We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.

Trump to Sign Order Renaming the Defense Department as the Department of War

Trump to Sign Order Renaming the Defense Department as the Department of War www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/u...

New C.D.C. Director Is Fired, White House Says

Break glass moment is here www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...

JFC—outside the #nmaahc 😓

Deep staff cuts at a little-known federal agency pose trouble for droves of local health programs The workforce of a federal agency that oversees billions in grants for primary health care, AIDS/HIV, maternal and child health services, and workforce training has been slashed, sparking fears of wha...

Deep staff cuts at a little-known federal agency pose trouble for droves of local health programs www.cbsnews.com/news/staff-c... @cbsnews.com

The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work Early resignation offers and other programs have reduced the workforce, but critics say the moves are also wasting money.

The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work wapo.st/3IRXIlK

Harris Will Not Run for California Governor

Harris Will Not Run for California Governor www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/u...

Using mRNA, scientists overcome a key challenge to HIV vaccines Scientists used a mRNA-based vaccine to reliably trigger antibodies that block HIV infection in people and monkeys

"Only 4% of participants given a vaccine that exposed this part of the viral surface produced antibodies that could block infection; that jumped to 80% when this region wasn’t visible to the immune system." www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/m... via @statnews.com @jonathanwosen.bsky.social

Trump nominee for top HHS post pushed to ban methadone treatment HHS general counsel nominee Mike Stuart’s position on methadone puts him far outside the mainstream in American politics.

This is insane. | Trump nominee for top HHS post pushed to ban methadone treatment www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/m... via @statnews.com @levfacher.bsky.social

Trump administration reverses course, lifts pause on NIH grant awards The order applies to the entirety of new and, possibly, ongoing research grant dollars that go to universities and academic medical centers.

Trump administration reverses course, lifts pause on NIH grant awards www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/t... via @statnews.com

Tobacco use, binge drinking decrease as Americans consume more marijuana, survey finds Americans are binge drinking and smoking tobacco less but consuming marijuana significantly more, according to a new federal survey on drug use and mental health.

Good news. Need to keep this trend going | Tobacco use, binge drinking decrease as Americans consume more marijuana, survey finds www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/m... via @statnews.com @levfacher.bsky.social

Trump denies Maryland’s request for FEMA aid after devastating floods The Trump administration turned down Gov. Wes Moore’s request for $15.8 million in disaster relief for Western Maryland’s flooding in May.

wapo.st/4lLfENt @washingtonpost.com

Russ Vought bills CFPB $5M for his security detail The expense comes as the consumer-protection agency's budget is slashed nearly in half.

Russ Vought bills CFPB $5 million for his security detail www.govexec.com/management/2...

Gay makeup artist Andry Hernández Romero describes horrific sexual & physical abuse at CECOT in El Salvador He called it "an encounter with torture and death."

He's out of the prison, but now back in Venezuela and under the same threats that forced him to seek (and receive) refuge in the United States @advocate.com @cwnewser.bsky.social www.advocate.com/news/andry-h...

The U.S. Is Abandoning the Global Fight for Equality Washington is increasingly playing a central role in the backlash against LGBTQ people.

State Dept. & USAID ordered @outrightintl.bsky.social to cut grants to 120 orgs across 42 countries, ending funding for LGBTQ veterans’ medical support in Ukraine, an LGBTQ domestic violence shelter in Malawi, & legal services for torture victims in Myanmar foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/24/u...

Justice Department Told Trump in May That His Name Is Among Many in the Epstein Files — The Wall Street Journal Bondi also told president at the meeting that Justice decided to not release more Jeffrey Epstein documents because of the presence of child pornography and the need to protect victims

@wsj.com apple.news/A3o_MLmPfST6...

FDA's New Drug Approval AI Is Generating Fake Studies: Report The AI, dubbed Elsa, is supposed to be making employees better at their jobs.

gizmodo.com/fdas-new-dru... @paleofuture.bsky.social @gizmodo.com

Their parents are fired feds. They want senators to listen to them. For months, federal workers have tried making their voices heard on Capitol Hill. Now, some are bringing their children to “Camp Democracy.”

