and LDAD and others working to keep democracy functioning, by letting our marginalized neighbors know we support them, and by standing up ourselves when occasions present the opportunity. It's on us.
You are correct. This is why even though I'm already exhausted i know I cannot quit doing the hard work of advocacy and activism
Forget about impeachment (for a long time): There are not enough votes for conviction. It‘s important to win … not to lose.
„Don‘t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!“, ordered the commander of troops defending Bunker Hill.
Thank you for bringing up the immigration raids. While I’m aware of the daily outrages, my main focus has been the safety of my family and friends, all citizens born or naturalized but in danger from indiscriminate raids because we don’t ’look like citizens.’ So we are learning how to hide photos of our passports on our phones. But it is the younger generations who are most at risk.
We have photos of our passports on our phones too. I have told my husband that when I come back to the US, I will not go anywhere without carrying ID on me. Those citizens who cannot afford ID are shit out of luck, because Laken-Riley does away with all due process, so one does not even have the opportunity to prove one is a citizen before.
Impeachment proceedings are in order. Trump has committed several impeachable offences in his first few days in office. It needs to be stopped and reigned in now. These lawless actions will continue unabated as we know because his malignant narcissistic ego insists on it. He is evil and sadistic.
However, don‘t impeach until conviction is assured.
Imwonder how long Susie Wiles will last.
It seems clear that Trump and Musk are ignoring any advice to go slow.
Hearing that this woman is the daughter of Pat Summerall, I was relieved. Pat was one of the wonderful sports commentators and even sports commentators, if they’re good,show their basic respect for the truth.
What difference does Pat Summerall's career in sports commentary have to with the chaos being unleashed on our country? Wiles is a cynical hack.
I was just having one of those optimistic moments. They’re pretty much gone now.
Another question we should be asking is “where are General Milley’s brothers-in-arms? They should be standing beside him in defiance of Hegseth’s recent actions. From the General staff to the lowest ranks of enlisted members of the military, American warriors seem to have gone AWOL on the matter of the oath they all swore to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC as General Milley did and continues to do. We should all, active duty and retired, be standing shoulder to shoulder in support of General Milley in unified defiance of Hegseth’s fascist orders in violation of the rule of law and moral conscience.
I'm not a military man but this strikes me as unreasonable. Asking serving officers to break the chain of command seems like a pretty heavy and pretty inappropriate lift. If you're talking about retired officers, that would be different.
I don't belief Milley said anything about breaking the chain of command. It is a right wing spin. He said the military oath was to protect America and they did not take the oath to support a tyrant or a king. He did not tell them not to protect the presidency or any other officer in the line of command. "If the shoe fits . . . ."
A great question but military people always ask “ is this the hill I want to die on or do I have other opinions “
Stewart, are you sure they’re AWOL? You may be making a false assumption because of false expectations. You will not see active duty or retired military personnel marching in the streets. If you know any military folks, ask them what they’re hearing. Find out where they communicate with each other (like the Reddit group for federal employees). Try to refrain from making accusations unless you can verify they are correct. And while you’re at it, let us know what you plan to do to support General Milley.
I’m going to go off on a tangent here with a story about how this bullshit affects everyone. As many of you know, I am a heart transplant recipient, and as such, I’m a member of a heart transplant support group. On Tuesday, terrified members started asking about the implications of the spending freeze to their lives. It started civilly but quickly devolved into accusations and typical MAGA bluster and defense of lies. Then, yesterday, one of the administrators posted on the dangers of RFK Jr. and posted a link for a calling campaign to oppose his confirmation. All hell broke out with demands that the post be taken down, testimonials to RFK’s supposed “impeccable character,” and various insults and lies all directed at the administrator who rightly pointed out the danger of this man.
