Trina's Kitchen

Tuesday, April 01, 2025

No-Boil Baked Ziti Recipe in the Kitchen

Ann here. Missed Trina's text until a few minutes ago. A friend of Trina's is becoming a grandmother tonight and is concerned so Trina's at the hospital with her friend providing support. I'd mentioned at my site that I had a recipe I wanted to note this week and Trina wondered if I could do it here? Absolutely.

At work, there was a great pasta dish at a potluck b-day we celebrated last week. It tasted amazing. Sherita brought it and she got it from Serious Eats, No-Boil Baked Ziti Recipe:

Ingredients

1 pound (454g) ziti, penne, or other thick tubular pasta

4 cups (950ml) homemade or high-quality store-bought red sauce (such as Rao's), divided

12 ounces (340g) whole-milk homemade or high-quality ricotta cheese (see notes)

3 ounces (85g) Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated and divided (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup (240ml) heavy cream

3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound (454 g) whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into rough 1/4-inch cubes and divided

Cooking spray

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place ziti in a large bowl and cover with hot salted water by 3 or 4 inches. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring after the first 5 minutes to prevent sticking. Drain.
Pour 3 cups of the red sauce into a large pot; add ricotta, half of the Parmigiano, eggs, cream, and half of the parsley and basil, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the soaked ziti along with half of the mozzarella cheese cubes and stir until well combined. Transfer to an ungreased 9- by 13-inch baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup red sauce and mozzarella.
Lightly grease aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover the baking dish tightly with the sprayed aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the cheese beginsto brown, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano, then let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and basil and serve.

Notes

Look for a ricotta cheese that contains nothing but milk, salt, and starter culture or acid. Avoid those with gums and stabilizers. Our favorite national store-bought brand is Calabro.

Again, I'd never had it before. Yes, I do like pasta dishes but I really loved this dish. I made it over the weekend and it turned out as perfect as the version Sherita brought to the office b-day pot luck.

News? I posted "Musk tries to buy America and does it on the cheap" and, as Raw Story notes, Musk's attempt to buy a judicial race in Wisconsin has failed. Failed. Susan Crawford won the race -- and gave a very moving speech noting the justices she served with, the one she was replacing, two furry friends, her mother's birthday and the important of dissent.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"

Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The security breach becomes a plural and much bigger than most are realizing and no one seems to be noticing the people working for Donald Chump who are trying to minimize the breach -- guess what, I'm not talking about MAGA, I'm talking about freaks on the left.

Let's start with the security breach. Alison Durkee (FORTUNE) reports on a new poll:

The CBS News poll asked Republicans about how they feel about Trump’s top officials using Signal to discuss military plans. Jeffrey Goldberg, CEO of The Atlantic, reported this week on a group chat he was mistakenly added to, in which Trump’s Cabinet members were discussing detailed military operations over the encrypted messaging app. A 60% majority of Republicans said the Trump administration discussing operations on Signal with a journalist present is a “serious” matter, and a 56% majority think it’s not appropriate to use Signal to discuss military plans. That’s lower than the 76% of respondents overall who believe the use of Signal is inappropriate, and is in line with a YouGov poll earlier this week that found a 56% majority believe the Signal chat episode is a “very serious” problem.

76% of all respondents oppose the usage of Signal to discuss military planning. This is a major issue.

Edith Olmsted (THE NEW REPUBLIC) notes:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reckless treatment of classified information has left the majority of voters thinking that he should resign, according to a poll published Monday.

A poll by J.L. Partners for the Daily Mail found that 54 percent of voters believed that Hegseth should resign over his involvement in the recent Signalgate scandal.

While all of the senior Trump officials who were members in the nonsecure group chat failed to notice the presence of Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, as they discussed a strike against the Houthis, it was Hegseth alone who sent details about the timing of the attacks—definitionally classified information.

Twenty-four percent of respondents said they weren’t sure what he should do, while only 22 percent said he should remain in his post.

Again, this is a major issue.

For most Americans.

For most.

We'll get to the freaks in a moment. But for the average Americans, it's an issue. The security breach has already resulted in questioning during two Congressional hearings -- the Senate Intelligence Committee and the House Intelligence Committee.

When we say "the security breach," we refer to the Chump administration inviting journalist Jeffrey Goldberg into what should have been a private and secure communication about the US being on the verge of dropping bombs on Yemen.

But that's stilly. That pretends that's the only security breach. The Chump administration has had one security breach after another.

February 25th, for example, THE JERUSALEM POST reported:

The CIA is conducting an internal formal review to assess any potential damage caused by an unclassified email sent to the White House that discussed possible layoffs, using names and initials that had the potential to expose undercover officers, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday.

The email, sent in early February, was part of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plan to cut the workforce and spending of the federal government.

The Trump administration’s continuous efforts to audit federal organizations threaten to jeopardize the government’s most sensitive work, CNN reported, citing current and former US officials familiar with internal deliberations.

Earlier this month, in an effort to comply with Trump’s executive order aiming to reduce the federal workforce, the CIA sent an email listing all employees who had been with the agency for two years or less – including officers preparing for undercover operations – over an unclassified email server.

Now, the agency is unsure if several employees listed in the email should be reassigned, sources said to CNN, as the risk that their identity has been compromised and exposed to foreign government hackers may be too high.

“Your predecessor was in that position, as were the five officers before them. Now the host country and adversaries know this person going to this position in the embassy is agency,” said one former CIA officer to CNN, speaking hypothetically.

“They now assume the predecessors were the same [and] work backward and find out their collective footprint. The position is now burned," the former CIA officer added in the report.

Do we get it? Do we get how serious that was?

Maybe not. David Corn ignored this story. This is the man who was all over the story of the Bully Boy Bush administration outing undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame. But several undercover agents being outed by Alien Musk was apparently not interesting enough to David or anyone else. Even now, David doesn't seem interested in it although he is covering the Signal story.

That's too bad because, again, this goes to pattern. And in less than three months, the Chump administration has a repeated pattern of not grasping what security means.

Last night, Jen Psaki discussed the emerging news that Michael Waltz had done "multiple other" threads have taken place on Signal.

There are so many issues here including legal ones and competence ones but, as US House Rep Jason Crow noted with Jen, there's also "the risk, the ongoing risk that's posed to our service men and women."

Remember for when we get to the freaks. We're working our way towards those losers.

Sunday, David McAfee (RAW STORY) reported:

While all eyes are on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's attack plans posted on Signal, there was another dangerous leak from the Trump administration, according to a new report.

