Oh Boy It Never Ends: The weekend's big movie?

I think the weekend's big movie is going to be FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA.

I have no idea if it's any good, I'll be seeing it this weekend. They've got Keanu in the advertising. I'm betting he's a very small part of the film. But that does make me want to see it (Keanu being in it).

Going out with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"

Thursday, June 5, 2025. Chump now wants the FBI to spy on parents and kids regarding medical treatment, he continues his war on immigrants and the economy, and someone needs to tell ICE that masks will not be able to hide any of the shame that they are feeling internally -- not today, not ten years from now.

Happy Pride and goodbye democracy. Why? June is Pride month. Goodbye democracy? That's when you have crooks in government who don't understand medical privacy let alone the rights of parents.

What are we talking about?

Kash Patel. With him and his monkey Dan Bongo having failed to deliver the 'truth' about the death of Epstein -- you remember him, right? the sweatiest of The Sweathogs -- and having angered 'Truth' 'Patriots' in the best Sally Langston manner, the two are desperate to get back in good with the hateful haters of MAGA. So what to do.

What to do.

Oh, right.

ATTACK TRANS PEOPLE!

That is their fall back pose over and over.

Scripps News Group reports:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is encouraging the public to report health care professionals who provide gender-affirming care to minors.

In a post on X on Monday, the agency said, "As the Attorney General has made clear, we will protect our children and hold accountable those who mutilate them under the guise of gender-affirming care."

It encouraged people to report "hospitals, clinics, or practitioners performing these surgical procedures on children."

Gender-affirming care includes mental health care, treatments like puberty blockers or hormone therapy and, in rare instances, surgery for those diagnosed with gender dysphoria. But it's something that is hardly ever done with children and handled on a case-by-case basis.

It's not illegal to receive gender-affirming care, but there are some states that restrict access to it for minors.

Doctors who spoke with the Scripps News Group in the past said providers will not consider gender-affirming medical treatment for kids who have not begun puberty. At most, they can offer family counseling or support.

"No one is walking into a visit and then walking out with the hormone prescription that same day. The other thing that takes time is actually getting into the clinic," said Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, Medical Director of Children's Minnesota Gender Health Program, in a previous interview with the Scripps News Group. "Just to have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, you have to have symptoms or be experiencing distress for six months or longer. So at a minimum, it's a months-long process. But I would say in many cases a years-long process."

SCRIPPS is doing half-assed reporting.

Where's the law?

There's no law.

There's no law but the FBI is wasting time on this. No law has been broken. But the FBI is wasting time on this. They're supposed to be focused on federal law.

There's no federal law.

This isn't their business. It's the business of the parents. No one else. Not even the child. The child's not an adult yet. The parents are responsible. That's been my position here from day one. I don't need you or anyone else to tell me what kind of treatment my child may or may not receive. I've noted before that if my children were kids -- they're adults now -- and one came to me and said they were transgender, we'd discuss with the doctor what the options were and we'd make a decision -- not strangers, not FBI agents, not closet cases in the US government.

It's no one else's damn business outside of the doctor, my child and me as the parent. And if they're 18 or over (or an emancipated minor), it's not even my business.

The FBI has more than enough to do without spying on people because they might be doing legal medical treatments.

Kash, what you gonna do when you fail us yet again?

The FBI is diverting their attention from being a federal law enforcement agency to spying on American citizens to determine what medical care they may or may not be receiving. And, repeating, the 'suspect' behavior is not against the law.

From last night's THE 11TH HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE

Stephanie Ruhle: President Trump's focus on immigration has meant calling on members from other agencies to assist. But NBC NEWS has reported that's been a source of tension from some officials who feel that they've been taken off their core national security missions.

And now FBI resources and time are going to be diverted into spying on Americans to see if any legal medical treatments are taking place?

I believe David Spade said it best in REALITY BITES, "If you got time to lean, you got time to clean." So if FBI agents now have so much time on their hands, let's give them a broom and dustpan.

They do have a job to do and if Chump were any decent president, he would want to ensure that the FBI was tasked with their actual mission and not diverted off into spying on Americans medical needs.

But Chump is a lousy president and the dementia's only making that worse.

Look at his immigration 'policy.' People are kidnapped off the street. And ICE agents wear masks. Not for safety but because they're humiliated by what they're being asked to do. This isn't how it's done and they know it. They wear masks hoping to hide from what's being done. Masks or not, people know what's going on and they know it's wrong. You don't send people to gulags in El Salvador. If you're part of doing that, you can look at being a whistle-blower or look at the other two options: Kill yourself or self-medicate with pills or booze. Those are the two options because you know what you're doing is wrong and inhumane and you know people are being tortured because of what you've done.

