Flooding the Zone - the Trump/Musk Administration onslaught

There is much more going on than I attempt to keep up with or share, so I am listing only a few illustrative articles and news sources.

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• Trump Tracker   Daily posts from February 10 - March 5, 2025
       Trump Tracker   Posts from March 6, 2025 - April 16, 2025
  
  By Science News Staff, Science magazine, American Association for the Advancement of Science
  See also daily news articles at Science Insider)  
• Wikipedia: Second presidency of Donald Trump
  A thorough recounting of federal Executive Office actions and Executive Orders during President Trump's second term.
• What is the status of DOGE now that Elon Musk is gone? (37 min.)
  Host Terry Gross interviews Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, who has been covering Trump's reshaping of the federal government. June 11, 2025.
• 65+ NGOs Respond to Terminations of Life-Saving Programs
  February 28, 2025. InterAction and the undersigned Members, including FHI 360, issued the following statement in response to the termination of thousands of life-saving awards: "On Wednesday, the State Department terminated 10,000 grants and other awards, including for life-saving programs for which Secretary of State Rubio had granted waivers. . . ."
• Jenner (& Block) Stands Firm
  On March 24, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at the law firm Jenner & Block, stripping it and its lawyers of security clearances and access to government buildings. The firm had once employed attorney Andrew Weissmann after he worked as a prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller III's special counsel investigation of Trump in his first term. In announcing its executive order, the White House accused Jenner of participating in "the weaponization of the legal system against American principles and values". Two other law firms offered $40-100 millions in pro bono work for causes Trump supports in order to get Trump to rescind similar orders.
• The biggest Ponzi scheme in history
  Robert Reich, 3/6/2025. My take? The United States is becoming the kleptocracy capital of the world.
• Heather Cox Richardson on the Trump/Vance White House meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky
  Today, President Donald Trump ambushed Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky in an attack that seemed designed to give the White House an excuse for siding with Russia in its war on Ukraine. Vice President J.D. Vance joined Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office—his attendance at such an event was unusual—in front of reporters. Those reporters included one from Russian state media, but no one from the Associated Press or Reuters, who were not granted access. Letters from an American, February 22, 2025
• NC anti-tobacco funding slashed as CDC shuts down Office on Smoking and Health
  Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, The News & Observer, May 16, 2025. North Carolina has lost its federal funding for tobacco prevention and control, a cut that state health officials say will limit services, lead to furloughs and stall efforts to reduce smoking and related health risks and deaths across the state. The cut stems from the Trump administration's closure earlier this year of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, which had supported state tobacco programs — including North Carolina's — since 1998. [5/17/2025 LinkedIn post: "Hard to imagine but the NC Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch team (9 staff) was all furloughed starting today due to stoppage of federal funding. Led by two incredible public health leaders and legends with decades of experience, Sally Herndon and Jim Martin, this team helped bring NC smokefree restaurants, tobacco free schools, the NC Quitline and the lowest smoking rates documented for adults and youth. For every $1 invested on prevention $55 was saved by state in future tobacco-related costs. . . ."]
• Federal Cuts in Washington Imperil Jobs, Families, Local Funding here in Chapel Hill
  Adam Searing, Chapel Hill Town Council, February 17, 2025
• Your Local Epidemiologist - Katelyn Jetelina Substack newsletter from an awarded epidemiology communicator
• Robert Reich's newsletter
  Daily newsletter exposing where power lies — and how it's used and abused
• Talking Points Memo
  Talking Points Memo (TPM) is an independent news organization that publishes reporting and analysis about American politics, public policy and political culture.
• American chaos: standing up for health and medicine
  Editorial. The Lancet. February 8, 2025;405(10477):439. "The past 3 weeks have generated much anger, fear, and sorrow – but it is no time for panic. The medical and scientific communities must come together and stand up for this vision. In that spirit, The Lancet will be a focal point of accountability over the next 4 years, monitoring and reviewing the actions of the US Government and the consequences of its decisions for health."
• El Futuro: Mental Health Resources in Times of Change
  including - Know your Rights Flyers in Spanish and English
  - Care Practices Guide from the Latinx Therapist Action Network (LTAN)
  - SAEM Immigration Advocacy Toolkit
  - What to do if arrested or detained in Spanish or English
  - Artwork for Printing Your Own Red Cards in Spanish
  - List of organizations and resources available to support Latine mental health in North Carolina in Spanish and English
  - Flyer in Spanish with detailed information about your rights and suggestions of what to do depending of different situations
  - Health Care Providers and Immigration Enforcement
  - Emergency Guide for Families in Spanish
  - Protecting Families Facing Deportation Toolkit
• What can I do to fight this coup?
  We can't put everything you could do in here – including ways to ground yourself in these times – but here are some starting points on how to orient and help fight the coup.