The media is largely focused on the Signal chat scandal, but according to Rolling Stone, there is another leak that should be spoken about.

"Reports that Donald Trump’s top national security officials accidentally shared their Yemen attack plans with The Atlantic in real-time drove the news in official Washington in recent days," the report states. "But it wasn’t the only damaging leak of information held by the administration this week."

The report continues, "Two Trump administration spreadsheets — which each include what numerous advocates and government officials say is highly sensitive information on programs funded by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) — were sent to Congress and also leaked online."

The outlet further reports that, "The leak, which sent a variety of international groups and nonprofits scrambling to assess the damage and protect workers operating under repressive regimes, came after the organizations had pressed the Trump administration to keep the sensitive information private and received some assurances it would remain secret."

There are so many issues to this story. Issues like qualifications, accountability, and honesty. As former US Senator Clair McCaskill points out, Pete Hegseth's ability and desire to lie is something to behold.

On the issue of lying to the American people, Tara Suter (THE HILL) reports:

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said on Sunday that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe “lied repeatedly” about messages in a Signal group chat in which top members of the Trump administration discussed an attack on Yemen.

“Intelligence officials told your committee this week that no classified information was shared. Do you believe that directors Ratcliffe and Gabbard were truthful when they testified before your committee?” NBC News’s Kristen Welker asked Bennet on “Meet the Press.”

“No, I think they lied repeatedly to our committee and to the House committee. Kristen, let me try to make this as simple as I can,” Bennet replied. “I think the American people know this. If this material was not classified, literally nothing that I’ve ever heard as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee over all these years is classified.”

Earlier this week, Bennet labeled the Signal incident disrespectful to rank-and-file intelligence officers during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

“This sloppiness, this incompetence, this disrespect for our intelligence agencies and the personnel who work for them is entirely unacceptable. It’s an embarrassment. Do better. You need to do better,” he said Tuesday.

Outing agents, Intel conversations not being secure, on and on and on. It is a pattern not a "glitch." And it's a pattern because this is what happens when people with little to no Intel experience are put in positions that they are not qualified for.

The way the government is supposed to work is this -- a president nominates someone to a post. The Senate vets the nominee. If the nominee is not qualified, the Senate doesn't confirm them.

But that's not how it worked in January, February, March or possibly even now in April.

Instead of doing their jobs, many Republicans were just rubber stamps and they were rubber stamps for people so woefully unqualified that Chump's administration will probably go down as both the biggest joke in US history and as the saddest reflection on the US Senate. Some will argue 'I was threatened! I was threatened!'

Oh. Then you: Call the authorities, call the authorities.

You certainly don't vote to confirm the nominee.

In fact, being threatened means you vote NO on that nominee.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists." Various administrations have declared that throughout the last 100 years.

But apparently if you're online MAGA (a group that astroturfs and doesn't not have the membership it would hope) and threaten a sitting US senator, the Republican response is to piss your panties and vote for whatever way they tell you to. These were not voters objecting to a nominee and telling the senator that if they confirmed the nominee then they would vote for the senator again. Telling your elected official that they will lose your vote if the do A or B is not a threat. It's part of the negotiation process in our democracy. Remarks to the senator and/or their family of physical harm qualifies as a threat. And the way you respond to threats is to stand up to them, not to cave. It's amazing to grasp how scared and frightened Republicans in the Senate were. This is the same crowd that insists they raise their children strictly and they lay down the law and blah blah blah. No, they really don't. Faced with a threat, they chose to cave.

They didn't help the country.

And the media isn't helping the country by not addressing this two month pattern of the country's national security being compromised under Donald Chump and his appointees.

As noted above, Waltz has done other Signal chats. Here's Shane Croucher (NEWSWEEK) reporting on it:

U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz used the Signal messaging app to host other sensitive discussions with Cabinet members, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing two unnamed officials.

Among those discussions were threads on brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine, and military operations, according to the Journal.

[. . .]

The use of apps such as Signal to discuss sensitive information raises serious questions about the security of communications at the highest levels of government, with potential implications for intelligence sharing by America's allies.

There is also the issue of government records preservation—a requirement of federal law—with the use of apps like Signal, where messages can be automatically deleted over time.

Lat's note this from Senator Chris Coons' office (issued Friday):

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, led a letter to the Acting Inspectors General of the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Department of State calling for an investigation into senior Trump administration officials for mishandling attack plans and other sensitive information through an unsecure messaging group chat, thereby putting U.S. servicemembers and intelligence officers at risk. The letter comes in response to a series of articles in The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg detailing conversations by high-ranking Trump administration officials about military strikes conducted in Yemen in a Signal group chat in which Goldberg was included.

The letter details concerns that multiple cabinet officials potentially violated laws and regulations related to the handling of national security information and the retention of federal records, including the precise timing of missile strikes and information about intelligence gathering.

In the letter to the inspectors general, the senators expressed grave concern “over potential violations of the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act, as the article outlines policy debates between the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and senior White House officials—discussions that should be preserved as official government records… the use of a messaging application with auto-delete functions raises further questions about whether these records were improperly destroyed.”

The senators also highlighted how a report to the Department of Justice has been yet to be filed regarding this breach, despite the legal requirement to address leaks of classified material.

“We note that classified information is designated as such because its release would significantly damage U.S. national security and put at risk our national security personnel,” the senators wrote. “As such, this information can only be shared in a sensitive compartmented facility and such operational information is classified at least the SECRET level or higher based on the Department of Defense’s own guidance. Disclosing classified information on an unsecured messaging group chat, which contained an uncleared individual, could be a violation of 18 U.S. Code § 798. We are unaware of any report to the Department of Justice associated with this event, which is a standard practice when classified information is leaked to the media.”

“This report, if accurate, indicates multiple violations of law and policy by a host of elected and confirmed officials responsible for national security issues,” the senators added. “Given that this was an accidental disclosure, it also raises the potential that the officials involved in this chat may be conducting other potentially classified and unlawful conversations on this messaging application.”

In addition to Senator Coons, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Gary Peters, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee; Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Brian Schatz, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS); and Patty Murray, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair.

You can read the full text of the letter here.

From last night's THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW on MSNBC, here's Rachel addressing those developments and others.

It is unending. No one is in charge. No one is responsible. No one seems to know what secure means. Emil Guillermo (INQUIRER) observes:

Someone should be fired for SignalGate, and if it were up to me I’d say the sights are on at least three, maybe even four people.

And Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) agrees with me. She thinks everyone on that chat, in terms of our national security, was in dereliction of duty. Except for the inadvertently included reporter, of course.

