January 26, 2025 • 41 mins
Trump's First Week: DEI Controversy, WHO Exit, and Immigration Fiascos
In this episode of Civil Union, hosts Alex and Ryan dive into a whirlwind week marked by numerous executive orders from President Trump. They delve into the ramifications of the attempted closure of DEI offices, Trump's request to exit the WHO, and the potential end of birthright citizenship. The episode also touches on the historic significance and current political drama surrounding the Panama Canal and the Paris Climate Agreement. Additionally, the hosts share personal reflections, including Alex's family history and the recent loss of his grandmother, while emphasizing the importance of community support during tumultuous times. The episode concludes with a lighter note on the Bishop's sermon and a discussion about Tiffany Trump's peculiar public persona.
00:00 Introduction to Civil Union Podcast
00:43 Special Episode Announcement
00:58 Attempted Closure of DEI
01:07 Trump's Executive Orders and Their Implications
01:46 Personal Reflections and Family Stories
03:51 Weekly Pulse Check
04:22 DEI Controversy and Federal Actions
06:51 Trump's Stance on DEI and Historical Context
10:15 Withdrawal from the World Health Organization
15:43 Panama Canal and Global Trade
19:23 Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal
23:55 Birthright Citizenship Debate
29:09 ICE Policies and Legal Challenges
32:58 Overview of Trump's Executive Orders
34:44 Bishop's Sermon and Lip Fillers
39:33 Closing Remarks and Future Episodes
Music: What's The Angle? by Shane Ivers -
https://www.silvermansound.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
Welcome to the Civil Union thepodcast where politics meets
partnership.
We're Alex and Ryan, a marriedcouple navigating life and
debates in a conservative state.
We bring you sharp insights,bold opinions, and honest
conversations about thepolitical issues shaping our
lives, especially those livingon the society's margins.
(00:29):
Tune in for a real talk, a touchof humor, and plenty of passion.
Because when it comes topolitics, every voice matters.
And we're here to make surethey're heard.
All right, guys.
So we typically will be comingout with episodes every
Wednesday, but with such aheavily dense Newsweek this
(00:49):
week, we decided to come outwith an extra episode before
Wednesday, just so we can betteruncover all the events going on
in this crazy administration.
So for this episode, we'll becovering the attempted closure
of the DEI.
What does this mean, and howcould this affect you?
We'll also be diving into theexecutive order Trump signed
(01:10):
this week on his request toleave the World Health
Organization.
What implications would thishave?
We'll also be covering the dramaover the Panama Canal, the Paris
Climate Treaty, the absurdity ofending birthright citizenship,
and what else to expect duringthese first 100 days of the
Trump presidency.
It's not even been a week, and Ifeel like I haven't been able to
(01:33):
take a breath.
And finally, bishop and lipfillers.
How are those two thingsrelated?
Well, we'll be getting to thatlater.
A lot to get to, but first,Ryan, pulse check, what's on
your mind?
Oh my god, I feel like I've agedlike 10 years this week.
It was just such a heavily densefilled week.
(01:55):
I mean, how are you doing?
I'm all right.
It's been a long work week.
I picked up a couple shifts.
And then on Monday, I actuallyunfortunately lost my grandma.
So that was news I didn't reallywant to have, especially on that
day of all days.
So it made it into a very, verylong, long week.
Um, I actually talked to my mom,you know, it made me think when
(02:15):
my grandma passed away, I talkedto my mom about, you know, what
did my grandparents do?
You know, you know, Before wewere around to get us to where
we are as immigrants, I learnedthat I'm roughly third or fourth
generation, and I learned thatmy grandma on my mom's side was
a seamstress, and then she endedup getting a government job
because at the time that was oneof the better jobs you could get
(02:36):
with a college degree.
And then my grandpa, on my mom'sside, he was a Marine, and then
after he got out of the Marines,he went and worked at a meat
market in a grocery store, andthen became a meat inspector at
the Department of Agriculture.
My grandpa, on my dad's side,worked at a cement factory,
worked his way up to be achemist, became Director of
(02:57):
Human Resources, which affordedmy grandma, on my dad's side, to
be a stay at home mom.
I mean, the thing is, they wereafforded More opportunities way
back then to achieve the trueAmerican dream than immigrants
are allowed today.
It's a disgrace, and it hurts myheart that this administration
is targeting people like mygrandparents, who are just
(03:19):
trying to make a better life fortheir family.
Losing my grandma this past weekturned this into a week of
reflection, and I know howfortunate I am to be able to
have had my grandparents upuntil my mid thirties.
My grandpa is fortunately stillalive and well, but But anyway,
that was my week.
It was just, it was, it's, itjust puts a lot of that in
(03:40):
perspective to me, you know?
Yeah.
I'm so sorry about the loss ofyour grandma.
I was, I was really saddened tohear that.
I'm so happy we were able to seeher for Christmas.
Absolutely.
So moving forward, every weekwe'll be doing a pulse check
just to check in, share a bitabout our personal lives.
It's important with thisadministration we are under to
(04:00):
remember to check in on thepeople around you.
What's on your mind?
How are you?
Those questions will keep ustogether.
And over these next four years,we need to To keep checking on
each other when anadministration week one attacks
and attempts to dismantle basiclifelines we have had in place
for decades that will make itharder for us to have equal
rights and inclusions.
(04:22):
We have only the people aroundus to remind us we deserve where
we are at and what we have thatbrings us to the D.
I.
Yeah, so officials overseeingthe diversity, equity and
inclusion efforts, also known asD E I across all federal
agencies have been placed onpaid administrative leave after
(04:46):
the Trump administration orderedtheir offices to be closed.
According to the Americanfederation of government
employees, which representsabout 800, 000 federal workers
out of the 2.
2 million there are.
It's unclear how many peoplehave been affected by this
order.
But this effort was swift in anattempt to carry out elements of
(05:07):
Trump's day one executive order,dismantling federal diversity
efforts.
Yeah, I mean, the federalgovernment has no purview over
the private sector.
But they do have purview overcompanies that are private
contractors and subcontractorsto the government meta already
last week, Mark Zuckerberg hadannounced they were rolling back
(05:30):
their DEI initiatives.
And one thing about MarkZuckerberg, I want to mention he
was on Joe Rogan recently quotedand saying, I think the
corporate culture sort of hadswung toward being the somewhat
more neutered thing.
Basically what he's saying bythat is over the past few years,
corporations started hitting menwhere it hurts, robbing them of
their rights as men.
(05:51):
It's becoming harder on men tomove up the corporate ladder
with proper DEI initiatives thatplace importance in hiring and
promoting women and people ofcolor.
Well, I guess these little boybabies have had enough.
It's absolutely ridiculous andis highly misogynistic.
And also in a memo from theOffice of Personal Management,
(06:12):
which this is coming straightfrom the government, by the way,
they were quoted in saying, theAmerican people have witnessed
firsthand the disastrousconsequences of illegal,
pernicious discrimination thathas prioritized how people were
born instead of what they werecapable of doing.
So, basically, they're justdiscounting certain people's
well earned promotions andhirings.
(06:34):
If your skin is a differentcolor other than white, you
don't deserve your position.
If you're a woman, not a man,eh, you don't deserve that
promotion either.
You are what they call a DEIhire, and I think that is just
absolutely ridiculous.
Yeah, so while this controversywas like going on this week,
(06:55):
Trump also rolled back the 1965executive order created and
signed by then DemocraticPresident Lyndon B.
Johnson in June of 1965.
Johnson took the stage at.
Howard University and laid outthe vast differences between
black and white Americans andhis plan to address it.
He said, black poverty is notthe same as white poverty.
(07:18):
He also said that this wascaused by ancient brutality,
past injustice, and presentprejudice.
He also said that blackAmericans are still buried under
the blanket of history andcircumstance.
It is not a lasting solution tolive, lift just one corner of
the blanket.
It.
We must stand on all sides andwe must raise the entire cover
(07:40):
if we are to liberate our fellowcitizens.
Now, during this time, themedian income for black families
drops from 57 percent of whatwhite households earned in 1952
to 53 percent in 1963, Johnsoncalled a conference of scholars,
government officials, and blackleaders.
(08:00):
To ensure that black Americansmoved beyond opportunity to
achievement.
This 1965 act created that smallfine print.
You see when you're filling outan application for employment,
it reads something to the extentof this workplace prohibits
employment discrimination basedon sex, religion, race, national
(08:20):
origin, et cetera.
And Trump rescinded that orderwith the stroke of a sharpie.
I mean, the thing is, with allthis being said, it wasn't like
Trump hid his stance on this.
He openly talked about theseplans during his campaign.
And what I just don'tunderstand, I really just don't
understand, is why so many womenvoted for him because these
(08:44):
things weren't These things wereout in the public.
It's not like he hid it.
And I mean, I guess people votedfor him.
They saw this and just didn'tcare or didn't hold us at a high
enough priority for them for itto matter.
I mean, to them, I guess they,they thought groceries were more
important, but I just, I reallydon't understand how this went
so far under the table.
(09:05):
Like people are like, Oh, sosurprised by it.
But it was like, he's beenrunning on this for a while.
Yeah.
Did any of us even know what DEIwas like two weeks ago?
I did not know what DEI was.
I had no idea The DEI, basicallystemmed off of an executive
order Biden had placed and was atool to help build racial equity
and reverse decades ofdiscrimination from undeserved
(09:26):
communities.
Instead, President Trump feelsthis is a threat to our nation's
future, which is just absurd.
I mean, you could, you know, TheD.
I.
In place was what allowed forpeople to have a true American
dream.
Yeah.
Oh, another thing.
You'll probably hear the wordexecutive order thrown out a lot
in this episode because a lotwhere it was issued.
(09:49):
A lot of executive orders weresigned this past week, you'll
probably hear more over the nextfour years.
But an executive order is adirective issued by the
president.
It has the force of law and doesnot require approval from
Congress or state legislature.
I guess when they, theRepublicans have all the power,
(10:09):
it's okay that states don't havea say if they want to
participate in these actions ornot.
Now, not only did PresidentTrump throw the DEI off a cliff
this week, but he also made hugewaves concerning the World
Health Organization.
Yeah.
Huh.
Another disaster we saw thisweek by this administration
already was when Trump signed anorder for the United States to
(10:32):
leave the WHO or PEC.
Otherwise known as the WorldHealth Organization.
This was based on allegationsthat he says the WHO mishandled
the COVID 19 pandemic and wassubject to undue political
influence from member states.
Undue influence, a globalpandemic where people are
literally dying in packedhospitals across the world.
(10:56):
It is so interesting to me thatTrump is so quick to place blame
on anyone else but hisadministration for the COVID 19
pandemic pitfalls.
The COVID 19 pandemic fell onhis administration.
And let's not forget there was ahigh mishandling of the rollout
of vaccines, which causeddisastrous delays.
(11:16):
Trump also mishandled theinitial testing of potential
COVID 19 infected.
And he also botched the handlingof respirators and PPE that was
so desperately needed inhospitals around the country.
I mean, Trump could have enactedthe Defense Protection Act.
But decided to side with hislobbyist friends.
He resisted attempts to plan forworst case scenarios and instead
(11:37):
pushed out false information tothe public.
But now, this week, he's placingblame, again, on other
countries, on the WHO, and isusing that as an excuse for him
to make this move.
Yeah, us withdrawing from theWHO has several repercussions,
like the immediate cessation ofU.
S.
funding.
(11:58):
The WHO, which once again,former New York Mayor
billionaire Michael Bloombergrecently released a statement
saying his philanthropy willfund the WHO for a second time.
Yes, a second time.
Remember, Trump left the WHOback in 2017, so his dis
distaste for the organizationruns.
(12:20):
Deep, much deeper than the 2020pandemic.
Yeah.
And I mean, pulling out of theWHO means as well that we would
lose access to the World HealthOrganization's global public
health data, which trackspotential outbreaks and assist
the CDC in making decisions.
Without that data, the CDC isbasically flying blind.
And right now there's apotential bird flu outbreak.
(12:41):
I mean, there is a growingconcern right now.
Over 100, 000.
Ducks were euthanized due to apotential outbreak.
Eggs have gone up in price 40%.
And it's funny because peoplevoted on Trump because of the
price of eggs.
And now eggs have gone up 40percent this week.
Yet the CDC has been muted.
Trump muted them.
(13:01):
This does not fare well with uspulling out of the WHO.
Yeah, health experts haveexpressed concerns that this
move could compromise bothnational and global health
security.
The WHO plays a crucial role incoordinating international
responses to health emergencieslike the COVID 19 situation, the
(13:22):
pandemic.
The absence of the US may hinderthose efforts to manage current
and future global pandemics.
Yeah, and this also affects theUS pharmaceutical companies and
their development of any futurevaccines we may need, which, I
mean, isn't that surprisingsince RFK Jr, who is currently
the nominee for Health and HumanServices Secretary.
(13:42):
Well, His stance on vaccines isshaky at best.
He may need congressionalapproval, which with the slim
Republican majority, a fewdissenters could actually block
Trump's move.
Yeah, look at it this way.
A hundred years from now, whenthe next global pandemic hits
health experts, who I, whom Itend to believe over the
billionaires club say that theselarge global pandemics like the
(14:05):
Corona virus.
tend to happen once everyhundred years, just like the
Spanish flu did in 1918, whichstarted in a small tiny town in
Kansas.
And this flu spread through portcities and was during world war
one, which, you know,overshadowed the Spanish flu
epidemic.
I actually lost both of my greatgrandmother's parents to that
flu, but when the next globalpandemic hits, the United States
(14:28):
will not be part of the WHO.
So treatments and crucialinformation will be hindered
specifically by the UnitedStates because we left who will
we blame well, Republicans liketo blame Biden for everything,
but really history books, ifthey aren't strictly mandated by
then we'll read Trump becauseyou'll, but you know, he'll be
(14:49):
long gone by then.
So I guess, uh, we need to electanother democratic president to
clean up his mess.
Again.
Yeah.
And I'm just throwing thislittle bit of info out.
If Trump decided to stay in theWHO, it would allow Trump to
have a hand in pushing for acandidate he likes to lead the
(15:11):
WHO.
When Dr.
Tedros as director of the W.
H.
O.
in 2027.
He's been in that role since2017 his terms up.
But I mean that is a scary ideaon the flip side.
If does if Trump does stay inthe W.
H.
O.
that he'll have a hand in thatdecision.
So, While the World HealthOrganization works tirelessly to
(15:32):
address global health crises andimprove health care standards
worldwide, the historicalsignificance of global
infrastructure is also crucialin continuing to move our world
forward.
One such project thatdramatically changed global
trade and connectivity is thePanama Canal, which President
Trump is now trying to takeback.
(15:53):
Yeah, so this canal, if Iremember correctly from grade
school and from my quickresearch on Google, was built to
create a shortcut between theAtlantic and Pacific oceans, or
at least that is what thosebodies of water are called right
now.
Not sure if the Republicans wantto rename those just yet.
But it's a massive canal thattakes about 11 hours to travel
(16:14):
through.
The United States, China, Chile,Japan, South Korea are all major
users of this canal.
It's an easier way to getproducts you want to your front
door.
But during this massiveconstruction, over 29, 000
workers died, mostly due totropical diseases such as yellow
(16:34):
fever, malaria, between 1881 to1894, 22, 000 workers were
killed, but through science andvaccines, that number dropped
drastically to around 5, 000people between 1904 to 1914.
So vaccines save lives, makevaccines great again.
(16:56):
That's hilarious.
I mean, it's true, though.
And no one really knows whyTrump has had a sudden
fascination over the canal.
I mean, it is a pretty coolengineering marvel if you think
about it.
I have no clue how anyone builtit in 1904.
ships go into this littlechamber, water lifts it up, it
goes in another chamber, doesthe same thing, crosses a lake,
(17:19):
then gets lowered back to thesea level on the other side.
Like who in the hell thinks ofsomething like that in 1904?
I do think President Trump isjust playing ball with these
statements though, as anegotiation tactic to get rates
down on US ships, but there is apossibility.
Something called a neutralityagreement that won't allow for
that to happen.
So Trump is just spinning hiswheels in mud at this point.
(17:41):
Yeah, why does Trump want thiscanal so bad?
He wants American control overthis canal because he's worried
that it'll fall into the wronghands, specifically alluding to
China's growing influence onthat region.
Rubio's first trip abroad is inCentral America this week and
includes a stop in Panama.
(18:02):
More to come on the outcome ofthat trip, uh, I guess, next
episode.
Yeah, I mean, my thoughts areI'm not sure why no one has
learned this lesson.
But I think Trump is justthrowing a handful of things at
the wall to see what sticks as aform of distraction for news
media to cover to allow him todo other screwed up things no
one is paying attention to.
He is highly manipulative, anddoing these little stunts is his
(18:22):
way of manipulating stories SoHe can do other things in the
shadows.
Also, it is an interestinglittle thing to say.
Republicans have been so antiChina.
They've had this whole stance ofwanting to increase tariffs.
But by pulling out of the WHO,it allows for China to have more
of a standing with the WHO,giving them more control.
(18:44):
By causing issues with Panama,it positions China to have a
more friendly relationship andmore of an advantage in building
something between them andPanama.
By allowing a 90 day extensionon TikTok also appeases a
certain demographic of peopleand feeds Trump's ego, but it
also allows China to continueaccess to vast amounts of data
to people here in the U.
S.
I mean All of these moves, Ithink, are going to backfire on
(19:07):
Trump's administration at somepoint.
They are so stupid, they don'teven realize they are holding a
gun, ironically, to their ownfeet.
President Trump's recentdramatics with Panama is just
one recent development of the U.
S.
trying to shift away frominternational partnerships.
Trump announced on Monday hisdecision to withdraw the United
(19:27):
States from the Paris ClimateAgreement for a second time.
Time.
Yeah.
Just what is the Paris ClimateTreaty you ask?
Well, it's an internationalagreement on climate change.
the treaty covers climatechange, mitigation, adaptation,
and finance.
196 members or countries signthis agreement in 2015.
(19:50):
Trump declared that leaving thisagreement would be a victory for
the American economy.
It is frustrating because thereis so much potential in other
sources of income.
The world's resources, there isso much potential in wind and
solar energy and us leading thatenvironmentally friendly
(20:10):
technology for him to sayleaving would help the American
economy is a farce per the TexasComptroller in 2022 coal energy
generated 16.
6 percent of Texas energy atnearly 20, 000 megawatts.
Wind energy generated 25 percentof Texas energy at 40, 556
(20:32):
megawatts.
And as of quarter one in 2023,the value of total solar
investments in Texas is nearly22 billion, bringing more than
10, 000 industry related jobs tothe state as well.
So again, there is no reason tojust stop that growth and pull
(20:52):
out of our promise to keep withthe Paris Climate Treaty unless
It is benefiting Trump or fellowRepublican pockets.
Yeah, many economists have bigdoubts about leaving this
agreement.
The economists say the agreementwould likely help create about
as many jobs and renewableenergy as it might cost in
polluting industries.
(21:13):
When the U.
S.
Pulls out for a second time, itwould seal the deal to protect
old school jobs like coal andoil, which is great.
Having employed Americans isabsolutely wonderful.
In fact, the Bidenadministration had like some of
the lowest unemployment historyin decades.
It also risks losing the chanceto lead the world and developing
(21:34):
environmentally friendlytechnology and the creation of
good paying jobs that would comewith that.
Also, well, and to what I built,you know, a little bit ago when
I mentioned about how leavingout certain things and, uh, is
allowing China more control.
This is one of those things aswell.
Getting out of the Paris climateagreement and not focusing our
(21:55):
efforts on clean energy allowsfor China and the European Union
to gain a competitive edge inthat sector.
By stepping out of the Parisagreement, we are taking away
our political influence evenmore.
So again, gone at foot.
I just don't understand it.
Why does his supporters continueto scream and shout drill, baby
(22:16):
drill?
They've certainly been drillingthe last four years under Biden.
Why can't we start shoutingsolar, baby, solar?
Should we continue to use allour Earth's resources when there
is proven technology we cangarner from renewable resources?
The reason they scream drillbaby drill is because it's
easier to fill their pocketswith oil money with corporations
(22:39):
that bankroll their campaigns.
I mean, this issue hascompletely turned into a
political pawn thatunfortunately will have wide
negative repercussions with theenvironment.
What, what I find sad too isthat does no one remember that
Trump wanted to drill in Alaska?
Back in 2021, the Trumpadministration 1.
0 tried to push the first saleof oil leases in the Arctic
(23:03):
National Wildlife Refuge, and hewill definitely try that again,
pulling out of the ParisAgreement.
Let me also just mention Floridagot snow this past week.
New Orleans got eight inches ofsnow.
Houston got snow.
That's nuts from Texas.
That's that does not happen.
California has up to this pointthis year, basically been
(23:24):
continuously on fire, but Oh,global warming is not a concern.
I know they're actually supposedto get rain this weekend.
So hopefully some of thosefires, uh, burn out.
That'll be really nice.
But, um, leading on to the nexttopic.
Well, international agreementslike the Paris Climate Agreement
focus on global cooperation andshared responsibility.
(23:45):
There are also domestic policiesthat spark heated debates about
identity.
Rights and belonging within ourborders.
One such issue is birthrightcitizenship.
Let's shift gears and explorehow this longstanding principle
is being challenged and what itmeans for the future of American
society.
Yeah.
Sorry about that, babe.
I was getting ahead of myself.
That's all right.
All right.
So, um, also on day one, Trumpissued yet another executive
(24:11):
order.
Jesus.
How many executive orders did heissue this week?
I, it has to be a record.
Anyways.
Um, this one was calledProtecting the Meaning and Value
of American Citizenship, whichaims to end birthright
citizenship for children born inthe United States to parents who
are neither U.
(24:31):
S.
citizens nor lawful permanentresidents.
In response to this, 22Democratic led states filed
lawsuits challenging theexecutive order.
arguing that it violates thecitizenship clause of the 14th
amendment.
He's trying to rewrite theconstitution because he's crazy,
which, this birthrightcitizenship has been interpreted
(24:54):
to grant citizenship to nearlyall individuals born on US soil.
And these 22 states, theycontend that the executive order
exceeds presidential authorityand undermines constitutional
protections, which it does.
Yeah, I mean, birthrightcitizenship has been in the
Constitution for 157 yearsthrough the 14th Amendment.
(25:16):
When the 14th Amendment wasratified right after the Civil
War, it basically allowed formultiracial democracy.
This is yet another example of agroup of people who have anxiety
over rapid change.
They feel threatened, andtherefore their response is,
let's build walls, deportpeople, resist progress.
It looks weak.
(25:38):
But this will affect people inthe U.
S.
on visas.
Let's say a student here or aworker at a growing tech company
here on visa gets pregnant bysomeone else here on a visa.
Well, that baby would be deniedcitizenship.
These people following the rulesand benefiting the workforce,
yet their kid is denied thatright.
This could also affectpassports.
(26:00):
Passports right now to get apassport.
You only need proof of a birthcertificate.
We actually just got ourpassports back in November, so
we know this process very well.
But on that birth certificate,it doesn't show whether the
parents are citizens or not.
Or their immigration status.
So if this passes, they willmost likely change how that all
(26:23):
works.
It could become a huge pain inthe ass for a lot of people if
they start making people notonly show proof of birth
certificate, but also have tosend them proof that both their
parents were citizens at thetime of their birth as well.
I thought we had to show oursocial security card too, didn't
we?
We may have had to do that too,yeah.
Yeah.
But the the right's argument isthat immigration has gone out of
(26:44):
hand.
According to the EconomicHistory Association, from 1870
to 1920, there were 260, 000 to892, 000 immigrants entering our
border per year.
But in the past three years,since 2022, there have been over
two million immigrants a year atthe U.
S.
Mexico border.
There's this idea that thereneeds to be a limitations
(27:07):
enacted like many otherdeveloping countries have
enacted.
I think, for instance,Australia, you can become a
citizen, but you have to showproof that you lived in the
country for about 10 yearsbefore they allow you
citizenship.
So I mean, there arestipulations there in other
countries.
Yeah.
So when did this wholeimmigration thing become an
issue?
I mean, I got to do some moreresearch on it, but like my
(27:30):
great grandparents, theirparents, both sets on both
sides, they all immigrated herefrom Europe.
And I remember, you know, justlike in the Titanic, how they
were like, you know, in thatmovie when they like, like float
past the statue of liberty.
I mean, you just went to EllisIsland, you know, signed
something and then you were likean American, like when.
(27:52):
Did this become an issue?
When did this become an issue?
Well, and what people don't getto is a lot of this doesn't
even, you know, it doesn't makeany sense.
And I think this is really aboutupholding the principles of the
United States.
Only Canada and America allocatecitizenship using the legal
principles of right of soil butenacting the 14th amendment
(28:12):
allowed for diversity, allowedfor growth, and allowed for the
ability for us to develop arobust economy.
How do we want to be viewed as acountry?
We can't stand and say there isan American dream if we make it
harder to allow pathways tocitizenship for immigrants.
Yeah, it's a mess.
And you know, I always run intopeople, you know, out and about
(28:35):
at the bar, at a restaurant, andthey tell me, yeah, immigration
is such a problem.
It's such a problem.
It's an issue.
And I'm like, They probablyhaven't talked to one immigrant
or ran into one immigrant herein the Midwest, at least ever.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's like, it's always such aproblem and it's always a topic
of conversation, but I don't seeit in my everyday life.
(28:57):
I really don't.
And as far as I'm concerned,they're all trying to make the
American dream happen for themas well.
And we need that to be, youknow, doable.
It has to be doable.
Did you see ice?
is now allowed to enterchurches, schools and hospitals.
Now, this should be concerningfor all of us.
(29:19):
Just yesterday.
This week, Trump administration,ice was outside a grade school
in the south side of Chicago.
That is nuts.
That is, and it, you know, it,it, it begs the question why
parents, you know, they areworried about leaving their kids
at school because they don'tknow if they're going to see
them at the end of the day.
That's, that's just not normalfor anyone.
Absolutely frightening.
(29:40):
Absolutely frightening.
Not only do you have to worryabout violence in schools,
they're going to have to startworrying about ice showing up.
What are they going to do?
Take their kids.
Uh, but the Chicago publicschool, I think that was the
school district.
They have a good set of policiesin place That will not allow
random people entering thebuilding without You know, I
(30:01):
guess a search warrant.
I have no idea.
Well, on Thursday, Seattle basedfederal district court judge,
John C.
Koinor blocked the policy for 14days with a temporary
restraining order.
There'll be a preliminaryinjunction to permanently block
the executive order whilelitigation proceeds.
