January March Happenings

February 2025

January 2025

No one is above the rule of law

15th-century manuscript copy of the 1225 Magna Carta, Huntington Library Collection

CLIMATE CHANGE

American citizens have witnessed unprecedented devastation and high losses around the country directly linked to climate change. There is little doubt that climate change is right before our eyes. It has become part of a new reality as we all experience a steeper climb in global warming than originally predicted.

Despite this reality, in yet another executive order, President Trump not only took a hatchet to regulations meant to mitigate the toll on the American people. He has axed measures set by the government to calculate costs that might have been absorbed by fossil fuel producers.

In ProPublica -"The change would effectively transfer financial responsibility from oil drillers, auto manufacturers and others and leave Americans to face greater direct costs as warming continues."

Thanks to President Trump, it is highly likely that unmeasured and uncontrollable costs will far outweigh any vague promises he has made regarding energy savings with fossil fuel production. Those costs will now be passed on to you.

In Inside Climate News - In 2023, the consumer-rights group Public Citizen used U.S. Energy Information Administration data to calculate that LNG exports will saddle domestic consumers with $14.3 billion in higher annual gas costs in 2050. Last year the nonprofit released a report linking LNG exports to higher consumer costs. U.S. household gas costs have increased 52 percent since the nation first started exporting LNG in 2016, a period that also included price shocks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will meet this February 24-28 in Hangzhou, China. The IPCC produces regular reports to guide policies and methods around the world for combatting climate change. It is an UN body, representing 195 member countries, that assesses the science related to climate change through literature reviews and experts that represent rigorous scholarship.

IPCC assessment reports are a critical and highly trusted resource for informing the implications and potential future risks in support of negotiations as well as serving as a foundation for discussions between the world’s countries.

In Climate Home News - The United States has been an important active member through the U.S. Department of State until now. The White House has forbidden the attendance of any officials from the State Department as well as scientists from federal agencies.

Trump is considering dropping out of IPCC. He has already withdrawn from almost all other international efforts.

This period represents preparation by countries for a critical review as a basis for action even as the climate situation becomes increasingly dire. The loss of a financial contribution from the US will impact this activity.

IPCC reports are available to the public without restriction.

In Public Citizen - In 2023, the consumer-rights group Public Citizen used U.S. Energy Information Administration data to calculate that LNG exports will saddle domestic consumers with $14.3 billion in higher annual gas costs in 2050. Last year the nonprofit released a report linking LNG exports to higher consumer costs. U.S. household gas costs have increased 52 percent since the nation first started exporting LNG in 2016, a period that also included price shocks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Administrative law can be difficult to access for the average person. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is one of the best routes that give the public a critical say on how their tax dollars will be spent.Enforcement of the NEPA process is by a citizen suit provision meaning anyone can bring a lawsuit against a responsible federal agency for violation of NEPA, for instance gas and oil drilling on public lands. NEPA has been used as a model for environmental laws in more than 100 countries around the world. Large interests want it gone, and that is what Trump is proceeding to do.

In CNN Politics - Denise Cheung, the top criminal prosecutor in the Washington, DC, US Attorney’s Office and a long-time DOJ employee, had been asked to shepherd an investigation into an Environmental Protection Agency funding decision during the Biden administration and then use DOJ’s powers to freeze that funding. Citing lack of sufficient evidence she resigned.

Chris Wright, a fossil fuel CEO, was confirmed on February 3 as head of the Department of Energy. In a 30 minute speech, he shared plans to "modernize America's nuclear stockpile"; framing this not only as a domestic resource but as weapons of war meant, as the "ultimate guarantee", to protect the sovereignty of the country.

He admitted climate change existed, but then proceeded to downgraded the value of all other forms of alternative energy as proving to be expensive and unreliable.

He mocked the efforts of the rest of the world; further separating the US from possible cooperative efforts.

So, are these countries, making high investments in alternative energy, assuming risks, reaching for cooperative solutions, and devising more holistic approaches, off track; not as smart as he is?

He said that his department would not be politicized but his speech was political.

He had said early in his speech that there were no silver bullets and yet that is what he was selling with his singular focus on nuclear energy.

His folksy attitude does not diminish the frequently stated problems and the very real dangers of going in the direction of nuclear energy.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $6 million in support of climate journalism in the United States. Recipients of the three-year general operating and flexible support grants include Canary Media ($300,000), Drilled ($500,000), Inside Climate News ($500,000), and the Society of Environmental Journalists ($500,000).

In Politico, The White House has ordered USDA to delete all landing pages discussing climate change across agency websites. The action comes as funds for clean energy and agriculture programs remain in limbo.

In European Electricity Review (EMBER) - The ninth annual report on the EU power sector shows that, despite political and economic conditions its fossil gas power fell for the fifth year and its share of solar in EU electricity in 2024 is higher than coal. EMBER reports that its transition efforts have reduced emissions and that its structural growth in wind and solar power has reduced the EU's fossil fuel import bill lessening its vulnerability to imported gas. However the report warns that despite the Eu's impressive performance acceleration is needed between now and 2030.

The International Energy Agency is the authoritative source for energy trends. It is now focusing more on building renewable energy supplies. The Republican led US President and the oil industry are not pleased with the change in focus.

In Reuters Sustainable Switch, the US President's pullout of the Paris Agreement and "drill baby drill" has cast a shadow over the fight to address climate change, but not enough to stop other countries from moving ahead with their 2035 climate goals. Switzerland was viewed as not living up to its climate goals. It's new NDC has raised its goal. Apparently it hasn't explained how its goals will be met. New Zealand has slightly upped its goals for climate emissions. Investment in blog-carbon energy transition grew by 11% las year to a record $2.1 trillion.

Also in Reuters, Donna Lee, formerly a climate change negotiator with the State Department, recalls the late night hours spent by diplomats to hammer out the Paris Agreement. She said, "...it's heart breaking to see the United States walk away...now we're entering a four-year period where partisanship assures us that the U.S. will remain a global laggard on climate policy."

In IISD, the SDG Knowledge Hub, The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to reach a decision this month following the precedent setting hearings on state's obligations and responsibilities held on December 2-13 2024 in relation to climate change. In her article, Astrid Peuntes Riano, the UN Special Rapporteur observes that 60 nations testifying before the ICJ believed that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable was a matter of customary law. Ten states did not agree there was any relevance.

Riano explained why a healthy environment should be a human right and observed that a growing number of states are including the human right to a clean and healthy environment in their constitutions.

CIVIL SOCIETY

Chris Kluwe is not shy about speaking out. Photo: Taken at a demonstration in support of gay marriage at the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis in 2012.Credit...Renee Jones Schneider/Minneapolis Star Tribune, via ZUMA Wire, via Alamy Live News

When things became a little too MAGA during a city council meeting over the subject of the Huntington Beach Library, Chris Kluwe spoke up.

In the New York Times - former NFL punter, Chris Kluwe, was opposed to the installation of a plaque with the words “Magical,” “Alluring,” “Galvanizing” and “Adventurous”, which translated by the first letters as "MAGA." If that wasn't enough the proposed plaque specifically referenced the Trump slogan in the following words" through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again."

He told the City Council that a majority did not want the MAGA reference but that "the council does not listen." He did not expect the council to listen but as an act of "peaceful" civil disobedience he took a few steps forward. He was rushed by security and ended up lying face down on the floor where he was handcuffed and taken to jail. He was later released.