Masks won't hide that, not from others and not from yourselves.

Maryam Khanum (LATIN TIMES) reports:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has voiced that he is devoted to ensuring the return of a Venezuelan man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador after the Department of Homeland Security requested it.

The deported man, who has been identified in court documents only as "Cristian", would be the first individual to be returned to the US after being deported to the high-security prison Salvadoran Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, in El Salvador. He was deported despite court-ordered protections giving him legal status to remain within the US.

The Trump administration announced that Rubio was personally working on the case on Monday. Rubio, who has a long-standing relationship with El Salvador's president Nayyib Bukele, is currently negotiating Cristian's release with Bukele.

"Based on his deep diplomatic experience with El Salvador and the secretary's familiarity with political and diplomatic sensitivities in that country, he is personally handling the discussions with the government of El Salvador regarding persons subject to the court's order detained in El Salvador," the State Department said in a statement included in the filing.

Furthermore, the statement says Rubio has "read and understands this court's order and wants to ensure the court he is making prompt and diligent efforts" to comply.

So Chump and his Cabinet of Fools got that one wrong. Conrad Hoyt (LAW AND CRIME) notes:

A request for jurisdictional discovery from a Venezuelan immigrant locked up in a notorious Salvadoran prison has been granted, opening the door for the release of revelatory details into the Trump administration’s detainment deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

In a wide-ranging immigration case that intersects with others that have captured national interest, a petitioner referred to as E.D.Q.C. — reportedly previously identified as Edicson David Quintero Chacon, 28, argued he was not given prior notice of his planned deportation to El Salvador, a country with which he has no affiliation, and thus unable to raise concerns of being tortured at the country’s Terrorism Confinement Center, otherwise known as CECOT, which is accused of ill-treatment.

Middle District of Georgia U.S. Magistrate Judge Amelia Helmick ruled that if such allegations of a lack of notice are true, E.D.Q.C.’s transfer to and imprisonment in CECOT is “likely unlawful.” She also firmly rejected arguments by the Trump administration that certain “privileges” exist barring them from releasing information into their deal with the Salvadoran government, saying that “the only reason El Salvador has even entered the conversation in this case” is because the U.S. government sent the petitioner there.

“For Respondents to now assert that the terms of such relocation and potential detention should be shielded from Petitioner and the Court is disingenuous,” Helmick wrote in her Tuesday filing. “That is not to say that the entire panoply of relations between the United States and El Salvador is open to discovery, but the narrow matter of the terms under which Petitioner is held in El Salvador, the degree to which the United States is entitled to determine his ultimate disposition, and what involvement, if any, the United States continues to have in seeking his possible eventual repatriation to Venezuela is discoverable.”

So they got that one wrong too. What a bunch of idiots. A lot of people think Chump and his Merry Band of Fools are wrong regarding Maurilio Amizael Ambrocio Mendez as well. We've noted him before. Billal Rahman (NEWSWEEK) reports:

A Florida pastor who has lived in the United States for more than two decades was detained by federal agents during his annual immigration check-in.

Maurilio Amizael Ambrocio Mendez, 42, from Guatemala, was detained at the ICE field office in Tampa on April 17 at around 9 a.m., according to his family. He is currently being held at the Glades County Detention Center.

Ambrocio Mendez had been attending annual ICE appointments for the past 12 years under a court-issued "stay of removal," a form of supervision allowing him to remain in the country despite a deportation order.

According to his daughter, 19-year-old Ashley Ambrocio, Ambrocio Mendez had always complied with the conditions of his supervision.

"It's truly horrible. These people are going to their appointments to make it right. If they were the 'real criminals' Trump is supposedly deporting, they wouldn't be representing themselves to a judge," Ashley told Newsweek.

"My father's lawyer told my dad the chance was high he could be detained, but my father decided to go because he knew he was doing the right thing and obeying," she said.

So he was doing everything he was supposed to and then some. And Chump's trying to kick him out of the country. That's how you know -- if you still haven't figured it out -- that Chump is not a Christian. Christians don't work overtime to deport pastors who've broken no laws.

The article notes:

Ashley said that during the first few days following her father's arrest, she became ill from the stress of what happened; she couldn't eat for three days and struggled to sleep. She's concerned over her father's treatment while in ICE detention and said she is feeling anxious about their future together, especially if he ends up being deported.

"My family is devastated. It isn't the same without him; they miss him and wish he would come back," she said. "My mom didn't just lose the father of her children but also her partner. She gets lonely.

"Despite all this, I have faith, and that's what keeps me going."

That's his daughter. He has five adult children. They're suffering. Think about that. Grasp that the one being held in detention is suffering but so are his family and his friends. Ryan Adamczeski (THE ADVOCATE) reports:

A federal judge has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement not to deport a transgender immigrant after officers arrested her during her asylum hearing — but her attorneys say they still haven't been able to contact her.

O.J.M., known only by her initials out of concerns for her safety, was leaving a courtroom during her asylum hearing on Monday when she was detained by ICE agents, who demanded that the court dismiss her case. She was then taken from the courthouse in Portland, Ore. and forcibly moved across state lines to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Wash.

ICE did not inform O.J.M.'s attorneys, from the immigration law firm Innovation Law Lab, of her location after her arrest, prompting them to file a habeas petition. The filing, obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting, accuses ICE officials of committing "a deceptive sleight of hand" in an effort "to eject O.J.M. from her own asylum case, detain her, and transfer her away from the District of Oregon so that they can rapidly deport her.”

“Only nearly two years after O.J.M. was released from [immigration] custody and months after she applied for asylum, [officials] commenced removal proceedings against her in immigration court where she could present her asylum claim under the due process rights,” the petition reads. “O.J.M. had properly filed her asylum application, but ICE appears to be attempting to place her in expedited removal, a rapid deportation process with minimal protections."

Masks are not going to hide ICE agents from their guilt. And as Nazis learned, just doing your job is not a valid excuse when it comes to crimes against humanity. You're 28 right now? 20 years from now when your grandkid asks, "When you worked for ICE, you weren't art of rounding up and harassing people, sending them off to gulags to be tortured, were you?"

And maybe you'll lie to your grandkid but it's only going to remind you yet again what a vile person yuo were and are and what a War Criminal you are.

WSWS started calling ICE agents out on day one. I didn't. I'm comfortable doing it now. They've had time to see what's actually happening. If they're aware and continuing to carry out these crimes against humanity, they don't deserve sympathy. They've had plenty of 'wait and see' time. They're now just as guilty as Chump and the guilt's not going to go away by them conducting business as usual.

You know the lives that are being destroyed, you know that the courts keep objecting, you know what you're doing is wrong. If you continue down this road, your options are limited and you guilt will not go away even if you try to silence it with drugs. You will be haunted forever by the actions you are taking now.

At WSWS, Jacob Crosse writes:

Every day in the United States, heavily armed, militarized, and masked immigration agents—often operating without warrants or even the pretense of due process—are seizing workers, students, parents and long-time residents as part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing mass deportation campaign.

Under the guise of combating “terrorism” and “criminal gangs,” the ongoing raids overwhelmingly target workers and their families, many of whom have filed for asylum and completed every legal requirement for seeking residence in the United States.

In the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported arresting 66,463 people and deporting 65,682. By mid-May, nearly 49,000 individuals were being held in immigration detention centers—most of them privately run, for-profit facilities scattered across the United States.

To meet a White House-imposed quota of 3,000 arrests per day—set by Trump’s fascist-minded senior advisor Stephen Miller—masked immigration agents are appearing at courthouses, worksites, and other public spaces to capture “illegal” immigrants.

If their “target” is not present, the immigration Gestapo is encouraged to carry out “collateral arrests”—detaining anyone they encounter whom they suspect of being “illegal,” regardless of whether that person was the intended target.

In line with these directives, the right-wing New York Post—owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp—reported that “2,200 illegal migrants” were arrested in a single day on Tuesday. This came after a Monday press conference by ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, who gloated that immigration agents had detained 1,461 people in Massachusetts in May alone as part of “Operation Patriot.”

Trump and his ruling class allies have repeatedly claimed that those being targeted for deportation are the spearhead of an invasion force aimed at destroying America. This lie is disproven every day.

On Wednesday, CNN reported that the Trump administration is reviving its notorious child separation policy and has already taken approximately 500 children into government custody—removing them from previously vetted family sponsors. During Trump’s first term, more than 5,500 children were separated from their parents in a cruel and inhumane effort to deter immigrants and asylum seekers. As of 2024, according to Human Rights Watch, over 1,000 of those children had still not been reunited with their families.

