The House Oversight Committee will be holding a closed-door roundtable tomorrow (Tuesday) to hear from Jeffrey Epstein's survivors, says Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
I report on Congress, the White House + political campaigns for HuffPost. President emeritus of the Washington Press Club Foundation. Mama. š³ļøāš Tips: jen.bendery@huffpost.com / jbendery@proton.me Signal: jbendery.41
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The House Oversight Committee will be holding a closed-door roundtable tomorrow (Tuesday) to hear from Jeffrey Epstein's survivors, says Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
Somebody is throwing things out of a window of the White House wtaf
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If you are a federal employee who can confirm a rumor that some folks are sprinkling bread crumbs on the roof of the Labor Dept building where this banner was hung, I'd love to hear from you. Anonymity granted. Jen.Bendery@huffpost.com On Signal: jbendery.41
The irony/idiocy of this banner screaming "American Workers First" is that Trump has forced more than 199,000 federal workers out of their jobs since Jan. Nearly 1 in 10 federal workers gone. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Iām sorry, WHAT?
An image of the outside of the building, via Getty Images.
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Photo passed along from a federal employee from inside the Dept of Labor building, where a giant Orwellian image of Trump's face is now draped outside. Big Brother is watching.
Anna has had excellent coverage of this developing case in which the Trump administration tried to use the holiday weekend to secretly and illegally deport children.
āāTheyāre not doing it to improve public safety,ā he continued. āItās designed to humiliate political opponents.āā
Happy Labor Day everyone! A reminder that Trump has just about decimated the federal workforce. Nearly 10% of all federal workers forced out of their jobs since Jan. "Weāre seeing the arson of our government." www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
cool cool
Iām serious. This REALLY infuriates me. @nbcnews.com @cbsnews.com @cnn.com Do your job. You failed to lift this up in 2024. If farmers are hurting, explain why and who is to blame. And remind Americans that we paid BILLIONS for Trumpās first tariff blunder. Itās so irresponsible to ignore this.
Donald Trump incited a violent coup to overthrow the 2020 election and hold onto power. It will never be ok that he was not held accountable, including banning him from ever again holding public office.
News in this piece: 1) JB Pritzker's health officials are exploring the possibility of buying Covid vaccines in bulk to distribute to constituents 2) Mass Gov Maura Healey is leading a coalition of mostly blue states that could coordinate purchasing of pediatric vaccines Read all about this here:
Stuart Stevens, currently to the left of most democratic leaders on the Hill
BBC News - Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters www.bbc.com/news/article...
Unbelievably bad. āThe CDC you knew is over. Unless someone takes radical action, there is nothing there that can be salvaged.ā www.advocate.com/politics/dem...
Was rummaging through old articles and found this one of Demetre Daskalakis. Apparently, back in 2013, he went to New York City's gay sex clubs and bathhouses and administered meningitis vaccines and helped beat an outbreak.
Dropping the source article link again in case anyone missed it:
COVID vaccine update: Pharmacies in these states won't give you a shot unless you have a prescription. CVS: CO, FL, GA, KY, LA , ME, NY, NC, PA, UT, VA, WV, DC Walgreens: AZ, CO, GA, IN, LA, MO, MT, NM, NY, OR, SC, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI CVS is not yet offering COVID shots at all in MA, NV, and MN.
If Vought's action is ruled illegal, the $5B remains spent.
Also, like every other Republican senator, Collins voted to confirm Russ Vought to his post at OMB -- knowing of his plans to do things like trying to bypass Congress' authority. www.senate.gov/legislative/...
A pocket rescission "would cede Congressās power of the purse by allowing a president to, in effect, change the law by shortening the period of availability for fixed-period funds," per GAO. "If Congress wanted a president to have that authority, it would need to change the law."
The second one, pocket rescissions, is illegal. This is a similarly a president sending Congress a request to cancel funds it previously approved, but within 45 days of the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. If Congress doesnāt vote to reject the request by Sept. 30, funds automatically expire.
It's worth noting the difference between rescissions vs pocket rescissions. The first one is legal. It's when a president asks Congress to cancel funds it previously approved. Congress has 45 days to approve or reject the request. If they do nothing, funds remain spent.