The plaque was approved unanimously by the City Council.

Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark stated, "The city of Huntington Beach has always been conservative, and they tried to change that, and we’re just taking it back to the way it was..."

Huntington Beach is conservative with an above average income. It has had a history of book bans usually based on sexual content.

Kluwe explained his action during a interview with the Orange County Register, “This was done not with the intention of changing the council’s mind, because I don’t think those minds can be changed...It was done so that people who are watching and people who will watch understand that this is important enough to get arrested for. That it’s important to stand up and speak truth to power and to do so in a way that other people can emulate.”

COMMUNITY

In the Guardian - “If I need sugar or if I have an emergency, there’s no door I can knock on...”

photo by Matthias Groeneveld, Pixabay

There’s a lot you can say about community. It’s a place that negotiates home with the rest of society. It’s a place of more or less dense social networks you trust. It’s often a sanctuary. It’s a place that is familiar. It’s a place where you can borrow a cup of sugar or you know who to call when you’re in trouble.

In the Guardian - People in Spain and Portugal are fighting back as tourism takes over their communities. As revenues pour in due to record levels of tourism communities are fragmented.

LAW

International Law

Al-Haq,a human rights organization, condemned Greece, Italy, and France for failing to uphold their legal obligation under international law by allowing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to travel through their airspace on his way to the United States without executing warrants of arrest. While the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), allowing Netanyahu into the United States represents a deliberate undermining of the authority of the ICC.

Commenting on the US plan to move Gaza's population from their land and take over the territory, the human rights organization observes that, "Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and expel all Palestinians to neighboring countries crosses all red lines that define the international legal system. If carried out, it will amount to acts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the ICC and an internationally wrongful act of aggression, prohibited under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, through the acquisition of territory by force."

United States Law

In The Guardian - Following a wave of resignations from federal prosecutors, a federal judge has ordered Department of Justice prosecutors to appear in court on Wednesday to explain why they suddenly dismissed the corruption indictment against New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams.

The Southern District of New York (SDNY) is one of the top Justice Departments in the country. It known for bringing high-profile cases on financial crimes, public corruption and national security and has maintained its independence from the Justice Department in Washington.

That was about to change with the advent of the Trump Administration.

In 2021 a broad corruption investigation was launched against New York Mayor, Eric Adams. This was one of a series of corruption investigations into Eric Adams Administration. He was charged with five federal counts of corruption by then US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams September 27 2024.

Following an order from the White House a Former SDNY prosecutor and US deputy attorney general, Emil Bove, a former defense attorney who had represented Trump in the Stormy Daniel's case, sent a two-page memo to SDNY ordering an immediate dismissal of bribery charges against Eric Adams. The reason given was that the mayor was important to the president's immigration plans and that he needed to do his job on behalf of New Yorkers.

The job fell to Damian William's successor, acting US Attorney Danielle Sassoon. She had assumed the position the day after Trump took office.

Trump had nominated Jay Clayton, the former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, to the post, an appointment that must be confirmed by the Senate.

Sassoon declined Bove’s order and after several communications with Bove, she resigned. She had been about to file a superseding indictment charging the mayor with more corruption, including tampering with evidence.

She was accused of weaponizing SDNY over immigration policies.

The prosecutors in New York noted that the investigation into Adams had begun before he began feuding with Biden over migrant funding.

Seven attorneys also resigned. These were Hagan Scotten, Assistant US Attorney, Southern District of New York, John Keller, acting head of the DOJ’s public integrity Section, Kevin Driscoll, and acting head of the criminal division.

Three other DOJ prosecutors, Rob Heberle, Jenn Clarke and Marco Palmieri, also resigned in protest.

In Reuters - On February 14, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told the department's told the department's 30 public integrity prosecutors that they had an hour to decide among themselves who would file the motion to dismiss without prejudice.

Ed Sullivan, a veteran career prosecutor decided to fall on his sword and file the dismissal after the attorneys had said they would resign en mass rather than file the motion.

In the New York Times, nearly every major member of the city’s elected leadership, civic leaders, pastors and even staunch mayoral allies had credibly argued that the mayor had let President Trump gain effective sway over the most important City Hall in America.

Matthew Podolsky, a former financial crimes prosecutor who had been serving as Sassoon's deputy, is now installed as the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan.

Bove said that the two prosecutors handling the Adams case were being placed on leave because they were also unwilling to carry out his order. He said Sassoon and the two prosecutors will face internal investigations.

The mayor will live under a cloud of uncertainty. The dismissal without prejudice has put the mayor under Mr. Trump's thumb. Elections will take place in June and there are a lot of contenders.

The order to dismiss the case against Eric Adams will have to go before a federal judge

It is possible that upon dismissal a federal court could remand a case of dismissal without prejudice to a state court based on jurisdictional matters involving state law issues.

Meantime, Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have called for an investigation into Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Adams case, accusing her of weaponizing the department’s prosecutorial power to advance the president’s agenda.

Under this system of checks and balances, there is an interplay of power among the three branches. Each branch has its own authority, but also must depend on the authority of the other branches for the government to function.

On February 11, the American Bar Association (ABA) filed a legal challenge against the federal government for its USAID funding freeze citing unlawful conduct. William R. Bay, president of the ABA said "This administration seeks to halt funding even though Congress has authorized and appropriated it for the programs in question.”

On that date, the ABA also issued a statement about those associated with the White House who advocate circumventing the authority of the third branch of US government.

The statement read in part, "...judicial oversight ...is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy that the courts are the protectors of the citizenry from government overreach. All lawyers know that judges have the authority to determine whether the administration’s actions are lawful and a legitimate exercise of executive branch authority. It is one of the oldest and most revered precedent in United States legal history — Marbury v. Madison.

In Jurist News - A coalition of advocacy organizations and individuals filed a lawsuit on February 10, challenging US President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions.The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to immediately halt the implementation of the executive order and restore funding to refugee resettlement organizations. They are also requesting a declaratory judgment affirming that the suspension of refugee admissions is unlawful.

On January 31, in response to President Trump's order to halt grant and loan funding across a broad spectrum of government programs and agencies, Washington D.C.- based U.S District Judge Loren AliKhan directed the Trump administration to not to block funding until a February hearing. U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell also issued a temporary restraining order directing Trump not to freeze "pause, impede, block, cancel, or terminate" funding in response to a lawsuit filed by the attorney generals of the District of Columbia and 22 states.

In Common Dreams - A week after McConnell granted the temporary restraining order, the attorney generals on Friday filed a motion for enforcement of it, telling the judge that "plaintiff states and entities within the plaintiff states continue to be denied access to federal funds" and "these denials continue to cause immediate irreparable harm," putting "jobs, lives, and the social fabric of life" at risk. The New York Times reported that this is the first time a judge has expressly declared that the Trump administration is disobeying a judicial mandate.

The temporary restraining order is in effect until further action from Judge McConnell.

In Inside Higher Ed- College professors and university diversity officers teamed up with nonprofits and local governments to challenge President Trump’s DEI executive orders affecting programs in the federal government, higher education, and the private sector. The arguments in a lawsuit filed February 3 are the orders exceed executive legal authority, violate the First and fifth Amendments and threaten academic freedom and access to higher education for all. They are asking the judge to declare that the executive orders are unconstitutional and to block the government from further enforcement.

They argue that, furthermore, the orders are vague. Terms are not defined and there is no fair guidance.

