Stories from the front lines
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From a friend who knows lots of people in the federal government:
Friend #1 is an Admiral in the Navy who who works in the Pentagon. He said they are having internal discussions about how to handle presidential orders that violate laws.
Friend #2 works for a federal agency in Ecuador and she was let go last week. No personal protections, no plane ticket home, nothing.
Friend #3 works at home in Milwaukee for a DC-based bureau. She was offered the voluntary resignation letter, and she said no one was signing it including her. She was then told that she would have to report to a federal prison in Illinois as her new work location, which is 100 miles away, starting in March.
If there’s one thing right wing authoritarians hate above else, it’s education:
The Trump administration has begun drafting an executive order that would kick off the process of eliminating the Department of Education, the latest move by President Donald Trump to swiftly carry out his campaign promises, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN.
The move would come in two parts, the sources said. The order would direct the secretary of Education to create a plan to diminish the department through executive action.
Trump would also push for Congress to pass legislation to end the department, as those working on the order acknowledge that shuttering the department would require Congress’ involvement.
While calls to abolish the department or merge it with another federal agency are not new, the move has historically failed to get support from Congress.
During Trump’s first term as president, his administration proposed merging the Education and Labor Departments into one federal agency. Even though Republicans controlled both the Senate and House of Representatives at the time, the proposal did not go anywhere.
This year, the Education Department is simultaneously being targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, as CNN previously reported.
Dozens of employees at the Education Department were placed on paid administrative leave Friday as part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to rid the federal workforce of employees associated with diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts.
Well, education and social equality. Amongst the things right wing authoritarians hate are education, social equality, and sexual freedom for women. I sense a trend here.
. . . I hear Madagascar is nice:
President Trump declared on Tuesday that Palestinians had no choice but to leave Gaza because of the devastation wrought by Israel’s war with Hamas. His comments, which came shortly before he welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to the White House, seemed to indicate that Mr. Trump wanted to find a new homeland for the Palestinians rather than reconstruct Gaza.