DOGE Aims to Embed Agents in All Nonprofits That Receive Federal Funds

Why?

By Zane McNeill , Truthout

The Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to reform of the criminal legal system, has revealed that Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) recently attempted to embed staff within the organization, citing Vera’s prior receipt of federal funds. According to DOGE officials, this was part of a broader plan to install government teams inside all nonprofits that receive federal funding.

“The attempted intrusion by DOGE — a temporary, un-elected and non-Congressionally approved agency — toward the Vera Institute should alarm every American,” Diane Yentel, president of the National Council of Nonprofits, said in a statement.

During a call with DOGE representatives, Vera’s legal team challenged the legitimacy of the request, noting that the U.S. Department of Justice had already terminated the nonprofit’s federal grants, which had totaled approximately $5 million over three years. While the Vera Institute successfully pushed back and DOGE ultimately withdrew the request, civil society advocates warn that the incident is part of a broader campaign to undermine nonprofit independence.

“This action by DOGE sets a dangerous precedent, leaving any recipient of federal funding — nonprofit, for-profit, and individuals alike — vulnerable to the whims of this destructive group. DOGE and The Trump Administration’s professed commitment to free speech and financial efficiency falls flat when their actions selectively target and weaken groups whose missions they may oppose,” Yentel said.

This tactic to control nonprofits could have far-reaching consequences. An Urban Institute analysis found that more than 103,000 nonprofit organizations received a combined $267 billion in government grants in 2021. These figures, based on IRS filings, excluded smaller organizations with limited reporting requirements — highlighting the vast scale of the nonprofit sector’s entanglement with public funding.

Why are Thomas and Alito still on the Supreme Court?

A Dissent Worthy of “Truth” Social Mitchell Zimmerman   The United States Supreme Court issued an order early morning on April 19 that responded decisively to President Trump’s latest effort to rush immigrants out of the U.S. and into a notorious El Salvadoran prison before anyone has time to react. The high court’s answer: No, you shall not. But Justices Alito and Thomas have filed a dissent that says in substance: Sure, go for it, Donald – nothing urgent here. The dissent is worth examining because it makes plain that in the emerging confrontation between a judiciary determined to maintain a commitment to due process of law and an executive who openly claims unrestrained power, Alito and Thomas are eager to abandon constitutional limits. The dissent is so evasive, so willfully blind to the actual matter at issue, as to make plain that the two are happy to watch Trump dismantle the rule of law from the sidelines. Trump claims that if Homeland Security detains individuals on the allegation they are Tren de Aragua gang members, he has the right to send them to a brutal “Terrorism Confinement Center” in El Salvador without giving the men any chance to dispute that they are gang members or that the president has the authority to exile anyone to a foreign prison. The rule of law requires more. Such accusations are frequently based on unreliable information, like tattoos, and must be considered by a neutral party – a judge. The government admitted Abrego Garcia, for example, was sent to El Salvador in “error,” and subsequent assertions he was a gang member rest on such dubious “evidence” as wearing a Chicago Bulls cap and a hoodie.

MAGA dictionary, continued

Trump regime wants to criminalize advising people on their rights

Put me on the list too

Source: Rhode Island ACLU

 

Can a local fishing panel make a difference in offshore wind projects?

We’re about to find out.

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

When the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) put out a public call for volunteers to revive a state fishing advisory panel, a former panel member warned Jim Riggs against joining.

Riggs, a 75-year-old recreational fisherman and retired electrician who lives in Westerly, applied anyway.

“I feel that in order to have your voice heard when it comes to fisheries management, you’re either on the table or on the plate,” Riggs said in an interview. “I prefer to be at the table.”

His seat at the table is now secured; he is one of nine new members the CRMC named to its Fishermen’s Advisory Board (FAB) after a single, unanimous vote on April 8. The advisory panel has been inactive since all of its former members resigned together in August 2023 to protest what they viewed as the CRMC’s kowtowing to offshore wind project developers at the expense of local fishermen. 

