RFK Jr.'s "MAHA Strategy" exposes his penchant for coupling populist rhetoric with pro-corporate governance

March 2025 was the worst month for federal hiring in 20+ years—and it's not even close. Some agencies, like the Census Bureau and the IRS, *didn't hire a single person* in February or March. Meanwhile, ICE hiring ticked up. Here's what you should know. ⬇️

The independent agencies that protect our workers, our financial well-being, and our civil rights are under attack thanks to firings and lack of nominees.

Unencumbered by norms, antitrust law, or accountability from Congress, Trump is seizing control of the media. In this week's Corruption Calendar, we examine Trump's latest round of attacks on free speech.

NEW: As Trump and his friends make deals, ordinary Americans are on the menu – to be divvied up proportionately to how well different oligarchs serve Trump. Catch up on the biggest corruption stories of this week with our latest Corruption Calendar newsletter:

AVIATION UPDATE: The Trump admin announced a pilot program to allow electric air taxis to conduct test flights carrying cargo and passengers before vehicles are certified by the FAA. Plus, toxic fume exposure is on the rise, moving FAA headquarters will come at a huge cost, and more. 🧵

Perhaps EJ Antoni would be better fit to run the Bureau of Labor Anecdotes.

President Trump nominated EJ Antoni to serve as BLS Commissioner. If confirmed, he’d have significant power over US economic data. From 2019 to 2021, he ran a Twitter account that frequently posted conspiracy theories, as well as sexist, bigoted, and far-right views. 🧵THREAD🧵

In Feb and March 2025, the IRS and the Census Bureau both hired *zero* people. That’s a lot different than Trump’s 2017 hiring freeze, when both agencies hired at relatively normal levels in Feb and March. For the IRS, those months are usually critical—April is tax season.

NEW: March 2025 was, by far, the worst month for federal hiring in at least 20 years. Breaking down attrition at federal agencies in the early months of the Trump admin, a thread 🧵: (Full piece here: therevolvingdoorproject.org/attrition-in...)

Andreessen Horowitz, which will be one of three firms to lead the acquisition of TikTok, is headed by Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley tech titan who considered himself to be "an unpaid intern" of Elon Musk's DOGE. But he's not the only major Trump ally involved with this deal

Last week, CNN's Jake Tapper had former Senator Kyrsten Sinema on his show to discuss a number of things she was "passionate" about, including AI and crypto. What he failed to disclose amid Sinema lavishing praise on Trump, was her financial ties to huge AI and crypto firms.

As a result of Trump terminations, numerous federal agencies are non-functional without a quorum, revealing another way to effectively shut down the federal government. From our friends at @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social: prospect.org/politics/202...

NEW: Trump and his allies in Congress are continuing their war on the administrative state: 8 independent agencies now lack a quorum to fulfill key functions. Our @kjboyle.bsky.social writes in @prospect.org on how this puts the public’s safety, financial well-being, and civil rights at dire risk.

"As Trump becomes a billionaire — for real — many times over due to crypto shenanigans, I think it is possible that crypto will start getting tagged with the Trump stink." [email protected]

As currently constructed, AI is an oligarchy-enriching, worker-immiserating, energy-depleting, brain-rotting economic bubble in waiting. Democrats can and should get on the public’s side here. Read more from @dylangyauchl.bsky.social & @maxmoranhi.bsky.social in @prospect.org.

"The progressive Revolving Door Project warned that the Abundance movement was corrupted by 'big tech figures, oil barons, and committed Trump supporters.'"

The Trump administration is is increasing our risk of premature death while helping its wealthy allies get even richer. Read more in our latest Corruption Calendar.

We’re tracking Trump’s disasters in the making, and who makes money from them. Learn more about our suite of oversight tools and trackers in this week's newsletter.

At the House Natural Resources hearing, the Foundation of American Innovation's Thomas Hochman let it slip: constraining NEPA is about powering AI datacenters to fuel Silicon Valley's latest bubble. Hochman was a speaker at last week's abundance conference, and FAI was a co-host

We’re tracking Trump’s disasters in the making, and who makes money from them. Check out today's newsletter for tools like maps, trackers, and interactive timelines we've made this year to understand the pandemonium of Trump’s second term.

🔥🔥🔥 The Tenant Union Federation is uniting tenants across state lines to confront the power of corporate landlords. TODAY, tenants in Connecticut, Michigan, Kentucky and Missouri launched a new campaign demanding better conditions from their landlord, Capital Realty Group:

"[T]he federal government has turned its back on its own people," said Bob Griffin, an emergency preparedness expert from SUNY Albany. Great analysis from AP. See our tracker/map for more on Trump's delayed and incomplete allocation of disaster aid.