I bring this up because this fight is the last thing sick people need. “Bobby,” as many of his defenders referred to him, is a danger to the members and the Administrator tried to help only to be attacked. Like our nation, the response was about fifty-fifty. My wife, who works in public health within the cancer space, tells me this tableau has repeated itself in their cancer support groups. What it amounts to is that sick people are having to fight disinformation along with their illnesses. It’s not OK. This is why we fight.
This story is so hard to read. How can people be SO disinformed about very clearly dangerous and damaged, not to mention sadistic sociopaths? There is no nuance or possible positive qualities about RFK Jr. Like the Felon and the rest of them, he is the antithesis of the character and qualities needed for these positions. People who have had serious medical operations and who are in the cancer support or public health field (or any medical field), should know better. Where are they getting their information??
Gosh, Dean…so sorry! At this juncture, it’s sad that virtually everything, especially those of an extremely serious nature, can’t be approached with understanding and unity. It’s not OK. Please carry on!
Dean so on point, and true across the spectrum of undertrodden. Those fighting for their survival, lack additional bandwidth bc of their struggles, & are being targeted.
I’m starting radiation treatment for breast cancer. Until I read Dean Gavney’s comment, it didn’t occur to me that a freeze on funds might affect my Radiation Oncologist and my treatments. I was already writing to my CA US Senators and asking them to oppose the nomination of JFK,Jr. and the other remaining odious nominees. I had to drop out of my cancer support group because I have a class at the same time. Maybe it’s for the best. I don’t know if the other women are trump supporters and I am happy not to find out. If anyone is interested, I wrote a post about my surgery called Oh Mama! Things Just Got Worse.”
I'd say that Jay Kuo carried the day if it's a trenchant summary you're looking for. "Incompetent Liars." Pretty much says it all.
Someone needs to start a "Trump and his administration lie tracker and fact checker" to keep a record of the flood of lies already coming out of the administration and provide corrective facts. I don't know if the Contrarian could do this, or possibly Indivisible, but it needs to get set up immediately. The Post isn't going to do it this time round.
I think that Politifact started doing this.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/list/?category&ruling=false&speaker=donald-trump
I can't believe there are only 2 lies since the inauguration. Somewhere someone needs to keep track of all the laws that are being broken by him and his staff. But again not sure the maga crowd will read it or care 😭
Joyce Vance is doing that tracker! She announced toward the end of last year that she would commit to keeping just such a tracker, and I can’t wait to see it unroll.
I think Joyce Vance is starting something like this.
Yes it needs to be kept track of but unfortunately his maga people won't look at it.
Dems, reawaken the dragons in you and you’ll find out, much to your surprise, that your opponents are just chickens.
Amen to that Bea. I have taken a stiff approach to Facebook 'buddies' that were going past normal BS. Ultimately I blocked one, but the others have toned down their rhetoric as I hope/believe they have observed some of the insane actions. And now are well but damn WTF has my vote wrought.
Of course I could be completely delusional, but I pray that the vibes I get are on point.
I got rid of Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and Messenger two weeks ago. I cancelled NYT and WaPo many months ago. I will not let these monsters and another Jewish Nazi, have my money and then give it to the traitor, the wannabe dicktator! What they can all do is cram their billions up their assholes where the sun doesn’t shine!
I think there are large swathes of Red America that have limited news sources and those news sources have no need to balance the tripe they peddle because there is no effective Fairness Doctrine anymore. FOX is the head coach but outfits like Sinclair Broadcasting are the quarterback and defensive coaches. This wouldn't matter so much if there was equally strong Democratic news and opinion alternatives in these (largely) rural areas, but there isn't. Gerrymandering, REDMAP, and Citizens United have turned our country on its ear.
That is so important to note. I have found being a source for information and actions that can be taken on Reddit is helpful. I am not saying I am talking to many Reps directly, but folks on the Subreddits with which I have shared info, share it with folks they know. Western NC is one area I believe I have made a multiple drop in the bucket difference.
Also the amount of trolls on Reddit are far less. And the moderators and communities do a good job keeping that distraction to a minimum.
