Bits n’ pieces from east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs is expected to eliminate up to 35,000 unfilled positions, after already losing 30,000 employees this year, the Washington Post reported.

In a recent Vanity Fair interview White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had several revelations, mainly that key members of the administration are dysfunctional and make haphazard decisions without regard for any sense of public duty. Wiles said she was “misrepresented” in the two articles, but the author said everything quoted was on tape. 

Wiles’ revelation included: President Donald Trump wants to keep blowing up boats until Venezuela’s president “cries uncle;” Trump has an “alcoholic’s personality;” the vice president switched from being a never-Trumper to MAGA for political reasons; some of Elon Musk’s tweet actions have reflected his drug use, and, the director of Management and Budget, Russell Vought (a key author of Project 2025), is a “right-wing absolute zealot.”

Trump’s announcement of $1,776 for American troops and veterans claimed the price tag would come from tariff funds. But, various media reported, the funds will come from a military housing stipend, making it “rebranded, repackaged and redelivered.” The expected price tag: $2.6 billion.

Democracy Docket: The Dept. of Justice failed a Congressional mandate to release the Jeffrey Epstein Files -- “all unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative material,” as required by federal law. Congress had also instructed, in a bi-partisan vote, that redactions have a written justification, and nothing be withheld on the basis “of embarrassment, reputational harm or political sensitivity.” DD said almost every condition of release was violated, and some redactions spanned pages. 

The DOJ said more would be revealed in the future. The chair of World Without Exploitation, which works to end sexual exploitation, said failure to comply with the release implies impunity for the powerful, who are prioritized over justice for survivors. Several members of Congress are considering contempt charges against Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The New York Times has explored how sex offender Epstein (who died in jail allegedly from suicide) became so rich and influential. They found a volley of cons, cunning schemes and young beautiful women used as leverage. Stories were gleaned from Epstein’s former colleagues and bosses and partners who had been tricked by Epstein into handing over what padded his increasing wealth.

Research from 2000 defending the safety of the herbicide glyphosate, used in Roundup, has been retracted because it was ghostwritten by Roundup, the Lever wrote.

The Lever reported that 79% of holiday shoppers plan to use their credit cards and Americans have a record-high $1.2 trillion in credit card debt.

ProPublica: Thousands of people in Kenya have starved; many have died due to inability to fight off infections due to malnutrition and hunger -- after the Trump administration’s USAID cuts. Anemic pregnant women have been eating mud, and parents have to choose which of their children to feed.

After the recent Bondi Beach mass shooting that killed 15 and wounded 40 of those celebrating Hanukkah in Australia, their prime minister announced a program to buy back thousands of firearms. Under consideration: a cap on the number of guns a person can own.

ProPublica reported that Trump’s EPA is nearly doubling the amount of formaldehyde it considers safe to breathe. It’s used in building materials, leather goods and craft supplies, and can cause cancer, miscarriage, asthma and health issues due to altering DNA.

Trump recently said he will nullify any executive order from former President Joe Biden that was signed with an autopen. But, many media reported, Trump has admitted to his own use of autopen, and he has no authority to nullify Biden’s auto-penned pardons. 

Headlines, for brevity: Congress leaves town until 2026 with no health care deal, forcing premium hikes; Court Blocks Trump-Vance Administration From Firing Federal Workers in Violation of Federal Law; Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down social studies standards that impose Christianity on public school students; Dem leaders decide to bury damning report on why Trump won in 2024 [apparently to protect key party actors, and DNC officials said there was a failure to invest sufficiently in digital tools, and to reach young voters]; Non-profit groups offer legal assistance to U.S. troops amid debate over boat strikes; Internal "60 Minutes" fight erupts [interviews of released deportees, victims of Trump’s deportation of migrants to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador, was pulled by their new right-leaning editor-in-chief]; White House ballroom price tag jumps again [from $200 million to $400 million, to be paid with donations, that are likely to receive Trump favors -- it’s to be completed in 2028], and, Karl Rove Warns That Trump Is Courting Midterm Disaster.

Blast from the past: “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, renowned English novelist and social critic.