Every day brings new outrages. On Tuesday, KTLA in Los Angeles reported that Martir Gracia Lara, a fourth-grade student at Torrance Elementary School, and his father attended an immigration hearing in Houston, Texas, at which point both were detained and separated by ICE agents.

There is growing popular opposition to the Trump administration’s vicious assault on immigrants and their families. Demonstrations against the administration’s policies are becoming more frequent and militant, reflecting a deepening mood of resistance.

And if you're an ICE agent, you know about that opposition because you feel it in your heart. You know what you're doing is wrong and disgusting and vile. You know this isn't how you were raised to be. That's why you need the masks, to try to hide from yourself, from the voice inside that tells you right from wrong.

Chump's not going to help you, he's not even going to defend you.

As Lawrence O'Donnell noted last night on MSNBC, Dementia Donnie is silent with regards to the attacks he is now getting from Musk.

Why?

Because Chump is a coward.

Because Chump is a fake.

Because Chump is a fraud.

He's a poor man with a mountain of debt and he needs the world to believe he's huge -- huge -- hugely wealthy.

Wealthy people don't have to leave NYC because society turned a back on them. But that's what happened. Chump's seen as the money grubber he truly is and the con artist he's always been. He had to move to Florida -- Jimmy Buffett land -- in order to have a social life.

Everything about him is fake.

And right now, as his tough guy' pose crumbles in front of the nation, Chump stays silent as he tries to calculate whether or not he's lost Musk forever. He needs the money, Chump always needs the money. And he'll act the little bitch on the national stage for it.

In the meantime, Chump continues his war on the economy. Lauren Lewis (DAILY BEAST) reports:

Trump said his aggressive program of tariffs would spark a manufacturing boom but he appears to have been wrong. U.S. manufacturers are warning that the president is creating a crisis akin to the disruption the COVID pandemic caused with his tariffs. Manufacturers have reported longer lead times for supplies, higher prices, and disruptions to production—even as demand dries up, Axios reported. Some of the the slowdown has been fueled by the on-again, off-again nature of Trump’s levies which have left some suppliers either delaying deliveries or scrapping them altogether.

Donald Chump's motto has always been, "If I can't tell the truth, I can at least hide it." Marcia Brown (POLITICO) reports:

Trump administration officials delayed and redacted a government forecast because it predicts an increase in the nation’s trade deficit in farm goods later this year, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The numbers run counter to President Donald Trump’s messaging that his economic policies, including tariffs, will reduce U.S. trade imbalances. The politically inconvenient data prompted administration officials to block publication of the written analysis normally attached to the report because they disliked what it said about the deficit.

It’s not clear when or if the written analysis portion will be released.

The previous forecast, published in February, projected a deficit of $49 billion for the current fiscal year, an increase from the November 2024 report. The new analysis revises the projection to a record $49.5 billion, beating the previous record of $31.8 billion in fiscal 2024.

Republicans used the quarterly report’s rising trade deficit projections during the Biden administration to accuse then-Secretary Tom Vilsack of not doing enough to promote U.S. farm exports. Agriculture secretaries historically have used the forecasts to promote policy initiatives.

The May report reflects Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs, the people said. The president has announced sharply higher tariffs on China and “reciprocal” levies of at least 10 percent on most U.S. trading partners.

Sahil Kapur (NBC NEWS) explains:

The sweeping Republican bill for President Donald Trump's domestic agenda is projected to add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years, according to a new estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

It is slightly higher than an earlier version of the bill, which the CBO projected to add $2.3 trillion in new debt.

The long-awaited new score factors in a series of last-minute revisions GOP leaders made to placate holdouts before the House passed the legislation last month. The changes include a higher state and local tax (SALT) deduction and a provision that triggers the Medicaid work requirements sooner than the original legislation did.

Overall, CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation found that over a 10-year period, the legislation would decrease revenues by $3.7 trillion, while cutting net spending by $1.3 trillion — for a total of $2.4 trillion in new red ink.

The legislation would also increase the number of people without health insurance by 9.1 million by 2034, CBO projected. That includes 7.8 million fewer covered due to the Medicaid changes.

Matthew Chapman (RAW STORY) notes:

Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey was slapped with 18 health code violations, Forbes reported on Wednesday — including some truly gross ones.

