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8:35 PM ET, February 12, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Republicans Love Trump's Spending Cuts.  Just Not in Their States.  —  Even as they praise the president's unilateral actions to slash federal spending, G.O.P. lawmakers have quietly moved to seek carve outs or exemptions for their own constituents.  —  Republicans in Congress have responded …
Discussion: NBC News and Raw Story
RELATED:
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Defying Johnson, Graham and Senate G.O.P. Push Their Own Budget Plan  —  Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who relishes being in the middle of the action, is leapfrogging the House G.O.P., which is still tied in knots over how to pass its budget.
NBC News:
House GOP releases budget calling for trillions in cuts to taxes and spending
Reese Gorman / NOTUS:
Republicans Face Their First Big Test on Reconciliation — And the White House Has Doubts About Success
Ben Leonard / Politico:
Energy and Commerce Committee's Medicaid problem just got tougher
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
This obscure law is one reason Trump's agenda keeps losing in court  —  Lawsuits challenging Trump policies raise big constitutional questions, but they also rely on a law that requires the government to follow the correct procedures when changing course.  —  WASHINGTON — Lawyers challenging …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
White House says judges balking at Trump's actions are provoking a ‘constitutional crisis’  —  The White House said Wednesday that court rulings going against the Trump administration are coming from “judicial activists” on the bench whose decisions amount to a “constitutional crisis.”
Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
It's a Good Thing Democrats Didn't Pack the Courts
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Washington Post:
New Kennedy Center board elects Trump as chair.  Rutter departs as president.  —  President Trump's refashioned board of trustees voted him chairman in a meeting Wednesday afternoon.  President Deborah Rutter told staff she was leaving the institution.  —  The Kennedy Center board …
Wall Street Journal:
Judge Lifts Freeze on Trump's Buyout Plan for Federal Workers
Discussion: Politico and Washington Examiner
Ryan Grim / Drop Site News:
“Armored Tesla” forecast to win $400 million State Department contract after Trump's election, government document shows  —  The State Department's procurement forecast, revised as of late December 2024, lists Tesla as the recipient of the largest expected contract, with Marco Rubio's department planning …
RELATED:
Miles Klee / Rolling Stone:
The Trump Administration Might Just Spend $400 Million on ‘Armored’ Teslas
Discussion: ABC News and El País
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell:
McConnell Comments on Gabbard Nomination  —  Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement today on the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to serve as Director of National Intelligence:
RELATED:
NBC News:
Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as top U.S. intelligence official  —  Gabbard overcame initial skepticism from some Republican senators about her nomination, underscoring Trump's grip on the party.  —  WASHINGTON — The GOP-controlled Senate early Wednesday morning voted …
New York Times:
Live Updates: Trump Holds Call With Putin to Start Talks on Ending Ukraine War
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Hegseth's rough start: Pentagon chief faces protest at U.S. base abroad  —  The question isn't why the defense secretary faced pushback at U.S. European Command headquarters; the question is whether he'll see more protests soon.  —  Though it still seems hard to believe, a couple of weeks ago …
RELATED:
Reuters:
US sues New York state officials over immigration enforcement, attorney general says  —  The U.S. Justice Department has sued New York State officials over alleged failures to enforce federal immigration law, Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters on Wednesday.
Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Elon Musk's DOGE takes aim at agency that had plans of regulating X  —  Elon Musk made a big leap late last month toward his long-shot goal of turning X into an “everything app,” a service that could encompass a broad range of services, including the ability to transfer money, similar to Venmo or PayPal.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump Softens Tone on Inflation After Pledging to Lower Prices  —  President Trump pledged to lower costs on “Day 1” as a candidate.  His administration now acknowledges it will take more time.  —  President Trump promised voters that, if elected, he would enact policies that would bring prices down on “Day 1” in office.
RELATED:
Colby Smith / New York Times:
CPI Report: Inflation Rose Unexpectedly in January
Associated Press:
Federal judge won't prevent withholding of FEMA funding for New York City migrant hotel stays  —  The Federal Emergency Management Agency has clawed back more than $80 million from New York City, officials said Wednesday, escalating a dispute between the Trump administration and the nation's largest city …
RELATED:
New York Daily News:
Trump revokes $80 million from NYC after threat to claw back FEMA cash used to care for migrants
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
BREAKING: NIH admits funding freeze is illegal, will resume issuing grants  —  On Monday afternoon, Popular Information broke the news that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had frozen virtually all grant funding in violation of two federal court orders.
New York Times:
