Private Donations to PBS & NPR Surge
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) President and CEO Patricia Harrison informed its 100 employees of the termination of their employment following Congress' termination of federal subsidies, saying "most of you will be off the payroll by the start of the new fiscal year (October 1, 2025) the rest will stay until the end of the calendar year to oversee an orderly shut down of operations." The termination of subsidies followed testimony to Congress from Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) CEO Paula Kerger and National Public Radio (NPR) President and CEO Katherine Maher.
Kerger attempted to refute allegations of political bias by pointing out that "virtually 100% of respectable media outlets expressed viewpoints that were indistinguishable from those aired by PBS. It is not PBS that has been out-of-step with the broad consensus of America. It's the Republicans who have been complaining that are."
"Public broadcasting has been overtaken by partisan activists," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex) asserted. "Taxpayers shouldn't be compelled to fund ideas with which they may disagree. The consensus cited is a left-wing consensus among virtually every legacy media outlet, not the American people. Folks who want to watch left-wing propaganda have MSNBC, CNN, CBS, ABC and others to provide it without tax subsidies" Cruz said.
Maher warned that "defunding NPR poses a real risk to the public safety of the country. Rural areas would feel the largest impacts. Local stations provide vital alerts in emergencies like storms, floods, wildfires, and assaults on our democracy by right-wing fascists like Donald Trump."
Since the cancellation of public subsidies was enacted by Congress private donations to both PBS and NPR have surged, prompting Cruz to claim that "revenues from their audience is the appropriate way to support these stations. There is no need for the government to subsidize them."
Maher acknowledged that "it is not a question of need, but of efficiency. While we could survive without government funding, the efforts that would have to be directed toward encouraging donations or obtaining revenue via ads will subtract from the time we could be devoting to honing the message we transmit to those who rely on NPR's perspective on the news."
Judge Blocks Ending Temporary Protected Status for Migrants
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem's effort to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of tens of thousands of migrants in the United States from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal was challenged by the Soros-funded National Day Laborer Organizing Network on the grounds that "they are being targeted because they are non-white, non-Europeans."
Noem defended the plan to end TPS saying "this temporary program was established by an executive order issued by President Clinton. The premise used to justify TPS was that these illegal immigrants faced significant risk of harm if they were deported to their home countries. Whether the persons designated for this status still merit this protection needs to be reassessed."
Federal District Court Judge Trina Thompson disagreed, arguing that "the fact that TPS has been in place for 30 years establishes a defacto entitlement similar to squatters' rights. Namely, if a person or group of persons has become accustomed to enjoying a privilege for an extended period of time they accrue a right to continue enjoying that privilege and cannot be deprived of it without the Court's approval."
The Judge asserted that "the fact that the Trump Administration has been almost exclusively deporting persons of color creates prima facie evidence that it is motivated by racism. Why aren't any white-skinned Europeans being deported? Until this question can be answered to my satisfaction the protected status of the litigants cannot be discontinued."
Noem pointed out that "the key factor we are using for deciding who to deport is not skin color, but whether an individual is in the country illegally. White-skinned Europeans falling in this category are a very tiny fraction of the estimated 20 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States. When we apprehend any of them they will be deported."
States Sue Trump Over Transgender Care
On January 28, President Trump issued an executive order declaring that "it is our policy to not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support gender transition for people under 19. As such, we will discontinue federal funding to medical institutions that provide this type of care and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures."
California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are suing to have this policy overturned by the court. California Attorney General Rob Bonta explained "we believe this restriction is an unconstitutional attack on LGBTQ+ patients, healthcare providers and states' rights."
US Attorney General Pam Bondi replied "there is no constitutional right to receive federal money to fund the mutilation of minors. No state, hospital, clinic, or medical professional has a right to receive federal money for this purpose. As a matter of science, there is no medical procedure that can change any person's sex. Telling minors that they can change their sex is a lie. Those who promote this lie are morally culpable. States may have laws allowing these fantasy medical procedures. The President's executive order doesn't intrude upon a state's power to do this at their own risk and own expense."
Nevertheless, Bonta expressed concern that "rigorously enforcing laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures will seriously disrupt a widely accepted standard of medical care."
In related news, US District Judge Indira Talwani barred the Trump Administration from enforcing the Big Beautiful Bill's discontinuation of funding for Planned Parenthood "because it will lead to the unwanted birth of millions of babies and thwart the transformation that President Obama envisioned for America."
Canadian PM Warns Trump
Citing Canada's plans to recognize a Palestinian state and the persistence of fentanyl smuggling over the border, President Trump imposed a 35% tariff on goods shipped into the US from Canada. "As it is now, Hamas bombards Israel whenever it wants to," Trump asserted. "Establishing it as a Palestinian state will only worsen the situation. Canada needs to be more responsible."
Prime Minister Mark Carney took offense, saying "Canada's government is making historic investments in border security to arrest drug traffickers, take down transnational gangs, and end migrant smuggling. These include thousands of new law enforcement and border security officers, aerial surveillance, intelligence and security operations, and the strongest border legislation in our history."