The case is one of five lawsuitsfiled by democratic attorneys,
(30:21):
general and immigration rightsorganizations.
This means this will Definitelymake its way to the Supreme
Court, but also to amend theConstitution.
Technically, Trump would need tocall a constitutional convention
or get two thirds of each housein the U.
S.
Congress and three fourths ofthe states to ratify.
So we will see moving forwardwhat happens with this.
(30:44):
Yeah.
So, I just want to reel everyonein for a moment for, uh, All the
listeners out there, to talkabout what to expect over the
next four years, let me be veryclear here.
This administration is going toflood our lives with executive
orders, left and right.
It's going to be very hard toget a handle on what's going on
behind closed doors, but this isexactly how Republicans play
(31:08):
their games.
They want to see what they canget away with.
They want us to talk aboutthings like renaming a body of
water, which I will not say.
And they want us to talk about.
You know, shutting down a socialmedia platform while everyone
gripes about that, they're withripping away your rights.
Your freedoms and essentiallytrying to take over the world as
(31:29):
we've seen with the PanamaCanal.
You know, unlike his first term,I do think this time around,
Trump is going to go fullthrottle nonstop knowing that
midterms are in two years, he'sgoing to take advantage of what
gains the Republicans have thispast week.
Instead of making decisions thatcould potentially allow him to
engage with the country and gaina bit of favorability amongst
(31:49):
his critics, he's focusing hisefforts on reversing.
Everything Biden tried to doduring his presidency.
I also kind of hope he followsthrough on tariffs because
people who voted for him due tohigh grocery prices will finally
realize, hopefully, that infact, putting in tariffs will
not help that case.
(32:09):
People voting so much on economyand taxes, when in fact, once
Trump enacts those things andpeople realize, Oh, wait.
These tax changes don't help me.
Oh, wait, why are the pricesgoing up or not going down?
Well, this is what happens whenyou vote on a motion before
educating yourself fully onthese issues at hand.
They had tunnel vision on oneissue.
I do think these 100 days, wehave to remind ourselves to take
(32:31):
a breath.
Like you said, and really takein what is actually going on.
It's not even been a week, and Ifeel like he's, his presidency
has been a rush on my senses.
He deliberately throws so muchout there to try to keep you
from being able to actuallyreflect on the gravity of any
one particular event.
Yeah.
And, um, also I have a wholelittle thing for tariffs and
(32:54):
about tariffs and teaching youabout tariffs on the next
episode.
So make sure you listen.
It's good with that said, let'sgo over some orders.
Trump has signed that due to thedense news environment this past
week, some people may havemissed.
So Trump suspended the U.
S.
Refugee admission program.
The effect of that is thatnearly 1660 Afghans cleared by
(33:16):
the U.
S.
to resettle in the country,including family of active
military personnel had theirflights cancelled.
This includes minors awaitingreunification with their
families as well as Afghans atrisk of Taliban retribution
because they fought for theformer US backed Afghan
government.
This and also includesUkrainians over here seeking
(33:36):
refuge from the Ukraine Russiawar.
They all will be sent back.
Yeah, in a memorandum via thewhitehouse.
gov Transcribed by https (33:43):
otter.
ai Trump stalled all wind onenergy products on land and at
sea for the foreseeable future.
No more construction of windfarms done.
He also rescinded Biden's orderto allow transgender troops to
serve in the military.
This isn't an outright ban rightnow, but rescinding the order
(34:04):
paves the way for this tohappen.
That executive order we talkedabout earlier that revoked the
DEI.
Well, It would also revoke theEqual Opportunity Employment
Opportunity Order that has beenin place since 1965.
Discrimination in the workplacewill be a real thing, and you
won't have legal backing todefend yourself for any actions
a company may take.
(34:24):
Yeah, he also rescinded a Bidenorder that allowed for
prescription drug costs to belowered.
This means prescription priceswill go up again.
This also could haveimplications for the cost of
insulin to go way back up.
Not good.
And this will affect many, manypeople, especially the poor
people.
Now, moving on to the Bishop andthe Lip Filler situation, Lip
(34:49):
Fillergate, if that's what Ishould call it, at least I think
they're Lip Fillers.
I don't know.
Do you think Tiffany Trump hasLip Fillers?
Oh, absolutely.
Have you seen her Instagram?
Yes, she has Lip Fillers.
I don't know.
I don't know if it's likenatural or what, but so anyways,
on Tuesday, the second day,during the national prayer
service at Washington NationalCathedral, Bishop Marianne Edgar
(35:13):
Buddy delivered a sermon,directly addressing President
Trump.
I don't know if everyone saw thesplit screen video of, the
Bishop and Trump family with J.
D.
Vance and his wife there.
I have huge respect for thisBishop for preaching and asking
this administration to haverespect and remorse for those in
the LGBT community, And to haverespect and remorse on the
(35:35):
immigrants who keep coming.
Building their American dream.
Instead of ripping people awayfrom their families, why don't
we create an easier way tocitizenship?
I think we talked about thatearlier already.
Not every immigrant is acriminal.
Obviously we stated facts onthat on the last episode.
That is a fact proven time andtime again.
Yeah.
But.
Yeah, go ahead.
I mean, Bishop Buddy showed somuch, to me, so much courage
(35:58):
doing what she did.
I can't imagine the nerves shehad to have had standing up
there advocating for vulnerablecommunities in the face of all
those terrible people.
Her voice didn't shake.
She spoke with conviction, shespoke mildly, and with
composure.
I mean, it was inspiring,honestly.
J.
D.
Vance's little side eye andwhisper heeded to his wife
(36:21):
during her speech, she, thebishop had said, there are gay,
lesbian, and transgenderchildren, and he made a little
face, well that, that was, Itspeaks volumes on the fact that
this administration will have nomercy on LGBTQ rights.
It's pretty scary.
You know, he did look at hiswife and forgive me.
I don't, I don't know her name.
Um, I don't know what, sorryabout that, but, his JD Vance's
(36:44):
wife actually looks like Nice.
Like I actually want to liketalk to her, you know, I was
kind of looking at her Wikipediapage and she was like a Democrat
for a while and then she met JDVance and went to an independent
and then she was independentuntil 22.
So he was already like a Senatorthen, wasn't he?
And, she switched to Republicanwhen I guess he was trying to
(37:05):
become president or somethinglike that.
But that is interesting to thinklike, could you imagine getting
with someone and you're nottheir party and then you would
like, I don't, I don't, I couldnot see myself switching parties
just because of someone I'mwith.
Like I, I will always beDemocrat.
I will, I don't, I can't fathomthe idea of just turning a
Republican cause that's what myhusband is.
(37:26):
Like, I'm sorry to tell youthat, but that's the truth.
But anyway, so like during thesplit screen video that was
going on, you know, they had theBishop and they had the, you
know, all the pews with theTrump family and the Vance's
there.
And Tiffany Trump was like sentdead center in the middle and
she's just sitting there andshe's just starts giving these
side eyes when the bishops aretalking about the LGBT community
(37:48):
and immigrants, you know, she'slike looking for like responses.
It's, Like, I'm sorry, I didn'tknow who she was for the longest
time until like the last sixmonths of Trump's first term.
And then as we're all likesheltering at home during the
COVID 19 pandemic, as we allshould have been doing, she's
like dancing around, prancingaround on Instagram, around the
(38:10):
white house, like, Likenothing's going on.
She, she really wants to be astar.
You know, Tiffany Trump is aninteresting character out of all
the Trumps to me.
She wasn't raised by Trumpdirectly, but actually by her
single mother in California, sheonly saw her father on holidays
and special occasions, butprimarily lived a completely
(38:31):
different life.
siblings.
She also is the only one of hersiblings that got a law degree.
She's been the odd one out inthe family circle.
And the point being that shecould be very entertaining to
watch because she's kind of awild card.
Yeah.
Well, she had like a, anInstagram post and it had Chapel
Rones, like H O T T.
OGO, you know, that had to gosong.
(38:53):
And, it's like Chapel Roan doesnot want you to be listening to
her girl.
She does not like you.
Fun fact.
She has a single.
Tiffany Trump has a singlecalled like a bird that was
released in 2011.
You can find it on YouTube.
She has a single.
song.
Oh, and it's actually veryentertaining.
Very early 2000 pop.
(39:13):
It also has image and heapvibes.
There is so much autotune, butstill an internet entertaining
find.
I highly suggest people gosearch it out.
It's called like a bird.
You know what would befascinating if Heidi Montag and
Tiffany Trump did like a songtogether.
Oh my God.
That would be hilarious.
I would like listen to it onceand then I turn it off.
Um, anyways, okay, so that's,that's all we got for you today.
(39:40):
Um, well, here we go.
Here's my closing.
America is in the history booksagain for electing an
incompetent leader.
Leader, the Republican partywill sanitize the history books.
Your kids and grandkids read andblame this mess on Biden.
I'm sure of it.
They're trying to do that forJanuary 6th.
Actually, they've got their ownlittle, group of people, house
(40:03):
of representatives that aregoing to analyze and investigate
and essentially sanitize whatthe January 6th, investigation
reports came out, you know, twoyears ago that Liz Cheney was
running.
Um, but they've alwayscampaigned that they want, they
just want to move forward, butapparently they have.
(40:23):
hard feelings about January 6,but we can talk about on the
next episode.
Well, thank you guys for joiningus again and listening.
We'll be back on Wednesday untilthen.
Be sure to give us a follow onInstagram at the civil you
that's just the letter you, andfeel free to send us an email,
letting us know your thoughts,questions, what we got wrong, or
(40:46):
anything you think we shoulddiscuss at the civil union, 25
at gmail.
com.
Thanks for listening.
Yeah.
And share this with your, yourfriends.
Um, you know, absolutely.
Thanks for listening.
Bye guys.
Bye.
Welcome to the Civil Union thepodcast where politics meets
partnership.
We're Alex and Ryan, a marriedcouple navigating life and
debates in a conservative state.
We bring you sharp insights,bold opinions, and honest
conversations about thepolitical issues shaping our
lives, especially those livingon the society's margins.
(00:29):
Tune in for a real talk, a touchof humor, and plenty of passion.
Because when it comes topolitics, every voice matters.
And we're here to make surethey're heard.
All right, guys.
So we typically will be comingout with episodes every
Wednesday, but with such aheavily dense Newsweek this
(00:49):
week, we decided to come outwith an extra episode before
Wednesday, just so we can betteruncover all the events going on
in this crazy administration.
So for this episode, we'll becovering the attempted closure
of the DEI.
What does this mean, and howcould this affect you?
We'll also be diving into theexecutive order Trump signed
(01:10):
this week on his request toleave the World Health
Organization.
What implications would thishave?
We'll also be covering the dramaover the Panama Canal, the Paris
Climate Treaty, the absurdity ofending birthright citizenship,
and what else to expect duringthese first 100 days of the
Trump presidency.
It's not even been a week, and Ifeel like I haven't been able to
(01:33):
take a breath.
And finally, bishop and lipfillers.
How are those two thingsrelated?
Well, we'll be getting to thatlater.
A lot to get to, but first,Ryan, pulse check, what's on
your mind?
Oh my god, I feel like I've agedlike 10 years this week.
It was just such a heavily densefilled week.
(01:55):
I mean, how are you doing?
I'm all right.
It's been a long work week.
I picked up a couple shifts.
And then on Monday, I actuallyunfortunately lost my grandma.
So that was news I didn't reallywant to have, especially on that
day of all days.
So it made it into a very, verylong, long week.
Um, I actually talked to my mom,you know, it made me think when
(02:15):
my grandma passed away, I talkedto my mom about, you know, what
did my grandparents do?
You know, you know, Before wewere around to get us to where
we are as immigrants, I learnedthat I'm roughly third or fourth
generation, and I learned thatmy grandma on my mom's side was
a seamstress, and then she endedup getting a government job
because at the time that was oneof the better jobs you could get
(02:36):
with a college degree.
And then my grandpa, on my mom'sside, he was a Marine, and then
after he got out of the Marines,he went and worked at a meat
market in a grocery store, andthen became a meat inspector at
the Department of Agriculture.
My grandpa, on my dad's side,worked at a cement factory,
worked his way up to be achemist, became Director of
(02:57):
Human Resources, which affordedmy grandma, on my dad's side, to
be a stay at home mom.
I mean, the thing is, they wereafforded More opportunities way
back then to achieve the trueAmerican dream than immigrants
are allowed today.
It's a disgrace, and it hurts myheart that this administration
is targeting people like mygrandparents, who are just
(03:19):
trying to make a better life fortheir family.
Losing my grandma this past weekturned this into a week of
reflection, and I know howfortunate I am to be able to
have had my grandparents upuntil my mid thirties.
My grandpa is fortunately stillalive and well, but But anyway,
that was my week.
It was just, it was, it's, itjust puts a lot of that in
(03:40):
perspective to me, you know?
Yeah.
I'm so sorry about the loss ofyour grandma.
I was, I was really saddened tohear that.
I'm so happy we were able to seeher for Christmas.
Absolutely.
So moving forward, every weekwe'll be doing a pulse check
just to check in, share a bitabout our personal lives.
It's important with thisadministration we are under to
(04:00):
remember to check in on thepeople around you.
What's on your mind?
How are you?
Those questions will keep ustogether.
And over these next four years,we need to To keep checking on
each other when anadministration week one attacks
and attempts to dismantle basiclifelines we have had in place
for decades that will make itharder for us to have equal
rights and inclusions.
(04:22):
We have only the people aroundus to remind us we deserve where
we are at and what we have thatbrings us to the D.
I.
Yeah, so officials overseeingthe diversity, equity and
inclusion efforts, also known asD E I across all federal
agencies have been placed onpaid administrative leave after
(04:46):
the Trump administration orderedtheir offices to be closed.
According to the Americanfederation of government
employees, which representsabout 800, 000 federal workers
out of the 2.
2 million there are.
It's unclear how many peoplehave been affected by this
order.
But this effort was swift in anattempt to carry out elements of
(05:07):
Trump's day one executive order,dismantling federal diversity
efforts.
Yeah, I mean, the federalgovernment has no purview over
the private sector.
But they do have purview overcompanies that are private
contractors and subcontractorsto the government meta already
last week, Mark Zuckerberg hadannounced they were rolling back
(05:30):
their DEI initiatives.
And one thing about MarkZuckerberg, I want to mention he
was on Joe Rogan recently quotedand saying, I think the
corporate culture sort of hadswung toward being the somewhat
more neutered thing.
Basically what he's saying bythat is over the past few years,
corporations started hitting menwhere it hurts, robbing them of
their rights as men.
(05:51):
It's becoming harder on men tomove up the corporate ladder
with proper DEI initiatives thatplace importance in hiring and
promoting women and people ofcolor.
Well, I guess these little boybabies have had enough.
It's absolutely ridiculous andis highly misogynistic.
And also in a memo from theOffice of Personal Management,
(06:12):
which this is coming straightfrom the government, by the way,
they were quoted in saying, theAmerican people have witnessed
firsthand the disastrousconsequences of illegal,
pernicious discrimination thathas prioritized how people were
born instead of what they werecapable of doing.
So, basically, they're justdiscounting certain people's
well earned promotions andhirings.
(06:34):
If your skin is a differentcolor other than white, you
don't deserve your position.
If you're a woman, not a man,eh, you don't deserve that
promotion either.
You are what they call a DEIhire, and I think that is just
absolutely ridiculous.
Yeah, so while this controversywas like going on this week,
(06:55):
Trump also rolled back the 1965executive order created and
signed by then DemocraticPresident Lyndon B.
Johnson in June of 1965.
Johnson took the stage at.
Howard University and laid outthe vast differences between
black and white Americans andhis plan to address it.
He said, black poverty is notthe same as white poverty.
(07:18):
He also said that this wascaused by ancient brutality,
past injustice, and presentprejudice.
He also said that blackAmericans are still buried under
the blanket of history andcircumstance.
It is not a lasting solution tolive, lift just one corner of
the blanket.
It.
We must stand on all sides andwe must raise the entire cover
(07:40):
if we are to liberate our fellowcitizens.
Now, during this time, themedian income for black families
drops from 57 percent of whatwhite households earned in 1952
to 53 percent in 1963, Johnsoncalled a conference of scholars,
government officials, and blackleaders.
(08:00):
To ensure that black Americansmoved beyond opportunity to
achievement.
This 1965 act created that smallfine print.
You see when you're filling outan application for employment,
it reads something to the extentof this workplace prohibits
employment discrimination basedon sex, religion, race, national
(08:20):
origin, et cetera.
And Trump rescinded that orderwith the stroke of a sharpie.
I mean, the thing is, with allthis being said, it wasn't like
Trump hid his stance on this.
He openly talked about theseplans during his campaign.
And what I just don'tunderstand, I really just don't
understand, is why so many womenvoted for him because these
(08:44):
things weren't These things wereout in the public.
It's not like he hid it.
And I mean, I guess people votedfor him.
They saw this and just didn'tcare or didn't hold us at a high
enough priority for them for itto matter.
I mean, to them, I guess they,they thought groceries were more
important, but I just, I reallydon't understand how this went
so far under the table.
(09:05):
Like people are like, Oh, sosurprised by it.
But it was like, he's beenrunning on this for a while.
Yeah.
Did any of us even know what DEIwas like two weeks ago?
I did not know what DEI was.
I had no idea The DEI, basicallystemmed off of an executive
order Biden had placed and was atool to help build racial equity
and reverse decades ofdiscrimination from undeserved
(09:26):
communities.
Instead, President Trump feelsthis is a threat to our nation's
future, which is just absurd.
I mean, you could, you know, TheD.
I.
In place was what allowed forpeople to have a true American
dream.
Yeah.
Oh, another thing.
You'll probably hear the wordexecutive order thrown out a lot
in this episode because a lotwhere it was issued.
(09:49):
A lot of executive orders weresigned this past week, you'll
probably hear more over the nextfour years.