This is setting up a big ol' fight in Congress when lawmakers come back from recess next week. It's gonna take Republicans standing up to Trump, though, whether by voting against this pocket rescissions package or by calling the whole thing illegal. www.huffpost.com/entry/susan-...
She's not the only Republican who's said a pocket rescission would violate the law. GOP Rep. Mike Simpson, who chairs a House appropriations subcommittee, has called them āillegalā and āa bad ideaā that āundermines Congressā authority.ā
The Government Accountability Office plainly spells out that pocket rescissions are illegal. "Congress holds the power of the purseāapproving a budget and appropriating funds. Presidents and executive branch agencies are responsible for administering those funds." www.gao.gov/blog/what-po...
Vought told reporters in July that he doesn't think the Impoundment Control Act -- which prohibits what he's trying to do -- is constitutional. āYou have these procedures that have fallen into disuse," he said of pocket rescissions. "Why wouldnāt you use them to send up rescissions?ā
Collins is pissed in large part because she chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, an otherwise powerful gig. Trump and Vought are trying to bypass her (and Congress) with these pocket rescissions. Collins: "This type of rescission is unlawful + not permitted by the Impoundment Control Act."
Russ Vought signaled in July he was going to do what he just did: jam Congress with a "pocket recissions" package. Translated: He's trying to cancel $5B in foreign aid that Congress already approved. Idea is if Congress doesn't reject this package by Sept. 30, funds canceled. Also this is illegal.
Susan Collins rips Trump's/Russ Vought's effort to bigfoot Congress and cancel $5 billion in foreign aid that was already appropriated: "A clear violation of the law.ā www.huffpost.com/entry/susan-...
GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik hasn't done an in-person town hall in 6 years www.nny360.com/news/it-s-be...
Well, he may have voted to confirm a notorious anti-vaxxer to lead HHS and he may have known how destructive that would be for everyone's public health, but GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy is now calling for a halt on vaccine decisions at the CDC. www.huffpost.com/entry/bill-c...
Well, he may have voted to confirm a notorious anti-vaxxer to lead HHS and he may have known how destructive that would be for everyone's public health, but GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy is now calling for a halt on vaccine decisions at the CDC. www.huffpost.com/entry/bill-c...
I don't think they're out yet!
Someone who is determined will likely eventually be able to get the shot through trial and error. But overall this policy will sadly overall decrease vaccination rates because it creates another unnecessary barrier (remember many people don't get vaccines annually as they can't take time off work).
Note that there's language from June on the CDC website that you can self-confirm you are immunocompromised in order to get vaccinated. However, in real world practice, this depends on the pharmacy.
BETRAYED YET AGAIN BY MAGA elected officials that canāt muster the courage to honor with a plaque the J6 officers who fulfilled their oath and duty while they ran in fear for their lives and from the mob she was part of. FU all cowers.
Ashley Babbit dishonored her service by committing insurrection against her country. While her death is absolutely tragic and I wish it hadnāt happened, the Air Force giving her honors is in itself a dishonor.
Here's Sen. Bill Cassidy -- chair of Senate HELP Committee + a doctor -- giving a Senate speech in support of confirming RFK. He said yeah, RFK is a threat to public health, but he said we'd have "an unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship." www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/pre...
yay? (no, not yay at all!)
It feels murky to me re: having to state your issue, but I've been looking to vaccine policy/legal experts for guidance and this is what one said his law firm concluded: "Adults aged 18-64 will now need to show some proof of an underlying condition in order to be vaccinated."
They all knew who they were voting for. They all knew RFK Jr. could and likely would be as reckless as he's been, and will likely get way worse.
For no particular reason, here's the breakdown of the Senate's vote to confirm RFK Jr. to lead HHS. Every Republican but one -- Mitch McConnell -- voted to put a guy notorious for pushing dangerous lies and disinformation about vaccine safety into this job. www.senate.gov/legislative/...
"physical inactivity"
Hang onto this image of CDC's full list of underlying conditions tied to severe risk of COVID. If you're an adult aged 18-64, RFK Jr. is now making you show some proof of one of these underlying conditions in order to get a COVID vaccine.
