Measles, Ebola and flu? Oh my!
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Measles, Ebola, and the Flu – Oh my!
Feb 28, 2025 at 5:21pm
And the DOJ nominees who advocated for breaking the law.
Donald Trump’s second government is creating chaos in the federal administration.
Cage Rivera/Rewire News Group
The Trump administration is doing everything it can to take us back to dark ages. The Trump administration has outdone itself this week. From underplaying the deadly measles epidemic to appointing Justice Department officials that are almost promising to ignore the law, they have been at it again. Here’s what you may have missed.
Health and science
The U.S. recorded its first measles death in a decade amid a growing outbreak in Texas. The child who died had not been vaccinated. Three measles cases have also been reported in New Jersey. Three measles cases have also been reported in New Jersey.
A new Hart Research poll showed that 71 percent of people who voted for Trump said Medicaid cuts would be “unacceptable,” but this week, House Republicans passed a budget resolution that includes lowering Medicaid spending.
Elon Musk admitted that cancelling Ebola prevention funding was a mistake, but a USAID official said no funds have been restored, the AP reported.
- The Food and Drug Administration cancelled a meeting of a panel of vaccine experts to discuss next year’s flu vaccines.
- Anti-democratic actions
- During confirmation hearings, Justice Department nominees suggested the Trump administration could ignore some court orders. During her confirmation hearing for assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet Dhillon would not commit to not firing DOJ attorneys and officials over their political views, the AP reported.
- In an unprecedented move, the White House said it would determine which news organizations and reporters could be part of the White House press pool.
The New York Times reported that Trump signed a proposal aiming to strip security clearance from a law firm representing former special counsel Jack Smith, who investigated Trump’s role in the January 6 insurrection, among other alleged offenses.
- Immigration
- On Tuesday, immigration officials announced the Trump administration will create a registry for undocumented people in the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security said undocumented immigrants must register and provide fingerprints and an address, the Associated Press reported.
- Trump and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik announced a “gold card” program that would replace the existing EB-5 program, which provides green card eligibility for people who invest about $1 million in a business that creates at least 10 jobs, along with the investors’ families. Under Trump’s floated plan, “gold cards” would sell for $5 million and include a path to citizenship, according to the AP.
Reproductive rights
- GenBioPro, the largest abortion pill manufacturer in the country, requested to become a defendant in a case that could reverse expanded access to mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.
- LGBTQ+ rights
Trump threatened to withhold funding from Maine after Gov. Janet Mills said the state would not comply with the administration’s executive order targeting trans athletes.
- Idaho, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota are asking the Supreme Court to consider overturning marriage equality, which the Court recognized in the landmark 2015 decision Obergefell v. Hodges.
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