Beltway Insider: Trump/Cancel Culture, Trans Rights, Security Details, DOGE, Bird Flu, Sweden, Ellen Greenberg
- Details
- Category: Beltway Insider
- Published on Sunday, 09 February 2025 07:05
- Written by Janet Walker
President Trump is expected to sign an Executive Order this week revoking the single use plastic law initiated by the Biden Government, reversing the use of paper straws, which will exponentially increase the plastic pollutants in the world's oceans.
The President's job approval rating, according to the website Fivethirtyeight.com for the period ending February 9, 2025, decreased by 0.1% to 49.0% of those polled who those polled approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 0.3% to 44.2% of those polled. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.
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Trump's Cancel Culture – What's Next?
Trans Rights Revoked
The Trump government is paving the way with his recent Executive Order blocking health providers from gender transition care to minors and stopping Medicare and Medicaid funding to providers who continue to offer these services.
The president's determination to revoke Trans Rights will continue until any federal agency that provides support or receives federal funding ends. As states continue to seek redress through the Supreme Court, the conservative court of five, three of which were appointed by Mr. Trump during his first term, have the power to reshape the law excluding Transgender populations from receiving any support from the federal government and outlawing transgender treatments, much like Roe vs. Wade was overturned in June 2022.
Trump will continue to stretch his power provoking states to file injunction, which will be heard by the Supreme Court who will vote to overturn all trans rights, which will result in an immediate reversal of service in Republican controlled states.
Democrat Security Details Revoked
Democrats are on their own now as President Trump has revoked the security details for many of the Democrats, who he believes targeted him in criminal proceedings, including New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, former deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and others.
Trump also revoked former President Biden's security clearance and access to the national intelligent briefing usually provided to former presidents, in a move reminiscent of Biden's move that revoke Trump's access, "in 2021 due to "erratic behavior" and the concern he would disclose sensitive information. Traditionally, former presidents continue to receive intelligence briefings even after leaving office. However, in a post on Friday, Trump claimed that Biden used his tenure to instruct the intelligence community to prevent Trump from accessing national security information after he left office," Newsweek reported.
Paper Straws Revoked
One of the more bizarre, promised Executive Orders stemming from the new Trump government is reversing Biden's effort to reduce plastic waste by banning plastic straws. Trump announced his intent to sign an Executive Order in the upcoming week that will reverse Biden single use plastic law. Fast food patrons can see paper straws disappearing almost immediately as plastic straws make a comeback in many take out dining establishments and at your local beaches, in oceans, and blocking the breathing pathways in ocean reptiles like turtles.
The weight of plastic waste in the world's oceans is estimated to be between 75 and 199 million tons. More than 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic now contaminate the world's oceans.
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DOGE – Department of Government Efficiency
The Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, led by Tesla CEO and Trump Loyalist Elon Musk, is quickly becoming the most hated department in the newly formed government. Musk, tasked with trimming the government budget by $2 trillion dollars, has entered 15 government departments armed with his own army of techie loyalists, many under the age of 25, still experiencing the effects associated with a not yet fully formed frontal lobe, the area of the brain responsible for decision making.
According to The Washington Post, "DOGE posted on its X account Friday night that "coordination across 35 agencies over the last two days" had resulted in cuts of $250 million through the termination of 199 contracts. It did not name the agencies or the contracts; DOGE staffers have indicated their intention to eliminate every contract not essential to operations or required by law.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) took the brunt of Musk's plan to trim government spending, as the agency has an annual budget of $40 billion, and 10,000 workers worldwide and feeds the dying, poor, and disenfranchised, poverty stricken and refugees upended by war.
At first glance, this deep gash appears to put Musk on track, however looking deeper into the agency, it becomes obvious as 41% of the grains used in the global humanitarian efforts undertaken by the federal government are purchased from U.S. farmers who are now facing catastrophic losses. More than 507,000 metric tons of food/grain aid was blocked.
Stopping this pipeline of goods and services will blowback on the American farmer, and every organization within the pipeline from administrative staff to dock workers who load the grain for shipping, forcing many into unemployment. This will result in increased burdens on state governments, which shifts the financial burden to the state, instead of the federal government, which is a traditional republican style government.
Not all DOGE's efforts to gain sensitive data from within the government departments have been successful. A federal judge blocked the release of access to personal and financial data through the Federal Treasury. "U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer's decision also ordered Musk and his team to "immediately destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department's records and systems, if any. The conditions are in place until another judge hears arguments on the matter on Feb. 14," reported The Washington Post.
However, the Department of Labor's attempt to stop the release of sensitive data to Musk and his Musketeers failed, even as the nation's four biggest unions attempted to expand the ruling, the judge ruled the unions failed to provide evidence that releasing information would result in harm to the individual.
The government is bloated with redundancies, DARPA is a perfect example, an agency with a bloated budget and little oversight, and trimming key areas is essential. However, the access to sensitive data, especially to those whose loyalty to Musk overshadows their loyalty to government, raises serious concerns for the citizen who has limited recourse should this data become available.
