Since the Inauguration: February 28, 2025

Hello, friends!

Per the usual, my opinions are italicized and purple.  

1.) Many (myself included) participated in an economic blackout today: February 28, 2025


2.) Many firms continue to roll back DEI initiatives; however, shareholders of Costco, Apple, and John Deere OVERWHELMINGLY vote NO to petitions to remove DEI initiatives. 

  • Here is a timeline of firms rolling back DEI since July of 2024. 
  • While John Deere stated in July of 2024 that they would "no longer support 'cultural awareness' events like Pride parades and would... remove 'socially motivated messages'" (Bohannon and Murray, 2025), 98.7% of shareholders rejected an anti-DEI resolution at their shareholders meeting on February 26, 2025 (Hanley, 2025)
3.) The Associated Press were denied a space in an Oval Office event for refusing to make the stylistic change to their reporting and their guidebook (AP is the writing style typically used by journalists) regarding the Gulf of Mexico/America. The Associated Press said that "it would continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico while noting Trump's decision to rename it" (Baudner, 2025). The decision is based on the fact that the Gulf is not solely owned by the United States, and the AP is an independent news source reporting to many countries. The AP did say it will "use the official name change to Mount McKinley [changed to Denali under President Obama] because the area lies solely in the United States and Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within in the country" (Baudner, 2025).

  • Here is a quick summary of why this ban and the subsequent comments of White House Press Secretary and Project 2025 spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, are concerning. 
  • Here is some information about the White House Correspondents' Association.  

4.) Despite rumors that the Philadelphia Eagles declined DJT's invitation to the White House after their Superbowl win, it is still unclear if the team plans to attend (Thompson, 2025). The team did decline an invitation from DJT in 2018. In fact, the New England Patriots were the only NFL team to accept DJT's invitation to the White House during his first term (Ahmadi, 2025). 

5.) DJT signs an Executive Order on February 11, 2025 that implements a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum coming into the U.S. and removing previously implemented exemptions (The White House, 2025). The US is the largest importer of steel in the world (Sherman, 2025). 

  • Stephen Moore, senior fellow at the conservative think thank, Heritage Foundation (the organization responsible for Project 2025), claimed he did "not think tariffs on steel and aluminum were [an] effective way to create jobs [for Americans]" and believes this is some kind of negotiation tactic (Sherman, 2025).
  • Any industry that relies on steel an aluminum is subject to increased costs that will eventually be passed down to the consumer: vehicles, transportation, even common items like canned drinks, canned goods, and aerosols will likely experience price hikes (Hernandez, 2025) 

6.) Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency faces increased pressure for transparency with over 20 law suits filed against them so far. "The Center for Biological Diversity's case appears to be the first to specifically ask DOGE to follow federal transparency laws" claiming that "DOGE is deliberately moving quickly to cut government funding and staff" (Collier, 2025).

7.) There is heightened concern about conflict of interest related to Musk gutting federal agencies that are responsible for overseeing his businesses (Stone, 2025) as well as his current federal contracts, which have earned him approximately $18 billion in the last decade (Kim, 2025). Musk's Starlink is now in line for $2 billion contract with the Federal Aviation Administration (Cerullo, 2025).   

8.) 21 DOGE staffers resigned on February 25, 2025 stating a refusal to "use their technical expertise to 'dismantle critical public services'" (Slodysko and Tau, 2025). "The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him slash the size of the federal government under President Donald Trump’s administration were political ideologues who did not have the necessary skills or experience for the task ahead of them" (Slodysko and Tau, 2025). 

9.) Federal workers received an email asking them to list out five things they had contributed in the last week. Musk later posted a similar message on X which included a threat of termination. Several federal agencies are refusing to comply (Peoples et al., 2025). Musk defended the email stating they were just making sure there were real people behind those email addresses. 



  • "But what we are trying to get to the bottom of is we think there are a number of people on the government payroll who are dead, which is probably why they can't respond," [Musk] said. "And some people who are not real people... like they're fictional individuals that are collecting a paycheck… well, somebody is collecting paychecks on a fictional individual, so we're just literally trying to figure out are these people real, are they alive, and can they write email, which I think is a reasonable expectation" (Wallace, 2025). Really?

10.) Despite the concerns of many and a complete and total lack of medical knowledge, RFK was confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Here is a list of the incorrect statements he made during his confirmation hearings. 

  • RFK notoriously makes inaccurate claims about health-related topics ranging from raw milk to vaccines to fluoride to antidepressants being linked to school shootings. A summary of these claims can be found here.  
  • RFK plans to investigate the prescribing of SSRIs to children and claimed that he knows people that have a harder time getting off SSRIs than heroine. SSRIs are a class of antidepressants that "increases levels of serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain that can improve mood" (Bendix, 2025). "Depending on the medical condition, some SSRIs are approved for children starting at ages 6 to 10, but they are far more commonly used by adults than minors" (Bendix, 2025). According to actual medical professions, "SSRIs are not addictive, and that even the most extreme side effect that the FDA warns of, a risk of suicidal thoughts among children and teens, is only slightly elevated — 4% versus 2% among those taking a placebo" (Bendix, 2025). 