But an executive order is adirective issued by the
president.
It has the force of law and doesnot require approval from
Congress or state legislature.
I guess when they, theRepublicans have all the power,
(10:09):
it's okay that states don't havea say if they want to
participate in these actions ornot.
Now, not only did PresidentTrump throw the DEI off a cliff
this week, but he also made hugewaves concerning the World
Health Organization.
Yeah.
Huh.
Another disaster we saw thisweek by this administration
already was when Trump signed anorder for the United States to
(10:32):
leave the WHO or PEC.
Otherwise known as the WorldHealth Organization.
This was based on allegationsthat he says the WHO mishandled
the COVID 19 pandemic and wassubject to undue political
influence from member states.
Undue influence, a globalpandemic where people are
literally dying in packedhospitals across the world.
(10:56):
It is so interesting to me thatTrump is so quick to place blame
on anyone else but hisadministration for the COVID 19
pandemic pitfalls.
The COVID 19 pandemic fell onhis administration.
And let's not forget there was ahigh mishandling of the rollout
of vaccines, which causeddisastrous delays.
(11:16):
Trump also mishandled theinitial testing of potential
COVID 19 infected.
And he also botched the handlingof respirators and PPE that was
so desperately needed inhospitals around the country.
I mean, Trump could have enactedthe Defense Protection Act.
But decided to side with hislobbyist friends.
He resisted attempts to plan forworst case scenarios and instead
(11:37):
pushed out false information tothe public.
But now, this week, he's placingblame, again, on other
countries, on the WHO, and isusing that as an excuse for him
to make this move.
Yeah, us withdrawing from theWHO has several repercussions,
like the immediate cessation ofU.
S.
funding.
(11:58):
The WHO, which once again,former New York Mayor
billionaire Michael Bloombergrecently released a statement
saying his philanthropy willfund the WHO for a second time.
Yes, a second time.
Remember, Trump left the WHOback in 2017, so his dis
distaste for the organizationruns.
(12:20):
Deep, much deeper than the 2020pandemic.
Yeah.
And I mean, pulling out of theWHO means as well that we would
lose access to the World HealthOrganization's global public
health data, which trackspotential outbreaks and assist
the CDC in making decisions.
Without that data, the CDC isbasically flying blind.
And right now there's apotential bird flu outbreak.
(12:41):
I mean, there is a growingconcern right now.
Over 100, 000.
Ducks were euthanized due to apotential outbreak.
Eggs have gone up in price 40%.
And it's funny because peoplevoted on Trump because of the
price of eggs.
And now eggs have gone up 40percent this week.
Yet the CDC has been muted.
Trump muted them.
(13:01):
This does not fare well with uspulling out of the WHO.
Yeah, health experts haveexpressed concerns that this
move could compromise bothnational and global health
security.
The WHO plays a crucial role incoordinating international
responses to health emergencieslike the COVID 19 situation, the
(13:22):
pandemic.
The absence of the US may hinderthose efforts to manage current
and future global pandemics.
Yeah, and this also affects theUS pharmaceutical companies and
their development of any futurevaccines we may need, which, I
mean, isn't that surprisingsince RFK Jr, who is currently
the nominee for Health and HumanServices Secretary.
(13:42):
Well, His stance on vaccines isshaky at best.
He may need congressionalapproval, which with the slim
Republican majority, a fewdissenters could actually block
Trump's move.
Yeah, look at it this way.
A hundred years from now, whenthe next global pandemic hits
health experts, who I, whom Itend to believe over the
billionaires club say that theselarge global pandemics like the
(14:05):
Corona virus.
tend to happen once everyhundred years, just like the
Spanish flu did in 1918, whichstarted in a small tiny town in
Kansas.
And this flu spread through portcities and was during world war
one, which, you know,overshadowed the Spanish flu
epidemic.
I actually lost both of my greatgrandmother's parents to that
flu, but when the next globalpandemic hits, the United States
(14:28):
will not be part of the WHO.
So treatments and crucialinformation will be hindered
specifically by the UnitedStates because we left who will
we blame well, Republicans liketo blame Biden for everything,
but really history books, ifthey aren't strictly mandated by
then we'll read Trump becauseyou'll, but you know, he'll be
(14:49):
long gone by then.
So I guess, uh, we need to electanother democratic president to
clean up his mess.
Again.
Yeah.
And I'm just throwing thislittle bit of info out.
If Trump decided to stay in theWHO, it would allow Trump to
have a hand in pushing for acandidate he likes to lead the
(15:11):
WHO.
When Dr.
Tedros as director of the W.
H.
O.
in 2027.
He's been in that role since2017 his terms up.
But I mean that is a scary ideaon the flip side.
If does if Trump does stay inthe W.
H.
O.
that he'll have a hand in thatdecision.
So, While the World HealthOrganization works tirelessly to
(15:32):
address global health crises andimprove health care standards
worldwide, the historicalsignificance of global
infrastructure is also crucialin continuing to move our world
forward.
One such project thatdramatically changed global
trade and connectivity is thePanama Canal, which President
Trump is now trying to takeback.
(15:53):
Yeah, so this canal, if Iremember correctly from grade
school and from my quickresearch on Google, was built to
create a shortcut between theAtlantic and Pacific oceans, or
at least that is what thosebodies of water are called right
now.
Not sure if the Republicans wantto rename those just yet.
But it's a massive canal thattakes about 11 hours to travel
(16:14):
through.
The United States, China, Chile,Japan, South Korea are all major
users of this canal.
It's an easier way to getproducts you want to your front
door.
But during this massiveconstruction, over 29, 000
workers died, mostly due totropical diseases such as yellow
(16:34):
fever, malaria, between 1881 to1894, 22, 000 workers were
killed, but through science andvaccines, that number dropped
drastically to around 5, 000people between 1904 to 1914.
So vaccines save lives, makevaccines great again.
(16:56):
That's hilarious.
I mean, it's true, though.
And no one really knows whyTrump has had a sudden
fascination over the canal.
I mean, it is a pretty coolengineering marvel if you think
about it.
I have no clue how anyone builtit in 1904.
ships go into this littlechamber, water lifts it up, it
goes in another chamber, doesthe same thing, crosses a lake,
(17:19):
then gets lowered back to thesea level on the other side.
Like who in the hell thinks ofsomething like that in 1904?
I do think President Trump isjust playing ball with these
statements though, as anegotiation tactic to get rates
down on US ships, but there is apossibility.
Something called a neutralityagreement that won't allow for
that to happen.
So Trump is just spinning hiswheels in mud at this point.
(17:41):
Yeah, why does Trump want thiscanal so bad?
He wants American control overthis canal because he's worried
that it'll fall into the wronghands, specifically alluding to
China's growing influence onthat region.
Rubio's first trip abroad is inCentral America this week and
includes a stop in Panama.
(18:02):
More to come on the outcome ofthat trip, uh, I guess, next
episode.
Yeah, I mean, my thoughts areI'm not sure why no one has
learned this lesson.
But I think Trump is justthrowing a handful of things at
the wall to see what sticks as aform of distraction for news
media to cover to allow him todo other screwed up things no
one is paying attention to.
He is highly manipulative, anddoing these little stunts is his
(18:22):
way of manipulating stories SoHe can do other things in the
shadows.
Also, it is an interestinglittle thing to say.
Republicans have been so antiChina.
They've had this whole stance ofwanting to increase tariffs.
But by pulling out of the WHO,it allows for China to have more
of a standing with the WHO,giving them more control.
(18:44):
By causing issues with Panama,it positions China to have a
more friendly relationship andmore of an advantage in building
something between them andPanama.
By allowing a 90 day extensionon TikTok also appeases a
certain demographic of peopleand feeds Trump's ego, but it
also allows China to continueaccess to vast amounts of data
to people here in the U.
S.
I mean All of these moves, Ithink, are going to backfire on
(19:07):
Trump's administration at somepoint.
They are so stupid, they don'teven realize they are holding a
gun, ironically, to their ownfeet.
President Trump's recentdramatics with Panama is just
one recent development of the U.
S.
trying to shift away frominternational partnerships.
Trump announced on Monday hisdecision to withdraw the United
(19:27):
States from the Paris ClimateAgreement for a second time.
Time.
Yeah.
Just what is the Paris ClimateTreaty you ask?
Well, it's an internationalagreement on climate change.
the treaty covers climatechange, mitigation, adaptation,
and finance.
196 members or countries signthis agreement in 2015.
(19:50):
Trump declared that leaving thisagreement would be a victory for
the American economy.
It is frustrating because thereis so much potential in other
sources of income.
The world's resources, there isso much potential in wind and
solar energy and us leading thatenvironmentally friendly
(20:10):
technology for him to sayleaving would help the American
economy is a farce per the TexasComptroller in 2022 coal energy
generated 16.
6 percent of Texas energy atnearly 20, 000 megawatts.
Wind energy generated 25 percentof Texas energy at 40, 556
(20:32):
megawatts.