Most people are pessimistic about the benefits of AI technology, and they have reason to be. Democrats have a chance to win working-class support, but it’ll mean taking on Silicon Valley. From Dyland Gyauch-Lewis and Max Moran @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social: trib.al/FaQFbll

ICE raided a Hyundai plant last night, detaining hundreds of workers. The plant has a long history of unsafe working conditions, leading to two deaths in the past six months. Now, workers may think twice before raising concerns.

Tune in NOW to @prospect.org's weekly roundup, where our @dylangyauchl.bsky.social will be discussing her piece on why Democrats should oppose the AI industry as it currently exists, which is at the growing expense of worker power, the electricity grid, artists, the environment, and so much more.

My latest w/ @maxmoranhi.bsky.social is out in @prospect.org today! It's about why Democrats need to vigorously oppose the AI industry. Hope folks find it interesting! prospect.org/power/2025-0...

NEW Corruption Calendar - Weeks 32-33: An Administration Full of Grifters and Grim Reapers The Trump White House is increasing our risk of premature death while helping its wealthy allies get richer quicker.

Democrats must oppose the AI industry. Our @dylangyauchl.bsky.social and @maxmoranhi.bsky.social lay out the case this morning in a piece for @prospect.org 1/4 prospect.org/power/2025-0...

NEW BLOG Five senior CDC officials, including the agency's director, have been ousted in the past week.

NEW: In the long-awaited return of our Hackwatch feature, @dylangyauchl.bsky.social talks all about abundance, the "middle-of-the-road sensation that's sweeping the nation." 1/4 revolvingdoorproject.substack.com/p/all-about-...

A new GAO report warns that Trump's gutting of FEMA could have dire consequences. Last week, we detailed how Trump's attacks on FEMA and NOAA are likely to unleash preventable suffering and death.

The "abundance conference" starts today in Washington DC, headlined by the Republican Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. We just released our report on the people and orgs behind this movement, hopefully shedding some light on this mysterious bunch.

Trump and FHFA director Pulte are floating plans to privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – but who would really benefit? As Elizabeth Warren put it, privatization would be “great for billionaires, terrible for hardworking people.”

Trump's BLS Nominee EJ Antoni has called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" and said we "need to sunset the program".

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service provided free collective-bargaining mediation and saved hundreds of millions of dollars in labor costs. Under Trump, it has been all but destroyed.

Under Trump, conditions for meatpacking workers could soon return to those chronicled in Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle".

Many of the groups bankrolling the Abundance movement seek to roll back worker power. Read more from our Dylan Gyauch-Lewis.

The ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez is the latest effort in the Trump administration's war against vaccines.

ICYMI: Check out our new report with @openmarkets.bsky.social on the pitfalls of the corporate-backed Abundance agenda.

Trump is putting millions of Americans in mortal danger this hurricane season and beyond.

“I am extremely skeptical that Bill Pulte would come across 1/100th as well as Lisa Cook if his paperwork were scrutinized as closely as he has scrutinized Cook’s paperwork." [email protected]

"As [RDP's] report explores, abundance talking points have already been adopted by Trump's energy appointees to justify new fossil fuel projects, while circumventing public participation and transparency."

ICYMI: Our @jeffhauser.bsky.social and @timi-iwayemi.bsky.social explained in @prospect.org why the Trump administration by far the most corrupt in American history.

The Trump administration's assault on climate policy is more thoroughly destructive than any previous GOP government, upending scientific research and data collection while simultaneously dismantling regulatory rules and their enforcement.

Big Tech bosses have always been awful. Trying to bring them back into the Democratic Party would be a grave mistake.

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 20 years ago. Earlier this week, ~180 FEMA workers warned that Trump's cuts are setting the stage for a similar calamity. The next day, dozens of them were punished. This is a perfect summation of Trump's homicidal hurricane policy. Our new report ⬇️has more. 🧵

Latest on tap ⬇️

"In 2025, the revolving door between the federal government & the corporations that encircle it has been 'Trump-sized.'" As @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social writes, offices on K St are filling up with Trump administration veterans just 7 months in, while lobby firms with Trump ties are rolling in cash.

New in @prospect.org: Trump administration veterans are heading to K Street to cash in on this boom period for lobbying firms with Trump ties. We think this Trump-sized revolving door between the federal government and corporations that encircle it will leave us all worse off.