Podcast 123
By Jackalyn Rainosek, PhD
Introduction: The Power of Truth and Resistance
I feel grateful to be able to show you the significant resistance that is demanding Trump and Musk face the reality of what the American people want. Do not believe the drama at Trump’s first speech, since the lies are so pervasive you need the media’s fact checking to know what the truth is. It is also a way that the media can resist Trump, Musk and the Republican and hold them accountable.
This podcast is about the organizations that are resisting Trump, Musk and the Republican controlled Congress by publishing their actions so you will a better understanding of what is going on. Here are a list of actions that occurred in the news that help us stay abreast of the dangerous and disastrous actions being taken:
∙FEMA will lose hundreds of employees so what does that mean for you and me? This will affect all of us when disasters occur. It already affects people across the country who are struggling to prepare for disasters or rebuild.
∙The New York Times, on March 5, 2025, 2:09 pm ET in the article by Madeleine Ngo, “Trump Officials Take Down List of Federal Properties for Possible Sale, “ was taken down, replaced by an agency web page that said the list of properties was ‘coming soon.’ The list swiftly came under criticism by Democratic lawmakers and some former federal officials who worried about the potential impact on government services across the country.”
∙Welcome to the insane cabinet member that was chosen by Trump, whose recommendations have no medical status. We have West Texas and New Mexico having deaths occur due to the fear and conspiracy theories that have prevented people from getting the measles vaccine. Thank goodness Houston is joining with other organizations in Harris County that are offering free vaccination for adults and children that have no insurance or have Medicaid/CHIP. Houston and Harris County are politically Democratic. Unfortunately, our state government is controlled by MAGA Republicans, so they have decided to reopen Texas detention center for migrant families.
∙Musk-DOGE are attempting to target child support database full of income data. This data was not provided since career civil servants took a stand about giving out sensitive government records. People who have held these positions say this is private and confidential data, including Social Security numbers and earnings of every person in this country. We need to speak out and demand that this is not done. DOGE is attempting to go after information at the Social Security Administration and SSA has wage data and other information on their server.
∙The New York Times has a great article on “Republicans Face Angry Votes at Town Halls, Hinting at Broader Backlash,” by Robert Jimison on Feb. 23, 2025. “Some came with complaints about Elon Musk, President Trump’s billionaire ally who is carrying out an assault on the federal bureaucracy. Others demanded guarantees that Republicans in Congress would not raid the social safety net. Still others chided the G.O.P. to push back against Mr. Trump’s moves to trample the constitutional power of Congress.” It appears after a brief honeymoon period for Mr. Trump and Republicans at the start of their governing trifecta, voters beginning to digest the effects of their agenda is not acceptable to them. Due to the angry comments, Republicans generally held fewer in-person open town halls than their Democratic counterparts, opting instead for more controlled settings, such as telephone town halls, that minimize the risk of public confrontation.
∙There were 26 claims of false, misleading or absurd statements by Trump in his lengthy speech that would have tired anyone out. If you want to know the truth then read the statements Trump made and then the truth in The Washington Post, by Glenn Kessler, on March 5, 2025, “Fact-checking 26 suspect claims in Trump’s address to Congress.” I read all of the 26, which certainly gave me factual data to confront anyone that repeats Trump’s lies.
∙Realize that Trump’s purging the Pentagon is a move to establish an authoritarian control of the U.S. Government. Please realize that Trump’s pursuit of total power is done by capturing the intelligence services, the Justice Department, the F.B.I. and the Pentagon. Trump will put his loyalist in charge and build a military that can crush any resistance and will certainly be loyal to him and not our Constitution. Read, read, read what legitimate news is providing us.
Actions that have occurred that stop Trump and Musk
In The New York Times, Thursday, March 6, 2025, 10:40 AM, is the article “Judge Blocks Trump’s Funding Freeze, Saying White House Put Itself ‘Above the Congress.” “The ruling extended an order barring the Trump administration from withholding billions in congressionally approved funds to states. The judge said that the lawsuit came down to a case of executive overreach.” The Washington Post has an article out that makes it clear from the Supreme Court that this judge can force Trump’s administration to pay foreign aid. If you want to realize the heartbreaking situations that Trump is creating with this freezing of foreign aid then read the Time article by Belinda Luscombe, February 1, 2025, 6:46 AM EST, “Inside the Chaos, Confusion, and Heartbreak of Trump’s Foreign-Aid Freeze. Foreign aid is the third leg of national security. You will hear about Public Citizen in a moment; this organization is the one that filed this case with other lawyers.