Overall, the facility scored just 32 out of 100 in its health inspection, the lowest grade in all of Somerset County. Moreover, nine out of the 18 violations were deemed to be the most serious category, posing an "unacceptable health risk" to people at the establishment.

Among the violations at the Bedminster club were failing "all three requirements in the 'food protected from contamination' category, with violations including expired milk, raw meat stored improperly and a dishwasher that may not reach the required temperature," noted the report. "The inspector also cited four separate hand-washing violations, including sinks without soap or paper towels, one lacking a required sign and another used to store a sanitizer bucket."

If you're not getting it, he's a slum lord. That's why, despite years of trying, he couldn't buy his way into NYC society and has to nurse his wounds in Florida. It's why I worry for Vietnam when I find out they're going to be doing construction with him.

Does no one remember the coverage of Chump's casinos? How they fall apart and never get fixed. Leaky roof? Put a buck out to catch the water -- year after year. He's a slum lord. That's all he's ever been and all he ever will be.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

Murray: “You didn’t do an actual analysis to determine what the effects of this would be?”

McMahon: “No.”

***WATCH: Senator Murray’s Q&A with Sec. McMahon***

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Department of Education (ED) Secretary Linda McMahon at a Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Department. Senator Murray pressed Secretary McMahon on the indiscriminate mass firings of employees across the Department, the lack of transparency from the Department as it illegally withholds funds that were already appropriated by Congress, and how the Trump administration talks a big game about tackling antisemitism in schools but is actually dismantling the very office charged with investigating it and enforcing federal civil rights laws for students.

In opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

“Good morning, Secretary McMahon. You know, President Trump has made clear that he wants to abolish the very department that you lead. And we know here that you cannot eliminate the Department of Education without an act of Congress—but I’m afraid that has not stopped you from preventing the Department from actually doing its job.

“You have indiscriminately shuttered offices and pushed out half of the Department’s staff. And under your leadership, we have seen critical research to improve student outcomes axed overnight—and funding for mental health services and teacher training, among a whole lot, abruptly cut off and discontinued.

“Now, today you come before this Committee to request massive funding cuts that do, in my opinion, nothing to help improve opportunities for students in our public schools throughout the country. You are proposing to slash Pell grants and much more.

“Now, you and the president say this isn’t about cutting education funding but all about ‘returning education to the states.’ But actually, that couldn’t be farther from the truth—because the reality is this administration is actually taking unprecedented steps to extort schools and universities, and hold federal funding hostage if they don’t conform with your agenda.

“So, it’s pretty clear that ‘returning education to the states’ actually means letting states, colleges, and local communities pick up the tab. And I just don’t believe that’s how things should work in America—I don’t believe that’s good for our students and I don’t believe it is good for our families.”

[MASS FIRINGS AT ED]

Senator Murray began by pressing Secretary McMahon on the indiscriminate mass firings across the Department: “Secretary McMahon, as I mentioned, you have set out to eliminate nearly half of your Department’s workforce. And that includes pushing out the door more than half of the staff at the Office for Civil Rights, the entire staff responsible for managing grant operations and contract procurement, and employees who actually prevent students from getting ripped off by predatory colleges. The Department cannot do its basic job to execute the law given how many staff have been pushed out. And it is our students and our teachers who will suffer the consequences. So, I want to know from you: before you cut that much staff, did you conduct any analysis to assess whether or not it would degrade support and services for students and our schools? Or how the Department would still be able to execute the law after losing so many employees?”

Secretary McMahon responded, “Yes, we did talk to the Department itself, OCR.”

“But did you do an actual analysis?” Senator Murray pressed.

“What we looked at across was, how can we restructure the Department so that we can maximize the use of the people who are there? So, what we did was in, like, training manuals and things of that nature, to look at it and say, okay, we can better operate if we focus on—” SecretaryMcMahon replied.

“So, this was a conversation. You didn’t do an actual analysis to determine what the effects of this would be?” Senator Murray clarified.

“No,” replied Secretary McMahon.

“So, no study was done. They were just fired, and you assumed that it would work?” Senator Murray asked.

Secretary McMahonreplied, “No, obviously not. I have been in the private sector and done restructuring before in companies, and it’s painful to do.”

“It is painful, but normally companies look ahead and say: what are our goals and what will be the impact if these employees are gone from this Department? That’s why I asked. But you’ve not done an analysis, and my time is short, so let me continue,” said Senator Murray.

