Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones.
11:35 PM ET, February 4, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
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.
RELATED:
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
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 …
RELATED:
Elizabeth Popp Berman / Liberal Currents:   Personal Discretion Over the Treasury's Payments System Means the End of Democracy
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Treasury Defends Musk Team's Access to Federal Payment System
David Dayen / American Prospect:
Illegal Executive Spending Decisions Are Happening Now
Discussion: The Independent and Raw Story
RELATED:
Associated Press:
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.
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
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.
Eli Stokols / Politico:
Trump says US will ‘take over the Gaza Strip’
Discussion: Daily Mail
Rachael Bade / Politico:
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 and Bloomberg
RELATED:
NBC News:
Federal health workers terrified after ‘DEI’ website publishes list of ‘targets’  —  The site calls out workers who have been involved with DEI initiatives.  A majority are Black.  —  Federal health workers are expressing fear and alarm after a website called “DEI Watch List” published the photos …
Washington Post:
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 …
CNN:
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 …
RELATED:
Adam Goldman / New York Times:
‘Accidental’ F.B.I. Chief Builds a Following as Agency's Defender
Discussion: Default
Politico:
FBI agents sue to block DOJ from compiling list of officials who worked on Jan. 6 or Trump cases
Michael Waldman / Brennan Center for Justice:
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.
Discussion: DNyuz
RELATED:
Rolling Stone:
Inside Trump and Musk's Clumsy, ‘Exhausting’ Hunt for Leakers
Discussion: Raw Story and The Independent
CNN:
Multiple ICE impersonation arrests made during nationwide immigration crackdown  —  Editor's note: This story contains profane and hateful language.  —  Authorities in at least three states have arrested individuals allegedly impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers …
Discussion: NBC News and Baltimore Sun
RELATED:
Daniel Gonzalez / Arizona Republic:
Family member condemns use of armored vehicle, stun grenades in Phoenix ICE arrest
Discussion: Daily Mail
Suzanne Gamboa / NBC News:
Rep. Jamie Raskin demands details on U.S. citizens caught up in ICE enforcement
Discussion: The Hill, KFMB and The Post Millennial
Dell Cameron / Wired:
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 …
Discussion: Mother Jones, Raw Story and FedScoop
RELATED:
The Atlantic:   Trump Advisers Stopped Musk From Hiring a Noncitizen at DOGE
CNN:
Hong Kong CNN  —  The US Postal Service says it has temporarily suspended the acceptance of incoming international parcels from China and Hong Kong until further notice.  —  It did not provide a reason for the suspension, but said in a statement Tuesday the flow of letters will not be affected.
Discussion: Wired, CBS News, WTTG-TV and The Information
RELATED:
Marc Caputo / Axios:
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 …
RELATED:
Andrea Hsu / NPR:
Trump administration adds fine print to ‘Fork’ resignation offer, deepening confusion
Discussion: Washington Post and DNyuz
CNN:
Trump administration plans sweeping layoffs among workers who don't opt to resign
Associated Press:
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 …
Michael Sainato / The Guardian:
Doge staffers enter Noaa headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats  —  Members reportedly sought access to IT systems at agency that Project 2025 has called ‘harmful to US prosperity’  —  Staffers with Elon Musk's “department of government efficiency” (Doge) reportedly entered …
Discussion: Axios, Bloomberg and The Hill
Olivia Reingold / The Free Press:
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 …
NBC News:
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 …
ABC News:
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 …
Cathy Gellis / Techdirt:
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.
Ross O'Keefe / Washington Examiner:
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.
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
‘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 and Politico
New York Times:
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.
Greg Allen / NPR:
‘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.
Sahil Kapur / NBC 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
Corbin Hiar / Politico:
Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs  —  National Science Foundation staff heard the plans at a meeting Tuesday.  —  One of the United States' leading funders of science and engineering research is planning to lay off between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months …
Stephen Neukam / Axios:
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.
Wall Street Journal:
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.
 
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of memeorandum at 11:35 PM ET, February 4, 2025.

View the current page or another snapshot:


Page version:
 
 See Also: 
memeorandum: site main
memeorandum River: reverse chronological memeorandum
memeorandum Mobile: for phones
memeorandum Leaderboard: memeorandum's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
memeorandum RSS feed
memeorandum on Mastodon
 
 
 More Items: 
Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:
Senate confirms Pam Bondi to lead Justice Department
Melissa Quinn / CBS News:
Pam Bondi confirmed as attorney general in 54-46 vote
The Tico Times:
El Salvador Abandons Bitcoin as Legal Tender After Failed Experiment
The Bulwark:
Anne Applebaum: Outside the Rule of Law
 Earlier Items: 
Associated Press:
Trump will attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans. He'll be the first sitting president to go
Associated Press:
About 10 killed at adult education center in what officials say is Sweden's worst mass shooting
Michael Silver / New York Times:
NFL to remove ‘End Racism’ messaging in end zone ahead of Super Bowl: Sources
Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Proud Boys Lose Control of Their Name to a Black Church They Vandalized
 

 
From Mediagazer:

The Times:
An investigation into the unsolved 1977 murder of The Sunday Times foreign correspondent David Holden in Egypt suggests he doubled as a KGB spy and had CIA ties

Jackson Healy / Courthouse News Service:
Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick sues G/O Media over March 2024 articles in Gizmodo and Kotaku accusing him of workplace harassment, discrimination

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo say they're building a high-tech studio aiming to help artists use AI as a creative tool to make films, shows, and video games

 
Sister Sites:

Techmeme
 Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web
Mediagazer
 Top news and commentary for media professionals from all around the web
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page