The List

[canpakes]

Of interest to note on July 4 - our Independence Day from monarchy - the Administration increases its demonstrations of punishment against employees who take issue with some of its decisions.

EPA puts 139 employees on leave after they sign a ‘declaration of dissent’
Letter from workers, which EPA claims is ‘unlawful’, says agency is no longer living up to its mission

Associated Press
Thu 3 Jul 2025 20.11 EDT

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday put on administrative leave 139 employees who signed a “declaration of dissent” about its policies, accusing them of “unlawfully undermining” the Trump administration’s agenda.

In a letter made public Monday, the employees wrote that the agency is no longer living up to its mission to protect human health and the environment. The letter represented rare public criticism from agency employees who knew they could face blowback for speaking out against a weakening of funding and federal support for climate, environmental and health science.

In a statement Thursday, the EPA said it has a “zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting” the Trump administration’s agenda.

Employees were notified that they had been placed in a “temporary, non-duty, paid status” for the next two weeks, pending an “administrative investigation”, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Associated Press. “It is important that you understand that this is not a disciplinary action,” the email reads.

More than 170 EPA employees put their names on the document, with about 100 more signing anonymously out of fear of retaliation, according to Jeremy Berg, a former editor in chief of Science magazine who is not an EPA employee but was among non-EPA scientists or academics to also sign.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health made a similar move earlier in June, but Berg said he was unaware of anyone at the NIH who had been placed on similar administrative leave.

Under administrator Lee Zeldin, the EPA has cut funding for environmental improvements in minority communities, vowed to roll back federal regulations that lower air pollution in national parks and on tribal reservations, proposed to undo a ban on a type of asbestos and proposed repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.

Zeldin began reorganizing the EPA’s research and development office as part of his push to slash its budget and gut its study of climate change and environmental justice. He’s also seeking to roll back pollution rules that an AP examination found were estimated to save 30,000 lives and $275bn every year.

The EPA responded to the employees’ letter earlier this week by saying policy decisions “are a result of a process where Administrator Zeldin is briefed on the latest research and science by EPA’s career professionals, and the vast majority who are consummate professionals who take pride in the work this agency does day in and day out”.

[canpakes]

.
From Substack’s The Intellectualist:
- - - - - - - - - -

Churches Given Green Light to Endorse Political Candidates After 70-Year Ban Lifted

IRS ruling ends decades-long restriction on political endorsements from the pulpit, raising concerns over campaign finance and tax-exempt integrity.
THE INTELLECTUALIST - JUL 08, 2025

Amid the 2020 demonstrations over George Floyd’s death, then-President Trump posed for a photo outside St. John’s Episcopal Church, which had been vandalized the night before. The walk from the White House to the church was made possible after authorities cleared the area using crowd-control measures, drawing widespread criticism.

On July 7, 2025, the Internal Revenue Service announced that churches and other houses of worship may now endorse political candidates to their congregations without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status, according to a report by The New York Times.

Historic Rule Overturned After Seven Decades

The IRS’s decision effectively ends the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, a provision introduced by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson in 1954. For more than 70 years, the rule barred tax-exempt nonprofit organizations — including churches — from engaging in political campaigning. The agency’s filing, intended to resolve a lawsuit brought by two Texas churches and a Christian broadcasters association, states that endorsements delivered during religious services to congregants are now considered private and permissible.

How the Change Unfolded

The lawsuit sought a broader exemption, asking the court to declare that all nonprofits, religious and secular, could endorse candidates to their members. The IRS stopped short of that, instead carving out a specific allowance for houses of worship. The filing asserted that communications to congregants about candidates during religious services are akin to “a family discussion concerning candidates,” and therefore fall outside the scope of prohibited political activity.

Formalizing an Unspoken Practice

Experts note that the IRS had long been reluctant to penalize clergy for political statements made from the pulpit. But this marks the first time the agency explicitly declared such endorsements legal. “It basically tells churches of all denominations and sects that you’re free to support candidates from the pulpit,” said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. “It also says to all candidates and parties, ‘Hey, time to recruit some churches.’”