The plaintiffs said in the 40-page complaint, “In the United States, there is no king...In his crusade to erase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility from our country, President Trump cannot usurp Congress’s exclusive power of the purse, nor can he silence those who disagree with him by threatening them with the loss of federal funds and other enforcement actions.” The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Maryland, is the first lawsuit to target the DEI-related orders.

In the New York Times - The NYT reported that it identified 8000 pages that were shut down as of February 3, 2025. Its article identifies some of federal government departments that are missing pages. Some examples are: the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Head Start, the Census Bureau, the Food And Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and NOAA, to name few among many other departments. Some websites have been restored with key terms removed. The NYT had looked at the most accessed websites,which included more than seven million pages across more than 150 sites. It offered some caveats about the data.

The public loss of access is most likely underestimated because it could not identify the larger scope of changes.

As far as possible overestimates some caveats were: 1. maybe these sites were moved to new and not yet identifiable URLs 2. maybe some had been taken down pre-Trump. 3. typically new administrations made changes [though not this fast].

However these possible explanations regarding any cause of overestimates are unlikely to compare with the larger losses to the public consumers.

The White House has been wiping government websites clean of DEI, gender ideology, race, sexual identity information, and climate change references among other things. While some websites are restored it is possible that the above terms might be gone for good to the detriment of the US population.

Access to information via the internet is a basic need that affects millions of Americans, including a risk of increased mortality, even as access to information, including essential resources, are removed.

The Trump/Musk duo might need tread more carefully after their initial rush.

The multiple legal implications of lost access to vital and lifesaving information, for instance under the American Disability Act (ADA) as a human right, can unfold in the courts.

These cases usually fall under the Department of Justice (DOJ). However, that department is also compromised and might not provide representation.

However, in thinking of representation, for instance in terms of ADA potential lawsuits it should be noted that the DOJ's lawful obligation according to precedent should include, for instance, gender dysphoria as falling under ADA as in Doe v. Georgia Department of Corrections. Maybe this has legs, maybe not. But ADA generally is an avenue.

Climate Change/ law

Filed on 12/11/24 - State of Vermont v. Exxon Mobile Corporation et al., - A Vermont Superior Court denied fossil fuel defendants’ motions to dismiss the State of Vermont’s action alleging that the defendants violated the Vermont Consumer Protection Act (VCPA) by misrepresenting and concealing fossil fuel products’ contributions to climate change in their green washing efforts. The court rejected the defendant's argument that the “alleged decades-old climate science disinformation campaign falls well outside the statute of limitations” because Vermont consumers should have been aware of the link between fossil fuels and climate change by 2003 at the latest. The court agreed with the State that this action was based not on the link between fossil fuels and climate change but rather on the defendants’ alleged deceptive acts.

Climate-related lawsuits increased significantly during the last Trump administration in response to climate protection rollbacks and as part of a global trend. Globally, this trend is growing with increasing cases against corporations and governments for failing to meet UN climate pledges. In the US, as its president promotes climate denialism, lawsuits will not only increase, but also possibly change the litigation landscape in the US.

Fork in the Road policy - On February 6, Just hours ahead of the deadline for employees to accept the buy-out offer from the Trump/Musk duo U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. temporarily blocked the offer until February 10 so he could consider issuing a pause on the order.

In Common Dreams, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, deciding on a lawsuit filed by 19 state attorney generals on February 7. He enacted an emergency order on February 8 blocking Elon Musk and his team from access to the Treasury Department. In addition to the suspension he ordered that they immediately destroy all downloaded material from the Departments records and systems.

From CNBC - Paris prosecutors have opened a probe into Elon Musk's X over alleged algorithmic distortions. The probe was opened after a centrist French MP reported on January 12 that X was allegedly using biased algorithms which manipulate discourse taking place on the social media platform.

From Reuters - A US federal judge on Friday temporarily allowed roughly 2,700 US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees put on leave by President Donald Trump's administration to go back to work, pausing aspects of a plan to dismantle the agency. He wrote in the order that the unions had made a "strong showing of irreparable harm" if the court did not intervene. The order is in effect until February 14. The judge will consider a request for a longer term pause at a hearing scheduled for February 12.

SLAPP lawsuits - On January 31, 2025 in Manhart v. AJP Educational Foundation, et al., a federal judge granted the motion to permanently dismiss two defendants, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) and American Muslims for Palestine, from a meritless lawsuit pertaining to one of the U.S.-based protests that occurred outside the O’Hare airport in Chicago, Ill. as part of the April 15, 2024 Global Day of Action in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The case exemplifies the use of Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.” SLAPP suits typically target activists and nonprofit organizations for First Amendment-protected activity in order to drain their time and resources with costly meritless litigation in an attempt to chill or derail successful public interest campaigns and political movements. Some high profile infamous example are the heavy use of SLAPP suits against COP City protesters and the obfuscating slam dunk method frequently used by Trump. These lawsuits clog up courts and contribute to a further erosion of Constitutional protections.

Birthright cases - The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Citizenship clause; the first section of Section 1 of the Amendment guarantees citizenship to all children born in the United States, regardless of race, color, or ancestry. The Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause states ” All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.

The US President's executive order seeks to end the automatic grant of citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to parents who are in the country illegally or who are here on a temporary, but lawful, basis such as those on student or tourist visas.

These children would be stateless. They would not have the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. They would not have the required identification. They could not vote, serve on juries, hold certain jobs, among a number of other restrictions, even though they were born in the United States, which was their home country.

The basic premise behind a growing number of injunctions is you can’t redefine the meaning of the 14th amendment this is well settled law and the president has no authority to change that.

Trump's Department of Justice attorneys are going with a misinterpretation of the 14th amendment.

In total, 22 states, as well as other organizations, have sued to try to stop the executive action.

On January 21, 2025 18 district attorneys representing different states filed a brief asking for declaratory and injunctive against the president’s executive order to end birthrights.

On Feb 5, 2025,Deborah Boardman, a Maryland federal judge, issued a nationwide pause to stop Trump's February 19 date for implementation. The case involved immigrants' rights groups and pregnant women whose soon-to-born children could be affected. The injunction called for an indefinite ban until permits were resolved or unless the Trump Administration successfully appealed the injunction.

On February 6, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle heard arguments over a longer-term pause of Trump’s directive involving lawyers from the Trump administration. Four states were suing to stop the order, along with the immigrant rights organization that had challenged the executive order on behalf of a proposed class of expectant parents. The judge had previously issued a 14-day temporary restraining order, saying "I can't remember another case where the question presented was as clear as this one is." Eighteen district attorneys submitted an amici curiae brief opposing the preliminary injunction on behalf of Trump's position. On February 6, the judge put Trump’s order on hold for the duration of a lawsuit brought by four states and an immigrant rights group challenging it.

In New Hampshire, a case was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU) of New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts along with the Asian Law Caucus, the State Democracy Defenders Fund, and the Legal Defense Fund. The case was filed on behalf of organizations with members whose babies were born on U.S. soil which included the New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Make the Road New York. The lawsuit charges the Trump administration with flouting the Constitution’s dictates, congressional intent, and longstanding Supreme Court precedent.

The general impression is that these cases will probably end up in front of the US Supreme Court. If so, Trump is confident about the outcome saying that at least five of the nine justices will support him.

The DOJ’s briefs dismissed their department’s longstanding authoritative understanding of the Citizenship Clause. Well, that is understandable give Trump's DOJ replacements. It does bring up an unresolved question. Does the DOJ work for the people with some independence or the president. This writing addressing ethical practices offers some insight for further study of the question. Given everything occurring at the moment answering the question of independence within the DOJ is critical.