And as of quarter one in 2023,the value of total solar
investments in Texas is nearly22 billion, bringing more than
10, 000 industry related jobs tothe state as well.
So again, there is no reason tojust stop that growth and pull
(20:52):
out of our promise to keep withthe Paris Climate Treaty unless
It is benefiting Trump or fellowRepublican pockets.
Yeah, many economists have bigdoubts about leaving this
agreement.
The economists say the agreementwould likely help create about
as many jobs and renewableenergy as it might cost in
polluting industries.
(21:13):
When the U.
S.
Pulls out for a second time, itwould seal the deal to protect
old school jobs like coal andoil, which is great.
Having employed Americans isabsolutely wonderful.
In fact, the Bidenadministration had like some of
the lowest unemployment historyin decades.
It also risks losing the chanceto lead the world and developing
(21:34):
environmentally friendlytechnology and the creation of
good paying jobs that would comewith that.
Also, well, and to what I built,you know, a little bit ago when
I mentioned about how leavingout certain things and, uh, is
allowing China more control.
This is one of those things aswell.
Getting out of the Paris climateagreement and not focusing our
(21:55):
efforts on clean energy allowsfor China and the European Union
to gain a competitive edge inthat sector.
By stepping out of the Parisagreement, we are taking away
our political influence evenmore.
So again, gone at foot.
I just don't understand it.
Why does his supporters continueto scream and shout drill, baby
(22:16):
drill?
They've certainly been drillingthe last four years under Biden.
Why can't we start shoutingsolar, baby, solar?
Should we continue to use allour Earth's resources when there
is proven technology we cangarner from renewable resources?
The reason they scream drillbaby drill is because it's
easier to fill their pocketswith oil money with corporations
(22:39):
that bankroll their campaigns.
I mean, this issue hascompletely turned into a
political pawn thatunfortunately will have wide
negative repercussions with theenvironment.
What, what I find sad too isthat does no one remember that
Trump wanted to drill in Alaska?
Back in 2021, the Trumpadministration 1.
0 tried to push the first saleof oil leases in the Arctic
(23:03):
National Wildlife Refuge, and hewill definitely try that again,
pulling out of the ParisAgreement.
Let me also just mention Floridagot snow this past week.
New Orleans got eight inches ofsnow.
Houston got snow.
That's nuts from Texas.
That's that does not happen.
California has up to this pointthis year, basically been
(23:24):
continuously on fire, but Oh,global warming is not a concern.
I know they're actually supposedto get rain this weekend.
So hopefully some of thosefires, uh, burn out.
That'll be really nice.
But, um, leading on to the nexttopic.
Well, international agreementslike the Paris Climate Agreement
focus on global cooperation andshared responsibility.
(23:45):
There are also domestic policiesthat spark heated debates about
identity.
Rights and belonging within ourborders.
One such issue is birthrightcitizenship.
Let's shift gears and explorehow this longstanding principle
is being challenged and what itmeans for the future of American
society.
Yeah.
Sorry about that, babe.
I was getting ahead of myself.
That's all right.
All right.
So, um, also on day one, Trumpissued yet another executive
(24:11):
order.
Jesus.
How many executive orders did heissue this week?
I, it has to be a record.
Anyways.
Um, this one was calledProtecting the Meaning and Value
of American Citizenship, whichaims to end birthright
citizenship for children born inthe United States to parents who
are neither U.
(24:31):
S.
citizens nor lawful permanentresidents.
In response to this, 22Democratic led states filed
lawsuits challenging theexecutive order.
arguing that it violates thecitizenship clause of the 14th
amendment.
He's trying to rewrite theconstitution because he's crazy,
which, this birthrightcitizenship has been interpreted
(24:54):
to grant citizenship to nearlyall individuals born on US soil.
And these 22 states, theycontend that the executive order
exceeds presidential authorityand undermines constitutional
protections, which it does.
Yeah, I mean, birthrightcitizenship has been in the
Constitution for 157 yearsthrough the 14th Amendment.
(25:16):
When the 14th Amendment wasratified right after the Civil
War, it basically allowed formultiracial democracy.
This is yet another example of agroup of people who have anxiety
over rapid change.
They feel threatened, andtherefore their response is,
let's build walls, deportpeople, resist progress.
It looks weak.
(25:38):
But this will affect people inthe U.
S.
on visas.
Let's say a student here or aworker at a growing tech company
here on visa gets pregnant bysomeone else here on a visa.
Well, that baby would be deniedcitizenship.
These people following the rulesand benefiting the workforce,
yet their kid is denied thatright.
This could also affectpassports.
(26:00):
Passports right now to get apassport.
You only need proof of a birthcertificate.
We actually just got ourpassports back in November, so
we know this process very well.
But on that birth certificate,it doesn't show whether the
parents are citizens or not.
Or their immigration status.
So if this passes, they willmost likely change how that all
(26:23):
works.
It could become a huge pain inthe ass for a lot of people if
they start making people notonly show proof of birth
certificate, but also have tosend them proof that both their
parents were citizens at thetime of their birth as well.
I thought we had to show oursocial security card too, didn't
we?
We may have had to do that too,yeah.
Yeah.
But the the right's argument isthat immigration has gone out of
(26:44):
hand.
According to the EconomicHistory Association, from 1870
to 1920, there were 260, 000 to892, 000 immigrants entering our
border per year.
But in the past three years,since 2022, there have been over
two million immigrants a year atthe U.
S.
Mexico border.
There's this idea that thereneeds to be a limitations
(27:07):
enacted like many otherdeveloping countries have
enacted.
I think, for instance,Australia, you can become a
citizen, but you have to showproof that you lived in the
country for about 10 yearsbefore they allow you
citizenship.
So I mean, there arestipulations there in other
countries.
Yeah.
So when did this wholeimmigration thing become an
issue?
I mean, I got to do some moreresearch on it, but like my
(27:30):
great grandparents, theirparents, both sets on both
sides, they all immigrated herefrom Europe.
And I remember, you know, justlike in the Titanic, how they
were like, you know, in thatmovie when they like, like float
past the statue of liberty.
I mean, you just went to EllisIsland, you know, signed
something and then you were likean American, like when.
(27:52):
Did this become an issue?
When did this become an issue?
Well, and what people don't getto is a lot of this doesn't
even, you know, it doesn't makeany sense.
And I think this is really aboutupholding the principles of the
United States.
Only Canada and America allocatecitizenship using the legal
principles of right of soil butenacting the 14th amendment
(28:12):
allowed for diversity, allowedfor growth, and allowed for the
ability for us to develop arobust economy.
How do we want to be viewed as acountry?
We can't stand and say there isan American dream if we make it
harder to allow pathways tocitizenship for immigrants.
Yeah, it's a mess.
And you know, I always run intopeople, you know, out and about
(28:35):
at the bar, at a restaurant, andthey tell me, yeah, immigration
is such a problem.
It's such a problem.
It's an issue.
And I'm like, They probablyhaven't talked to one immigrant
or ran into one immigrant herein the Midwest, at least ever.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's like, it's always such aproblem and it's always a topic
of conversation, but I don't seeit in my everyday life.
(28:57):
I really don't.
And as far as I'm concerned,they're all trying to make the
American dream happen for themas well.
And we need that to be, youknow, doable.
It has to be doable.
Did you see ice?
is now allowed to enterchurches, schools and hospitals.
Now, this should be concerningfor all of us.
(29:19):
Just yesterday.
This week, Trump administration,ice was outside a grade school
in the south side of Chicago.
That is nuts.
That is, and it, you know, it,it, it begs the question why
parents, you know, they areworried about leaving their kids
at school because they don'tknow if they're going to see
them at the end of the day.
That's, that's just not normalfor anyone.
Absolutely frightening.
(29:40):
Absolutely frightening.
Not only do you have to worryabout violence in schools,
they're going to have to startworrying about ice showing up.
What are they going to do?
Take their kids.
Uh, but the Chicago publicschool, I think that was the
school district.
They have a good set of policiesin place That will not allow
random people entering thebuilding without You know, I
(30:01):
guess a search warrant.
I have no idea.
Well, on Thursday, Seattle basedfederal district court judge,
John C.
Koinor blocked the policy for 14days with a temporary
restraining order.
There'll be a preliminaryinjunction to permanently block
the executive order whilelitigation proceeds.
The case is one of five lawsuitsfiled by democratic attorneys,
(30:21):
general and immigration rightsorganizations.
This means this will Definitelymake its way to the Supreme
Court, but also to amend theConstitution.
Technically, Trump would need tocall a constitutional convention
or get two thirds of each housein the U.
S.
Congress and three fourths ofthe states to ratify.
So we will see moving forwardwhat happens with this.
(30:44):
Yeah.
So, I just want to reel everyonein for a moment for, uh, All the
listeners out there, to talkabout what to expect over the
next four years, let me be veryclear here.
This administration is going toflood our lives with executive
orders, left and right.
It's going to be very hard toget a handle on what's going on
behind closed doors, but this isexactly how Republicans play
(31:08):
their games.
They want to see what they canget away with.
