Donna
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derkinder.bsky.social
Donna
@derkinder.bsky.social
Bookworm, ΡθΚ, foster parent, special needs adoption, stuck on the Beltway. #StandWithUkraine
Pinned
Anyone notice that there are the same number of letters in Congress and GRIDLOCK?
Reposted by Donna
The board of the Kennedy Center announced it had voted to rename the cultural institution in honor of President Trump.

But members of the organization are having a harder time replacing the website domain because a comedian bought it months ago.
trumpkennedycenter.org
trumpkennedycenter.org
December 21, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Donna
BREAKING: At least 16 files from the Epstein release disappeared from DOJ's webpage, including a photo of Trump, with no explanation.
At least 16 files have disappeared from the DOJ webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein
The Justice Department’s webpage for documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is missing at least 16 of its files a day after they were released.
bit.ly
December 20, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Donna
Breaking news: The Trump administration plans to shift the federal government away from directly recommending most vaccines for children and suggest parents consult with doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
U.S. plans to stop recommending most childhood vaccines, defer to doctors
The plan, which is not finalized, suggests children get fewer shots and shifts to a model telling parents to consult doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
wapo.st
December 19, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by Donna
given rising global populism — and tendency to demonize people with little power in society — worth reflecting that the hero in Australia's mass shooting was a Syrian refugee, and the key witness in the Brown University shooting was a homeless man
December 19, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Not watching. Who’s with me?
President Trump will deliver a televised speech tonight that is expected to focus heavily on the economy, an effort to reverse declining public opinion numbers and the view even among some supporters that he has not lived up to key campaign promises.
Trump attempts domestic reset with White House address Wednesday evening
The president’s approval ratings reached their lowest numbers in late November. Even some supporters say he has done too little to improve their lives.
wapo.st
December 18, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Reposted by Donna
NEW: Judge blocks Trump administration's attempt to limit lawmakers' access to immigration jails. Advance notice no longer required & detention facilities at field offices are open to Congress. w/ @kyledcheney.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Judge lifts Trump administration limits on lawmaker visits to ICE jails
A federal judge ruled that ICE cannot enforce newly adopted policies that require lawmakers to provide seven days notice before visiting detention facilities.
www.politico.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Waste, Fraud, and Abuse!
In the first nearly seven months of President Trump’s return to office, the Environmental Protection Agency spent more than $86.5 million to compensate more than 2,600 employees who were placed on administrative leave, according to data. https://wapo.st/4j1CjV7
December 17, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Donna
Exclusive: The Department of Health and Human Services has terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The association has been one of the harshest critics of Health Secretary RFK Jr.’s changes to federal vaccine policy.
American Academy of Pediatrics loses HHS funding after criticizing RFK Jr.
HHS cuts key AAP grants, citing concerns about “identity-based language” and insufficient focus on agency priorities. The organization said the cuts could harm child health.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Donna
Tired of having AI features from Apple Intelligence shoved in your face? Here's how you can turn it off in minutes.
Are You Over AI? How to Completely Disable Apple Intelligence With a Few Clicks
Tired of having AI features from Apple Intelligence shoved in your face? Here's how you can turn it off in minutes.
cnet.co
December 16, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by Donna
Under the previously undisclosed program, TSA provides a list to ICE of travelers who will be coming through airports. ICE can then match the list against its own database of people subject to deportation and send agents to the airport to detain those people. nyti.ms/4oUnl4J
December 12, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by Donna
An environmental group filed a lawsuit to halt federal plans to decorate next year’s national parks pass with an image of President Trump’s face, arguing that federal law requires the pass to feature the winner of an annual nature photography competition.
Wildlife group sues to remove Trump photo from 2026 national parks pass
The 2026 America the Beautiful pass featuring the president’s face violates a 2004 law and causes “aesthetic harm,” the Center for Biological Diversity said.
wapo.st
December 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
What consumers should be most thankful for is that another day down leads to another day closer to the end of the Trump presidency.
President Trump says consumers have a lot to be thankful for as his first year in office wraps up.

But a look at polling reveals that Americans feel very differently than the president about their economic situation.
How voters really feel about affordability
Trump brushes it off, but the evidence is piling up that Americans are unhappy with their economist situations.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that sans serif fonts aren’t suited for world-class diplomacy and ordered the department to drop Calibri in favor of Times New Roman, reversing a Biden-era policy intended to help employees who are visually impaired.
Calibri font banished as U.S. diplomacy returns to Times New Roman
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the Biden administration’s shift to a sans serif font, to assist people with vision issues, a “wasteful” diversity move.
wapo.st
December 11, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by Donna
Up to a million bags of potentially dangerous cheese were recalled from top retailers, including Aldi, Target and Walmart.
Possible Metal Fragments in Bags of Shredded Cheese Spark Massive National Recall
Up to a million bags of potentially dangerous cheese were recalled from top retailers, including Aldi, Target and Walmart.
cnet.co
December 10, 2025 at 9:59 PM
President Trump is himself decaying. Maybe his comment is projection.
News Analysis: President Trump's dismissiveness of what he called a “decaying” Europe is only part of the problem facing European leaders. They're also confronting budget shortfalls, worsening public opinion and the far right as they try to maintain their security and help Ukraine.
The Challenges to Europe’s Security Go Beyond Trump’s Lack of Support
Europeans find themselves stranded between hostile powers, Russia and the United States, with key decisions looming over the future of Ukraine.
nyti.ms
December 11, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by Donna
Consumer Reports found Instacart quietly tests grocery prices, with some shoppers paying up to 23% more for identical items than others.
Same groceries, same store: So why did you pay more than your neighbor?
Consumer Reports found Instacart quietly tests grocery prices, with some shoppers paying up to 23% more for identical items than others.
www.scrippsnews.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Archaeologists have finished uncovering the longest continuous remains of an ancient wall that encircled Jerusalem, including possible evidence of a 2,100-year-old ceasefire between warring kingdoms.
Archaeologists uncover intact section of ancient Jerusalem wall from Hanukkah era
Archaeologists have uncovered the longest remains of an ancient wall that once encircled Jerusalem during the time of Hanukkah. The excavation was completed last week.
bit.ly
December 10, 2025 at 1:13 PM
This is what an egomaniac looks like.
Trump told Politico today that if he could grade his own economy, he'd give himself an "A-plus" — an "A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus."

Polls, however, indicate that many Americans disagree with that sentiment.
Trump grades his economy "A+++++" — most Americans don't agree
Trump told Politico that he "inherited a mess" when broached with voters' concerns about the economy.
www.axios.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Donna
First in THE VAULT: Senate Dems, led by Sens. Merkley and Cortez Masto, are introducing a bill today that would prohibit the U.S. Treasury and Mint from producing a coin bearing the likeness of Trump.

More details:
punchbowl.news/article/vaul...
Democrats move to ban Trump dollar coin
First in The Vault: Senate Dems are introducing a bill that would prohibit the U.S. Treasury and Mint from producing a coin bearing the likeness of Trump.
punchbowl.news
December 9, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Donna
Tucked into Congress’ massive defense policy bill is a provision that would limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless he provides the House and Senate Armed Services committees with unedited video of US military strikes in the Caribbean.
Congress will vote on limiting Hegseth’s travel budget unless he releases unedited video of boat strikes | CNN Politics
Tucked into Congress’ massive defense policy bill is a provision that would limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless he provides the House and Senate Armed Services committees with ...
www.cnn.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Donna
FDA withdraws requirements to check for asbestos in makeup
FDA withdraws requirements to check for asbestos in makeup
A recently withdrawn FDA rule means cosmetic companies are no longer required to test talc-based products for asbestos, leaving consumers responsible for choosing safer options.
wtop.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Grateful for Starkey Edge 24 AI hearing aids that have Bluetooth which connects to my phone. Game changer. #HearingAid #Deaf #Bluetooth #Disability
December 6, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Donna
The nation’s freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday.
Railroads will be allowed to reduce inspections and rely more on technology to spot track problems
The nation’s freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday.
bit.ly
December 5, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Donna
The Social Security Administration plans to cut field office visits by 50%. What it means for you
The Social Security Administration plans to cut field office visits by 50%. What it means for you
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration is hoping to cut visits to its field offices in half next year, a move that advocates for the agency fear signals more closures are coming. Field offices have long been community-based branches that serve as the public face of the SSA, which provide in-person help for people applying for retirement and disability benefits, getting Social Security cards and other important services. A November internal field office operating plan shared with The Associated Press outlines a proposed target of 50% fewer field office visitors in fiscal year 2026 compared to fiscal year 2025, or no more than 15 million field office visits by members of the public. Agency field offices saw more than 31.6 million field office visits from SSA recipients from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, according to the agency document. A Social Security spokesperson who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the administration’s plans for the agency said field offices will remain a front-line service to the roughly 75 million Americans who receive monthly payments. However, the spokesperson noted, more Americans are choosing to manage their benefits online or over the phone. Nextgov/FCW first reported on the agency’s plan to reduce field office foot traffic. At least 7,000 SSA workers have been laid off from the agency this year as the Trump administration has proposed a number of plans to streamline services at the SSA. In March, after outcry from lawmakers and the public, SSA leadership partially backtracked on a plan that would require all new and existing beneficiaries who are unable to use the agency’s online portal to travel to a Social Security field office to verify their identity. Jessica LaPointe, a union leader for 30,000 Social Security workers through The American Federation of Government Employees, or AFGE, said field offices are part of the quality of life agenda within communities, especially for “people who don’t have the resources to purchase technology to navigate the online world and they should be able to walk into an office to get help.” She said the SSA wants “to allow AI and the internet to replace a well-trained, well-vetted workforce.” Several field offices in rural areas of the U.S. have already closed this year because of a lack of staffing. The Social Security website lists several office closures as well as offices that are only able to assist by phone until further notice. Chris Delaney, a Social Security claims specialist and president of AFGE Local 3343 in Hudson, says he cannot imagine how SSA can have a goal of cutting foot traffic when his office is seeing an increase in foot traffic and a growing aging population reliant on SSA income. The Hudson office sees roughly 30 to 60 visitors per day who have questions about their benefits. “A lot of people can’t get past the ID verification on login.gov, and just because they have a cellphone doesn’t mean they’re capable of creating an online account,” Delaney said. “Having people in the office when they need it is important.” The 2026 operating plan also calls for all requested appointments to be scheduled within 30 days, instead of the current rate of 78.3% of all appointments scheduled within 30 days. Social Security is one of the nation’s largest and most popular social programs. A January poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that two-thirds of U.S. adults think the country is spending too little on Social Security. The agency has faced several lawsuits over the Trump administration’s plans to overhaul the agency. In October, Democracy Forward, a legal group challenging the Trump administration’s policies, filed a lawsuit to compel SSA to release public records about service disruptions and policy changes. “After executing the largest staffing cuts in the 90-year history of Social Security, they’re trying to deal with a problem they created without any meaningful discussion,” LaPointe said. “What they’re doing is void of public input.”The post The Social Security Administration plans to cut field office visits by 50%. What it means for you first appeared on Federal News Network.
federalnewsnetwork.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Feeling sorry for Mexico and Canada having to share space with President Trump.
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 PM