CDC Loses All Credibility
Three Wins Today: Aug 20, 2025
Let’s talk about mail in voting. Trump cannot get rid of it. This isn’t a matter of “he shouldn’t do it” or “it’s illegal for him to do” it’s a matter of, he can say whatever he wants but it is a local and state issues and, they will just flat out not listen to him. The Institute for Responsive Government puts it like this:
Broadly speaking, the Constitution splits authority for election laws between Congress and the individual states. The president and executive branch don’t get a mention. Like with other executive orders he’s issued on voting, any attempt to strong-arm states into doing what he wants will almost certainly be litigated.
Consider birthright citizenship. Notice how it still has not gone into effect and very likely won’t anytime soon. When Republican say things like this, it’s just showing us their playbook. So now we know that they are going to be spending their time spreading disinformation on mail in voting at a larger scale than they have before. It’s good to know their playbook, but it's not a policy.
This is a differentiation we need to be very aware of. They need us to panic. The more panicked we are, the less it matters if it’s actually a policy or not cause we will treat it like it is.
So, bottom line, just cause he says it doesn’t make it true it just makes it a statement he said. These statements aren’t not important, but they don’t qualify as policy or implementation.
And now that you’re breathing a little easier, here are some of our wins!
And scroll to the bottom to see how I deal with Doomerella and her opinion on these stories!
Mon, Aug 18 - In a 2-1 ruling, a three judge panel has reversed Judge Kacsmaryk’s 2023 decision that allowed West Texas A&M to ban drag shows, because they are, get this, misogynistic and akin to blackface. While the case continues to make it’s way through the court system, the Spectrum WT club can continue to put on drag shows. The ruling was based on the idea that the space the show was held is designed as a public forum, and even though school President Walter Wendler insists that it’s only open to students, and therefore not actually public, the court disagreed:
This policy contains no limits on public expression of particular kinds or by particular groups and thus does not support the assertion that Legacy Hall is a limited public forum.
The two in favor of the revesal were Bush appointee, Judge Leslie Southwick and Clinton appointee, Judge James Dennis. The one opposed is James Ho, which might sound familiar because Trump wants him on the Supreme Court.
The case will now return to District Court, but this is a win. It’s also a reminder of how long the judicial process can be. Cases that are being brought now, might not even be heard before Trump leaves office.
Shout out to Texas Tribune for their reporting.
YESTERDAY - The American Academy of Pediatrics has released their own vaccine recommendations, and they continue to include COVID for everyone under 18. They even acknowledge that this is not the CDC recommendation which is now based in disinformation:
Since its founding in 1930, the American Academy of Pediatrics has been a leading voice in vaccine recommendations, creating evidence-based guidance to support pediatricians in caring for children and families. The schedule published Tuesday continues in this tradition. It differs from recent recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC, which was overhauled this year and replaced with individuals who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation.
YESTERDAY - New York Times reported that a group of philanthropists have been quietly working to save NPR and PBS. The immediate solution is temporary, but it should keep all local stations operating for now. The Public Media Company will administer the disbursement of the $25.6 million total donations, which will come from organizations like the Knight Foundation which is donating $10 million of that. Stations will apply for this funding, and those that either relied on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for more than 30% of their revenue or are one of the only local news sources serving that area will have priority. That application will be finalized soon.
The article also mentions that NPR and PBS are helping out as well. They are lowering membership dues for these stations.
I want to be clear, this is not sustainable, and $100 million will be needed over the next two years to avoid any closures, and that’s part of why they are starting with such a low number, because these are massive foundations, but it’s not sustainable to just give $1 billion, one time, for instance.
My biggest takeaway is that this has been in the works for a while. It just goes to show that just because something isn’t public, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It also shows that even when something is in the works, that doesn’t mean it can instantly go into effect. That’s also worth noting as people complain about the lack of preparation for various scenarios.
Remember, these are just three of a very long list of wins I find every single day. Never lose hope or think there’s no one fighting and winning.
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
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These are all such great wins! Thank you for highlighting them, Ariella! Especially the vaccine one! Hooray! 🎉 💜