cjlevine13.bsky.social
He/him/his. Educator, activist, writer, musician, geek.
98 posts
30 followers
30 following
Getting Started
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22/22
-HHS Secretary RFK Jr. dismissed a child’s death from measles as “not unusual”; this was the 1st death from the preventable disease since 2015
-the President is expected to sign and Executive Order making English the official language of the USA
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21/22
-at the UN, the US refused to blame Russia for the war w/ Ukraine, an about-face from the previous administration
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20/?
-the President and Vice-President argued with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy during the latter’s visit to the White House; the argument was broadcast live to the world and vividly illustrated the US administration’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war
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19/?
-a federal judge ruled that mass firings of probationary workers was likely illegal; this does not mean these workers will be rehired
-5 former Secretaries of Defense called on Congress to hold hearings regarding the President’s recent firing of key military leaders
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18/?
-the administration began moving transgender prisoners to housing based on sex assigned at birth, a move the United Nations defines as “torture”
-hundreds of weather forecasters & other probationary workers fired from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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17/?
-the Department of Veterans Affairs paused a series of planned cuts to review their consequences
-the European Union pushed back against the President’s comments that the bloc is “out to get” the USA, and vowed to fight increased tariffs
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16/?
-Wednesday, the administration sent direction to most federal departments and agencies to submit a plan for a reduction in force; critics argue such a move is illegal and foolhardy
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15/?
-Musk’s Starlink company is poised to take over a $2 billion contract, currently held by Verizon, to upgrade the air traffic control system; critics argue this is a blatant conflict of interest
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14/?
-the White House announced a new policy of rotating press access among various news agencies, rather than the traditional press pool; given the administration’s ongoing spat with the AP, this move is seen as a curtailment of First Amendment rights
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13/?
-a federal judge Tuesday once again ordered the administration to unfreeze billions of dollars in foreign aid, setting a timeline of less than 48 hours to do so
-the Supreme Court late Wednesday overruled the lower court’s order
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12/?
-the White House identified Amy Gleason as the “acting administrator” for the DOGE; per previous comments, the White House insists that Musk is NOT an employee of that department, merely an adviser to the President
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11/?
-the President announced a plan to offer “gold card” visas to wealthy foreign investors who wish to emigrate, replacing the current EB-5 “investor visa”
-more than 20 DOGE staff resigned Tuesday, saying they refused to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services”
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10/?
-the House passed a budget blueprint that would, among other things, deliver $4.5 TRILLION in tax breaks and cut almost $2 trillion in spending; the final vote was 217-215, with all Democrats & one Republican opposed
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9/?
-Defense Secretary Hegseth issued a statement that top military lawyers would be replaced because they aren’t “well-suited” to follow lawful orders, but provided no further information on what, specifically, makes them so
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8/?
-the administration’s own data shows that 1/3 of contracts canceled by the DOGE will yield no savings, in many cases because the funds had already been spent
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7/?
-the administration placed the bulk of USAID staffers worldwide on leave as of Monday, and announced at least 1600 US-based staffers will be fired
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6/?
-White House press secretary Leavitt announced the President & his team are close to ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, saying, “the President is very confident we can get it done this week”
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5/?
-the President also spoke at CPAC, celebrating “wins” from his 1st month in office, asking the crowd of supporters if anyone would like to join him as he examines the national gold depository at Fort Knox, and jeering both Joe Biden & Kamala Harris
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4/?
-at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Musk celebrated his accomplishments so far by waving a chainsaw in the air
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-the above action led to mass confusion as some agencies told employees not to comply, others encouraged compliance, and still others gave conflicting instructions
-less than 7 days later, a 2nd email went out w/ the same message as the previous one and promised this would be the new weekly routine
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2/?
-Musk insisted this is to combat “fraud” in the form of people not “actually” working or “identities of dead people” being used to collect paychecks. Musk provided no other evidence of such actions.
