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Musk Cronies Dive Into Treasury Dept Payments Code Base — Overnight, Wired reported that, contrary to published reports that DOGE operatives at the Treasury Department are limited to “read only” access to department payment systems, this is not true. A 25-year-old DOGE operative named Marko Elez …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo and Nudity and Nerdery
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A 25-Year-Old With Elon Musk Ties Has Direct Access to the Federal Payment System — The Bureau of the Fiscal Service is a sleepy part of the Treasury Department. It's also where, sources say, a 25-year-old engineer tied to Elon Musk has admin privileges over the code that controls Social Security payments, tax returns, and more.


Federal Workers Sue to Disconnect DOGE Server — Two federal workers, citing reports that Elon Musk's associates are operating an illegally connected email server at OPM, seek a restraining order. — Federal employees are seeking a temporary restraining order as part of a class action lawsuit accusing …


Bessent tells lawmakers Musk's DOGE does not control Treasury payments system
Discussion:
Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Raw Story, FedScoop, Truthout, HuffPost, Townhall, Metro.co.uk, ABC News and Baltimore Sun

Illegal Executive Spending Decisions Are Happening Now
Discussion:
Axios


White House preparing executive order to abolish the Department of Education — The planned order follows years of campaign promises from President Donald Trump to abolish the federal Education Department. — The White House is preparing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education …
Discussion:
New York Times, NOTUS, The Daily Caller, Truthout, Breitbart, UPI, The National Pulse, Raw Story, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, USA Today, DNyuz, WFLA, The Independent and New York Post
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Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump's orders
Discussion:
Nature and The Daily Caller

Trump administration drafting executive order to initiate Department of Education's elimination

Newsom to meet with Trump over LA fire aid, water
Discussion:
New York Times, freebeacon.com, Palo Alto Online, DNyuz and Los Angeles Times


FBI turns over names of 5,000 employees who worked on January 6 cases to Trump Justice Department, as agents sue — FBI officials have complied with demands to provide the Justice Department with a list of thousands of employees who worked on investigations related to the January 6, 2021 …
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FBI agents sue to block DOJ from compiling list of officials who worked on Jan. 6 or Trump cases — The agents are fearful that the Trump-led Justice Department will exact punishment against employees deemed disloyal. — FBI agents who worked on cases stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol …
Discussion:
New York Times, New Republic, Associated Press, Bloomberg, MeidasTouch News, NOTUS, New York Post, Axios, CBS News, Townhall, Daily Caller News Foundation, WUSA, The Independent, Raw Story, NBC News, Washingtonian and Vox


‘Accidental’ F.B.I. Chief Builds a Following as Agency's Defender — Brian Driscoll was accidentally catapulted into the acting director's chair on Jan. 20 and has defended the bureau from the potential of mass firings, inspiring memes and satirical clips. — Brian Driscoll …
Discussion:
Default, The Daily Beast and The Post Millennial


About 20,000 federal workers took “buyout” so far, official says — About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the “buyout” offer put forward by the Trump administration last week, a senior administration official tells Axios. … - The offer is open through Thursday, meaning the total could rise …
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Federal layoffs ‘likely’ if too few employees choose to quit, memo says
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, Mother Jones, RedState, E&E News and The Gateway Pundit, more at Techmeme »

Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs
Discussion:
Federal News Network

We Did This to Ourselves — Four years ago today, the House of Representatives voted to remove …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and CNN


Breaking the Law — Just weeks in, the Trump administration has violated rules, laws, and the Constitution. — “In America,” Thomas Paine wrote at the founding, “the law is king.” Amid today's governing and constitutional crisis, we are finding out whether that is still true.
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NFL to remove ‘End Racism’ messaging in end zone ahead of Super Bowl: Sources — NEW ORLEANS — At his annual news conference Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed strong support for the league's policies designed to promote diversity at the club-employment level and indicated that those endeavors will continue.
Discussion:
Raw Story, WAVY-TV, RedState, Mediaite, DNyuz, Breitbart, USA Today, Fox News, Daily Mail, The Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit, Defector, The Hill and Washington Examiner
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RFK Jr. closes in on HHS Cabinet post after Senate panel vote — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., once seen as a long shot to serve as America's top health official, is now set to head to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now one step closer to running …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, STAT, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, New Republic, Bloomberg, The Hill, CBS News and Daily Mail
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Sen. Todd Young will back Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Examiner, USA Today, New York Times, NOTUS, Bloomberg, Axios, Daily Kos, U.S. Senator Susan Collins …, New York Magazine, One America News Network, UPI, The Independent, Scripps News, Blaze Media, Deadline, Fox News, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, The Transom and The Post Millennial

Trump Administration Live Updates: Committee Votes to Advance Tulsi Gabbard's Bid for Intelligence Post
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Politico, CBS News, WSVN-TV, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, NBC News, Axios, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, The Independent, NOTUS, ABC News, DNyuz, Bangor Daily News, Fox News, The Hill, New York Daily News, MSNBC, Althouse, RedState, Townhall, Blaze Media, New York Post and The Daily Caller


State Department moving to evacuate USAID staff worldwide: Sources — The State Department has begun working to assist in evacuating all USAID staff who are on foreign assignments worldwide, sources familiar with the effort told ABC News. — The Department is aiming to recall all USAID employees …
Discussion:
Blaze Media and CBS News