And we pay for this lack of a Fairness Doctrine through the disproportionate un-representation in the Electoral College. i.e. LA County has a population greater than 1/3 of the states in the Union. But California and those small states each get two senators. So.... in cabinet confirmations - Kansas, Wyoming and California are all equal.
I don’t understand how Hegseth has any authority to cancel these days of remembrance in the Armed Forces. These days we’re put in place in the legislative branch: The Senate and House. How many Blacks, Hispanics, etc are in the military or were in the past?
Further to that, it may face substantial legal scrutiny. Not long ago, the S.C. upheld affirmative action for military academies. Not to mention your crucial point of how many members belong to these groups, and have served valiantly for centuries. And I'd like to know how Trump's near-genocidal support of Israel squares with banning Holocaust Memorial Day; or how they can justify erasing Native American / First Nations remembrance for American service members. Etc. It's not enough for this charlatan to re-christen the U.S. military as a weakened, neo-Nazi recruiting station. Let's hope that resistance will build and prevail.
If it's just for show and stirring up the crowd, what difference does it make? Mission accomplished!
Keep in mind that this is one man, and that by himself, he cannot cause any of these things to happen (in other words, he does not have the authority). Rather than spend a lot of indignant energy on it, write your Congress people and tell them that this is not acceptible. My own sense of Hegseth's list is that it is a distraction away from some other issues that we really need to take action on.
Hegseth would not do this if he didn't have the tacit approval of Trump, and Russell Vought.
The removal of Holocaust days of remembrance is another indicator of the rise if Christian nationalists within Trump's inner circle. Their interest in Israel is solely as a prop for bringing about Armageddon and the Second Coming.
My immediate reaction to Kathleen Leavitt's bumbling was waiting to see if she would be found in contempt of court. That may yet happen, especially of she doubles down on what turns out to be a lie.
I'm feeling her shelf life may be shorter than Liz Truss's head of lettuce, if only because she may be bleeding the new administration's key metric: money (spent on incompetent lawsuits). Her actions are jeopardizing their attempts at policy (or mandate), and pissing judges off who might have been more deferential in rulings. Not now.
Levitt is in over her head. Her inexperience is showing.
No doubt Susie Wiles will have another Stepford blonde lined up and ready if Leavitt falters.
Yes, though Wiles isn't the one picking people for telegenic appeal. It's Trump who impulsively favors TV talking heads / extremist pop stars, which is a clear danger for us, and an increasing liability for them. I'd wager Wiles prefers people to advance their "agenda," while remaining longer than a month, or a Scaramucci.
Wiles / Trump is a weird dynamic -- in a perverse sort of way, he's lucky to have her. Probably why Wiles is still there.
Karoline Leavitt
Thanks for the correction.
You're welcome. These sorts of mistakes jump out at me. I've found copy editing mistakes in published books.
I think you are great. I could not get through this nightmare were it not for you holding our hands. Thank you. 🙏
We need to draw a straight line between firing the head of TSA and the Coast Guard and hollowing out the Aviation Safety Advisory Board and higher risk of tragedies like last night's DC crash. Show the American people that there are consequences to eliminating federal employees who have real skills and knowledge. I have already emailed Amy Klobuchar, one of my Senators who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee. Let's force Democrats to speak up for competent government.
Also, Musk demanded and received the resignation of the head of FAA, and there is not yet even a nominee to replace him. I believe there have also been FAA layoffs, but couldn't find that in a quick search. Remember that when they say they are eliminating DEI hires, they mean everyone is is not a white male.
This arrived in my news feed early yesterday morning from a friend who is the Supervisor of a National Forest "Um NO. Negative. Absolutely not. Nope. Not happening.". We forget just how diverse a group Federal Employees are.