If you think that’s harsh, consider how the Trump administration uses national security as a pretext to bolster its policy of harassing, rounding up and deporting even legal immigrants with green cards or student visas.

The recent cases of student protesters at Columbia University, a graduate student at Tufts and the cases involving legal green card holders from the Philippines and Colombia, all show an alarming hardline.

With that attitude toward immigrants, how can the Trump administration be lax on national security when its top officials are caught talking about secret war information on Signal, an encrypted but hackable public app.

And yes, we should call it Signalgate.

The neologism is appropriate. Every scandal needs to compare with Watergate. When top-level advisors – primarily Pete Hegseth, the Fox weekend anchor-turned-defense secretary; Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence; and Michael Waltz, national security advisor – show their inexperience and discuss on a non-secure platform the specifics of an attack on Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, there’s got to be accountability.

Indeed there does. And the American people -- regardless of whether they identify as Democrats or Republicans or independents or Libertarians, are outraged by this scandal -- even if they only grasp the above aspect of it.

Those troubled by the way I worded that should grasp that the national Green Party or its ridiculous Jill Stein have not uttered a single word while Socialists of the DSA and PA ilk are apparently represented by Rashida Tlaib who has refused to call out the leak.

Refused?

That's not fair, she's attacked those calling out the leak and insisting that the issue is the people targeted in Yemen. And COMMON DREAMS and other craplets have picked upon that. It's no longer about putting troops at risk or failure to observe proper regulations for handling secure information, it's ow just about anything else but that. And for COMMON DREAMS, it's been that way since March 25th. Craplets. Not news outlets. Not news sources. CRAPLETS.

As per usual, Rashida is not concerned with Americans or with America but she is concerned about people overseas. Maybe it's time for a Go-Fund-Me to help her go work in the part of the world that she actually gives a damn about?

Similarly, in the last 8 days, despite a ton of Tweets every day, WSWS (the SEP outlet) has refused to Tweet about this security breach in the last eight days and that's also true of PFSL. So apparently Socialists don't care about nationals security. Remember that when they ask for your votes. Apparently they're all happy -- the Socialists and the Greens -- with Chump and his idiots mishandling secure information.

JACOBIN published no article (DSA bible), PSFL took a pass as well. WSWS wanted to tell Americans -- in their only article -- that the point was being missed, this was about Yemen.

That's right, according to the freaks, it's the 78% of Americans that have it all wrong.

I'm really concerned about Justice "Democrats" more than ever. The Socialists -- that's what they are -- don't deserve to be in Congress if they're not going to protect this country. That does mean protecting the military. Whether Rashida thinks Yemen should have been hit or not, she should damn well know that the US military follows orders.

I'm sick of these people who want to look at crimes in the US -- and the security breach was a crime -- and ignore it to on and on about something outside of the US. You can focus on both, you actually can. The refusal of Justice 'Democrats' to do so goes to the fact that they don't belong in the US Congress.

The mishandling of information also involves Hegseth and the tramp he rode in on.

Tramp he rode in on?

I saw that photo Friday.

That's how she goes overseas? A forty-year-old woman who is not named Madonna thinks it's appropriate to travel overseas representing the US government in a shirt so tight that it gaps open and shows her black bra at various spots. That blouse is inappropriate. At forty her boobs were not growing. She should have known how to purchase a blouse with the same boobs she'd had for probably 24 years at least. Her failure to do so made her a joke.

She needs to learn to dress appropriately when she's representing our country. She and her husband also need to learn that she doesn't have a security clearance and no one has confirmed her for a Cabinet level position. Evan Williams (TAG 24 NEWS) notes:

A report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) alleged that Hegseth's wife attended two meetings with foreign military counterparts, despite lacking expected security clearances for access to classified national security information.

While there are no hard and fast rules about such meetings, they are high-security events, and it is generally expected that all attendees have necessary security clearances.

Rauchet, a former Fox News producer, attended a meeting between Hegseth and his British counterpart, John Healey, shortly after the US cut off military intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

She also attended a February NATO meeting in Brussels, in which discussions were also held over support for Ukraine and ongoing negotiations.

The WSJ report came less than a week after The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he had been included in a top-secret Signal group chat in which classified information was shared about then-impending strikes in Yemen.

"That’s not normal at all," Delaware Senator Chris Coons told MSNBC's The Weekend when asked about Rauchet's presence. "On some of those trips, our spouses come along with us, but they are not allowed in any secret, sensitive, classified meeting with foreign heads of state, with foreign officials."

Let's wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-02), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, sent a letter to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding answers about the plans he announced last week to gut staffing levels and reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

In their letter, Murray, DeLauro, and Baldwin press Kennedy for more information about his plans to gut the Department—warning of how it will jeopardize Americans’ health and well-being and urging him to fulfill the administration’s promise of transparency and detail the Department’s plans. Thus far, the Trump administration has shared only the most high-level details about its massive reorganization plans and significant staffing reductions across HHS—all without so much as consulting Congress.

“Authoritatively stating that these drastic changes will improve the health of Americans without any explanation insults the American public and defies logic,” write the lawmakers. “If these actions were actually intended to improve the Department’s ability to carry out its mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, you and the Department should be eager to provide additional detail and justification for them. Instead, the Department has operated with a complete lack of transparency—far less than previous administrations of both parties—and is withholding information from Congress and the American public. The obvious conclusion is the Department is intentionally hiding information because its actions will worsen the health and well-being of Americans. We insist that you begin operating the Department under the ‘radical transparency’ you pledged you would in your sworn testimony before the Senate.”

The top Democratic health appropriators in each chamber note that the Department’s plans fly in the face of the funding bill Congress passed and the President signed just weeks ago, writing: “Just two weeks ago, Congress passed and the President signed a full-year fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill that provided funding to specific agencies and operating divisions within the Department to carry out specific authorized activities, programs, and functions. The Department’s announced reorganization completely disregards how Congress appropriated funding. The reorganization seeks to illegally eliminate agencies Congress explicitly appropriated funding for and illegally move functions and programs for which Congress explicitly appropriated funding for one agency to carry out to other agencies it did not. The magnitude of staff reductions and reorganizations will also very likely prevent the Department from executing its responsibilities under the law.”

