Listen: Trump Folds on Firing 80K Federal Workers; Ice Cream Shop Owner Killed in West Bank; Plus More

Trade unionists in New Jersey protest the Trump administration’s attack on federal workers. Photo courtesy of AFTNJ.

By Bob Hennelly

Last week, the Congress voted to end the funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, long a goal of America's radical right wing. Created  in 1967, the Corporation of Public Broadcasting was  founded as a publicly funded non-profit to guarantee high quality, universal access to arts, educational and public affair programming to 1,400 locally-owned and operated public radio and TV stations. For years, for fear of being blamed for killing off “Big Bird” and the beloved Sesame Street, forced enough Republicans to vote with Democrats to keep CPB. President Trump’s re-election radically altered that political calculus, however, and so last week the axe finally came down on CPB.

Thanks to news media consolidation, much of America is already a news desert where there's no local newspaper, a void long filled by CPB-funded local public broadcasters including Pacifica's affiliates. What are the implications for democracy?

On this week’s episode of “We decide: America at the Crossroads” host Jenna Flanagan speaks with DC based investigative journalist Dave Levinthal whose work appears in places like Rolling Stone and NOTUS. They are joined by Laura Jedeed,  a freelance journalist, based in New York City whose work has appeared in Politico, Rolling Stone, and The New Republic. This week's reporters' roundtable include Matt Murphy, General Manager WERU Blue Hill, Maine, one of our Pacifica affiliates that stands to lose 25 percent of their funding because of Congress’s action. 

Meanwhile, the sensational speculation about the nature of the relationship between President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex trafficker who reportedly committed suicide in federal custody in 2019, continues to dominate the news wave. At the same time, Trump administration is doubling down on its mass deportation strategy. Last week it was reported that federal immigration  officials were going to get access to the Medicaid files for over 70 million Americans. 

The USDA has now set a July 30th deadline for states to turnover their files on all food stamp participants with identifying personal information. Of course, like so many other Trump administration’s actions this is being challenged in the federal courts.

This week, Matt Biggs, International President of the Professional & Technical Engineers IFPTE representing 90,000 workers, also joins “We Decide.” Biggs describes the generational consequences from the Trump/DOGE mass layoffs of his members doing vital research in agencies ranging from the EPA to NASA. The IFPTE leader details how the Trump administration's stripping of collective bargaining rights from federal immigration judges undermines their independence, the rule of law and our constitutional democracy.

BIG WIN AS TRUMP FOLDS ON 80K VA FIRINGS

In the first few months the Trump administration's wholesale attack on federal workers and their unions made headlines as the White House executed the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 to radically downsize the federal government.

Where do things stand now?

While federal unions, led by the American Federation of Government Employees, have won some pivotal court cases, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority has helped sharpen President Trump's axe by letting him downsize the U.S. Department of Education by firing 1,400 employees, well over a quarter of its staff.

The U.S. DOE was created as a cabinet level agency by Congress in 1980.

Meanwhile, in the court of public opinion, AFGE and other federal unions have been quite successful helping to turn out millions of Americans in large scale national protests like June 14th's No Kings Day. which featured federal workers and their essential work prominently.

Jenna speaks with American Federation of Government Employees Legislative Director Daniel Horowitz about his union's fight against the Trump administration's push to execute the largest union busting operation in U.S. history. He is joined by Adam Cartagena, a VA psychiatric nurse and  President AFGE Local 1012. He is joined by fellow officers Emma Rouse, vice-president  and Kasheemah Moore, secretary/ treasurer that represent workers at the VA’s Lyons, NJ facility. AFGE Local 1012 turned out 500 local community members including veterans and their families outside the VA in Lyons. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who is running for New Jersey Governor, was also in attendance. AFGE Local 1012 credits the great support they got from AFTNJ and its president Jennifer Higgins for the rally's success. 

Early this month, following mass national protests in April and June that saw millions turnout, the Trump administration backed down from its plan to fire 80,000 VA employees, roughly 15 percent of the workforce. 

In its most recent plan, the VA is committing to cut 30,000 positions through attrition and retirements.

"This is a clear case where collective action made a difference," Dr. Everett Kelly, president of AFGE says. "The VA's original plan would have been catastrophic. Because we raised our voices--workers, veterans, lawmakers and community;eader--the agency pulled back."

PACIFICA AFFILIATE REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK 

This week we also have two reports from our Pacifica affiliate partners. The Trump Administration is gutting  the National Environmental Policy Act, established in 1969. Lynnea Kaylor of KYRS Radio in Spokane Washington reports on the long-term impact. Then, Johannes Verner of WSLR Radio in Sarasota Florida reports on a beloved young ice cream shop owner killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Listen to the entire show below: