Author: Stop the Donald Trump

Department of Veterans Affairs quietly implements abortion ban

The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented an abortion ban following a December 18 memo from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, authored by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock, which declared the Biden-era rule allowing limited abortion services to veterans and dependents invalid. The VA, serving over 9 million veterans and beneficiaries, immediately complied with the directive, as confirmed by VA Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz on Tuesday, effectively circumventing the standard federal rule-making process that would have required publication of a final rule in the Federal Register before implementation.

The ban prohibits abortion services except in life-threatening circumstances, including ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages, though abortion rights advocates characterize this exception as intentionally vague and inadequate to protect pregnant patients and medical professionals. Women constitute the fastest-growing veteran population at over 2 million, with approximately one in three reporting sexual assault or harassment during military service; more than half of women veterans of reproductive age live in states with abortion bans or likely restrictions, meaning VA services provided access they could not obtain locally.

Abortion rights organizations and veterans’ advocates condemned the policy. Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, stated that the Trump administration’s action “confirms what we’ve always known: its promise to leave abortion to the states was a lie” and that “no one is safe from their anti-abortion crusade, not even our nation’s veterans.” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, criticized the ban as “callous and inhumane,” while Lindsay Church, co-founder of Minority Veterans of America, called it “a direct attack on veterans’ freedoms, including our right to make our own health care decisions.”

The Trump administration filed a proposed reversal of the Biden-era abortion policy in August 2022, which had been implemented following the Supreme Court’s June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. The accelerated implementation through DOJ memo bypasses standard federal rule-making procedures that would have extended the timeline by months, avoiding publication of a final rule in the Federal Register and the standard 30-day implementation period. VA Secretary Doug Collins, who signaled opposition to the policy during his confirmation hearing, has been vocal about reversing abortion access for veterans.

The ban aligns with Project 2025, the Trump administration’s policy guidebook, which recommended reversing the VA abortion rule as part of a broader anti-abortion agenda. This action represents one of the nation’s strictest abortion restrictions given its scope, particularly impacting veterans in states where abortion is otherwise banned or heavily restricted.

(Source: https://www.ms.now/news/abortion-ban-veterans-affairs-va?fbclid=IwdGRleAO4V8tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeaWmEBLOS6v9tMAi49VCw4p4ujJiJ7TR0BLaoR0QMU0JTG2u6yuHTH-b5-jw_aem_U4cxsnsmfRsT9MVGwUmfZQ)

Donald Trump Threatens Americans to ‘Enjoy What May be Your Last Merry Christmas’

Donald Trump posted a Christmas Day message on Truth Social attacking Democrats, the New York Times, and others connected to Jeffrey Epstein, claiming he was “the only one who did drop Epstein” before concluding with a veiled threat: “Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas!” The statement came as the Department of Justice released additional files from Epstein investigations, including a document containing an unverified 1999 rape allegation against Trump reported by a former limousine driver.

The FBI intake report, dated October 27, 2020, describes an alleged incident where the driver claimed Trump discussed “abusing some girl” and repeatedly mentioned “Jeffrey” during a phone call. According to the document, an unnamed woman present allegedly stated Trump and Epstein had raped her, though the account remains unverified and was submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 election.

The DOJ preemptively characterized the allegations as “untrue and sensationalist claims” in a statement released December 23. These document releases occur under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump signed in November despite previously opposing similar legislation—a shift motivated by his desire to access and control the narrative surrounding files that name him and feature photographs of him with Epstein.

Trump’s holiday messaging prioritized personal grievances over seasonal remarks, using Christmas Eve calls with children to brag about winning Pennsylvania “three times” in the 2024 election. His Truth Social post dismissed coverage of his documented relationship with Epstein as “fake” while attacking Democrats and calling the 2016 Russian interference investigation fabricated, a pattern of deflection consistent with his administration’s weaponization of the Justice Department.

The veiled threat embedded in Trump’s Christmas message—”Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas”—targets political opponents and their associates, signaling potential retaliation as Epstein files continue surfacing. This rhetorical escalation demonstrates his use of authoritarian messaging to intimidate critics and consolidate power through fear.

(Source: https://people.com/donald-trump-threatens-americans-to-enjoy-what-may-be-your-last-merry-christmas-11876269)

Trump Tells Child Coal Is “Clean” Who Said She Doesn’t Want Coal for XMas

During a Christmas Eve call with children across the country coordinated through NORAD, Trump contested a Kansas girl’s preference against receiving coal as a gift. When the child, Amelia, stated she did not want coal, Trump interjected to promote “clean, beautiful coal,” a false claim he has repeated since his first term despite the absence of coal technology that burns without environmental harm.

Trump told Amelia that “coal is clean and beautiful, please remember that at all costs,” despite scientific consensus establishing that coal combustion produces significant greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The exchange occurred as part of Trump’s broader effort to normalize coal as a viable energy source, contradicting established environmental science and public health data on fossil fuel impacts.

The interaction reflects Trump’s pattern of using high-profile moments to promote discredited environmental claims. His assertion about “clean coal” technology has been central to his energy messaging despite the absence of commercially viable processes that eliminate coal’s documented environmental and health consequences.

During the same call session, Trump also told a Pennsylvania boy that the state was “great” and claimed he won it “three times,” though Trump won Pennsylvania in only two of the three general elections from 2016 to 2024. The inaccuracy reflects Trump’s tendency to distort electoral history when addressing audiences, including children.

The Christmas Eve calls continued Trump’s established practice of using holiday traditions for political messaging. In 2018, Trump famously questioned a seven-year-old about believing in Santa, demonstrating his discomfort with boundaries between political promotion and children’s holiday experiences.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-rebuts-child-who-said-she-doesnt-want-coal-for-christmas-coal-is-clean-and-beautiful-please-remember-that/)

Trump Admin Threatens 12 Companies Over Chest Binders

The Trump administration’s Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters on December 16 to ten chest binder manufacturers—FLAVNT, The Fluxion, For Them, gc2b, GenderBender, ShapeShifter Apparel, TomboyX, TOMSCOUT, TransGuy Supply, and UNTAG—and two online retailers, Early to Bed and Passional Boutique, alleging violations of federal medical device registration requirements. The letters threatened seizure and injunction if manufacturers did not address alleged violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act’s recordkeeping requirements.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary falsely claimed during a December 18 Department of Health and Human Services press conference that the brands were engaged in “illegal marketing of breast binders for children, for the purposes of treating gender dysphoria,” stating that “pushing transgender ideology in children is predatory.” However, Them found no marketing copy on the brands’ websites targeting children, contradicting Makary’s assertion.

The action coincided with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement of proposed rules to block healthcare providers from offering gender-affirming medical care, including measures to deny Medicaid and Medicare certification to hospitals providing such care and remove gender dysphoria from federal disability nondiscrimination protections. During the same press conference, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz falsely claimed that trans youth regularly receive vaginoplasties and phalloplasties costing up to $150,000, when in fact the vast majority of gender-affirming surgeries performed on minors are breast reduction procedures for cisgender boys.

The FDA warning letters represent an escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against gender-affirming care that began in January with executive orders defining “biological sex” as binary and broadly targeting what Republicans label “gender ideology.” American Academy of Pediatrics President Susan Kressly condemned the administration’s actions as “baseless intrusion into the patient-physician relationship” that makes medical decision-making “harder, if not impossible, for families of gender-diverse and transgender youth.”

Republican-controlled states have pursued parallel restrictions; Florida has moved to block medical organizations from providing gender-affirming care to trans youth, while Kentucky has limited adults’ access as well. The coordinated federal and state actions violate medical consensus and prioritize political ideology over established standards of care.

(Source: https://www.them.us/story/trump-administration-chest-binders-trans-nonbinary-warning-tomboyx-gc2b)

‘Gunboat diplomacy on steroids’: US signs security deals across Latin America | US military

The Trump administration is rapidly expanding US military presence across Latin America and the Caribbean through security agreements signed with Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, and Panama over recent weeks. These deals authorize US troop deployments, airport access, radar installations, and armed operations under the stated pretext of a “war on drugs,” while simultaneously conducting a four-month military campaign against Venezuela that includes oil tanker blockades, vessel seizures, and airstrikes that have killed over 100 people across the Caribbean and Pacific.

Analysts characterize the strategy as establishing operational infrastructure for a potential larger offensive against Venezuela and potentially other nations including Colombia and Cuba. Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, stated that constructing a network of locations across the region would be necessary for sustaining any expanded military operation, and Jorge Heine, former Chilean ambassador and Boston University researcher, directly contradicted the drug-war rationale by noting that Paraguay and Venezuela are not major drug production or distribution centers, indicating the actions align with Trump’s recently released national security strategy document calling for expanded US military presence in the region.

