What Happened Today - 6 May 2025
What Happened Today – 5 May 2025 - it's a doozy!
Today’s Topics
Underreported Hot Topics in the Trump Media Circus
Project 2025 Update
The Dumbing Down is Starting
$1k to Self Deport
Our Image to the World right now…
Veteran’s Day will NOT have a name change!
Canadian Visit to the Oval Office
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Underreported Hot Topics in the Trump Media Circus
While the media often focuses on the latest controversies and statements from Donald Trump, several significant issues tend to get overshadowed or underreported. Here’s a rundown of hot topics that frequently get buried beneath the daily media spectacle:
1. The Whereabouts of Garcia
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, often labeled by some outlets as a "Maryland Man," is actually identified by officials as an MS-13 member accused of domestic violence. The media's coverage has been criticized for focusing more on his legal status than on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, with the administration accusing the press of bias and selective reporting.
2. DOGE Checks for Americans
The so-called "DOGE Dividend Check" proposal-backed by Elon Musk and Donald Trump-aims to provide up to $5,000 per household by redirecting government savings. However, the plan is not law, and current savings would only yield about $142 per person. The payout depends on Congress and actual savings achieved, with no checks expected before summer 2026, if ever.
3. DOGE Savings and Transparency
DOGE’s claims of massive government savings have faced scrutiny for errors and lack of transparency. NPR found that while DOGE claims $65 billion in savings, actual verified savings are far lower, with frequent quiet revisions and questionable accounting practices. This lack of clarity is rarely a headline story.
4. Transgender Rights
Policy changes impacting transgender Americans-such as Social Security contract changes related to the "Gender X" marker-are often buried beneath more sensational news. These changes can have significant impacts on civil rights but receive little sustained coverage.
5. Trade Deals
Ongoing negotiations and changes to international trade agreements, which have broad economic implications, often receive less attention than presidential statements or scandals.
6. Epstein Files
Updates and legal proceedings related to Jeffrey Epstein’s associates and the release of files connected to his case are frequently overshadowed by other news, despite ongoing public interest.
7. Public Health and Social Issues
Issues like the rollback of funding for HIV prevention, opioid crisis responses, and other public health initiatives are critical but often underreported compared to the day-to-day political drama.
8. Immigration Policy Beyond the Border
While border security makes headlines, the broader impacts of immigration policy-such as family separations, visa backlogs, and changes to asylum law-are often left out of the spotlight.
9. Economic Inequality and Student Debt
The resumption of student loan collections and rising delinquency rates are major issues for millions of Americans, but these stories are often eclipsed by more sensational political coverage.
10. Environmental Rollbacks
Regulatory changes affecting climate policy, public lands, and environmental protections are significant but rarely dominate the news cycle.
Why Do These Topics Get Buried?
Major network coverage of Trump is overwhelmingly negative and focused on controversy, with 92% negative coverage reported by the Media Research Center. This intense focus on Trump’s personality and daily drama leaves little room for sustained coverage of complex or less sensational issues-even those with far-reaching consequences.
Other Frequently Overlooked Topics
- Voting rights and election security reforms
- Antitrust actions against tech giants
- Labor rights and unionization efforts
- Supreme Court and federal judicial appointments
- Gun violence prevention measures
Many of these issues are critical to the lives of ordinary Americans but struggle to break through the constant noise of the Trump-centered media environment.
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Project 2025 Update
Despite Trump’s campaign denials, the reality is that a bunch of the main architects and contributors to Project 2025 are now running major parts of the government. Here are some of the big names:
Russ Vought – The mastermind behind a lot of Project 2025, now leading the Office of Management and Budget (again). He’s the guy pushing for mass layoffs and gutting agencies, and was the architect of the infamous Schedule F plan to make federal workers easier to fire.
Stephen Miller – Trump’s former adviser and head of America First Legal (a Project 2025 advisory group). He’s now deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, basically steering the administration’s hardline policies.
John Ratcliffe – Former Director of National Intelligence, now back as CIA director, and a Project 2025 contributor.
Tom Homan – The new “border czar,” also credited in the Project 2025 playbook, driving the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Troy Edgar – Nominated as deputy secretary of Homeland Security, another Project 2025 contributor.
