Christina Carroll

Musk acolyte, 25, has access to 'nearly all payments made by U.S. government‘ DOGE employee Marko Elez has allegedly been granted administrator-level privileges to read and write code on two highly sensitive payment systems

Also: www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...

Opinion | There Is No Going Back The president’s opponents, whoever they are, cannot expect a return to the Constitution as it was.

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/o...

A succinct account of the current assault on the Constitution and the government of the United States.

Trump Brazenly Defies Laws in Escalating Executive Power Grab (Gift Article) In the radical opening weeks of his second term, President Trump has appeared to feel little constraint by any need to show respect for the rule of law.

“We are well past euphemism about ‘pushing the limits,’ ‘stretching the envelope’ and the like,” said Peter M. Shane, who is a legal scholar in residence at NYU... The array of legal constraints Mr. Trump has violated, Mr. Shane added, amounts to “programmatic sabotage and rampant lawlessness.”

The ‘Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly’ of the United States Government Elon Musk’s bureaucratic coup is underway.

It is remarkable that we have handed over the government to an unelected billionaire whose main goals seems to consist of burning everything down in exchange for likes on social media by right wing trolls (and maybe also getting us to use his cryptocurrency): www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

➡️ January 20: FAA director fired
➡️ January 21: Air Traffic Controller hiring frozen
➡️ January 22: Aviation Safety Advisory Committee disbanded
➡️ January 28: Buyout/retirement demand sent to existing employees
➡️ January 29: First American mid-air collision in 16 years

Making America Great Again!

I see some suggestions, in the reporting regarding the OMB impoundment order, that a mere delay in spending appropriated funds is legal. But that's not really true. The delay OMB has ordered specifically contradicts the Impoundment Control Act. A thread.

As others have already emphasized, the White House's attempt to freeze federal grants and loans is a constitutional crisis. That money has been apportioned by Congress; the president is trying to interfere with the legislative branch. It will be a disaster for students and educational institutions.

I am begging the national media to start taking this seriously.

Stop buying the claims that the framing of "temporary" or "pause."

They are altering the review processes of federally funded scientific research from merit-based peer review processes to political screening by ideologues.

SUBJECT: Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs 'The American people elected Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar. In Fiscal Year 2024. of the nearly $10 trillion that the Federal Government spent, more than $3 trillion was Federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans. Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities. Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending wokeness" and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again. The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve. This memorandum requires Federal agencies to identify and review all Federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the President's policies and requirements. For example, during the initial days of his Administration, President Donald J Trump issued a series of executive orders to protect the American people and safeguard valuable taxpayer resources, including Protecting the American People Against Invasion (Jan. 20, 2025). Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid (Jan 20, 2025), Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements (Jan. 20, 2025). Unleashing American Energy (Jan. 20. 2025). Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (Jan. 20.

ent these orders, each agency must complete a comprehensive analysis of all jal assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that any of the President's executive orders. In the interian, to the extent applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency nay be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial surice tot foreign nongovernmental organizations, DEL woke gender ideology, and the pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the he temporary pause will become effective on January 28, 2025, at 5:00 rehensive analysis. Federal agencies must immediately deadlines for assistance programs arising while the les must report this information to OMB along with an directs Federal agencies to pause all activities associated conducting merit review panels No later than Febrar - 10. 2025, agencies shail submit to OMB detailed information on any programs projects or activities subject to this pause. Each agency must pause. (i) issuance of disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards, and (il) other relevant has reviewed provided guidance to your agency with respect to the information act recordin grant and ptions allowing Federal agencies to issue new awards or take other case basis. To the extent required by law, Federal agencies may continue nistrative actions. such as closeout of Federal awards (2 CFR 200.344), or expressly required by law

NEW — OMB temporarily pauses all agency grants and loans programs.

Per copy of memo: "The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve."

Past Rhymes With Present Times: History, Education and Democracy - Chapelboro.com "Past Rhymes With Present Times" is a new series by Lloyd S. Kramer exploring historical context and frameworks, and how the foundations of the past affect the building of the future.

Meaningful reflections on democratic institutions, public education, and historical narratives (as suggested in the title) from my always-insightful graduate advisor: chapelboro.com/town-square/...

A Faculty Member’s Self-Evaluation at the End of the Semester Dear Committee Members, As part of the faculty review process, I am pleased to report to you on my work. In this letter, I will offer information ...

A delightfully funny friend wrote this article, which is speaking to me as the term draws to a close: www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-f...

Sometimes the void speaks back! :)

Feeling like I'm trying to engage the void in conversation.

Christopher Rufo Has Trump’s Ear and Wants to End DEI for Good From his perch outside Seattle, the 40-year-old documentary filmmaker and writer has become one of the country’s most influential culture warriors, waging public fights against diversity, equity and i...

Chris Rufo, architect of the conservative takeover at New College Florida, will present President-elect Trump with a plan to strip colleges of federal funding if they do not pull back campus diversity initiatives, the WSJ is reporting. www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Opinion | Joel Grey: ‘Cabaret’ Was a Warning. It’s Time to Heed It. (Gift Article) Much has changed since the show debuted on Broadway in 1966, but it’s what hasn’t changed that should worry us.

I’ve always had mixed feelings about how effectively Cabaret conveys its messages - I've heard the title song played unironically in celebration more than once. But Joel Grey is right that we are inclined to bury our heads in the sand when it feels like the parameters of the world are dissolving.

Books We Love Here are 350+ great reads from 2024 hand-picked just for you by NPR staff and trusted critics.

I don’t always have good news to share first thing in the morning BUT…

IT’S BOOKS WE LOVE DAY!!!!!

apps.npr.org/best-books/#...

The usual suspects are out there yelling "There are 23 million government workers! Fire most of them!" No awareness that most work for local governments, and most of *them* are schoolteachers. Federal employment hasn't grown since the 1950s

Book cover featuring a main drawing of three boys dozing on a park bench while a policeman strolls by, and a cut-away image of two boys waiting on a dark street corner as a man in a top hat approaches.

It seems I have a book cover with my name on in it and soon there'll be a book to match.

The book explores the increasing importance of chronological age in France's criminal justice system in the late 19th century.

It'll be out w/ @mcgillqueensup.bsky.social in 2025. Very grateful to everyone.

The cat has found himself in a sea of blankets.

Opinion | Enough To suggest we should yield even a little to Trump’s odious politics is unacceptable. Even if we did, it would never be enough.

www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/o...

I’d love to be added if there is room!

Just deleted most? all? of my posts on Twitter. I never posted that frequently, but I'd used the platform on and off since 2009. Very small in the scheme of things, but it feels like a personal marker to an end of an era.

I’d love to be added if there is still room!

for anyone trying to extricate yourself from the clutches of Amazon: bookstores make more than a third of their money between now & New Year’s, & most bookstores ship nationwide 💌

Perhaps this is reductive, but I think that part of it has to be about finding ways to compensate people to do meaningful historical research outside of traditional academic structures. Historical research - just like journalism - can’t only be extra unpaid volunteer work.

Here’s Why a Second Death Star Won’t Be That Bad “Mr. Trump’s first term was better than expected… the authoritarian rule that Democrats and the press predicted never appeared. Mr. Trump was too u...

There should be a Pulitzer for satire www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/her...

Bonsoir à tous! I created a French/Francophone history Starter Pack (with some lit/culture France, Haiti && folks too) to help find people in the @sfhs.bsky.social @frenchcolonial.bsky.social @jwsfh.bsky.social communities & nos collègues en France. If I forgot you, please 👋
go.bsky.app/Uf5.5iT

Trump Proposes Eliminating the Arts and Humanities Endowments (Published 2017) It was the first time a president has called for ending the endowments, which were created in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

There is a fairly good chance that the incoming administration will try to eliminate the NEH and the NEA. Trump proposed doing so in 2017, though that effort was staved off thanks to bipartisan Congressional support. www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/a...

I work on French imperialism.