Hi friends,
I’ve kind of been having too much fun reading the headlines, but we have to keep in mind that in spite of the many positive changes in the works, America and the world are still troubled. President Trump is working as fast as he can on his MAGA agenda, and I, for one, am excited to see what improvements can be made in food and pharma. (Of course the border, the economy, and government overreach are big priorities.)
More people and countries have been returning to common sense after dealing with the consequences of extreme ESG, DEI, and trangenderism. For example Europe has shifted to the right in the last four years.
Don’t expect smooth sailing. It will be a journey and have some bumps in the road. (Oops, mixed metaphor.) President Trump’s methods are a bit like ‘tough love’. Many have come to recognize that ‘parental laxness’ wasn’t working for Americans.
Birthright Citizenship
The ‘Birthright’ issue is just getting started it seems. Plenty of lawyers arguing for each side. When I was taking my paralegal classes (decades ago), one of the main things we were taught was to ‘make the argument’, no matter which side you believed in, make the argument for both sides. Attorneys have to defend things they don’t believe in too. And remember, ‘arguing’ in lawyer speak is logic driven, a formal presentation of legal reasoning, supported by evidence, precedent, and legal principles. That being said, here are some points for the ‘argument’ in favor of limiting birthright citizenship.
Debunking 4 Big Errors Made in Lawsuit to Stop Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order
Legacy Media and New Media in First Press Briefing
Excerpt:
“This White House believes strongly in the First Amendment. It’s why our team will work diligently to restore the press passes of the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration,” Leavitt said.
“We are also opening up this briefing room to new-media voices who produce news-related content and whose outlets are not already represented by one of the seats in this room,” the press secretary continued. “We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House.”
Climate - Not Set in Stone
Morgan Stanley joins list of financial institutions pulling out of groundbreaking agreement: 'One of the most complex issues of our time'…
Citigroup and Bank of America also announced this month that they would leave the global climate coalition, and Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo dropped out in December.
More and more studies are proving that climage change is not what we’ve been led to believe.
President Trump has appointed and nominated dozens, if not hundreds, of people for his administration. Here’s one that you likely would never hear of but has a personal connection to the President and his family, so I think you’ll enjoy it.
On January 24, 2025, President Trump appointed Lynne Patton to serve as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Minority Outreach. In this role, she will focus on strengthening support among Black, Latino, Asian, and other minority communities. Patton has been one of the Trump family's longest-serving and most trusted aides. She served as a Senior Advisor during President Trump's campaign, contributing to outreach and strategic initiatives. Prior to her campaign role, Patton was the Regional Administrator for Federal Region II at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), where she worked to bring accountability and reform to housing issues.
For more insight into Lynne Patton's personal journey and her relationship with the Trump family, you might enjoy this interview.
The White House
(President Trump issued over 300 executive actions in his first week in office.)
Heritage Experts Analyze Trump Executive Orders
Immigration, drilling, and DEI—oh, my! President Trump wasted no time in issuing a slew of executive orders (E.O.s) to enact the America First mandate the American people gave him in November.
Heritage Foundation policy experts widely praise President Trump for his dedication to fixing our immigration system, prioritizing public safety, and taking the first steps to make our government efficient again.
“The Heritage Foundation has long promoted policies that help protect American citizens and provide some measure of justice to crime victims,” writes Senior Legal Fellow Zack Smith of the president’s E.O. supporting the death penalty and public safety.
“The policies promoted in this executive order are a welcome change in line with those goals.”
This article summarizes several of Trump’s early executive actions, including the little-publicized Privately Operated Criminal Detention Facilities.
2-minute video: President Trump has ordered that DEI departments in the federal government be SHUT DOWN
‘The CIA has found a lab origin “more likely” for the COVID-19 pandemic, joining two other top U.S. agencies that have previously made the assessment,’
On January 25, 2025, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) updated its stance, indicating that COVID-19 most likely originated from a laboratory incident in Wuhan, China. This assessment was made with "low confidence," suggesting that the evidence is not conclusive. The report was declassified under the directive of the newly appointed CIA Director, John Ratcliffe, who assumed office on January 23, 2025. Previously, under Director William Burns, the CIA had not taken a definitive position on the virus's origins.
ICYMI
Private prison firms expect revenue growth from contracts
Maybe you heard about this, Trump Admin Offers Buyouts to Nearly All Federal Employees, and wanted details. One thought I have: There are probably a lot of ‘federal employees’ who want out for various reasons - President Trump; having to be in the office 5 days a week; too long a commute, etc. This could be a win-win.
God bless you, God bless President Trump and team, and God bless America!
"There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters."
– Daniel Webster
For more general information from President Trump or about his Administration:
White House website
Issues
Remarks (including the full Inaugural Address)
The Cabinet
There’s so much more to talk about of course. I’ll be sending you more in a day or two.
In the meantime, staying informed is just the first step. What happens next depends on us - everyday citizens who care about our country’s future. I encourage you to:
Take time to be informed, stay up to date. We’ve only accomplished Step 1.
Share information with friends and family. We need to bring back civil discourse.
Reach out to your representatives, local, state, and federal, to voice your support or concerns. If you haven’t heard, “All politics is local”, do realize that bad local politicians just move up the ladder. Don’t let them get a foot in the door.
The work of restoring our country and protecting our freedoms has only just begun. Let’s move forward together to continue the momentum to make America, health, and education great again.
If you have questions, let me know. I’m happy to help.
This message reflects my personal perspective on current events. While I strive for accuracy, please verify details through official sources linked above. If sharing, I encourage readers to include this disclaimer to ensure clarity.
United we stand. Divided we fall. We must not let America fall.
VoteTexas.gov, https://www.votetexas.gov/get-involved/index.html
Until next time…
Please share your thoughts in the comments. Or email me, and let’s have a problem-solving conversation. I welcome ‘letters to the editor’ type emails and may publish yours. I hope we can create a caucus with positive, back-to-the-founders’-dream-for-America results. Have a topic you want to know more about?
Some housekeeping…
Going forward, you may need to check your spam folder. And please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If the newsletter isn’t in your spam folder either, you should look in the Promotions tab.
You can always see everything on the website, RationalAmerican.org.
Thanks again for reading! I’m glad you’re here!