Democracy roundup in the "United States "

'Free America': Anti-Trump Protests Taking Place Nationwide on 4th of July

[Notice now, that the 2 largest financial Bailouts in American history have occurred under Trump’s disastrous presidencies]

That's a staggering admission of corruption , fraud, waste and abuse

Adoption of the rule sets the stage for Johnson and his leadership team to pass the "BBB" legislation later Thursday morning, well ahead of their self-imposed July 4 deadline. The Senate had passed the same bill on Tuesday, so the legislation will head directly to Trump’s desk

Medicaid changes could cost as many as 10.6 million people their healthcare, and about eight million people, or one in five recipients, their Snap benefits

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/government-financial-bailout.asp

When private enterprises are in need of rescue, the government is often ready to prevent their ruin. In this article, we look at six instances over the past century that have necessitated government intervention:

The Great Depression

The Savings and Loan crisis

The conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

The collapse of Bear Stearns

The rescue of American International Group (AIG)

The COVID-19 pandemic

A History of U.S. Government Financial Bailouts of the "wealthy"

The 2008 Wall Street Bailout | FRONTLINE

PBS Learning Media

https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/fl30.socst.econ.bailout/the-2008-wall-street-bailout-frontline/

In psychiatry, transactional relationships refer to interactions where individuals primarily focus on what they can gain from each other, with a strong emphasis on reciprocity and self-interest [these are negative relationships]

The breakdown https://youtu.be/eWNgvv8kDoU?si=B41hP-cvYvmUunr1

Björk : 808 State, Tappi Tíkarrass & the Sugarcubes (French Documentary)
YouTube · Björk's Joyous Tunes

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uHuddciKTKU&si=tZSF7g8QxtxXpKmM

What’s happening with high-speed rail in Texas

Federal funding cut, but project developers press ahead

Biking, walking & transit

July 2, 2025

Naufal Farras | CC-BY-SA-4.0

A high speed train in Jakarta, Indonesia

Seventeen years after it was first proposed, the vision of a high-speed rail line connecting Dallas and Houston is still just that – a vision. But momentum is building again. New legislation, fresh debates, and revived interest from transportation leaders have returned the project to center stage. If realized, the line would cut travel time between the two cities to just 90 minutes, roughly three times faster than driving, promising to reshape how Texans move between these major urban centers. Here are the latest developments:  

Trump administration cancels federal funding

While the lack of movement on the project is partly due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic and difficulty securing property, the biggest hurdle it faces is a lack of funding. It seemed as though we were near the beginning of construction last year with Amtrak receiving a $64 million grant to plan the rail, however, the Trump administration terminated the grant in April. 

The Environmental Protection Agency has placed roughly 140 employees on administrative leave days after they signed a public letter expressing concern about the treatment of federal employees and the Trump administration's regulations on climate and public health.

The EPA is conducting an "administrative investigation" into the employees, who are being placed on administrative leave until July 17, according to internal emails viewed by CNN.

View this email in your browser IRS Roundup: Key Actions by NTEU Below is the status of significant national grievances and negotiations pending with IRS. NTEU will continue to hold the agency accountable in defense of your hard-won collective bargaining agreement (CBA):   February 28, 2025 Return to Office Directive   Telework and Remote Work   On March 5, 2025, NTEU filed a national grievance and national institutional grievance regarding IRS’s February 28 “Plan to Return to the Workplace.” The grievance alleges violations of Article 50 (Telework) and the Federal labor statute. Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include reinstatement of all telework and remote work agreements. A grievance meeting was held on March 28. IRS failed to issue a written response to the grievance. NTEU invoked arbitration on May 16, 2025.   STATUS: Arbitration hearing is scheduled for December 9, 2025.      Inadequate Workstations and Seat Assignments   On March 27, 2025, NTEU filed a national grievance when IRS failed to have adequate workstations and unilaterally assigned workstations to employees required to return to the office per IRS’s February 28 “Plan to Return to the Workplace.” The grievance alleges violations of Article 11 (Facilities and Services), Article 15 (Reassignments/Realignments and Voluntary Relocations) and the Federal labor statute. Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include returning employees to their telework/remote work agreements until there are adequate workstations and employees have the opportunity to select them in compliance with the contract. A grievance meeting was held on June 3.   STATUS: Awaiting IRS’s response to the grievance.   Reasonable Accommodations   On March 21, 2025, NTEU filed a national grievance regarding IRS’s failure to grant proper interim accommodations for reasonable accommodation requests and for improperly requesting employee medical information per IRS’s February 28 “Plan to Return to the Workplace.” The grievance alleges violations of Article 55 (Reasonable Accommodation), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Federal labor statute. Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include granting interim accommodations and compensatory damages. The agency did not schedule a step meeting or provide a response. NTEU invoked arbitration on June 3, 2025.   STATUS: The next step is to schedule a hearing date with the arbitrator.   Temporary Hardship   On March 20, 2025, NTEU filed a national grievance based on the Agency's failure to grant temporary hardship telework requests (amended grievance here). The agency did not schedule a step meeting or provide a response. NTEU invoked arbitration on June 3, 2025.   STATUS: The next step is to schedule a hearing date with the arbitrator.   Reduction-in-Force (RIF)   On April 7, 2025, NTEU filed an institutional national grievance regarding the IRS’s notice to all employees on April 4 that it was commencing a RIF. The grievance alleges violations of Article 19 (Reduction-in-Force), Article 47 (Mid-Term Bargaining) and the Federal labor statute. Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include rescission of the RIF notices. On May 7, the IRS briefed NTEU, which included bargaining team members Chapter 10 President Lorie McCann (IRS Chicago), Chapter 24 President Brian Norton (IRS Michigan), Chapter 52 President Simon Garcia (IRS South Texas), and Chapter 66 President Shannon Ellis (IRS Kansas City Service Center). NTEU submitted initial proposals which the IRS has stayed based on the current Exclusions Executive Order litigation.   On May 16, NTEU amended the grievance when IRS committed additional violations including but not limited to the IRS's failure to respond to NTEU's information requests, sending RIF notices to Taxpayer Experience Office (TXO); and proposing a RIF in the Offices of Privacy, Government Liaison and Disclosure (PGLD), Procurement, and Communications and Liaison (C&L). The IRS has failed to respond or hold a grievance meeting on the amended grievance.   STATUS: NTEU will invoke arbitration on the amended grievance.   Termination of Certain Alternative Work Schedules   On April 14, 2025, NTEU filed a national grievance when IRS terminated the 4/10 compressed work schedule. On April 24, NTEU filed an amended national institutional grievance regarding IRS’s termination of 5-4/9, 4/10 and Maxiflex work schedules. The grievance alleges a violation of Article 23 (Hours of Work), Article 47 (Mid-Term Bargaining) and the Federal labor statute. Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include the reinstatement of those schedules.   STATUS: We are in the process of scheduling a step meeting with the agency.   Mass Terminations of Probationary and Trial Employees   On March 12, 2025, NTEU filed an institutional grievance when IRS sent termination notices to at least 6,500 probationary and trial employees on February 20. The grievance alleges violations of Article 19 (Reduction-in-Force), Article 47 (Mid-Term Bargaining), the RIF statute and regulations, the Federal labor statute and the U.S. Constitution. Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include following the CBA. IRS refused to hold a grievance meeting and failed to issue a response to the grievance. NTEU invoked arbitration on May 15, 2025.   STATUS: The next step is to obtain available hearing dates from the arbitrator.    Resignation Withdrawals   On May 22, 2025, NTEU filed a national grievance based on IRS denying numerous employee requests to withdraw their resignations. The grievance alleges violations of Article 5 (Employee Rights) and the Federal labor statute. Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include approving employee requests to rescind their resignations.   STATUS: NTEU will be amending the grievance to include employees who requested to rescind their signed DRP agreements and to withdraw their applications for VERA or While the grievance did not originally contemplate covering these claims, members and chapters provided evidence that allowed NTEU to craft arguments regarding why these employees may also be entitled to remedies.   Cancellation of Recruitment Incentives   On June 30, 2025, NTEU filed a national grievance regarding the IRS's recent unilateral cancellation of recruitment bonuses and incentives.  The recruitment bonus practice had been established by the IRS after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.  We allege that the IRS violated the contract and Federal labor statute by unilaterally terminating this practice without providing us with notice and the opportunity to bargain.  Among the actions that NTEU demands IRS take include the reinstatement of the recruitment bonus practice and a make-whole remedy for those who were not provided a recruitment incentive after the agency's unilateral cancellation of the bonuses and incentives.   STATUS: NTEU is awaiting the IRS's availability to hold a grievance meeting.   LB&I, Pass Through Entities Leave Tracker System   In June 2025, NTEU learned that the IRS, Large Business & International (LB&I), Pass Through Entities (PTE) division has unilaterally implemented a new Leave Request Tracker (“LRT”) system which the IRS claims will streamline the leave request process. NTEU was not provided with any information on this system, and we did not agree to its implementation. NTEU has filed a national grievance alleging that the IRS violated Article 8, Union Rights, Article 23, Hours of Work, Article 32, Annual Leave, Article 34, Sick Leave, and Article 50, Telework, of the 2022 National Agreement (2022 NA) and the 2025 Addendum; the Single Entry Time Reporting (SETR) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and the law. To remedy the violations NTEU requested to cease and desist from violating the 2022 NA, 2025 Addendum and the law, maintain current leave request procedures, and make whole any employees impacted by the unilateral implementation of the LRT.   STATUS: NTEU is awaiting the IRS's availability to hold a grievance meeting. Austin-Area July Fourth Fun and You: A Guide https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2025-07-04/austin-area-july-fourth-fun-and-you-a-guide/ The Epstein files 60 minutes: Australia https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zeylckd2t0Y&si=Yz1BRqflkn0R8UIg