Today in Politics, Bulletin 59. 1/28/25

… Puppy killer Kristi Noem showed up in NYC in tactical gear to cosplay an ICE agent after she was recently sworn in as DHS Secretary by Clarence Thomas: “I’m here in NYC this morning. We are getting the dirtbags off these streets.”

… Actress and Fall Guy star Heather Thomas: “So Kristi Noem got her face puffed up with filler and Botox, underwent hours of hair extension attachments, hired professional make-up and hair, strapped on her customized bulletproof vest, and filmed herself arresting your maid.”

… Fox is reporting that SecDef Pete Hegseth is pulling Gen. Mark Milley's personal security detail and security clearance. He is ordering a review board to determine if enough evidence exists for Gen. Milley to be demoted and stripped of a star because he allegedly ‘undermined the chain of command’ during Trump's first term.

… The report also states that the Pentagon will be removing a second portrait of Gen. Milley inside the Pentagon - this one from the Army's Marshall Corridor honoring his service as Chief-of-Staff of the Army. His Joint Chiefs portrait was removed on Trump’s first day in office, as the pettiness parade continues.

… Trump ordered that federal grants, loans and payments to millions of Americans be frozen immediately so he can review them to determine if he thinks they were appropriate or were awarded because of DEI. This is money that was previously allocated by Congress and it is illegal for the president to refuse to disburse these funds. This is another Stephen Miller / Project 2025 idea that was unveiled in 2023 and got virtually no attention from the press at the time (I wrote about it).

… Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about Trump’s order freezing federal aid: “This is a temporary pause and a freeze to ensure that all the money going out from Washington DC is in line with the president’s agenda.”

… When asked how that doesn’t obviously violate the 1974 Impound Control Act that was passed to prevent a president from doing exactly this, Leavitt responded: “WH Counsel believes that this is within the president’s power to do it, so he’s doing it.”

… MO Sen. Eric Schmitt to Fox: “My guess is they're trying to make sure that it's complying with the laws that Congress passed. So, let's hit the pause button. I also think that a lot of these grants were predicated on divisive, discriminatory and illegal DEI. So we'll find out more. But I just think it's appropriate to take a look at it and make sure there isn't some nefarious actions that took place at the end of the Biden administration.”

… House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced that House Dems will hold a meeting tomorrow about how to deal with it: “We will discuss a comprehensive 3-pronged counter-offensive anchored in: (1) An appropriations strategy; (2) a litigation strategy; (3) A communications strategy.”

… Senate Democrats had a press conference scheduled where they planned to address something Trump did last week (J6 pardons), but after getting ridiculed on social media for always being late to the party on everything, they decided to change the plan and address what Trump did last night rather than something he did a week ago. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “This is an attempt by Trump to seize power. This what a King does. The scope of the damage that will be done is enormous.”

… AOC: “Trump is holding all the nation’s hospitals and vital services hostage to seize power from Congress and hand it over to billionaires. We must state the truth: this is a constitutional crisis. It’s a massive, illegal power grab that the House and Senate have a sworn duty to stop.”

… Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR): “My staff has confirmed reports that Medicaid portals are down in all 50 states following last night's federal funding freeze. This is a blatant attempt to rip away health insurance from millions of Americans overnight and will get people killed.” The WH later claimed that the Medicaid payment chaos was a different problem unrelated to the illegal freeze on funds.

… Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): “I am hearing from health directors, veterans organizations, addiction treatment programs that they can't meet their payrolls, they can't do their budgets. They are in chaos and confusion. Road building programs, bridge reconstruction, all of it in a state of suspended animation because the president has seized power unconstitutionally. The president is declaring himself King, taking the power of the purse into his own hands in an autocratic way that makes this moment a break-the-glass time for democracy.”

… Sen. Chuck Schumer: “President Trump plunged the country into chaos without a hint of warning. This is a dagger at the heart of American families. Aid and food in need all are on the chopping block. All of our offices have been deluged with people in panic - this decision is lawless, unconstitutional, and cruel.”

… Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) told Fox that Democrats on the Budget Committee will demand a two week hold on a committee vote for the nomination of Budget Director nominee Russell Vought tomorrow until there are answers on the loan/grant suspensions: “We have a Constitutional crisis.”

… Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD): “This executive order is a source of great anxiety for communities and businesses across the country that use this funding to build new roads, fix bridges, replace lead pipes, expand broadband access, strengthen infrastructure against natural disasters, and much more. Work is already underway on tens of thousands of projects in both the public and private sector, but their completion depends on these funds, which were already approved by Congress and enacted into law.”

… Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA): “I think it violates the Anti-Impoundment Act. And you will notice that in the hearing with the budget director, Russell Vought last week, he wouldn't commit to following the law. So I think the administration feels like, we don't have to follow that - we will act illegally until the court tells us we have to stop. I'm worried about a president behaving unlawfully. Hopefully we will have some Republican colleagues who are willing to show a backbone and stand up for Article I powers.”

… Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins told HuffPost that she is concerned: “There are a lot of federal programs that appear to be swept up in this order, and I think the administration needs to be more selective and look at a department at a time, for example. But make sure that important direct service programs are not affected.”

… Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) explained to CNN that Trump had to do it to stop condoms from going to Gaza: “What drove it was in the days leading up to the inauguration, Biden’s team was putting out money as fast as they could and Trump’s trying to put a halt on that to review it. I’ll give you an example - millions of dollars were being to sent to Gaza for, like, condom programs. So they want to put a freeze on some of that stuff."

… Then after a day of drama and stress with millions of people confused and upset while Trump played golf, Politico reported tonight that a federal judge issued an emergency stay of Trump’s order to preserve the status quo until various lawsuits could be heard.

… Jim Acosta announced this morning he is leaving CNN after they tried to move him to the midnight time slot. His parting message: “It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant. I’ve always believed it was the job of the press to hold power to account. I’ve always tried to do that at CNN and I plan on doing that in the future. One final message: Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and a hope.”

… Acosta then announced he was going on Substack and had no immediate plans to do anything other than that.

… Trump reacted with a Truth Social post: “One of the worst and most dishonest reporters in history, a major sleazebag. No talent! Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up.”

… Acosta responded to Trump’s post: “Looks like somebody has ADS: Acosta Derangement Syndrome.”

… Late last night, Trump claimed that he ordered the military into CA. Turns out, this entire statement was a complete lie: “The US military just entered the Great State of CA and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!”

… CA Dept of Water Resources responded immediately: “The military did not enter California. The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days. State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful.”

… Fox reporter Jennifer Griffin then checked with the Pentagon to see who was telling the truth here: “US defense officials tell me they did not send troops to ‘turn on the water’ in California, despite President Trump’s claims overnight.”

… Mike Johnson said the quiet part out loud when he was asked if he will force CA to mandate voter ID before they get any wildfire aid: “We have been lamenting the lack of voter security there for some time. We were deeply concerned in this last election cycle and we saw three of our seats, frankly, slip away from us in CA.”

… Two whistleblower government employees have filed a class action lawsuit against the Trump Admin alleging that incoming appointees were asked to collect detailed information on career civil servants who work under them, and for all the information be sent to Amanda Scales, who works personally for Elon Musk. They allege that the email requesting the information was disguised to make it look like it was coming from the WH Office of Personal Management, but was actually being sent to Scales.

… Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked at her first presser today how she will do her job: “I commit to telling the truth from this podium every single day. And I will say, it’s very easy to speak truth from this podium when you have a president who is implementing policies that are wildly popular with the American people.”

… Leavitt was then asked if the Trump WH will acknowledge Black History Month in February: “We will continue to celebrate American history and the contributions that all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed have made. America is back.” That means they won’t even mention it or acknowledge it.

… Steve Bannon’s podcast had their new ‘War Room White House Correspondent’ Natalie Winters in the Press Room, as Trump has promised to get his MAGA supporters into the press briefings as “journalists.”

… Steve Bannon’s former employer Breitbart also had a seat - in the front row.

… Disgraced and fired former Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe: “Applied for White House press credentials today. Let’s see what happens.”

… Right-wing talk show host Benny Johnson, who was paid by the Russians to spread their propaganda in the US: “I officially registered for a WH press credential. Thank you to the WH for recognizing the power of independent news. We speak for the people.”

… Caroline Kennedy broke her silence on RFK Jr’s nomination: “Dear Senators, I did not comment previously because I have never wanted to speak publicly about my family members and their challenges. But now I feel an obligation to speak out. Bobby lacks any relevant government, financial, management, or medical experience. His views are vaccines are dangerous. These facts alone should be disqualifying.”

… Kennedy continued: “We grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because Bobby himself is a predator. He enjoyed showing off by putting baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks. I watched his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path to drug addiction. His basement, garage, and dorm room were always the center of the action where drugs were available. Siblings and cousins who Bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness and death, while Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie and cheat his way through life.”

… Kennedy concluded: “Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids, while building a following hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs. His Ethics Report indicated he will keep his financial stake in a lawsuit against the HPV vaccine. Bobby is willing to profit and enrich himself while discouraging access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer.”

… Sen. Mike Lee called for the TSA to be abolished: “Let the airlines do their own screening.” X user ‘Hayden the Transit Guy’ responded: “Yeah, knowing that the only thing that stands in the way of another 9/11 is Spirit Airlines is comforting.”

… Newsmax host Carl Higbie decided to mock people complaining about mass deportations of latinos by eating a taco live on the air: “What are you going to do? Are you going to take it out of my hand? Maybe I will call the ICE hotline. These people