As an aside note, on January 20, 2025 President Trump said that the United States was the only country to have laws pertaining to birthrights. There was speculation a long time ago as to whether the president could actually read. Thirty three countries have birthright laws.

In Rolling Stone - the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) sued the Treasury Department on February 3 to "block Elon Musk and his apparatchiks from accessing federal servers with sensitive member data and financial information — alleging a 'massive and unprecedented' intrusion of privacy.

"Musk and his team at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reportedly have full access to Treasury payment systems that include, for example, Social Security and tax records. The lawsuit claims that DOGE’s cross-agency meddling in Treasury systems is a violation of the Privacy Act of 1974; the Internal Revenue Code; and related regulations that bar sharing of sensitive data, in particular without advance notice. "

Let's hope that the US Constitution, while it might be bloody and battered, is still unbowed as the Republican US President and Musk & Assoc, non-governmental interests, continue their attempts to consolidate power.

Will the other arms of government please step in?

At least the Constitution is getting a workout for all to see if they care to look. The number of law suits is growing. As several examples, a suit was brought by 22 Democratic states over Trump's denial of birthrights. A federal judge in Washington D.C on Jan. 28 paused a sweeping Trump administration directive freezing federal grants, loans and other financial assistance pending a review to ensure they align with the president's priorities. States argue in that case that the freezes Trump has put in place infringes the U.S. Congress’ exclusive power of the purse. Unions representing employees of the U.S. Treasury and other federal workers have also filed lawsuits seeking to block Trump from implementing a plan to weaken job protections for civil servants, which would allow him to replace long-serving government employees with loyalists. It's hard to know where to start regarding kicking women out of the military, or no more marking X regarding sex and gender, and on and on.

CIVIL LIBERTIES

Book burning in Berlin during WW11 of "unGerman" books

From WFSU, A fight against book bans in public schools has taken several blows recently. The Trump Administration dismissed 11 complaints against school districts for removing books from their libraries, calling the concept of book banning a hoax. And a Florida judge dismissed a lawsuit that would have allowed parents to challenge a district’s decision to remove a book.

HUMAN RIGHTS

In Politico, The US President is expected to issue an executive order on Tuesday withdrawing the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council and prohibiting future funding for the U.N. relief agency for Gaza, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.

PEOPLE

A whale ambulance in Monterey

In the Magazine of the Sierra Club -

Peggy Stap's vessel is no ordinary boat. The Current Sea serves as a whale disentanglement ambulance, the first of its kind. Stap is co-founder of the whale entanglement team (WET), a mostly volunteer-based group dedicated to saving whales in Monterey, California.

According to Matt Merrifield, chief technology officer at the Nature Conservancy of California, whale entanglements are on the rise because of climate change. Disentangling whales from nets is hard work and also tricky. However it is important work.

Matt Merrifield, chief technology officer at the Nature Conservancy of California, said, “Whales are incredibly old, majestic animals that we share this world with. We have a moral obligation to do right by them.”

Peggy Stap has been rescuing whales for decades.

The first time she saw a whale, she was 41 years old. Her father had just passed away. To celebrate his life, she and her family went on a whale watching boat in Maui, Hawaii. She said, “A humpback whale and her calf swam past our viewing window, and I cried.”

That was all it took. With the help of mentors, Stap founded Marine Life Studies in 2009.

One day she received a call about an entangled whale and discovered there was no one with the training to disentangle the whale before is suffered more damage.

She raised the money to started a training program and purchased a boat which she converted into an "ambulance." She became a leading whale rescue expert.

More recently, Stap opened an office near Moss Landing she is turning most of the space into a learning center for kids.

“I hope when kids see us, see this center, they’ll get the idea that maybe they can be a scientist, or a whale rescuer,” Stap says. “That would give me great hope for the future.”

DEVELOPMENT

WAR AND PEACE

No civility, only insults and yelling in the oval office against President Zelenskyy. A few snatches:

J.D. Vance: Do you disagree that you've had problems bringing people into your military?

Zelenskyy: Have you been to Ukraine... ?

J.D. Vance: [Hesitates] I have...been..to, I’ve actually watched and seen the stories...

Zelenskyy: Everybody has problems, even you, but you have nice ocean and don’t feel it now but you will feel it in the future God bless God Bless you don't have war."

Donald Trump: "DON’T TELL US WHAT WE’RE GOING TO FEEL… CAUSE YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO DICTATE WHAT WE’RE GOING TO FEEL WE’RE GOING TO FEEL VERY GOOD AND VERY STRONG…YOU DON’T HAVE THE CARDS RIGHT NOW."

Zelenskyy: I'm not playing cards.

Borrowing from some viewer comments around the web about the oval office interlude- “Revolting…” “pathetic…” disgusting…” “I’ve changed my mind on Trump and Vance. Two bullies out to extort minerals through gangster blackmail,…” “Zelensky shouldn't have bothered…” “The greatest thing Zelensky did today is to not sign that minerals deal…” “I’m German, I live in Austria and I can't stop thinking "Sarajevo" watching this absolute train wreck. This is absolutely terrifying… “ “Zelenskyy’s "attitude" is that of a war time President, having to remind two ignorant people of the facts of the case.”

There is no card game here. There is a simple fact that is not up for negotiation: As the Governor of Kharkiv, Oleh Syniehubov, said, the Ukrainian president is insistent that no peace deal could be made without assurances for Ukraine’s security against future Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy realizes the price is high and as we saw in the insulting Oval Office meeting in PSYOP terms Trump wants the price and his rewards to be even higher.

As far as the American public, the White House is a four-year rental in exchange for services. Mr. Trump, Elon Musk, J.D.Vance, and the various pay-for-play minions hanging out there, thanks to a lot of money, hidden and not so hidden agendas, and righteous dissatisfaction on the part at least some MAGAs. Anyway, it would be good to remember that the White House is owned by the people. Most of these people, I'm sure, would prefer politeness toward an invited guest.

UPDATE: In the Guardian - On March 1, President Zelenskyy published a full statement expressing gratitude to the United States and reiterating his position. Here is a quote:

"We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step towards security guarantees. But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A cease-fire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine. We’ve been fighting for three years, and the Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side.

I cannot change Ukraine’s position on Russia. The Russians are killing us. Russia is the enemy, and that is the reality we face. Ukraine wants peace, but it must be a just and lasting peace. For that, we need to be strong at the negotiation table. Peace can only come when we know we have security guarantees, when our army is strong, and our partners are with us."

Meanwhile in Europe, …The question of the day following the US President's uncivil engagement with Zelenskyy in the oval office is … If Zelenskyy, then us?

With the realization from Europe that dependency on the US is a high risk game, meetings have been taking place among countries in response to the growing evidence of an “unsettled terrain” .and even more growing evidence of a “fundamental transatlantic break”.

U.K Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announced on February 28 that he has invited more than a dozen European and EU leaders to a March 2, 2025 summit regarding action on Ukraine and security. The prime minister will also chair a morning call before the summit with the Baltic nations. Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet in Downing Street on March 1. There will be subsequent summits.

