Fed Up Voters Demand That Democrats Fight Trump– www.politicususa.com Source Link Excerpt:
The biggest story in the Democratic Party isn’t the fighting between House and Senate Democrats because that fight reflects the larger issue of the shift in the Democratic base since Trump came back to office.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to elected Democrats that after their voters were told for years that Trump is a threat to democracy and all that they value, these voters would expect Democrats holding office to do something in response to the threat.
Elected officials often don’t react until they see changes reflected in polling, and a new NBC News poll should cause any lingering Democrats to change course.
Jasmine Crockett Blasts Schumer’s Absurd Reason For Caving To Trump– www.politicususa.com Source Link Excerpt:
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The fallout from Chuck Schumer’s cave to Trump continues to rumble, as Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) debunked Schumer’s stated reasoning for supporting the Trump CR.
Schumer has said, “A government shutdown gives Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE almost complete power as to what to close down, because they can decide what is an essential service. If they determine that SNAP, kids shouldn’t get food is not essential, they can just cut it out summarily. They could fire half the workers in the federal government.”
emocrats Are Furious With Chuck Schumer – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com Source Link Excerpt:
Activists stage a protest outside the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) following his support for a GOP funding bill.
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In the wake of votes by a handful of key Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to pass a GOP-led continuing resolution funding federal operations through the end of September, fissures have expanded within the Democratic Party on how best to counter Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s ongoing assault on government agencies.
Top Democrats Demand Investigation Into DeJoy’s Secret Deal With Musk To Gut USPS– www.politicususa.com Source Link Excerpt:
House Democrats who oversee the USPS are concerned that the Trump administration is maneuvering to get around the law and gut the United Postal Service.
In a letter to House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-KY), twenty House Democrats led by Oversight Committee ranking member Gerry Connolly (D-VA) wrote:
We write to request that you convene an immediate hearing on the Trump Administration’s plans for the United States Postal Service (USPS). Since the Committee’s most recent hearing on the USPS, the Trump Administration has reportedly explored privatizing the USPS, firing the bipartisan Postal Board of Governors, merging the USPS into the Department of Commerce, and is now subjecting the USPS, America’s most trusted federal institution, to the chainsaw approach of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This broad assault on the independence of the USPS demands Congressional oversight, especially from the Committee with jurisdiction over the USPS.
On December 14, 2024, the Washington Post reported that President Trump was considering actions to privatize the USPS and push thousands of federal service employees out of their jobs in favor of a broad privatization of the agency’s essential services. Two months later, further reporting noted that President Trump was preparing plans to fire the bipartisan Postal Board of Governors and “merge” the Postal Service into the Commerce Department, “potentially throwing the 250-year-old mail provider and trillions of dollars of e-commerce transactions into turmoil.”
Department of Veterans Affairs Ends Transgender and Intersex Care Directives – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Department of Veterans Affairs in Phoenix.Matt York/AP
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On Monday, citing Donald Trump’s “Defending Women” executive order, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it would “phase out treatment for gender dysphoria” by discontinuing hormone replacement therapy for patients not already in treatment.
The agency provides health care and benefits for about nine million veterans, tens of thousands of whom—by the VA’s estimate—identify as trans. Its press release says that the agency’s LGBTQ+ veteran care coordinators, who run its LGBTQ Health Program, would not be affected by the changes. But Pete Hegseth, Trump’s secretary of defense, has been vocal about his ire toward the LGBTQ community and his support for cutting VA health care.
Although the VA has never provided gender-affirming surgeries, it has been able to provide letters in support of veterans seeking them. That’s now on the chopping block.
“It’s infuriating,” a medical professional with the agency, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Mother Jones. “To be honest, I don’t understand how it’s allowed—how are they able to tell providers what they can and cannot treat?”
The announcement follows reporting in the Advocate on a Veterans Health Administration memo with similar provisions circulated on March 14, which rescinded the agency’s 2018 directive establishing health care standards for transgender and intersex veterans. In response to subsequent coverage by National Public Radio, VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz told NPR that there had been no policy change—but by Saturday night, the agency officially published the memo, which showed otherwise.
House Rules Committee advances GOP’s stopgap ahead of shutdown deadline– thehill.com Source Link Excerpt:
The House Rules Committee voted Monday night to advance the GOP’s bill to avert a government shutdown, dispatching the measure to the full chamber for consideration ahead of Friday’s deadline.
The panel voted 9-3 to adopt the rule, which governs debate on the legislation. The successful vote sends the measure to the House floor for debate and a final vote.
“This legislation helps avoid the government shutting down and allows us to continue our work in service to the American people,” House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said in her opening remarks of the hearing. “The House must act to avoid a needless shutdown that serves no purpose — by doing so, this body can put its focus and attention on the next appropriations process.”
The continuing resolution, unveiled by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) over the weekend, would keep the government funded through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, while boosting defense funding and imposing cuts for some nondefense programs.
