UNBIASED Politics (2/18/25): Tesla's $400M Government Contract, Mass Federal Firings, 'Make American Healthy Again Commission,' Possible Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and More.

Episode Format:

1. How the Challenges Against Section 504 Might Change 504 Plans in School (0:42)

2. DOGE Seeks Access to IRS Systems; Is This Allowed? (11:26)

3. Government Says $400M Tesla Contract Is Now on Hold; Here's What Happened (15:14)

4. House Committee Sends 2025 Budget Resolution to House Floors; Here's What It Means (18:24)

5. Trump Administration Sends Thousands of Termination Notices to Federal Employees (24:22)

6. Trump Takes Firing of Special Counsel to the Supreme Court (28:33)

7. Trump Creates 'Make America Healthy Again Commission.' Plus What Might Happen to SSRIs and Other Prescriptions With Kennedy at Helm of HHS (32:09)

8. Quick Hitters: Delta Flight Flips Upside Down Upon Landing, US Army No Longer Accepting Transgender People, Judge to Weigh Dismissal of Mayor Adams' Charges, Thompson Reuters Releases Statement After Government 'Social Deception' Award Goes Viral (39:53)

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How the Challenges Against Section 504 Might Change 504 Plans in School

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/returning-to-school-must-include-a-reinvestment-in-section-504-plans/#:~:text=Section%20504%20of%20the%20Rehabilitation%20Act%20of%201973%2C%20commonly%20referred,counselors%20and%20other%20support%20services.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/families-worry-section-504-lawsuit-013601916.html

https://www.bie.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/504%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions.pdf

https://x.com/AGDerekBrown/status/1890464368271274294

https://x.com/WestVirginiaAG/status/1889797742538662022/photo/1

https://www.acluwv.org/en/news/our-statement-ag-isnt-telling-truth-about-disability-rights-lawsuit

https://www.ada.gov/resources/disability-rights-guide/#individuals-with-disabilities-education-act

https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/individuals-disabilities/section-504

https://www.ohioparentpenalty.com/post/what-happens-if-section-504-is-declared-unconstitutional

https://www.cmcss.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Understanding-the-Differences-between-IDEA-and-Section-504.pdf

https://dredf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IDEAv504.pdf

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/at-a-glance-which-laws-do-what

https://www.northcollins.com/departments/special_education/difference_between_section_504_and_i_d_e_a_#:~:text=There%20are%20significant%20differences%20between,must%20result%20in%20educational%20benefit.

DOGE Seeks Access to IRS Systems; Is This Allowed?

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/subtitle-B/chapter-XX/part-2004/subpart-C/section-2004.32

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-1312/subpart-B/section-1312.23

https://sgp.fas.org/clinton/eo12968.html

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/17/doge-irs-access-taxpayer-data-system

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/elon-musks-doge-asks-access-irs-taxpayer-data/story?id=118883475

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/16/doge-irs-access-taxpayer-data/

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-6209/2022-section14-integrate-data-retrieval-system-idrs.pdf

Government Says $400M Tesla Contract Is Now on Hold; Here's What Happened

https://san.com/media-miss/tesla-removed-from-400m-federal-contract-amid-musk-scrutiny/ 

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/13/g-s1-48571/trump-administration-order-400-million-worth-of-armored-teslas 

https://www.politifact.com/article/2025/feb/13/ask-politifact-is-the-state-department-about-to-pa/ 

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/02/14/state-department-armored-teslas/ 

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F01%2FFY25-Procurement-Forecast.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK 

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.state.gov%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F02%2FFY25-Procurement-Forecast-1.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/state-department-omits-armored-tesla-mention-from-its-2025-budget-procurement 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/us/politics/state-dept-armored-teslas.html 

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5146578-blumenthal-presses-rubio-for-answers-400m-telsa-cybertruck-deal/ 

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/13/musk-contract-armored-tesla 

https://www.state.gov/procurement-forecast

House Committee Sends 2025 Budget Resolution to House Floors; Here's What It Means