On March 6, (EU leaders will hold special meeting on defense and Ukraine on March 6 António Costa said. “We are living a defining moment for Ukraine and European security,”

There is of course a lot of timely information to follow at the UN meetings regarding Ukraine and it is both valuable and accessible to the public. However, the important thing to remember is that for all the hard work that is being done in terms of Ukraine, Trump and Putin hold the final veto power when it comes to the UN Security Council. Hopefully, that will change someday.

About Ukraine - Europeans have decided to take a two-pronged approach after a wake- up call at the Munich Security Conference.

On one hand, Europe has agreed to continue its support of Ukraine. This includes leveling more sanctions against Russia.

The President of the European Parliament, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission issued a joint statement on February 24,

"Russia and its people are paying a price for their leader’s actions. Together with partners, we have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Russia and those complicit in the war and remain ready to increase the pressure on Russia to limit its ability to wage war. We are already using windfall profits from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defense industry and energy recovery. Today, we have adopted a sixteenth sanctions package to further increase collective pressure on Russia to end its war of aggression."

Europe's second goal was to balance Europe's security and economic interests by retaining good relations with an unpredictable world leader. Dealing with the new US president is a challenge for diplomacy; a fine line between appeasement toward a greater good and strength.

“We need to internalize that [Trump] can take radically hostile decisions if he’s offended,” a European diplomat said, who, like other diplomats prefer to remain anonymous during the sensitive period.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron met with President Trump on February 24. He was direct in introducing sensitive subjects including trade concerns and remained firm in representing Europe's support for Ukraine.

On that same date, world leaders gathered at Kyvi to recognize the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a show of support.

The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer then met with President Trump on February 25.

In The Guardian, Downing Street had made it clear that UK's prime minister would carry tough messages into his meetings with Trump, insisting that Ukraine must be “at the heart of any negotiations” with Russia, otherwise any peace deal would fall apart, and that the US should be wary of trusting Putin and that this approach was in the US’s interest. In other words, Ukraine’s future was a decisive issue not just for itself, but for wider European security – as leaving the continent insecure would both strengthen China and damage the US economically.

European Council President, Antonio Costa, announced on February 23 that he would convene an emergency summit of the 27 EU leaders in Brussels on March 6 with Ukraine at the top of the agenda.

On February 24, the UN General Assembly rejected the US-sponsored resolution, which passed only after it was amended to state that the conflict was the result of a "full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation." However, in the Security Council, Russia used its veto to prevent European amendments to the U.S. resolution. The UN Security Council (controlled by a single veto by any of the five founding members), sub sequentially approved the US-sponsored resolution, which, of course, made no mention of Russian aggression (The US has historically stacked up the highest number of vetoes among the five founding members).

Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered himself up in the name of peace and said he would leave his presidency in return for an end to the invasion and NATO membership.

As of February 25, Zelenskyy is apparently ready to accept an offer from the US, (which seems to carry mafia-style overtones), to negotiate the country's cache of rare minerals. On Bloomberg Television, Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers says "it is almost unbelievable..." This goes against everything America has stood for. It blames the victim and encourages the aggressor. It will not have a good outcome for America in the end.

It should be noted that significant plunder has already occurred. From BBC - In 2022, SecDev, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Canada, conducted an evaluation, which established that Russia had occupied 63% of Ukrainian coal mines, and half of its manganese, caesium, tantalum and rare earth deposits.

Dr Robert Muggah, principal of SecDev, says that such minerals add a "strategic and economic dimension" in Russia's continued aggression. By seizing them, he says, Moscow denies access revenue for Ukraine, expands its own resource base and influences global supply chains.

The war may end with an imbalance between peace and greed, but aggression against Ukraine may not.

Once this street was compared to Paris...before the war

We had never cooked with firewood - the war taught us.

What used to take minutes takes me three hours

Today, all our work is manual. Everything is done by hand.

We have lost so many things.

They returned home to the Jabalia Camp, once a bustling ancient city, then a camp where they had grown and learned - had turned out scholars and engineers, and had turned the camp in to a city again.

They travelled north to their home. They had a month without drones, bombs, death and more destruction; granted to them under an untrustworthy ceasefire.

They faced the rubble and the bodies of their families under the rubble and went to work. The war could not define them or their home. It took hard work, long hours, rudimentary tools, and creativity and resilience.

They dug out spaces in the rubble and recreated businesses.

The camp was once lively with businesses now they dealt with everything to do with war including the loss of electricity, the need for water, generators that constantly broke down along with other damaged machinery.

Bakery supervisor, Abdul Karim Faraj, is busy. His hands are full of dough. He said that he didn’t know anything about firewood, only gas. But, he said, the war taught him how.

A restaurant owner is back where his business once stood on what used to be Jabalias Main Street. He said this street was compared to the streets of Paris; one of the finest on the Gaza Strip. He had 12 workers and 200 tables now he has one broken table. He feeds a family of seven.

The owner of a tailor shop, Raed Saad, said that the desire for peace and security far surpasses calls for temporary ceasefires - with the ultimate goal being to rebuild and restore the country.

"Peace be upon you...This is what I want security and peace only this, I don’t want anything else."

We are organized here.

There is a lot of work to be done today.

We will come back and rebuild this country.

And so, restoration begins... (See more on DW News).

From AP February 17 - A "watchdog opposed to Jewish settlements on Palestinian territory said Israel has issued a tender for the construction of nearly 1,000 additional settler homes in the occupied West Bank.

The anti-settlement group Peace Now said the 974 new settler housing units would allow the population of the Efrat settlement to expand by 40% and further block the development of the nearby Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

Hagit Ofran, who leads the group’s settlement monitoring, said construction can begin after the contracting process and issuing of permits, which could take another year at least. There was no immediate Israeli government comment.

In France24 - President Macron of France and four European diplomats attending the Munich Security Conference have called for an informal high-level meeting of selected European leaders to discuss Ukraine to tentatively meet on February 17 in Paris.

A sense of urgency regarding Europe's future direction was felt at the Conference as nations face converging common security challenges such as such as the rise of the far right, climate change, how to support Ukraine, Europe's collective security needs, and what to do about an unpredictable United States Administration.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaking on a panel said that "President Trump has a method of operating, which the Russians call reconnaissance through battle. You push and you see what happens, and then you change your position, legitimate tactics. And we need to respond."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasized the need for a stronger and more unified Europe and the need for the creation of a continental European army independent of the United States.

The question regarding the impromptu summit is who to invite. It is unclear whether the Ukrainian President will be invited.

Europe says to US President slow down regarding Ukraine negotiations

President Trump’s typical isolating and heavy-tread deal-making performance rears its head again as he converses in a solo phone call with Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine’s future on February 13.

European ministers are deeply affected by potential outcomes and they are not happy with Trump’s dismissal of their role in any negotiations involving concessions.

From Reuters - When asked if any European countries would be involved in peace talks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday: "I don't have any European nations who are involved currently to read out for you."

“Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene warned that ‘Europe should not fall ‘under the illusion that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin are going to find the solution for all of us as that would be a deadly trap.’”

Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment, described Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s, comments regarding a return to pre-2014 borders as a "concession to reality."

Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, questioned the Trump administration's strategy towards Russia and Ukraine ahead of impending negotiations. He asked on the social media site X, "Why is the Trump administration giving Putin gifts - Ukrainian land and no NATO membership for Ukraine - before negotiations even begin?"

British lawmaker and former foreign secretary James Cleverly said that starting a negotiation by setting out what one side should give up was "not a strong move.""Giving the impression that invasion pays off is not a strong move.