The House is expected to vote on the legislation on Monday. It remains unclear, however, if it has the votes to pass since Democrats are expected to oppose it in droves — their leadership is voting “no” — and a handful of Republicans are withholding support from the measure.
Top Democrats Blasts The Idea That Democrats Should Keep The Government Open For Republicans– www.politicususa.com Source Link Excerpt:
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It is a notion that the mainstream media loves that drives Democrats crazy. The media insists on making Democrats responsible for doing the important work of governing even when Republicans are in charge of the entire government. The media pushes this false idea because Republicans push this false notion.
As the House Rules Committee marked up the continuing resolution to keep the government open, Rep. Jim McGovern took on this double standard:
I think maybe you guys need to take a refresher course in arithmetic. Last time I checked, you have the majority in the House and in the Senate, and you control the White House. The idea that somehow Democrats have the responsibility to pass a CR or any bill, quite frankly, where we don’t have any input on.
I think it’s ridiculous, I mean you run around bragging about this big mandate, well put on your mandate pants and pass whatever you, whatever you want to do. And I, and I, and I think you probably will have the votes because even the so called principled conservatives who don’t like CRs, I think they’re suffering from a case of Victoria Sparks Syndrome.
Where on Monday they’re a hard no and then on Tuesday they’re a hard yes. They’ll cave. So, but the idea that somehow, Being in charge means that you don’t have to take the responsibility of running this place is absurd.
Trump dodges recession talk as global markets plunge– www.dailykos.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Donald Trump has refused to rule out that his economic policies could trigger a recession and pushed for a “period of transition” that global markets have already responded to negatively.
In an interview that aired on Sunday, with Fox Business conspiracy theorist Maria Bartiromo, Trump was asked if he expected a recession.
“I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big, we’re bringing wealth back to America,” Trump said.
Trump’s statement is false. He has repeatedly throughout his political career predicted economic calamity, usually in the context of attacks against his Democratic rivals like former President Joe Biden and Sec. Hillary Clinton.
Reuters beclowns itself, to Hamas’s benefit– thehill.com Source Link Excerpt:
One problem with biased journalism is that it produces weak reporting. Another is that it can lead to the dissemination of outright falsehoods, even honest-to-God terrorist propaganda.
On Mar. 6, the global newswire Reuters fully retracted a report that had referred repeatedly to a victim of a Palestinian terrorist attack as a member of the Mossad, Israel’s top intelligence agency. The problem is there’s no evidence that the victim, Amatzia Ben-Haim, was ever in the Mossad, let alone an active agent at the time of his death.
Reuters, it turns out, relied entirely on the killer’s family for this supposed biographical detail, apparently making no effort to corroborate their version of events. When asked to explain how the original story was allowed to go to print despite serious and obvious flaws, the newswire replied to my inquiries with the same stock statement it had issued previously, that the story “is withdrawn” and that they “regret the error.”
It is unclear why Reuters chose to rely solely on the claims of the killer’s family that Ben-Haim was a Mossad agent, apparently without corroboration. It has made no effort to show its homework.
House Democrats add Latino-heavy districts to most vulnerable list for 2026– www.politico.com Source Link Excerpt:
House Democrats are making it official: Latino voters have shifted their battleground map.
Their campaign arm is unveiling its list of top battleground incumbents to defend in 2026, giving the first insight into how the party views the midterm elections — with notable new additions to reflect a shift toward President Donald Trump in some majority-Latino congressional districts
The 26-member “frontline” list provided first to POLITICO otherwise largely matches the list of districts where Democrats played defense last cycle. As Democrats continue their post-election autopsy, the list reveals where the party thinks it is most vulnerable and will have to dedicate resources to protect incumbents.
Washington Post Faces Mass Cancellations After Jeff Bezos’ Editorial Changes – MSN Source Link Excerpt:
Newspapers rely on digital subscriptions to survive. Losing subscribers is a big deal, especially for a major publication.
The Washington Post is now facing a wave of cancellations. More than 75,000 digital subscribers have reportedly canceled their memberships, according to Digi24.
This follows changes made by the newspaper’s owner, Jeff Bezos.
NPR reported that the cancellations were linked to new restrictions on opinion coverage. The number came from an anonymous source who feared backlash from the company.
The Washington Post declined to comment on the figures. It also did not respond to criticism about the changes.
Bezos announced a new editorial approach on Wednesday. He said the newspaper would focus on supporting personal freedoms and free markets.
Was Volodymyr Zelensky’s bust-up with Donald Trump a brilliant calculated risk?– www.mirror.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
The truth behind Volodymyr Zelensky’s Oval office bust-up – has the Ukrainian President played a brilliant but risky hand, taking the US to the brink, risking everything to save his country?
