With so much happening (and so much of it bad) we know it can be hard to keep track. Here is a rundown of some recent events to keep you informed.
We try to include both the bad actions of the Trump Administration and the Republican Party that enables him, and beneficial actions from the Democrats. We also try to focus on stories that have a direct impact on the lives of Americans.
You can help by sharing this information with people you know. The Republicans have a very effective propaganda machine in Fox News and the Right Wing Media, but people still trust their friends more than they trust the news.
Feb 11: Farmers nationwide are raising alarms about the impact of President Trump’s cuts to federal funding through USAID and other programs. Despite a judge halting Trump’s freeze on federal funding, agencies continue to tell farmers that funds they were already awarded are frozen. Combined with proposed deportations, many of Trump’s strongest supporters now say that his policies may put them out of business, and will radically increase the cost of groceries to Americans.
Feb 12: Reports show that the price of eggs reached a historic high in January, at nearly $5 a dozen (up from just $2 in September) due primarily to the continued spread of “bird flu” (H5N1, or avian influenza). Cases of infection in humans continue to rise, threatening another devastating pandemic. This week Donald Trump and Elon musk fired 25 percent of staff at the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which is instrumental in addressing the spread of bird flu, and fired 135 members of the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, or roughly half of their staff.
ONGOING: Meanwhile, existing human flu strains have made this the worst flu season in the United States since 2009, with more than 48,000 Americans admitted to hospitals in the last week of January and 2% of deaths in the United States attributed to influenza. On February 13 the Senate confirmed Trump’s pick for Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has in the past claimed that vaccines caused diseases like the flu, COVID-19, and polio. Under orders from President Trump, the CDC is now barred from sharing flu data with the WHO, cutting Americans off from data vital to the fight against pandemic.
Feb 13: Speaking of RFK Jr, following his confirmation social media brought attention to statements he has made in the past proposing bans on vital medications used to treat conditions like ADHD and mental illness (like Adderall, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, and others), and suggesting the better solution was “wellness farms,” AKA labor camps, would be a better treatment for individuals suffering from these conditions.
Feb 14: Vice President JD Vance shocked the world at the Munich Security Conference, with a speech that suggested the United States is turning its back on our democratic allies since World War II and allying instead with dictators and tyrants. Vance encouraged Germany to embrace a far-right political party that originated with–and continues to endorse–Nazi policies. He declined to meet with the German Chancellor, and instead met with the head of the far-right party. Vance’s speech was condemned by leaders who value liberty and democracy, and Representative Seth Moulton observed that much of Vance’s language emulated Hitler’s justification of the Holocaust.
Feb 17: Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE, which despite the name is not a legal government agency or department) is demanding access to all personal tax returns in the files of the IRS, which would grant them unprecedented access to personal information including social security numbers, income, charitable giving, and more.
Feb 18: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders expressed shock as Donald Trump turned his back on Ukraine in their fight against Russian invasion. The Trump Administration’s terms to “end the war in Ukraine” represent a complete surrender to the demands of Vladimir Putin. In response, Zelensky and other European leaders have proposed new alliances in defense of democracy since the United States is no longer a reliable ally. Trump stated that Ukraine (which was invaded by force in 2022) “should have never started it.“