Family of Venezuelan Migrant Sent to Guantánamo: ‘My Brother Is Not a Criminal.’ … Luis Alberto Castillo, a father of one from Venezuela, entered the United States on Jan. 19, one day before Donald Trump became president for a second term — swept into office on a promise to treat undocumented migrants with a heavy hand.
The Boston Globe:
Judge clears way for Trump's plan to downsize federal workforce.  Follow live updates.  —  A federal judge in Boston cleared the way for President Trump's plan to downsize the federal workforce with a deferred resignation program.  —  US District Judge George O'Toole Jr. found a group …
Daniel Payne / Politico:
Why the health care industry is letting RFK Jr. cruise to confirmation  —  From drugmakers to doctors, few health care groups are asking senators to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming HHS secretary.  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s expected Senate confirmation on Thursday to lead …
Discussion: New York Times
RELATED:
New York Times:
Behind Kennedy's Vow to ‘Follow the Science’ on Vaccines
Discussion: Breitbart
Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Eric Adams Discussed Possible Republican Primary Run With G.O.P. Leader  —  The mayor discussed options to run for re-election in the Republican contest as recently as Monday.  Asked for comment, he said he was running as a Democrat.  —  Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has quietly explored running …
Discussion: Politico and Twin Cities
Wall Street Journal:
Musk's X Agrees to Pay About $10 Million to Settle Trump Lawsuit  —  Musk's platform becomes second social-media company to settle with Trump after Jan. 6, 2021 riot triggered bans  —  WASHINGTON—Elon Musk's X has agreed to pay about $10 million to settle a lawsuit that Donald Trump brought …
David Zipper / Slate:
Americans Are Actually in a Position to Make Elon Musk Feel Our Rage  —  The company is in a precarious position.  This is a case where buying choices can effectively communicate rage.  —  There are myriad reasons to loathe Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who has become a top ally of Donald Trump.
Discussion: Raw Story and Forbes
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Her parents were injured in a Tesla crash. She ended up having to pay Tesla damages
Discussion: Electrek and TechCrunch
Timothy Gardner / Reuters:
Democratic US lawmakers ask Energy Department about any DOGE access to nuclear data  —  Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers pressed the secretary of energy on Wednesday whether members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have access to classified information on nuclear weapons …
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Donald Trump is Now the Mayor of New York  —  The Trump DOJ's decision to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams may not be the most serious act of prosecutorial corruption in decades but it's almost certainly the most brazen.  The stated reasons for dropping the charges were absurd …
NBC News:
Judge rules Trump's sweeping plan to persuade federal workers to resign can move forward  —  U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. dissolved his restraining order blocking the “deferred resignations” program after finding the plaintiffs lacked legal standing.
Discussion: The National Pulse
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House GOP budget plan targets deep SNAP cuts  —  The higher level of spending cuts in the newly released House Republican budget blueprint means some current food aid benefits for low-income Americans will likely be reduced, according to two GOP lawmakers.  House Republicans …
Discussion: USA Today
Leah Feiger / Wired:
The GSA Plans to Sell Hundreds of Its Federal Government Buildings  —  The General Services Administration, staffed at its upper levels by Elon Musk associates, plans to sell 500-plus buildings—some of which house government agencies and the offices of US senators.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Jessica Grose / New York Times:
The Risks Trump Poses to K-12 Education
ABC News:
US embassies instructed to prepare for staff reductions: Sources
Adam Cancryn / Politico:
RFK Jr. taps former border patrol agent as senior adviser
U.S. Department of Defense:
Opening Remarks by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at Ukraine Defense Contact Group (As Delivered)
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Top N.I.H. Official Abruptly Resigns as Trump Orders Deep Cuts
Discussion: CBS News
Justine Calma / The Verge:
The Trump administration restores federal webpages after court order
Charles Franklin / Homepage:
New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds public strongly favors some Trump policies, strongly opposes others
 Earlier Items: 
emptywheel:
Trump Fired Inspectors General Who Identified $183.5 Billion in Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Discussion: CNN
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McConnell only Republican to vote against Gabbard
ABC News:
US to swap Marc Fogel for Russian cybercrime kingpin Alexander Vinnik: Official
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
When President Musk Speaks, Donald Trump Listens
Discussion: NBC News
David Frum / The Atlantic:
Why the COVID Deniers Won
Discussion: The Democracy Labs
 

 
From Techmeme:

Richard Spencer / The Times:
DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng has become a superstar in China with tourism around his origin story, as DeepSeek proves an unexpected boon for President Xi

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

Francisco Rodrigues / CoinDesk:
21Shares plans to liquidate two actively managed bitcoin and ether futures ETFs, following $1.66B in outflows from US-listed spot bitcoin ETFs this month

 
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