-Lawmakers on all sides and labor unions immediately questioned the legality of this move
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Go to www.congress.gov and enter your ZIP code in the search bar under "Contact your member" to find their contact information. Phone calls are best, but emails help, too.
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10/10
-a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the President’s various EOs that block federal support for diversity initiatives
-the Associated Press barred from presidential events until they refer to the Gulf of Mexico as “the Gulf of America”; the AP sues the fed. administration
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9/?
-during a meeting with state governors, the President singled out the governor of Maine for continuing to allow transgender athletes to participate in organized sports. When Governor Mills responded, “we’ll see you in court,” the President replied, “I look forward to that.”
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8/?
-voting along party lines, the Senate approved a budget framework that would prioritize funds for the President’s immigration agenda
-the President fired the chair of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff (only the second Black man to ever hold the position) and two other senior officers
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7/?
-during a press conference, the President acknowledged inflation but insists he “has nothing to do” with ongoing high prices
-the President offers support for returning the District Of Columbia to direct federal control, citing concerns about crime rates and homelessness
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6/?
-the President signed an executive order that outlined the functions of the Office of Budget & Management, and issued a presidential memorandum that requires the government to detail the “waste, fraud, and abuse” found by the DOGE
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5/?
-the President signed an executive order that aims to expand access to and reduce the costs of IVF; critics point out that IVF is so out-of-reach for many in part because of actions taken during the previous Trump administration
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4/?
-the President & Musk claim that “tens of millions of dead people” receive Social Security checks; numerous critics point out that funeral homes file paperwork to prevent this exact scenario
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3/?
-the administration met with top Russian officials to discuss the end of the Ukraine/Russia war; no Ukraine officials were present; other European leaders not allowed to participate
-the President blamed Ukraine for the war with Russia, despite fact that Russian invasion started conflict
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2/?
-the administration cut more seasonal positions at national parks, including those related to visitor safety (law enforcement rangers, firefighters, EMTs)
-more cuts remove FDA employees responsible for things like food safety, medical devices, and tobacco products
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12/12
-the administration moves to slash the size of the federal workforce by firing probationary employees in every department; unions for these agencies file a lawsuit challenging these “unlawful terminations”
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11/?
-the President met with Putin & Vance met with Zelenskyy to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war
-Judge orders temporary resumption of foreign aid
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10/?
-the President ordered that all CDC research must align with his administration’s agenda, including removal of terms such as “women”, “gender”, and “disability”
-Elon Musk called for “deletion” of entire departments of the government
-Musk & the DOGE placed ~100 Dept. of Ed employees on leave
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9/?
-White House bars Associated Press employee from Oval Office TWICE because AP insists on labeling Gulf of Mexico by that name; AP also barred from Air Force One for the same reason
-the Centers For Disease Control have been blocked from communicating with the general public
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8/?
-the President signed an executive order requiring agencies to cooperate with the DOGE
-USAID employees file lawsuit to stop dismantling of department
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6/?
-at a summit on AI in Paris, the Vice President railed against “excessive regulation” of the technology
-the President and Musk announced plans to purge 50% of staff at NOAA, the National Weather Service, and the National Hurricane Center
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6/?
-a member of Musk’s DOGE task force resigned amid revelations of previous racist messages posted online. Musk rehired and assigned the staffer to handle classified data from the State Department.
-the European Union vows tough countermeasures to the President’s proposed tariffs
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5/?
-the President fired the head of the Office of Government Ethics AND the head of the Office of Special Counsel (the latter protects federal employees from illegal personnel actions, such as retaliation for whistleblowing)
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4/?
-the President suggested the USA should take ownership of the Gaza strip, allowing for this and other countries to develop the area into “the Riviera of the Middle East”. So far, Arab nations have soundly rejected his plans.
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3/?
-the President ordered the Treasury to stop minting pennies, citing the high cost of production ($0.037 per coin in 2024)
-effectively closed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau