An embarrassing Trump at the UN.

His teleprompter didn't work, and the escalator at the UN building didn't work, but unfortunately, he spoke anyhow. 

What he had to say.

The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency, Donald Trump, President of the United States of America. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. 

US President Donald Trump (00:27):

Note, this is an error.  Trump is not the President as he is not qualified to be so, the office is empty. 

Yes, this is a radical, but legally correct, opinion.

Thank you very much, very much appreciated. And I don't mind making the speech without a teleprompter, because the teleprompter is not working. I feel very happy to be up here with you nevertheless, and that way you speak more from the heart. I can only say that whoever's operating this teleprompter is in big trouble. Hello, Madam First Lady. Thank you very much for being here. Madam President, Mr. Secretary General, First Lady of the United States, distinguished delegates, ambassadors, and world leaders. Six years have passed since I last stood in this grand hall and addressed a world that was prosperous and at peace in my first term. Since that day, the guns of war have shattered the peace I forged on two continents. An era of calm and stability gave way to one of the great crises of our time. And here the United States, four years of weakness, lawlessness, and radicalism under the last administration delivered our nation into a repeated set of disasters. One year ago, our country was in deep trouble, but today, just eight months into my administration, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world and there is no other country even close. America is blessed with the strongest economy, the strongest borders, the strongest military, the strongest friendships, and the strongest spirit of any nation on the face of the earth.

This is indeed, the golden age of America. We are rapidly reversing the economic calamity we inherited from the previous administration, including ruinous price increases and record-setting inflation, inflation like we've never had before. Under my leadership, energy costs are down, gasoline prices are down, grocery prices are down, mortgage rates are down, and inflation has been defeated. The only thing that's up is the stock market, which just hit a record high. In fact, it hit a record high 48 times in the last short period of time. Growth is surging. Manufacturing is booming. The stock market, as I said, is doing better than it's ever done. And all of you in this room benefit by that, almost everybody. And importantly, workers wages are rising at the fastest pace in more than 60 years, and that's what it's all about, isn't it? In four years of President Biden, we had less than $1 trillion of new investment into the United States.

This "golden age" thing is pure Trump crap, much like Trump's gilded White House trash.   Costs are not down, etc.  Trump probably frankly doesn't know this as he doesn't have the mental capacity left to realize it.

In just eight months since I took office, we have secured commitments and money already paid for $17 trillion. Think of it, four years, less than a trillion. Eight months, much more than $17 trillion is being invested in the United States, and it's now pouring in from all parts of the world. We've implemented the largest tax cuts in American history and the largest regulation cuts in American history, making this once and again, the best country on earth to do business. And many of the people in this room are investing in America, and it's turned out to be an awfully good investment during this eight month period. In my first term, I built the greatest economy in the history of the world. We had the best economy ever, history of the world, and I'm doing the same thing again, but this time it's actually much bigger and even better. The numbers far surpass my record-setting first term.

On our southern border, we have successfully repelled a colossal invasion. And for the last four months, and that's four months in a row, the number of illegal aliens admitted and entering our country has been zero. Hard to believe, because if you look back just a year ago, it was millions and millions of people pouring in from all over the world, from prisons, from mental institutions, drug dealers, all over the world they came, they just poured into our country with the ridiculous open-border policy of the Biden administration. Our message is very simple. If you come illegally into the United States, you're going to jail or you're going back to where you came from, or perhaps even further than that, you know what that means. 

I want thank the country of El Salvador for the successful and professional job they've done in receiving and jailing so many criminals that entered our country, and it was under the previous administration that the number became record-setting, and they're all being taken out. We have no choice, and other countries have no choice because other countries are in the exact same situation with immigration. It's destroying your country and you have to do something about it. On the world stage, America is respected again like it has never been respected before. You think about two years ago, three years ago, four years ago, or one year ago, we were a laughingstock all over the world. At the NATO summit in June, virtually all NATO members formally committed to increased defense spending at my request from 2% to 5% of GDP, making our alliance far stronger and more powerful than it was ever before. 

In May, I traveled to the Middle East to visit my friends and rebuild our partnerships in the Gulf, and those valued relationships with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE and other countries are now, I believe, closer than ever before. My administration has negotiated one historic trade deal after another, including with the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and many, many others. Likewise, in a period of just seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars. They said they were unendable. You're never going to get them solved. Some were going for 31 years, two of them, 31, you think of it, 31 years. One was 36 years, one was 28 years. I ended seven wars. And in all cases, they were raging with countless thousands of people being killed. This includes Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, a vicious, violent war that was. Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

It included all of them. No president or prime minister. And for that matter, no other country has ever done anything close to that, and I did it in just seven months. It's never happened before. There's never been anything like that. Very honored to have done it. It's too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them. And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them. I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal. All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle. If the First Lady wasn't in great shape, she would've fallen. But she's in great shape. 

We're both in good shape, we both stood. And then a teleprompter that didn't work. These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. Thank you very much. And by the way, it's working now. It just went on. Thank you. I think I should just do it the other way. It's easier. Thank you very much. I didn't think of it at the time because I was too busy working to save millions of lives, that is the saving and stopping of these wars, but later I realized that the United Nations wasn't there for us. They weren't there. I thought of it really after the fact, not during. Not during these negotiations, which were not easy. That being the case, what is the purpose of the United Nations? The UN is such tremendous potential. I've always said it. It has such tremendous, tremendous potential, but it's not even coming close to living up to that potential. For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. 

It's empty words and empty words don't solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action. Now, after ending all of these wars and also earlier negotiating the Abraham Accords, which is a very big thing for which our country received no credit, never receives credit. Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements, but for me, the real prize will be the sons and daughters who live to grow up with the mothers and fathers because millions of people are no longer being killed in endless and un-glorious wars. What I care about is not winning prizes. It's saving lives. We saved millions and millions of lives with the seven wars, and we have others that we're working on and you know that. Many years ago, a very successful real estate developer in New York, known as Donald J. Trump, I bid on the renovation and rebuilding of this very United Nations complex.

Nobody seriously maintains that Trump should get the Nobel Prize for anything, but in his demented state, he can't help but claiming it. 

I remember it so well. I said at the time that I would do it for $500 million, rebuilding everything. It would be beautiful. I used to talk about, "I'm going to give you marble floors, they're going to give you terrazzo." The best of everything. "You're going to have mahogany walls, they're going to give you plastic." But they decided to go in another direction, which was much more expensive at the time, which actually produced a far inferior product. And I realized that they did not know what they were doing when it came to construction and that their building concepts were so wrong, and the product that they were proposing to build was so bad and so costly, it was going to cost them a fortune. And I said, "And wait until you see the overruns." Well, I turned out to be right. They had massive cost overruns and spent between two and $4 billion on the building and did not even get the marble floors that I promised them.

You walk on terrazzo. Do you notice that? As far as I'm concerned, frankly, looking at the building and getting stuck on the escalator, they still haven't finished the job. They still haven't finished. That was years ago. The project was so corrupt that Congress actually asked me to testify before them on the tremendous waste of money because it turned out that they had no idea what it was, but they knew it was anywhere between two and $4 billion as opposed to 500 million with a guarantee, but they had no idea. And I said, "It costs much more than $5 billion." Unfortunately, many things in the United Nations are happening just like that, but on an even much bigger scale, much, much bigger.

Very sad to see whether the UN can manage to play a productive role. I've come here today to offer the hand of American leadership and friendship to any nation in this assembly that is willing to join us in forging a safer, more prosperous world. And it's a world that we'll be much happier with. A dramatically better future is within our reach, but to get there, we must reject the failed approaches of the past and work together to confront some of the greatest threats in history. There is no more serious danger to our planet today than the most powerful and destructive weapons ever devised by man of which the United States, as you know, has many. Just as I did in my first term. I've made containing  threats a top priority, starting with a nation of Iran. My position is very simple, the world's number one sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon. That's why shortly after taking office, I sent the so-called Supreme Leader a letter making a generous offer. I extended a pledge of full cooperation in exchange for a suspension of Iran's nuclear program. The regime's answer was to continue their constant threats to their neighbors and US interests throughout the region and some great countries that are right nearby. Today, many of Iran's former military commanders, in fact, I can say almost all of them are no longer with us, they're dead. And three months ago in Operation Midnight Hammer seven American B-2 bombers dropped the 14 30,000 pound H-bombs on Iran's key nuclear facility totally obliterating everything. No other country on earth could have done what we did. No other country has the equipment to do what we did. We have the greatest weapons on earth. We hate to use them, but we did something that for 22 years people wanted to do.

With Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity demolished, I immediately brokered an end to the 12-day war, as it's called, between Israel and Iran, with both sides agreeing to fight no longer.

As everyone knows, I have also been deeply engaged in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza, we have to get that done, have to get it done. Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace, and we can't forget October 7th, can we? Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7th, even while they refuse to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire instead of giving to Hamas and giving so much because they've taken so much, they have taken so much, this could have been solved so long ago, but instead of giving in to Hamas ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message, release the hostages now. Just release the hostages now. Thank you.

As we have got to come together, and we will come together, got to get it done, we have to stop the war in Gaza immediately. We have to stop it. We have to get it done. We have to negotiate, immediately, have to negotiate peace. We got to get the hostages back. We want all 20 back. We don't want two and four. As you know, I got, along with Steve Witkoff and others that helped us, Marco Rubio, we got most of them back. We were involved in all of them, but I always said, the last 20 are going to be the hardest, and that's exactly what happened. We have to get them back now. We don't want to get back two and then another two and then one, and then three and have this process. No, we want them all back.

And we want the actually 38 dead bodies back too. Those parents came to me and they want them back, and they want them back very quickly and very badly, as though they were alive. They want them. They want them every bit as much as if their son or daughter were alive.

I've also been working relentlessly stopping the killing in Ukraine. I thought that would be, of the seven wars that I stopped, I thought that would be the easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, which had always been a good one. I thought that was going to be the easiest one. But in war, you never know what's going to happen. There are always lots of surprises, both good and bad. Everyone thought Russia would win this war in three days, but it didn't work out that way. It was supposed to be just a quick little skirmish. It's not making Russia look good, it's making them look bad.

The seven wars is complete crap.  Trump has not stopped seven wars.   

No matter what happens from here on out, this was something that should have taken a matter of days, certainly less than a week, and they've been fighting for three and a half years and killing anywhere from 5 to 7,000, young soldiers, mostly, mostly soldiers on both sides, every single week from 5 to 7,000 dead young people. And some in cities, much smaller numbers where rockets are shot, where drones are dropped. This war would never have started if I were president. This was a war that should have never happened. It shows you what leadership is, what bad leadership can do to a country. Look what happened to the United States and look where we are right now in just a short period of time. The only question now is how many more lives will be needlessly lost on both sides.

