**Today is Nov 19.** We cover crazy government spending projects, Trump’s latest Cabinet picks, a battle brewing between ICE & ACLU, and the potential dismantling of the Department of Education.

I: THE DML REPORT

Read the receipts

Written by Denny

You’ve probably read by now that Kamala Harris’s campaign blew through more than $1 billion in spending, and there have been reports that the campaign is $20 million in debt. And all this spending comes from a fifteen-week campaign. President-elect Trump even offered to pay off the debt. The Obamas might likely foot the bill, or perhaps the Pelosis. But probably not; it’ll likely be the taxpayer.

On today’s podcast, we discussed how the U.S. government has spent money on ludicrous and unnecessary (and expensive) experiments, studies, and programs. This was based on a viral video of Sen. Rand Paul presenting multiple examples of these quack funding projects before Congress. He mentions the following:

$100,000 in government funding to study if tequila or gin makes sunfish more aggressive.
Nearly $1M funded to study if cocaine makes Japanese quail more sexually promiscuous.
$750,000 to study if the famous moon landing quote was: “One small step for Man” or “One small step for ‘A’ man.” The study was inconclusive.

Inspired, we knew we had to look deeper into what else the government has wasted money on. The results were not only surprising but very representative of liberal ideology influencing academia. Here are some examples:

$3 million for a decade’s worth of research into shrimp on small-built treadmills as an overall study on how bacterial infections and environmental changes affect shrimp metabolism and mobility.
$3 million in funding for a Northeastern University & NIH study on hamster aggression by observing fights between hamsters dosed with steroids, cocaine, and other substances.
$1.7 million in funding for "zombie cats": a controversial study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where researchers amputated the legs of healthy cats, replaced them with prosthetic limbs, and applied electrical stimulation to study muscle movement.
Over $200,000 of research into administering feminizing hormone therapy to male rhesus macaque monkeys for HIV research.
Several hundred thousand to millions of dollars studying how ‘bad news’ impacts overall happiness in people (as if that weren’t conclusive enough).
Undisclosed U.S. grant research funding for a University of Lincoln study titled "No Evidence of Contagious Yawning in the Red-Footed Tortoise.”
Undisclosed U.S. grant research funding for Stockholm University study exploring whether chickens exhibit preferences for human faces that align with human standards of attractiveness.
$10,000 to banana slug mating for a University of California study.

This may not seem like a lot when we are giving billions of dollars to Ukraine, and blasting away millions upon millions of dollars by allowing uncontrolled illegal immigration to hamper many sectors of life (safety, security, healthcare, employment, migrant sheltering, and more). But nonetheless, when our debt is astronomical and climbing, cutting frivolous spending, including the previously mentioned issues of Ukraine and illegal immigration, is necessary.

Many Americans might argue that these strange projects need to be paused for the moment. It’s why I keep vouching that if done correctly, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can be a game changer when it comes to government accountability on spending. We need proper audits and verifications of where we’re spending U.S. taxpayer money, and how we can clear out existing debts to foreign interests like China.

I’d rather my money go to Musk’s rockets and starships than ‘bugs on drugs’ experiments.

This is not to say research funding and projects aren’t necessary. Many of these endeavors have produced modern-day results, such as medicines, technologies, and institutions. And I’m sure the new department will be the proper gateway to approve what’s necessary and what’s not. But like the Harris campaign, when you’re bleeding cash and need a bailout, it’s time to be unburdened by what has been. Goodbye Biden, Hello DOGE!

The Poll of the Day

POLL: Should the Department of Education be abolished?
Take the poll, click here

Yesterday’s poll results:
POLL: How would you grade Trump’s second Cabinet picks so far?

Results:
A (excellent) - 51.5%

A+ (perfect) - 39.04%

B (good) - 8.75%

C (ordinary) - 0.39%

D (weak) - 0.22%

F (failure) - 0.1%

II: WHITE HOUSE 2024

TRUMP 2024

Adios, Pete!

President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transportation (which means Pete Buttigieg’s leadership will be out the door; though be watchful of a potential 2028 presidential run).

Duffy, 53, is a former prosecutor who served over eight years representing Wisconsin’s 7th District. He is currently a Fox News contributor and co-host of Fox Business Network’s “The Bottom Line.” This marks the second Fox News figure Trump has tapped for his administration. Read More Here.

ALSO: President-elect Trump nominated Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, as Commerce Secretary. A close ally and co-chair of Trump’s transition team, Lutnick has been instrumental in shaping the administration’s staffing process. Trump praised him as a "dynamic force on Wall Street" and key in advancing the incoming administration’s economic agenda. Read More Here.

ALSO ALSO: President-elect Trump chose Brendan Carr, a conservative Federal Communications Commissioner since 2017, to chair the agency. Carr, unanimously confirmed for a new five-year term last year, will assume the role in January when Trump takes office. Read More Here.

***It’s been 14 days since Election Day***

THE LEFT 2024

Votes still coming in… really?

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro supports the state Supreme Court's 4–3 ruling that faulty mail-in ballots, including those incorrectly dated or undated, cannot be counted during a contentious recount.

The decision, reaffirmed Monday, directs election boards in Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties to comply with the court's previous Nov. 1 ruling on mail-in and absentee ballots. This marks a win for Republican officials.

As governor, Shapiro said he would “continue working to protect our democracy and the votes of all eligible Pennsylvanians.”

Republican Party officials had filed 12 different lawsuits in the state amid an aggressive Senate recount effort following the narrow victory of Republican candidate David McCormick over three-term Democrat Sen. Bob Casey.

McCormick had defeated Casey by some 17,000 ballots in the state, or within the 0.5% margin of error that allows Casey to qualify for an automatic recount under Pennsylvania law. Read More Here.

ALSO: House Speaker Mike Johnson initially avoided addressing proposals to ban transgender lawmakers from using female bathrooms in the Capitol as GOP members push for stricter rules. Republican Rep. Nancy Mace defended her bill targeting Democrat Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, prohibiting transgender females from using female bathrooms. Mace is urging GOP leadership to include the proposal in House rules and plans to expand the restrictions beyond the Capitol. Read More Here.

III: BORDERLESS

***The right, the wrong & the illegal***

ICE vs. ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday, seeking details on how the agency might implement President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans.

The lawsuit focuses on ICE Air Operations, a network of chartered flights used to deport thousands annually. It aims to uncover how these operations could scale to meet Trump’s pledge, including potential military involvement.

The lawsuit, ACLU of Southern California Foundation v. ICE, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and demands that ICE immediately turn over the requested records to ACLU SoCal, which include:

All ICE contracts and records regarding air transportation to execute removals, including flights leaving the United States and domestic flights to transport noncitizens in between detention sites to stage for removals.
Documents containing information on what ground transportation is used to transfer noncitizens to airports for removal flights.
Records sufficient to show the airfields ICE uses, or has access to, for removal.
Memoranda and other guidance regarding ICE’s policies or procedures for staging noncitizens, including unaccompanied noncitizen children, for removal prior to flights.

Unburdening What Has Been

Read the receipts

TeamDML Newsletter: 11/20

TeamDML Newsletter: 11/18