On the recordFebruary 7, 2025
We are in a constitutional crisis. The President of the United States is trying to delete the 14th Amendment, ignoring Congress' constitutional power of the purse to illegally block Federal spending, exposing the identities of our intelligence officers to our enemies, and sending Elon Musk's unvetted minions into our financial systems to steal Americans' private information. In the normal course, these violations would be prosecuted by the Department of Justice, but their leadership has put personal politics over the rule of law. In the normal course, Congress would act as a check and balance, but Republican leadership in both Chambers is most charitably described as missing in action. We are only 19 days in. The White House is now dismantling USAID, pulling back on our soft power at the precise moment when China and Russia are trying to increase their influence over global affairs. Is this because of social media conspiracies, foreign influence operations, or just because Elon Musk is still angry that USAID helped to topple apartheid in South Africa? There are no good answers to that question. {time} 1000 They are targeting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stripping our ability to make weather forecasts in the wake of rising seas, surging hurricanes, and ever more devastating wildfires. Take away our ability to give advance notice of those storms, and Americans will die.…