Most of Trump's allies become his enemy at some point, and Elon Musk is no different, the two will eventually part ways, leaving the government to fix the potential problems resulting from Musk's intimate access to government secrets and personal and sensitive data.
Bird Flu Drives Up Egg Prices
After the price of eggs in the U.S. became a sticking point during the 2024 Presidential deviates, an unforeseen widespread and debilitating spread of bird flu has nearly wiped out the egg laying adult population of chickens, in the U.S., causing massive spikes in egg prices.
Restaurant chains like Waffle House have added a surcharge to egg dishes, and smaller family-owned diners are facing a supply chain disaster. These smaller local restaurants, without the corporation resources, are forced to source eggs through multiple vendors.
"As wholesale prices have reached record highs, driven by an avian flu outbreak that has decimated the U.S. bird population. Some restaurants and grocers have cut back on egg dishes, turned to egg alternatives or limited the number of eggs a customer can buy," reported The Washington Post.
Economists do not see an end to soaring prices, which have risen to $7.76, on a national average for a dozen eggs, especially as to repopulate the decimated bird population, requires time, the natural cycle of hatchery and growth to egg producing age. The virus, which spreads through traditional migratory patterns, means the birds that fly south for the winter and return to their natural habitats could possibly be infected with the avian virus and the spread and decimation of the egg laying population repeats itself.
The current avian flu is the worst the U.S. has experienced, with more than 110 million hen laying chickens killed outright because of the bird flu or culled to prevent the spread of the disease to the remainder of the hen population.
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Sweden Mass Shooting
Sweden, who enjoys a relatively low instances of gun violence, experienced the nations worst mass shooting, as a lone gunman entered an adult trade school facility, in Orebro, where many recent immigrants were studying the language and learning employable trades, and systematically murdered 10. The gunman died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Six police officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
The lone gunman, who apparently became disgruntled over the nation's recent shift in immigration policy, targeted the center which served Sweden's immigrant population. Officials described the scene as chaotic, and well-planned, as the gunman used smokers to disorient and draw people up from hiding places. The shooting was random, so much so that officials could not ascertain the exact position, or the number of possible shooters. Four additional weapons were found on the gunman.
"Orebro, once Sweden's shoemaking capital, has grown and become steadily more diverse as Sweden has absorbed waves of newcomers: refugees from wars in the Balkans in the 1990s and then from wars in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa in this century," reported The New York Times.
As nations across the continent continue to relax their immigration policies, citizens of these nations are experiencing a negative blowback on government's reactions and assistance to the immigrant, when so many native-born citizens are suffering.
Coronavirus Total
At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually. The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from the newer variants. A recent outbreak of the virus across the European continent has caused the World Health Organization to issue a warning.
For the seven days ending February 9, 2025, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 13,857 confirmed cases totaling 777,349,085. The total worldwide death toll increased by 2,610 to 7,086,633 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated January 19, 2025, from the World Health Organization).
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Ellen Greenberg "Suicide" Case Reopened
Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old first grade teacher from Philadelphia, who was savagely murdered in her home, in 2011, may finally receive the justice her family has been seeking. Greenberg's murder was initially ruled a homicide and weeks later ruled a suicide, even as the victim had 20 stab wounds, a knife protruding from her chest.
"Investigators learned that Greenberg had anxiety, for which she was prescribed Klonopin. Her psychiatrist had also prescribed Ambien, a sleep aid. Both medications list suicidal ideation as a possible side effect, although no one close to Greenberg had heard her express any such thoughts, The Washington Post previously reported."
Investigators concluded the victim violently stabbed herself in a frenzied suicide attempt, fueled by ideation brought on by her medication.
Her family sued the city over the mishandling of the case, seeking to overturn the medical examiner's official ruling, this forced the pathologist to testify. He finally concluded that "new evidence" which was not available to him at the time which forced the flimsy story to be reviewed.
Greenberg's parents also sued the city for emotional distress, which resulted in years of reliving the horrific, heinous last moments of their daughter's death.
"Josh and Sandee Greenberg are very pleased to have resolved this lawsuit with the city defendants, particularly in light of the verification by Dr. Osbourne which confirms the death of their daughter Ellen should not be designated as a suicide," Joseph Podraza, the Greenbergs' attorney, said in a statement addressed to The Post. More than anything, that vindication is most meaningful to them," he said," reported The Washington Post.
LA WildFire Relief
For those needing immediate assistance FEMA has activated it Critical Needs Assistance program which provides a one-time payment of $750 to survivors so they can quickly purchase critical items, like water, formula, gasoline, and prescription drugs. All survivors should go to DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.
The LA County Department of Mental Health (DMH) is providing 24/7 support and resources through its help line at (800) 854-7771 or via the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Resources on the LA County website include a variety of wildfire disaster mental health resources and downloadable tip sheets for the City of Los Angeles and Ready LA County.
The California Lawyers for the Arts have posted an extensive resource list. It can be found here.
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For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.
Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.
Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.
