EDITORIAL
BY DHIREN SHAH
Hello Readers,
President Trump is starting his term with a low approval rating. According to ABC News, his approval rating is 50% and his disapproval rating is 43%. I think the biggest voting block for disapproval is LGBTQ groups.
Trump has made a few announcements. He paused all federal grants and loans, which will impact many nonprofit organizations. However, a federal judge blocked his attempt. Meals on Wheels and a few other organizations sued the Trump administration and sought restraining orders.
The Trump administration and ICE are cracking down on undocumented immigrants who have criminal records. Colombia originally did not allow planes to land with deported immigrants. However, when Trump threatened to hit them with tariffs, they changed their stance and took the migrants back. When President Biden said, “Don’t” it fell on deaf ears, but when Trump speaks, it leads to action.
So far, six of Trump Cabinet picks were already confirmed. The likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard will be difficult. Pete Hegseth got the Secretary of Defense job after Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie.
Per the Center for Presidential Transition: “Once nominations are made and a new Senate session begins, the next step in the process is for nominees to undergo additional vetting, background checks and paperwork before the relevant committees of jurisdiction schedule formal confirmation hearings. Traditionally, a new Congress convenes around Jan. 3, with confirmation hearings for nominees starting in the week or two after the commencement of the new session. Trump in his first term and George W. Bush had the most hearings prior to Inauguration Day with 12 hearings. They were followed closely by Obama with 11 nominee hearings before Jan.20.”
On January 28th, the White House revealed that some of the drones seen flying over New Jersey and other parts of the country in November were authorized to be flown by the Federal Aviation Administration. However, they have not revealed why the FAA was flying drones over New Jersey, New York and other parts of the country. At least it is clear that no other country was spying on us.
Last week’s snow and cold impacted business in our area, the northeast and many parts of the United States. However, it is good that the weather is a little better for this coming week.
There is rain in the Los Angeles area, which helped in fighting the fires. However, there will be muddy roads in some areas. Many of the residents do not have fire insurance, so it will be very difficult for those homeowners to protect their homes. However, the local and federal government is aware of the problems, and may help the communities to make it even better. Trump and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had a spirited conversation, which led to people being able to remove the debris.
Have a wonderful week. I’ll talk to you next week.
