#power grab

[palatinewolfsblog]

"The religion dominating the realm of political power right now isn't Christianity. It's authoritarianism. This religion of authoritarianism worships an unholy trinity of fear, revenge, and greed. This religion of authoritarianism has simply hijacked Christianity to use as a costume to masquerade around in, attempting to convince us it has been sent by God." - Rev. Benjamin R. Cremer

[secondstar09]

So here’s the vibe:

the Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the whole “co-equal branch of government” thing, has basically started handing Trump little goodie bags of power. And Trump, being Trump, immediately asks, “Cool, how many more bags can I grab before anyone notices?”

Case in point:

he fires Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook. Normally, the Fed is supposed to be independent, because monetary policy isn’t supposed to depend on a president’s mood swings or whether he had too many Diet Cokes that morning. But Trump decides, nah, independence is overrated, and axes her.

Now the Court has to decide if “independent” actually means anything anymore, or if the president just gets to cosplay as CEO of America, firing whoever he wants when they don’t clap hard enough.

The kicker? Trump isn’t just testing limits — he’s basically standing on the guardrails of democracy, shaking them, yelling: “Can I knock these over too?!” And so far, the Court keeps nodding yes.

So yeah, welcome to this season of “Presidential Power Creep,” where the Constitution is less a rulebook and more a suggestion box.

[saffronjulep]

[minmaneth]

[spotlightstory]

Trump says he will “fire” America’s military generals and replace them with MAGA loyalists, echoing Project 2025

Link to Reddit video Best Comment: "Just going to remind everyone that, after Trump lost the election, General Milley and the Joint Chiefs of Staffs were concerned that Trump was attempting a military coup and took steps to prevent it.

They were joined in this concern by all living former defense Secretaries, Republican and Democrat, who flouted two hundred years of military tradition by posting an open letter announcing that the election was over, and warning military people everywhere not to obey any orders aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of power.

Just in case people don't realize this -- these are, you know. Pentagon people. THE Pentagon people.  These people know things that we don't know.

So, let's be really clear here. Trump is promising an old-fashioned Praetorian guard COUP here. That's what's happening right in front of our eyes. I don't understand why anyone is talking about anything else."

[twitterexile]

QLD Labor leader, Steven Miles:

Every Queenslander should be worried about this power grab.

Under this proposed law David Crisafulli's right-hand man can decide, without any appeal, private projects he thinks are of "state significance" and call for your private property to be compulsorily acquired.

[gwydionmisha]

Elon Musk Is Running the Twitter Playbook on the Federal Government

The US Office of Personnel Management is telling federal workers to get in line—or get out.

I Just Got Trump’s “Buyout” Offer at My Job. Let Me Tell You How That’s Going.

The new Trump administration’s effort to both get a grip on and dismantle the federal workforce has also been a dystopian farce.

OPM, implementing Musk's DOGE plans, sends federal workers 2nd 'Fork in the Road' email

The Office of Personnel Management, carrying out Elon Musk's plan to trim the government, has sent federal workers a follow-up email about i

Meanwhile, Elon Musk is illegally accessing essential government systems at places like the treasury department. Nothing good can come of it.

Trump gives Musk unprecedented access to federal systems

Examine DOGE's actions and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires transparency

Elon Musk's DOGE Faces Trio of Lawsuits Following Trump’s Inauguration

Read more here.

[trash-panda-kitty]

Birthright citizenship, agency overreach, and the growing battle over who counts as American.

A president using eliminationist rhetoric.

Agencies turning those impulses into policy.

Key factions in Congress warming up to denaturalization logic.

A Supreme Court treating the Fourteenth Amendment like a riddle instead of a promise.

This isn’t chaos.

It’s a coordinated narrowing of who gets to be “the people.”

And before anybody blinks, the institutions that define American identity are being folded into one man’s reflection.

The Administration Is Playing Jenga With the Fourteenth Amendment and Calling It Policy

Birthright citizenship, agency overreach, and the growing battle over who counts as American.