I feel pleased to learn that a Judge has told Trump that he illegally fired National Labor Relations Board member and orders that she remain in her role. This agency has overseen relations among workers, labor unions and employees. Realize that Trump and MAGA Republican major agenda was to gain power for white people. Listen to the dismissals in the armed forces and see the Generals that are being removed that are person’s of color and replaced with white guys.
Organizations Taking a Stand Against President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican-Led Congress
Public Citizen is an exceptional organization. Receiving their newsletters (president@citizen.org) and what they are doing to fight Trump and Musk in the courts is inspiring and they are winning. They are a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest, your interests—in the halls of power. “We defend democracy, resist corporate power, and fight to ensure that government works for the people – not big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country. American democracy is in jeopardy, from the disastrous Citizens
United ruling that flooded our politics with corporate cash to the immoral assault on voting rights. We work every day to defend against these threats and advance bold reforms.” Let me give you a concise list of the court actions they are taking (March 3, 2025, 4:20 pm newsletter by the president of Public Citizen entitled “Latest on lawsuits:”)
∙They have seven lawsuits against the regime since Donald Trump returned to power. The first lawsuit was filed within moments of Trump being sworn in. “Lawsuit #1 — Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ Operating Unlawful- January 20, we filed a lawsuit challenging the so-called Department of Government Efficiency — being run, infamously, by Elon Musk — for operating in secrecy and in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Shortly after we filed this lawsuit, two similar cases were filed and then consolidated with ours. To maximize resources, we later decided to voluntarily dismiss our case.”
∙Lawsuit #2 — ‘DOGE’ Invades U.S. Treasury Department–On February 3 — following news that Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ gang had infiltrated a payment system at the U.S. Treasury Department — we filed a lawsuit demanding an immediate halt to the illegal invasion of the privacy of millions of Americans whose information is in that system. On February 6, the judge issued an order restricting two Musk-connected men already housed at Treasury from modifying or copying the database, prohibiting them from sharing any information with Musk or anyone else outside the department, and preventing Elon Musk himself (or any additional DOGE-connected people) from accessing the sensitive Treasury data while our lawsuit proceeds to the next stage.” Public Citizen lawyers are in court asking for longer-lasting preliminary injunction.
∙Lawsuit #3 — “Public Health Agency Websites Censored–On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive requiring federal agencies to “use the term ‘sex’ and not ‘gender’ in all” federal documents. In response, on January 31, agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed from their websites important datasets and webpages, including information that doctors and researchers across the country use to diagnose and treat patients, monitor diseases, and advance public health. On February 4, we filed a lawsuit challenging the removal of this vital health information. On February 6, we moved for a temporary restraining order. On February 11, the judge granted our motion and ordered the agencies to restore the deleted webpages and datasets while the litigation proceeds. Last week, we amended our complaint to expand the scope of the case, adding the City and County of San Francisco. Now we are preparing a summary judgment motion asking the court to enter a final order in our favor. In a fit of authoritarian desperation — Elon Musk has called for the judge in this case to be impeached. At the risk of stating the obvious, there is absolutely no cause for impeachment.”
∙“Lawsuit #4 — USAID Shutdown Ignites Worldwide Humanitarian Crisis–The Trump administration illegally ordered USAID workers to stop doing their jobs, terminated contracts, froze grant funding, and prepared to lay off or fire nearly all USAID employees. With USAID in disarray, essential medical care, food assistance, and other critical projects across the globe cannot operate. On February 6, we filed a lawsuit in federal court to reverse the Trump administration’s attempted dismantling of USAID. On February 7, we asked the court for a temporary restraining order. That night, the judge issued an order blocking the plan to put 2,200
USAID workers on leave and bringing back the hundreds put on leave earlier in the week, through February 14. On February 13, we were back in court seeking to extend the court order.
The judge extended it through February 21, as he considers whether to grant further emergency relief. The judge has since lifted the restraining order, but we will soon be briefing a motion for summary judgment, asking the court to issue a final order restoring USAID.”
∙“Lawsuit #5 — ‘DOGE’ Invades U.S. Department of Education–In addition to infiltrating a sensitive database at the Treasury Department, ‘DOGE’ has accessed confidential information at other agencies as well, including the Department of Education. On February 7, we filed a lawsuit in federal court to block ‘DOGE’ access to Department of Education databases, which includes financial information of thousands of student-loan applicants and their families. On February 14, the judge held an hour-long hearing on our motion for a temporary restraining order. On February 17, the judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order. But the case is proceeding.
∙Lawsuit #6 — Trump’s Unconstitutional Foreign Aid Freeze—I have already presented the results of this case in The New York Times and Washington Post articles.