A European diplomatic source said the ministers agreed they would now engage in a "frank and demanding dialogue" with U.S. officials at the annual Munich Security Conference - a three-day gathering that starts in the southern German city starting on February 14.

As a prelude, regarding the current US role in international affairs, the Munich Security Report 2025 chapter on the US, is titled Maga Carta as an antithesis to the Magna Carta, a document that established the rule of law (which is not "a rule of law) and limited the power of the king.

Jordon's King Abdullah 11 met with President Trump at the White House on February 10. The leader, not interested in appearing in gratuitous public performance, took on a conciliatory tone and offered, a kind of help Jordan has done in any case, to take in 2000 Palestinian children who are very sick or have cancer. He informed the president that there would be a subsequent meeting among Arab states.

The Arab states must deal with Trump's talk regarding relocating Palestinians (with no right of return) to Egypt and Jordan and taking over Gaza. Jordan, which shares a long border with the West Bank, also has an additional concern regarding the West Bank as a battle field.

Trump has threatened to withhold foreign aid to Egypt and Jordan if the countries refuse to take in around 1.9 million Palestinian refugees. Any capitulation on the part of the Arab states risks serious political repercussions and potential civil unrest regarding domestic policies.

The Arab states have been relatively passive in the media over the “Palestine question.” Trump’s threats to remove Palestinians from their land and take ownership of Gaza has forced the states to respond more directly.

After years searching for normalization, the rhetoric against Israel is stronger. An example is noted in The NewArab in its report on a more recent Saudi stance where "The name of the state no longer applies to Israel” and Netanyahua is referred to as "a Zionist, son of a Zionist" along with the “assertion that “the occupation has one face, and that face is Benjamin Netanyahu."

Following consultations and coordination with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the current president of the Arab Summit, and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, in response to growing regional anxieties about Trump’s proposals, Egypt has announced that it will host an emergency summit of Arab leaders to be held in Cairo on February 27 with sister Arab countries including the State of Palestine.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that there is an Egyptian-led Arab plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its people.

Trump’s interference is bad for future peace efforts, reconstruction efforts in Gaza, and threatens international law.

From Al-Haq - February 7, Brussel's parliament placed arms and trade restrictions on Israel in compliance with the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion.

In the Guardian - In a capitalistic brand of ethnic cleansing, speaking in a joint press conference with the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the US would “own” the war-torn territory, which could become the “Riviera of the Middle East. ”

In the joint press conference he refused to rule out sending US troops there. It should be noted that US private security troops, with no transparency and apparently with no rule of law in sight, are already situated in Gaza.

Netanyahu reportedly praised Trump as “the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House” and said “it’s worth paying attention” to his idea.

Has Trump been paving the way for a takeover in the Mid-East, e.g.., with frequent statements that the ceasefire would probably not hold? It is likely that Netanyahu would love to have the US as a neighbor.

Meanwhile, the tenuous ceasefire with Gaza is accompanied by increasing violence in the West Bank and looting in Gaza.

In UN News, with no prior warning Israeli Security Forces (ISF) destroyed large areas of the Jenin Refugee camp "in a split second." According to UNRWA, the operations conducted by Israeli and Palestinian security forces have led to the forced displacement of thousands of camp residents. Thirteen schools in the northern West Bank remained closed due to ISF operations in the area.

Children are suffering in the West Bank. One report from humanitarian workers says that since October 7 four children on average are killed each week in the West bank and settler violence continues to displace Palestinian children.

In Gaza, looting is slowing down critical delivers of aid. Muhannad Hadi, the humanitarian coordinator for the OTP said that "Just last week, one driver was shot in the head and hospitalized, along with another truck driver..." and that, "this Saturday [February 1], no less than 98 trucks were looted in a single attack with trucks being damaged or stolen." He said, "... the survival of two million people now “hangs in the balance...It is essential to reestablish the rule of law to allow safe and unimpeded access”.

(above)

GOVERNMENT

The House approved the Budget Plan bill in a vote of 217-215 along partisan lines on February 25, with Thomas Massie, a prominent fiscal hawk, the lone Republican dissenter.

The budget plan must now move to the Senate before it becomes law. Republicans have paved the way with a special budget tool called reconciliation which gets them around the 60-vote threshold and enables them to avoid a filibuster in the Senate.

Following passage of the bill, House Speaker Johnson said: "House Republicans moved Congress closer to delivering on President Trump's full America First agenda, not just parts of it."

Massie, the only Republican in Congress to vote against the budget resolution, wrote on X: "The GOP budget extends the 5 yr. tax holiday we've been enjoying, but because it doesn't cut spending much, it increases the deficit by over $300 billion/yr. compared to letting tax cuts expire. Over 10 years, this budget will add $20 trillion to US debt."

The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that the package could add up to $11.25 trillion over 10 years to the country's existing $36.2 trillion in debt.

The budget makes room for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) has said that's not enough to accommodate a permanent extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts — set to expire at the end of the year.

This includes the accommodation of other proposals the president has put on the “Big Beautiful” table approved by the House as part of his “America First” agenda.

Democrats see the budget plan more as a “Billionaires First” agenda that betrays middle- and low-income voters on behalf of “billionaire donors”.

How is Donald Trump's wish list going to be accommodated given the "wall" and all? Options are limited. Forget the human costs. Social programs with the biggest bang for the buck might be seen as the easiest route.

In Forbes -While the plan doesn’t explicitly mention Medicaid, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will need to cut $880 billion from programs it oversees over the next decade, which can’t be achieved without cutting Medicaid, even if the committee cuts all other programs down to $0.

The unprecedented potential Medicaid cuts are massive compared with previous savings estimates (in billions) from November 1982 to January 2006 which totaled $18.1 billion with 12.3% savings compared to the House budget resolution at $880 billion with annual cuts of $88, billion, amounting to 13.1% savings.

This would be the largest cut to Medicaid in history at a time when the need for Medicaid involving the most vulnerable populations is growing.

this process might take several weeks. Meantime, America citizens, constituents with neighbors and families, will be watching to see whether Congress agrees to the House Budget Resolution proposal which promise radical cuts to the health care system that serves millions of working and middle-class people.

And, hopefully they will mark Donald Trump’s broken promise.

"I really wonder when someone is going to say, 'Enough,'" IRS employee

Argentine President Javier Milei’s gift to Elon Musk at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 20 symbolizing cost cutting measures.

“Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week…" Elon Musk

The subject of the email read, "What did you do last week?" Answer in 48 hours or resign. Musk explained on his social media platform X that the email was "a very basic pulse check." The email displayed a fictional list he had generated using artificial intelligence.

“Please reply to this email with [approx.] 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week…" Elon Musk.

Some U.S. agencies and unions told employees not to respond “immediately” to the demand, which would fall within the respective jurisdictions of the agencies.

There are significant problems with this edict aside from the fact that it was weird. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was among the broad sweep of agencies that had received the demand that they report what they had been doing within 48 hours. However, since they had been ordered to cease work early in February what were they supposed to report?

Most of all the edict seems to reflect more than its stated purpose. It seems as though Musk's need for control includes turning an entire country into a factory fueled by minions.

So, what is going on here? Is there some psychological factor at play with the "richest man in the world"?

Regarding the latter, an article authored by Dr. Roy J. Eldeslon in Psychology Today titled, Psychology's "Dark Triad" and the Billionaire Class might offer some enlightenment.

"No one has ever had my back [or fought] as hard as this octogenarian."

