DL Open Thread: Monday, January 20, 2025

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by El Somnambulo on January 20, 2025 • 1 Comment

OK, kids, we need to talk. At least, I need to talk. For my mental health, I simply can’t/won’t cover every shitty thing that Trump and his malefactors will do during the next four years.

No, this won’t be a Trump-Free Zone, but four years of highlighting his misdeeds accomplished nothing here. So, if you’d like to be our Trump Correspondent, you have but to ask and, uh, not be a troll.

It goes without mention that this is the Open Thread, so, of course, your thoughts and comments are always encouraged. (Guess I mentioned it.)

It begins today at noon, soon to be followed by a bleepload of Executive Orders designed to set the oligarchy firmly in place.

Convinced he has an election “mandate” from American voters, Trump is planning to surpass the century mark in executive actions over his first few days of office after getting sworn in as the 47th president on Monday ‒ a moment he’s called a “liberation day for America.”

“There will be over 100 executive actions ‒ commands to the bureaucracies to change their ways,” Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, told Fox News last week.

The orders will bypass Congress to undo President Joe Biden’s policies ranging from climate to diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce while carrying out Trump’s campaign promises to secure the southern border, expand domestic energy production and target transgender Americans.

Many of the actions will be controversial and draw protests from Democrats and others on the political left. Some orders, particularly involving immigration, are expected to invite lawsuits.

BREAKING: Biden Issues Preemptive Pardons:

WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden on Monday issued blanket preemptive pardons for potential targets of President-elect Donald Trump in an unprecedented move to shield some of the incoming president’s top foes from criminal prosecution.

Those issued pardons include retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and the lawmakers and staffers from the House committee that investigated the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Those lawmakers include former GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois; and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

“These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions,” Biden said in a statement.

The Musk/Swami Roadshow To Be Challenged In Court:

A lawsuit claiming billionaire Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” violates federal transparency rules will be filed within minutes of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday, kicking off a legal battle over a key aspect of the incoming administration’s agenda.

In a 30-page complaint obtained by The Washington Post ahead of its filing, the public interest law firm National Security Counselors says that the nongovernmental DOGE panel is breaking a 1972 law that requires advisory committees to the executive branch to follow certain rules on disclosure, hiring and other practices.

Shortly after the election, Trump tapped Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead DOGE in identifying government regulations and spending programs for the White House to cut. The group has already hired dozens of staffers as it works out of the Washington offices of Musk’s company SpaceX, sending emissaries across U.S. agencies to put together a list of recommendations to execute in tandem with the administration and often communicating on the encrypted messaging app Signal.

Robert Reich Remains Optimistic. His words may ring hollow now, but, hey, I can’t leave you wallowing in despair:

Today, seated together on the platform where Trump is giving his inaugural address, will be the three richest people in America, each of whom contributed $1m to the event – Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

Each of them also owns powerful social media platforms and have enormous sway over what Americans see and learn.

Not since the gilded age of the late 19th century has such vast wealth turned itself into such conspicuous displays of political power. Unapologetically, unashamedly, defiantly.

This flagrancy makes me hopeful. Why? Because Americans don’t abide aristocracy. We were founded in revolt against unaccountable power and wealth. We will not tolerate this barefaced takeover.

The backlash will be stunning.

I cannot tell you precisely how or when it will occur, but I expect it will start with average Americans helping their communities and protecting the most vulnerable.

We will then see it in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election, when Americans elect true leaders who care about working people and the common good.

And just as we did at the end of the first gilded age of the late 19th century when the oligarchy revealed its hubris and grandiosity, we will demand and get fundamental reforms.

E-clip and save.

Chair Wants Opioid Slush Fund To Restart Delivering Slush. Also wants the rubber-stamp board to remain intact:

Delaware’s opioid abatement funding distribution process could resume in March after being on hold for seven months amid fraud concerns.

After opioid settlement recipient Code Purple was flagged for misusing grant funds in June, the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission (POSDC) decided to halt all funding disbursment until grant distribution procedures could be reviewed.

POSDC Governance Committee Chair Dave Humes says his subgroup is finalizing a manual with all of these new guidelines, and he hopes it will be adopted by the full commission in February.

“We have distributed $0 of the balance of $13 million that was approved last year to go out in 2024, so whether our aggressive schedule is too aggressive or not to get this money out, I believe we need to do everything we have to do to make sure we meet this aggressive schedule to get these funds out,” Humes said.

Acting Gov. Bethany Hall-Long has served as the POSDC’s co-chair with Attorney General Kathy Jennings, but it will be up to Governor-elect Matt Meyer to appoint a new leader to the commission during his tenure if opts to keep all other current members.

Humes hopes Meyer leaves the commission intact until at least February, fearful that any shakeups would only delay grant distribution further.

Yes, the funds need to be distributed because opioid addiction is a real problem. But first, let’s put people in charge who don’t cast a blind eye towards where that money is going.

Delaware ACLU’s ‘Firewall For Freedom’:

Now, as Trump returns to the White House, the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware is determined to prevent history from repeating itself. Through their Firewall for Freedom initiative, they are advocating for stronger legal protections and equipping Delawareans with tools to lead the charge in defending civil rights.

“We knew there was a possibility that Donald Trump could get elected again,” said Mike Brickner, executive director of the ACLU of Delaware. “And so, we wanted to be as prepared as possible. States like Delaware that have elected officials who are concerned about civil rights, can actually take a stand and protect people who need that protection from the federal government.”

To meet this goal, the ACLU launched activist training sessions across Delaware’s three counties, designed to mobilize leaders and community members. These sessions teach participants how to advocate for policies, organize campaigns and engage legislators to defend vulnerable populations.

I think this is where the rubber meets the road for the next four years. If you have the time (and/or money), you can make a difference.

What do you want to talk about?