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6:05 PM ET, February 2, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Vittoria Elliott / Wired:
The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover  —  Engineers between 19 and 24, most linked to Musk's companies, are playing a key role as he seizes control of federal infrastructure.  —  Elon Musk's takeover of federal government infrastructure is ongoing …
RELATED:
CNN:
Senior USAID security officials put on leave after refusing Musk's DOGE access to agency systems  —  Two top security officials at the US Agency for International Development were put on administrative leave Saturday night after refusing to allow officials from Elon Musk's Department …
Politico:
Musk on USAID: ‘Time for it to die’  —  His statement comes as signs increasingly point to the Trump administration folding the development aid agency into the State Department.  —  Tech mogul and Trump ally Elon Musk said Sunday that it's time for the U.S. Agency for International Development …
Discussion: NBC News and NPR
Financial Times:
Musk vows to cancel grants after gaining access to US Treasury payment system  —  System disperses trillions of dollars in US government spending each year, including social security  —  Elon Musk has vowed to unilaterally cancel hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of government grants …
Washington Post:
USAID security officials on leave after refusing access to Musk allies
Discussion: New York Times
David McAfee / Raw Story:   ‘This is a five-alarm fire’: Experts pounce on Musk's new ‘grave national security threat’
Reuters:
More USAID staff ousted as Trump administration dismantles aid agency
Discussion: CBS News and NBC News
New York Times:
Top Security Officials at Aid Agency Put on Leave After Denying Access to Musk Team
Discussion: Washington Post and Oregonian
Financial Times:
Trump faces backlash from business as tariffs ignite inflation fears  —  Experts warn aggressive trade measures against US allies will hurt consumers and roil supply chains  —  Donald Trump faced a backlash from business groups and some in his own Republican party after kicking off a trade war …
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Canada, Mexico Want America to Feel the Pain of Tariffs Too  —  Both countries are planning precision strikes against U.S. exports in response to Trump's unilateral tariffs  —  in Toronto.  —  Canada and Mexico will suffer severe economic blows from the tariffs President Trump announced on Saturday.
Discussion: Daily Mail, Semafor and Washington Post
Josh Boak / Associated Press:
Trump says Americans could feel ‘some pain’ from his new tariffs that are triggering a trade war
CBC News:
Doug Ford announces Ontario ban on American liquor in response to U.S. tariffs
Discussion: Saywhat Politics
Zia Weise / Politico:
China to retaliate after Trump fires first salvo in trade war
Matina Stevis-Gridneff / New York Times:
Trudeau Details Canada's Retaliation Plans in Emotional Rebuke of Trump Tariffs
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
With tariffs and threats, Trump turns on America's closest allies
New York Times:
Top F.B.I. Agent in New York Vows to ‘Dig In’ After Removals at Agency  —  James E. Dennehy, the highly respected leader of the largest and most important field office in the bureau, said in an email to staff that the F.B.I. was in a “battle of our own.”  —  The top agent at the F.B.I.'s …
Discussion: Washington Examiner
RELATED:
NBC News:
Agents ‘have started to pack up their desks’ as fear of FBI mass firings swirls  —  Some agents have been sent a 12-question survey about their role in Jan. 6 cases.  An FBI agent group advised agents overall to “stay calm and refrain from making any statements.”
Timothy Snyder / Thinking about:
The Logic of Destruction  —  What is a country?  The way its people govern themselves.  America exists because its people elect those who make and execute laws.  The assumption of a democracy is that individuals have dignity and rights that they realize and protect by acting together.
Discussion: Scripting News
RELATED:
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
Throughout now-president Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, it was clear that his support was coming …
Discussion: The Colorado Sun
Michelle Myers / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
ICE raided his family's North Philly car wash. Here is Jeffrey Lee's account of what happened.  —  Jeffrey Lee, 35, was en route to his family's business, Complete Autowash Philly, when a call came through his car's speaker.  The caller ID read “Dad” but there was an ICE agent on the other end …
David Bauder / Associated Press:
The power of independent journalism: From her Brooklyn apartment, she ‘scooped’ the nation's media  —  First word of the Trump administration's since-rescinded order to freeze spending on federal loans and grants came not from a major news organization, but from a woman working alone in her Brooklyn apartment.
United States Department of State:
Secretary Rubio's Meeting with Panamanian President Mulino  —  The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tammy Bruce:  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha today in Panama City to address critical regional and global challenges.
RELATED:
Samuel Bagenstos / Inside/Outside:
Why Write About the Illegality of What Trump and Musk are Doing?  —  NYU Law professor Noah Rosenblum posted on Bluesky yesterday that “[t]here has never been a larger gap in my (admittedly quite short) professional life between how lay folks and law profs are talking about what is happening in government right now.
Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo
Yamiche Alcindor / NBC News:
Union official says Education Department employees were placed on leave after taking diversity training during Trump's first term  —  A letter to the affected employees obtained by NBC News said they would continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and would not be required to do any work-related tasks.
New York Times:
‘We Have No Coherent Message’: Democrats Struggle to Oppose Trump  —  More than 50 interviews with Democratic leaders revealed a party struggling to decide what it believes in, what issues to prioritize and how to confront an aggressive right-wing administration.
RELATED:
Dan Balz / Washington Post:   Democrats are in trouble, and a provocative analysis offers ideas to repair the party
Ezra Klein / New York Times:
Don't Believe Him  —  This is an edited transcript of an audio essay on “The Ezra Klein Show.”  You can listen to the conversation by following or subscribing to the show on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
GOP pollster says Trump voters ‘tired’ of being accused of racism  —  Republican pollster Frank Luntz said on Friday that President Trump's voters are “tired” of being accused of being sexist and racist.  —  In a discussion about Trump's remarks linking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) …
 
 
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 More Items: 
KFF:
A Look at Federal Health Data Taken Offline
Rebecca Solnit / The Guardian:
Fighting for justice doesn't have to be a big dramatic act. It can be small
Zack Colman / Politico:
Trump's talking about shutting down FEMA. Republicans hate that idea.
Discussion: Bloomberg, RedState and The Hill
 Earlier Items: 
Robert B. Hubbell / Today's Edition Newsletter:
The coup rolls on, but we will prevail.
Discussion: DNyuz
David Smith / The Guardian:
Wrecking ball: Trump's war on ‘woke’ marks US society's plunge into ‘dark times’
Gary Fineout / Politico:
Florida Republicans just declared war on each other
Discussion: Honolulu Civil Beat
Aaron Zitner / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Kicks Aside Congress With Sweeping Claims of Presidential Power
Discussion: Washington Post and The Bulwark
Aaron E. Carroll / New York Times:
The Republicans' Choice: Tax Cuts for the Rich or Health Care for Americans
Discussion: Politico
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
Memo to Elon: Know Your Boss
Discussion: Raw Story
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
OpenAI releases GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1 mini, and GPT‑4.1 nano, which excel at coding, instruction following, and long context understanding, available via its API

New York Times:
FTC v. Meta: in opening arguments, FTC lawyers accuse Meta of a “buy-or-bury strategy” to cement a social networking monopoly by buying Instagram and WhatsApp

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Nvidia starts making its Blackwell chips at TSMC's Phoenix plant and says it aims to make up to $500B of AI infrastructure in the US in the next four years
 
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