Will the same frustrations bubble up? The first test comes this week, as the new panel begins negotiations with SouthCoast Wind, which has applied for a permit to run transmission lines from its wind turbines up the Sakonnet River and out Mount Hope Bay. 

Measles Is Back: Doctors Warn of Dangerous Surge Across the U.S.

Under Trump and RFK Jr., measles is back bigly

By Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Pediatric experts are calling for renewed focus on measles vaccination as outbreaks reappear in the U.S. Despite having been declared non-endemic, measles poses serious risks, especially to young children, with complications like pneumonia, encephalitis, and even fatal brain disorders such as SSPE. In 2024, 40% of U.S. measles cases required hospitalization. Experts stress that the MMR vaccine is safe and the most effective protection against this highly contagious disease.

Parents are encouraged to contact their pediatrician if their child has been exposed to measles or is showing symptoms.

Pediatric infectious disease experts are emphasizing the critical importance of measles vaccination, as the highly contagious virus is once again spreading across the United States. In an article published in Pediatrics, they provide updated guidance for pediatricians on how to recognize, prevent, and manage this vaccine-preventable disease.

Measles, caused by the measles virus, is one of the most contagious infectious diseases known, capable of spreading to 90% of unvaccinated individuals exposed to an infected person. It is transmitted through respiratory droplets and can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area.

“The most effective way to prevent measles is vaccination,” said lead author Caitlin Naureckas Li, MD MHQS, infectious diseases specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

How and where is nuclear waste stored in the US?

Over 2,500 tons stored at power plant just outside of New London, CT

Millstone Nuclear Power Plant is just 25 miles upwind
from Charlestown. An accident could irradiate
the town as quickly as the wind blows

Gerald Frankel, The Ohio State University

Around the U.S., about 90,000 tons of nuclear waste is stored at over 100 sites in 39 states, in a range of different structures and containers.

For decades, the nation has been trying to send it all to one secure location.

A 1987 federal law named Yucca Mountain, in Nevada, as a permanent disposal site for nuclear waste – but political and legal challenges led to construction delays. Work on the site had barely started before Congress ended the project’s funding altogether in 2011.

The 94 nuclear reactors currently operating at 54 power plants continue to generate more radioactive waste. Public and commercial interest in nuclear power is rising because of concerns regarding emissions from fossil fuel power plants and the possibility of new applications for smaller-scale nuclear plants to power data centers and manufacturing. This renewed interest gives new urgency to the effort to find a place to put the waste.

In March 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments related to the effort to find a temporary storage location for the nation’s nuclear waste – a ruling is expected by late June. No matter the outcome, the decades-long struggle to find a permanent place to dispose of nuclear waste will probably continue for many years to come.

I am a scholar who specializes in corrosion; one focus of my work has been containing nuclear waste during temporary storage and permanent disposal. There are generally two forms of significantly radioactive waste in the U.S.: waste from making nuclear weapons during the Cold War, and waste from generating electricity at nuclear power plants. There are also small amounts of other radioactive waste, such as that associated with medical treatments.

While Trump pretends he wants to save Social Security, Elon Musk is strangling the program with bureaucratic red tape.

Trump and Musk Are Trying to Kill Social Security

By Jim Hightower 

How ironic: The most inefficient bureaucracy in government turns out to be Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”

That could be humorous, except that DOGE — a creature of the right-wing Project 2025 — has been devastating to millions of people. And it’s about to get worse. Elon Musk — the flighty überrich autocrat put in charge of “efficiency” by his buddy Trump — is now going after the Social Security deposits of 73 million senior citizens.

But wait, hasn’t Trump himself promised (loudly and often) that he would not ax this essential retirement program? Yes… but Elon is his “gotcha.”

Rather than an honest kill, Musk is strangling the program with bureaucratic red tape. Claiming to be cutting waste, he’s eliminating 7,000 people who administer the program, shouting, “Bureaucratic excess!”

Our wartime ruler

From the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee...

 

C-Town Dems News

April 2025

Build the Bench Event with Special Guest David Hogg Thursday, April 24, | 6 PM

Join RI Dems this Thursday, April 24 at 6 PM for their Build the Bench event! Fish Co., 15 Bridge Street, Providence​

Get Tickets!