They detail other sweeping actions the Department has taken that weaken HHS’ ability to protect Americans health and set back ongoing lifesaving work—and note that if the steps are truly in the American public’s interest, the administration should be eager to share more details: “The Department has taken the unprecedented step of terminating thousands of grants, including for communities to combat infectious diseases like measles and bird flu, and to discover treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other devastating diseases. The Department has paused funding for grants and prevented organizations from legally drawing down already awarded funds. The Department has imposed gag orders and already delayed billions in funding for lifesaving research at NIH. The Department has attempted to illegally cap and cut funding for research institutions in obvious contravention of annual appropriations law. The Department has been unwilling to provide even basic information about these actions to Congress.”

“The American people deserve to know what is happening to the federal workforce and agencies tasked with carrying out the Department’s tremendous responsibilities and the taxpayer dollars appropriated to carry those responsibilities out,” the lawmakers conclude, before demanding answers to a series of straightforward questions about the Department’s reorganization and staffing plans—with answers requested by April 4.

Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

Secretary Kennedy,

We write with extreme concerns about significant staffing reductions and reorganizations at the Department of Health and Human Services (the “Department”), amidst other unprecedented actions taken by the Department over the last several weeks, which put American’s health and well-being at risk. The stunning lack of transparency surrounding these changes leaves us deeply concerned about what the administration is hiding. Moreover, several actions taken or proposed by the Administration appear to violate federal law.

Last week the Department announced it was implementing an unprecedented and disruptive reorganization that includes significant staffing reductions and office closures. This will degrade the Department’s capacity and expertise across a wide range of issues that will impact communities and individuals across the country. In the past, the Department has always worked closely with Congress on reorganizations, including those that were orders of magnitude smaller than what it is now being proposed. The Department has demonstrated a complete unwillingness to share even basic information with Congress (including the Committees on Appropriations) and the public about its actions or to provide any justification for them. Authoritatively stating that these drastic changes will improve the health of Americans without any explanation insults the American public and defies logic. If these actions were actually intended to improve the Department’s ability to carry out its mission to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, you and the Department should be eager to provide additional detail and justification for them. Instead, the Department has operated with a complete lack of transparency—far less than previous administrations of both parties—and is withholding information from Congress and the American public. The obvious conclusion is the Department is intentionally hiding information because its actions will worsen the health and well-being of Americans. We insist that you begin operating the Department under the “radical transparency” you pledged you would in your sworn testimony before the Senate.

Congress has an obligation to assess how changes the Department is haphazardly implementing will impact our constituents and the American public. It is our duty to ensure the Department is carrying out its tremendous responsibilities under the law that touch the lives of nearly every American, and this reorganization clearly violates the law. Just two weeks ago, Congress passed and the President signed a full-year fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill that provided funding to specific agencies and operating divisions within the Department to carry out specific authorized activities, programs, and functions. The Department’s announced reorganization completely disregards how Congress appropriated funding. The reorganization seeks to illegally eliminate agencies Congress explicitly appropriated funding for and illegally move functions and programs for which Congress explicitly appropriated funding for one agency to carry out to other agencies it did not. The magnitude of staff reductions and reorganizations will also very likely prevent the Department from executing its responsibilities under the law.

In addition to the announced reorganization and staffing reductions, the Department has taken a series of other unprecedented and harmful actions over the last several weeks that raise similarly grave concerns. Last month, the administration fired thousands of employees serving in their probationary period across the Department. The Department has offered deferred resignation benefits and voluntary retirement to virtually all of its employees. The Department has taken the unprecedented step of terminating thousands of grants, including for communities to combat infectious diseases like measles and bird flu, and to discover treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other devastating diseases. The Department has paused funding for grants and prevented organizations from legally drawing down already awarded funds. The Department has imposed gag orders and already delayed billions in funding for lifesaving research at NIH. The Department has attempted to illegally cap and cut funding for research institutions in obvious contravention of annual appropriations law. The Department has been unwilling to provide even basic information about these actions to Congress.

Earlier this month, reports emerged of significant planned reductions at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Department has now announced it plans to reorganize SAMHSA. We are deeply concerned about the impacts this will have on communities across the country trying to address substance use and mental health crises facing millions of families. After opioid overdose deaths reached a record high of nearly 112,000 from August 2022 to August 2023, we are finally making progress, and the trend of overdose deaths is shifting downward. Significant staff reductions and reorganizations will undermine SAMHSA’s ability to work with communities and make life-saving opioid-reversal drugs available. Communities across the country are also grappling with a mental health crisis, particularly among youth. Undercutting SAMHSA’s ability to work with states and communities to address this issue will only set us backward—putting mental health care further out of reach for those who need it. Additionally, we are concerned that staff firings will impact the work of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which has seen a steady increase in contact volume since it launched in 2022. If laying off staff or restructuring SAMHSA will have a positive effect on addressing the substance use and mental health crises affecting communities and families across the country, we think you would be eager to explain the steps you are taking. Despite requests by staff, we have not received any information about these planned staffing reductions and its effects on SAMHSA programs, and the Department has provided no information about planned reorganizations and how they will affect the administration of critical substance use prevention and treatment and mental health programs.

Earlier this month, there were also reports of planned layoffs at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). We are concerned about the impact these reductions will have on addressing healthcare workforce shortages, preventing and treating HIV/AIDS, supporting community health centers, and modernizing our organ donation and transplantation system. The Department has not provided the number of probationary employees that were fired who were working on these efforts or justification as to how these layoffs will best make use of the discretionary funding increases that Congress provided to HRSA in recent years. As the Department plans further staffing reductions at HRSA, we expect you would relish the opportunity to describe how staff layoffs will advance our shared goal of training more nurses and connecting the more than 100,000 Americans on organ donation waiting lists to lifesaving organ donations. Instead, questions have been met with silence, despite multiple requests for additional information. The Department is now planning to implement a reorganization of HRSA and again, has provided no information about how that will be implemented to improve the health and well-being of Americans.

There have also been significant changes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To date, the Department has not provided any information on staffing reductions at those agencies, other than strictly the number of probationary employees who were fired. Those agencies are tasked with detecting and responding to dangerous diseases to keep Americans safe and supporting biomedical research into lifesaving treatments and cures for diseases. The Department owes it to the American public to describe how laying off scientists, researchers, fellows, and staff at CDC will keep Americans safe from infectious diseases such as measles, avian flu, and tuberculosis. The Department owes it to the American public to justify how laying off scientists, grant administrators, and other staff at NIH will provide hope to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and other devastating diseases, including rare diseases for which NIH clinical trials offer their only hope. The Department owes it to the American public to justify how firing scientists and career staff across the Department to make room for political appointees and fringe conspiracy theorists with no scientific background is an acceptable and appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.