Jon Feere – Now chief of staff at ICE, also helped write Project 2025’s immigration agenda.
Brendan Carr – Picked to lead the FCC, another Project 2025 alum.
Brian J. Cavanaugh – Associate director for homeland security at OMB, credited in Project 2025.
James Baehr – General counsel for the Department of Veterans Affairs, also a Project 2025 contributor.
Paul Atkins – Advisor at the Securities and Exchange Commission, featured in Project 2025’s financial regulatory section.
Stephen Billy – OMB advisor, credited in the executive branch section of Project 2025.
There are at least 31 Project 2025 contributors who’ve landed roles in the administration, with several more nominated or under consideration for top jobs across agencies like State, Defense, Homeland Security, and even the CIA.
Here is where things stand:
Independent trackers say Trump’s already knocked out or started about 28–40% of the stuff Project 2025 called for, just in his first 100 days back in office. Almost two-thirds of his day-one executive orders came straight out of the Project 2025 playbook.
What’s actually moving?
-Federal Workforce: They’re pushing Schedule F again, making it way easier to fire career civil servants and swap them out for political loyalists.
-Regulatory Rollbacks: Slashing research grants, gutting climate research, and axing diversity programs-just like Project 2025 wanted.
-Immigration: Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Venezuelans? Gone. Refugee admissions? Cut way back. All in line with the “rightsize” language from the blueprint.
-Disaster Relief: FEMA costs are getting dumped on the states, and federal disaster grants are being killed off.
-Education: Money is being pulled from public schools and sent to private vouchers. New rules mean universities have to disclose big foreign gifts.
-Social Policy: Executive orders have wiped out federal recognition for transgender people and stopped funding for gender-affirming care.
-Criminal Justice: They’re moving to expand the death penalty, another box checked from Project 2025.
-Climate and Energy: The EPA is getting downsized, climate rules are being rolled back, and there’s a big push for more fossil fuel drilling.
But it’s not all smooth sailing…
- Some of these moves-like capping university research funding and firing independent agency heads-are already getting hit with lawsuits and public backlash.
- Not every wild idea from Project 2025 is happening. For example, a total TikTok ban hasn’t happened, and a few things have veered off script.
- The public isn’t exactly loving this agenda. Project 2025 is deeply unpopular, so Trump and his team are trying to play it cool and pretend it’s not their roadmap-even though the overlap is obvious.
Trump’s team is moving fast and checking off a big chunk of the Project 2025 wish list, but legal fights, public pushback, and political reality are slowing down some of the more extreme stuff. Still, if you want to know what’s coming, just look at Project 2025-it’s basically the script.
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The Dumbing Down is Starting
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s top education guy, just rammed through new high school standards that basically force teachers to push the whole “2020 election was stolen” narrative. Starting in 2025, Oklahoma high schoolers will have to “study” all the usual conspiracy stuff-ballot counting pauses, mail-in ballot “security,” “batch dumps,” weird turnout, and whatever else fits the Trump playbook.
And let’s be real:
This is absolutely ridiculous. There’s zero credible evidence the 2020 election was stolen, and teaching kids to “analyze discrepancies” is just code for feeding them political propaganda. It does nothing to actually help students learn how democracy works or prepare them for the real world. If anything, it just sows more distrust and confusion.
How did this even happen?
Walters slipped these changes in at the last minute, after the public had already commented on the standards. The state board barely had time to look at them before they got pressured to sign off. The Oklahoma Senate could’ve stopped it, but they sat on their hands and let it slide.
And it’s not just the election stuff-
The new standards also push the COVID “lab leak” theory, amp up the Bible’s role in American history, and downplay anything positive about the Biden administration. It’s all about pushing a partisan agenda, not real education.
Mandating students to learn debunked conspiracy theories is a waste of time and does nothing for our future. It’s just political theater at the expense of actual learning.
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$1k to self deport…
Let’s call this what it is: a total contradiction and a joke. Trump’s been out there pounding the table for years about “deporting everyone,” “zero tolerance,” “no amnesty,” and “no handouts for illegals.” He’s made his whole political identity about being the tough guy on immigration-build the wall, round ‘em up, ship ‘em out, no exceptions. He’s even ramped up raids, shut down asylum, and tried to strip birthright citizenship.
