We Are Watching
The tyrant and his billionaire friends want to keep us on edge - overwhelmed. We aren’t giving in, but we are sizing it up.
Protect your community. Watch for patterns. Keep track of the bigger picture.
March 2025
1-9: Trump gave an almost 2 hour Joint Address to Congress full of lies, including his fake mandate and presumptively declaring his first month “the most successful in the history of our nation,” putting George Washington in 2nd place. Cuts continue across government, including an announced 80,000 from the VA. DOGE remains a wrecking ball. Trump undermines Ukraine further by halting authorized aid and cutting off intelligence sharing. Mixed reports on if Sec of Defense Hegseth told US Cyber Command to stand down on Russian online threats. Reports of tension in Cabinet between Rubio and Musk. Trade war with China, Mexico and Canada back on - 10-25% tariffs - but then again maybe not. Something said about not forgiving student loans for public servants engaged in "improper activities". (see notes)
February 2025
24-28: Trump axed another 1,400 probationary from the Veterans Administration on top of the 1,000 probationary employees he had earlier fired. In a show of courage and defiance, 21 public servants resigned from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rather than help Musk slash the federal workforce and “dismantle critical public services.” Trump’s Social Security Administration (SSA) closed its Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity and put employees on administrative leave, continuing the administration’s war on women, minorities, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities. Trump ambushes Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in an Oval Office meeting to throw off support for continued US assistance. The world notices. Earlier in the week, the US delegation to the United Nations voted against a resolution condemning Russia for its aggression in Ukraine - voting on the losing side agains the founding principle of the United Nations and in league with Russia, Israel, North Korea, Belarus, and fourteen other countries friendly to Russia. (see notes)
17-23: Mass firings continue - sweeping up FAA employees, nuclear weapon security workers, FEMA, and bird flu officials. Musk sends email to all federal employees demanding that they state what they did the past week or risk termination. Social Security Acting Commissioner Michelle King resigned after refusing to provide DOGE with access to private taxpayer information. Trump declare complete control over all independent agencies, which are supposed to be shielded from politics. Trump administration fires or reassigns officials at the FBI and CISA who had worked on protecting elections from foreign interference. Trump fired military leaders, including their top lawyers, and replaced them with people loyal - which ultimately prompts five former secretaries of defense to call for congressional hearings. (see notes)
10-16: Trump fires the chairs of the FLRA and MSPB, important administrative agencies that protect the righs of federal workers. He issues executive order telling agencies to work with DOGE to get ready for major federal layoffs. He also fired thousands of probationary employees at the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration , the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the General Services Administration. He moved forward with the deferred resignation scheme after a judge cleared the way. The Office of Personnel Management fired its own probationary employees and communications team - leaving it all to Elon Musk. (see notes)
3-9: Trump folds for now on Mexico and Canada tariffs. Heritage alum Russel Vought is confirmed to OMB by Senate, while also moving to dismantle the Consumer Fraud Protection Bureau. Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as Director fof National Intelligence. Elon Musk and his JV squad (some racist) are given free rein to Treasury and Office of Personnel Management computers, among others. USAID is dismantled in disgraceful fashion, even Senator Moran tries to save Food for Peace program. Federal employee buyout offers of dubious legality continue to be dangled. Trump alarms many with claims the US will take over Gaza for the real estate. Congressional Democrats start to get their footing in opposition, and federal judges begin to slow things down. Sec of Transportation Duffy says he will tie federal road grants to local birthrates and marriage statistics. New AG Pam Bondi announced investigations of investigators at FBI and says she'll go over private Corporations for DEI. Keywords this week: USAID, buyouts, personal privacy act, FBI, Gaza, OMB, Treasury, OPM, CFPB, Elon, Gabbard, federal courts, Kennedy Center. (see notes)
2: Trump warns of economic "pain" as new tariffs trigger a trade war. (pbs)
1: USAID security chiefs put on leave after blocking Musk’s team from accessing classified info. The USAID website went dark as well in the wake of a federal freeze on foreign aid. (pbs1 pbs2)
January 2025
31: Trump imposes tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China. Each of them respond (pbs1, pbs2)
31: The Justice Department fired employees involved in Trump’s criminal cases, citing bias allegations. (pbs)
31: A 2nd judge blocks Trump’s federal funding freeze. (pbs)
