Shameless, Racist CON MEN.

In the future, We The People should make a point to ask each presidential candidate a simple question; “Do you believe all people are created equal?”

There were protests at the capitol buildings of nearly every state yesterday, part of an organic movement that happened online called 50501, which means 50 capitals, 50 states, 1 day; it feels like the new reality is setting in for people and the scope of precariousness our country is in has finally come into view for the majority of citizens.

Make no mistake, it’s absolutely terrifying that the world’s richest person (whom nobody elected) has access to most of the federal government with no guardrails… but there’s a small part of me that is celebrating this development because it makes it easier for MAGA voters to realize their glasses are tinted with a rosy color. If there’s one thing the VAST majority of Americans can’t stand (political affiliations be damned), it’s a billionaire lecturing us about our country.

Today's Headlines come from AP, and it's 8:00am:

- Federal workers debate legitimacy of buyout as deadline nears

- Democrats advising against taking the deal because it's not approved by Congress; no guarantee they'll honor it

- For federal workers considering this deal, I’d encourage them to read up on how Elon Musk handled the severance packages of the Twitter employees he laid off… put simply, they ended up suing him for $500 million and losing. I would be more comfortable betting on the lottery than betting these employees will be paid.

- Israel begins preparations for Gaza exodus as Egypt lobbies against Trump's plan

- On Truth Social, Trump says Israel will empty out Gaza and turn it over to the US, and no US troops will be necessary

- It’s occurring to me now that, in the future, We The People should make a point to ask each Presidential candidate a simple question; “Do you believe all people are created equal?” I’m not sure Donald Trump (if asked today) would bother with the performance of even acting like he feels that way. The ease and comfort with which he discusses ethnic cleansing is one of the many disgusting things we’ve seen these last two weeks.

- 100K Eggs stolen in PA heist, prompting whodunit that police have yet to crack

- LOL, I just thought this headline was funny dude

- Congressional Progressive Caucus holds a press conference demanding Elon Musk's removal

- "We are here fighting for a country that is by & for The People."

10am Update:

- NPR: A new type of bird flu has been found at dairy farm in NV

- Virus has again spilled over from birds to cows, sparking worry

- NPR: FBI agents & prosecutors fear retribution from the Jan 6 rioters pardoned by Trump

- Quote from one official: "We don't think they'll care — unless & until one of us gets killed."

- Between the Jan 6 rioters being pardoned and Trump pulling security detail from several former officials despite credible threats on their life from Iran… it feels like he’s all but inviting harm to these people. I would be scared too.

- NPR: ICE has arrested scores of migrants w/ no criminal record

- The Administration asserts they're "cleaning out the criminals," but many of these people are here legally through Biden & haven't done anything wrong. It's NOT just criminals.

- It’s important to note that some of these cases will likely end in court, because please, just think about the realities of this; A HUMAN BEING applies from asylum, gets approved, and is allowed to live here; and now, the Trump Administration says “nevermind, they’re not approved”, and despite having no criminal records, they are being deported. Trump knows these people aren’t causing any harm to our country (if anything, they’re able bodied workers who can contribute to the economy), but deporting them is convenient because it makes them look like they’re doing something. The lack of humanity is shocking.

- Ground: Trump to sign executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court

- Places financial & visa sanctions on individuals & their family members who assist in ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies

- I’m no expert, but this sounds more to me like a chance to pick a fight before the ICC accuses them of ethnic cleansing when they start cleaning out Gaza. Sanctioning them now makes the whole thing look politicized. I’ll give Trump this… he’s got a great political mind, even if I can’t stand it.

- Ground: US sues Illinois, Chicago for impeding immigration efforts

- Court battle to follow between city, state & federal government

Additional headlines:

- Guardian: Thousands of press releases about decade-old enforcement actions topped search results, all updated with a timestamp from after Trump's inauguration

- Thousands of examples like this throughout all 50 states — ICE press releases that have reached the first page of Google search results, making it seem like enforcement actions just happened, when in actuality they occurred months or even years ago.

- Shameless racist con men are in charge of our federal government.

- Guardian: Dems sound alarm over 'extremist' PBS architect Russell Vought, tapped to lead OMB

- Largely expected to be confirmed tonight even with dems voting NO

- Aside from Stephen Miller, nobody from Trump’s administration scares me more than Russell Vought. He has a deadly combination of experience and extreme ideology, and he’s directly involved in many of the heinous executive orders and agenda we’ve seen. It’s stunning to realize that all we’d need to stop him is 5 republican patriots willing to fall on their sword, but they simply won’t do it…. I really think books will be written someday about all the people who KNEW, and stood by.

- Al Jazeera: 'Degrading': India's opposition MPs Protest US deportees returning home in shackles

- At least 104 Indian citizens were sent back in shackles

- Cruelty for cruelty’s sake… I told you, shameless racist con men.

- NYT: The Trump Administration's Major Moves So Far

- Just sharing because I find it super helpful! It’s got every action taken by the new administration, sorted chronologically and separated by day. Check it out if you’d like.

One reminder for readers: yesterday, I published a giant list of free tools and resources that exist all over the internet for American citizens to do their own research, learn about their country, hold their leaders accountable, and make sense of the moment we’re in. I’m calling it CitizINFO, and I’ll keep updating it regularly. If there’s something you’d like to see added, please let me know!