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In another concession to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the Trump administration shut down a crucial program that catalogued war crime. This included a database that tracked the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia—another obvious sign that President Donald Trump has little to no care for the wellbeing of children. Managed through an initiative at Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, the database played an important role in the International Criminal Court’s 2023 charges against Putin related to the illegal deportation of children. Researchers were informed last month that the State Department had “quietly” terminated the contract to comply with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, though sources say that the database may have been deleted in the confusion wrought by DOGE’s cuts. “We have reason to believe that the data from the repository has been permanently deleted,” Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The news comes after a report from The New York Times about the Trump administration halting food testing programs and shutting down a group that studied bacteria in infant formula. “It’s as if someone, without enough information, has said, What’s a good way to save money on our automobiles? Let’s just take out the seatbelts and airbags, because do we really need them?” Darin Detwiler, a food safety consultant and associate professor at Northeastern University, told the Times. Cartoon by Clay Bennett Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has exposed his lack of integrity when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable populations, particularly through his awful mishandling of the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas. Couple that with Kennedy’s plan to destroy children's teeth by eliminating fluoride from drinking water, and the threat to U.S. children’s health is glaring. Before that, the Department of Agriculture pulled $1 billion in funding for programs that helped feed school-aged and low-income children. The programs, which were created during the Biden administration, provided funding to local farmers and food vendors to help combat food insecurity. And, of course, Trump has made it clear that he plans to dismantle the Department of Education, which Education Secretary Linda McMahon has been working toward by firing half of the department’s staff. But the harm to children goes far beyond Trump, with the GOP’s legion of creeps frequently being connected to accusations of child abuse. For example, Trump’s short-lived attorney general nominee, former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, allegedly paid multiple women—including a child—for sex, according to a damning ethics report. And Gaetz’s former associate and alleged party bro Joel Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison for various crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor. Similarly, just last month the Trump administration was trying to assist alleged rapist and human trafficker Andrew Tate and his brother in their extradition case. More recently, Minnesota’s MAGA state Sen. Justin Eichorn was arrested in a police sting for allegedly soliciting a minor for sex. His arrest came just days after one of Trump’s former “spiritual advisers,” Robert Morris, was indicted and charged with five counts of “lewd or indecent acts to a child,” stemming from when he was traveling evangelist in 1982. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of the hypocrisy displayed by Trump and Republicans who claim to crusade for children’s welfare yet enact policies and maintain alliances that actively cause them harm. Campaign Action
In another concession to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the Trump administration shut down a crucial program that catalogued war crime. This included a database that tracked the mass deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia—another obvious sign that President Donald Trump has little to no care for the wellbeing of children. Managed through an initiative at Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, the database played an important role in the International Criminal Court’s 2023 charges against Putin related to the illegal deportation of children. Researchers were informed last month that the State Department had “quietly” terminated the contract to comply with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, though sources say that the database may have been deleted in the confusion wrought by DOGE’s cuts. “We have reason to believe that the data from the repository has been permanently deleted,” Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The news comes after a report from The New York Times about the Trump administration halting food testing programs and shutting down a group that studied bacteria in infant formula. “It’s as if someone, without enough information, has said, What’s a good way to save money on our automobiles? Let’s just take out the seatbelts and airbags, because do we really need them?” Darin Detwiler, a food safety consultant and associate professor at Northeastern University, told the Times. Cartoon by Clay Bennett Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has exposed his lack of integrity when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable populations, particularly through his awful mishandling of the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas. Couple that with Kennedy’s plan to destroy children's teeth by eliminating fluoride from drinking water, and the threat to U.S. children’s health is glaring. Before that, the Department of Agriculture pulled $1 billion in funding for programs that helped feed school-aged and low-income children. The programs, which were created during the Biden administration, provided funding to local farmers and food vendors to help combat food insecurity. And, of course, Trump has made it clear that he plans to dismantle the Department of Education, which Education Secretary Linda McMahon has been working toward by firing half of the department’s staff. But the harm to children goes far beyond Trump, with the GOP’s legion of creeps frequently being connected to accusations of child abuse. For example, Trump’s short-lived attorney general nominee, former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, allegedly paid multiple women—including a child—for sex, according to a damning ethics report. And Gaetz’s former associate and alleged party bro Joel Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison for various crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor. Similarly, just last month the Trump administration was trying to assist alleged rapist and human trafficker Andrew Tate and his brother in their extradition case. More recently, Minnesota’s MAGA state Sen. Justin Eichorn was arrested in a police sting for allegedly soliciting a minor for sex. His arrest came just days after one of Trump’s former “spiritual advisers,” Robert Morris, was indicted and charged with five counts of “lewd or indecent acts to a child,” stemming from when he was traveling evangelist in 1982. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of the hypocrisy displayed by Trump and Republicans who claim to crusade for children’s welfare yet enact policies and maintain alliances that actively cause them harm. Campaign Action
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Inside Trump’s war on kids
Explore the impact of Trump-era policy changes on children’s welfare and safety—find out what’s at risk today.