We are also very concerned that the Department’s plan to dissolve the Administration for Community Living (ACL) will have a detrimental impact on the needs of some the country’s most vulnerable populations. ACL helps to ensure seniors and people with disabilities maintain their independence and participate fully in their communities. Carelessly shoving the administration of these activities into other operating divisions, already overwhelmed due to mass firings, will not help make Americans healthier; in fact, preventative programs administered by the thousands of community-based organizations that partner with ACL have significantly reduced health care costs for individuals at higher risk. These critical programs include nutrition services for older adults, which reduce hunger and encourage socialization; research and resource centers for people with disabilities and their caretakers; family caregiver support and respite care; and prevention of elder abuse and neglect. Dismantling ACL without any thought for the critical work it does shows a disregard for the needs of seniors and people with disabilities.

The American people deserve to know what is happening to the federal workforce and agencies tasked with carrying out the Department’s tremendous responsibilities and the taxpayer dollars appropriated to carry those responsibilities out. Congress is owed the same. Finally, we remind you of your legal obligation (per section. 713 of P.L. 118-47) to ensure that no federal funds are used to prevent federal employees from communicating with members of Congress.

To that end, we encourage you to begin operating the Department with the transparency you claim to. At the very least, that means directing your staff to provide the same level of information to Congress as previous administrations of both parties have provided – and to respond to basic inquires and requests for information and to maintain periodic briefings which you have cancelled. In addition, below we have included several questions, many of which have been submitted multiple times to the Department. This is information that should be readily available because it is surely information that was considered prior to making such significant changes at the Department.

We request responses to the following questions by April 4, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

Provide the following:
1. The organizational structure of the Department on 1/20/25.
2. The planned organizational structure of the Department after the proposed reorganization that reflects any offices eliminated or moved relative to the structure as of 1/20/25.
3. A table displaying all programs funded in fiscal year 2024 by Operational Division (as is routinely provided in annual Congressional Justifications) with a crosswalk of where they were funded in fiscal year 2024 to where they will be funded after the proposed reorganization.
4. The total expected reduction in staffing at the Department relative to 1/20/25 by operational division and subcomponent (e.g. NIH institute, CDC center, HRSA bureau, etc.) including separately the number of probationary employees terminated, the number of employees who took deferred resignation or other voluntary separation, and those subject to Reductions in Force (RIF). Please also include a list of probationary employees that were fired and then rehired.

For each impacted agency, operational division, or office in place as of 1/20/25, describe in detail how proposed reorganizations and staffing reductions will improve the ability of the Department to carry out its authorized and funded activities, and how it will enhance the health and well-being of Americans.

For each impacted agency, operational division, or office in place as of 1/20/25, provide a justification for whether or not the proposed reorganization includes any reprogramming or transfer of funds.

How will the Department execute fiscal year 2025 appropriations given the recently passed fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill provided funding under a different organizational structure? Specifically, for each program, activity, or function that the Department plans to administer under a different operational division than where it was funded by Congress in fiscal year 2025, describe how the Department would execute those appropriations. For new offices the Department plans to create, including a new “Administration for Healthy America,” describe which appropriations from which Department or agency plans to fund those new activities.

Regarding probationary employees who were terminated:
1. How many had a veteran’s preference?
2. How many received an “Achieved Outstanding Results” performance review in their last 12 months?

Provide a list of new political appointee positions created, or planned to be created under this reorganization, since 1/20/25.

How many employees who were terminated, subject to RIFs, or who otherwise separated from the Department, worked on the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network modernization effort? How many worked on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline?

For the National Institutes of Health, provide the number of probationary employees who were terminated, the number of employees who took deferred resignation or other voluntary separation, and the number expected to be subject to RIFs, by Institute, Center and Office (ICO) and job series, including:
1. The number of scientists working in the Intramural Research Program, including a breakdown by ICO.
2. For terminated employees, the number the Acting NIH Director requested to have reinstated.
3. The number of employees who were reinstated by ICO.

Provide a list of all grants and contracts that have been terminated since 1/20/25 by agency, Operational Division, and Office, including a justification, and any office involved in identifying it for termination.

Provide a list of all grants and contracts that have any kind of stop payment indicator associated with them, including grantees who are unable to draw down funds.

###

The following sites updated:

This just in, MTG remains a creep and an idiot

And I'm noting this recipe.

Why? Mateo's new book is out later today. Amazon sent me an e-mail yesterday that it had shipped and should arrive today.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Monday:

Monday, March 31, 2025. Protests around the country as the country makes clear it's had enough of Chump and Musk and they're ongoing brocest (as Ann's dubbed it).

Over 15,000 people rallied and marched in Dallas, Texas yesterday on behalf of immigrant rights. This was considered a big success. Organizers were expecting 10,000 people and would have been thrilled with that due to the fact that the climate today is chilling. Instead over 15,000 people showed and marched. They carried signs -- "Nadie Es Ilegal" -- No One is Illegal, "No Kings in the USA," "Jesus was a refugee," "May Privilege Never Could Your Empathy," "Love All God's People," "Immigrants Need Water not ICE," They chanted slogans including "We Are USA! We Are USA!," "Si, Se Puede!" and "Freedom and Justice For All." Scheduled speakers at the event spoke under a banner which read "Reforma Migratoria Ahora Immigration Reform Now." Thanks to three friends -- one with Lulac, one who is a former member of the Dallas City Council and community member Sabina for breaking down yesterday's event for me. Here's some video coverage.

NBC 5 notes:

This is not the first Mega March in Dallas. In 2006, an estimated 500,000 people marched in Dallas, in what organizers called Texas's largest civil rights demonstration. In May 2010, an estimated 20,000 people turned out for immigration reform. in 2017, a smaller Dallas Mega March focused on themes of family, unity and empowerment.

The demonstration in Dallas was attended by local and state politicians. Congressman Al Green of Houston told NBC 5 he was impressed by the turnout.

"I will tell Washington that I was here, and that Latinos want the world to know that they respect America, and they expect America to respect Latinos," said Green.

WFAA reports:

"From anti-DEI efforts to immigration deportations, it’s just been really hard," Lea Landaverde, a first-generation American, said.

"Advocating for my rights, not only as an El Salvadorian but as an American, matters so much to me," Landaverde said.

Alongside community members, state and national leaders joined the rally, including Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua and Congressman Al Green, D-Houston.

"We march today because we refuse to let fear and hatred define us," Bazaldua declared.

Green echoed that sentiment, saying, "I believe in liberty and justice for all, not just some."

