☀️ May 12, 2025 ☀️

🐾 Now Let’s Sic ‘Em! 🐾

The legal tennis matches continue… A federal judge just put Trump’s big plan to trim the federal workforce on a short leash. California District Judge Susan Illston issued a temporary restraining order blocking layoffs and reorganizations at a whopping 21 different federal agencies — including DOGE, OMB, and OPM.

Illston's order called out the lack of legal authority for DOGE to lead mass terminations or agency “self-eliminations,” saying Congress never gave DOGE (or even OPM or OMB) that power.

The pause hits Trump’s so-called “Workforce Optimization Initiative,” a project already causing chaos and job loss across agencies. Plaintiffs — including unions and local governments — argue the entire scheme is gutting essential public services under the guise of efficiency.

The order is temporary (two weeks), but it halts key parts of Trump’s federal rollback while the lawsuit moves ahead. The administration has already appealed, hoping to fetch a reversal from the 9th Circuit. Back and forth it goes, until SCOTUS gets involved. Such a inefficient waste of time and everything else.

All Bark. More of DOGE’s Big Savings Claims Unravel in the Details.

Turns out, DOGE may need a refresher course in basic arithmetic. More than $220 million worth of federal contracts that the DOGE bros claimed to have shredded were quietly brought back from the dead.

According to a federal data review, at least 44 of the contracts that DOGE boasted about terminating were quickly reinstated — some within hours. Yet DOGE’s infamous “Wall of Receipts” still listed many as canceled, even adding a few after they were already restored.

We’re talking contracts for software, data management, veteran services, asthma outreach, and even PTSD support for the VA. One contractor lost their gig designing trauma-accessible websites — only to be hired back two weeks later because — surprise, surprise — the VA literally didn’t have anyone else who could do the job.

In recent weeks, DOGE & Musk have proudly been touting that they’d saved $165 billion by canceling over 9,400 contracts. But those agencies too quietly turned around and reactivated those contracts once they realized (or were reminded by law) that they were required. The EPA even pulled a 2.5-hour about-face.

Musk shrugged off the flip-flops, telling Joe Rogan, “If we make a mistake, we’ll reverse it quickly.” But watchdogs and lawmakers say the chaos has degraded services, strained government operations, and revealed that DOGE’s cost-cutting crusade is a sham.

Chasing Their Tails. Obsession with DEI “Wokeness” Results in Cuts that Actually Screw Over MAGA Voters.

Here we go again. Trump abruptly shut down the $2.5 billion Digital Equity Act — a bipartisan broadband access program — calling it “racist” and “unconstitutional.”

His anger was aimed at DEI-sounding language, but he ended up biting deep into the red states that stood to benefit the most. Many GOP-led states like Alabama, Iowa, and Arkansas had already submitted detailed plans to use the funds to connect rural communities and veterans — both key demographics in Trump’s own voter base.

The cancellation aligns with DOGE’s broader war on anything that smells like diversity, inclusion, or “wokeness.” While DOGE wasn’t the official hatchet-wielder here, their pawprints are all over this self-own.

Reservation DOGE. DOGE Cuts Bury Tribal Libraries and Native Languages.

Here comes another one... This time, DOGE is targeting the lifelines of some of the most rural and culturally vital communities in the country. More than 100 libraries serving federally recognized tribes, from Alaska to New Mexico, received abrupt notice that their federal grants had been terminated mid-cycle.

These libraries aren’t just places to check out books — they’re often the only internet hubs, language preservation centers, and cultural vaults for sovereign Native communities.

The cuts come after Trump signed a March 14 order directing the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to be dismantled under DOGE’s sweeping austerity program. Within days, DOGE had effectively neutered the 75-person agency, placing nearly the entire staff on leave and freezing every active grant — except a few missed “by human error.” That included programs teaching endangered Indigenous languages like Tewa, preserving cultural relics, and even supporting addiction recovery through community wellness projects.

Tribal leaders say this isn’t just about money — it’s about memory, identity, and sovereignty. “Our library is our vault,” said Santa Clara Pueblo Lt. Gov. Charles Suazo. Others warn that without this modest but vital support, endangered languages could vanish, children will lose access to basic literacy programs, and community healing work will be undone.

SNAP Under Pressure. DOGE Now Demanding States Hand Over Food Stamp Recipients’ Personal Data.