But now? Suddenly, he’s offering undocumented immigrants a $1,000 check and a plane ticket if they “self-deport”-all while slashing funding for Americans, public health, and disaster relief. Are you kidding me? After years of screaming about “not rewarding illegal behavior,” he’s literally paying people to leave, and calling it “dignified” and “cost-effective.”
This is the same guy who said undocumented immigrants are criminals and a threat, but now wants to hand them government money on the way out the door. And the price tag? If everyone took the deal, we’re talking $18–83 billion-while they’re cutting everything else. It’s the exact opposite of what he’s been preaching, and it makes zero sense.
Trump’s $1,000 self-deportation offer is the definition of hypocrisy. It goes against everything he’s been shouting about for a decade. It’s political theater, not a real solution-and it does nothing but prove that his immigration “toughness” is all talk, no consistency, and no benefit to Americans.
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Our Image to the World right now…
Right now, to the rest of the world, we definitely look like a joke-and the numbers back it up. America’s reputation has tanked almost everywhere since Trump came back. Just six months ago, nearly 60% of people in other countries thought the U.S. was a positive influence; now it’s down to 46%. In Canada, our closest ally, only 19% see us in a positive light-the lowest ever recorded. Europe’s not much better: approval ratings in places like Sweden, France, the UK, and South Korea have absolutely nosedived since January.
For the first time ever, more people in those countries think China is a more positive force in the world than the U.S.. That’s a brutal reality check, especially since Trump promised he’d “restore respect” for America. Instead, our standing is at rock bottom, and even Americans are noticing-only about half of us think the U.S. is respected globally, and a majority say our influence is getting weaker.
Tourism is down, foreign students and investors are looking elsewhere, and our allies are openly questioning whether America still stands for the values we used to represent. Our own divisions and political chaos are on full display for everyone to see, and it’s making us look unstable and unserious on the world stage.
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Veteran’s Day will NOT have a name change!
Donald Trump scrapped his proposal to rename Veterans Day after facing swift and vocal backlash from veterans’ groups and public criticism. Many veterans’ organizations argued that renaming the holiday to “Victory Day for World War I” would ignore the service and sacrifice of veterans from other wars and undermine the original intent of honoring all who served. The White House quickly reversed course, clarifying that Veterans Day would keep its name and instead, Trump would issue an additional proclamation to commemorate American victories in World Wars I and II. The negative feedback from veterans’ groups and the recognition that changing a federal holiday’s name requires an act of Congress were key reasons for dropping the plan.
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Canadian Visit to the Oval Office
Today’s Oval Office meeting between Trump and Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney was tense and pretty blunt. Trump kept pushing his idea that Canada should be America’s 51st state, but Carney shot that down hard, saying, “Canada is not for sale, it will never be for sale.” Trump just shrugged it off with, “Never say never,” so he’s clearly not dropping the annexation talk anytime soon.
Trade fights were front and center. Trump has slapped big tariffs on Canadian goods and, right before the meeting, he went online to rant that the U.S. doesn’t need anything from Canada and complained about “subsidizing” them. Carney, who just won his election by promising to stand up to Trump, focused on defending Canada’s independence and said he’d only make a deal if it was good for Canadians.
No real progress came out of the meeting. Both leaders admitted things would stay rocky and negotiations would be tough, with no quick fix to the tariffs or Trump’s statehood talk. The whole thing just showed how wide the divide is between the two countries right now.
Not really wanting to dig anymore today – think that’s all my brain and heart can take today. Keep speaking and SPREADING Truth!
If this has helped, please like and share—cause good trouble.
Go Cause Good Trouble, with Your Elbows Up!
**These are facts that I researched and verified – AI helped put together some sentence structure, but the words and tone are mine. These are my views based upon facts, research and thoughtful consideration using logic. I own the copyright to any images used. I’m comfortable to stand alone to uphold truth. Feel free to check me, but do not attack me. I am only causing good trouble.**