China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil. But inexcusably, even NATO countries have not cut off much Russian energy and Russian energy products, which as you know, I found out about two weeks ago and I wasn't happy. Think of it, they're funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one? In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs, which would stop the bloodshed, I believe very quickly. But for those tariffs to be effective, European nations, all of you are gathered here right now, would have to join us in adopting the exact same measures. I mean, you're much closer to the city. We have an ocean in between, you're right there, and Europe has to step it up. They can't be doing what they're doing. They're buying oil and gas from Russia while they're fighting Russia.

It's embarrassing to them, and it was very embarrassing to them when I found out about it. I can tell you that. But they have to immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia. Otherwise, we're all wasting a lot of time. So I'm ready to discuss this. We're going to discuss it today with the European nations all gathered here. I'm sure they're thrilled to hear me speak about it, but that's the way it is. I like to speak my mind and speak the truth.

As we seek to reduce the threat of dangerous weapons today. I'm also calling on every nation to join us in ending the development of biological weapons once and for all, and biological is terrible and nuclear is even beyond, and we include nuclear in that. We want to have a cessation of the development of nuclear weapons. We know and I know and I get to view it all the time, "Sir, would you like to see?" And I look at weapons that are so powerful that we just can't ever use them. If we ever use them, the world literally might come to an end. There would be no United Nations to be talking about. There would be no nothing.

Just a few years ago, reckless experiments overseas gave us a devastating global pandemic, yet despite that worldwide catastrophe, many countries are continuing extremely risky research into bio-weapons and man-made pathogens. This is unbelievably dangerous. To prevent potential disasters I'm announcing today that my administration will lead a international effort to enforce biological weapons convention, which is going to be meeting with the top leaders of the world by pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust. Hopefully the UN can play a constructive role and it will also go, be one of the early projects under AI. Let's see how good it is because a lot of people saying it could be one of the great things ever, but it also can be dangerous, but it could be put to tremendous use and tremendous good, and this would be an example of that.

There remains very little evidence that COVID 19 was caused by a biological experimient. 

Not only is the UN not solving the problems it should, too often, it's actually creating new problems for us to solve. The best example is the number one political issue of our time, the crisis of uncontrolled migration. It's uncontrolled. Your countries are being ruined. The United Nations is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders. In 2024, the UN budgeted $372 million in cash assistance to support an estimated 624,000 migrants journeying into the United States. Think of that, the UN is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States, and then we have to get them out. The UN also provided food, shelter, transportation, and debit cards to illegal aliens, can you believe that, on the way to infiltrate our southern border.

Millions of people came through that southern border. Just a year ago, millions and millions of people were pouring in, 25 million altogether over the four years of the incompetent Biden administration, and now we have it stopped. Totally stopped. In fact, they're not even coming anymore because they know they can't get through. But what took place is totally unacceptable. The UN is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and not finance them. In the United States, we reject the idea that mass numbers of people from foreign lands can be permitted to travel halfway around the world, trample our borders, violate our sovereignty, cause unmitigated crime, and deplete our social safety net.

We have reasserted that America belongs to the American people, and I encourage all countries to take their own stand in defense of their citizens as well. You have to do that because I see it. I'm not mentioning names. I see it and I can call every single one of them out. You're destroying your countries. They're being destroyed. Europe is in serious trouble. They've been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody's ever seen before. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe, and nobody's doing anything to change it, to get them out. It's not sustainable. And because they choose to be politically correct, they're doing just absolutely nothing about it.

And I have to say, I look at London where you have a terrible mayor, a terrible, terrible mayor and it's been so changed, so changed. Now they want to go to Sharia law, but you're in a different country, you can't do that. Both the immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe if something is not done immediately. This cannot be sustained. What makes the world so beautiful is that each country is unique, but to stay this way, every sovereign nation must have the right to control their own borders. You have the right to control your borders, as we do now, and to limit the sheer numbers of migrants entering their countries and paid for by the people of that nation that were there and that built that particular nation at the time. They put their blood, sweat, tears, money into that country, and now they're being ruined.

Why is the person claiming the Oval Office dissing the Mayor of London? 

Proud nations must be allowed to protect their communities and prevent their societies from being overwhelmed by people they have never seen before with different customs, religions, with different everything. Where migrants have violated laws, lodged false asylum claims or claimed refugee status for illegitimate reasons, they should, in many cases, be immediately sent home. And while we will always have a big heart for places and people that are struggling and truly compassionate, answers will be given. We have to solve the problem and we have to solve it in their countries, not create new problems in our countries. And we are very helpful to a lot of countries that are just not able to send their people anymore. They used to send them to us in caravans of 25, 30,000 people each, these massive caravans of people pouring into our country, totally unchecked and unvetted, but not anymore.

According to the Council of Europe, in 2024, almost 50% of inmates in German prisons were foreign nationals or migrants. In Austria, the number was 53% of the people in prisons were from places that weren't from where they are now. In Greece, the number was 54%. And in Switzerland, beautiful Switzerland, 72% of the people in prisons are from outside of Switzerland. When your prisons are filled with so-called asylum seekers who repaid kindness, and that's what they did, they repaid kindness with crime, it's time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. I see it, I can tell you.

I'm really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell. In America, we've taken bold action to swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration. Once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border and removing illegal aliens from the United States, they simply stopped coming. They're not coming anymore. We're getting a lot of credit, but they're not coming anymore. This was a humanitarian act for all involved because on the trips up,

Thousands of people a week were dying. Women were being raped. Nobody's ever seen anything like it. Raped, horribly beaten, raped. On the trip up, the journey up, it was a long, it was a long walk. It was a long, arduous journey indeed, and it was also a historic victory against human trafficking throughout the region. What we did was a victory and we saved so many lives of people that wouldn't make the journey. That journey was loaded up with death. Loaded up with death. Dead bodies all along. All along the roads of jungles to get up. They go through jungles, they go through areas so hot, you couldn't breathe. They were dying of suffocation, areas so hot, that you couldn't breathe. Dead bodies all over. By them not coming, we're saving tremendous numbers of lives. My people have done a fantastic job in doing what they did, and the American public agrees with it.

I mean, I was very proud to see this morning. I have the highest poll numbers I've ever had. Part of it is because of what we've done on the border. I guess the other part is what we've done in the economy. Joe Biden's policies empowered murderous gangs, human smugglers, child traffickers, drug cartels, and prisoners. Prisoners from all over the world. The previous administration also lost nearly 300,000 children. Think of that. They lost more than 300,000 children, little children who were trafficked into the United States on the Biden watch, many of whom have been raped, exploited and abused and sold. Sold. Nobody talks about that. The fake news doesn't write about it with many others, young children who are missing or dead. And we found a lot of these children and we're sending it back and we've been sending it back to their parents. They said nobody knows who they are.

They said, "Where do you come from?" And they'll give us a country and we'll find out and we'll figure it out, or we'll bring them back to their homes. And the mother and father rushed to the door and their tears in their eyes. They can't believe that they're seeing their son or daughter, their little son or daughter again. We've done almost 30,000 of them so far. Any system that results in the mass trafficking of children is inherently evil, yet that is exactly what the globalist migration agenda has done, and it's what it's all about. In America, those days, as you know, are over. The Trump administration is working and we are continuing to work to track down the villains that are causing this problem. And also, as I said, to get back the 30,000 we've already returned.

Now, I think we're going to have another…. We're going to find a lot. You're not going to find all of them. More than 300,000. They're lost or they're dead. They're lost, or they're dead because of the animals that did this. To protect our citizens, I've also designated multiple savage drug cartels as forest. And you see this and you see it happening right before your eyes. Let's put it this way. People don't like taking big loads of drugs in boats anymore. There aren't too many boats that are traveling on the seas by Venezuela. They tend not to want to travel very quickly anymore. And we virtually stopped drugs coming into our country by sea. We call them the water drugs. They kill hundreds of thousands of people. I've also designated multiple savage drug cartels as forest… foreign terrorist organizations along with two bloodthirsty transnational gangs, probably the worst gangs anywhere in the world.

MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. Tren de Aragua is from Venezuela, by the way. Such organizations torture, maim, mutilate and murder with impunity. They're the enemies of all humanity. For this reason, we've recently begun using the supreme power of the United States military to destroy Venezuelan terrorists and trafficking networks led by Nicolas Maduro to every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America. Please be warned that we will blow you out of existence. That's what we're doing. We have no choice. Can't let it happen. I believe we lost 300,000 people last year to drugs. 300,000. Fentanyl and other drugs. Each boat that we sink carries drugs that would kill more than 25,000 Americans. We will not let that happen. Energy is another area where the United States is now thriving like never before. We're getting rid of the falsely named renewables.

Also complete crap. The energy picture of the US has grown worse under Trump. 

By the way, they're a joke. They don't work. They're too expensive. They're not strong enough to fire up the plants that you need to make your country great. The wind doesn't blow. Those big windmills are so pathetic and so bad, so expensive to operate, and they have to be rebuilt all the time and they start to rust and rot. Most expensive energy ever conceived. And it's actually energy. You're supposed to make money with energy, not lose money. You lose money, the governments have to subsidize. You can't put them out without massive subsidies. And most of them are built in China, and I give China a lot of credit. They build them, but they're very few wind farms. So why is it that they build them and they send them all over the world, but they barely use them? You know what? They use coal, they use gas, they use almost anything, but they don't like wind, but they sure as hell like selling the windmills.

Actually, wind turbines are now very efficient. 

Europe on the other hand, is a long way to go with many countries being on the brink of destruction because of the green energy agenda. And I give a lot of credit to Germany. Germany was being led down a very sick path both on immigration by the way and on energy. They were going green and they were going bankrupt. And the new leadership, new leadership came in and they went back to where they were with fossil fuel and with nuclear, which is good, it's now safe and you can do it properly. But they went back to where they were and they opened up a lot of different plants, energy plants, energy-producing plants, and they're doing well. I give Germany a lot of credit for that. They've said, this is a disaster. What's happening? They were going all green. All green is all bankrupt. That's what it represents.

And it's not politically correct. I'll be very badly criticized for saying it, but I'm here to tell the truth. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. I'm in New York City, I'm feeling a lot safer. Crime, we're getting crime down. And by the way, speaking of crime, Washington D.C., Washington D.C. was the crime capital of America. Now, it's a totally… After 12 days, it's a totally safe city. Everyone's going out to dinner, they're going out to restaurants. Your wife can walk down the middle of the street with or without you. Nothing's going to happen. My people have done a fantastic job. And yes, I called in the National Guard and the National Guard took care of business. And they weren't politically correct, but they took care of business. We got 1,700 career criminals out, brought them back to where they came from, the countries where they came from or put them in jails. Washington D.C. is now a totally safe city again and I welcome you to come. In fact, we'll have dinner together at a local restaurant and we'll be able to walk. We don't have to go by an armor-plated vehicle. We'll walk right over there from the White House. They've given up their powerful edge. A lot of the countries that we're talking about and oil and gas, such as essentially closing the Great North Sea oil. Oh, the North Sea. I know it so well. Aberdeen was the oil capital of Europe and this tremendous oil that hasn't been found in the North Sea. Tremendous oil. And I was with the Prime Minister I respected, like a lot. And I said, "You're sitting with the greatest asset." They essentially closed it by making it so highly taxed that no developer, no oil company can go there. They have tremendous oil left and more importantly, they have tremendous oil that hasn't even been found yet.