DOGE, in tandem with the USDA, has unleashed a sweeping new directive demanding that states turn over personal data from millions of food stamp recipients. That includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and even citizenship status — raising alarms among privacy advocates and immigrant rights groups.

While pitched as a way to improve “program integrity” for SNAP (formerly food stamps), critics say the real goal is to create a centralized, surveillance-style database that can be used to target immigrants and justify cuts to benefits.

Naturally, it’s being framed as a war on “waste and fraud,” but the numbers don’t back it up — less than 1% of SNAP overpayments in recent years were due to immigration-related issues.

The DOGE bros, reportedly coordinating with private contractors and other federal agencies, is already facing lawsuits and scrutiny for accessing sensitive data from the Social Security Administration, IRS, and Homeland Security without clear justification. Now, they're trying to use that same playbook on vulnerable families receiving food assistance.

"Trump is Bringing White South Africans to the US as Refugees"
And, yes, that headline is as racist as it sounds… Trump is fast-tracking refugee status for white South African Afrikaners, claiming they're being persecuted by their Black-led government. South Africa denies this, noting Afrikaners are among the country’s wealthiest and most privileged. The U.S. move hinges on farm attacks that affect all races and make up a tiny fraction of the country’s overall violent crime. Meanwhile, actual refugee programs for people fleeing war zones remain frozen. Even some Afrikaners say the persecution claims are exaggerated. Critics argue the program reeks of political favoritism—rewarding conservative, Christian-aligned whites while shutting the door on Black and brown refugees. If you’re white, rural, and speak Afrikaans, welcome aboard. Everyone else? Good luck.

“Trumpworld Can't Agree on Wellness Guru Surgeon General”
Trump’s pick for surgeon general, Casey Means, has triggered infighting in the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) camp. Though she's a health influencer and ally of RFK Jr., some anti-vax hardliners say she’s not extreme enough. Others just think she’s a “crackpot” with no clinical chops. Even MAGA stars are trading punches over her nomination. The whole mess exposes the fragility of the MAHA brand — proving it’s less a movement, more a marketing feud. When your health policy debate devolves into accusations of Manchurian siblings and mushroom medicine, mayyyybe it's time to take a walk... preferably outside, without a glucose monitor.

“Trump Pulls Plug on Energy Star, Sparks Surge in Bills”
Trump’s decision to kill the Energy Star program — an initiative that’s saved Americans over $500 billion and cut 4 billion metric tons of emissions — has households and manufacturers howling. Launched in 1992, Energy Star labeled high-efficiency appliances and influenced nearly every American home. But in his second term, Trump’s culture war on “woke dishwashers” and “low-pressure showers” has targeted anything labeled efficient. The rollback not only threatens consumer savings and rebates, but it could also unleash a patchwork of confusing regulations and cripple incentives tied to the program. So, in a nutshell: irrational, job-killing, and possibly illegal. Yup, that tracks.

“Hacked ICE Flight Logs Reveal Disappeared Migrant”
Hackers breached GlobalX — aka "ICE Air" — the Trump administration’s go-to airline for migrant deportations, revealing detailed flight manifests previously kept secret. Among the names: Ricardo Prada Vásquez, a Venezuelan man whom ICE deported to El Salvador without telling his family or the press. His disappearance triggered alarm, especially since DHS only confirmed his location after media pressure. The hack exposes how sloppy and secretive Trump’s deportation machine remains, with immigrant advocates questioning whether ICE even had a clear record of who it was ejecting. Turns out, the airline had better receipts than the feds. If the government can't even track who it's kicking out, how are we supposed to believe it knows who deserves to stay? And also, why is Eric Trump still here?

“Trump Ghosts His Intel Briefings Again”
Since taking office in January, Trump has sat for only 12 daily intelligence briefings — less than many past presidents, and far less than during his own first term. Intelligence officials are concerned that his act-now-think-later approach leaves the country vulnerable, especially amid high-stakes global diplomacy. Despite claims that he gets briefed “all day” via phone chats and ad hoc memos, Trump reportedly avoids the formal intelligence book altogether and prefers storytelling and graphics (and probably cardboard book covers). Meanwhile, the spy community is left guessing what he actually absorbs — or even cares about. Can’t they at least get Pete Hegseth to Tweet him the info?

Well, that was a lot to chew on… Again.

So as your reward, here are a few treats.

Some doggy goodness to calm your nerves… lift your spirits… and get you through to tomorrow…

Your Daily Dog.  Protests Pups on Patrol.

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