Is Anyone Paying Attention?

[Lori Dee]

This just in...
Trump directs agencies to quietly repeal regulations — without public notice
The memo appears to rely on a misinterpretation of a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Link to Full Article
Politico - Hassan Ali Kanu
04/10/2025 03:13 PM EDT

President Donald Trump has instructed federal agencies and their assigned DOGE teams to repeal any existing regulations that are inconsistent with his priorities without providing advance notice or going through the traditional public input process.

The move accelerates the White House's sprawling efforts to dismantle the federal regulatory machine, although Trump's directive to skip the notice-and-comment process will likely face legal challenges. It also may squeeze out contrarian voices — such as civil rights advocates, labor unions and environmentalist groups — from weighing in on the administration's deregulatory campaign.

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[Sephirah]

This guy just wants chaos. I'm convinced of it. I am sick of seeing his face plastered on YouTube thumbnails. He probably gets off on it.

[Mrs. Oliphant]

And, the VA no longer guarantees confidentiality when talking to a therapist. Darn, I really liked Sarah.

[Sephirah]

And, the VA no longer guarantees confidentiality when talking to a therapist. Darn, I really liked Sarah.

Therapists can be incredibly courageous, Annika. Don't give up on her yet. The state might be moronic but the people on the front lines can surprise you. I thought of becoming a therapist at one point. A lot of stuff stopped that happening, but I know if I had, I'd rather lose my job than lose the confidence of the people who went out of their way to put their trust in me. That's what makes good therapists quite special.

[Mrs. Oliphant]

That's what makes good therapists quite special.

Thanks, Sephirah. Sarah is special. So I will keep sharing my journey with her (if Donald is listening in he won't understand a single word I'm saying, anyway). You would have been a great therapist. In fact, you already are.

[Sephirah]

Thanks, Sephirah. Sarah is special. So I will keep sharing my journey with her (if Donald is listening in he won't understand a single word I'm saying, anyway). You would have been a great therapist. In fact, you already are.

You're a sweetheart, Annika. I don't have the energy to do it professionally but... I can give support for free here, when I can. And that's enough for me.

Also, yeah, he won't be around forever. He comes in, screws everything up, gets all the attention, then goes golfing. People like Sarah are in it for the long haul. It takes a special kind of someone to want to share in the pleasure and pain of someone else. And to offer guidance.

[Lori Dee]

I see my VA psychologist on Monday. She is a rebel. She has no problem with bucking the system.

She explained that the VA cannot force her to violate confidentiality without a court order. What people forget is that all VA Healthcare professionals belong to professional medical associations. They have their own rules and regulations, and if they violate those rules, they can lose their license or their certification. Not to mention a violation of HIPPA. That is grounds for a major lawsuit.

When the VA took down all of the Pride posters, she had a rainbow flag sticker on her laptop. She would often quote a VA policy and wink and point to the sticker. 

[Sephirah]

I see my VA psychologist on Monday. She is a rebel. She has no problem with bucking the system.

She explained that the VA cannot force her to violate confidentiality without a court order. What people forget is that all VA Healthcare professionals belong to professional medical associations. They have their own rules and regulations, and if they violate those rules, they can lose their license or their certification. Not to mention a violation of HIPPA. That is grounds for a major lawsuit.

When the VA took down all of the Pride posters, she had a rainbow flag sticker on her laptop. She would often quote a VA policy and wink and point to the sticker. 

She sounds rather awesome, Lori. You don't go into the field of helping people being concerned with helping the system. If you do, you're in the wrong job.

[Lori Dee]

She sounds rather awesome, Lori. You don't go into the field of helping people being concerned with helping the system. If you do, you're in the wrong job.

She truly is. It was freaky how much we have in common. I mean more than just freaky, it was scary. She said something to me at the same time that I was thinking it. I said, "Get out of my head, woman!".

Over the years, I have learned that we are both geeky nerds, so we have a matching kind of crazy. Then I found out that she was born 3 days after me. So we are both Virgos too. But having an ally like that is awesome. She doesn't just read my mind, she reads my emotions very well. When I explain something, she gets it. She knows exactly what I mean. That is the best kind of therapist.

[Sephirah]

She truly is. It was freaky how much we have in common. I mean more than just freaky, it was scary. She said something to me at the same time that I was thinking it. I said, "Get out of my head, woman!".

Over the years, I have learned that we are both geeky nerds, so we have a matching kind of crazy. Then I found out that she was born 3 days after me. So we are both Virgos too. But having an ally like that is awesome. She doesn't just read my mind, she reads my emotions very well. When I explain something, she gets it. She knows exactly what I mean. That is the best kind of therapist.

1000%. You are extremely lucky, Lori. A therapist is someone who should be a friend, who just happens to know more about some stuff than you might do but never uses that against you. If you ever feel intimidated by them, there's something wrong. And I'd venture most of these people probably view the Great Orange Hope with the same contempt as most everyone else.

[Lori Dee]

User with Russian IP address tried to log into NLRB systems following DOGE access, whistleblower says
Link to Full Article
NextGov/FCW - David DiMolfetta, Cybersecurity Reporter
April 15, 2025 12:45 PM ET

A user with a Russian IP address tried to log into National Labor Relations Board systems just minutes after the Department of Government Efficiency moved to access and extract troves of sensitive data from inside the agency, according to an extensive whistleblower disclosure released Tuesday.

The whistleblower provided forensic evidence and internal documentation to Congress and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, accusing DOGE of exfiltrating large volumes of confidential data and disabling various security monitoring systems used to scan for malicious behavior in NLRB's networks...

The user attempting to log in relied on a newly created DOGE email account and the attempts were "near real-time," according to the disclosure.

The login attempts were blocked, but the person used a correct username and password, suggesting that adversaries may already be testing entry points potentially exposed by DOGE's activities across the government.

The whistleblower claims DOGE engineers used secretive and suspicious methods to pull sensitive information from the NLRB's systems. They shut off security tools that track activity, deleted evidence of what they accessed and used software that made their work nearly invisible...

Security experts told NPR those tactics resemble the playbook of foreign hackers and not federal workers.

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The whistleblower said that " after he raised concerns internally about DOGE's inroads into the agency, he received a physically taped threat on his door containing personal information and overhead photos of him walking his dog."

This is what happens when you elect a dictator.

[Lori Dee]

Sometimes I read the news and think, "Wait. What?"

For example, we have this story:
Russia introduces 'ideological' visa for homophobic Westerners
https://76crimes.com/2025/04/23/russia-ideological-visa-homophobic/

I'll let you read the story for yourself, but:
Russia has long made homophobia and opposition to LGBT+ rights a soft-power tool, and its latest step in this direction is presidential Decree No. 702, signed on August 19, 2024, instituting an "ideological" visa for foreign citizens who share supposed "traditional Russian spiritual and moral values" but live in LGBTQ-friendly countries. The new policy aims to promote the country as a refuge for homophobes and transphobes in Western countries with more liberal attitudes toward LGBT people. ... The move comes after the Russian government has placed the so-called 'international LGBT movement' on its list of terrorists and extremist organizations.

Between September and December 2024, about 200 people, mainly from the United States, France, Canada, Italy and Germany, have reportedly moved to Russia under this program.

My concern is, what if all homophobes/transphobes were to leave and go to Russia? That would leave countries mostly inhabited by LGBTQ people and their allies. Would that make those countries "terrorists and extremist organizations" subject to attack? Not likely to happen. The most conservative people I know don't trust the Russian government.

Then we have:

Trump administration looking at $5,000 'baby bonus' to incentivize public to have more children
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-5000-baby-bonus-incentivize-public-children/story?id=121094707
The White House has been fielding proposals aimed at persuading people to marry and have children, an effort being pushed by outside groups focused on increasing the nation's birth rate after years of decline.

We know that his intention is for more women to stay home and stay pregnant. But if this is such an important issue, would he then be open to polygamy?

I think the reason for the decline in birth rate has nothing to do with LGBTQ and is more about women needing to go to work so they can afford things like eggs and daycare for the 1.5 children they have now. Will the White House then increase WIC benefits to help pay to raise more children? Elon Musk can afford it, but many single moms cannot. What about the proposals to cut Medicaid funding? Who is going to pay to raise these kids? Has any thought gone into this at all?

I am just over here shaking my head.