And what a tremendous asset for the United Kingdom. And I hope the prime minister's listening because I told it to him three days in a row. That's all he heard. North Sea oil, North Sea, because I want to see them do well. I want to stop seeing them ruining that beautiful Scottish and English countryside with windmills and massive solar panels that go seven miles by seven miles taken away farmland, but we're not letting this happen in America. In 1982, the executive director of the United Nations Environmental Program predicted that by the year 2000, climate change would cause a global catastrophe. He said that it will be irreversible as any nuclear holocaust would be. This is what they said at the United Nations. What happened? Here we are. Another UN official stated in 1989 that within a decade, entire nations could be wiped off the map by global warming. Not happening.

It used to be global cooling. If you look back years ago in the 1920s and the 1930s, they said, global cooling will kill the world. We have to do something. Then they said global warming will kill the world. But then it started getting cooler. So now they could just call it climate change because that way they can't miss climate change because if it goes higher or lower, whatever the hell happens, it's climate change. It's the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion. Climate change, no matter what happens, you're involved in that. No more global warming, no more global cooling. All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons were wrong. They were made by stupid people that of course their country's fortunes and given those same countries, no chance for success. If you don't get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.

Climate change is not a hoax, it's manmade, and unabated, it's going to wipe us out. 

And I'm really good at predicting things. They actually said during the campaign, they had a hat, the best-selling hat. Trump was right about everything. And I don't say that in a braggadocious way, but it's true. I've been right about everything. And I'm telling you that if you don't get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail. And if you don't stop people that you've never seen before, that you have nothing in common with, your country is going to fail. I'm the President of the United States, but I worry about Europe. I love Europe. I love the people of Europe, and I hate to see it being devastated by energy and immigration. This double-tailed monster destroys everything in its wake, and they cannot let that happen any longer. You're doing it because you want to be nice, you want to be politically correct and you're destroying your heritage.

They must take control strongly and immediately of the unmitigated immigration disaster and the fake energy catastrophe before it's too late. The carbon footprint is a hoax made up by people with evil intentions and they're heading down a path of total destruction. The carbon footprint, it was a big, big thing. A few years ago, I remember hearing about the carbon footprint and then President Obama would get into Air Force One, a massive Boeing 747 and not a new one, an old one with old engines that spew everything into the atmosphere. He talked about the carbon footprint, we must do… Then he'd get in and he'd fly from Washington to Hawaii to play a round of golf, and then he'd get back onto that big beautiful plane and he'd fly back and he'd talk about, again, global warming and the carbon footprint. It's a con job at extreme cost and expense.

Europe reduced its own carbon footprint by 37%. Think of that. Congratulations Europe. Great job. You cost yourself a lot of jobs, a lot of factories closed, but you reduced the carbon footprint by 37%. However, for all of that sacrifice and much more, it's been totally wiped out and then some by a global increase of 54%, much of it coming from China and other countries that are thriving around China, which now produces more CO2 than all the other developed nations in the world. So all of these countries are working so hard on the carbon footprint, which is nonsense by the way. It's nonsense. It's interesting. In the United States, we have still radicalized environmentalists and they want the factories to stop. Everything should stop. No more cows. We don't want cows anymore. I guess they want to kill all the cows. They want to do things that are just unbelievable and you have it too.

Again. Trump is advocating, essentially, wiping the species out. 

But we have a border, strong, and we have a shape, and that shape doesn't just go straight up. That shape is amorphous when it comes to the atmosphere. And if we had the most clean air, and I think we do, we have very clean air, we have the cleanest air we've had in many, many years. But the problem is that other countries like China, which has air that's a little bit rough, it blows. And no matter what you're doing down here, the air up here tends to get very dirty because it comes in from other countries where their air isn't so clean and the environmentalists refuse to acknowledge that. Same thing with garbage. In

In Asia, they dump much of their garbage right into the ocean. And over about a one-week and two-week journey, it flows right past Los Angeles. You've seen it, massive amounts of garbage. Almost too much to do anything about, flowing past Los Angeles, past San Francisco, and then somebody would get in trouble because he dropped a cigarette on the beach. The whole thing is crazy. The primary effect of these brutal green energy policies has not been to help the environment, but to redistribute manufacturing and industrial activity from developed countries that follow the insane rules that are put down, to polluting countries that break the rules and are making a fortune. They're making a fortune.

European electricity bills are now four to five times more expensive than those in China, and two to three times higher than the United States, and our bills are coming way down. You probably see that. Our gasoline prices are way down. We have an expression drill [foreign language 00:46:18]. Common to see one.

Entire societies must be rejected immediately, and it must be immediate. That's why in America, I withdrew from the fake Paris Climate Accord, where, by the way, America was paying so much more than every country. Others weren't paying. China didn't have to pay until 2030. Russia was given an old standard that was easy to meet, a 1990 standard. But for the United States, we're supposed to pay like a trillion dollars. And I said, "This is another scam." The fact is United States has been taken advantage of by the world for many, many years, but not any longer, as you probably noticed.

I unleashed massive energy production and signed historic executive orders to hunt for oil. But we don't have to do much hunting because we have the most oil of any nation, anywhere, oil and gas in the world. And if you add coal, we have the most of any nation in the world. Clean. I call it clean, beautiful coal. You can do things today with coal that you couldn't have done 10 years ago, 15 years. So I have a little standing order in the White House. Never use the word coal, only use the words clean, beautiful coal. Sounds much better, doesn't it? But we stand ready to provide any country with abundant, affordable energy supplies if you need them, when most of you do.

We're proudly exporting energy all over the world. We're now the largest exporter. In the United States, we want trade and robust commerce with all nations. Everybody. We want to help nations. We're going to help nations, but it must also be fair and reciprocal. The challenge with trade is much the same with climate. The countries that followed the rules, all their factories have been plundered. It's really sad to watch. They've been broken. They've been broken by countries that broke the rules.

That's why the United States is now applying tariffs to other countries. And much as these tariffs were, for many years, applied to us, uncontrollably applied to us, we've used tariffs as a defense mechanism under the Trump administration, including my first term, where hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs were taken in. And by the way, we had the lowest inflation and now we have very low inflation. The only thing different is that we have hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into our country. But this is how we will ensure that the system works for everyone and is sustainable into the future. We're also using tariffs to defend our sovereignty and security throughout the world, including against nations that have taken advantage of former U.S. administrations for decades, including the most corrupt, incompetent administration in history. The sleepy Joe Biden administration.

Brazil now faces major tariffs in response to its unprecedented efforts to interfere in the rights and freedoms of our American citizens and others with censorship, repression, weaponization, judicial corruption, and targeting of political critics in the United States. I have a little problem saying this because I must tell you, I was walking in and the leader of Brazil was walking out. We saw him and I saw him, he saw me and we embraced, and then I'm saying, can you believe I'm going to be saying this in just two minutes? But we actually agreed that we would meet next week. We didn't have much time to talk, like about 20 seconds. They were, in retrospect, I'm glad I waited because this thing didn't work out too well. But we did talk. We had a good talk and we agreed to meet next week, if that's of interest. But he seemed like a very nice man, actually. He liked me, I liked him. And I only do business with people I like.

I don't, when I don't like them, I don't like them. But we had, at least for about 39 seconds, we had excellent chemistry. It's a good sign. But also in the past, Brazil, can you believe this? Unfairly tariffed our nation. But now because of our tariffs, we are hitting them back and we're hitting them back very hard. As President, I will always defend our national sovereignty and the rights of American citizens. So I'm very sorry to say this, that Brazil is doing poorly and will continue to do poorly. They can only do well when they're working with us. Without us, they will fail just as others have failed. It's true.

Next year the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our glorious independence, a testament to enduring power and American freedom and spirit. We will also be proudly hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and shortly thereafter, the 2028 Olympics, which is going to be very exciting. I hope you all come. I hope that countless people from all over the globe will take part of these great, these will be great celebrations of liberty and human achievement, and that together, we all can rejoice in the miracles of history that began in July 4th, 1776 when we founded the Light to All Nations. And it's something really that an amazing thing came out of that date. It's called the United States of America. In honor of this momentous anniversary, I hope that all countries who find inspiration in our example will join us in renewing our commitment values, and those values, really, that we hold so dear together.

Let us defend free speech and free expression. Let us protect religious liberty, including for the most persecuted religion on the planet today. It's called Christianity. And let us safeguard our sovereignty and cherish qualities that have made each of our nations so special, incredible, and extraordinary.

In closing, just want to repeat that immigration and the high cost of so-called green renewable energy is destroying a large part of the free world and a large part of our planet. Countries that cherish freedom are fading fast because of their policies on these two subjects. You need strong borders and traditional energy sources if you are going to be great again. Whether you have come from north or south, east or west, near or far, every leader in this beautiful hall today represents a rich culture, a noble history, and a proud heritage that makes each nation majestic and unique, unlike anything else in human history or any other place on the face of the earth.

From London to Lima, from Rome to Athens, from Paris to Seoul, from Cairo to Tokyo, and Amsterdam to right here in New York City, we stand on the shoulders of the leaders and legends, generals and giants, heroes and titans who won and built our beloved nations, all of our nations, with their own courage, strength, spirit, and skill. Our ancestors climbed to mountains, conquered oceans, crossed deserts, and trekked over wide open plains. They charged into thunderous battles, plunged into grave dangers, and they were soldiers, and farmers, and workers, and warriors, and explorers, and patriots. They built towns into cities, tribes into kingdoms, ideas into industries, and small islands into mighty empires. You're a part of all of that. They were champions for their people who never gave up and who never ever gave in. Their values, defined our national identities. Their visions forged our magnificent destiny. Everybody in this room is a part of it in your own way.

Each of us inherits the deeds and the myths, the triumphs, the legacies of our own heroes and founders who so bravely showed us the way. Our ancestors gave everything for homelands, that they defended with pride, with sweat, with blood, with life, and with death. Now, the righteous task of protecting the nations that they built belongs to each and every one of us. So together, let us uphold our sacred duty to our people and to our citizens. Let us protect their borders, ensure their safety, preserve their cultures, treasures, and traditions, and fight, fight, fight for their precious dreams and their cherished freedoms, and in friendship and really, a beautiful vision.

Let us all work together to build a bright, beautiful planet, a planet that we all share, a planet of peace and a world that is richer, better, and more beautiful than ever before. That can happen. It will happen. It will happen, and I hope it can happen and start right now, right at this moment. We'll turn it around. We're going to make our countries better, safer, more beautiful. We're going to take care of our people. Thank you very much. It's been an honor. God bless the nations of the world. Thank you very much. Bye.

Thank you.

On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the United States.

Frankly, by this point, probably very few people on the international stage take Trump seriously, and why would  they?  Here we have a primary example of Trump rambling babble, much of it addressed at the disproven "climate change is a fib" theory that some cling to.

