#MaskVaxVentilate☮️

My heroes are healthcare workers/ scientists/ truth-tellers. BA, PhD Biology

[#MaskVaxVentilate☮️ @lsilbers]

“Freedom of opinion is a farce unless factual information is guaranteed and the facts themselves are not in dispute.” -Hannah Arendt

[#MaskVaxVentilate☮️ @lsilbers]

CarD73🧚🏻‍♀️’s comment: Does anyone ever wake up and u just know it’s going to be a bad light headedness day? I’m off to cardiology today. Light headedness when laughing. Trying to do all this w/o meds. Only thing that helps is to keep moving https://t.co/1qNp0hmwqq

[Gavin Newsom @GavinNewsom]

A lot of misinformation out there.

Just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data around the Southern CA wildfires.

The TRUTH:
- CA did NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet.
- CA has INCREASED forest management ten-fold since we took office.
- California will NOT allow for looting.

Get the facts: https://t.co/kgUOGhcC0D

[Alex Vindman 🇺🇸 @AVindman]

Statement on National Security Staff Firings

Yesterday, President Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz @michaelgwaltz , announced a sweeping directive to terminate all national security staffers loaned from other departments and agencies who serve in apolitical, non-partisan senior staff roles. Waltz framed this decision as a means to eliminate Biden-era appointees and enforce absolute alignment with Trump’s policy agenda. Notably, Waltz justified this move by referencing my role in exposing Trump’s abuse of power, which led to his first impeachment. Using my actions as a rationale, Waltz aims to purge scores of professionals from the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, and other agencies—not because of their conduct, but due to a demand for blind allegiance to Trump. This approach sends a stark and troubling message: in a second Trump administration, only political loyalists will be permitted to serve on the NSC.

To set the record straight, I served as an apolitical detailee and a faithful Army officer implementing President Trump’s national security agenda, as outlined in the National Security Strategy he approved. My actions did not conflict with Trump’s stated national security policy. My reporting of corruption—my refusal to remain silent as Trump engaged in criminal activity, undermined free and fair elections by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, to steal the 2020 election—and my refusal to betray my oath to the U.S. Constitution are why I was fired. These are the same reasons professional staff are about to be purged, and apolitical staff will be barred from the NSC.

On the surface, it is reasonable for a president to seek a loyal and trusted teams faithful to their agenda. However, absolute loyalty should not be the exclusive qualification, overriding competence, experience, and fidelity to a constitutional oath. An NSC staffed with “team members who are 100% aligned with the president’s agenda” will not only diminish the NSC’s capabilities but also erode continuity in policy. Worse, it will create an environment where dissenting views, even those grounded in experience and ethical responsibility, are stifled.

The so-called “Vindman Rule” sets a dangerous precedent by ensuring that only political loyalists can serve on the NSC, advise the president, and interact with the president and top decision-makers. Such an approach will have a chilling effect on senior policy staff across the government. Talented professionals, wary of being dismissed for principled stances or offering objective advice, will either self-censor or forgo service altogether. This undermines the very purpose of the NSC: to provide the president with the best possible advice as well as the coordinating team to advance U.S. national security interests.

The implications of this loyalty-above-competence model are dire. By purging the NSC of apolitical, experienced professionals, Trump and Waltz are hollowing out the institutional expertise required to navigate complex global challenges. This will create a policy apparatus incapable of discerning sound policies from reckless impulses—or worse, one that actively disregards legal and ethical obligations to implement Trump’s personal whims. Consider the implications: Would Department of Defense detailees still counsel against invading Greenland or Canada or feed those foolhardy thoughts to curry favor? Would FBI detailees agree to engage in political reprisals against Trump’s enemies to serve in the NSC? These are not far-fetched concerns but real dangers inherent in the precedent Waltz establishes.

This announcement also presages broader plans by the Trump administration to fire tens of thousands of senior apolitical government officials and replace them with Trump loyalists. By prioritizing loyalty above all else, the Trump administration will significantly undermine the foundations of good governance, jeopardize U.S. national security, and weaken U.S. democracy.

[Laurence Tribe 🇺🇦 ⚖️ @tribelaw]

Excellent!

[Brian Krassenstein @krassenstein]

BREAKING: Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski just made a bold move, declaring she won’t support any of President Trump’s nominees unless they undergo full FBI vetting. This marks a significant development and could have major implications for the administration’s agenda.

[#MaskVaxVentilate☮️ @lsilbers]

https://t.co/xqKXPTM0KE

[Olga Lautman 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @OlgaNYC1211]

And a Russian agent for DNI. Good job Trump voters

[Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder]

We’re about to find out whether there are any patriots among Republican Senators, or whether they’ll make excuses for the foreign-backed demolition of our Republic that is now plainly underway.

[Congressman Jared Moskowitz @RepMoskowitz]

Nominating Tulsi Gabbard to lead our intelligence community is incredibly reckless. Putting someone with known sympathies for foreign adversaries is not putting America’s interests first - it’s putting our security at risk.

[#MaskVaxVentilate☮️ @lsilbers]

👇🏻🧵#truth #COVIDresponseFailure

[Craig Spencer MD MPH @Craig_A_Spencer]

Our abysmal response during COVID was all the more painful because we should’ve done better.

We should’ve been MUCH more prepared.

And despite the current attempts to re-imagine the early days of the pandemic—what I call ‘March 20/20 hindsight’—we completely dropped the ball.

[Olga Nesterova @onestpress]

My thoughts: Russia's attempt to interfere in the U.S. election on Election Day cannot be ignored, and it is the responsibility of the current administration to address it.

The bomb threats targeting polling places in key battleground states—GA, MI, AZ, WI, and PA—MUST be addressed immediately.

We need a thorough investigation, clear communication of findings, and an assessment of the impact.

[Mueller, She Wrote @MuellerSheWrote]

I hope in the coming days someone is able to explain how we had record turnout but 18M fewer votes than 2020. Both of those things can’t be true.

[Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder]

When Russian state propaganda claims that there is cheating, as they have started to do, that is a sign Trump is losing.

[Brian Stelter @brianstelter]

Of the five boroughs in NYC, Staten Island is Trump's stronghold. Yet today the borough's newspaper, the Staten Island Advance, "enthusiastically" endorsed Harris, calling her "the only choice in 2024," and delivering some tough love to readers 🧵

[Ryan Struyk @ryanstruyk]

PELOSI: "Hakeem Jeffries will be the speaker of the House. I don't know what the margin will be, but I know that we have the votes to win the House."

[LizzieShore @lizzieshore]

@DaniMet1 Apparently Stein is very opportunistic about which genocides she resists…

[Marty Meehan @MartyMeehan]

I’m proud to share the exciting news that all undergraduate students from households earning $75,000 or less will be able to attend any UMass campus tuition-free starting next fall: https://t.co/6JHESltrlR @umassamherst @umassboston @umassd @umasslowell #umass #highered (1/4)

[Anonymous @YourAnonNews]

Of course Musk is ok with collapsing the economy. Think of it from a strategic standpoint: If you're starving, you'll obey and do anything to get food. That's the plan.
Kicking 11 million people out of the country and pushing heavy tariffs will collapse the US economy rapidly.
The Executive and Judicial branches will negate the Legislative branch (Congress), meaning Trump and Elon will have free reign to do what they want.
America is at a precipice.

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

What makes a fascist?

-Rejecting democracy for a strongman
-Stoking rage against cultural elites
-Nationalism based on “superior” race
-Glorifying strength and warriors
-Disdain of women and LGBTQ+ people

These five elements find exact expression in Donald Trump.