Domingo Garcia, the national president of LULAC, emphasized the importance of comprehensive immigration reform.

"We want something that will allow immigrants who are law-abiding, who pay taxes, who have good jobs and families, to have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream," Garcia said.

Some BLUESKY coverage.

Dallas is also one of the cities that will be staging a protest this coming Saturday (April 5th).

So Dallas protested yesterday. The day before saw protests around the country. Jennifer Brooks (MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE) reports:

Seven weeks ago, there were a few dozen people with signs shivering outside the Tesla dealership in Golden Valley. The next week, a few more. Then a few more. Then a few hundred more.

Saturday was designated a "Global Day of Action" -- with four protests planned in the Twin Cities, hundreds planned around the globe -- aimed at one of the richest assets of the richest man on earth.

That asset is worth considerably less, now that Tesla CEO Elon Musk devotes the bulk of his time to dismantling government services and meddling in a judicial election in Wisconsin, where he's expected to show up Sunday.

Musk has spent at least $12 million in an effort to replace a retiring Wisconsin Supreme Court justice with one more to his liking. That tally does not include the $2 million he plans to pay two voters who signed his online petition against “activist judges.”

Sandra Rhude painted a protest sign almost big enough for Musk to see from the state line. She and a group of friends, mostly older women, have been staging protests on bridge overpasses, holding up signs painted on old sheets and curtains. Like this one: A pouty-lipped caricature, with a call to DEPORT ELON.

"I don't want to sit back and read the news and say 'Oh my gosh, this is all so bad'," said Rhude, a mother of seven. "Let's do something. We've got to do something."

The Twin Cities? Just one location that saw protests as part of the "Tesla Takedown" movement targeting the trashy South African-born Alien Musk who's in the process of attempting to ruin both America and the stocks in Tesla. Alien doesn't have to be deported but he does need to go home. Supreme idiot and drunken fool Pete Hegseth might hail Musk as "an American" but he's not. He's a South African who also claims Canadian citizenship and apparently bought US citizenship while lying and breaking the rules of his US visa which -- pay attention -- is the excuse Convicted Felon Donald Chump is using to deport a large number of people. Surely there's a room in an El Salvador jail for Musk, someone who deserves to be deported much more than any of the people Chump has deported so far.

Musk is Chump's side piece. In the 70s, Chump would have supported his photography 'career' or given him the money to open a small art gallery. In 2024, you apparently create a faux governmental agency for them. And Musk -- who knows nothing about the United States or, for that matter, democracy -- sets out to wreck our country. Only idiots like Musk and Chump would find it surprising that Americans are getting to the point where they'd love to see Musk boiled in oil.

The website for the movement notes:

Elon Musk is destroying our democracy, and he's using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it. We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk's illegal coup.

⚡Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.

⚡ We're tanking Tesla's stock price to stop Musk.

⚡Stopping Musk will help save lives and protect our democracy.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. No one is coming to save us. Not politicians, not the media, not the courts.

Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly.

Non-violent? Oh, no. Does that mean Bottle Blond Bitch Bondi couldn't send in the thugs being used to round up immigrants? Poor Pammy. For more on that idiot, see Elaine's recent posts:

Another performance review for Bottled Blond Bimbo Bondi

Bleached Blond Bimbo Bondi just grows more idiotic

Bottled Blond Bimbo Bondi

Speaking of bitches, of weak ass bitches, Alien Musk declared this week, "The people pushing the propaganda against Tesla are the real villains here and we are going to go after them. President Trump made it clear we are going to go after them. The ones providing the money, the ones pushing the lies and propaganda."

Did Donald Chump save your ass -- the one with blotchy spots from where they removed hair to put it onto of your bald head? Only the trashiest of women would ever touch that head of ass hair.

Sunday, Adeola Adeosun (NEWSWEEK) reported:

Billionaire Elon Musk called on Sunday for the arrest and prosecution of organizers behind anti-Tesla protests that were held on Saturday at approximately 200 Tesla showrooms worldwide.

Newsweek reached out to Musk via two of his companies, Tesla and X, on Sunday for comment.

He doesn't understand the Constitution. Again, he's not an American. An American is a citizen of the United States. Musk is a citizen of South Africa, then Canada and then possibly the US. There are rumors that he's also been granted citizenship by the Chinese government. Whatever he is, he is not "an American citizen" because he's not "a" citizen of any one country.

Kara Swisher has long noted how Musk can't handle any criticism and those around him know not to offer any. That explains some of his stupidity. Only some.

He needs to stop being a threat to the American people and our Constitution. He needs to stop making threats against Americans exercising their Civil Liberties and Bottle Blond Bimbo Bitch Bondi needs to grasp that she serves the American people not Musk.

There is no propaganda against Tesla. Currently, he's spending millions to try to sway an election in Wisconsin, to buy it. That is the threat to democracy. And he's the one who needs to be hauled off in handcuffs.

And maybe to a prison if, in fact, he has made a deal with the Chinese government for citizenship because, if so, that's something he should have disclosed to the US government -- a government already doubtful of his loyalties.

The propaganda is against America and it comes out of racist Alien Musk's mouth daily such as when he lies that Social Security is "a ponzi scheme." As Senator Chris Van Hollen noted Friday on MSNBC, that's only one of the many lies about Social Security that Musk keeps telling.

Frank Biignano is nominated for the post of Commissioner of Social Security. Last week, he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 90 years ago, Congress passed the Social Security Act, and the deal was simple: you work hard, you pay into Social Security across all your earnings years, and then when you retire, you can count on having those social security benefits that you paid for. And now co-presidents Trump and Musk want to renege on that deal, so DOGE has taken a sledgehammer to the Social Security Administration, firing staff, closing field offices, and pulling the plug on phone services. Last week, the acting commissioner of Social Security, who is openly working with Elon Musk, actually threatened to shut down the entire agency. Now this isn't about efficiency. Elon said the quiet part, about his plans, right out loud. Musk said we should, quote, "eliminate Social Security." The richest man in the world said that Social Security for 73 million Americans should be destroyed. Mr. Bisignano, you have been nominated to be in charge of Social Security, and seniors need to have a right to know if you're going to protect their benefits. So, let's start simple. Say a 66-year-old man qualifies for Social Security. Mr. Bisignano, could the Social Security Administration, or Elon Musk, or Donald Trump decide to cut his benefits by $5,000 for no reason, without a new law passed by Congress?

Frank Bisignano: Is that a question?

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Yeah, that's a question.