Billionaire Elon Musk is using his sway within Donald Trump’s administration to try to destroy the United States Agency for International Development. USAID handles U.S. aid to foreign projects around public health, education, disaster relief, and promoting democracy abroad. On Monday, congressional Democrats condemned Musk’s actions, calling them illegal during a press conference outside of the closed USAID headquarters. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut singled out Musk’s business interests in China, which many people believe encouraged Musk to torpedo the House GOP’s spending bill in December. “China is cheering at this action today,” Murphy said. Murphy: "Let's not pull any punches about why this is happening. Elon Musk makes billions off of his business with China. And China is cheering at this action today. There is no question that the billionaire class trying to take over our govt right now is doing it based on self-interest."— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-02-03T18:26:04.635Z “Elon Musk, you may have illegally seized power over the financial payment systems of the United States Department of Treasury,” Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said. “But you don’t control the money of the American people. The United States Congress does that under Article 1 of the Constitution.” Raskin called the billionaire’s actions an “outrageous, scandalous, illegal maneuver.” The congressman questioned the target of Musk’s attempted budget cuts, noting the Pentagon, whose budget is more than 20 times the size of the USAID, does not seem to be on Musk’s list. “The Pentagon budget is where the defense contractor, Elon Musk, who became the richest man in the world off of our money, he collects his payments from,” Raskin said. “And now he's trying to shut down USAID. We're not going to allow this to happen. It will not stand.” YouTube Video Musk responded on his hate-filled social media site, X, with a bit of doublespeak that George Orwell would have probably found egregious. 
Trump seems content with the perception that he is running the show, but it is clear that he is out of his depth when it comes to billionaire predators like Musk pulling the strings behind—and now in front—of the scenes. Click here for Daily Kos’ Bluesky Starter Pack. Join us on Bluesky and @#$% Elon Musk!
President-elect Donald Trump tapped notorious anti-vaxxer and bear-meat aficionado Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services Thursday. The prospect of a man who has railed against fluoride in water and promised to stop research on drug development and infectious diseases for at least eight years heading the country’s public health initiatives has given many people pause. Reactions to the news have begun to come in, though none of those reactions mention Kennedy’s theory that chemicals in drinking water have resulted in “gender confusion.” Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana took time away from saying that women should not be allowed to leave their state for reproductive care to lament vague “vaccine mandates” in support of Kennedy’s nomination. TAPPER: The medical community has been clear that what RFK Jr says about vaccines is false. They don't cause autism. Does that bother you at all? SENATOR-ELECT JIM BANKS: Look Jake, in the election Donald Trump won the popular vote pic.twitter.com/IWrHH8xkdn— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 14, 2024 Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shocked many with his statement on X. “I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov,” Polis wrote. “He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA. I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health.” Polis’ support for RFK Jr. was a far cry from his feelings on the matter back in August, when he posted this. pic.twitter.com/IdbR2sISgM— David Weigel (@daveweigel) November 14, 2024 Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, an actual physician, readied his rubber stamp by writing that Kennedy “has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure. I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.” Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, not known for being particularly bright, called the pick “absolutely brilliant.” And the always craven Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin seemed over the moon about an HHS chief who is as far out when it comes to public health as he is. I could not be happier that @realDonaldTrump has selected @RobertKennedyJr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He’s a brilliant, courageous truth-teller whose unwavering commitment to transparency will make America a healthier nation.— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) November 14, 2024 Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts kept his reaction short and sweet. Dangerous. Unqualified. Unserious. 