Subsidiarity Economics 2025. The Times more or less locally, Part 1.

The word "beer" in Saxon, as it appears in Beowulf.

January 1, 2025

Wyoming wise, brewing seems to be the most distributist business going.

Cygnet Brewing Company opened in downtown Casper last night, joining Skull Tree, Oil City Brewing, Gruner Brothers, Frontier Brewing, Mountain Hops, Stahoos, and Bull Horn as Casper breweries, and larger Wyoming regional brewery Black Tooth.

Rent shaming is breaking out in various parts of the country to attack absurdly high rents.

January 9, 2025

President Joe Biden blocked the acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel.

January 10, 2025

BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, is leaving the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative under pressure from Republican politicians, which believes that man made climate change is a fib.

Ironically, Republicans trying to justify the demented ravings o. president elect Donald Trump have stated that we need it for the sea lanes once the ice melts.

The Ski Patrol strike at Park City, Utah, ended after the resort agreed to raise their pay by $2 an hour.

January 18, 2025

TikTok will go dark tomorrow.

Good riddance.

January 21, 2025

If the President does choose to proceed with tariffs on Canada, Canada will respond, and everything is on the table.

Prime Minister Trudeau.

Trump's going to wreck the economy after having not even been in office for a month.

January 28, 2025

Welcome to the Trump Economy:

Columbia refused to accept U.S. military flights carrying Columbian deportees.

I don't blame it for refusing military flights.  Would we accept military flights?

So now we're slapping 25%, going to 50%, tariffs on Columbian goods.

27% of US coffee comes from Columbia.

Double digit inflation, here we come.

And runs on coffee?  Yep.  I'm buying some coffee tomorrow, I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Oh, on that, the price of coffee went up today.

Coffee

346.67

1.53

0.44%

5.19%

85.44%

Jan/24

Things we get from Columbia.

January 27, 2025

Columbian amazingly backed down and the tariffs are off.

January 31, 2025

25% tariffs kick on on Canadian and Mexican imports tomorrow.

This is insane.

February 1, 2025

The Insurrectionist signed an executive order imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 10% on China.

This horrible person isn't legally the President now.  Congress needs to do something.

Cont:

Canada hit back with tariffs.  A trade war is on, and the United States will lose it, and deserve to lose it.

Invoke the 25th Amendment now.  Trump is insane.

This is absolutely reprehensible. Trump belonged in prison to start with. Now we'll all pay the price for his not being.'

Cont:

Oh, and Mexico too.  They're also imposing tariffs.

Thanks MAGA.  Great job there.

Last edition:

Subsidiarity Economics 2024. The Times more or less locally, Part 4. A return to Pre Covid status

Labels: 2010s, 2019, 2020s, 2024, Canada, Coronavirus Pandemic, deflation, Economics, inflation, Mexico, People's Republic of China, Petroleum, Taxes, The Liz Cheney Maxim, Wyoming's boom and bust economy

The Harrying. The opening days of the Trump interregnum

“Freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.

Ronald Reagan. 

Bob Dylan's 115th Dream (Take 2, Complete)

A song, now strangely, for our age.

January 21, 2025

We don't hope to follow Trump's actions on a continual basis.  It's not the purpose of this blog.  But we've always considered contemporary events to some extent, and these are extraordinary times.

We might hope, but don't expect, that we'll return to a sense of normalcy any time soon, or any time during the interregnum.  Indeed, we likely never will completely. Whether this actually sets a new path for the country, in which case its truly in a period of irreparable decline, or rests the meter for a new era upon Trump's death, removal, or end of term (which we might hope will not be challenged) is a matter that nobody can see at the present time.

1.  Vivek Ramaswamy learns he's not white and can't play in the populist pool.

One of the two doggy commissioners, Vivek Ramaswamy, learned from Anne Coulter that he's just a dirty Indian with no place in populist hearts took notice of that and has decided to run for Governor of Ohio.

At the pseudoinauguration, fwiw, some of the populist crowd learned that J. D. Vance's wife is similarly tainted and kept wondering why she was looking at him.

2.  First day executive orders.

Trump signed a bunch of executive orders, as expected, but interestingly not as many as actually anticipated.  

Some of these are dumb.  One, renaming Denali, is dumb, racist and insulting to Native Alaskans.  At least one is an illegal violation of Trump's oath of office, that being the birth right citizenship order as all who are "natural born" in the US are citizens by right and he can't order that it be legally ignored.  Another ignores the provisions of a treaty were are a party too and is therefore null and void, to the extent that they aren't all null and void due to the ineffectiveness of Trump's accession.

A couple, it should be noted, are downright frightening.  Trump's taking over the military, and the signals are he intends to use it.

And he of course pardoned his January 6 confederates.

• Reinstating the name Mount McKinley

This is frankly stupid and insulting to Native Alaskans.  If there's any consolation, at least Trump was apparently uanware that the Russians called the mountain Bolshaya Gora. Given his status as a Russian asset (I didn't say paid, just that he's an asset to the Russians, which he fairly clearly has been), and a Putin fanboy, well. . 

• Renaming Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America

This isn't going to happen and is at street level fascism in its aiming to the lowest common Maga denominator.

• Designating Cartels as foreign terrorist organizations

We're going into Mexico.  Make no mistake about it.

And we're going to use our own troops, disastrously, for policing for the first time since Reconstruction.

• Ending diversity, inclusion, and equity hiring in the federal government
• Temporary withdrawal of all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing

If oil leasing is good, why is wind leasing bad?

• Revocation of any active or current security clearances held by the former intelligence officials involved with "inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign" and John R. Bolton

Revenge order.

• Granting pardons for January 6 rioters

The insurrectionist purporting to pardon his troops.

• Reevaluating United States foreign aid
• Declaring a national energy emergency

There isn't a national energy emergency and we're drilling for oil at market capacity right now.  This is another dumb order, or a propogandist one for people who have failed to grasp the economic realities of this.

• Restoring accountability for career senior executives

Revenge order.

• Promoting beautiful federal civic architecture

Okay, I kind of like this idea.

• Restoring the death penalty in the US

In my view, the death penalty is immoral in general.

• Securing the United State's borders

Again, raids into Mexico, here we come.

• United States citizenship does not automatically extend to those born in the United States

It does due to the Constitution.  This will be legally challenged and tossed out in short order.

• Realignment of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
• Unleashing America's affordable and reliable energy and natural resources

Again, this is a double helping of horse shit between two cow pie buns.  

• Clarifying the military's role in protecting the US borders

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.  (a)  As Chief Executive and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I have no more solemn responsibility than protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.  The protection of a nation’s territorial integrity and national boundaries is paramount for its security.

(b)  The Armed Forces of the United States have played a long and well-established role in securing our borders against threats of invasion, against unlawful forays by foreign nationals into the United States, and against other transnational criminal activities that violate our laws and threaten the peace, harmony, and tranquility of the Nation.  These threats have taken a variety of forms over our Nation’s history, but the Armed Forces have consistently played an integral role in protecting the sovereignty of the United States.

(c)  Threats against our Nation’s sovereignty continue today, and it is essential that the Armed Forces staunchly continue to participate in the defense of our territorial integrity and sovereignty.  A National Emergency currently exists along the southern border of the United States.  Unchecked unlawful mass migration and the unimpeded flow of opiates across our borders continue to endanger the safety and security of the American people and encourage further lawlessness.  Accordingly, through this order, I am acting in accordance with my solemn duty to protect and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.

Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States to ensure that the Armed Forces of the United States prioritize the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the United States along our national borders.

Sec. 3.  Implementation.  The Secretary of Defense shall: 

(a)  No later than 10 days from the effective date of this order, deliver to the President a revision to the Unified Command Plan that assigns United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) the mission to seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.

(b)  On the effective date of this order, add the following requirements to the Contingency Planning Guidance and Guidance for the Employment of the Force:

(i)    A Level 3 planning requirement for USNORTHCOM to seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities, with a commander’s estimate due to the Secretary of Defense within 30 days of the effective date of this order.

(ii)   A campaign planning requirement for USNORTHCOM to provide steady-state southern border security, seal the border, and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.

(iii)  Continuous assessments of all available options to protect the sovereign territory of the United States from mass unlawful entry and impingement on our national sovereignty and security by foreign nations and transnational criminal organizations.

Sec. 4.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

No "forever wars"?  We're about to be one in Mexico in short order, most likely. 

• 'America First' trade policy that benefits American workers, manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses
• Resolving the backlog of security clearances for Executive Office of the President
• Restoring accountability to policy-influence positions within the federal workforce
• Withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization

Why do we hate the WHO?

• Delaying TikTok ban for 75 days

Funny how Trump was for this, and then against it.

• Putting America First in international environmental agreements

The environment is global.  America First has nothing to do with it.

Note the backers of stuff like this will be dead before the the bill comes due.

• Deliver emergency price relief to the American people

This is a rampaging absurdity and won't achieve anything.

• Hiring freeze for federal civilian employees (does not apply to military personnel of the armed forces or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety)
• Regulatory freeze pending review
• Restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship

It wasn't restricted in the first place.

• Recissions of dozens of executive orders and actions from Biden administration
• Ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government
• Only two sexes, male and female, to be recognized by the federal government

Some current "male" GOP politicians are going to have to use the little girls room now, as they clearly lack testicular fortitude.

• Putting American and its interests first in foreign policy
• Protecting US citizens from terrorist attacks and threats

We've been here before:

• Tapping into the vast natural resources, energy, and seafood in Alaska

Seafood harvesting in Alaska is imperiled due to climate change, which many of the rest of these policies flat out ignore.

•  Ensuring the federal government carries out United State's immigration laws
• Pulling the US from the Paris Agreement

This can't be done in this fashion, and shouldn't be done at all.

• Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States

Has anyone found the Woodrow Wilson stamp?

• Pulling the US out of the global corporate tax deal secured by Biden
• Organization of the National Security Council and subcommittee
• Department of Government Efficiency to implement the president's DOGE Agenda
• Routing more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of California

Another horseshit one based on a baloney concept of recent events.

3.  Tariffs

Trump is declaring a trade war on Mexico and Canada and imposing a 25% tariff on those countries on February 1.

Double digit inflation, here we come. . . should these actually be imposed.

Cont:

Abandoning Afghanistan. . . again.

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. government to resettle in the U.S., including family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel, are having their flights canceled under President Donald Trump's order suspending U.S. refugee programs, a U.S. official and a leading refugee resettlement advocate said on Monday.

Cont:

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan has been relieved of her command. She was under fire for various matters as it was, most specifically sexual abuse at the Coast Guard Academy.

January 22, 2025

Twenty-two states sued the Federal Government over Donald Trump's illegal executive order attempting to wipe out birth right citizenship.

The states will prevail on their suit, after millions of dollars are wasted by the DOGE would be chief executive.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that the CBP One app would no longer be used to admit migrants after facilitating entry for almost 1 million people since January 2023.  It was working in the morning before it shut off.

One of the police unions, the Fraternal Order of Police, that had backed Trump condemned his pardon of January 6 insurrectionist.

Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety —they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law. Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families.

When perpetrators of crimes, especially serious crimes, are not held fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence.

Well, union, it wasn't like leopards were going to eat your face, right?

If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned, and there's a little bit of a gray area there.

J. D. Vance.

Well, J. D., apparently as long as you are an insurrectionist for Trump, there's no gray area.

I'll note, once again, that prospective pardons, for anyone, are meaningless.  So charges can in fact be filed against the non convicted insurrectionist after Trump leaves office next year, or when the current interregnum is over.

The Senate Whip posted that the Senate would work all weekend to get Trump's nominees appointed, which is laughable in a country where lots of people work all weekend.  Big deal.

The Trump interregnum ordered federal diversity, equity and inclusion employees to be placed on paid leave no later than Wednesday and for DEI offices to be closed down.

January 23, 2025

Trump:

FEMA is gonna be a whole big discussion very shortly, because I'd rather see the states takes care of their own problems.

Okay, Louisiana and Wyoming, you FEMA harlots, guess you'll have to pay your own freight.

Not like Leopards are going to eat your face.

cont:

Since Mr. Hegseth’s nomination last November, I have met with him and carefully reviewed his writings, various reports, and other pertinent materials. I closely followed his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee and gathered substantial feedback from organizations, veterans, and Alaskans. After thorough evaluation, I must conclude that I cannot in good conscience support his nomination for Secretary of Defense. I did not make this decision lightly; I take my constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with the utmost seriousness.

I commend Pete Hegseth’s service to our nation, including leading troops in combat and advocating for our veterans. However, these accomplishments do not alleviate my significant concerns regarding his nomination. Managing the Department of Defense requires vast experience and expertise as the department is one of the most complex and powerful organizations in the world, and Mr. Hegseth’s prior roles in his career do not demonstrate to me that he is prepared for such immense responsibility. His leadership of two veteran organizations was marked with accusations of financial mismanagement and problems with the workplace culture he fostered.

Although he has recently revised his statements on women in combat since being nominated, I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join. Women have served our nation with distinction, overcoming immense obstacles to excel in combat and leadership roles, and they deserve to know that their leader honors and values their commitment to our nation.

While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces. These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of servicemembers. Men and women in uniform are held accountable for such actions, and they deserve leaders who uphold these same standards.

Above all, I believe that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Defense, and must be prioritized without compromise. The leader of the Department of Defense must demonstrate and model the standards of behavior and character we expect of all servicemembers, and Mr. Hegseth’s nomination to the role poses significant concerns that I cannot overlook. Given the global security environment we’re operating in, it is critical that we confirm a Secretary of Defense, however, I regret that I am unable to support Mr. Hegseth.

 Sen. Lisa Murkowski

cont:

Judge Coughenour, upon blocking Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order:

I've been on the bench for over 4 decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.

cont:

DECLASSIFICATION OF RECORDS CONCERNING THE ASSASSINATIONS OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY, SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY, AND THE REVEREND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

EXECUTIVE ORDER

January 23, 2025

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Policy and Purpose.  More than 50 years after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Federal Government has not released to the public all of its records related to those events.  Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth.  It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay.

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 required all records related to the assassination of President Kennedy to be publicly disclosed in full by October 26, 2017, unless the President certifies that:  (i) continued postponement is made necessary by an identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or conduct of foreign relations; and (ii) the identifiable harm is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure.  President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, section 5(g)(2)(D), Public Law 102-526, 106 Stat. 3443, 3448–49, codified at 44 U.S.C. 2107 note.

I previously accepted proposed redactions from executive departments and agencies (agencies) in 2017 and 2018, but ordered the continued re-evaluation of those remaining redactions.  See Temporary Certification for Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 82 Fed. Reg. 50,307–08 (Oct. 31, 2017); Certification for Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 83 Fed. Reg. 19, 157–58 (Apr. 26, 2018).  In the Presidential Memorandum of April 26, 2018, I also ordered agencies to re-review each of those redactions over the next 3 years and disclose information that no longer warrants continued withholding under the standard set forth in section 5(g)(2)(D) of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992.

President Biden issued subsequent certifications with respect to these records in 2021, 2022, and 2023, which gave agencies additional time to review the records and withhold information from public disclosure.  See Temporary Certification Regarding Disclosure of Information in Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 86 Fed. Reg. 59,599 (Oct. 22, 2021); Certifications Regarding Disclosure of Information in Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 87 Fed. Reg. 77,967 (Dec. 15, 2022); Certification Regarding Disclosure of Information in Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 88 Fed. Reg. 43,247 (June 30, 2023).

I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest and the release of these records is long overdue.  And although no Act of Congress directs the release of information pertaining to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have determined that the release of all records in the Federal Government’s possession pertaining to each of those assassinations is also in the public interest.

     Sec. 2.  Declassification and Disclosure.  (a)  Within 15 days of the date of this order, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General shall, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Counsel to the President, present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

     (b)  Within 45 days of the date of this order, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General shall, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Counsel to the President, review records related to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of these records.

     Sec. 3.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

     (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

     (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    January 23, 2025.

January 23, 2025, cont

John Ratcliffe was confirmed as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency on a vote of 74 to 25.

House Republicans are going to form a new January 6 Committee to white wash the insurrection

Some deluded Congressman from drafted a Constitutional Amendment to allow Trump to seek a third term (which actually would be a second term, as he isn't qualified for a second term right now).

What a complete tool.

January 24, 2025

Trump has been removing secret service protection for members of his first administration who failed to stay loyal.

The White House website has been redesigned to look like the introduction to a cheesy game.

January 25, 2025

Hegseth was confirmed by Vice President Vance casting a tie breaker vote.

That's really remarkable.

Where that leaves him is interesting.  He's now a Vance captive for the upcoming removal of Trump.

cont:

Trump fired around 15 independent inspector generals last night, by email, which is illegal given that thirty days notice is required.

January 26, 2025

Christy Noem was confirmed as Secretary for Homeland Security.  This isn't really a surprise and hit happened a couple of days ago.

Frankly, this is an agency that ought to go.  It was a post 9/11 agency given an unfortunate Naziesque name that isn't really needed.  The US government never started called the United States the Vaterland, um sorry, the Motherland, oops, the Homeland, until after 9/11.

cont:

Columbia refused to accept U.S. military flights carrying Columbian deportees.

I don't blame it for refusing military flights.  Would we accept military flights?

So now we're slapping 25%, going to 50%, tariffs on Columbian goods.

27% of US coffee comes from Columbia.

Double digit inflation, here we come.

And runs on coffee?  Yep.  I'm buying some coffee tomorrow, I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Oh, on that, the price of coffee went up today.

Coffee

346.67

1.53

0.44%

5.19%

85.44%

Jan/24

Things we get from Columbia.

January 27, 2028

Columbian amazingly backed down and the tariffs are off.

This episode is being pointed out as proof of the genius of Trump's bullying strategy, and it did work here.  It's also likely to be his Rhineland moment that way, the thing that silences critics, convinces the doubting, and sets the state for a later diaster.

FWIW, apparently repatriation flights actually aren't new, and ICE isn't actually arresting more people than before.  What's new is the use of military flights, apparently, and the publicizing of what ICE is doing.

On the weekend shows the GOP guest repeated emphasized that ICE lacks funding to carry out Trump's immigration promises, which must really be the case given the repeated emphasis on it.  They clearly want Congress to appropriate more money for ICE or they'll end up blaming Congress for the immigration promise failing.

Honduras gave notice that if its migrants in the US are mistreated, it may reverse its long policy of hosting US military forces gratis.  

January 28, 2028

Trump signed a series of military related executive orders yesterday.

The first was to built a US "Iron Dome" missile protection system.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including my authority as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States.

President Ronald Reagan endeavored to build an effective defense against nuclear attacks, and while this program resulted in many technological advances, it was canceled before its goal could be realized.  And since the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 and initiated development of limited homeland missile defense, official United States homeland missile defense policy has remained only to stay ahead of rogue-nation threats and accidental or unauthorized missile launches.

Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex with the development by peer and near-peer adversaries of next-generation delivery systems and their own homeland integrated air and missile defense capabilities.

Sec. 2.  Policy.  To further the goal of peace through strength, it is the policy of the United States that: 

     (a)  The United States will provide for the common defense of its citizens and the Nation by deploying and maintaining a next-generation missile defense shield; 

     (b)  The United States will deter — and defend its citizens and critical infrastructure against — any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland; and

     (c)  The United States will guarantee its secure second-strike capability. 

Sec. 3.  Implementation.  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall: 

     (a)  Submit to the President a reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield.  The architecture shall include, at a minimum, plans for: 

(i)     Defense of the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries; 

(ii)    Acceleration of the deployment of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor layer;  

(iii)   Development and deployment of proliferated space-based interceptors capable of boost-phase intercept;  

(iv)    Deployment of underlayer and terminal-phase intercept capabilities postured to defeat a countervalue attack; 

(v)     Development and deployment of a custody layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture;  

(vi)    Development and deployment of capabilities to defeat missile attacks prior to launch and in the boost phase; 

(vii)   Development and deployment of a secure supply chain for all components with next-generation security and resilience features; and

(viii)  Development and deployment of non-kinetic capabilities to augment the kinetic defeat of ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks;

     (b)  Review relevant authorities and organization of the Department of Defense to develop and deploy capabilities at the necessary speed to implement this directive;

     (c)  Jointly with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, submit to the President a plan to fund this directive, allowing sufficient time for consideration by the President before finalization of the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget; and

     (d)  In cooperation with United States Strategic Command and United States Northern Command, submit to the President: 

(i)   An updated assessment of the strategic missile threat to the Homeland; and

(ii)  A prioritized set of locations to progressively defend against a countervalue attack by nuclear adversaries. 

Sec. 4.  Allied and Theater Missile Defense Review.  The United States continues to cooperate on missile defense with its allies and partners to aid in the defense of ally populations and troops and of forward-deployed United States troops.  Following the submission to the President of the next-generation missile defense reference architecture under section 3(a) of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall direct a review of theater missile defense posture and initiatives to identify ways in which the United States and its allies and partners can: 

     (a)  Increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations;

     (b)  Improve theater missile defenses of forward-deployed United States troops and allied territories, troops, and populations; and

     (c)  Increase and accelerate the provision of United States missile defense capabilities to allies and partners.

Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

     (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

     (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    January 27, 2028

A couple of things.

"Iron Dome" is actually an Israeli variant of the Patriot missile defense system, so this doesn't really make sense.

I know what is being suggested, but the terminology shows a lack of grasp on where we are at on this.  What this really aims for is something Ronald Reagan proposed and Congress shut down in the early 1980s.  This will require Congressional funding, so as it an order, it expresses a policy direction, and not much else.

Here's the next one.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, and to ensure the readiness and effectiveness of our Armed Forces, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  The United States military has a clear mission:  to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force.  Success in this existential mission requires a singular focus on developing the requisite warrior ethos, and the pursuit of military excellence cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion. 