As Trump’s allies blast hero Zelensky for his clothes, desperate Ukrainian war medics ask Don: ‘Should WE wear a suit’?– www.thesun.co.uk Source Link Excerpt:
HERO surgeons on Ukraine’s frontline have mocked their US critics by asking “should we wear a suit?”
Frontline docs hit back after President Zelensky was accused of disrespecting America by wearing combat fatigues to the White House.
Federal cuts to HUD grants threaten impact on housing discrimination efforts – AOL Source Link Excerpt:
A new set of federal cuts at the hands of the Trump administration will impact the number of grants the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can offer to organizations.
Along with these latest reductions, HUD, like many federal agencies, has lost hundreds of employees as DOGE aims to reduce federal spending.
This past Valentine’s Day, former HUD employee Jayna Lennon was just days away from completing her probationary period when she received a termination letter.
“It was really surreal. Yeah, it was a crazy day,” Lennon said.
USAID Cuts Puts a Company That Helps Disabled Kids at Risk– time.com Source Link Excerpt:
As the U.S. government endeavors to trim its spending, no agency has been as pared back as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). On Feb. 26, after 30 days of what was purported to be a 90-day review, the Trump Administration announced that 90% of the international aid projects the agency was funding were going to be canceled, ending an era of outsize dominance and generosity by the U.S. in foreign aid.
These cuts include funding for medical, nutrition, educational and democratic initiatives that were sustaining and protecting millions of people. While foreign aid represented about half a percentage of the U.S. budget, it also represented more than 40% of the world’s foreign aid. The size and speed of the cancellations have reverberated around the world, with many experts suggesting that America’s reputation as a reliable and trustworthy partner has taken a hit simply because of the abruptness of the process.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that all foreign-aid projects must make Americans safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Valerie Karr, who has been working in disability rights for two decades, understands that impulse but is aghast at the cost to the people her small business served: disabled children in impoverished countries. For the last six years, Inclusive Development Partners (IDP) has helped implement plans to get children with disabilities around the world into schools and keep them there.
Senate still moving forward with budget, Thune says– www.politico.com Source Link Excerpt:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that Republicans are moving ahead — for now — with their budget blueprint, even after President Donald Trump endorsed the House’s competing plan on Wednesday.
“We’re planning to proceed. But, you know, obviously we are interested in and hoping to hear with more clarity where the White House is coming from,” Thune told reporters after meeting with fellow GOP leaders.
The Senate voted to start debate on their budget plan Tuesday, with a marathon “vote-a-rama” on amendments and final adoption expected to start Thursday.
Senate Republicans will discuss the path forward with Vice President JD Vance at a conference lunch Wednesday. Several GOP senators said they are hoping he will clarify what the White House wants — including whether they should proceed with their two-bill strategy, which would see them first pass a border, energy and defense bill and then come back later this year to tackle tax cuts.
Elon Musk’s DOGE seeks access to taxpayer data at IRS – The Associated Press Source Link Excerpt:
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to troves of sensitive taxpayer data at the IRS, two people familiar with the inner workings of the plan who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly told The Associated Press on Monday.
If successful, Musk and his group would have access to millions of tightly controlled files that include taxpayer information, bank records and other sensitive records. The people who spoke to the AP and requested anonymity said DOGE is specifically seeking to access the IRS’ Integrated Data Retrieval System, which enables employees “to have instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts,” according to the IRS website.
Advocates fear that the potential unlawful release of taxpayer records could be used to maliciously target Americans, violate their privacy and create other ramifications.
Rally speakers say NC judge’s attempt to win his election by tossing ballots threatens democracy – NC Newsline Source Link Excerpt:
The challenge of more than 60,000 votes in the state Supreme Court race is a threat to democracy that could serve as a model to other losing politicians who want to reverse their defeats at the ballot box, speakers at a Monday rally said.
Republican Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin wants more than 60,000 votes thrown out in his effort to unseat incumbent Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs. She leads by 734 votes and has maintained the lead through two recounts.
Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Emancipate NC, called the effort to throw out votes “the canary in the coal mine.”
“If we allow them to steal this election, no election will be safe,” she said.
Now That He Is President, Trump Claims He Has Nothing To Do With Inflation– www.politicususa.com Source Link Excerpt:
Donald Trump made a lot of insane promises during the 2024 presidential campaign that people who were paying attention knew would never come true.
During an August 2024 press conference surrounded by food Trump said, “Grocery prices have skyrocketed. When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one. We will drill, baby, drill. That’s going to bring down prices of everything.”
The promise was always gibberish because the oil that is extracted in the United States belongs to the oil companies and is sold on the global market. Factor in the fact that oil companies have an incentive to drill less to keep prices and profits high, and it was clear that oil has nothing to do with the price of groceries.
However, Trump did promise to lower prices on day one.
Fast forward to February where during an interview with Sean Hannity, Trump completely changed his tune on inflation and prices.