"You know, the 5,525 mile border between our two counties is the longest undefended border in the world," Carney pointed out. "If Israel will be endangered by its 40 mile border with a hostile Palestine what does Trump think will happen if the US is bordered by a hostile Canada? Islamic terrorists could easily fly to Canada and illegally enter the US anywhere along those 5,525 miles. Currently, we cooperate with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to help spot intercontinental ballistic missiles coming over the North Pole from Russia. What if we didn't? Maybe Trump would like to reconsider using tariffs to bully us?"
Congresswoman Alleges Defamation
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex) is angry over the article The Atlantic published about her this week. "When I heard they were consulting other people to get their opinions about my suitability as a leader of the Democratic Party without getting my permission I was livid," Crockett said. "I told the writer--Elaine Godfrey--to cancel the piece, but The Atlantic went ahead and published it anyway."
Godfrey explained "as a journalist, I felt it was appropriate to get comments from other Democrats on Rep. Crockett. Thirteen of her colleagues on the Oversight and Judiciary committees, along with 20 other Democratic Representatives I contacted either declined to talk with me or didn't respond to my interview requests. Senior staffers for three Democratic Representatives told me that some of Crockett's colleagues see her as undisciplined, but are reluctant to criticize her publicly. One told me that 'she likes to talk and is sometimes a loose cannon that can cause headaches for other Democrats.' I also got some quotes from Max Burns, James Carville, Texas state Rep. Toni Rose, and US House Reps. Julie Johnson (Tex) and Robert Garcia (Calif)."
"It's not as if Representative Crockett hasn't had some criticism of her colleagues," Godfrey added. "She dings the 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour of Sen. Sanders (Vt) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) for hogging all the attention when they should have been supporting the whole progressive team."
After several other journalists mocked Crockett for believing she could stop a writer from publishing a profile on her that wasn't 100% adulatory she predicted "one day, when I am president, they will regret disrespecting me when I was only one member of a 435-person House of Representatives. Former President Biden showed us how a president could use the government to censor and prosecute those who oppose him and he had dementia. I don't. Just imagine how much more forcefully I can be in exerting my will upon America."
"Justifiable Assault & Battery"
The beating of two whites by a mob of Blacks after the Cincinnati Jazz Festival was called "justified" by the City's Police Chief Terri Theetge. "Look, the two white individuals provoked the assault," she said. "First, the concert they all attended was a jazz concert. Jazz is Black music--invented by and for Black folks. The white folks were engaging in cultural appropriation by intruding on turf that didn't belong to them."
"Second, the beatings were video taped by numerous individuals at the scene," Theetge pointed out. "This intrusion into police business precludes our opportunity to say there that isn't enough evidence to identify and prosecute the assailants. However, a conviction is likely to spark a riot that will result in widespread property damage, more assaults, and possibly deaths."
"So, we have to find a resolution that will avert a worse calamity for the City," Theetge reasoned. "Both Mayor Pureval and I agree that the best course of action is to declare that the assault and battery were justified. The Black community will be mollified and the injured parties can be thankful they weren't killed. It's the best win-win outcome available to us. If one or both of the injured parties dies the verdict can easily be bumped up to 'justifiable homicide'--an outcome familiar to anyone who has seen the TV show Law & Order."
In related crime news, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making it a felony for adults to buy minors for sex. "When it was brought to my attention that our state had no laws barring adults from buying minors to use for sexual pleasure I insisted that the legislature close this loophole," he boasted. "I'm also pleased to say that this bill reverses the decriminalization of loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution that I signed in 2021. I hope what I'm doing today shows voters that I have what it takes to be president."
Federal EV Fiasco
Former President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 appropriated $7.5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula (NEVI) and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI). Four years later all the money has been spent but only 384 EV charging stations have been built. That averages out at $19 million per station.
The Trump Administration is refusing to commit any more funds to either NEVI or CFI. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy insisted that "it's time we stop wasting the taxpayers' money on this stuff. EVs are too expensive to compete against gasoline-fueled vehicles."
Former Transportation Secretary and a leading contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination Pete Buttigieg disagreed, saying "we've made a dent in the 500,000 EV charging ports we projected would be needed by 2030. It would be foolish to stop now."
Duffy said "the notion that we should continue down this road is foolish. Of the 219,000 privately funded EV charging ports in the US only 56,000 are level 3 chargers--meaning it takes an hour to give a vehicle the power to travel 200 miles. The rest are level 2 chargers--meaning it takes an hour to give a vehicle the power to travel 25 miles. It only takes five minutes to pump enough gasoline to go 400 miles. Charging EVs is very time-consuming. Level 3 chargers cost about $180,000 to purchase and install. Gasoline pumps cost about $24,000 to purchase and install. Why should taxpayers have to foot the bill for the far more expensive, yet far less convenient EV system?"
