💰 Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze

On Tuesday, Trump issued a confusing memo calling for a freeze on hundreds of billions of dollars in federal aid until he is able to make sure that the programs are in line with his anti-DEI stance. That obviously stirred up chaos and fear, as officials and everyday Americans waited to find out exactly what will be affected. His team later clarified that this would not affect Social Security, Medicare, or nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC, but it could impact housing assistance, disaster relief, and scores of other programs. A judge paused the plan until Feb 3, when a hearing will be held to get more details about the plan’s specifics.

📍What are experts saying about the freeze?

Legal experts agree that the constitution gives Congress the power to control spending, and Trump is not allowed to cancel spending for programs that Congress has approved. Also, a law called the Impoundment Control Act specifically prevents the president from stopping payments on grants or other programs approved by Congress. Some think that this is a test of how Congress, the Supreme Court and the American public will react to his more aggressive grasps for power.

📍What impacts could this have?

Even though Trump has announced a number of exceptions to the funding freeze, it could still negatively impact community-based organizations including churches, homeless shelters and food banks that serve vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and domestic violence victims. Also, while it is unlikely that he succeeds in court, experts think that Trump is hoping to come out with more power than the constitution currently gives him.

🔒 He wants to use Guantanamo for ICE arrests

On Wednesday, Donald Trump announced plans to create an immigrant detention facility at Guantánamo Bay naval base to house up to 30,000 ICE detainees, which would be the largest ICE detention facility by far. This would not be the first time that we’ve held immigrants at Guantanamo Bay, but it would be the most people held there in decades. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the move “an act of brutality” and doubled down on his stance that the land where the base sits is “illegally occupied.”

📍Wait like… Guantanamo, Guantanamo?

This would not be the same facility as the military prison that houses suspected terrorists, but it is located near the same area. The United States has actually been detaining immigrants at this secretive site since the 1990s - and Drop Site News reported that the facility has the capacity to house around 400 people currently, after the Biden administration quietly signed a $163.4 million contract to maintain the facility last August.

Still, the site raises concerns because it’s so isolated that the conditions are hard to monitor and abuses can go unreported since immigration attorneys and advocacy groups are unable to easily visit.

📍What are experts saying about this plan?

Immigration attorneys and advocacy groups are saying that his plan is to link immigrants with terrorists in the public eye to justify using more military action. This article from The Guardian has great comments from experts who explain why this is so alarming.

Guantanamo Bay has a reputation as an American gulag. The International Refugee Assistance Project reported last year that refugees at Guantanamo are currently living in poor, unsanitary conditions with no confidential phone calls and no educational services for children. This has been a stain on immigration policy for both Democrat and Republican presidents, but some have said Trump’s plans to quickly expand the facility could lead to even worse conditions at a great cost to taxpayers.

🧘🏾 Don’t let Trump throw you off

I know it’s tempting to react to every stupid thing that Trump says, but when he blames a plane crash on DEI, it’s pretty obvious that he’s just trying to get us riled up. Responding to everything can drain your energy and reposting the quotes can take over the conversation online - and he’s counting on that. When we overreact to obvious bait, it’s harder to notice the real actions he’s announcing, and it’s harder to fight back when he rolls them out. Yesterday, after his press conference, most of the search results on Bluesky, Threads and Google for “Trump” were related to his racist comment, and there was hardly anything showing up about his Guantanamo detention camp plan.

Personally, I am taking this approach: if it doesn’t add anything to the conversation, I am not going to share it. So, I am not going to repost Trump’s racist comments because we already know he’s racist, and even better - I’m going to log off when I see obvious bait like this. It’s a great reminder to take a mental health break from everything. His administration is releasing a LOT of news at once and it’s overwhelming, so I’m going to try my best to be strategic with how I use my energy. I hope you can find a balance that works for you too! I think this video from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert sums it all up pretty well.

🔋 Recharge

Fun fact about me: I applied to film school but I chickened out and studied PR & Advertising instead. Then, I took up writing music as a hobby in college which I still do today. Since music, film and TV are a huge part of how I unplug when I’m exhausted by the news, I’m going to start sharing some of my favorites in this special section. I hope you reply and share some suggestions back with me so we can chat about art and take a break from politics every once in a while.

📺 Severance on Apple TV

This eerie show feels like an extended episode of Black Mirror, where employees at a shady company called Lumon go under a surgical procedure to split their mind into two separate personalities - a work self who has no memories of their outside life, and a home self who has no memories of the job.

The cast and crew are stacked with Patricia Arquette and Adam Scott in leading roles and Ben Stiller behind the lens on some episodes. I watched the first season in 2 days and highly recommend you start it now while season 2 is still airing (if you’re reading this on Jan 31...)

💿 Tiera Kennedy - Rooted (Album)

Fair warning - this is a country album BUT it is a country album by an incredibly talented Black woman from Alabama with a beautiful voice and production that reminds me of early Taylor Swift, circa Speak Now. You may recognize Tiera Kennedy’s name as one of the featured vocalists on Beyonce’s version of Blackbiird from her album Cowbow Carter in 2024. This album came out in September 2024, but it is my most played project in January.

This song “Better Than Me” is a standout for me, but I recommend you check out the whole album. It has a tight 34-minute runtime, the songs are catchy and it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

This newsletter is free, but you can buy me a coffee if you’d like.