We are celebrating the next generation of Rhode Island Democrats, with special guest, David Hogg!   The RI Dem Party is dedicated to building up our Democratic "bench" with the next generation of leaders. If you want to help us support our young Democrats, please support this event.   Stop by for food, drinks, merch, music, and new Dem friends. Please buy your ticket before they sell out! For more info on the event, David Hogg or to buy tickets, click here

C-Town Dems donate to RI Food Bank Food Drive   Earlier this month, we collected items for their pantry and donated them at RICAN. They were very grateful! Thanks to all who donated

Protecting Democracy For those looking to get involved in standing up for our nation’s democracy here in Rhode Island, we recommend South County Resistance (a Facebook group) and Indivisible RI as good starting points to find out what’s going on and to join some like-minded neighbors.​

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The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee manages the affairs of the Democratic Party in the town of Charlestown, RI subject to RI Election Law, State Party rules and its own bylaws. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM at the Charlestown Police Station. Any Charlestown registered Democrat is welcome to attend.

P.O. Box 1088, Charlestown RI 02813 charlestowndemocrats.org

Bunnies for biodiversity

Saving the imperiled New England cottontail rabbit

B y Anna Gray, College of the Environment and Life Sciences

Eastern cottontail (left) and near twin New England cottontail

Spring is in the air: the days are longer, the weather is warmer, and you might be noticing more rabbits hopping through your backyard. 

While adorable, the wild ones we see most frequently in New England are invasive Eastern cottontails, which were introduced to the area in the 1930s primarily to benefit hunters. The native species, New England cottontails, are considered vulnerable because of their decreasing population.

New England’s native cottontail rabbits are considered vulnerable because of their decreasing population.

Alex Rebelo and Alannah Lee, both animal science and technology majors, are working on conservation efforts alongside Justin Richard, assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science, to ensure more New England cottontails are born and released into the wild every year to support declining populations and establish new ones. “Increasing the population of the only cottontail species of cottontail native to New England is important for biodiversity,” says Rebelo, noting their importance for a healthy and balanced ecosystem. 

Nutrition Expert Reveals the #1 Food Swap To Reduce Stroke Risk

Caution: Potassium may be good for your heart health, but not for your kidneys

By Sam Jones, Tufts University

You might not remember what you had for breakfast yesterday, but your body does. Every meal, good or bad, leaves its mark. 

Your dietary habits are reflected in your bones, gut, heart, blood, and brain. 

Over time, what you eat influences key health indicators like cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.

These three markers not only help assess your risk for heart disease, but they also play a major role in determining your risk of stroke. 

Strokes, whether caused by a blocked or burst blood vessel in the brain, are closely linked to diet. The good news: making healthier food choices can significantly reduce your stroke risk.

Study Commission Recommends R.I. Implement Both Bottle Bill and Extended Producer Responsibility Program

Or perhaps we'll get neither

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

Ban nips - reduce roadside litter AND drunk driving

After 18 months of study, more than a dozen meetings, and hundreds of pieces of testimony, evidence, and presentations, Rhode Island’s joint study commission on plastic waste released its report, which revealed, unsurprisingly, that legislation in support of a bottle bill faces steep opposition.

The bottle bill is one of those pieces of environmental legislation that remain stuck in a state of political limbo. Advocates and pro-bottle bill lawmakers every year lobby heavily for the state to adopt a bottle deposit system, where consumers can turn in empty plastic bottles and other containers in exchange for a small refund, but the legislation rarely escapes committee.

It’s popular with environmental groups and residents who say they are sick of finding alcohol nips and other plastic waste littering parking lots, waterways, roadsides, and parks. But the legislation has always been extremely unpopular with the state’s beverage distributors and liquor stores.

The bottle bill commission, led by Rep. Carol McEntee, D-South Kingstown, a longstanding sponsor of such legislation, and Sen. Mark McKenney, D-Warwick, was an attempt to study the issue more thoroughly and hopefully reach some kind of compromise between bottle bill advocates and opponents.