Top Items:


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 and Digby's Hullabaloo
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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 …


Elon Musk's Power Grab Is Lawless, Dangerous, and—Yes—a Coup — The federal government is currently under relentless and unlawful assault by a man no one elected to lead it. With Donald Trump's blessing and enabling, Elon Musk and his confederates have laid siege to the executive branch …
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, Los Angeles Times, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Common Dreams, Baltimore Sun, IJR, Al Jazeera, NPR, Raw Story and The Verge


Illegal Executive Spending Decisions Are Happening Now
Discussion:
The Independent


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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‘Accidental’ F.B.I. Chief Builds a Following as Agency's Defender
Discussion:
Default and The Daily Beast

FBI agents sue to block DOJ from compiling list of officials who worked on Jan. 6 or Trump cases

FBI agents file lawsuits alleging Justice Department ‘retribution’ over their work on Jan. 6 cases
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reason and Raw Story

The anti-Trump lawsuits are here — The Logoff is a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed …
Discussion:
Politico, The Hill and New York Times


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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Trump administration plans sweeping layoffs among workers who don't opt to resign
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, FedSmith.com, Inside Medicine and WTOP News

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

Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump's orders
Discussion:
Nature and The Daily Caller

Federal layoffs ‘likely’ if too few employees choose to quit, memo says
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Mother Jones, Raw Story, RedState, The Gateway Pundit and E&E News

Trump administration adds fine print to ‘Fork’ resignation offer, deepening confusion
Discussion:
Washington Post and Bloomberg


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 and Al Jazeera
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Treasury Department Says DOGE Access Is ‘Read Only’
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA and Washington Examiner


Trump suggests displaced Palestinians in Gaza be ‘permanently’ resettled outside war-torn territory — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he isn't ruling out deploying U.S. troops to support reconstruction of Gaza and he envisions “long-term” U.S. ownership of a redevelopment of the territory.
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Live updates: Trump wants US to take ownership of Gaza Strip
Discussion:
Reuters, CNBC, Jerusalem Post, CBS News, Daily Mail, New York Times, israelhayom.com, IJR, Drop Site News, The Independent, DNyuz, New York Daily News, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, New York Post and WTOP News


Democrats Are Falling For Trump and Musk's Foreign Aid Trap — Three veteran strategists want their party to be more thoughtful about fighting Trump's anti-bureaucracy campaign. — After three months of soul-searching about how to revive their party, some Democrats this week believe …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Bloomberg, The Bulwark and The Independent


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:
USA Today, The Floridian, Blaze Media and CBS News
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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, CNN, NOTUS, Advocate, ABC News, Breitbart, UPI, The National Pulse, The Daily Caller, Truthout, Raw Story, The Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit, NPR, Reuters and WFLA


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:
The Hill, Raw Story, USA Today, UPI, The Post Millennial, WAVY-TV, Fox News, Mediaite, RedState, Breitbart, Daily Mail, The Daily Wire, Defector, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Examiner
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Trump Administration Live Updates: Committee Votes to Advance Tulsi Gabbard's Bid for Intelligence Post — Where Things Stand — Nominees: The Senate Intelligence Committee voted on Tuesday to advance to nomination of one of President Trump's most contentious nominees, Tulsi Gabbard, as his director of national intelligence.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Politico, CBS News, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Axios, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, The Independent, NOTUS, DNyuz, NBC News, WSVN-TV, ABC News, The Hill, Bangor Daily News, New York Daily News, Fox News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, MSNBC, Althouse and RedState
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RFK Jr. closes in on HHS Cabinet post after Senate panel vote
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

Sen. Todd Young will back Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
Discussion:
NBC News, Axios, Semafor, USA Today, New York Times, The Indianapolis Star, Washington Examiner, Federal News Network, Bloomberg, U.S. Senator Susan Collins …, NOTUS, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, One America News Network, The Gateway Pundit, UPI, The Independent, Scripps News, Blaze Media, Deadline, Fox News, The Daily Wire, The Transom, Mediaite and The Post Millennial


Trump and Musk demand termination of federal office leases through General Services Administration — One of the next moves in President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's sweeping effort to fire government employees and curtail operations is using the agency that manages thousands …
Discussion:
New York Times and New York Magazine


‘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:
Raw Story, Wired, TechCrunch and New York Times


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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Musk's USAID Shutdown: ‘This Is What the Beginning of Dictatorship Looks Like’
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Caller


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, Semafor, The Dispatch, Digby's Hullabaloo, Talking Points Memo, Orlando Sentinel and ABC News


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


‘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, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, Florida Politics and Breitbart


EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Penny Gets Hired by Andreessen Horowitz — “Daniel acted with courage in a tough situation,” said partner David Ulevitch in a statement explaining the hire. — In less than two months, Daniel Penny has gone from facing a potential 20 years in prison to landing a role …
Discussion:
RedState, DNyuz and The Information, more at Techmeme »


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, WTOP News and NPR


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 …
Discussion:
Esquire, RedState, Oregon Capital Chronicle and Bloomberg


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, The Independent, Washington Examiner, U.S. Southern Command and Instapundit

When It's Not Just A Coup But A CFAA Violation Too — The hazard with landing upon a legal solution that seems too good to be true is that it often is. So as you read this post it is important to keep in mind that I may have overlooked something, and there can always be defenses.


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


Donald Trump Jr. accused of illegal duck hunting near Venice — Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, broke Italian and European Union environmental protection laws when he hunted ducks near Venice in December, according to two Italian Green party lawmakers.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Politico, New York Times, Agenzia ANSA, Page Six and Global News