[Presumably, the White House event today and subsequent fallout dominate other topics, and, presumably, Heather Cox Richardson will have some of the best coverage in her February 28 Letter. In the interim, many other sources are cited and excerpted below.]
- Heather Cox Richardson – Letters from an American – February 27, 2025
Yesterday an unvaccinated child in Texas died of measles as nearly 140 people in Texas and New Mexico have been reported ill with the disease. This is the country’s first measles death since 2015.
Measles cases appear almost every year, but usually the government works to suppress measles, as well as other contagious diseases. It’s not clear the Trump administration intends to do that.
…
Measles cases appear almost every year, but usually the government works to suppress measles, as well as other contagious diseases. It’s not clear the Trump administration intends to do that. - USAID Was Promised Emergency Waivers for Ebola and AIDS. They’re Not Working
Elon Musk claims he mistakenly fired Ebola prevention workers, then quickly fixed the error. But Ebola programs are still in tatters, along with other livesaving efforts like AIDS treatments for children. - RFK Jr.’s “radical transparency” means ending a 54-year-old transparency policy
The Nixon-era policy gave the public the ability to comment on HHS decisions relating to “public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts.“ RFK Jr. ended that on Friday. - H5N1 Update: February 28
- I’m a pediatrician in Texas. Things are dire and we need your support – not your condescension
- 10 more reasons for modest optimism
- Coastal economies rely on NOAA, from Maine to Florida, Texas and Alaska – even if they don’t realize it
- Trump’s approval ratings continue to plummet.
- DOGE is running amusk.
- Tesla is in deep sh*t.
- The oligarchy has never been more exposed.
- People are rising against corporate power.
- As Trump and Musk trade Social Security and Medicaid for big tax cuts for the rich, Americans will go ballistic.
- Democracies are joining together, minus Trump’s America.
- Negative economic consequences of the Trump-Musk blunderbuss are beginning to appear.
- Elections are looking brighter.
- Adding it all up.
Dems Are Finally Getting Off the Mat in the Mass Deportation Fight
As the Trump admin revives ICE task forces and creates a national registry of immigrants, Democrats see an opening. - Transatlantic turmoil
European leaders rally to Zelensky’s defense - Trump Says He Wants a Third Term & US Officially Claims Russia Didn’t Invade Ukraine
- MAGA’s Orwellian notion of “free speech”
They only value it insofar as it advances authoritarianism. - Small Government, Big Chains: The Lie of Trump’s Libertarian “Freedom”
Welcome to the Hunger Games: This is what happens when government shrinks… - MAGA Influencers Tear Each Other Apart Over Epstein Files
Donald Trump chose a select few far-right activists to give binders of documents to. - Any fool can break things
Elon Musk is vandalizing America’s greatest treasures - Are Voters Souring on the Trump Economy?
Trump is starting to pay a price for ignoring the issue that got him elected.Tariff threats and uncertainty could weigh on consumers, drag down US economy, gov’t report suggests
Economists say Trump tariff threats, DOGE job cuts are ‘chilling’ the economy
Economic Blackout: Will a 24-hour boycott make a difference?
- The Democracy Index
- Tensions Flare Between Trump and Zelensky at White House Meeting
Zelenskyy leaves White House after Ukraine talks collapse
Zelenskyy Meets With Russian Agent
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Terminates US Support of Ukraine’s Power Grid
Trump and Zelensky Had a Shouting Match in the Oval Office. Now What?
Nobody has ever seen anything like it: A shouting match inside the Oval Office, as cameras rolled, with the American president berating a beleaguered war ally the way a Mafia don shakes down a debtor for kissing the ring with insufficient ardor. Then the scheduled discussion over lunch between the two men and their teams gets canceled, as does a more formal joint press conference afterward. A treaty, which had been prepared for the occasion, is taken away unsigned. The ally is escorted out of the building. As the dust settles, the don’s continued support for the ally is left in doubt, along with the ally’s very existence. And the subsequent shape of global politics is suddenly a foggy swirl.
…World reacts after Donald Trump, JD Vance berate Ukraine’s Zelenskyy
Trump wrote on social media that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not ‘ready for peace if America is involved’.This Has Never Happened With an American President Before
What happened in the Oval Office today — the obviously preplanned ambush of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance — was something that has never happened in the nearly 250-year history of this country: In a major war in Europe, our president clearly sided with the aggressor, the dictator and the invader against the democrat, the freedom fighter and the invaded.
You want an analogy? Imagine if when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the White House earlier this month, Trump and Vance told him that the war with Hamas had gone on too long, too many lives had been lost and it was costing America too much money, so it was time for Bibi and the Israeli people to do a deal with the Hamas aggressor.
…State Department terminates U.S. support of Ukraine energy grid restoration
The USAID initiative had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in helping Ukraine’s energy grid recover from attacks from Russia.What US lawmakers are saying about the White House clash between Trump and Zelenskyy
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleeding
A Ukraine follow-up because what happened in the Oval Office today is unprecedented, unthinkable, and reveals poor strategy at a high-risk level
…
As Snyder notes, “Very few Americans believe we should throw aside Ukraine and have Russia as an ally.” Clearly the Trump administration wants to do that, and also throw away strong alliances with Europe and Canada. For what? is the question.[Fox News’ Bret Baier interviews Zelenskyy after White House event]
Zelenskyy speaks out after public spat with Trump, Vance, says dustup ‘bad for both sides’
The White House canceled a press conference, said a minerals deal is off the table after the tense meetingEditorial: A president just disrespected America in the Oval Office. It wasn’t Zelensky
- More On Ex-Spy’s Shocking News That KGB Recruited Trump
The shocking confession from a former Russian agent was a bombshell. The Russian agent wrote that the KGB recruited Trump in 1987. Here’s more on the “Krasnov” story. - Transgender Service Members Aren’t the Problem
The problem is people in high office who can’t recognize bravery, patriotism, and sacrifice. - Trump to order English as official US language
- A rogue ranger is documenting every National Park Service firing
There is now a running tally on the ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ - Black Elites, GOP Senators Gather in D.C. for Surprise Summit And Their Urgent Message To Black America After Trump Victory Will Shock You
The New ‘Talented Tenth’? Black Elites, GOP Senators Meet in D.C. With Urgent Message to Black America To Engage Both Parties…Now! - Judge Says Trump Administration Ordering Mass Firings Was Unlawful
- Democrats Sue Trump Over Attempt to Control Independent Election Agency
Federal Elections Commission Chair Says Trump Tried to Illegally Fire Her - What Trump’s order making English the official language in the US could mean
…
“This isn’t just an offensive gesture that sticks a thumb in the eye of millions of U.S. citizens who speak other languages, but also will directly harm those who have previously relied on language assistance for vital information,” Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group for immigration reform, said in an email. - Why is MAGA fighting about accused rapist Andrew Tate’s US return?
- 600 civilian employees at Tinker Air Force Base face termination amid workforce shakeup
- DOGE with guns