Reaction From Nonprofit Advocates

The National Council of Nonprofits, which represents approximately 30,000 organizations, criticized the move, warning it could allow political operatives to use tax-exempt groups as vehicles to fund campaigns with taxpayer-subsidized dollars. Its president, Diane Yentel, called the IRS’s position “not about religion or free speech, but about radically altering campaign finance laws. The decree could open the floodgates for political operatives to funnel money to their preferred candidates while receiving generous tax breaks at the expense of taxpayers who may not share those views.”

The Stakes Moving Forward

While the filing claims the change applies only to direct communication with congregants during religious services, legal scholars caution it may set off disputes over where to draw the line. Ellen P. Aprill, a professor emeritus at Loyola Law School, warned that such endorsements, when posted online or shared beyond the congregation, could effectively become public campaign statements. “It’s not going to be limited to just their membership,” she said. “Even Las Vegas doesn’t stay in Las Vegas these days. Everybody has a web page.”

https://theintellectualistofficial.subs ... irect=true

[Moksha]

The decree could open the floodgates for political operatives to funnel money to their preferred candidates while receiving generous tax breaks at the expense of taxpayers who may not share those views.”

This will be seen as a Golden Age in Utah. Just make sure to funnel some of those tax-free political contributions to the Ensign Peak Investments fund.

[canpakes]

.
Moving closer to 1984 every day …

Stock Market Today: Dow Falls on Tariff Blitz; Trump Orders Firing of Top Labor Official

President Trump said he directed his team to fire the top Bureau of Labor Statistics official after the bureau issued a weak jobs report on Friday.
​The report weighed on markets Friday along with Trump's revamped tariff plan. Trump in a social media post said Erika McEntarfer, the BLS commissioner, would be “replaced with someone much more competent and qualified,” asserting without evidence that the government’s jobs numbers have been manipulated for political purposes.

The July jobs report undershot forecasts, suggesting the economy added just 106,000 positions over the past three months, although unemployment stood at 4.2% last month, matching expectations.

The dollar sank, while Treasury yields dropped and the Dow industrials shed more than 1%. The VIX, a market-volatility index often dubbed a fear gauge, shot higher. After the report, investors ramped up bets that the Federal Reserve will now be more inclined to cut rates to support the economy.

On tariffs, trading partners, including Switzerland and Taiwan, said they would keep trying to negotiate with the White House. Switzerland faces a 39% tariff rate—higher than the 31% floated in April—while Taiwanese goods will be levied at a 20% rate.

The president hiked levies on Canadian goods that don't comply with a North American trade agreement to 35%, starting today. Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he was disappointed and Canada had already moved to address concerns over fentanyl.

Countries that run small trade surpluses with the U.S. will largely get 15% duties, while those with deficits will have 10% tariffs. Trump gave Mexico more time to set a trade deal and avoid higher tariffs, extending current rates by 90 days.

Amazon shares sold off after the company reported disappointing growth in its cloud-computing arm, while investors dug into earnings from Chevron, Exxon Mobil and Colgate-Palmolive.

By the end of Friday, around one-third of S&P 500 members will have reported this week. Companies are warning that tariff uncertainty is weighing on their businesses.

In recent trading:

Stock indexes dropped, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite falling more than 2%, leading losses. The Dow faced its worst week since early April.

Treasury yields fell after the jobs report. Yields on 10-year notes dropped more than 0.1 percentage point.

European stocks skidded, with Italian, French and German indexes down more than 2.5%. Switzerland's stock market was shut for a holiday.

Asian indexes declined too. South Korea's Kospi slid 3.9% after Seoul proposed higher taxes on corporations and investors.

The WSJ Dollar Index handed back earlier gains, shedding about 1%.

—By Caitlin McCabe and Roshan Fernandez

[Doctor Steuss]

Anecdotally, my car insurance just went up about $300 a year. No accidents, no tickets, no new zip code... same old truck.

Called to try to get a reason, and after getting passed around for a bit, I finally landed with a manager. The reason? Tariffs. The rates have to offset the anticipated increased cost of repairs should there be an accident or other claim event.

All major economists and energy experts are also projecting power bills to drastically increase over the next few years, in part because of Trump's LNG deals.