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/13/house-republicans-approve-budget-00204230

https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/whats-in-the-fy2025-house-budget-resolution/

https://docs.house.gov/meetings/BU/BU00/20250213/117894/BILLS-119NAih.pdf

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/6-big-problems-congress-republicans-trump-agenda.html

https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/filibusters-cloture.htm

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-gop-panel-approves-budget-blueprint-steep-tax-spending-cuts-rcna192002

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/13/congress-has-long-struggled-to-pass-spending-bills-on-time/ 

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL30458#:~:text=The%20chief%20purpose%20of%20the,policies%20of%20the%20budget%20resolution.

https://eangus.org/what-to-know-about-government-spending/#:~:text=Mandatory%20spending%20is%20required%20by,thirds%20of%20all%20federal%20spending.

Trump Administration Sends Thousands of Termination Notices to Federal Employees

https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-layoffs-doge-406752da1614755b8fabe9c94e0c71a8

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-administration-federal-agencies-fire-probationary-employees-rcna192149

https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/fair-and-transparent/probationary-period

https://san.com/cc/hundreds-of-faa-employees-fired-nuclear-workers-told-to-return-reports/

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/16/politics/faa-employees-fired-trump-administration/index.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/federal-workers-exceptional-reviews-fired-performance-issues-rcna192347

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-315/subpart-H/section-315.803

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/duffy-brings-up-clinton-while-noting-spacex-workers-visit-air-traffic-control-system-command-center

https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1891310401800872114

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/cdc-disease-detectors-fired-trump-administration-agency-cuts-doge-rcna192420https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/cdc-disease-detectors-fired-trump-administration-agency-cuts-doge-rcna192420

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-disease-detectives-doge-cuts-health-agencies/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/us/politics/national-park-service-firings.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-terminates-388-epa-staff-2025-02-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usda-probationary-staff-fired-two-research-agencies-sources-say-2025-02-14/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-energy-department-says-less-than-50-purged-nuclear-security-office-2025-02-16/

https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-doge-firings-trump-federal-916e6819104f04f44c345b7dde4904d5

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/hundreds-faa-employees-let-go-trumps-mass-layoffs-continue-rcna192458

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/15/federal-layoffs-firings-2025/78761259007/

Trump Takes Firing of Special Counsel to the Supreme Court

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part2/chapter12/subchapter2&edition=prelim#:~:text=The%20Special%20Counsel%20may%20be,the%20direction%20of%20the%20President.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25536868-dellinger-scotus-emergency-filing/

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25517175-complaint-for-declatory-and-injunctive-relief/

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/17/trump-firing-power-supreme-court-watchdog-dellinger

https://san.com/cc/trump-seeks-scotus-help-to-fire-office-of-special-counsel-head/

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2023/23-939

https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/orders/docs/2025/02/25-5028LDSD.pdf

Trump Creates 'Make America Healthy Again Commission.' Plus What Might Happen to SSRIs and Other Prescriptions With Kennedy at Helm of HHS

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/establishing-the-presidents-make-america-healthy-again-commission/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825

https://www.newsweek.com/rfk-jr-antidepressants-ssris-drugs-maha-2032297

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/07/rfk-jr-wants-to-send-people-on-antidepressants-to-government-wellness-farms/

https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/kids-antidepressants-growing-problem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZgRuaUqmII

https://www.tiktok.com/@thegeorgejankoshow/video/7363040272004943150

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/rfk-jr-goes-after-antidepressants-claiming-threat-to-americans

Quick Hitters

https://san.com/cc/army-no-longer-accepting-transgender-service-members-following-trump-order/

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/18/us/what-we-know-delta-plane-crash-canada/index.html

https://x.com/USArmy/status/1890490320313286788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1890490320313286788%7Ctwgr%5E5eb08a6c3afba2ed6c620b0f0fad477f46e594e6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scrippsnews.com%2Fus-news%2Flgbtq%2Fas-the-military-changes-policy-the-army-will-no-longer-accept-transgender-service-members

https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_FA865018C7886_9700_-NONE-_-NONE-

https://www.reuters.com/business/us-defense-department-contract-inaccurately-represented-social-media-says-2025-02-13/

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/13/politics/musk-trump-reuters-pentagon-defense-contract-fact-check/index.html