Recently, however, the Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion.  Longstanding Department of Defense (DoD) policy (DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6130.03) provides that it is the policy of the DoD to ensure that service members are “[f]ree of medical conditions or physical defects that may reasonably be expected to require excessive time lost from duty for necessary treatment or hospitalization.”  As a result, many mental and physical health conditions are incompatible with active duty, from conditions that require substantial medication or medical treatment to bipolar and related disorders, eating disorders, suicidality, and prior psychiatric hospitalization.

Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false “gender identity” divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.  Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.  A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member. 

For the sake of our Nation and the patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve it, military service must be reserved for those mentally and physically fit for duty.  The Armed Forces must adhere to high mental and physical health standards to ensure our military can deploy, fight, and win, including in austere conditions and without the benefit of routine medical treatment or special provisions.

Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States Government to establish high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity.  This policy is inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria.  This policy is also inconsistent with shifting pronoun usage or use of pronouns that inaccurately reflect an individual’s sex.

Sec. 3.  Definitions.  The definitions in the Executive Order of January 20, 2025 (Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government) shall apply to this order.

Sec. 4.  Implementation.  (a)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense (Secretary) shall update DoDI 6130.03 Volume 1 (Medical Standards for Military Service: Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction (May 6, 2018), Incorporating Change 5 of May 28, 2024) and DoDI 6130.03 Volume 2 (Medical Standards for Military Service: Retention (September 4, 2020), Incorporating Change 1 of June 6, 2022) to reflect the purpose and policy of this Order.

(b)  The Secretary shall promptly issue directives for DoD to end invented and identification-based pronoun usage to best achieve the policy outlined in section 2 of this order.

(c)  Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary shall:

(i)   identify all additional steps and issue guidance necessary to fully implement this order; and 

(ii)  submit to the President through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs a report that summarizes these steps.

(d)  Absent extraordinary operational necessity, the Armed Forces shall neither allow males to use or share sleeping, changing, or bathing facilities designated for females, nor allow females to use or share sleeping, changing, or bathing facilities designated for males.

(e)  Within 30 days of the issuance of the respective updates, directives, and guidance under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, with respect to the Coast Guard, issue updates, directives, and guidance consistent with the updates, directives, and guidance issued under subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section.

Sec. 5.  Implementing the Revocation of Executive Order 14004.  (a)  Pursuant to the Executive Order of January 20, 2025 (Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions), Executive Order 14004 of January 25, 2021 (Enabling All Qualified Americans To Serve Their Country in Uniform), has been revoked.  Accordingly, all policies, directives, and guidance issued pursuant to Executive Order 14004 shall be rescinded to the extent inconsistent with the provisions of this order. 

(b)  The Secretary and, with respect to the Coast Guard, the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall take all necessary steps to implement the revocations described in subsection (a) of this section and ensure that all military departments and services fully comply with the provisions of this order.

Sec. 6.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Sec. 7.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)    the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)   the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    January 27, 2025.

This one actually only prevents males from using female facilities, and vice versa.  In this sense, it appears to be more limited in what's claimed, which is a prohibition on "transgendered" servicemen from military service, but it would seem to effectively require them to acknowledge their actual gender.

I don't believe that transgenderism is a real thing, and as mentioned here before, I'm not in favor of women in combat either (which this doesn't address).  So, here's a rare example of a Trump order that I support, but it doesn't actually do all that much.  Just no using the lady's loo and no hot racking with members of the opposite sex.

It might be noted, that the last thing might actually be a step towards limiting women's roles in the military.

 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.  As Chief Executive and as Commander in Chief, I am committed to meritocracy and to the elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States.  No individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed.

Unfortunately, in recent years civilian and uniformed leadership alike have implemented Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and their attendant race and sex preferences within the Armed Forces.  These actions undermine leadership, merit, and unit cohesion, thereby eroding lethality and force readiness.  They also violate Americans’ consciences by engaging in invidious race and sex discrimination.

Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of my Administration that the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security with regard to the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and every element of the Armed Forces should operate free from any preference based on race or sex.

Sec. 3.  Definitions.  (a)  A “DEI office” means an office, division, job, or other unit of an institution established for the purpose of:

(i)   influencing hiring or employment practices at the institution with respect to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, other than through the use of color-blind and sex-neutral hiring processes; or

(ii)  promoting differential treatment of or providing special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, sex, color, or ethnicity.

(b)  The term “gender ideology” has the meaning given to that term in section 2(f) of the Executive Order of January 20, 2025, (Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government).

(c)  The term “divisive concepts” has the meaning given to that term in section 2(a) of Executive Order 13950 of September 22, 2020 (Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping).

Sec. 4.  Abolishing the DEI Bureaucracy.  The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall abolish every DEI office within the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security with regard to the USCG, respectively, including any vestiges of DEI offices, such as sub-offices, programs, elements, or initiatives established to promote a race-based preferences system that subverts meritocracy, perpetuates unconstitutional discrimination, and promotes divisive concepts or gender ideology.

Sec. 5.  Department of Defense Internal Review.  The Secretary of Defense shall conduct an internal review that documents actions taken in pursuit of DEI initiatives, including all instances of race and sex discrimination and activities designed to promote a race- or sex-based preferences system.  The report shall be delivered to the Secretary of Defense within 90 days of the date of this order.

Sec. 6.  Protecting American Values.  (a)  The Department of Defense and the Armed Forces, including any educational institution operated or controlled thereby, are prohibited from promoting, advancing, or otherwise inculcating the following un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories:

(i)    “divisive concepts,” as defined in section 3(c) of this order, and “race or sex stereotyping,” or “race or sex scapegoating” as both terms are defined in section 2 of Executive Order 13950, as amended;

(ii)   that America’s founding documents are racist or sexist; and

(iii)  “gender ideology,” as defined in section 3(b) of this order.

(b)  The Department of Defense and the Armed Forces shall not hire employees, contractors, or consultants to teach the theories set forth in subsection (a) of this section.

(c)  The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall carefully review the leadership, curriculum, and instructors of the United States Service Academies and other defense academic institutions associated with their respective Departments to ensure alignment with this order.  In addition, these institutions shall be required to teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history.

Sec. 7.  Implementation.  (a)  The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall issue detailed guidance for the implementation of this order to their respective departments within 30 days of the date of this order.

(b)  Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy documenting the progress of their respective Departments in implementing this order, and any recommendations for action to fulfill the objectives of this order.

Sec. 8.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 

Sec. 9.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    January 27, 2025.

This is an anti DEI provision, but worth noting, it's text could be required to prohibit banning women from combat, which I think should be done, and which the new Secretary of Defense, whom I don't support, at one time suggested he thought should be done.

And finally:

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 Policy.  On August 24, 2021, the Secretary of Defense mandated that all service members receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  The Secretary of Defense later rescinded the mandate on January 10, 2023.  The vaccine mandate was an unfair, overbroad, and completely unnecessary burden on our service members.  Further, the military unjustly discharged those who refused the vaccine, regardless of the years of service given to our Nation, after failing to grant many of them an exemption that they should have received.  Federal Government redress of any wrongful dismissals is overdue. 

Sec. 2.  Redress.  Consistent with the policies announced in section 1 of this order, the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security, as appropriate, shall take all necessary action permitted by law to:

(a)  make reinstatement available to all members of the military (active and reserve) who were discharged solely for refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and who request to be reinstated;

(b)  enable those service members reinstated under this section to revert to their former rank and receive full back pay, benefits, bonus payments, or compensation; and

(c)  allow any service members who provide a written and sworn attestation that they voluntarily left the service or allowed their service to lapse according to appropriate procedures, rather than be vaccinated under the vaccine mandate, to return to service with no impact on their service status, rank, or pay.

Sec. 3.  Additional Agency Responsibilities.  (a)  Nothing in this order precludes disciplinary or administrative action for conduct that is proscribed by chapter 47 of title 10, United States Code (Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. 801-946a).

(b)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall report to the President through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs on their progress in implementing this order.

Sec. 4.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    January 27, 2025.

More populist anti scientism. 

Vaccinating soldiers by order goes back to George Washington ordering the same for the Continental Army. Servicemembers who refused to get vaccines were duped by anti scientific propaganda and myth and should have been court martialed for refusing a lawful order.

January 29, 2025

Trump's integrum offered buy outs of Federal employees' positions save for the military and the Post Office.

Trump is clearly attempting to destroy the Federal workforce.  Mass firings will follow.  This comports with a belief in the far right (our Congressman expressed it) that the Federal workforce needs mass replacement and to be made all highly temporary.

It also comports with the insane view that there's a secret "Deep State" that operates the United States.  By firing everyone, he'll get the deep state.

I frankly doubt that this is Trump's views.  He's not a deep enough thinker to come up with any of this. Rather, the Project 2025 folks are driving the bus.

Hegseth removed Milley's personal protection, proving right away that he was just a toady after all.

A Federal Court blocked Trump's funding freeze.

The U.S. Space Farce base in Aurora, Colorado, the Buckley Space Farce Base has given permission to ICE to detain immigrants there.

Senate Democrats blocked attempted sanctions against the International Criminal Court.

cont:

Governor Gordon Updates Fire-impacted Communities on Status of Funding for Wildfire Recovery and Restoration

“I have grave concerns about loans.” - Governor Mark Gordon

 

CHEYENNE, WYO – Governor Mark Gordon visited with hundreds of affected landowners, local elected officials, emergency responders, and the public in Sheridan, Gillette, and Wheatland on Monday to outline his $130 million supplemental budget request for wildfire restoration and recovery efforts. During his visits, the Governor heard loud and clear from the 200+ attendees – landowners need grants, not loans, to help rebuild from the historic impacts of the 2024 fire season.

The Governor’s original $130 million budget recommendation, currently before the Wyoming Legislature, is to assist in restoring landscapes and serves as a backstop to the current federal, state, and insurance programs. It would be administered by the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Fund (WWNRT). 

The Governor’s proposal was put forward to the Joint Appropriations Committee, where the Committee slashed funding to $100 million and transformed it to a loan program, administered through the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) with 2% interest. That proposal heads to the Wyoming House of Representatives and the Senate for debate and amendments.

“I have grave concerns about a loan program for fire restoration and recovery. I understand the Legislature’s intent with the proposal, but there is a lack of understanding of the circumstances on the ground,” Governor Gordon said. “We need a program that is flexible and responsive to your needs. A loan program does not do that.”

The Governor identified several issues with a loan program, the first of which is when borrowing money from the State of Wyoming, the state must have first mortgage rights, and banks must subordinate other loans. 

“No one should want to complicate existing loans, compromise operating loans or take banks out of the scenario,” Governor Gordon told attendees. “A loan program is impractical, could take landowners out of other loans, and overextend you. That would be just as bad as the fire the first time.”

Bob Budd, director of the WWNRT, joined the Governor to discuss the need for grants for thoughtfully treating terrestrial invasive species, like cheatgrass, Medusahead and ventenata.