30: Musk’s task force gains access to sensitive Treasury payment systems. (pbs)
30: Senators questioned FBI Director nominee Kash Patel over fears of politicization and retribution. (pbs)
30: Trump addresses the Washington DC plane crash, baseless blaming DEI. (pbs)
29: Pentagon pulls security detail for ex-Joint Chiefs Chair Milley, a Trump critic. (pbs)
29 - An American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C. There were no survivors (pbs)
28 - Trump's OMB announced a freeze on federal grants until a "woke" review could be conducted. Just before the deadline, it rescinded the memo. A federal judge also put a stay on much of the order. (pbs )
28 - Trump offered voluntary buyouts to federal workers to reduce the workforce, though offer doesn't appear to follow legal policy. (pbs)
27 - Sen. Whitehouse tells RFK Jr., “You frighten people” during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (pbs pbs2)
25 - Trump tours wildfire ravaged sections of LA and uses the time to spout nonsense about water, coerce Californians on voting rights, taxes and health policy, and otherwise politicize a disaster zone. (pbs)
25 - Executive orders and leadership actions are disrupting numerous government operations --- hiring freezes, hunts for employees engaged in DEI, travel restrictions, cancelled hires, suspensions of foreign aide, and a blockade on health information. (pbs, govexec, ap)
25 - Kristi Noem is confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security, the 3rd Cabinet level confirmation this week. (pbs)
24 - After hours, Donald Trump fires numerous Inspector's General, in apparent violation of legal process and for as-yet unstated justifications. (politico, govexec)
24 - Peter Hegseth is confirmed by a 50-50 vote in the Senate, with 3 Republicans including former Senate Leader Mitch McConnell voting no. Hegseth is opposed by many on both inexperience, capability and character. (pbs) John Ratcliffe was also confirmed as CIA Director. (nbc)
24 - Trump withdraws federal protective services from John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, a Pompeo aide, and Anthony Fauci. The first three have faced death threats from Iran while Fauci is in danger from radicalized Americans. (pbs)
23 - Judges block Trump's Executive Order which attempts to circumvent the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and revoke birthright citizenship. (pbs)
23 - Trump gives an address by video to economic elites and world leaders in Davos --- and uses his time to blame OPEC+, tout tariffs, announce deals with Saudi's and deplore the war in Ukraine without deploring Putin who launched it. (pbs)
22 - Pardoned extremist street gang Proud Boys leader Tarrio arrives in Miami, while pardoned anti-government militia Oath Keepers founder Rhodes shows up at the capital. (usatoday).
22 - Trump steps up its immigration enforcement by sending additional forces to southern border (nbc). Trump Admin cancels travel for refugees already cleared to come to U.S. (ap).
21 - Trump turned away from Episcopal Bishop Mariann E. Budde as she included a plea for mercy during the Inaugural Prayer service at the National Cathedral. The child didn't like a lecture. He and other conservatives made clear there is only one type of "christian" leader they want heard. (nytimes, if the paywall allows). The next day, White House press secretary Leavitt says Trump deserves apology from Bishop Budde and her plea for mercy for the LGBTQ and undocumented migrants (dailymail) Trump calls the Bishop a "Radical Left hard line Trump hater" on his Truth Social site. Bishop states she will continue to pray for the President. (ap)
21 - Most journalists find Republican congresspersons avoid commenting on the pardoning of all Jan 6 criminals - even VP Vance said as recently as Sunday that violent Jan 6 offenders wouldn't be pardoned. (cnn) We continue to digest more of Monday’s executive orders, including withdrawal from the World Health Org (bbc) and Paris Climate Accord. (npr)
20 - Trump is inaugurated President, a setback for Democracy. We will record the misdeeds.
20 - The Inauguration speech is a shambles with 1) bad mouthing the Biden Admin; 2) comments on the "strange" predicament of the wealthy losing homes in the L.A. fires; 3) tout manifest destiny to Mars, rename The Gulf of Mexico, and argue for taking back the Panama Canal. Nothing to unite. True to form. (npr)
20 - Trump pardons or commute the sentence for all of his January 6 rioters, including those that attacked and injured police officers and riot leaders Enrique Tarrio of Proud Boys and Steward Rhodes of the Oath Keepers, who were serving 22 and 18-year sentences, respectively. Trump ordered dismissal of all cases pending. (pbs)
20 - Trump signs a slew of other executive orders: bad, mean, stupid and all three. Orders aim to rob citizens of their 14th Amendment guaranteed rights, upend Clean Energy policies in favor of "drill baby drill," disrupted refugee settlement programs, and moved to fire civilian federal workers and upend job protections. (politico). Rescinded approximately 80 Biden orders. (reuters)
20 - Marco Rubio is confirmed 99-0 as Secretary of State - the first cabinet official to take office. (pbs) Viveck Ramiswamy is sidelined - will not be co-chair of the so-called “Dept of Government Efficiency” (ap) A running list of nominee’s and status is being kept at GovExec magazine.