11.) DJT appears to side with Putin and claims that Ukraine started the war with Russia, states that Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has an approval rating of 4% (it is approximately 57%), and engages in one of the most shameful displays I've ever witnessed during a meeting with Zelensky (Murphy and Horton, 2025).  

  • Here are a list of incorrect claims DJT has made about the war in Ukraine. 
  • Here is a summary of the history of Ukraine and Russia. 
  • The level of disrespect that the men in this room displayed toward President Zelensky is despicable: not allowing him to answer their questions, constantly speaking over him, demeaning his experience, and using such patronizing tones. It was sickening to watch. And the utter audacity of the man who shamed Zelensky for not wearing a suit as his people are dying to protect their land.... I am absolutely mortified. 

12.) The formerly eradicated measles has made a comeback in Texas. 146 cases have been identified so far, and a child who was not vaccinated has passed away. The Texas Department of State Health Services states, "The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles" (Texas Health and Human Services, 2025). 

  • The death of a child should never be politicized, and I am disgusted to see that happening on social media. That does not mean the death of child should not serve as a cautionary tale to others who may be questioning their decision to not vaccinate. 

I know I didn't get everything that's happened since my last "Since the Inauguration" post, but I hope this post was informative! Again, I highly recommend ABC's podcast, "Start Here." if you are looking for daily updates. The Daily Skimm or the 1440 Daily Digest email subscriptions are also good launching pads. 

Stay informed, friends!

ab

References:

Ahmadi, A. A. (2028, February 25). Trump to invite Philadelphia Eagles to White House after Super Bowl win. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2rmxr90eyo

Bohannon, M., and Murray, C. (2025, February 27). Warner Bros. Discover Drops 'Diversity' and 'Equity' Language from DEI Initiatives: Here Are All the Companies Cutting DEI Programs. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/02/27/paramount-rolls-back-diversity-hiring-targets-here-are-all-the-companies-cutting-dei-programs/

Cerullo, M. (2025, February 27). Elon Musk's Starlink in line for deal with FAA, raising potential ethical concerns. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/starlink-faa-contract-elon-musk-conflict-of-interest/

Collier, K. (2025, February 27). Pressure mounts on DOGE to provide more transparency into its inner workings. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/doge-elon-musk-lawsuit-order-testimony-foia-rcna194119

Hanley, S. (2025, February 26). 98.7% of Deere Shareholders Reject Anti-DEI Resolution. Clean Technica. https://cleantechnica.com/2025/02/26/98-7-percent-of-deere-shareholder-reject-anti-dei-resolution/

Hernandez, J. (2025, February 20). How Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum could hit you at the grocery store. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/20/nx-s1-5300051/tariffs-steel-aluminum-cans-food-groceries

Lopez, L.B. (2025, February 26). A Look at the Misleading and Incorrect Claims on DOGE's "wall of receipts." PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-look-at-the-misleading-and-incorrect-claims-on-doges-wall-of-receipts

Kim, S.R. (2025, February 10). As Musk works to slash federal spending, his own firms have received billions in government contracts. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/musk-works-slash-federal-spending-firms-received-billions/story?id=118589121

Murphy, M., and Horton, J. (2025, February 19). Fact-checking Trump claims about war in Ukraine. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9814k2jlxko

Peoples, S., Tucker, E., and Seitz, A., (2025, February 23). Key federal agencies refuse to comply with Musk’s latest demand in his cost-cutting crusade. AP. https://apnews.com/article/musk-federal-workers-trump-demand-firings-06553df358086db05917d3c50f3699d6

Sherman, N. (2025, February 11). Trump says no exemptions with metal tariffs to start in March. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c360dz384n5o 

Slodysko, B, and Tau, B. (2025, February 25). Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE. AP. https://apnews.com/article/doge-elon-musk-federal-government-resignations-usds-6b7e9b7022e6d89d69305e9510f2a43c

Stone, P. (2025, February 27). Elon Musk's conflicts of interest 'should scare every American,' experts say." The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/elon-musk-conflicts-of-interest

Texas Health and Human Services. (2025, February 28). Measles Outbreak - Feb. 28, 2025. https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-feb-28-2025

Thompson, J. (2025, February 28). Trump claims Eagles will visit White House for Super Bowl celebration after skipping 2018 visit. Fox Sports. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trump-claims-eagles-visit-white-house-super-bowl-celebration-after-skipping-2018-visit

Thorp V, F., Tsirkin, J., Santaliz, K., Egwuonwu, N. (2025, February 26). Senate Republicans voice DOGE concerns in meeting with White House chief of staff. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-republicans-concerns-doge-meeting-white-house-rcna193914

Wallace, D. (2025, February 26). Musk tells Cabinet that DOGE email was 'pulse check' for workers, warns US will 'go bankrupt' without action. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/musk-tells-cabinet-doge-email-pulse-check-workers-warns-us-go-bankrupt-without-action

The White House. (2025, February 11). Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores Section 232 Tariffs. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-restores-section-232-tariffs/

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