He is a fighter. He has worked tirelessly on the floor speaking against the high costs of oligarchy in the United States and now he is doing the same on the ground as he travels around the country talking to every day people. It must get lonely to be an outlier given a passive party on one side and the extreme aggression of the other party. But, while others turn their back on “we, the people” Bernie Sanders won’t give up.

In The Guardian - Opposition politicians in Argentina have called for the impeachment of President Javier Milei after he touted a cryptocurrency which quickly collapsed and reportedly led to millions of dollars in losses this weekend.

Milei endorsed the little-known cryptocurrency token $Libra on Friday evening, announcing on X that the project was “dedicated to boosting the growth of the Argentinian economy by funding small businesses and entrepreneurs”. His post linked to a website where the digital coin could be bought, the domain name of which included Milei’s popular catchphrase “long live freedom”.

The token immediately soared in value, from almost zero at the time of its launch to nearly $5, before plummeting to under $1, according to trading sites. Argentina’s fintech chamber said that the case could amount to a “rug pull” – a scam which sees cryptocurrency rapidly inflated, or “pumped”, before crashing while insiders “dump” their stake, making the tokens worthless. Other economists and crypto specialists said the digital asset could be a fraud or Ponzi scheme.

In Daily Kos - Four deputies in Mayor Eric Adams' embattled administration have resigned saying they could not deliver on their sworn oaths given recent events (corruption charges and the DOJ attempts to have those charges dismissed). The officials leaving the mayor’s office are Meera Joshi, deputy mayor for operations; Chauncey Parker, deputy mayor for public safety; Maria Torres-Springer, who served as first deputy mayor; and Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor for health and human services.

In The Hill February 18 - Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Michelle King, quit after 30 years of service after refusing to allow DOGE to access recipients' data.

Also in The Hill, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss declined to block DOGE from gaining access to Education Department data on student borrowers. He ruled that the lawsuit brought by the University of California Student Association (UCSA) had not shown sufficient irreparable harm to receive immediate relief. He left open further consideration of a claim upon which relief could be granted and the question of standing based on a more complete record "for another day".

From the Atlantic Council, by David Daoud "Lebanon has selected a prime minister-designate to form a cabinet. Nawaf Salam—a former Palestine Liberation Organization and Fatah militant turned Lebanese diplomat who also served as president of the International Court of Justice—is now expected to assume the premiership. As the head of Lebanon’s true executive authority, lifting the country out of its compounding crises—not the least of which is the question of what will become of Hezbollah and its arms—will fall upon Salam."

In Politico - "A White House official confirmed the so-called Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to the sprawling IRS database, known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System. The move was first reported by the Washington Post....

"Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.)...wrote to IRS Acting Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell, 'To date, no information on DOGE employees or any others executing orders on Musk’s behalf have revealed any clear, stated purpose as to why they need access to return information, whether they have followed all required laws to gain access to IRS systems, and what steps the IRS has taken to ensure that inspection of tax return is contained to authorized personnel and not disclosed to any unauthorized parties.'”

Kind of like a lead-in for an apocalyptic science fiction story, but real...

The Department of Government Efficiency DOGE, a powerful non-governmental agency, created by the richest man in the world, has apparently seized the US Treasury Department; it seems with little protest from Congress. UPDATE: In the New York Times - On February 11, President Trump signed an executive order expanding the reach of billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE to reshape Civil Service through hiring approvals and drastic cuts to federal personnel. During the press conference, Musk admitted to some mistakes in his practices to date, but communicated, oh well, everyone mistakes.

Government agencies with information activities vital to Americans and around the globe, e.g.., the USAID, are being systematically shut down. Words are disappearing as not allowable. for instance on the CDC website. The CDC itself has been frozen and ordered not to communicate with the public. This is also true of other government agencies such as NOAH. Climate change references are being eliminated across government websites and so on…

Of course there are reasons for all this. Reminiscent of the president’s pronouncement about disappearing Gaza’s from their land, Musk explained in regard to USAID, ”You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair…” And, the reason given for invading the treasury department? Well it never refuses anyone to anything including terrorists. (Never mind that the Treasury Department does not make the decision to give or reject outlays of money).
See, it’s all quite simple. You just disappear things, agencies, people you don’t like, and so on. A little lonely in the end, but all perfectly reasonable, right?

And keep in mind America is going to be GREAAT, right?

Heroes among us

Robert Reich honors embattled public servants -

Phyllis Fong, former inspector general of the Department of Agricultural fought for her position saying that Trump had illegally terminated her. She did not go quietly. She was dragged out of her office. In 2022 her office had launched an investigation of Elon Musk’s brain implant startup, Neuralink.

Brian Driscoll, acting FBI director, refused to assist in firing FBI employees who had investigated the people responsible for violence in the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol. Driscoll himself was one of the investigator. James Dennehy, the top FBI agent in the New York field office sent an email to his staff praising Driscoll and Driscoll’s deputy Robert C. Kissane. He called them warriors and said, “they were “fighting for this organization.”

The White House is trying to fire Ellen L. Weintraub, chair of the Federal Election Commission. Her firing comes just as the FEC was considering complaints involving the 2024 Trump campaign and Elon Musk’s super PAC. She attached her dismissal letter to an X post.

Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel sued immediately after his firing by the White House. Judge Amy Berman Jackson has blocked his dismissal until she hears arguments in the case. Dellinger continues to police the government against Hatch Act violations even when they are against Trump. As a public servant he continues to do his job.

Gwynne Wilcox, chair of the National Labor Relations Board also sued after being dismissed without cause by the White House. When she was fired 24 separate cases were pending against Musk before the NLRB.

Reich said there are many other federal workers in different agencies finding various forms of resistance as well as workers showing up and leading protests in defense of USAID, the Department of Labor and other targeted agencies.

EDUCATION

In Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the charter school board violated state law, the Oklahoma Constitution, and the U.S. Constitution when it allowed St. Isidore, a Catholic online school, to become a charter school. The US Supreme Court has agreed to review a ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court that rejected an effort by a Catholic on line school to become the nation’s first religious charter school. The justices also agreed to weigh in on a question relating to the certification of class actions.

IMMIGRATION

The radio station Jornalera started small and now empowers many thousands of migrants

At the end of the day it’s “only the people” That’s the slogan. The radio station Jornalera is located in the Pasadena Community Job Center, This is where migrants craft their own narratives of culture, tradition, and community as an answer to fake news. It is migrants that helped bring a small radio station into a national production and learn skills in the process. They are able to tell their stories and that has empowered working class communities.

Social media has helped the workers expand their message of empowerment even beyond the community.

Manuel Vicente, director of Radio Jornalera said migrant day laborers were on frontlines battling the horrific fires in Pasadena. On day one, hundred people, then it was a thousand people. They were there at the end of the day honest and hardworking migrants, many who are low income have lost their homes and employment, fighting fires and continuing work because it was part of their culture.

They were among some of the first to battle the fires without hesitation. This is only one case showing what migrants do for communities. This is something they bring to the US, Vincente said.

Vincente was asked, how do you talk to the powers that be in defense of migrants - those politicians who feed off lies? He answered that we talk through the power of community and debunk lies sometimes with data and other times through a moral voice.

In FAIR - Here are some hypothetical headlines that a truthful and less biased media would write...“GDP Could Take Massive Hit as a Result of Mass Deportations.” “Mass Deportations Could Leave Many Americans Without Jobs.” “Mass Deportations Could Spur Spike in Inflation.” “Mass Deportations Could Cost Nearly $1 Trillion.”