Frank Bisignano: I don't see that happening.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: I didn't ask if you see it happening. Could they, by law, cut those benefits without coming to Congress?

Frank Bisignano: No.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: No? All right, so let's dig deeper. Suppose the same 65-year-old calls the helpline to apply for Social Security, but he's told about the new DOGE rule, so he has to go online or in person. He can't drive. He has trouble with the website, so he waits until his niece can get a day off to take him to the local Social Security office, but DOGE closed that office, so they have to drive two hours to get to the next closest office. When they get there, there are only two people who are staffing a fifty-person line, so he doesn't even make it to the front of the line before the office closes and he has to come back. Now let's assume it takes our fellow three months to straighten this out, and he misses a total of $5,000 in benefits checks, which, by law, he will never get back. So, Mr. Bisignano, is that a benefit cut?

Frank Bisignano: Well, first of all, Senator --

Senator Elizbaeth Warren: Is that a benefit cut? I’m sorry, my time is limited here. That's an easy question. Yes or no, is it a benefit cut?

Frank Bisignano: I have no intent to have anything like that happen under my watch, ma’am.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: I understand that. Is it a benefit cut?

Frank Bisignano: I'm not sure what to call it. It sounds like a horrible situation.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Is the person getting the $5,000 they were legally entitled to?

Frank Bisignano: That was your scenario.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: So, are they getting $5,000 they were legally entitled to?

Frank Bisignano: I don't know. I mean—You just told me—

Senator Elizabeth Warren: You don’t know?

Frank Bisignano: Yeah, I mean—

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Look, let's be clear: that you keep $5,000 from them, by announcing a policy, it's illegal, but there are backdoor ways to accomplish the same thing. DOGE is considering slashing up to 50% of the Social Security Administration's workforce. That means longer lines, more errors, and for everyone who gives up or who dies before they get their benefits sorted out, those delays and errors also turn into benefit cuts. Elon Musk is the richest man in the world, so he doesn't need social security. He'd be glad to get rid of it, but only Congress can cut Social Security benefits, and Elon is trying a backdoor way. So, Mr. Bisignano, if you are confirmed in this job, will you commit to reversing these cuts so that seniors get the money that the law says they are entitled to?

Frank Bisignano: What I will commit to is that I will run the agency, and I will be in charge of the agency, and I will look at every item you want me to look at.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: That's not what I'm asking you. I'm asking—you just answered the previous questions by saying you would follow the law. The law is to deliver the benefits that people are legally entitled to. If you don't have the staff, if you don't answer the phones, if you don't fix the mistakes, people don't get what they're legally entitled to. So, I want to know, are you willing to commit, right now, that you will put enough people back to work so they can do the job of delivering the benefits that Americans earned? Yes or no?

Frank Bisignano: I will commit to have the right staffing to get the job done.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: To get the job done? Meaning delivering the benefits people are entitled to?

Frank Bisignano: Yes.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: I'm going to hold you to that.

Al Root (BARRON'S) observes, "Politics seems to be turning off some of Tesla’s core customers -- politically left-leaning people looking to go green. Weak sales data in the U.S. and Europe to start the year left Wall Street no choice but to cut first-quarter sales estimates that are due to be released April 2." The people have turned against evil-doer Musk. They never really knew him, they only knew the soft p.r. gauze covered creation. Now they see him for the hateful, petty, racist man he is -- a man who would rather attack his daughter publicly than try to make peace with her. And they grasp that he is a direct threat to their lives and livelihood. BBC NEWS explains, "Critics of President Donald Trump's second government have become increasingly vocal about their unease with Mr Musk's growing influence over US politics, with the billionaire given the role of creating a cost-cutting taskforce in the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). The department has so far fired or offered buyouts to about 100,000 federal employees, and has access to sensitive personal data relating to millions of Americans."

Hence the protests.

Over 200 around the world, in fact, according to Alaa Elassar, Auzinea Bacon and Connor Greene (CNN):

"It’s unfortunate that Musk has decided to use his power and riches for negative efforts,” said Austin Naughton, who runs a Facebook page for a grassroots organization and helped publicize the Washington, DC, protest for organizers.

A demonstration that began around 11 a.m. local time outside a Tesla showroom in DC’s Georgetown neighborhood drew a crowd of over 100 people for a “Tesla Takedown Dance Party!” as it’s described on the Tesla Takedown Website. Those in attendance carried anti-Musk signs and danced to disco music as cars drove by honking in support.

James Decherd, a DC native, said he was there to show his support for federal workers.

“I’m just afraid for what kind of country this is going to be after these cuts,” Decherd told CNN. “The whole country is at risk of becoming a dystopian hellscape. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

DOGE has not slowed down in its sweeping efforts to dismantle or overhaul federal agencies. On Monday, the department attempted to shut down the United States Institute of Peace, an independent non-profit agency, and CNN reported on March 13 that DOGE had proposed cutting 20% of the staff at the Internal Revenue Service by May 15.

AP adds, "By early afternoon crowds ranging from a few dozen to hundreds of protesters had flocked to Tesla locations in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Minnesota and the automaker’s home state of Texas. Pictures posted on social media showed protesters brandishing signs such as 'Honk if you hate Elon; and 'Fight the billionaire broligarchy'."

California saw protests in numerous cities. In San Francisco, the Tesla dealership at 999 Van Ness Ave was the protest site. And hundreds showed up -- hundreds of people. But the cars? They weren't present Tesla had moved all vehicles out of the dealership. NBC BAY AREA covered San Jose's protest where Roberta Ortega explained, "This really makes me feel like 'OK, we are not alone when we protest. We need to stand up. and I just feel uplifted by all these people who think like I do, feel the threat of tyranny and we need to save our democracy." KUSI adds, "Here in San Diego, the Tesla Takedown Action Network coordinated three separate protests across the county on Saturday -- outside the UTC Westfield Mall in La Jolla, at the Tesla Dealership in Encinitas and outside the Tesla Showroom in Carlsbad." In Santa Clara, Tori Gaines KTVU's report included the protesters doing call-and-response such as: "When federal workers are under attack, what do we do?" "FIGHT BACK!"

Raleigh, North Carolina? Tom George (ABC11) quotes the protest organizer Kathryn Pollack stating, "Musk is the richest person in the world, and his stock has gone down 50 percent since the inauguration. These protests have had a big impact. People are not happy with what he's doing, and they're not buying his products, and we have nothing against the people who work here, we have nothing against people who drive Teslas, we only have an issue with Musk himself."

Chicago? Maher Kawash (ABC 7) reports:

Chants and roars echoed through parts of Chicago as massive crowds gathered to protest Musk and his company.