The Trump administration has reframed the Monroe Doctrine as a “Trump Corollary” explicitly calling for military expansion in Latin America, reversing historical patterns of US restraint. Ecuador rejected foreign military bases in a referendum, yet the US secured temporary air force troop deployment anyway; Peru’s congress authorized armed US military and intelligence operations following White House pressure; and Trinidad and Tobago’s installation of US radar prompted Venezuela’s interior minister to threaten retaliation and the regime to terminate fossil gas supply agreements with the Caribbean nation.

John Walsh, director for drug policy at the Washington Office on Latin America, described the strategy as “gunboat diplomacy on steroids,” designed to reward compliant allies while threatening nations that resist Trump administration objectives. Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro issued an urgent letter to regional leaders warning that US escalation “threatens to destabilise the entire region,” yet his diplomatic isolation—having had almost no contact with other presidents following his disputed 2024 reelection—limits his ability to mobilize regional opposition, while Trump has explicitly threatened Colombia’s leftwing president Gustavo Petro as a potential next target.

The military buildup leverages existing US infrastructure including bases in Puerto Rico, Honduras, and Cuba, alongside surveillance hubs at airports in El Salvador, Aruba, and Curaçao. For nations refusing to align with the Trump administration, Walsh explained that the visible US military presence nearby functions as an implicit threat designed to ensure compliance with American interests.

(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/23/us-trump-administration-signs-security-deals-across-latin-america)

US watchdog says paycheck advances no longer subject to lending law | Reuters

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reversed its position on paycheck advance products under Trump’s administration, determining that earned wage advances no longer qualify as consumer loans subject to the Truth in Lending Act. This reversal eliminates disclosure requirements that companies previously had to provide to workers, including information about credit costs and terms. The CFPB stated the advisory opinion offers clarity to industry participants, though it carries no legal binding force.

Under President Joe Biden, the CFPB had issued interpretive guidance in 2024 classifying paycheck advances as equivalent to consumer loans, establishing federal safeguards intended to increase transparency for workers using these products. Companies like digital bank Chime, which offers customers access to up to $500 of their wages interest-free before payday with no mandatory fees, operate in a market that has grown significantly in recent years. Several states including Nevada and Wisconsin have already specified in state law that such products are not loans, but federal clarification had remained absent until Biden’s guidance.

Under Trump, the CFPB has systematically dismantled regulations from the previous administration, framing deregulation as relief for businesses. The agency last month also proposed narrowing civil-rights-era anti-discrimination requirements for the financial industry, following Trump’s executive order to eliminate disparate-impact liability enforcement. This pattern demonstrates Trump’s effort to restrict oversight mechanisms designed to protect workers and consumers from predatory financial practices.

The removal of lending protections for paycheck advances disproportionately affects low-wage workers who depend on early access to earned wages and lack alternative credit sources. Without mandatory disclosures, companies face no obligation to inform workers about the actual financial terms or risks associated with these advances, creating conditions favorable to exploitation. The decision eliminates transparency requirements that served as a baseline consumer protection regardless of whether products were classified as loans.

(Source: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/us-watchdog-says-paycheck-advances-no-longer-subject-lending-law-2025-12-22/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6949b879e698f200017a2f57&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRleAO31mdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeDiG48GBBantZYI16IVBsLaHQKJNEK11cXEC22AFjNA8nGSP92bD_N_aUEG4_aem_kJ_apUkt961CfAzlBgEzNg)

Trump unveils new class of Navy battleship named after himself – The Washington Post

President Donald Trump announced Monday he will oversee development of a new Navy battleship class bearing his name, justifying the decision as stimulus for the shipbuilding industry. The declaration breaks established Navy naming conventions by inserting presidential politics into the ship program’s foundational design phase, according to reporting by Dan Lamothe and Tara Copp in The Washington Post.

The battleship naming follows Trump’s pattern of rebranding federal institutions to carry his name, including recent renamings of the U.S. Institute of Peace and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. These actions systematically replace existing institutional identities with Trump’s personal brand across government agencies.

Trump’s shipbuilding initiative departs from longstanding military protocol governing vessel nomenclature, which traditionally honors historical figures, geographic locations, or strategic concepts rather than sitting presidents. By directing development of a ship class named after himself from inception, Trump subordinates institutional standards to personal aggrandizement.

The announcement reflects a broader effort to embed Trump’s identity within federal infrastructure and symbols. Each rebranding action consolidates his control over government institutions while normalizing the conflation of his person with state authority and resources.

(Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/22/trump-battleship-golden-fleet/)

Pentagon plan calls for major power shifts within U.S. military – The Washington Post

Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a reorganization plan that would downgrade multiple major military headquarters and redistribute authority among the U.S. armed forces’ top generals, according to sources familiar with the initiative. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is driving the consolidation effort, which marks a significant restructuring of military command hierarchy.

The plan involves substantial shifts in power dynamics within the Department of Defense, fundamentally altering how the military branches coordinate and operate under unified command structures. The specific details of which headquarters would be downgraded and how authority would be redistributed remain under development by Pentagon leadership.

This reorganization reflects Hegseth’s broader agenda to reshape institutional military structures since his appointment as Defense Secretary. The consolidation strategy signals an effort to centralize control and streamline decision-making processes within the military establishment.

The timing and scope of these changes underscore the administration’s intent to remake federal institutions according to its preferences, consistent with earlier purges of independent oversight mechanisms across agencies. Such institutional overhauls typically encounter resistance from career military officers and existing power structures invested in current arrangements.

(Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/15/military-command-plan-caine-hegseth/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwdGRleAOtqdBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeb0mL3h6sJ1c_rBbLs0pcvApkKc8QD239S1X4dkYO2-ExKYQR2RscmrNIDOA_aem_QgyNhVpMmirOwJFbOUMA9w)

Trump Rages Over the Stock Market’s ‘TRUMP RULE’

President Trump attributed positive economic data to his tariff policies while simultaneously blaming the Federal Reserve and “Wall Street heads” for failing to celebrate economic growth with corresponding stock market gains. The Commerce Department reported fourth-quarter GDP growth of 4.3%, exceeding economist forecasts of 3.2%, yet Trump characterized this as evidence of a broken market system he labeled “The Trump Rule,” where good news triggers market stagnation or decline due to trader concerns about potential interest rate increases.

Trump demanded the next Federal Reserve Chair lower rates during periods of market strength and stated anyone disagreeing with this position would be disqualified from the role, targeting incumbent Jerome Powell by name. He claimed the current Fed structure prevents economic greatness and prevents the nation from achieving GDP gains of “10, 15, and even 20 points in a year.” His demands directly contradict the Federal Reserve’s statutory independence from presidential direction in setting monetary policy.

Trump’s public grievance contradicts standard economic principles: markets respond to inflation expectations, and Fed rate decisions reflect data rather than political pressure. His characterization of Federal Reserve officials as “eggheads” and his assertion that the market “should” rise on good news and fall on bad news disregards the complex relationship between growth, inflation, and monetary policy that shapes investor behavior.

Trump’s stated intention to replace Powell and reshape the Federal Reserve’s leadership around personal economic preferences represents an effort to subordinate an independent institution to presidential demands. This pressure campaign directly undermines the structural autonomy the Federal Reserve requires to manage inflation without regard to short-term political consequences or equity market performance.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-rages-over-the-stock-markets-trump-rule-amid-good-economic-news/)

Trump Calls NY Times ‘Serious Threat’ to ‘National Security’

President Donald Trump labeled the New York Times “a serious threat to the national security of our nation” in a late-night Truth Social post on Monday, calling the outlet “a true enemy of the people” and demanding their behavior “must be dealt with and stopped.” Trump’s attack followed the Times’ publication of an investigative article documenting his decades-long friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, based on interviews with over 30 former employees, abuse victims, and others who knew both men.

The Times reported that beginning in the late 1980s, Trump and Epstein formed an intense bond, with Epstein serving as Trump’s “most reliable wingman” in pursuing women. According to the article, Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell introduced at least six women who accused them of grooming or abuse to Trump, including one minor, though the Times noted none have accused Trump himself of inappropriate behavior. One victim told the newspaper she was “coerced” into attending four Epstein parties that Trump also attended, at two of which Epstein directed her to have sex with other male guests.

Trump’s public attack on the Times represents his continued pattern of aggressive hostility toward journalists questioning his connections to Epstein, including prior confrontations with ABC News and other media outlets. His characterization of factual reporting as a national security threat aligns with his broader effort to delegitimize independent journalism and suppress scrutiny of his conduct.

The president’s response echoes authoritarian language targeting press freedom, weaponizing national security rhetoric against newsroom investigations that document documented facts about his associations and conduct. By framing investigative journalism as a threat requiring action “must be dealt with,” Trump signals intent to restrict press freedom and suppress accountability reporting.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-brands-new-york-times-a-serious-threat-to-the-national-security-of-our-nation/)

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