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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 …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money and Talking Points Memo, more at Techmeme »
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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 …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Raw Story, Forbes, UPI, Mashable, RedState, Family Inequality, DNyuz, Mediaite, Associated Press and New York Times


USAID security leaders on leave after trying to keep Musk's DOGE from classified info, officials say — The Trump administration has placed two top security chiefs at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas …
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Examiner, The Independent, FedScoop, The Gateway Pundit and WTOP News


Musk Says DOGE Is Halting Treasury Payments to US Contractors — Elon Musk said his “DOGE team” of government efficiency enforcers is shutting down payments to federal contractors, suggesting that the world's richest man may have access to sensitive systems used at the US Treasury Department.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, DNyuz, Reuters, Sun-Sentinel and Politico


‘This is a five-alarm fire’: Experts pounce on Musk's new ‘grave national security threat’ — It was reported on Sunday that two officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were threatened with arrest and then put on leave after refusing to let Elon Musk access systems at the agency …


Turmoil inside USAID: DOGE reps take over offices, senior officials placed on leave — DOGE leader Elon Musk has called USAID a “criminal organization.” — Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk arrives for the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington.


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 …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Mother Jones, DNyuz, American Thinker, The Post Millennial and Washington Post


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 …

USAID security officials on leave after refusing access to Musk allies
Discussion:
New York Times

Top Security Officials at Aid Agency Put on Leave After Denying Access to Musk Team
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Oregonian

The coup rolls on, but we will prevail.
Discussion:
DNyuz

We do not know what exactly Elon Musk is doing to the federal government
Discussion:
Business Insider, OutsideTheBeltway and Twitchy


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 …
Discussion:
Globe and Mail, Daily Mail, The Guardian and CBC News
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Canada, Mexico Want America to Feel the Pain of Tariffs Too
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New York Times, Bloomberg, Daily Mail, Semafor and Washington Post

Doug Ford announces Ontario ban on American liquor in response to U.S. tariffs
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Saywhat Politics

Ontario to remove U.S. alcohol from shelves after Trump's tariffs announcement
Discussion:
news.novascotia.ca, Forbes, news.gov.bc.ca, The Independent and Bloomberg

Car Prices Face $3,000 Increase as Tariffs Hit Auto Sector
Discussion:
Axios, The Verge, Fox Business and DNyuz

Brussels vows ‘firm’ response to threatened Trump tariffs as EU braces for trade war
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Reuters, Mother Jones, Forbes, WTOP News, Bloomberg, DNyuz, Hollywood Life, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit and USA Today

Trump says potential pain caused by tariffs ‘worth the price that must be paid’
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, Mediaite, NBC News, Fox News, Bloomberg, DCReport.org and Washington Examiner

Trump says Canada, Mexico and China tariffs ‘will all be worth it’ — but may cause ‘some pain’
Discussion:
RedState, Los Angeles Times, PBS NewsHour, New York Times, UPI, The Hill, Reuters, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner and API

Trudeau Details Canada's Retaliation Plans in Emotional Rebuke of Trump Tariffs
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Reuters, New York Post, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Hindustan Times, CTV News, Business Insider, CNN, Fox News, Truthout, Associated Press, HuffPost, NBC News, RedState, UPI, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Al Jazeera, Crooks and Liars, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Politico, Fox Business, Grabien, ABC News, Bloomberg, The Verge and The Independent


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
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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.”
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, CNBC, The Hill, Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo and Mediaite


Sen. Mark Warner warns of ramifications for Trump's FBI and Justice Department firings
Discussion:
Raw Story, Washington Post and CBS News


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 …


Trump administration taps controversial conservative journalist for top job — Darren Beattie is the acting under secretary in a top State Department role. — A sign for the U.S. Department of State is captured on the outside of the Harry S. Truman Federal Building on Oct. 8, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Discussion:
The Post Millennial
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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:
The Moderate Voice and Scripting News


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.


Trump is waging war against his own government — One federal employee who spoke with NBC News said that the government workforce feels like they're being attacked regularly with “psychological warfare.” — WASHINGTON — Less than two weeks into his term, President Donald Trump is waging war …
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Baltimore Sun, Mashable, The Hill and HuffPost
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Throughout now-president Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, it was clear that his support was coming …
Discussion:
The Colorado Sun


Rubio says Panama must reduce Chinese influence around the canal or face possible US action — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio brought a warning to Panamanian leader José Raúl Mulino on Sunday: Immediately reduce what President Donald Trump says is Chinese influence …
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freebeacon.com, RedState, Washington Examiner, UPI, Raw Story, DNyuz, CBS News, The Daily Wire, Associated Press, Reuters, The American Spectator, Al Jazeera, Fox News and Politico
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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


IMPOSING DUTIES TO ADDRESS THE FLOW OF ILLICIT DRUGS ACROSS OUR NORTHERN BORDER — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Reuters and USA Today
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Trump says Americans could feel ‘some pain’ from his new tariffs that are triggering a trade war
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CNN, Reuters, CBS News, New York Post, Boston Herald, NPR, New York Daily News, WAGA-TV, The Guardian, WTOP News, Daily Mail, UnHerd, New York Times, Blue Virginia, The New European, Paul Krugman, Raw Story, The Texas Tribune, Quartz, DNyuz, Los Angeles Times, KSDK-TV and Axios


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.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Times and Politico


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.
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No More Mister Nice Blog