Mary Stapleton

June 13, 2025 Two hundred and fifty years ago, on June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress resolved “That six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in V...

June 13, 2025

US immigration officials told to largely pause raids on farms, hotels, NYT reports U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has told immigration officials to largely pause raids and arrests in the agricultural industry, hotels and restaurants, the New York Times reported on Friday.

US immigration officials told to largely pause raids on farms, hotels, NYT reports reut.rs/4l9z5in

Undocumented immigrants paid an effective federal income tax rate of 5.27% in 2022.

That means they paid a higher effective tax rate than 5 of the richest Americans…and a higher effective tax rate than 55 mega corporations.

So let me ask you: who are the real freeloaders?

Q&A with Elizabeth Goitein The co-director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program discusses President Trump’s use of the military in response to protests in LA.

"There's no precedent for a nationwide preemptive deployment of the military [to police protests]. That's not something that happens in the United States of America." - @lizagoitein.bsky.social
www.nationaljournal.com/s/728762/qa-...

NIH Grants Fueled $95 Billion In FY 2024 Economic Activity, Finds New Report National Institutes of Health grants generated almost $95 billion in economic activity nationwide in FY 2024 according to a new report by United for Medical Research.

An analysis shows that NIH grant awards supported 407,782 jobs and $94.58 bn in new economic activity nationwide, the largest figure in the history of the report, w/ an ROI of $2.56 for every $1 in awards.

Deep cuts to NIH funding will contribute to a recession.
www.forbes.com/sites/michae... 🧪🔬

Who put DOGE in this position?

What will Congress do about it?

Where is the money going and why isn't it going to support research, programs, and discovery all across the U.S.?

This matters.... to our well-being, economy, and rule of law.

Reminder: no matter how many times Republicans say otherwise, there is *no way* they can pay for their proposed tax cuts without gutting Medicaid and other programs that millions of people rely on.

Don't believe their lies for a second.

Follow the money and see where it goes. Elon Musk was just awarded a $5.9 billion taxpayer-funded SpaceX contract by Trump—the largest in a new package of space deals. Trump ensured Musk got the money, fully aware he’s facing “steep personal cost.”

More Than 500 Law Firms Back Perkins Coie in Fight With Trump The firms signed a legal brief supporting Perkins Coie, calling the president’s actions a threat “to the rule of law.” The largest firms declined to sign.

More than 500 law firms rally behind embattled peers, declaring that Trump’s crackdown on the legal industry poses “a grave threat to our system of constitutional governance and to the rule of law itself.” But none of the top 20 firms join. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/b...

Once again, I ask what exactly folks have seen over the last three months to make them really believe that the 2026/28 elections will be free, fair, & competitive?

DOGE arrived at the Peace Corps headquarters yesterday, looking for cuts to the agency’s 900-plus workforce that trains and deploys American volunteers to communities around the world. [Politico]

No state has ended personal income taxes since 1980, but Mississippi and Kentucky may change that About 45 years have passed since a state last eliminated its income tax on wages and salaries. Two Southern states are now on a path to do so if their economies keeping growing.

Mississippi and Kentucky are now on a path to eliminate income taxes on wages and salaries, if their economies keep growing.

Lutnick: "The army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little screws to make iPhones -- that kind of thing is going to come to America."

Why a small journal’s ‘blueprint for NIH’ may offer clues to the agency's future A paper proposing NIH reforms is circulating in academic circles and within the agency as scientists search for hints of its direction

A caution:

There is a massive difference between thoughtful reform and intention to dismantle institutions.

The ability to do medical research both within NIH and supported by NIH in labs nationwide will be harmed if HHS leaders can't tell the two apart.

a 🧵

www.statnews.com/2025/04/03/a...

DOGE expected to take aim at DHS with staffing cuts, including at US Secret Service | CNN Politics Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is expected to take aim at the Department of Homeland Security in the coming days, seeking potentially major cuts to personnel across its agencies, incl...

www.cnn.com/2025/04/05/p...

Elon’s DOGE is expected to come for Homeland Security next — with cuts to critical agencies like the Secret Service and FEMA. Our national security is NOT a game, and Elon sure as hell shouldn’t be the one playing it.

If (only in the <fourth> paragraph) you find yourself writing "He already tried, through political violence, to steal an election & he called for ending the Constitution," then perhaps you don't need to write so many words about whether he really means it or not? 🤷‍♂️

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/u...

To the world:
We are fighting back. Our movement has been silenced by the media here—but we are not backing down. This is what our streets looked like across multiple cities. Tomorrow, there will be more of us! Raise a glass to freedom.

—With love,
Your American allies.

It’s weird* that the president can just decide to put a huge tax on American businesses without congress even being a little bit involved.

* very unconstitutional

‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs In shock move, four institute directors at the US biomedical agency are removed from their posts.

Unfortunately, a lot of Americans are about to find out what happens when U.S. public health infrastructure is destroyed. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The DOGE Plan That Endangers U.S. Revenue Recent history provides clues about how IRS cuts may lose America money.

DOGE’s transformation of the IRS is likely to lose the agency more money than it saves—and change the way Americans view the tax system, @lorakelley.bsky.social writes in The Atlantic Daily.

Thank you Senator Cory Booker. This guy truly cares about the people he represents.

Allie and this team have worked incredibly hard to visualize job and economic losses from cuts to indirect costs alone. The total impact of cuts to health and science research are even bigger. Thank you, Allie and team!

YouTube video by Simon Rosenberg How To More Forcefully Articulate, Denounce, And Challenge Trump's Dangerous Weakening Of America

If you're not already this is an excellent account to follow; @simonwdc.bsky.social 🏆

youtu.be/aLBSXka0jsk?...

Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose and

And you were assuming that the US could get out of its autocracy spiral through free and fair elections in the future? Well, think again. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

The White House is saying the information shared in the Signal group chat was “not classified.”

They’re lying. Those who’ve served in uniform know it would’ve been classified. We’re calling for an investigation and accountability.

For Some Measles Patients, Vitamin A Remedy Supported by RFK Jr. Leaves Them More Ill (Gift Article) After the health secretary promoted vitamin A as a cure, parents in West Texas began giving their children high doses, sometimes to prevent infection.

KIDS TREATED WITH BOBBY'S PROTOCOL ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF LIVER DAMAGE.

High doses of Vitamin A and cod liver oil being given over an extended period of time is causing toxicity in some Texas children with measles.
In most cases it was given to avoid vaccination.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/h...

King grills Gabbard about why climate change wasn't included in the threat assessment for the first time in more than a decade

Headline says: Europe are pathetic free-loaders, say leaked White House texts. The story reads: DONALD TRUMP'S cabinet complained about defending "free-loading Europe" in a secret group chat that was accidentally shared with a reporter. In a large security breach, the Atlantic's editor-in-chief was mistakenly added to a forum on the messaging app Signal in which top members of the Trump administration discussed sensitive plans to bomb Yemen. JD Vance, the vice-president, raised objections to the plans, which he argued were not in American interests. "I just hate bailing Europe out again," he said. The group chat served as a virtual war room and contained precise information about weapons packages, targets and the scheduled timings for the March 15 strike on Yemen in which more than 50 people died. Members of the group included Mr Vance, Pete Heg seth, the defense secretary, Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, and Susie Wiles, Mr Trump's chief of staff. The air strikes were designed to prevent Houthi attacks on commercial ships heading through the Red Sea to and from the Suez Canal Mr Vance wrote: "3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn't understand this or why it's necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS (the pres-ident] said, to send a message." Mr Hegseth responded, saying: *VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close." The US government confirmed the group chat was genuine, but said it was a "demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials". The Trump administration has berated European allies for failing to spend enough on defence, and criti-cised countries such as Britain for stifling free speech. Jeffrey Goldberg, the Atlantic jour-nalist, said he was added to the g…

It’s late in the UK, but the national
security breach makes some front pages.

This is Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph.

And THIS will be what Europe focuses on.

“Europe are pathetic free-loaders, say leaked White House texts”

Trump/Vance have ended an 80 year alliance.