16 - Additional Trump nominees were grilled by Senate Democrats and came up short. So far all nominees will likely be confirmed on mostly party-line votes —- free passes were extended by a not-so-co-equal Senate GOP. Details to follow.
14 - Fox entertainment commentator and Secretary of Defense nominee Peter Hegseth faced a contentious confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Forces Committee. He was asked about personal misconduct and drinking, while for his part he said he would reverse "woke policies" at the Pentagon. "I hope you will explain why you believe such diversity is making the military weak, and how you propose to undo that without undermining military leadership and harming readiness, recruitment and retention," said Ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, (D-Rhodes Island), who later said Hegseth lacks "the character and composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of defense.” (npr)
13 - Volume 1 of the Special Counsel’s report covering Donald Trump’s culpability for election interference and the violence and dereliction of duty on January 6 2020 was released. (nbc, the report itself)
12 - the President-elect takes cheapshots at California as the state battles wildfires near Los Angeles this week. He makes up claims about water policy and fire causes, while his minions imply that experienced women in leadership in LA are DEI hires. (cnn, bbc, npr)
9 - The state funeral for Jimmy Carter was held in Washington DC. An honorable memorial for a worthy President - We will discuss no others today. (npr)
7 - In a rambling hour-long press conference at Mar-A-Lago, our new Napolean says he will use tarrifs against Denmark to pressure them to sell Greenland and continued his nonsense about merging the US and Canada. That and intangible bellicose rhetoric towards Hamas and a proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Whining about Jack Smith and the legal accountability he faces. Not much regarding the platform he ran on. (ap, pbs; and this slate author suggests the real reason Don is hooked on Greenland)
6 – VP Kamala Harris presides over the certification of ballots and announces Donald Trump as the next President. No riots. (npr)
6 - A federal judge in New York City said that Rudy Giuliani was in contempt of court for failing to be responsive about assets he must turn over to satisfy a $148 million defamation judgment granted to the two Georgia election workers he defamed as part of Trump’s 2020 phony “stop the steal” effort. (ap, pbs)
6 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would step down and called for new elections. Trump continued his trolling campaign of suggesting Canada should become the 51st state. (forbes)
3 - Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana won reelection to the House speakership after overcoming the threat of GOP holdouts from the extreme right. Trump had given his support. (ap, pbs)
2 - President Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, bipartisan leaders of the January 6 Select Committee, who investigated Trump’s efforts to use deception and violence to overturn the 2020 election. (ap, pbs)
1 - Trump falsely claims that the man who killed 14 in a New Orleans bomb attack on New Years Eve had entered the US illegally and then tried to claim “blood on the hands of the Biden administration”. The bomber, apparently radicalized by ISIS, was an Army veteran and US citizen who lived in Texas and was killed in a shoot-out with police. (pbs)
December 2024
30 – Former President Jimmy Carter passes away at 100. Trump posted on social medial “While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our Country, and all it stands for.” (cbs)
30 - President Biden says the US will send the last $2.5 billion in Congressionally-authorized weapons to Ukraine before he leaves office. Trump has talked forcing a negotiated “settlement” between Ukraine and Russia and has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. (ap, pbs)
30 - A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the $5 million judgment in the civil case that Donald Trump sexually abused E Jean Carroll in an upscale department store in the mid-1990s, and then defamed her when spoke about it. Trump also faces an additional $83.3 million in damages from a 2nd civil trail for defaming her again while he was President. (ap, pbs)
26 – Rep Brian Steil of Wisconsin, a Trump-ally, says that Republicans will move quickly to pass voter ID and proof-of-citizen ship requirements via two bills, the so-called American Confidence in Elections Act and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (ACE and SAVE). Democrats say these are just more impediments to legal voters. (ap, pbs)
25 - Trump puts out a lot of bizarre Christmas Day posts, including a heart-warming “Go to Hell.” (msnbc)
24 - Trump says he will pursue more executions after Biden commutes the sentence for 37 of 40 prisoners on federal death row from execution to life in prison without parole (ap, pbs)
23 - Trump renews calls to buy Greenland from Denmark (ap, pbs)
22 - The salesman threatens to take back Panama Canal in his first rally speech since the election. (pbs)
21 - Rejecting the tantrum-thrower's demands, Congress averts government shutdown just after midnight (pbs)
20 - The destabilizer adds European Union to list of U.S. trade partners he's threatening with tariffs (pbs)
19 - Prosecutor Fani Willis disqualified from Trump election interference case in Georgia, one of the 3 Georgia appeals court justices dissented. The case, while not dismissed, is now in limbo. (pbs)
19 - GOP House rejects Trump-backed stopgap funding bill, the second try for a budget this week (pbs)
18 - The wildcard joker demanded renegotiations of the bipartisan budget deal days before federal government shutdown deadline (pbs)
16 - ABC News settled the defamation case with Trump, an unusual concession for a major media outlet owned by Disney. (pbs)
16 - Trump holds hour-long press conference at Mar-A-Lago, his first since the election. He talks around and about a lot of stuff, we’ll see what happens. (pbs)
14 - Trump appoints foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell, known for a contentious approach to diplomacy, to serve as special missions envoy. (npr)
13 - Senator Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor and former GOP leader, took aim at RJK Jr and other for reported efforts to undermine confidence in the polio vaccine, saying “Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous,” (pbs)
13 - Trump is named Time's Person of the Year - snips from his interview with Time magazine (per fortune): Jan 6 pardons to start within a hour of swearing in; a virtual closure of Education Department "You’re going to need some people just to make sure they’re teaching English in the schools;" and use of the camps as part of immigrant mass deportations, "Whatever it takes to get them out. I don’t care". According to Time reporters, Trump was on was on verge of supporting a 16-week abortion ban in March until aides convinced him not to -- “So we leave it to the states, right?”
13 - Trump gets big donations to his inauguration fund from tech bros Altman, Bezos and Zuckerberg. (see more at politico, nbc)
12 - Donald admits he can’t do much about grocery prices (seth meyers).
4 - Kelly Loeffler of Georgia named to head the Small Business Administration.
November 2024
30 - The President-elect names Kash Patel, a conspiracy-theorist and grudge-holder, to be his personal FBI Director, crashing through all sorts of important guardrails. (see more bbc)
23 - Brook Rollins is picked to be Agriculture Secretary. Rollins was an attorney & former policy director to Gov. Rick Perry of Taxes and was CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a Texas conservative think tank.
22 - Russell Vought, one of the authors of Project 2025 and budget director in 47s first term, is designated to take over the powerful OMB (Budget). (see more propublica, pbs)
22 - (more) Scott Bessent, founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management and former chief investment officer at Soros Fund Management is announced to lead for Treasury; along with Scott Turner for HUD (Former NFL player and state representative): and Oregon Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R) for Labor Secretary. (see more cnn)
21 - Attorney General – Pam Bondi is named for Attorney General, after 47’s first pick, Matt Gaetz, dropped out following renewed attention to long-standing sexual abuse allegations. Bondi is a former Florida AG and leader of 2012 Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
19 – More Cabinet picks announced: Commerce - Howard Lutnick (CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald) from New York and Education - Former SBA Administrator Linda McMahon from Connecticut
18 - Cabinet picks: Transportation - Former U.S. Representative Sean Duffy from Wisconsin
16 – Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright from Colorado is named for Energy Secretary
14 – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is nominated to take over the Department of Health and Human Services (funny feeling we’ll see more of him in the timeline). Other key health position nominees: Surgeon General - Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor; CDC - Dr. Dave Weldon, a former congressman; and FDA Commissioner; and Dr. Marty Makary, a former paid Fox News contributor.. (pbs, ks reflector)
14 (more) Lost in the shuffle as well, two Cabinet picks: Interior – Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota; and Veterans Affairs - Former U.S. Representative Doug Collins from Georgia
13 - State - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida is named to be the next US Secretary of State. He and the rest of our foreign policy & security team will have to watch out for bad national security advice from Tulsi Gabbard, who was designated to become Director of National Intelligence. (see more cnn)
12 - Former Army Major and TV host Pete Hegseth from Tennessee, is designated to be the new Secretary of Defense, a deeply troubling choice who will no doubt show up frequently in this timeline.
12 - Trump names John Ratcliffe from Texas to head the CIA. and Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota for Homeland Security. For National Security Advisor principal deputy we get Alex Wong, who negotiated 47’s summit with the North Korean dictator during the 1st term; and for Counter-Terrorism, Senior Director, hang tight for Sebastian Gorka, radio host (his show “America First”) and former Fox contributor.
12 - Elon Musk and Vivik Ramaswamy are named to head some new thing called the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE). Musk says wants to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, Ramaswamy calls for mass layoffs at federal agencies. (nbc)
11 – In one of the first Cabinet picks, Environmental Protection Agency to be headed by former U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin from New York
10 - Elise Stefanik from New York (formerly in the House) is named by the salesman to be Ambassador to the United Nations
7 – Donald Trump names one of his campaign managers, Susie Wiles from Florida, to be his White House Chief of Staff.
6 - People across the United States and around the world come to realize that we are going to get to endure a second Trump presidency. We resolve ourselves to rise to the challenge.
5 - Election Day. The day at least started out well, but by the end, Grrr.
(photo at top by Charl Durand on unsplash)