Joyce Vance's latest newsletter shared many Federal workers' comments on Reddit. So inspiring. Here it is ICYMI:
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/how-to-push-back
Thanks for sharing,Lynell.I reached out to my nephew yesterday,high level Civil Service,and he shared similar sentiment….”every day brings new challenges”. So proud of him,although I know he’s fearful.
Please all, reach out to those in your circle who are being targeted with these EO’s.Civil servants,LGQBT,military…
As a proud mother of a 19 year DOD Federal Employee, the stress his workers and co-workers are feeling right now is heartbreaking to watch. The e-mail that was sent to each federal worker was so disrespectful that there are no words!! I have never seen my son this stressed and he is the father of four children!!! I am so thankful for Robert’s newsletter and for the “like-minded” individuals that offer hope, suggestions of articles and newsletters, and the reminder of the amazing power the American people have when the band together. We all need each other during these very stressful days!! Thanks again to Robert, his managing editor Jill, and this wonderful community of people fighting for Democracy!!!
Yes! Living in NoVa I was pleasantly surprised to see the increasing outrage & sharing of documents on FB. My hope is this will continue across platforms, my greater concern is the destruction of documentation (e g., J6 files). Does anyone know if there are organizations working to preserve these before this administration can wipe the slate?
*even on FB
Yes, I second what Alice just said. My sister ,a 30 yr civil servant, is delaying her retirement because if she leaves now “they win.” I’m proud of her and know that people who work in the Federal government are tough and will not let this go. Resistance is in the cards .
I was thinking something similar yesterday: a sign that just says, "NO!"
I'm beginning to more often wear my NOPE pin I got at an art's fair a few years ago.
Superb column and reporting Rob. Always at your best when explaining complex and sometimes absurd legal goings on! Thank you. And thank you for the referral to Lawyers Coalition for Democracy.
I’m concerned that it was just the few minutes of fear of losing personal benefits that got people stirred up. When it doesn’t impact a person they ain’t paying attention. The list of holidays that the DOD will now ignore isn’t being protested. Today’s news on changes in education will not cause great protest. The dismay on the release and pardons of the J6 violent criminals is yesterday’s news. The plan to make Guantanamo Bay a prison camp for migrants is not an outrage.
Follow the arc of where this is all leading. Great idea to register young voters until this is accused as fomenting dissent, indoctrination and another reason to call off elections.
I am very pessimistic and I wish I wasn’t, but I’ve grown up in a family where the Holocaust was personal history. Things happen in increments and gradually the impossible horrors become the reality.
I echo these comments. The Holocaust is lived memory for my family, as is military service and higher education. The reactionary combination is toxic and very difficult to stomach.
I do think, beyond myopic, red state clamor for reinstating benefits (critical, but admittedly compelled by their immediate pain), the outcry was more robust and comprehensive. So many functions were paralyzed simultaneously that informed citizens and reps, of which there are many, were aghast and outraged. I was one of them.
I do think the "gish gallop" effect is unfortunately sidelining vital issues and historical precedents by deflecting attention spans. Writing, reading, communicating and connecting during this time is essential to keep people and students informed and fact-based. It's an epistemological assault. They want people to forget, or actively defame and propagandize.
The airline/helicopter crash has been dominating the news since early this morning. So heartbreaking for those who have died and their loved ones.
Beforehand, though, when news broke that the Executive Branch rescinded their order to freeze the funds, Don Scott had this to say:
“This is priceless,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) wrote on X moments after news broke that the freeze had lifted. “Republicans — especially, Governor Youngkin — spent all day twisting themselves into pretzels defending Trump’s disastrous decision. And then — bam — it gets rescinded. Eventually, everyone who ties themselves to Trump ends up looking like a fool. Stand by for more chaos.”
Thanks, Don!
Good. D-reps going public and exposing GOP depraved hypocrisy is exactly what we need to pull things back from the disinfo campaigns and crass dismantling. Thanks for the state-level reportage.
it was heartening (and heartbreaking) to see students at Ft Worth HS out in the street protesting ICE deportations.