LOCAL CHEERS, BIG WINS, and WORK NEEDED
Happenings
New Series of Important Stories
We are starting a new series promoting stories about Good Things, Democratic Wins, and What We Can Protest. Here is our first group of entries. Anyone wishing to help us by contributing ideas for future posts, please enter them in the box below. All submitted entries, if published, will appear as “–submitted by a Reader.” All entries will be verified for accuracy before publication. New entries will appear approximately weekly.
Rebranding a Job Benefit (12/27/2025)
You may have heard about the $1,776 “dividend” Trump gifted to active duty military before Christmas. It sounded like extra money, part of the bounty of those wonderful tariffs. But of course, it was nothing of the sort. The money for those checks came from an establish fund allocated by the Pentagon and Congress to supplement the basic housing allowance for servicemembers. In other words, servicemembers were entitled to that money for partial payment of their rent. How bad is this stunt?
1. Now that Trump gave them their own money as “bonuses,” it becomes taxable at the state level.
2. The amount doled out falls short of the original allocation of $2.9 billion. The bonus checks total only $2.6 billion. Where has $300 million gone, and will the troops ever get it?
3. The bonus stunt was a diversion away from another story about $2 billion in funds that were taken from such necessary projects as barracks updates, refurbishment, and amenities on base. Instead, it was spent on border activity. Happy New Year to the troops.
Plenty of news coverage for this topic exists. A selection:
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/12/trump-rebrands-congressionally-approved-troop-housing-subsidy-warrior-dividend-bonus/410250/
Trump rebrands Congressionally-approved troop housing subsidy as ‘warrior dividend’ bonus
https://govfacts.org/policy-security/military/defense-budget-spending/trump-is-giving-troops-1776-each-heres-where-the-money-comes-from/#
Trump Is Giving Troops $1,776 Each. Here’s Where the Money Comes From.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-dividend-housing-5990b3810a704e46e2b93152253f439c
Trump’s new $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ to troops is coming from Pentagon funding, not tariffs
https://www.military.com/feature/2025/12/23/pentagon-uses-military-housing-funds-1776-warrior-dividend.html
Pentagon Uses Military Housing Funds for $1,776 “Warrior Dividend”
Attacks on Science Not Letting Up (12/17/2025)
The National Center for Atmospheric Research Comes Under Threat
Russell Vought, infamous for his Project 2025 leadership, is inspiring Trump to attack the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Said Vought on X, NCAR is “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism.” He recommended that the center’s “vital activities,” such as weather research, should be moved to another entity or location. Obviously, the intent is not to reduce “alarmism,” but to destroy NCAR.
In truth, NCAR is a world leader in climate and weather research. In an effort to salvage the work of NCAR, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced today (12/17/2025) that it will refocus the center’s work efforts on “seasonal weather prediction, severe storms, and space weather.
“Perhaps that prominent nod to the topic of “space” will appeal enough to the president to leave NCAR with some presence intact. However, even NSF found it necessary to recommend the transfer of NCAR’s supercomputer and two aircraft to other agencies. The threat of the Trump administration to essential science research for human survival is far more dangerous than is generally acknowledged.
Read more: “Trump administration moves to break up leading U.S. climate and weather center”
Work Needed – How Long Can the Republican House Speaker Refuse to Swear In the New Democratic Congresswoman?
Meidas+ reports: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. House of Representatives over Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to seat a duly elected member of Congress, Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva. Although Speaker Johnson has also sent Congress home, in truth Congress should be in session now, and Grijalva has plenty to do for her constituents. She was officially elected a month ago. A.G. Mayes asserts that Speaker Johnson may be trying to set a precedent for indefinitely barring future Democratic representatives from performing their duties. The Constitution does not give the Speaker any say about who gets to work in Congress. A.G. Mayes also notes that any federal judge can swear Grijalva into office. This case needs to be watched closely.
Arizona Loses Patience, Sues Mike Johnson for Stalling on Grijalva
Minnesota Certified Platinum for Evidence-Based Decision Making
Governor Tim Walz today (22 Oct 2025) announced that Minnesota has again been certified platinum – the highest possible recognition – for evidence-based decision making. The certification was awarded by Results for America, a non-profit dedicated to advancing the use of data to drive governmental policies, programs, and budgets.
Minnesota is one of only three states to be certified platinum in 2025 and is the only state to win the highest honor available all eight years since Results for America created a state standard.
“Minnesota invests in what works. And for eight years in a row, we have ranked as a national leader in evidence-based decision making,” said Governor Walz. “We’re using data to reduce child poverty, lower crime rates, and increase graduation rates. We can target our investments to the things that matter most — like school meals, paid leave, and tax cuts for the middle class — to improve outcomes and make Minnesota the best state to live and raise a family.”
Democratic Wins: Some LGBTQ+ School Policies Quietly Staying in Place
As educational institutions around the country capitulate, Denver’s public school system said Tuesday that it would defy demands from the Trump administration to discriminate against transgender students even if it means losing federal funds. Alex Marrero, the superintendent of Denver Public Schools (DPS), said the school “will protect all of their students from this hostile administration,” by refusing toimplement a ban on gender-neutral bathrooms mandated by what’s left of Trump’s Department of Education. Secretary Linda E. McMahon declares that gender-neutral bathrooms are in violation of Title IX.
The truth: Title IX simply and firmly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment and violence, in any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Protest: The several egregious actions by the Supreme Court on Monday, September 8
A divided Supreme Court on Monday lifted a ruling by a lower court judge who placed limits on immigration raids in the Los Angeles area after finding federal agents were indiscriminately targeting people based on race and other factors. The justices sided with the Trump administration, which argued a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge in California was hampering its ability to crack down on illegal migration and that the stops by authorities were not unlawful. The majority did not offer a rationale for the decision, which is common in cases decided on its emergency docket.
Challenge to Trump Over Firing of Federal Trade Commissioner
President Donald Trump can fire a Democrat on the Federal Trade Commission while a lawsuit challenging her removal continues, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. ruled Monday.
The pause comes after an appeals court found last week that Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter could be reinstated to her job because the president had fired her “without cause” in violation of the statute creating the independent agency that focuses on consumer protection and antitrust issues.
Can Trump Fire Rebecca Slaughter?
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