“She wants her children “to learn that even in the face of uncertainty & devastation that feels like it is beyond our control, this is how we take control of our lives. By speaking out and advocating for ourselves and our fellow Americans,”” @oliviacgeorge.bsky.social wapo.st/450EMsp

White House Leads Push to Block Watchdog’s Inquiries Into Spending Cuts

Sounds wonky, but withholding billions of dollars that Congress has already spent (impoundment)--on things like clean school buses & Head Start--does real harm. We decided the president shouldn't be king with Nixon. GAO is in the crosshairs
@tonyromm.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/u...

White House aide on skipping budget plan: It ‘wasn’t in our interest’ OMB chief Russell Vought expressed excitement that Congress appeared to be on the verge of codifying into law roughly $9 billion in cuts.

White House aide on skipping budget plan: It ‘wasn’t in our interest’ wapo.st/4f4lsiE @washingtonpost.com @jeffstein.bsky.social

Today is the 3rd anniversary of @988Lifeline "39% of LGBTQ 13-24 year-olds in the U.S. said they had seriously considered suicide over the past year, including 46% of transgender & nonbinary youth." @thehill.com @bmigdon.bsky.social @trevorproject.bsky.social thehill.com/homenews/lgb...

DOGE-impacted federal workers tell their stories in new audio series The testimonials are from people who've worked inside agencies responsible for the health and safety of millions of Americans.

Federal workers tell their DOGE stories in new audio series @fedsagainstdoge.bsky.social www.axios.com/2025/07/16/d...

Is This Restaurant the Only Thing Democrats and Republicans Agree On?

NYT on Navy Yard's Italian outpost Ama “People who have come to work at H.H.S. or U.S.D.A. are talking about no additives, better grains, seed oils — even if they don’t believe it & are eating Doritos in their cars” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/d...

The Trump administration disbanded a newborn screening panel. Advocates now face a harder path atient groups face a harder and unpredictable path going state-by-state to boost screening for rare but treatable conditions after the Trump administration disbanded a federal advisory committee on ne...

"In April, the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns & Children was shut down following an EO signed by President Trump to eliminate “unnecessary” federal functions... The committee guides states on which diseases to screen for at birth." @endpts.com endpoints.news/the-trump-ad...

Medicaid Cuts? Yes. But the GOP Is Quietly Cutting Medicare, Too. A little understood aspect of the big, ugly bill could cause devastating problems for seniors and others.

OBBBA includes big Medicare cuts too. "PAYGO is triggered when budgets over 5- and 10-year periods add to deficits. Medicare is not [exempt from sequester]. And it faces a whopping $533 billion in cuts over the next decade." newrepublic.com/article/1979... @newrepublic.com @normornstein.bsky.social

And a very good excuse to plug his guest judge appearance on Revry’s King of Drag w/ Murray Hill!

The growing influence of vaccine skeptics inside HHS The growing influence of vaccine critics inside RFK Jr.'s health department is alarming public health experts.

The growing influence of vaccine skeptics inside HHS www.statnews.com/2025/07/14/a... via @statnews.com @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social

“Known as the constrained total energy expenditure model, it says that our brains and bodies closely monitor our total energy expenditure, keeping it within a narrow range.” @washingtonpost.com @gretchenxreynolds.bsky.social (gift link) wapo.st/4eN2IDX

At least 17 million Americans would lose insurance under Trump plan GOP legislation would set back years of progress in expanding health care coverage, unwinding key parts of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

This is what it looks like to repeal Obamacare without calling it that (gift link) wapo.st/44yyXlN

Opinion | The Education Department is paying us millions not to work Education staff are eager to serve the public. The Trump administration’s layoffs put us in a legal limbo that helps nobody.

"The government is spending >$7 million a month to keep us on payroll while preventing us from doing our jobs & denying the public essential education services. That means >$21 million has been spent to silence us & strip people of the aid they rely on." @postopinions.bsky.social wapo.st/4ehb7zt