U.S. government officials privately warn Musk's blitz appears illegal — The billionaire's DOGE team has launched an all-out assault on federal agencies, triggering numerous legal objections. — The chaotic blitz by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has triggered legal …
Discussion:
NPR, American Greatness, The Daily Signal and Al Jazeera


‘Things Are Going to Get Intense:’ How a Musk Ally Plans to Push AI on the Government — Thomas Shedd, a Musk-associate and now head of the General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services (TTS), told government tech workers in a meeting this week that the administration plans …
Discussion:
Wired, Raw Story, TechCrunch and DNyuz, more at Techmeme »


Negotiations stall ahead of shutdown deadline as Democrats slam Trump for subverting spending laws — Democrats are eying the March 14 deadline to push back on Trump's recent unilateral actions, saying he needs to follow the law on government funding. — WASHINGTON — Government funding negotiations …
Discussion:
New York Times and DNyuz


Republican Senators Say They're Fine Handing Their Power to Elon Musk — Musk's actions may be unconstitutional but “nobody should bellyache about that,” Sen. Thom Tillis said. — Copy — Tech billionaire Elon Musk is working to shut down government agencies and cancel congressionally approved funding …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Digby's Hullabaloo, ABC News, Orlando Sentinel, The Independent and Grabien

Waffle House adding surcharge for every egg ordered — (NEXSTAR) - Waffle House restaurants across the nation will be adding a 50 cent surcharge to every egg ordered amid soaring prices due to inflation and the bird flu epidemic. — The surcharge took effect Monday, according to a Waffle House memo shared with Nexstar.
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‘Beyond betrayal.’ Venezuelans in Florida are angry at Trump immigration policy — MIAMI — Venezuelan migrants in South Florida say they feel betrayed by a Trump administration decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of people who fled dictatorships and sought refuge in the U.S.
Discussion:
NBC News, Federal Register, Florida Politics, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, Breitbart, Associated Press, Orlando Sentinel, Axios and Bloomberg


Scoop: Senate Dems plot USAID revenge on Trump … - Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios on Tuesday that he's willing to place holds on Trump nominees on the Senate Judiciary Committee. — Blumenthal said the caucus is proceeding as if there is a blanket hold on Trump nominations.
Discussion:
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz …, New Republic, NPR, KTLA, WTOP News and PBS NewsHour


EPA spending freeze continues despite court orders — Two judges have ordered the administration to lift the freeze. But nonprofits and states still can't get money for contracts backed by the Inflation Reduction Act. — The Trump administration is still freezing many climate …


Proud Boys Lose Control of Their Name to a Black Church They Vandalized — A judge awarded the trademarked name and symbols to a Washington church to help satisfy a $2.8 million judgment against the far-right group. — The Proud Boys no longer have control over their own name.
Discussion:
CBS News, The Guardian, Law & Crime, UPI, WUSA, New Republic, Daily Kos, The Independent and Washingtonian


U.S. Begins Migrant Flights to Guantanamo Bay — The Trump administration has said it would expand operations at the American naval base in Cuba to hold up to 30,000 immigrants — WASHINGTON—The first flights carrying detained migrants from the U.S. to Guantanamo Bay have headed …
Discussion:
New York Post, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, The Independent and Instapundit


Half of Wisconsin Head Start programs can't access needed funds after federal freeze — One Head Start center in Waukesha closed last week, leaving more than 250 families without child care — One week after the Trump administration ordered a pause on federal grants and loans …
Discussion:
HuffPost, New Republic, Democrats and Digby's Hullabaloo


Family member condemns use of armored vehicle, stun grenades in Phoenix ICE arrest — A family member is speaking out against an ICE operation in northwest Phoenix on Sunday, calling it an unnecessary use of force that involved an armored vehicle, flash bang grenades and several dozen ICE agents …
Discussion:
Daily Mail


To Stop The Coup, We Must Be Clear About The Truth: Two Plus Two Equals Four — In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, the ultimate act of rebellion comes when Winston Smith insists that two plus two equals four, defying a system that demands he accept whatever reality the Party declares.


Trump administration adds fine print to ‘Fork’ resignation offer, deepening confusion — It's been a week since nearly all 2.3 million civilian employees of the federal government were presented with an offer: Agree to resign from your job by Feb. 6 and keep your pay and benefits through the end of September.
Discussion:
Washington Post, FedSmith.com, Inside Medicine, WTOP News, Bloomberg and Washington Examiner


About 100,000 eggs worth $40K stolen from trailer in Pennsylvania — The theft occurred around 8:40 p.m. Saturday at Pete and Gerry's Organics in Greencastle. — Thieves poached about 100,000 eggs from the back of a distribution trailer, authorities in Pennsylvania said.
Discussion:
WVUE-TV, KGET-TV, Oregonian, Fox News and New York Daily News

Ocasio-Cortez: Musk ‘one of the most unintelligent billionaires I have ever met’ — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed tech billionaire and “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) head Elon Musk as “one of the most unintelligent billionaires that I have ever met.”
Discussion:
Common Dreams, New York Post, The Daily Caller, RedState and Washington Examiner


Temperatures at north pole 20C above average and beyond ice melting point — Scientists say unusually mild temperatures linked to low-pressure system over Iceland directing strong flow of warm air towards north pole — Temperatures at the north pole soared more than 20C above average on Sunday …