"Elon is not an elected person, and he has no authority to dismantle our government and programs that help us American people," Chicago resident Tina Smothers said.

The group remained peaceful as they showcased all sorts of signs and demonstrations, claiming Musk's department of government efficiency has turned into government overreach.

"He's not our president," Chicago resident Vicky Weidenkeller said. "He's not an elected official. What business does he have taking over our government?"

"The streets around Easton Town Center's Tesla dealership were flooded with protestors as hundreds spoke out against Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency's sweeping federal job cuts," explains 10TV of Columbus, Ohio's protest before quoting Rick Neal stating, "We want him out of the government and out of our lives. The world's richest man in the world, what is he doing?" WKRC covers Cincinnati's protest, "Dozens of people gathered with signs in front of two Greater Cincinnati Tesla dealerships on Saturday. Protesters were at the Tesla dealership under construction on Ridge Road in Columbia Township, as well as at the Blue Ash Tesla dealership on Blue Ash Road."

Also in Ohio, Baltimore saw protests. Daniel Zawodny (BALTIMORE BANNER) reports:

For more than two hours, the honking never stopped.

Scores of protestors — one organizer estimated the total at more than 600 people — lined both sides of Reisterstown Road just southeast of the Owings Mills Tesla dealership on Saturday to decry the company’s billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, and his unprecedented role in the federal government.

Shouts of “No oligarchs! No fascists!” came from the crowd, a mix of older and younger adults — even some parents with their children — most carrying signs denouncing Musk and President Donald Trump.

“I am outraged and appalled by what’s happening to our country,” Alan Cohen of Baltimore said. “I never thought we could go basically toward fascism. ... I want to do everything I can to stop this country from becoming authoritarian.”

The state of Washington saw protests at numerous cities. Caitlyn Freeman (SEATTLE TIMES) notes, "At the Tesla showroom in Seattle’s University Village, hundreds of people were chanting shortly after 10 a.m. Police had blocked vehicle traffic near the showroom, which is in the popular outdoor shopping mall." What were they chanting? "Dump Musk, dump Trump, give our country back to us!" KATU notes another Washington state protest, this one in Vancouver, which folded the Tesla protest in with their Rally For Science action where activists shined a light on the need to support DOGE targets of education and science.

Michigan? WWMT notes, "West Michigan joined a nationwide, nonviolent protest Saturday afternoon in response to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's role in American politics. Hundreds of 'Tesla Takedown' demonstrations are taking place over the country this weekend, including one in the Kalamazoo area and one in the Grand Rapids area." Josh Sanchez (WOOD TV) adds, "One of the organizers, Richard Sorgen, said the demonstration was not initially planned with the national protests in mind. He said while the Tesla footprint in the Kalamazoo area is smaller than other cities, the group’s goal remains the same" and quotes Richard defining the goal as, "To bring down the price of Tesla so that affects financially Musk's operations. The only way that we can affect Musk is to hurt him financially, just as he is hurting us financially."

Pennsylvania saw protests. Emily Neil (WHYY) notes over 400 people in Devon demonstrated and quotes Janet Gilbert:

I think that Elon Musk is a very negative influence for our country. I am horrified at the influence his money had on our elections,” she said. “He was basically bribing people in Pennsylvania to vote for Trump. He was running this lottery to bribe people to vote for Trump. And I think it really worked. I think it really got a lot of conservative young folk out to vote. And I don’t think that people with billions and billions of dollars should be able to have such an outsized influence on our democracy.

Still in Pennsylvania, Caitlynn Scott (WTAE) covers Bridgeville's protest and quotes Michael Earley stating, "Elon Musk is trying to destroy this country with what he's trying to do with DOGE, Social Security, and other things."

Virginia? Madie MacDonald (WAVY) notes Norfolk's protest and quotes Rebecca Head, "We just really wanted to be a part of the Tesla Takedown movement. I think our community is very directly impacted by this. They’re firing tons of federal workers, you know, taking a sledgehammer to our federal government. Many of whom are veterans. They’re gutting Veterans Affairs. And we’re standing here on Military Highway because this is, this is impacting our community directly."

FOX 10 NEWS covers Phoenix, Arizona and quotes Brent Peak, "Elon Musk claims that he is there for efficiency when, in actuality, he's taken that chainsaw instead of a scalpel to necessary services." In Jacksonville, Florida, protester Nancy Staats tells Hajah Bah (FIRST COAST NEWS), "This is not left and right. This is right and wrong, and you should not just go and dismantle things that have been put in place by Congress. It's just not right." Alan Shope (KMBC) reports on the protest in Kansa City.

New Jersey? Nicolas Fernandes (NJ.COM) explains:

Hundreds of people toting signs lined Route 70 in Cherry Hill Saturday to protest outside a Tesla dealership as part of the national movement nicknamed “Tesla Takedowns.”

The protest was another in the national movement that has emerged since President Donald Trump appointed Tesla CEO Elon Musk to lead the White House’s new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Some of the signs read “fire Musk,” “dump Elon” and “Trump picked Elon, not you.”

Missouri? FOX NEWS 2 reports:

The protest began around 10 a.m. and was held outside the Tesla Dealership at 5711 South Lindbergh Boulevard.

In South County, protestors were seen holding signs such as “Dump Tesla,” “Drive Tesla out of Biz,” “No one elected Musk,” and “Wake Up, America.”

Judayah Murray (FOX 5) noted two Georgia protests:

Just after 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, FOX 5 Atlanta cameras captured at least 40 people at the intersection of Briarcliff Road NE and Lavista Road in the North Druid Hills neighborhood of Atlanta.

"Honk if you hate Elon," one protester's signs read.

FOX 5 Anchor Tom Haynes ran into another protest outside a dealership in Decatur. Some of those protesters said they were also against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). One man told Haynes he was uncomfortable with how much personal information he believes DOGE allows its head, Elon Musk, access to.

WHAM reports on the Henrietta, NY protest and quotes participant Heidi Kleiber explaining:

I think the man very dangerous for America. If you read everything about him, the man is a neo-Nazi. They are planning an oligarchy. They want to install a situation where corporations are running the show. They hurt everybody except for the extremely rich. If you're extremely rich, you weren't hurting to begin with, but you're going to be hurting a lot more people now so that they can be even more greedy.

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Miss Sassy Transitioning to Miss Pussy?" went up Friday and his "Propaganda Pig" and "Mommy! Save Little Petey!" went up Thursday. The following sites updated: