https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NTcoW69P3M
Friday, February 28, 2025
US Senator Slotkin to rebut Trump speech as Democrats seek to sharpen message | Reuters
Democratic leaders are hoping U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and a winner of tough elections, will help rehabilitate their public image when she gives their rebuttal to President Donald Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday night...
Republicans terrified of crossing Trump due to physical threats, Democrat says
"It's more more personal. It's their personal safety that they're afraid of, and they have spouses and family members saying, 'Do not do this, it's not worth it, it will change our lives forever. We will have to hire around-the-clock security.' Life can be very uncomfortable for your children.
"That is real, because when [Elon] Musk [Trump's most powerful ally] tweets at somebody, or Trump tweets at somebody, or calls somebody out, their lives are turned upside down."
We cannot agree to Ukraine's capitulation, Polish PM Tusk says | Reuters
European leaders must resist "capitulation" to Russia over Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, ahead of a virtual meeting of EU leaders to discuss the war following U.S. President Donald Trump's overtures to Moscow. "We cannot agree to Ukraine's capitulation to Russia's, however we call it, impudent demands, including territorial ones," said Tusk in a video posted on X...
Judge orders Trump administration officials to give sworn testimony on DOGE - POLITICO
The Justice Department fought the effort to put staffers involved in the controversial cost-slashing effort under oath...
The hard truths about the Trump-GOP tax cuts
You could solve the deficit problem by raising taxes enough to erase it. Republicans hate the idea. But Democrats have long held that higher taxes on rich people and corporations could help wipe out deficits without touching social programs. No shot of that in this Congress. But it's an option!…
USAID watchdog, fearing Trump’s wrath, keeps critical reports under wraps - The Washington Post
Two reports showing dire impacts on Africa and Gaza have not been released in fear of Trump's wrath, official says...
DOGE is now dramatically raising the potential for a government shutdown - POLITICO
Senior Republicans are seriously exploring how to include cuts made by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency in an upcoming government funding bill — a move that would skyrocket tensions with Democrats and drastically raise the potential for a government shutdown...
Republicans Plan To Hide Cost Of Tax Cuts With 1 Weird Trick | HuffPost Latest News
The solution for GOP leaders is to simply pretend a huge part of the tax cuts doesn't exist. They want to use the "current policy" baseline, which assumes tax cuts — like the deficit-busting ones Republicans passed in 2017, the last time Trump was president — will simply be extended permanently even if that's not what the law says. So, using this accounting, Republicans could claim that the tax cuts would be cost-free even though in reality they would increase the deficit…
New York Post challenges RFK Jr. to back vaccine amid Texas measles outbreak
"Go to Texas, Mr. Secretary, and preach the truth as only a convert can: This vaccine is safe, and getting children jabbed is an act of love," the Post wrote to Kennedy. "That's why all your children are vaccinated, despite your well-known concerns."
Congress kills Biden era methane fee on oil, gas producers | Reuters
The methane fee was mandated by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which directed the EPA to set a charge on methane emissions for facilities that emit more than 25,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Methane is the most prevalent greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide that tends to leak into the atmosphere undetected from drill sites, gas pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure...
FDA cancels meeting to pick flu vaccine strains for next winter
"The abrupt cancellation of the FDA's next vaccine advisory committee meeting is a deeply concerning development that could delay and disrupt a critical step in production of the annual flu vaccine," Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease said in a statement...
Following orders, ‘The President’s Own’ Marine Band cancels concert - The Washington Post
The canceled collaboration with Equity Arc was to feature high school musicians of color who competed for spots to perform with the U.S. Marine Band...
Trump says Canada, Mexico tariffs will go into effect March 4 - POLITICO
It could be a negotiating tactic: Trump similarly pledged to levy tariffs earlier this month before backing off at the last minute...
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Philadelphia schools to allow trans children to participate in sports – report
School district will ignore Trump executive order banning trans athletes from competing in women's sports…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/philadelphia-schools-trans-sports
Justice Department tells judges it can't comply with court-ordered deadline to release frozen aid funding
"By halting disbursements to Plaintiffs — American businesses and nonprofits — even for work they had already performed, and which already had been reviewed and cleared for payment, the funding freeze plunged Plaintiffs into sudden financial turmoil. Without funds to meet their operating expenses, which in many cases they must continue to incur under the terms of their awards, the funding freeze has left them facing imminent collapse. Already, Plaintiffs have had to furlough or lay off thousands of American workers," their filing said. "Meanwhile, many of those who depend on their programming face starvation, disease, and death."…
EPA tells White House to strike down ‘endangerment finding’ on climate - The Washington Post
Conservatives have argued that repealing the finding is critical to unraveling what they see as burdensome limits on emissions from various sectors of the economy. Environmentalists, in contrast, say the finding has justified stronger regulations that have yielded enormous benefits for the planet and public health...
Texas child is first confirmed death in growing measles outbreak - The Washington Post
"It's heartbreaking," said Katherine Wells, Lubbock's director of public health. "My heart just goes out to the family. And I hope this will help people reconsider getting children vaccinated."…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/02/26/measles-texas-unvaccinated-death/
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Musk’s cost-cutting drive quietly deletes billions in claimed savings from website | Trump administration | The Guardian
Wall of receipts' drops five largest savings claimed by 'department of government efficiency' after debunking…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/26/musk-doge-savings-website
Trump asks Apple to end diversity policies after shareholders vote in favor | Reuters
The company reports workforce diversity data but sets no targets or quotas, focusing its DEI efforts on programs such as a racial justice initiative that supports historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S.
Apple's "strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration, one where people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives come together to innovate", CEO Tim Cook said at Tuesday's meeting…
"As the legal landscape around these issues evolves, we may need to make some changes to comply, but our North Star of dignity and respect for everyone and our work to that end will never waver," Cook said…
https://www.reuters.com/technology/trump-says-apple-should-eliminate-diversity-policies-2025-02-26/
'Jesus Wept' author chronicles the debates roiling the Catholic church (Dave Davies; Fresh Air podcast)
Philip Shenon talks about the past seven popes, and how efforts to reform the Church with the Second Vatican Council led to power struggles and doctrinal debates that lasted for decades.
Interview:
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Federal judge rules Trump administration has to pay millions in foreign aid to nonprofits - ABC News
A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to dole out millions of dollars to multiple nonprofits groups, determining the Trump administration violated the terms of a temporary restraining order issued two weeks ago regarding freezing foreign aid…
Nearly 40 percent of contracts canceled by Musk’s DOGE are expected to produce no savings | PBS News
Nearly 40 percent of the federal contracts that President Donald Trump's administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren't expected to save the government any money, the administration's own data shows…
More than 160 Gazan medics held in Israeli prisons amid reports of torture
Senior doctors claim they were subjected to months of physical abuse, as UN calls for release of those still detained…
Musk’s Starlink gets FAA contract, raising new conflict of interest concerns | CNN Business
The Federal Aviation Administration has agreed to use SpaceX's Starlink internet system to upgrade the information technology networks it uses to manage US airspace, raising new concerns about conflicts of interest for CEO Elon Musk in one of his other roles, that of recommending funding cuts at federal agencies, including the FAA…
Apple shareholders reject ban on diversity programs
The proposal, by a conservative think tank, was rejected Tuesday…
Michigan Dems oppose GOP bid to reverse same-sex ruling
Michigan Democrats, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, are pushing back against a Republican-led resolution asking the Supreme Court to reverse its decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide…
Kremlin contradicts Trump's claim on peacekeeping forces in Ukraine
The Kremlin emphasized Tuesday that Russia had not dropped its opposition to peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, contradicting a claim that President Trump made a day earlier…
Fact-checking Trump's claims on amount of US aid to Ukraine - ABC News
Despite such reports to the contrary, Trump repeated the false claim in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon. He claimed former President Joe Biden "spent money like nobody's ever seen: $350 billion."
Government resources place the amount of aid appropriated by Congress for Ukraine since the war began in 2022 at $174 billion…
USAID Dismantler Peter Marocco Secretly Met With Christian Nationalists Abroad in Defiance of U.S. Policy — ProPublica
On a 2018 visit to the Balkans, Marocco secretly met with officials whom the American government had determined were off-limits without the highest levels of approval: ethnonationalist Bosnian Serb separatist leaders. Those politicians had been working for years to defy their nation's constitution and undermine the American-backed peace deal in an effort to promote a Christian Bosnian Serb state...
‘I felt nothing but disgust’: Tesla owners vent their anger at Elon Musk | Automotive industry | The Guardian
The tycoon's links with Donald Trump and Germany's far-right AfD have slammed the brakes on sales and put the car's owners in a spin…
Judge blocks Trump refugee ban for now - The Washington Post
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle called the presidential executive order an improper nullification of congressional authority...
