No Transparency at The White House   #337

By Hank Silverberg

There continues to be a general lack of transparency at the Trump White House. The best example may be the web site  https://www.whitehouse.gov/  which under previous presidents always posted official remarks by the president, policy statements and transcripts of the press secretary's briefings or remarks. But it is noted in an AP story this week that nothing has been posted since the President's comments on March 13, and the last transcription of the Press Secretary meeting with reporters was posted on February 20th, even though she meets with them at least once a week. 

Instead we get comments from the President on his Truth Social site, and they are often vague policy comments or rants about someone he is mad at. (This week it was entertainers Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen.)

Why is this important? The official transcripts or policy statements allow everyone, including the general public, to hear official comments unfiltered through the media which tends to focus on just one or two issues, and in the case of the right-wing media, tends to slant everything positively.

So far there are only ten web pages on the official White House website since Trump took office.

Why is this a lack of transparency? Once something like a transcript has been on the website it is saved and cannot be changed or revised later to fit a new narrative.    

In contrast, the National Archives, which preserves everything posted on White House.gov, has all 1,247 webpages from the Biden White House, including all his speeches saved for posterity.  And the last of them were posted on January 19, the day before Mr. Biden left office. It was a speech he made that day in South Carolina. It also has the last statement from Vice President Harris on January 17, and the last briefing from the Press Secretary on January 15.     

 apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-website-biden-documentation-b136aa4018a1c9796d844ed9389a19c8

News You May Have Missed!

Cuts at NOAA Threaten Your Safety 

Most of us are used to getting weather alerts on tornados, hurricane or severe thunderstorms 24/7, allowing us to prepare for the storms. It can be something simple like taking the trash cans in to something more severe like going into the tornado shelter or evacuating low lying areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) has 122 offices across the country that issue those warnings and help local weather forecasters keep track of the danger. They are already short staffed, and now CBS is reporting that as many as 1,000 more people in critical positions may soon be laid off. It means some of those weather stations will no longer be staffed overnight, jeopardizing accurate and imminent weather threats.  The Trump Administration says none of those previously laid off were in critical positions, but they included radar specialists and some of the crew of planes that fly into hurricanes to keep track of the storms. 

(Hurricane Iota 2020, courtesy NOAA)

 It could have a major impact on the 2025 hurricane season, and affect everything from your weekend or vacation plans to your personal safety. At the same time, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), the parent agency of NWS, has also been forced to take down vital data on climate change that helps farmers plan their crops. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/health-and-safety-alerts/how-national-weather-service-staffing-shortages-are-already-making-weather-forecasts-worse/ar-AA1EEJ1v

Panda Alert!

A pair of prepubescent critters at the National Zoo are creating a bit of a stir. The two giant pandas, Qing Bao, the female, and Bao Li, the male, are  expressing "interest" in each other even though they are too young to mate. The zoo keepers say they have been chirping at each other through a common window grate and trying to touch each other. And they are both smelling for scent of the other when they are out in the yard alone. The female pandas mature first and the folks who watch them at the zoo say Qing Bao is exhibiting behavior similar to Bao Li's grandmother, Mei Xiang, which she did when she was seeking to mate. 

Don't get too excited about all this though, it could be a couple of years before these two young pandas get together. 

Here are the two pandas playing in the snow back in January, thanks to the Panda Cam at the zoo. 

Giant Pandas are an endangered species. There are about 1,864 Giant Pandas left in the wild and another 400 in captivity.   

 https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2025/05/18/new-pandas-show-encouraging-mutual-interest-national-zoo-says/83710931007/

Dumbest Quote of The Week!

This  week's Dumbest Quote comes from Georgia Republican Congressman, Mike Collins. Here it is on X: 

       

Rep. Mike Collins

@RepMikeCollins

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So it’s legal for a president to ship millions of illegal aliens into our country but it’s illegal to send them home? The system is broken. The Supreme Court failed us. Whose country is this anymore?

Sorry, Congressman. They were not "shipped" in. They came on their own accord. The blame for that should be placed at the feet of Congress, which failed for decades to reform our immigration system.

(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)

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