Thanks, Trump voters. This is super helpful for a single dad barely making ends meet.

[canpakes]

.
‘America Last’, again.

Continuing his efforts to reduce the federal government, President Donald Trump ordered the elimination of all nonstatutory functions of the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).

Part of the Treasury Department, the CDFI Fund seeks to expand economic opportunities for underserved people and communities.
…
Among other roles, the CDFI Fund administers the Capital Magnet Fund, which awards grants to CDFIs and nonprofits to finance affordable housing. Over the years, it has helped create more than 63,000 affordable homes, including more than 55,600 rental units and 7,400 owner-occupied units. Officials note that it has generated $20 of additional investment for every $1 of award funding.

Turns out we won’t need this agency if we just throw homeless folks out of the city boundaries, and into other areas where Trump won’t have to look at them.

[Gadianton]

This is the capitol of Turkmenistan, what Hound and Ajax are going for. Hound likes the idea of a sham republic and a dictator with a sense of humor who hams it up for the camera. He mostly likes the idea that so-called liberals will suffer while they will thrive, which won't be the case, but a spotless capitol, magnificent planes -- it's the tribal model of the people vicariously consuming by their leaders opulence. Their leader has greater personal wealth at the expense of themselves than another country, therefore they feel superior. Mainly they want their leaders to consume as much as possible at the expense of the people as a way to troll liberals, but they do have that primitive brain chemistry that consumes vicariously through their leaders.

There are endless photos of Ashgabat that make the point, the capitol itself is totally dead and barely a car to be seen ever. It's a primitive idea of wealth, which of course, appeals to primitive dullards who wear red hats and ...? To fill in the dots, see Cam's recent posts. I guarantee you their own dear leader does plenty of that thing Republican men like to do. Hound will be happy for that.

[Chap]

.
‘America Last’, again.

Turns out we won’t need this agency if we just throw homeless folks out of the city boundaries, and into other areas where Trump won’t have to look at them.

On crime in Washington:

The president said earlier that “the number of carjackings has more than tripled, murders in 2023 reached the highest rate – probably ever.”

A quick fact check and some important context here. According to the non-partisan Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), the number of carjackings in DC did peak in June 2023. Their data comes from the DC Metropolitan Police Department.

But when you compare June 2023 to June 2025, carjackings actually fell by 75 %.

And on homicides, the city did experience a peak in August 2023, but that has fallen by 65% compared to June of this year.

Overall, the homicide rate in DC fell by 19% in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, according to CCJ.

See https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/liv ... ve-updates

But the facts don't matter a damn. Anything to take those MAGA minds off Epstein!

[Jersey Girl]

Turns out we won’t need this agency if we just throw homeless folks out of the city boundaries, and into other areas where Trump won’t have to look at them.

On crime in Washington:

The president said earlier that “the number of carjackings has more than tripled, murders in 2023 reached the highest rate – probably ever.”

A quick fact check and some important context here. According to the non-partisan Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ), the number of carjackings in DC did peak in June 2023. Their data comes from the DC Metropolitan Police Department.

But when you compare June 2023 to June 2025, carjackings actually fell by 75 %.

And on homicides, the city did experience a peak in August 2023, but that has fallen by 65% compared to June of this year.

Overall, the homicide rate in DC fell by 19% in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, according to CCJ.

See https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/liv ... ve-updates

But the facts don't matter a damn. Anything to take those MAGA minds off Epstein!

He's GASLIGHTING his base so he can officially declare martial law. He's already doing it in DC in a more informal way. Outright martial law is coming.

Write that down.

And by the way, I and others predicted this would happen in other ways in other locations. The point is it's going to happen and my guess is it'll spread to other US cities. Target Chicago because he hates freaking Obama.

I'm not even going out on a limb here. Take a look at the news and watch it snowball over time.

[Doctor Steuss]

I personally think it's just a classic misdirect, and not a move towards martial law. I'm notoriously wrong about stuff though.

Basic Trumpian playbook. Declare a problem that doesn't exist ("they're eating the dogs"), get the base distracted from the fact they worship a pedophile, and then either declare the problem fixed that wasn't there to begin with or just find a new distraction to move on to when this one runs out of steam.