The FAIR article singles out media giants who either support false claims, produce unexplored claims, following a party line about immigration, or offer some sort of weak or vague reference to the sizeable contributions migrants actually make to the GDP, including job growth.

In Patch - The newly revised Department of Homeland Security reversed a 2011 policy that prohibited immigration authorities from detaining immigrants near locations including schools, child care centers, playgrounds, hospitals and churches. In response, California has passed bills to thwart those policies in order to guarantee the children of immigrants their right to a public education. These bills include the SAFE act requiring notification to students, parents and faculty if immigration officer show up at a school. Other bills are a requirement that ICE obtain explicit permission from school leaders in addition to a warrant prior to entering a school and another bill barring law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement actions within a mile of a school.

TECHNOLOGIES

From BBC - Research carried out by BBC found that open AI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot, Google's Gemini and Perplexity AI content contained "significant inaccuracies" and distortions. Deborah Turness, CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs said AI brought "endless opportunities" but the companies developing the tools were "playing with fire." She asked," We live in troubled times and how long will it be before an AI distorted headline causes significant real world harm?"

In Atmos, Writer Jason P. Dinh describes how a US Fish and wildlife Service's biotechnology project hopes to mainstream conservation efforts to endure for centuries to come.

There are seed banks as a backup for civilization and there are also biobank projects that might shape how conservation will guarantee that the genetics of different species survive and reverse possible extinctions, excluding already extinct species.

Ronald Sandler, an ethicist at Northeastern University, said that de-extinction, e.g., the woolly mammoth is itself not a conservation success without addressing the threats that endangered the species in the first place: poaching, habitat loss, and climate change.

PUBLIC HEALTH

In AlterNet - Employees at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been ordered to pull any articles under consideration for publication in medical or scientific journals so that they can be checked for certain "forbidden terms" including gender, transgender, and LGBT to ensure compliance that the US government only recognize two sexes.

The new order is separate from a demand two days into the Administration that government health agencies including CDC freeze all communications with the public. It follows reports on Friday that CDC web pages and datasets involving HIV, the LGBTQ community, youth health, and other topics were no longer accessible.

In Yahoo! News - Members of a CDC official advisory Committee sent an open letter to the Acting Director Susan Monarez, explaining the importance of the deleted materials to public health. The letter demanded that Monarez provide written answers to the Committee and convene a meeting with the advisory group.

MOVEMENTS

In TRT World, On February 5, protesters called for a boycott of The New York Times, accusing the publication of spreading misinformation about Gaza and justifying Israel’s genocidal war.
Writers Against the War on Gaza said in a press release.
“Even though a ceasefire has been reached, we must remain committed to exposing the ways that liberal institutions failed to speak out against genocide.”

They pointed to the highly criticized 2023 article “Screams Without Words” and asked for a retraction of the article as well as an editorial calling for a US arms embargo on Israel and an investigation into anti-Palestinian bias in in its newsroom.

In February, post-election protests against the new Administration have gained momentum on social media with the hashtags #BuildTheResistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests in 50 states in one day.

Websites and various accounts have issued calls for action, with messages such as "reject fascism" and "defend our democracy."

Post-election protests in the streets include protesters in Philadelphia and at state capitols in Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana and beyond who denounced the illegal actions of Trump, Elon Musk, and Project 2025.

Thousands of demonstrators in cities across California and the U.S. gathered to protest the Trump administration's early actions, including the president's immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights.

Students from multiple high schools in East Los Angeles, speaking against the US President’s immigration policies, hit the streets for the fifth straight day of demonstrations in the downtown area. There were also walk-outs by high school students in both Southern and Northern California

In Truthout, Chicago teachers, community members, and some elected officials participated in “walk-in” actions at more than 100 Chicago public schools. Participants rallied to show support for marginalized students — including undocumented youth and queer and trans students — amid Trump’s attacks on immigrants, trans people, and support for honest discussions of history in schools.

The walk-ins were part of a national day of action, ahead of the Senate’s consideration of President Trump’s nominee to lead — and aid in dismantling — the Department of Education, billionaire Linda McMahon.

In The Nation, Chris Lehmann wrote that , "marshaled by a trio of liberal advocacy groups: Move On and the Working Families Party as well as Indivisible" protesters converged on the Treasury building; "the scene of Musk’s crime." He noted, ”This striking disjuncture between an aggrieved public demanding action and a national Democratic Party operating on autopilot was the backstory to the Treasury protest.”

In DropSite News - Three students entered Columbia University because they believed they would have the freedom to follow their interests. They were suspended because they protested against the war on Gaza and for Palestian rights. On February 3 they filed a lawsuit against Columbia University.

The US President has put increasing pressure on Universities to report on students engaged in protest activities. "Aliens" will be deported.

BASIC NEEDS

President Trump's funding freezes by Executive Order have greatly increased uncertainty for US Farmers and put their survival on the line. The costs globally and for American consumers can be high.

US Farmers are already experiencing increasing unpredictability due to climate change. This makes these farmers more dependent on information from governmental websites. This access has disappeared.

Farmers also face challenges such as avian flu which requires access to CDC and WHO for more informed management, which they no longer have.

The executive orders are shutting farmers off from their markets which they have depended on for decades.

In Better World Campaign - Recent Executive Orders freezing foreign assistance are taking a multiple-billion toll on U.S. farmers…. USAID … has historically been one of the largest buyers of U.S.-grown crops, spending around $2.1 billion annually to provide food aid worldwide. And with crippling cuts to key UN agencies who rely on U.S. agriculture for global humanitarian assistance, American farmers are now left without some of their most dependable sources of income – and questions about the future of their livelihoods."

President Trump's poorly thought out funding freezes are potentially devastating. This is true not only for the many farmers that already have seeds in the ground, the freezes also affect the economic health and cultural survival of rural communities (It should be noted that MAGA supporters live in many of these communities).

In the New York Times - ;More than a dozen farmers and ranchers told The New York Times that the tumult had made it more difficult to plan for the year, affecting decisions on seed and equipment purchases. Many expressed worry that the administration could again pause future payments with little warning or take aim at other programs like disaster relief payments and crop insurance, resulting in untold consequences for the food supply."

These funding freezes do not just hurt individual farmers. They reinforce a food system already dominated by a handful of powerful corporations.

This, in turn, affects costs to American consumers.

From Yahoo News - "Further instability in federal programs only strengthens these monopolies. When family farmers lose access to credit, conservation programs or technical assistance, they are more likely to be forced out of business or absorbed by corporate interests. That means less competition, fewer independent farmers and higher grocery prices for American families."

The human cost of tariffs

Tax changes and the recent tariffs the White House has enacted as a highly questionable antidote to trade deficits will not be felt evenly across all income groups.

In general, tax cuts provide a larger relative benefit to higher-income taxpayers, but poorer populations would pay in a significant loss of benefits.

The major offset of higher import tariffs imposed by the White House falls harder on lower and middle-income taxpayers and harder still on women who bear a greater burden in meeting basic needs than men. (In 2021, 47.9% of women in poverty were in extreme poverty, defined as living below 50% of the federal poverty level).

This disparity crosses all racial/ethnic groups and educational levels. (The latter does disproportionately affects women of color), is partially due to pay gaps between men and women workers.

From PBS News, while threats hang in the air, read about how tariffs work

(read more)

January - March Happenings 2025