Can a physician now be held liable if they prescribe/give a COVID shot to someone outside of the FDA-approved parameters, and harm occurs? Hughes' team: "Courts have long accepted that the standard of care is set by professional consensus, guidelines, and individualized clinical judgment."
Richard Hughes, a vaccine law and policy expert, sums up the "main conflict" that will now arise as a result of RFK Jr. significantly restricting people's access to COVID shots: "Adults aged 18-64 will now need to show some proof of an underlying condition in order to be vaccinated."
Tonight one of the CDCās top public health leaders, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, has resigned from his post. Below is his full resignation letter. You should read every word. This is a truly scary moment for public health in America. 1/2
The last photos taken by Mariam Dagga show the damaged stairwell outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip where she would be killed by an Israeli strike moments later.
Statement from Dr. Tina Tan, president of Infectious Diseases Society of America: THE SUSTAINED ATTACKS ON PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE U.S. MUST END NOW.
"...however, it only further underscores the reality at HHS: Director Monarez is not the problem, RFK Jr. is."
Murray says she initially had "serious doubts" about CDC director Monarezās willingness to stand up to RFK's attacks on public health. "Iām glad to say that I was wrong." āMonarezās willingness to stand up for science and protect the integrity of the CDC is commendable and deeply important."
in all fairness to RFK Jr., both the bear cub & the beached whale were already dead when he toted their carcasses back to his vehicle for his own private purposes. so there's that.
Wow
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top Dem on the Senate health committee, on this evening's chaos at CDC: āWe cannot let RFK Jr. burn whatās left of the CDC and our other critical health agencies to the groundāhe must be fired."
Abbe Lowell and I represent CDC Director #SusanMonarez. Contrary to govt statements, Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor yet been fired. She will not resign. We have issued the following statement:
In a functional government, this would be a five alarm fire where Congress calls in Kennedy and asks him what the fuck is going on
"These guys are the best in the business. They know their stuff,ā said one CDC staffer who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation. āIām stunned how fast this all happened.ā
FEMA employees were just placed on leave after criticizing the Trump regime in open letter. Their letter was meant to "sound the alarm" about inexperienced appointees and drastic cuts to agency programs. Like all tyrants in history, Trump wants to squelch dissent.
CHAOS ERUPTS AT CDC CDC Director Susan Monarez has been ousted after RFK Jr. demanded she change her policy on the COVID vaccine. Top officials from the Vaccine Unit, Zoonotic Division, and the Chief Medical Officer are resigning, per reports. Horrifying news for public health.
"Physical inactivity"
Reminds me of Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), who is a pediatrician, tearing into RFK a coupla months ago for all his dangerous lies about vaccines. "I will lay all responsibility for every death from a vaccine-preventable illness at your feet." www.huffpost.com/entry/congre...
Here's the CDC's list of "underlying conditions" associated with higher risk for severe COVID-19 www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/cl...
RFK has posted this on the other site and it's utter garbage. Millions of children + people under 65 won't be able to get a COVID shot anymore. A shot they wanted and needed. More people are going to get unnecessarily sick. More will die. For what?
COVID cases are on the rise -- and RFK just took away the ability for millions of Americans get COVID vaccines. COVID shots are now only FDA approved for 1) people 65+ and 2) people w/ underlying conditions that put them at severe risk. That's it. www.huffpost.com/entry/covid-...
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today praised Trump for flooding the city with federal law enforcement. āWe greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city." š www.huffpost.com/entry/muriel... via @delaneyrules.bsky.social @phillewis.bsky.social
ICYMI: Trump has just about decimated the federal workforce, with more than 199,000 people pushed out since Jan, per a new report. Nearly 10% of the entire federal civilian workforce gone. āThe services that Americans have come to expect are not going to be there.ā www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ā Minneapolis mayor says children are dead after a shooting at a Catholic school. š
Growing up as Cold War American kids in the '80s, what we learned was that countries who put up giant pictures of their leaders were either run by Communists or religious fanatics. The news would show us their parades with the subtext that such egomaniacal spectacle was as un-American as it gets.
This imagery is the kind of thing you see in video games to let you know youāre in a totalitarian city or country.
For undocumented friends: What to do if ICE comes to your door.
not to mention that 400,000 federal workers lost their union contracts
The irony/idiocy of this banner currently draped on the Department of Labor building is not lost on me, given all the federal workers he's forced out of their jobs. (Pic via Getty Images)
I asked OMB how they expect the federal government to function with nearly one-tenth of its workers gone. A senior administration official said only, āMuch better.ā
Russ Vought, Trump's Office of Management and Budget director, is driving this effort to hollow out the government. He's been trying to make working conditions as miserable as possible for federal employees so they'll quit. As he said in 2023, "We want to put them in trauma."
āWeāre seeing the arson of our government,ā Max Stier of Partnership for Public Service told me. āThe numbers are stunning. We can count 200,000, and the administration said 300,000, by the end of the year. Thatās 1 in 8.ā www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Nearly 1 in 4 civilian federal workers are veterans, meaning they are being disproportionately hurt by Trumpās workforce cuts. And contrary to the idea that Trump is purging D.C. bureaucrats, the vast majority of federal employees ā more than 80% of them ā work outside of the D.C. area.
I contacted an immigrant legal rights group and shared this woman's story with them, with this woman's permission. They are set to talk directly this week.
The Defense Dept has lost more federal employees this year than any department: More than 55,000 civilian employees. The Treasury Dept is second, having lost more than 30,000 people. The Dept of Agriculture is third. It lost more than 21,000 people.
More than 135,000 of the federal workers we lost this year left through the Trump adminās deferred resignation program. It offered workers paid admin leave + benefits for a set period if they promptly quit. Not much of a bargain: you could either take this, or risk getting fired with no benefits.
Lol
National Guard soldiers called into service for President Trump's law enforcement surge in D.C. have been assigned to spread mulch at federal monuments. Normally the Park Service does that, but the administration laid off the workers. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
This is going to drive Trump and Miller bananas. And they're going respond by trying to do some wildly illegal shit with grand juries.
ICYMI: Trump has just about decimated the federal workforce, with more than 199,000 people pushed out since Jan, per a new report. Nearly 10% of the entire federal civilian workforce gone. āThe services that Americans have come to expect are not going to be there.ā www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
NEW: More than 199,000 federal workers have left their jobs or have been forced out by the Trump admin since Jan. 2025, per a new report. Thatās nearly 10% of the entire federal civilian workforce. āWeāre seeing the arson of our government." www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Itās always so easy to laugh at this, but itās not funny. For 3hrs today, grown men & women all took turns getting down on their knees, fellating their dear leader. In front of the cameras. Itās sad. Itās gross. Itās North Korea. It shouldnāt happen here.
Pretending not to hear the whole room chanting āshameā at her is the most Susan Collins things ever
Just met a nun on the street named Sister Confidence who played competitive volleyball in college and now plays with other nuns at her convent. I freakin love DC. ā¤ļø
NEW: More than 199,000 federal workers have left their jobs or have been forced out by the Trump admin since Jan. 2025, per a new report. Thatās nearly 10% of the entire federal civilian workforce. āWeāre seeing the arson of our government." www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Another infuriating aspect of ICE roaming around D.C. that I hadn't thought about. I just talked to a D.C. woman whose husband is undocumented and whose employer is refusing to pay him for work he's already done -- and threatening to call ICE if he keeps asking for the money he's owed.
Weird times. The American Firearms Assn, the extremist gun rights group to the right of the NRA, is pissed at Trump for saying he'll let 600,000 Chinese students study in the U.S.
"This new executive order is a joke and yet another example of Trumpās Gangster State in action: Use violence and intimidation against the government to take office, and use violence and intimidation once in government to entrench yourself," says Raskin. "Trump knows nothing about patriotism.ā
Rep. Jamie Raskin on Trump's exec order on flag desecration: "One of his first acts in office ... was to grant full and unconditional pardons to violent insurrectionists who themselves used the American flag as a weapon to attack and beat American police officers" on Jan. 6. They included:
A man, near the White House, who describes himself as a "retired disabled combat veteran," after burning an American flag tells bystanders "I am being detained because I expressed my First Amendment rights."
Iām sure the markets are gonna love this tomorrow morning