∙“Lawsuit #7 — Illegal Dismantling of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau–After Wall Street’s reckless greed set off a worldwide financial crisis in 2008, Congress passed a law creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to safeguard the American people, and our economy, from Big Banks and other giant financial institutions. On January 31, the Trump administration began taking steps to dismantle the CFPB. On February 13, Public Citizen lawyers sued to halt that effort. The next day, we filed a motion for a temporary restraining order. Later that day, the judge entered an order blocking any destruction of records, firing of people, or transfer of agency funding while she considers the case.” March 3, We were in court arguing for a preliminary injunction to halt the dismantling of the CFPB. This case is continuing.
They are also considering the threats to the Post Office and the Social Security Administration. You will want to read the newsletter on February 17, 2025, 12:57 PM, “How to ‘celebrate’ President’s Day, since they reminded us of who we are as a nation. “President’s Day originated to honor our nation’s first commander-in-chief, George Washington, and others who have led these United States—through thick and thin, through times of peace and times of war, through our greatest collective triumphs and our deepest national tragedies. For all their strengths and weaknesses, none of them—not a single one of them—did anything remotely like what our current president, Donald Trump, is attempting to do.”
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC)—”Eric H. Holder, Jr. serves as Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Mr. Holder is an internationally recognized leader on a broad range of legal issues and a staunch advocate for civil rights. He served in the Obama Administration as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States from February 2009 to April 2015, the third longest-serving Attorney General in U.S. history and the first African American to hold that office.
Under Mr. Holder’s leadership, civil rights, including voting rights, were a top priority in the Justice Department. Mr. Holder vigorously defended voting rights, including the enforcement of the Voting
Rights Act of 1965. He criticized politically motivated voter ID laws that were designed to suppress minority and youth votes, and he led the Justice Department’s efforts to overturn these laws around the country.” Today, he still heads this organization. To get information from NDRC, you need to receive the newsletter. They are doing the work to fight for our democracy in 2026, 2028, and beyond. This organization keeps me informed about the following:
∙Court cases that they are fighting in 9 different congressional districts against gerrymandering to make sure voters are fairly represented. There is one going on for Louisiana and Arizona where lawmakers are trying to ram thorough bills that would jeopardize fair maps, fair representation, and the fair distribution of resources around the state. The Louisiana v. Callais is about having new electoral maps that led to fair congressional representation.
∙In the March 5, 2025, 8:04 AM newsletter about “attacks on the census. The U.S. census is being attacked and as Holder says, “ it is a three alarm fire:”
1. Hours into Donald Trump’ second term, he repealed an order that affirmed how everyone in the country should be counted in the U.S. Census. Trump’s action on the census could lead to a blatant attempt to undercount communities with higher populations of immigrants and undocumented people.
2. Republican state attorneys general also sued to stop the 2030 Census form counting all U.S. residents. And the federal judge presiding over this case is a Trump appointee with a track record for upholding gerrymandered maps.
3. In recent weeks, massive Census Bureau data files that are normally publicly available have disappeared from the website. Some of those files have come back online, but this raises concerns about the integrity of this critical data now and going forward.” Their mapping and analytic team is working hard to compile records of past census data so they can closely watch for any changes.
∙In Wisconsin, they will be voting to replace Justice Walsh Bradley, who is retiring after 30 years. This court has been pro-democracy, and Judge Susan Crawford has prevented attacks on the right to abortions in this state and has a history of protecting voters rights. Judge Susan Crawford is a democracy defender. Musk has decided to use some of his billions to buy the race for Bard
Schimel, who supports the state’s extreme 1894 abortion ban, supports gerrymandering, and sued to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
∙In North Carolina there is a legal battle going on to stop the Republicans from overturning a state supreme court election. Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin has continued to contest his 2024 election loss to incumbent Justice Allison Riggs. She won with 60,000 legally cast ballots. The state court ruled that Riggs has won. Griffin named he ran for this position so he could protect future partisan gerrymanders. This case has not been resolved yet. You need to be on this organization’s email list (allontheline@redistrictingaction.org) and donate to them. They are a major protection against eliminating voters that have the right to vote.
The Conversations—(us.newsletter@theconversations.com)They write and stand for democracy and truth. They have academic experts to write for the public and educate all of us on ethics, science, technology, politics, society, environment, energy, education, economy, and business. Their wrote up the reason Ukraine united behind Zelensky after the fight with Trump in their March 3, 2025, 9:18 AM article. The statements about the stands that Ukraine’s have taken are courageous. It is another excellent resource to combine with the ones I have described in this podcast and others.