[REFUSAL TO DETAIL HOW ED IS SPENDING FUNDING]

Senator Murray turned to the lack of transparency from the Department about how it is spending funding that has already been provided: “You were required—by law—to submit an operating plan 45 days after enactment of the full-year CR detailing exactly how you are spending funding Congress provided this year. You didn’t do that. The purported ‘operating plan’ that you did submit told us virtually nothing about how you are spending taxpayer dollars right now, at this very moment. And that really raises concerns about when—and actually if—you are going get funding that Congress did provide for FY25 out the door. For example: your FY26 budget request zeroes out dedicated funding for literacy education programs, and your operating plan for this year describes this funding as ‘unallocated.’ So, will you allocate the $220 million for literacy programs that Congress appropriated for FY25?”

Secretary McMahon refused to commit to spending the funding Congress provided for literacy programs, stating: “Well, Senator, as I mentioned earlier, we are looking at the unallocated dollars now to determine which of those programs we can best spend those dollars on. And I would be happy to get back to you. And we want to work with Congress on those unallocated dollars to see where they could be spent the best.”

Senator Murray pressed on whether ED will release the funds: “Well, what is your plan to make sure that, that funding actually gets to the schools and students is intended to support? We’re running out of time here.”

“Well, to look at those programs and then to allocate them to the states. If those programs, we believe is the best interests…” said Secretary McMahon.

“Those funds were appropriated by Congress. Your department was to allocate them, and it really looks to me like the Department is illegally impounding funding that would help our students succeed with plans that don’t exist—and just day after day going by here. And that’s our concern,” saidSenator Murray.

Secretary McMahon replied, “Well, let us work more with you as we update those allocations, as we did before.”

“When do you plan to have those funds out by?” pushed Senator Murray.

“Well, the funds that we are approving will go out in this year,” Secretary McMahon responded.

Senator Murray replied, “Like in this next month, or..?”

“In the fiscal year,” saidSecretary McMahon.

“You’re running out of time. So, we need to see what the plan is if you can provide it,” said Senator Murray.

Senator Murray and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought last week calling out the Trump administration’s lack of transparency about how it is spending funds provided by Congress for this year—noting the complete inadequacy of the spend plan, required by law, that the Department of Education submitted.

[DISMANTLING THE OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS]

Senator Murray then addressed how the Trump administration has been dismantling the Office for Civil Rights, which is the office charged with enforcing federal civil rights laws in schools and investigating discrimination, noncompliance with federal law and more. Under Secretary McMahon’s leadership, half of OCR’s staff have been eliminated and investigations have been hamstrung, and President Trump has requested a nearly 36% cut to OCR’s budget. She began: “Secretary McMahon, the Administration says that one of its priorities is tackling antisemitism in our schools—that’s correct, right?”

“Correct,” replied Secretary McMahon.

“Well, the Office for Civil Rights at your Department takes the leading role in preventing antisemitism and enforcing our nation’s civil rights law. It is really an important mission. But as you hopefully know, that office is under water. What is the current backlog at OCR, can you tell us that?” inquired Senator Murray.

Secretary McMahon said, “We inherited about a 20,000 backlog from the Biden administration. One of the things that we found is some of those cases were like one-page complaints, and we’ve really been able to get rid of many of them and we are fulfilling…we absolutely are fulfilling all of our statutory requirements—have not failed to do any of those. And not only are we reducing the backlog, but we are keeping up with the current amount with a reduced staff because we are doing it efficiently.”

“If you don’t have the staff, you can’t do them,” Senator Murray pressed.

“If you have an efficient staff that has changed programs and you are addressing all of the issues, then you are being successful. So, I am answering your question by completely answering it,” replied Secretary McMahon.

“Actually, Madam Secretary, my question is what is the current backlog?” asked Senator Murray.

Secretary McMahon replied, “The current backlog is probably about—let’s see I’m looking at my numbers now—about 25,000 cases.”

“25,000, and how many are you processing per month? Do you have any sense?” Senator Murray asked.

“Well, we’re catching up with the backlog. And keeping current on the ones that are coming in,” dodged Secretary McMahon.

Senator Murray pressed, “But you don’t know how many you are processing every month? You can’t tell us so we can get an idea?”

“I can get back to you with that,” said Secretary McMahon.

“Would you? If you could commit to giving us quarterly reports so we can know whether OCR is simply dismissing these cases or doing its job,” replied Senator Murray.

Secretary McMahon responded in part, “I would be happy to do that.”

###

Last night, Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Linda McMahon Answers Senator Jack Reed" went up. The following sites updated: