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, The Independent and Digby's Hullabaloo
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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 …

Treasury defends DOGE's ‘read-only access’ to payments system
Discussion:
New York Times and U.S. Department …

Treasury Department Says DOGE Access Is ‘Read Only’
Discussion:
NPR, WUSA, WTOP News, PoliticusUSA and Washington Examiner


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 and The Bulwark
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Congressional Democrats denied entry to Treasury Department
Discussion:
Roll Call and Public Citizen

Scoop: Senate Dems plot USAID revenge on Trump
Discussion:
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz … and New Republic


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


Live updates: Trump wants US to take ownership of Gaza Strip — President Donald Trump says he wants the U.S. to take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere. He made the remarks in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Trump proposes U.S. control of Gaza, permanent displacement of residents — The idea, a first indicator of Trump's approach to the conflict, was sure to inflame the region given the history of Palestinians' displacement from their territory.
Discussion:
HotAir, The Guardian, Raw Story and Grabien


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.
Discussion:
Reuters, Washington Post, Rolling Stone, freebeacon.com, NBC News, Washington Examiner, Politico, New York Times, USA Today, CNBC, Raw Story, The Intercept, Breitbart, PJ Media, WSVN-TV, The Daily Signal, DNyuz, Bloomberg, NPR, Twitchy, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Roll Call, The Forward, The Post Millennial, WUSA, Associated Press, Foreign Policy, Metro.co.uk, Scripps News and Mediaite


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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Elon Musk's Power Grab Is Lawless, Dangerous, and—Yes—a Coup
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Common Dreams, Baltimore Sun, IJR and NPR


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


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 and American Greatness, more at Mediagazer »


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


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 Atlantic, The Floridian, Blaze Media and CBS News


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


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:
CNN, New York Times, ABC News, Advocate, The National Pulse, The Daily Caller, Breitbart, Truthout, NOTUS, UPI, Raw Story and The Daily Wire


The CIA Is About to Get a Trump Makeover — Spy agency's workforce receives buyout-style offer — WASHINGTON—The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts to its entire workforce Tuesday, in what officials said is a bid to bring the agency in line with President Trump's priorities, including targeting drug cartels.
Discussion:
New York Post and Grabien


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:
Fox Business, New York Post, DNyuz, RedState and The Information, more at Techmeme »

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.


Pam Bondi confirmed as attorney general in 54-46 vote — Washington — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Pam Bondi as attorney general, installing a key ally of President Trump's to take the helm of the Justice Department. — Bondi's nomination for attorney general was approved …
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Bondi Confirmed as Attorney General
Discussion:
Reuters, Fox News, USA Today, Axios, New York Post, The Independent, The 19th, DNyuz and WXIA-TV


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:
NBC News, USA Today, Politico, Breitbart, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Axios, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, The Independent, NOTUS, Blaze Media, DNyuz, Fox News, WSVN-TV, The Hill, New York Daily News, ABC News, MSNBC and Bangor Daily News
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Judge blocks Trump's executive order on transgender prisoners — The judge blocked the government from enforcing the aspect of that order that could require transgender women to be transferred to men's prisons. — A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from moving transgender women prisoners …
Discussion:
Washington Post, WUSA, Associated Press, CBS News and Law & Crime
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Biden signs with Hollywood agency — Former President Joe Biden is signing with a Hollywood agency in one of the first major indicators of what the 82-year-old will do after his presidency. — Biden previously signed with the Creative Artists Agency from 2017 to 2020 after leaving office as vice president.
Discussion:
Fox News, Twitchy, PJ Media, The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Caller, The Independent, The Daily Wire, HuffPost, Breitbart, CBS News, ABC7, The Gateway Pundit and Los Angeles Times


‘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 …


‘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, Raw Story, The Daily Wire and Breitbart


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, USA Today, The Hill, Instapundit, Fox News, UPI, WAVY-TV, Daily Mail, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, Defector, The Post Millennial, RedState, The Gateway Pundit and Breitbart


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


How Trump Gutted America's $40 Billion Aid Agency in Two Weeks — Dismantling of USAID appears to be a test case for new administration — WASHINGTON—The cuts came so fast that one dismissed employee had to be rehired to process other employees' time sheets.


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 Bulwark, USA Today, The Guardian, Raw Story, WUSA, Daily Kos, Law & Crime, UPI, New Republic, The Independent and Washingtonian


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


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