They want us to talk aboutthings like renaming a body of
water, which I will not say.
And they want us to talk about.
You know, shutting down a socialmedia platform while everyone
gripes about that, they're withripping away your rights.
Your freedoms and essentiallytrying to take over the world as
(31:29):
we've seen with the PanamaCanal.
You know, unlike his first term,I do think this time around,
Trump is going to go fullthrottle nonstop knowing that
midterms are in two years, he'sgoing to take advantage of what
gains the Republicans have thispast week.
Instead of making decisions thatcould potentially allow him to
engage with the country and gaina bit of favorability amongst
(31:49):
his critics, he's focusing hisefforts on reversing.
Everything Biden tried to doduring his presidency.
I also kind of hope he followsthrough on tariffs because
people who voted for him due tohigh grocery prices will finally
realize, hopefully, that infact, putting in tariffs will
not help that case.
(32:09):
People voting so much on economyand taxes, when in fact, once
Trump enacts those things andpeople realize, Oh, wait.
These tax changes don't help me.
Oh, wait, why are the pricesgoing up or not going down?
Well, this is what happens whenyou vote on a motion before
educating yourself fully onthese issues at hand.
They had tunnel vision on oneissue.
I do think these 100 days, wehave to remind ourselves to take
(32:31):
a breath.
Like you said, and really takein what is actually going on.
It's not even been a week, and Ifeel like he's, his presidency
has been a rush on my senses.
He deliberately throws so muchout there to try to keep you
from being able to actuallyreflect on the gravity of any
one particular event.
Yeah.
And, um, also I have a wholelittle thing for tariffs and
(32:54):
about tariffs and teaching youabout tariffs on the next
episode.
So make sure you listen.
It's good with that said, let'sgo over some orders.
Trump has signed that due to thedense news environment this past
week, some people may havemissed.
So Trump suspended the U.
S.
Refugee admission program.
The effect of that is thatnearly 1660 Afghans cleared by
(33:16):
the U.
S.
to resettle in the country,including family of active
military personnel had theirflights cancelled.
This includes minors awaitingreunification with their
families as well as Afghans atrisk of Taliban retribution
because they fought for theformer US backed Afghan
government.
This and also includesUkrainians over here seeking
(33:36):
refuge from the Ukraine Russiawar.
They all will be sent back.
Yeah, in a memorandum via thewhitehouse.
gov Transcribed by https (33:43):
otter.
ai Trump stalled all wind onenergy products on land and at
sea for the foreseeable future.
No more construction of windfarms done.
He also rescinded Biden's orderto allow transgender troops to
serve in the military.
This isn't an outright ban rightnow, but rescinding the order
(34:04):
paves the way for this tohappen.
That executive order we talkedabout earlier that revoked the
DEI.
Well, It would also revoke theEqual Opportunity Employment
Opportunity Order that has beenin place since 1965.
Discrimination in the workplacewill be a real thing, and you
won't have legal backing todefend yourself for any actions
a company may take.
(34:24):
Yeah, he also rescinded a Bidenorder that allowed for
prescription drug costs to belowered.
This means prescription priceswill go up again.
This also could haveimplications for the cost of
insulin to go way back up.
Not good.
And this will affect many, manypeople, especially the poor
people.
Now, moving on to the Bishop andthe Lip Filler situation, Lip
(34:49):
Fillergate, if that's what Ishould call it, at least I think
they're Lip Fillers.
I don't know.
Do you think Tiffany Trump hasLip Fillers?
Oh, absolutely.
Have you seen her Instagram?
Yes, she has Lip Fillers.
I don't know.
I don't know if it's likenatural or what, but so anyways,
on Tuesday, the second day,during the national prayer
service at Washington NationalCathedral, Bishop Marianne Edgar
(35:13):
Buddy delivered a sermon,directly addressing President
Trump.
I don't know if everyone saw thesplit screen video of, the
Bishop and Trump family with J.
D.
Vance and his wife there.
I have huge respect for thisBishop for preaching and asking
this administration to haverespect and remorse for those in
the LGBT community, And to haverespect and remorse on the
(35:35):
immigrants who keep coming.
Building their American dream.
Instead of ripping people awayfrom their families, why don't
we create an easier way tocitizenship?
I think we talked about thatearlier already.
Not every immigrant is acriminal.
Obviously we stated facts onthat on the last episode.
That is a fact proven time andtime again.
Yeah.
But.
Yeah, go ahead.
I mean, Bishop Buddy showed somuch, to me, so much courage
(35:58):
doing what she did.
I can't imagine the nerves shehad to have had standing up
there advocating for vulnerablecommunities in the face of all
those terrible people.
Her voice didn't shake.
She spoke with conviction, shespoke mildly, and with
composure.
I mean, it was inspiring,honestly.
J.
D.
Vance's little side eye andwhisper heeded to his wife
(36:21):
during her speech, she, thebishop had said, there are gay,
lesbian, and transgenderchildren, and he made a little
face, well that, that was, Itspeaks volumes on the fact that
this administration will have nomercy on LGBTQ rights.
It's pretty scary.
You know, he did look at hiswife and forgive me.
I don't, I don't know her name.
Um, I don't know what, sorryabout that, but, his JD Vance's
(36:44):
wife actually looks like Nice.
Like I actually want to liketalk to her, you know, I was
kind of looking at her Wikipediapage and she was like a Democrat
for a while and then she met JDVance and went to an independent
and then she was independentuntil 22.
So he was already like a Senatorthen, wasn't he?
And, she switched to Republicanwhen I guess he was trying to
(37:05):
become president or somethinglike that.
But that is interesting to thinklike, could you imagine getting
with someone and you're nottheir party and then you would
like, I don't, I don't, I couldnot see myself switching parties
just because of someone I'mwith.
Like I, I will always beDemocrat.
I will, I don't, I can't fathomthe idea of just turning a
Republican cause that's what myhusband is.
(37:26):
Like, I'm sorry to tell youthat, but that's the truth.
But anyway, so like during thesplit screen video that was
going on, you know, they had theBishop and they had the, you
know, all the pews with theTrump family and the Vance's
there.
And Tiffany Trump was like sentdead center in the middle and
she's just sitting there andshe's just starts giving these
side eyes when the bishops aretalking about the LGBT community
(37:48):
and immigrants, you know, she'slike looking for like responses.
It's, Like, I'm sorry, I didn'tknow who she was for the longest
time until like the last sixmonths of Trump's first term.
And then as we're all likesheltering at home during the
COVID 19 pandemic, as we allshould have been doing, she's
like dancing around, prancingaround on Instagram, around the
(38:10):
white house, like, Likenothing's going on.
She, she really wants to be astar.
You know, Tiffany Trump is aninteresting character out of all
the Trumps to me.
She wasn't raised by Trumpdirectly, but actually by her
single mother in California, sheonly saw her father on holidays
and special occasions, butprimarily lived a completely
(38:31):
different life.
siblings.
She also is the only one of hersiblings that got a law degree.
She's been the odd one out inthe family circle.
And the point being that shecould be very entertaining to
watch because she's kind of awild card.
Yeah.
Well, she had like a, anInstagram post and it had Chapel
Rones, like H O T T.
OGO, you know, that had to gosong.
(38:53):
And, it's like Chapel Roan doesnot want you to be listening to
her girl.
She does not like you.
Fun fact.
She has a single.
Tiffany Trump has a singlecalled like a bird that was
released in 2011.
You can find it on YouTube.
She has a single.
song.
Oh, and it's actually veryentertaining.
Very early 2000 pop.
(39:13):
It also has image and heapvibes.
There is so much autotune, butstill an internet entertaining
find.
I highly suggest people gosearch it out.
It's called like a bird.
You know what would befascinating if Heidi Montag and
Tiffany Trump did like a songtogether.
Oh my God.
That would be hilarious.
I would like listen to it onceand then I turn it off.
Um, anyways, okay, so that's,that's all we got for you today.
(39:40):
Um, well, here we go.
Here's my closing.
America is in the history booksagain for electing an
incompetent leader.
Leader, the Republican partywill sanitize the history books.
Your kids and grandkids read andblame this mess on Biden.
I'm sure of it.
They're trying to do that forJanuary 6th.
Actually, they've got their ownlittle, group of people, house
(40:03):
of representatives that aregoing to analyze and investigate
and essentially sanitize whatthe January 6th, investigation
reports came out, you know, twoyears ago that Liz Cheney was
running.
Um, but they've alwayscampaigned that they want, they
just want to move forward, butapparently they have.
(40:23):
hard feelings about January 6,but we can talk about on the
next episode.
Well, thank you guys for joiningus again and listening.
We'll be back on Wednesday untilthen.
Be sure to give us a follow onInstagram at the civil you
that's just the letter you, andfeel free to send us an email,
letting us know your thoughts,questions, what we got wrong, or
(40:46):
anything you think we shoulddiscuss at the civil union, 25
at gmail.
com.
Thanks for listening.
Yeah.
And share this with your, yourfriends.
Um, you know, absolutely.
Thanks for listening.
Bye guys.
Bye.
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