“You can’t go to a Weed and Pest District and ask them to treat invasive grasses on a loan,” Director Budd said. “There is a public benefit to restoring native rangeland – for wildlife, for agriculture, and for future fire prevention.”

Jennifer Doering, OSLI Assistant Director of Administrative Services, added to the discussion with information regarding  Wyoming’s Mineral Royalty Grant (MRG) Program. This funding is available to local governments to alleviate emergency situations and support essential public services. The Governor has requested $20 million in additional funds to this account, distributed through the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB).

The Governor discussed the possibility of the Legislature moving toward a split program, with a portion of dollars going toward grants and another portion for loans. 

“We could see the Legislature move toward a loan program for infrastructure on a case-by-case basis where appropriate, and grants for invasive treatments which demonstrate broad public benefit,” Governor Gordon said. “Loans are just not likely to be practical for wide-scale projects like those we have in front of us.”

The Wyoming Grants Management Office has resources available to landowners who are navigating federal assistance and other programs for wildfire recovery. A step-by-step guide can help point affected landowners to a place to start and how to work through available options. The Governor's grant program proposal is intended to provide a backstop once landowners have exhausted federal resources first. 

The Supplemental Budget is projected to proceed to the House and Senate as early as Friday for beginning debate. 

-END-

So now we have Republicans noting that we didn't expect leopards to eat our face, after voting for the Leopards Won't Eat My Face Party.

It does not appear that we intend to embrace the suck.

cont:

The interregnum rescinded its freeze on grants.

January 31, 2025

This one is shameful beyond all measure:

This is, frankly, shameful in the extreme:

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

SUBJECT:       Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety

On January 29, 2025, a commercial aircraft and a military helicopter horrifically collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.  American families today woke up without their loved ones after what should have been a routine trip, and the entire Nation mourns the loss of the victims.

This shocking event follows problematic and likely illegal decisions during the Obama and Biden Administrations that minimized merit and competence in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  The Obama Administration implemented a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude.  During my first term, my Administration raised standards to achieve the highest standards of safety and excellence.  But the Biden Administration egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all executive departments and agencies to implement dangerous “diversity equity and inclusion” tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with “severe intellectual” disabilities in the FAA.   

On my second day in office, I ordered an immediate return to merit-based recruitment, hiring, and promotion, elevating safety and ability as the paramount standard.  Yesterday’s devastating accident tragically underscores the need to elevate safety and competence as the priority of the FAA. 

Consistent with the Presidential Memorandum of January 21, 2025 (Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation), I am further ordering the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (Administrator) to review all hiring decisions and changes to safety protocols made during the prior 4 years, and to take such corrective action as necessary to achieve uncompromised aviation safety, including the replacement of any individuals who do not meet qualification standards.  This review shall include a systematic assessment of any deterioration in hiring standards and aviation safety standards and protocols during the Biden Administration.

Consistent with the Presidential Memorandum of January 21, 2025, the Secretary and the Administrator shall take all actions necessary to reverse concerning safety and personnel trends during the prior 4 years, instill an unwavering commitment to aviation safety, and ensure that all Americans fly with peace of mind.

Shameful.

Trump is pitting people against each other on racist grounds.  He's an embarrassment to the country.

This one is grandstanding:

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.  My Administration has fought and will continue to fight anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world.  On December 11, 2019, I issued Executive Order 13899, my first Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism, finding that students, in particular, faced anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on university and college campuses.  Executive Order 13899 provided interpretive assistance on the enforcement of the Nation’s civil rights laws to ensure that they would protect American Jews to the same extent to which all other American citizens are protected.  The prior administration effectively nullified Executive Order 13899 by failing to give the terms of the order full force and effect throughout the Government.  This order reaffirms Executive Order 13899 and directs additional measures to advance the policy thereof in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, against the people of Israel.  These attacks unleashed an unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses.  Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault.  A joint report by the House Committees on Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, Veterans’ Affairs, and Ways and Means calls the Federal Government’s failure to fight anti-Semitism and protect Jewish students “astounding.”  This failure is unacceptable and ends today.

Sec. 2.  Policy.  It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.

Sec. 3.  Additional Measures to Combat Campus Anti-Semitism.  (a)  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the head of each executive department or agency (agency) shall submit a report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, identifying all civil and criminal authorities or actions within the jurisdiction of that agency, beyond those already implemented under Executive Order 13899, that might be used to curb or combat anti-Semitism, and containing an inventory and analysis of all pending administrative complaints, as of the date of the report, against or involving institutions of higher education alleging civil-rights violations related to or arising from post-October 7, 2023, campus anti-Semitism.

(b)  The report submitted by the Attorney General under this section shall additionally include an inventory and an analysis of all court cases, as of the date of the report, against or involving institutions of higher education alleging civil-rights violations related to or arising from post-October 7, 2023, campus anti-Semitism and indicate whether the Attorney General intends to or has taken any action with respect to such matters, including filing statements of interest or intervention.

(c)  The Attorney General is encouraged to employ appropriate civil-rights enforcement authorities, such as 18 U.S.C. 241, to combat anti-Semitism. 

(d)  The report submitted by the Secretary of Education under this section shall additionally include an inventory and an analysis of all Title VI complaints and administrative actions, including in K-12 education, related to anti-Semitism — pending or resolved after October 7, 2023 — within the Department’s Office for Civil Rights.

(e)  In addition to identifying relevant authorities to curb or combat anti-Semitism generally required by this section, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with each other, shall include in their reports recommendations for familiarizing institutions of higher education with the grounds for inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3) so that such institutions may monitor for and report activities by alien students and staff relevant to those grounds and for ensuring that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.

Sec. 4.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

This one established a concentration camp:

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY

SUBJECT:       Expanding Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to Full Capacity

I hereby direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States, and to address attendant immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

This memorandum is issued in order to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty.

This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Culture wars:

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 Policy.  Parents trust America’s schools to provide their children with a rigorous education and to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand.  

In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight.  Such an environment operates as an echo chamber, in which students are forced to accept these ideologies without question or critical examination.  In many cases, innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics.  In other instances, young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed.  These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity.

Imprinting anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies on our Nation’s children not only violates longstanding anti-discrimination civil rights law in many cases, but usurps basic parental authority.  For example, steering students toward surgical and chemical mutilation without parental consent or involvement or allowing males access to private spaces designated for females may contravene Federal laws that protect parental rights, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), and sex-based equality and opportunity, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).  Similarly, demanding acquiescence to “White Privilege” or “unconscious bias,” actually promotes racial discrimination and undermines national unity.

My Administration will enforce the law to ensure that recipients of Federal funds providing K-12 education comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in various contexts and protecting parental rights, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.; Title IX, 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.; FERPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232g; and the PPRA, 20 U.S.C. 1232h.

Sec. 2.  Definitions.  As used herein:

(a)  The definitions in the Executive Order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” (January 20, 2025) shall apply to this order.

(b)  “Discriminatory equity ideology” means an ideology that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups, rather than as individuals, and minimizes agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations, including that: 

(i)     Members of one race, color, sex, or national origin are morally or inherently superior to members of another race, color, sex, or national origin; 

(ii)    An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously; 

(iii)   An individual’s moral character or status as privileged, oppressing, or oppressed is primarily determined by the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin; 

(iv)    Members of one race, color, sex, or national origin cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to their race, color, sex, or national origin; 

(v)     An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin, bears responsibility for, should feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress because of, should be discriminated against, blamed, or stereotyped for, or should receive adverse treatment because of actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, sex, or national origin, in which the individual played no part; 

(vi)    An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin, should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment to achieve diversity, equity, or inclusion; 

(vii)   Virtues such as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, neutrality, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or sexist or were created by members of a particular race, color, sex, or national origin to oppress members of another race, color, sex, or national origin; or

(viii)  the United States is fundamentally racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory.

(c)  “Educational service agency” (ESA) has the meaning given in 20 U.S.C. 1401(5), and the terms “elementary school,” “local educational agency” (LEA), “secondary school,” and “state educational agency” (SEA) have the meanings given in 34 C.F.R. 77.1(c).

(d)  “Patriotic education” means a presentation of the history of America grounded in: 

(i)    an accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling characterization of America’s founding and foundational principles; 

(ii)   a clear examination of how the United States has admirably grown closer to its noble principles throughout its history; 

(iii)  the concept that commitment to America’s aspirations is beneficial and justified; and

(iv)   the concept that celebration of America’s greatness and history is proper.

(e)  “Social transition” means the process of adopting a “gender identity” or “gender marker” that differs from a person’s sex.  This process can include psychological or psychiatric counseling or treatment by a school counselor or other provider; modifying a person’s name (e.g., “Jane” to “James”) or pronouns (e.g., “him” to “her”); calling a child “nonbinary”; use of intimate facilities and accommodations such as bathrooms or locker rooms  specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex; and participating in school athletic competitions or other extracurricular activities specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex.  “Social transition” does not include chemical or surgical mutilation.

Sec. 3.  Ending Indoctrination Strategy.  (a)  Within 90 days of the date of this order, to advise the President in formulating future policy, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall provide an Ending Indoctrination Strategy to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, containing recommendations and a plan for:

(i)   eliminating Federal funding or support for illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology; and

(ii)  protecting parental rights, pursuant to FERPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232g, and the PPRA, 20 U.S.C. 1232h, with respect to any K-12 policies or conduct implicated by the purpose and policy of this order.

(b)  The Ending Indoctrination Strategy submitted under subsection (a) of this section shall contain a summary and analysis of the following:

(i)    All Federal funding sources and streams, including grants or contracts, that directly or indirectly support or subsidize the instruction, advancement, or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology:

(A)  in K-12 curriculum, instruction, programs, or activities; or 

(B)  in K-12 teacher education, certification, licensing, employment, or training; 

(ii)   Each agency’s process to prevent or rescind Federal funds, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, from being used by an ESA, SEA, LEA, elementary school, or secondary school to directly or indirectly support or subsidize the instruction, advancement, or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology in: 

(A)  K-12 curriculum, instruction, programs, or activities; or 

(B)  K-12 teacher certification, licensing, employment, or training; 

(iii)  Each agency’s process to prevent or rescind Federal funds, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, from being used by an ESA, SEA, LEA, elementary school, or secondary school to directly or indirectly support or subsidize the social transition of a minor student, including through school staff or teachers or through deliberately concealing the minor’s social transition from the minor’s parents.

(iv)   Each agency’s process to prevent or rescind Federal funds, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, from being used by an ESA, SEA, LEA, elementary school, or secondary school to directly or indirectly support or subsidize:

(A)  interference with a parent’s Federal statutory right to information regarding school curriculum, records, physical examinations, surveys, and other matters under the PPRA or FERPA; or 

(B)  a violation of Title VI or Title IX; and

(v)    A summary and analysis of all relevant agency enforcement tools to advance the policies of this order.

    (c)  The Attorney General shall coordinate with State attorneys general and local district attorneys in their efforts to enforce the law and file appropriate actions against K-12 teachers and school officials who violate the law by:

(i)    sexually exploiting minors; 

(ii)   unlawfully practicing medicine by offering diagnoses and treatment without the requisite license; or

(iii)  otherwise unlawfully facilitating the social transition of a minor student.

