Below, you will find some headlines we may have missed and some interesting video clips on several subjects. Please feel free to share anything you may have run across; just make sure it’s not from a McMAGAt infested shithole.
Resistance/Saving Democracy:
The Clown House :
House GOP passes spending bill, sending plan to avert government shutdown to Senate
With a potential government shutdown fast approaching, the House voted 217 to 213 on Tuesday to approve a short-term spending bill that would fund the government through the end of September.
One Democrat voted with Republicans to approve the bill, which includes a slight increase for defense spending and cuts to domestic programs, including some health care and veterans programs. One Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted no.
Newscasts:
The Fascist Felon, DOGEbags, and their Brownshirts:
U.S. Education Department says it is cutting nearly half of all staff
The Trump administration is working toward its promise of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. On Tuesday evening, the department released a statement saying it would cut nearly 50% of the department’s workforce. Impacted staff will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21, according to the announcement.
The statement confirms “all divisions” within the agency will be hit by cuts, but also says it will continue to deliver programs protected by law, “including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking.”
E.P.A. Plans to Close All Environmental Justice Offices
An internal memo directs the closure of offices designed to ease the heavy pollution faced by poor and minority communities.
The Trump administration intends to eliminate Environmental Protection Agency offices responsible for addressing the disproportionately high levels of pollution facing poor communities, according to a memo from Lee Zeldin, the agency administrator.
In the internal memo, viewed by The New York Times, Mr. Zeldin informed agency leaders that he was directing “the reorganization and elimination” of the offices of environmental justice at all 10 E.P.A. regional offices as well as the one in Washington.
Mr. Zeldin’s move effectively ends three decades of work at the E.P.A. to try to ease the pollution that burdens poor and minority communities, which are frequently located near highways, power plants, industrial plants and other polluting facilities. Studies have shown that people who live in those communities have higher rates of asthma, heart disease and other health problems, compared with the national average.
“If anybody needed a clearer sign that this administration gives not a single damn for the people of the United States, this is it,” said Matthew Tejada, a former E.P.A. official who is now a senior vice president for environmental health at the Natural Resources Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization.
Craven Assholes:
A Republican-backed bill would upend voter registration. Here are 8 things to know
Congressional Republicans are pushing a bill that would make sweeping changes to voter registration, including requiring those signing up to present documents proving U.S. citizenship. But tens of millions of Americans say they don’t have easy access to such documents, and critics say the proposal would dramatically depress voter participation.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE Act, was first introduced last year as President Trump and his allies focused on the baseless narrative that noncitizens presented a major threat to the 2024 election. Republicans see better chances for the bill now that they fully control Washington, while critics are pushing back with new concerns.
World News:
Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on $21 billion of U.S. goods in response to Trump’s steel and aluminum duties
Canada’s announcement comes despite a detente having been reached Tuesday over the threat of a 25% surcharge on U.S. electricity consumers.
Canada on Wednesday announced new trade duties on some $21 billion worth of U.S. goods in response to President Donald Trump implementing universal steel and aluminum tariffs.
America’s northern neighbor is the largest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the U.S., and experts have warned Trump’s duties would be passed on to consumers.
Bourbon industry in crosshairs of U.S.-Canada trade war
Stores in Canada have been removing U.S.-made bourbon from their shelves in retaliation for stiff tariffs placed on the nation’s goods.
Distilleries in the heart of America’s bourbon industry are finding themselves in the crosshairs of a brewing trade war between the U.S. and Canada.
Alcohol made in the U.S. is being removed from store shelves in Canada in retaliation for tariffs placed on its products by the Trump administration.
