Friday, March 14, 2025

End of the Week Updates in March of 2025.

 The FAFSA site went down after the mass firing of people from the Department of Education. A madman and a liar in the White House is doing this action in trying to cripple the federal government for narcissism and folly. Now, 21 states sue over Trump's cuts to the Department of Education. The DOE works hard to help people pay for college tuition, to help disabled children, to help people get free lunch, and to supplement investments to local schools nationwide. Trump has illegally fired many federal workers and gives Elon Musk personal, sensitive data via his DOGE organization (which is completely illegal). McMahon has no educational experience, but she heads the Department of Education. This refutes the lie that Trump promotes people in his cabinet based upon merit. This is ironic as Trump opposes diversity programs, but wants non-qualified people to run his cabinet (when diverse people are perfectly qualified to handle governmental policies).

Trump want to abolish the Department of Education. He wants to do this, because he believes in the old lie that the federal government must be nearly destroyed under the guise of "state rights" and "individual liberty." The Department of Education has a vital role in cutting student loan costs, helping poor children to have free lunch, investing in disabled children, and investing in state and local schools to reach their highest potential in a progressive fashion. These neo-Confederate MAGA cultists want to revert America back to the 19th century. That is why one MAGA cultist want to abolish the progressive blessings of the 20th century. One Trump leader who is an aide said that tariffs that can potential cause a recession in America is "worth it." These are sick people who rather see people suffer in the streets than see justice for all. We know that tariffs are a tax causing business to shut down, trade wars, and millions of people could lose their jobs. We don't need tariffs, especially in how interconnected our economy is globally.


Some breaking news is that dozens of protesters have been arrested at Trump Tower. They have supported Mahmoud Khalil, and many have occupied the Trump Tower lobby. The pro-Palestine protesters were dragged out by the police. It is on 5th Avenue and 56th Street. Protests continue to happen at Columbia University in New York City. Many protesters who were arrested were members of Jewish Voice for Peace. These Jewish people wanted Mahmoud to be free from jail and didn't want the attacks on Gaza to continue.  This is very historic as we deal with another age of fascism in America.

One of the evilest acts of the 2nd term of the Trump administration is how it dropped a lawsuit against a Chemical plant that the Biden administration deemed a health threat. At St. James, Louisiana, and other places, many people have died of cancer because of exposure to cancer. Cancer. That Trump administration doesn't care about the environment. This is not a nuanced issue. This is not a complicated issue. It is about protecting human lives from the evil "cancer alley" plant. It's sick. MAGA supporters support this male Trump. People lecture us about respecting the office. He or Trump has no respect for the office but supports environmental racism against black residents in Louisiana. If a person is not outraged at this, then that person doesn't care about cleaning up the environment. It is as simple as that. Not all regulations are bad. Legitimate regulations that protect the air, promote safety standards, advance clean water, and improve the health of the people should be promoted, not banned. There is no ambiguity on this issue. This issue is about life and death. The Trump administration is the worst administration of my lifetime. That is why I oppose the Trump administration, among other reasons. The good news is that older and younger black environmental activists are fighting back with courage, resiliency, and determination.


Yesterday was the Birthday of Brother Common, and he is 53 years old. He is a hip hop artist and actor, being one of the most talented and influential hip hop artists of all time. He earned three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He has an underground following with his music, too. He was born in the Midwest, in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood too. He is the son of educator and former principal of John Hope College Preparatory High School, Mahalia Ann Hines, and former ABA basketball player turned youth counselor Lonnie Lynn. Common is known by Rashid to his family and friends. His godfather is basketball player Spencer Haywood, who was a teammate of his father on the Denver Rockets. Common was later raised in the Calumet Heights neighborhood. Common worked with the Chicago Bulls as a teenager. He attended Florida A&M University for two years under a scholarship and majored in business administration. Common rapped by the late 1980s while he was in Luther High School South in Chicago. He was in the group C.D.R. with his friends. Like, he had the single Take It EZ by 1992 from his album Can I Borrow a Dollar? Common had his 1994 album Resurrection. This was when people outside of Chicago knew of his music. Alternative and underground hip hop circles view him as a pioneer. The album was produced by No. ID. Common was in the 1996 compilation CD called America is Dying Slowly (with Biz Markie, Wu Tang Clan, Fat Joe, and other artists) to bring awareness of the AIDS epidemic. He worked with De La Soul, Canibus, Lauryn Hill, Chantay Savage, Questlove, Black Thought, and other people in the 1997 album One Day It'll All Make Sense. He was in the hip hop collective Soulquarians to make music too. Like Water for Chocolate is one of his greatest albums. The experimental album Electric Circus came out in 2002. The Corner was a single from 2005 which was one of the greatest songs of his career. Common made more music like the LP Finding Forever. The Dreamer, The Believer was released in 2011. In 2024, Common released the collaborative album with Pete Rock called The Auditorium Vol. 1 with singles like Wise Up. Common is a vegan and a Christian who attended Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. He is a fan of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears. He had an honorary DFA degree. He loves his daughter. Now, he is dating singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. I wish Brother Common more Blessings. 

By Timothy