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirement Blocks Its Most Vulnerable From Coverage — ProPublica
Reporting Highlights Price of Independence:
Georgia's experimental alternative to Medicaid expansion has cost taxpayers more than $86 million.
Enrollment Shortfall: Only 6,500 participants have enrolled in the first 18 months of the program — roughly 75% fewer than the state had estimated for year one.
Work Slowdown: The state found it difficult to verify that people are working to keep their benefits, so Georgia has gone from monthly checks to annual ones.
https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-medicaid-work-requirement-pathways-to-coverage-hurdles
Republican files article of impeachment against judge who ordered agencies to restore scrubbed data
Earlier this month, Bates agreed with a left-leaning physicians group that federal health agencies likely violated federal law when they took down various data to align with President Trump's executive order recognizing only two sexes...
Neo-Nazi group plots rebuild as Trump’s FBI chief takes helm, audio reveals
Exclusive: Terrorist group the Base appears defiant as new administration aims to deprioritize threat from far right…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/24/neo-nazi-trump-fbi-chief
Oklahoma lawmakers blocked new air traffic academy, despite dire shortage - The Washington Post
The disappearing academy is just a small piece of a larger mosaic of inaction and delay that has hampered the FAA's ability to improve air traffic safety at America's airports. Problems with understaffed towers, difficulty recruiting and training, and outdated electronics systems have been documented for years...
Facebook Boosts Viral Content as It Drops Fact-Checking — ProPublica
Meta decided to stop working with U.S. fact-checkers at the same time as it's revamping a program to pay bonuses to creators with high engagement numbers, potentially pouring accelerant on the kind of false posts the company once policed...
https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-meta-abandons-fact-checking-boosts-viral-content
Donald Trump posts SpongeBob meme mocking federal employees
Items on the list include "Cried about Trump," "Cried about Elon," "Made it into the office for once," "Read some emails" and "Cried about Trump and Elon some more."…
John Oliver on Facebook: ‘An absolute sewer of hatred and misinformation’ | John Oliver | The Guardian
The Last Week Tonight host looked at content moderation and how Mark Zuckerberg has bent to Trump's will…
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/feb/24/john-oliver-facebook-content-moderation
‘I feel trapped’: how home ownership has become a nightmare for many Americans
Scores in the US say they're grappling with raised mortgage and loan interest rates and exploding insurance premiums…
A new document undercuts Trump admin’s denials about Tesla deal : NPR
The State Department claimed a plan to buy thousands of armored Teslas was left over from the Biden administration. A document obtained by NPR shows the Biden plan was far smaller...
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/24/nx-s1-5305269/tesla-state-department-elon-musk-trump
Apple announces billions in U.S. investment after Trump meeting - The Washington Post
The tech giant said it will spend $500 billion in the U.S. during Trump's term, but much of that spending was already planned...
Opinion | The right-wing media machine hits a wall - The Washington Post
Speaking of excessive government spending, it was reported last week that the Department of Homeland Security would spend $200 million on an ad campaign touting administration efforts to restrict migration across the border with Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem — very familiar with the right's attention economy — stars in the ads, heaping praise on Trump (reportedly at his request).
A search of the Internet Archive's TV news database shows that the ad has already run on CNN, Telemundo and, of course, Fox News. It's a reminder that Trump is no longer relying solely on the right-wing media machine to get his message out. Now he has the entire government at his disposal...
Musks's email to federal workers undermines White House claims - The Washington Post
Elon Musk's threat to federal employees is the latest episode to call into question the White House's downplaying of his authority...
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Musk’s ‘Doge’ claim about USAid funds for India sets off political firestorm | India | The Guardian
Apparently baseless claim that $21m was given to help voter turnout seized on by Trump and Modi government…
Mike Johnson makes 'prayer request' ahead of vote on Donald Trump agenda bill
AFP, the Koch-backed advocacy group that hosted the Monday event at its Capitol Hill office it calls its "Freedom Embassy," in January launched a $20 million campaign in support of extending the Trump tax cuts that he signed into law in his first term. The organization pledged a 50-state media and lobbying effort and to conduct 1,000 meetings with congressional offices on Capitol Hill...
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5161537-johnson-prayer-request-trump-agenda-bill/
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