Want to understand what Trump is doing?

Of course, there is its close relative also used

Once again the voice of common sense and decency

Not only has Musk tried to get access to the federal payments system, he has now locked all federal employees out of the federal employee database called the Enterprise Human Resources Integration.

This database holds all of the personal information for Federal employees. No on can see what Musk is doing with the data right now.

They are also reportedly making a list of lower level FBI agents to fire based on their loyalty to Trump. Anyone who was involved with prosecuting Trump in the past has either been fired or are about to be.

They have already illegally fired multiple civil service employees. When those employees refuse to leave their jobs, they are escorted off the premises.

I am not sure that Trump and Musk have done anything legal at this point. They are shredding the Constitution, violating peoples human rights and are now messing with the Federal workforce.

I just find myself incredulous, imaround. I did know Trump was going to have a go at the FBI but thought it would be control of the top down.

Will the workers not organise against them? I suppose most are in shock. Jobs, gone just like that money for - families, homes, medical care, mortgages - surely all of the Senate republicans cant approve?

Well, many of them are unionized, but Trump has shut down the National Labor Relations Board. That is who would investigate labor violations. There is literally no one making sure the wolf stays out of the hen house.

And Musk seems to have unlimited power right now.

I hope enough people see the are destroying so may of the democracy that the US was so proud of. (and went to war to impose on other countries!)

Federal departments have been ordered to cancel all "DEI" celebrations amd events.

"This week, the Defense Intelligence Agency ordered a pause of all activities and events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LGBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day and other "special observances" to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order, according to a memo obtained by NBC News.

The memo listed 11 observances that are now banned. It also said that all affinity groups and "employee networking groups" are immediately on pause."

I dont see how they can stop people celebrating those days, even if they are not official, it would be a good way of expressing solidarity.

Oh yes, people can celebrate. Federal and state governments typically have education and outreach events for these celebrations. Those are cancelled.

This will also cause Federal Employees to lose those days as paid holidays.

It feels very "First they came for..."

I imagine it's quite frightening to be in firing line so solidarity could be difficult. He has also released his street troupers who could well have a chilling effect if they go out on the streets. No brown shirts this time, just Maga hats.

Let's circle back around to California and the fires. He signed an EO last week to "open the taps" of water to California.

This has resulted in the Army Corps of Engineers trying to open up 2 dams at full capacity. It would have flooded towns and farms and could have killed people. The town authorities had very little warning.

Looks like state officials have at least stopped them from flooding towns for now.

www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-01-31/trump-california-dams-opened-up?utm_source=reddit.com

Musk has apparently infiltrated another government agency system. They have taken over General Services Administration. This will allow them to read email, work laptops remotely and more.

I think we are about to see how dangerous Musk actually is.

I am watching this thread and am aghast at what I am reading.

I've just read a lengthy article in the Washington post that covers all the executive orders that Trump has signed so far. It's totally shocking, destructive and malicious.

foxie48 do you mean the article is shocking, destructive and malicious? Or the executive orders are?

The actual executive orders and the effects both intentional and unintended. They are blunt and often badly thought out, others are just vindictive.

I wonder if the Washington Post might be next in Mr Trump's/ Mr Musk's line of fire?
The publication has a tradition of printing things that Presidents would prefer that they didn't.

I'm normally a pragmatic person who doesn't catastrophise events but I am genuinely starting to worry we could see a civil war in the US. I certainly think it's possible there will be civil unrest in the larger cities. ATM l think there's shock with the speed and number of executive orders being issued which completely circumvent scrutiny by Congress etc. This is not the normal politics of a modern democracy and although Trump says he didn't read much of Project 2025, he is certainly using it's contents. This is very scary stuff.

foxie48

I'm normally a pragmatic person who doesn't catastrophise events but I am genuinely starting to worry we could see a civil war in the US. I certainly think it's possible there will be civil unrest in the larger cities. ATM l think there's shock with the speed and number of executive orders being issued which completely circumvent scrutiny by Congress etc. This is not the normal politics of a modern democracy and although Trump says he didn't read much of Project 2025, he is certainly using it's contents. This is very scary stuff.

I’ve also thought there could not only Civil unrest, but outright civil war. Extreme circumstances often are counteracted by extreme measures.

foxie48

I'm normally a pragmatic person who doesn't catastrophise events but I am genuinely starting to worry we could see a civil war in the US. I certainly think it's possible there will be civil unrest in the larger cities. ATM l think there's shock with the speed and number of executive orders being issued which completely circumvent scrutiny by Congress etc. This is not the normal politics of a modern democracy and although Trump says he didn't read much of Project 2025, he is certainly using it's contents. This is very scary stuff.

Me too, foxie48

This is not the normal politics of a modern democracy
None of this makes any sense to me and I don't know what their aim is.

Trump continues to tweet about the plane tragedy. His language is outrageous, injecting misinformation and leaving space wide open for conspiracy theories.

Allira

foxie48

I'm normally a pragmatic person who doesn't catastrophise events but I am genuinely starting to worry we could see a civil war in the US. I certainly think it's possible there will be civil unrest in the larger cities. ATM l think there's shock with the speed and number of executive orders being issued which completely circumvent scrutiny by Congress etc. This is not the normal politics of a modern democracy and although Trump says he didn't read much of Project 2025, he is certainly using it's contents. This is very scary stuff.

Me too, foxie48

This is not the normal politics of a modern democracy
None of this makes any sense to me and I don't know what their aim is.

"None of this makes any sense to me and I don't know what their aim is."

The thinking behind Trumps presidency, despite his denials of any connection, incorporates the values of a right wing think tank the Heritage Foundation.

If you can find the patience just to read the first section of this wiki article you will see how Trumps current edicts - and Musk's efforts to control decision making and the flow of information,

Fit into the overall aims of project 25, which is to gather all power, including the Judiciary, to the Executive (Trump and Cabinet) and take away civil liberties.

part of the article:

" The plan proposes taking partisan control of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Commerce (DOC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), dismantling the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and abolishing the Department of Education (ED), whose programs would be transferred or terminated.[20][21]

It calls for making the National Institutes of Health (NIH) less independent, stopping it from funding research with embryonic stem cells, and reducing environmental and climate change regulations to favor fossil fuels.[17][22][23][24]

The blueprint seeks to institute tax cuts,[25] but its writers disagree on protectionism.[26]

The project seeks to cut Medicare and Medicaid,[27][28] and urges the government to explicitly reject abortion as health care.[29][30]

It seeks to eliminate coverage of emergency contraception[27] and use the Comstock Act to prosecute those who send and receive contraceptives and abortion pills.[30][31]

It proposes criminalizing pornography and imprisoning those who produce it,[32][33] removing legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,[33][34]

and terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs[5][34] while having the DOJ prosecute anti-white racism instead.[35]

The project recommends the arrest, detention, and mass deportation of illegal immigrants living in the U.S.[36][37][38] It proposes deploying the military for domestic law enforcement.[39]

It promotes capital punishment and the speedy "finality" of those sentences.[40][41] It hopes to undo "[al]most everything implemented" by the Biden administration.[42]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025

You can see the intention to change fundamental structures of government and introduce a completely new cultural climate in Trumps edicts, they may appear random but are not.

Trump reinforces traditional Catholic values on abortion which is interesting in itself. So by extension, any assault on Trump’s values must be extended to the Catholic faith also?

Reading up on abortion and churches it shows Catholics and a number of other Christian Churches, particularly Evangelical churches, and outside of that churches whose members views vary. It's possible others outside churches support anti abortion. There's another thread on abortions and recent measures.