Monday Brie-fing: Jan 27 2025
It’s crazy, because if you watched the news all day, you still couldn’t cover everything.
Preface:
from the Anchoress Archives posted a simple little note yesterday, but it has rather unlocked a paradigm shift for how I see my way of contributing these next few years. We need people *writing*, genuinely, every day, to ensure there are diverse, first-person perspectives of a period of history that powerful people will ABSOLUTELY try to rewrite. And so, today is the first of this new format, which is honestly journaling by hand, all day, then transmitting to Substack later! I can add details and links where necessary, but it’s straight from my head and heart. I’m a better writer, AND I’m helping write history? Thank you Katy!And now, the piece :)
We were almost in a Trade war with Colombia yesterday? But I guess we're good now, never mind? Goodness, you try to get some laundry done on a Sunday…
Right into headlines:
ICE Arrests 956 on Sunday as nationwide raids continue
→ At least one (1) American citizen has been wrong fully detained so far; I say “at least” because there are several reported by tribal members as well.
Trump urges Jordan & Egypt to take the Palestinians
→ I asked my lil chatbot for the definition of ethnic cleansing: “Ethnic cleansing refers to the systematic forced removal or elimination of members of an ethnic, racial, or religious group from a particular area through deportation, forced displacement, mass murder, or intimidation tactics. The goal is typically to create an ethnically homogeneous geographic area by removing members of particular groups. This is a serious human rights violation.” You be the judge.
Chinese App Deepseek surpasses Chat GPT in Apple Store → Stock market took a tumble
I don’t have time right now, I’ll come back to this…
Tom Cotton from AK asks Trump to reconsider revoking. Security detail for Bolton, Fauci, Pompeo & more
→ Want some ocean-front property in Arizona, Tom? Honestly, it was nice of you to try, I’ll say that.
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it Feels like there's never been a better time to revisit this subject. If you’re a reader, consider The Book Thief.
Noon- Story is that Trump is expected to sign 3 EO's: *
Removing DEI From the military -
Be clear about what this means?? You put the Tuskegee airmen back in the educational roundup, so that’s something. What is meant to be lost in this process?
Reinstate troops discharged over covid vaccine -
Dumb, but we have bigger fish to fry
Ban on transgendered troops -
I mean…. okay. Fine. Congrats on this rousing success in defeating a non-issue. Pat yourselves on the back, I know you will, but (pssssstttt) its giving worst-version-of-American-toxic-masculinity energy. I mean, microscopic sorts of energy.
Palestinians are walking on foot by the thousands to North Gaza
What’s crazy is… we didn’t even see the worst of it. The app companies, the web browsers, they tried really really hard to keep the worst of war’s realities from consuming our news feeds all the time. I wonder sometimes if it’s for the best… on the one hand, you don’t want to traumatize people unnecessarily. On the other, we could perhaps maybe saved some lives? I don’t know. I’m just sad that American dollars contributed to it.
Bill Gates says Elon Musk believes in ‘insane shit.’
I mean, he’s not wrong, but he’s got a bit of nerve considering he owns a $150 million property named after some Citizen Kane reference?!?
LOL, I guess he fired like 16 inspectors general yesterday, which breaking the law because he's supposed to give the Senate 30 days' notice... but shit, was anyone expecting him to actually follow the law?!?!
More headlines at 3pm...
Justice Department fires more than a dozen Key officials on former Special Counsel Jack Smith's team
→ Action described as consistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government
→ EGAD! THE AUDACITY! The fucking boldness, to end the weaponization of GOVERNMENT?!?! Government... BY WEAPONIZING it your damn self?!?!?
- He says it’s because they can’t be trusted to do their job, but that’s what they were doing?! Gosh, it’s absurd…
→ Is this legal? Or is it one of those decorum rules that everyone just agreed to follow since Nixon? Trump wont, that’s for damn sure.
CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately, never mind on extended withdrawal
→ Dr. Jeffrey Klausner states halting comms with WHO is a significant issue for public health efforts.
→ Experts think it will hinder efforts to mitigate Marburg and Mpox in Africa
→ What's the purpose for this bullshit? Like, is it simply a dick swinging contest, or does he not understand how bad this could get... or does he, and he just doesn't care?
J6 Rioter, newly pardoned, shot & Killed while resisting arrest in Indiana
→ There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said already. These people should not be out of prison.
'Sputnik moment: $1tn wiped off US stocks after Chinese Firm unveils AI chatbot
→ Thank goodness for Robert Reich because initially, I didn't understand this ish at all, but my base understanding is; after years of hype manic investment and these mf oligarchs running the world in our faces while we beg for scraps, IT TURNS OUT our AI companies are so big, they weren’t innovating fast enough: Deepseek is way cheaper, AND they made it open source, likely to rub it in their face lol. It is quite literally the world market telling the big corporations what we’ve known all along.... you're so damn big, you’re even fucking stifling YOURSELVES, let alone everyone else.
Four Chicago immigrants rights groups sue for emergency restraining order against ICE raids… meanwhile, Steve Bannon is on TV calling for Chicago’s mayor and the fucking governor of Illinois to be imprisoned for not cooperating.
I wish that didn’t scare me, but I honestly think the consistent undertones of throwing out the law in favor of what they believe to be right, on behalf of a mandate that doesn’t actually exist is insane. And it’s more insane that it’s working so far.
First Outbreak of rare bird flu strain reported at California Poultry Farm
They don’t know if it will be human-transmissible yet
GREAT Time to break up with the WHO I guess?
Mark Greenblatt, whom Trump appointed HIMSELF as IG of the interior, says his firing of all the IG’s raises an existential threat, because it was illegal.
I know he might be biased cause he just got fired, but I’m tending to agree.
It’s crazy, because if you watched the news all day, you still couldn’t cover everything. I need to go touch grass and play with my puppy to protect my mind. If it helps you (whoever is reading), I find the sheer thought that Trump wants us discombobulated and freaked out makes me rather determined to stay decidedly… combobulated. You get what I mean :)
There’s plenty of bad, for sure, but the world is still so utterly beautiful. And you survived Monday!