314 Action Fund stands firmly and fights back against Trump, Musk and Kennedy. You can obtain their information through their newsletter (info@e/314actopmfund.org). They are focused on recruiting, training, and electing Democratic scientist to public office. “With a grassroots network made up of millions of engaged supporters in every part of the country, 314 Action has established itself as a trusted partner to candidates and Democratic organizations alike, connecting and working with allied organizations, PACs, and members of Congress.” Here are some stands they are taking:
1.They are supporting Dr. Amy Acton to be the next governor of Ohio. She guided Ohio through COVID-19 when she was the Director of the Department of Public Health in Ohio. A MAGA billionaire is running for governor of Ohio, who has already shown that he will back Trump even at the expense of Ohioans.
2. U.S. Representative for New Mexico’s 1st District, Melanie Stansberry, was featured in 314 Action Fund, since she said, :”I joined a group of my fellow lawmakers and walked out of Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress. What’s happening in Washington is alarming. We shouldn’t act like this is normal.” She makes it is clear It will take all of us to stop Donald Trump and Elon Musk from dismantling our government from the inside out. In the March 5, 2025, newsletter at 10:08 PM she states, “As a Ranking Member of the DOGE subcommittee, I’ve witnessed firsthand the havoc wreaked by Donald Trump and Elon Musk on the very foundation of how our government functions. When I and nearly two dozen other members of the House Oversight Committee were denied entry into the Treasury Department after we tried to investigate what Elon Musk was doing with the private data of hundreds of millions of Americans, I was terrified for the future of our democracy. That’s why I introduced the ‘Nobody Elected Elon Musk Act’—to hold Elon accountable for his attack on our federal government.”
3.They are the organization that published the real amounts of money that Elon Musk makes from the federal government yearly which is $40 Billion—he has significant conflict of interest in serving in any capacity of our federal government. “Elon Musk’s companies received $3.7 billion in federal contacts in 2024 and received more than 38 billion in Federal funding. None of Musk’s Federal contracts have been cut. DOGE fired thousands of Federal workers investigating Musk’s businesses; Neuralink, Tesla and Starlink. We also just learned that Musk is set to receive $2.4 billion in contracts to completely take over the Federal Aviation Administration’s communications systems from a competitor of his and the Trump administration ‘directed staff to locate tens of millions of dollars for this deal.”
4.You need to hear about the doctors, healthcare professionals and many STEM professionals that have been elected to political office. Face the truth, “the unelected Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have no medical training or schooling are now making life-or-death decisions about every aspect of our healthcare system. The House Republicans voted to take a chainsaw to Medicaid in what is the largest cut to the public health Insurance program in American History.” I have already spoke with you about Trump’s shutting down our involvement with the World Health Organization. The health and wellbeing of Americans are being threatened and if you think it will not affect you then you are sadly mistaken.
Democratic Party Congressional Representative—I have told you about Lizzie Fletcher, my congressperson who stands for Democracy. There are Democrats all of this country that are standing up and saying—ENOUGH, and even Republicans are now questioning what is going on. I have an excellent article about Republicans and their buyers remorse, since they voted for Trump. They are saying they did not vote for the actions he and Musk are taking.
I want to end this section with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Michigan) who delivered the Democratic Party’s response to President Donald Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress. The Washington Post, on March 4, 2025, at 12:51 AM EST updated the statements by Sen. Slotkin in the article, “In Democratic response to Trump, Slotkin says, ‘Reagon must be rolling in his grave, “ written by Marianna Alfaroand Maegan Vazquez. Slotkin was smart since she started with her national security credentials before harshly criticizing the president’s foreign policy approach. She is a “former CIA analyst, who served in the
Defense Department under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, repeatedly scrutinized Trump’s handling of Russia’s war on Ukraine, saying that he ‘would have lost us the Cold War.’” Here are more comments from Slotkin:
∙“President Trump lives to say peace through strength—that’s actually a line he stole from Ronald Reagon (that is the reason she made the comment about Reagon rolling in his grave). The Trump explosive Oval Office meeting with Zelensky she said, “That scene in the Oval Office wasn’t just a bad episode of reality TV. It’s summed up Trump’s whole approach to the world.”
∙“Trump, Slotkin asserted, ‘believes in cozying up to dictators like Vladimir Putin and kicking our friends like the Canadians in the teeth. He sees American leadership as merely a series of real estate transactions…Trump’s actions suggest that in his heart, he doesn’t believe we’re an exceptional nation.” She emphasizes that American security, prosperity and democracy, are at risk.
∙“It’s at risk when the president decides you can pick and choose what rules you want to follow, when he ignores court orders and the Constitution itself, or when elected leaders stand by and just let it happen,” she said. “But it’s at risk when the presidents pits Americans against each other when he demonizes those who are different and tells certain people they shouldn’t be included.”
∙“In addition to her criticism of Trump, Slotkin also went after Trump adviser Elon Musk asking: ‘Is there anyone in America who is comfortable with him and his gang of 20-year-olds using their own computer servers to poke through your tax returns, your health information and your bank accounts? No oversight, no protections against cyberattack, no guardrails on what they do with your private data.”
∙“Slotkin has positioned herself as a moderate, championing abortion rights, a ban on assault weapons, lowering prescription drug costs and pushing for economic opportunities for the middle class.” She has a democratic moderate voice I want to hear, and I believe you will want to know her too.
In my next podcast, I am going to give you more organizations and people that are out their fighting for our democracy and the rule of law. This is my way of showing you that WE ARE NOT ALONE. I will after another podcast give you resources to hear the voices of those who support our constitution and stand for the values we uphold as citizens of the United States of America.
Conclusion:
The dangerous actions of Trump, Musk, and the Republican-controlled Congress are not going unnoticed. Across the country, individuals, organizations, and media outlets are exposing the lies, fighting back against corruption, and demanding accountability. It is up to us to stay informed, speak out, and support those who are standing up for truth and democracy. We cannot afford to look away—our future depends on our vigilance and resistance.
Podcast 123 References:
- The New York Times, March 5, 2025, 2:09 PM ET, Madeleine Ngo, “Trump Officials Take Down List of Federal Properties for Possible Sale.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/us/politics/federal-properties-sale-list-trump.html - The New York Times, February 23, 2025, Robert Jimison, “Republicans Face Angry Votes at Town Halls, Hinting at Broader Backlash.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/23/us/politics/republicans-congress-town-halls-trump.html - The Washington Post, March 5, 2025, Glenn Kessler, “Fact-checking 26 Suspect Claims in Trump’s Address to Congress.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fact-checking-26-suspect-claims-in-trump-s-address-to-congress/ar-AA1AgHIA - The New York Times, March 6, 2025, 10:40 AM, “Judge Blocks Trump’s Funding Freeze, Saying White House Put Itself ‘Above the Congress.’”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/trump-funding-freeze-states.html - Time, February 1, 2025, 6:46 AM EST, Belinda Luscombe, “Inside the Chaos, Confusion, and Heartbreak of Trump’s Foreign-Aid Freeze.”
https://time.com/7211200/usaid-foreign-aid-freeze-trump-rubio/ - Public Citizen, newsletters (president@citizen.org), March 3, 2025, 4:20 PM newsletter by the president of Public Citizen entitled “Latest on lawsuits.” (In order to get this newsletter, you will need to ask for it by using the email.)
- The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) – “Eric H. Holder, Jr. serves as Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. (info@democraticredistricting.com)
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=mnet&hsimp=yhs-001&type=type9099612-spa-3503-84593¶m1=3503¶m2=84593&p=%E2%80%A2%20The+National+Democratic+Redistricting+Committee+%28NDRC%29- - The Conversations—(us.newsletter@theconversations.com) and you can go to their website to review them:
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=mnet&hsimp=yhs-001&type=type9099612-spa-3503-84593¶m1=3503¶m2=84593&p=the%20conversations - 314 Action Fund, newsletter (info@e/314actopmfund.org).
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwriiYR0oM9nuK8LpBUPxQt.;_ylc=X1MDMjExNDcwMDU1OQRfcgMyBGZyA3locy1tbmV0LTAwMQRmcjIDcDpzLHY6dyxtOnNhLHNhX21rOjEzBGdwcmlkAzNYcWlEamo5VGQuc2tOU1B3dGZydEEEbl9yc2x0AzAEbl9zdWdnAzEwBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMxBHBxc3RyAzMxNARwcXN0cmwDMwRxc3RybAMxMwRxdWVyeQMzMTRBY3Rpb25mdW5kBHRfc3RtcAMxNzQxNjYwMzI0BHVzZV9jYXNlAw–?p=314Actionfund&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Aw%2Cm%3Asa%2Csa_mk%3A13&hspart=mnet&hsimp=yhs-001¶m1=3503¶m2=84593&type=type9099612-spa-3503-84593&mkr=13 - Democratic Party Congressional Representative – The Washington Post, March 4, 2025, 12:51 AM EST, Sen. Slotkin, “Reagan must be rolling in his grave,” Marianna Alfaro and Maegan Vazquez.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/in-democratic-response-to-trump-slotkin-says-reagan-must-be-rolling-in-his-grave/ar-AA1AcWLZ