(d)  The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall regularly convene the heads of the agencies tasked with submitting the Ending Indoctrination Strategy under subsection (a) of this section to confer regarding their findings, areas for additional investigation, the modification or implementation of their respective recommendations, and such other policy initiatives or matters as the President may direct.

Sec. 4.  Reestablishing the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission and Promoting Patriotic Education.  (a)  The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission (“1776 Commission”), which was created by Executive Order 13958 of November 2, 2020, to promote patriotic education, but was terminated by President Biden in Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021, is hereby reestablished.  The purpose of the 1776 Commission is to promote patriotic education and advance the purposes stated in section 1 of Executive Order 13958, as well as to advise and promote the work of the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (“Task Force 250”) and the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in their efforts to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026.

(b)  Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Education shall establish the 1776 Commission in the Department of Education.

(c)  The 1776 Commission shall be composed of not more than 20 members, who shall be appointed by the President for a term of 2 years.  The 1776 Commission shall be made up of individuals from outside the Federal Government with relevant experience or subject-matter expertise.  

(d)  The 1776 Commission shall have a Chair or Co-Chairs, at the President’s discretion, and a Vice Chair, who shall be designated by the President from among the Commission’s members.  An Executive Director, designated by the Secretary of Education in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, shall coordinate the work of the 1776 Commission.  The Chair (or Co-Chairs) and Vice Chair shall work with the Executive Director to convene regular meetings of the 1776 Commission, determine its agenda, and direct its work, consistent with this order.

(e)  The 1776 Commission shall:

(i)    facilitate the development and implementation of a “Presidential 1776 Award” to recognize student knowledge of the American founding, including knowledge about the Founders, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutional Convention, and the great soldiers and battles of the American Revolutionary War;

(ii)   in coordination with the White House Office of Public Liaison, coordinate bi-weekly lectures regarding the 250th anniversary of American Independence that are grounded in patriotic education principles, which shall be broadcast to the Nation throughout calendar year 2026; 

(iii)  upon request, advise executive departments and agencies regarding their efforts to ensure patriotic education is appropriately provided to the public at national parks, battlefields, monuments, museums, installations, landmarks, cemeteries, and other places important to the American founding and American history, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law; 

(iv)   upon request, offer advice and recommendations to, and support the work of Task Force 250 and the United States Semiquincentennial Commission regarding their plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence; and

(v)    facilitate, advise upon, and promote private and civic activities nationwide to increase public knowledge of and support patriotic education surrounding the 250th anniversary of American Independence, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.

(f)  The Department of Education shall provide funding and administrative support for the 1776 Commission, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(g)  Members of the 1776 Commission shall serve without compensation but, as approved by the Department of Education, shall be reimbursed for travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in the Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707).

(h)  Insofar as chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act), may apply to the 1776 Commission, any functions of the President under that Act, except that of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary of Education, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Administrator of General Services.

(i)  The 1776 Commission shall terminate 2 years from the date of this order, unless extended by the President. 

Sec. 5.  Additional Patriotic Education Measures.  (a)  All relevant agencies shall monitor compliance with section 111(b) of title I of Division J of Public Law 108-447, which provides that “[e]ach educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution,” including by verifying compliance with each educational institution that receives Federal funds.  All relevant agencies shall take action, as appropriate, to enhance compliance with that law. 

(b)  All relevant agencies shall prioritize Federal resources, consistent with applicable law, to promote patriotic education, including through the following programs:

(i)    the Department of Education’s American History and Civics Academies and American History and Civics Education-National Activities programs; 

(ii)   the Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program and Pilot Program on Enhanced Civics Education; and

(iii)  the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Fulbright, U.S. Speaker, and International Visitor Leadership programs, as well as the American Spaces network.

Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: 

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or 

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

And;

 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve the education, well-being, and future success of America’s most prized resource, her young citizens, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose.  Parents want and deserve the best education for their children.  But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school.  According to this year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math.  Moreover, geographically based school assignments exacerbate the cost of housing in districts with preferred schools, straining the finances of millions of American families sacrificing for their children’s futures. 

When our public education system fails such a large segment of society, it hinders our national competitiveness and devastates families and communities.  For this reason, more than a dozen States have enacted universal K-12 scholarship programs, allowing families — rather than the government — to choose the best educational setting for their children.  These States have highlighted the most promising avenue for education reform:  educational choice for families and competition for residentially assigned, government-run public schools.  The growing body of rigorous research demonstrates that well-designed education-freedom programs improve student achievement and cause nearby public schools to improve their performance. 

Sec. 2.  Policy.  It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children. 

Sec. 3.  Guidance on Supporting State-based K-12 Educational Choice.  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Education shall issue guidance regarding how States can use Federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives.

Sec. 4.  Encouraging Education Freedom through Discretionary Grant Programs.  (a)  The Secretary of Education shall include education freedom as a priority in discretionary grant programs, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law. 

(b)  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall review their respective discretionary grant programs and each submit a plan to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, that identifies, evaluates, and makes recommendations regarding using relevant discretionary grant programs to expand education freedom for America’s families and teachers. 

Sec. 5.  Expanding Opportunities for Low-Income, Working Families.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue guidance regarding whether and how States receiving block grants for families and children from the Department, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDGB), can use them to expand educational choice and support families who choose educational alternatives to governmental entities, including private and faith-based options.

Sec. 6.  Helping Military Families.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall review any available mechanisms under which military-connected families may use funds from the Department of Defense to attend schools of their choice, including private, faith-based, or public charter schools, and submit a plan to the President describing such mechanisms and the steps that would be necessary to implement them beginning in the 2025-26 school year.

Sec. 7.  Helping Children Eligible for Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Schools.  Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior shall review any available mechanisms under which families of students eligible to attend BIE schools may use their Federal funding for educational options of their choice, including private, faith-based, or public charter schools, and submit a plan to the President describing such mechanisms and the steps that would be necessary to implement them for the 2025-26 school year.  The Secretary shall report on the current performance of BIE schools and identify educational options in nearby areas.  

Sec. 8.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

The only one of these that was worthwhile:

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.  Policy and Purpose.  Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions.  This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.

Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding.  Moreover, these vulnerable youths’ medical bills may rise throughout their lifetimes, as they are often trapped with lifelong medical complications, a losing war with their own bodies, and, tragically, sterilization.

Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called “transition” of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.

Sec. 2.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this order:

(a)  The term “child” or “children” means an individual or individuals under 19 years of age.

(b)  The term “pediatric” means relating to the medical care of a child.

(c)  The phrase “chemical and surgical mutilation” means the use of puberty blockers, including GnRH agonists and other interventions, to delay the onset or progression of normally timed puberty in an individual who does not identify as his or her sex; the use of sex hormones, such as androgen blockers, estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone, to align an individual’s physical appearance with an identity that differs from his or her sex; and surgical procedures that attempt to transform an individual’s physical appearance to align with an identity that differs from his or her sex or that attempt to alter or remove an individual’s sexual organs to minimize or destroy their natural biological functions.  This phrase sometimes is referred to as “gender affirming care.”

Sec. 3.  Ending Reliance on Junk Science.  (a)  The blatant harm done to children by chemical and surgical mutilation cloaks itself in medical necessity, spurred by guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which lacks scientific integrity.  In light of the scientific concerns with the WPATH guidance:

(i)   agencies shall rescind or amend all policies that rely on WPATH guidance, including WPATH’s “Standards of Care Version 8”; and 

(ii)  within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall publish a review of the existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children who assert gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion.

(b)  The Secretary of HHS, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall use all available methods to increase the quality of data to guide practices for improving the health of minors with gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion, or who otherwise seek chemical or surgical mutilation.

Sec. 4.  Defunding Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.  The head of each executive department or agency (agency) that provides research or education grants to medical institutions, including medical schools and hospitals, shall, consistent with applicable law and in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that institutions receiving Federal research or education grants end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.

Sec. 5.  Additional Directives to the Secretary of HHS.  (a)  The Secretary of HHS shall, consistent with applicable law, take all appropriate actions to end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children, including regulatory and sub-regulatory actions, which may involve the following laws, programs, issues, or documents:

(i)    Medicare or Medicaid conditions of participation or conditions for coverage;

(ii)   clinical-abuse or inappropriate-use assessments relevant to State Medicaid programs;

(iii)  mandatory drug use reviews;

(iv)   section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act;

(v)    quality, safety, and oversight memoranda;

(vi)   essential health benefits requirements; and

(vii)  the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and other federally funded manuals, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

(b)  The Secretary of HHS shall promptly withdraw HHS’s March 2, 2022, guidance document titled “HHS Notice and Guidance on Gender Affirming Care, Civil Rights and Patient Privacy” and, in consultation with the Attorney General, issue new guidance protecting whistleblowers who take action related to ensuring compliance with this order.

Sec. 6.  TRICARE.  The Department of Defense provides health insurance, through TRICARE, to nearly 2 million individuals under the age of 18.  As appropriate and consistent with applicable law, the Secretary of Defense shall commence a rulemaking or sub-regulatory action to exclude chemical and surgical mutilation of children from TRICARE coverage and amend the TRICARE provider handbook to exclude chemical and surgical mutilation of children.

Sec. 7.  Requirements for Insurance Carriers.  The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall:

(a)  include provisions in the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) programs call letter for the 2026 Plan Year specifying that eligible carriers, including the Foreign Service Benefit Plan, will exclude coverage for pediatric transgender surgeries or hormone treatments; and

(b)  negotiate to obtain appropriate corresponding reductions in FEHB and PSHB premiums.

Sec. 8.  Directives to the Department of Justice.  The Attorney General shall:

(a)  review Department of Justice enforcement of section 116 of title 18, United States Code, and prioritize enforcement of protections against female genital mutilation;

(b) convene States’ Attorneys General and other law enforcement officers to coordinate the enforcement of laws against female genital mutilation across all American States and Territories; 

(c)  prioritize investigations and take appropriate action to end deception of consumers, fraud, and violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by any entity that may be misleading the public about long-term side effects of chemical and surgical mutilation;

(d)  in consultation with the Congress, work to draft, propose, and promote legislation to enact a private right of action for children and the parents of children whose healthy body parts have been damaged by medical professionals practicing chemical and surgical mutilation, which should include a lengthy statute of limitations; and

(e)  prioritize investigations and take appropriate action to end child-abusive practices by so-called sanctuary States that facilitate stripping custody from parents who support the healthy development of their own children, including by considering the application of the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act and recognized constitutional rights.

Sec. 9.  Enforcing Adequate Progress.  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the heads of agencies with responsibilities under this order shall submit a single, combined report to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, detailing progress in implementing this order and a timeline for future action.  The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall regularly convene the heads of agencies with responsibilities under this order (or their designees) to coordinate and prepare for this submission.

Sec. 10.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstances, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of any of its other provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Sec. 11.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)    the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)   the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.