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10:25 AM ET, February 20, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
To Russia, With Love, Donald  —  Here at The Bulwark, you might have noticed, we tend to take a pretty cynical view of the current occupant in the Oval Office.  And yet, we confess that not even we had this one on our Week Four bingo cards: … Epic troll, sir!  Very cool!  Happy Thursday.
RELATED:
Bernd Debusmann Jr / BBC:
Trump tells BBC that Russia has ‘the cards’ in peace negotiations  —  Donald Trump says he believes Russia has “the cards” in any peace talks to end the war in Ukraine because Russia has “taken a lot of territory”.  —  The US president told the BBC he trusted that Moscow wants to see an end to the war …
Voice of America:
US figures do not support Trump claims on Ukraine spending
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
The past week has solidified a sea change in American—and global—history. …
Discussion: The Week
Joshua Keating / Vox:
Is Trump about to hand Ukraine to Russia?
Jack Blanchard / Politico:   Playbook: One month of Trump
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Flips the Script on the Ukraine War, Blaming Zelensky Not Putin
Gabriel Sherman / Vanity Fair:
“They're Scared Shitless”: The Threat of Political Violence Informing Trump's Grip on Congress  —  With the president smashing norm after norm, even lawmakers within his party have feared for their personal safety, and at least one has told confidants that it has swayed his decision-making.
RELATED:
Júlia Vadler / Politico:
‘Transatlantic relations are over’ as Trump sides with Putin, says top German MP
Discussion: Politico
Nate Raymond / Reuters:
Republican lawmaker seeks US judge's impeachment over ruling against Trump
Stephen Fowler / NPR:
DOGE released data about federal contract savings.  It doesn't add up  —  A new online tracker on the Department of Government Efficiency's website puts a dollar amount on the estimated savings from the DOGE effort to slash federal government spending at $55 billion.  —  But an NPR analysis finds the numbers don't add up.
RELATED:
Brian Barrett / Wired:
The Incompetence of DOGE Is a Feature, Not a Bug  —  A series of mistakes by DOGE shows just how arbitrary and destructive this slash-and-burn strategy can get.  —  Within just the last week or so, Elon Musk's DOGE hit team of mostly young, almost exclusively male engineers and executives have done the following:
Anders Hagstrom / Fox News:
Trump floating returning 20% of DOGE savings to American people
Jack McKessy / USA Today:
Ex-NFL punter Chris Kluwe calls MAGA ‘a Nazi movement’ in protest that led to his arrest  —  Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was arrested Tuesday on a charge of disturbing an assembly in Huntington Beach, California, per the city's arrest log.  The incident occurred at a city council meeting.
Discussion: Raw Story
RELATED:
Michael David Smith / NBCSports.com:
Ex-NFL punter Chris Kluwe arrested over protest at Huntington Beach City Council meeting  —  Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was arrested over a protest at a city council meeting in Huntington Beach, California on Tuesday.  —  Kluwe was protesting Huntington Beach's decision to display a plaque …
Matt Szabo / Los Angeles Times:
Former NFL player Chris Kluwe arrested during Huntington Beach City Council meeting
Discussion: Plain Dealer and Fox News
David Gilmour / Mediaite:
Jesse Watters Makes On-Air Plea to Trump for Veteran Friend Who Got 'DOGE'd' In Pentagon Cuts  —  Fox News host Jesse Watters made an on-air plea that the Trump administration be “less callous” when implementing when laying off federal employees after a military veteran friend was “DOGE'd” in Elon Musk's Pentagon cuts.
Discussion: The Independent and Bloomberg
Financial Times:
US objects to calling out ‘Russian aggression’ in G7 statement on Ukraine  —  Trump administration splits with allies on holding Moscow responsible for war  —  The US is opposing calling Russia the aggressor in a G7 statement on the third anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine …
Discussion: Euromaidan Press
RELATED:
Reuters:
Exclusive: US refusing to co-sponsor UN motion backing Ukraine
Discussion: Daily Mail
Marc Elias / Democracy Docket:
My Open Letter to Elon Musk  —  Elon Musk recently posted on his site that another lawyer and I are “undermining civilization.”  He goes on to ask if we suffered childhood trauma and concludes by suggesting we are suffering from “generational trauma.”  This is my response.  —  Mr. Musk,
Discussion: Raw Story
Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
IRS plans to lay off 7,000 probationary workers beginning Thursday, AP source says  —  The IRS will lay off roughly 7,000 workers in Washington and around the country beginning Thursday, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press.  The layoffs affect probationary employees …
Discussion: IJR and Fox News
RELATED:
New York Times:
I.R.S. to Begin Laying Off Roughly 6,000 Employees on Thursday
GovExec.com:
IRS expected to fire 6,700 employees beginning Thursday
Discussion: Frontpage Mag
Steven Monacelli / The Texas Observer:
ICE Prosecutor in Dallas Runs White Supremacist X Account  —  Fear of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids began to spread the day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time.  Posts on social media and Reddit claimed that ICE had already been spotted …
Corey Kilgannon / New York Times:
DOGE Cuts 9/11 Survivors' Fund, and Republicans Join Democrats in Rebuke  —  After 20 percent of the World Trade Center Health Program staff was terminated last week, Democratic lawmakers were outraged.  On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers joined them.  —  In a rare pushback against President Donald J …
Kim Zetter / Wired:
DOGE Now Has Access to the Top US Cybersecurity Agency  —  DOGE technologists Edward Coristine—the 19-year-old known online as “Big Balls”—and Kyle Schutt are now listed as staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.  —  Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old engineer …
David R. Lurie / Public Notice:
Elite lawyers sell out the rule of law  —  Sullivan & Cromwell enlist in Trump's assault on the justice system. … ⚖️ 📜 🏛️  —  As Trump moves forward with his assault on the rule of law and our nation's democracy, lawyers must decide if they will stand …
ProPublica:
Texas Banned Abortion.  Then Sepsis Rates Soared.  —  ProPublica's first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas' abortion ban.  —  Life of the Mother: How Abortion Bans Lead to Preventable Deaths
Scioto Valley Guardian:
A judge in Mississippi orders newspaper to remove editorial, so we're publishing it  —  At Scioto Valley Guardian, Ohio's leading news website, we stand unwaveringly for the freedom of the press—a cornerstone of democracy enshrined in the First Amendment.  Today, we are reprinting an editorial …
Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:
D.C. U.S. attorney probing Democrats over alleged threats, documents show  —  Analysts say Ed Martin's ‘Operation Whirlwind,’ which targets statements by Democrats and others about Elon Musk, justices and government workers, is meant to stifle criticism.  —  D.C.'s top prosecutor escalated …
Canadian Press:
New poll says 27% of Canadians view the United States as an ‘enemy’ country  —  OTTAWA — A new poll suggests that more than a quarter of Canadians — 27 per cent — now see the United States as an “enemy” country, while another 30 per cent still say they consider the U.S. an ally.Another 27 per cent …
Discussion: CityNews Toronto
Maya Yang / The Guardian:
Trump receives widespread backlash to social post calling himself ‘king’  —  US president made comparison after administration rescinded New York City's congestion pricing plan  —  Donald Trump is receiving widespread backlash after he likened himself to a “king” on social media following …
Makena Kelly / Wired:
USDS Engineering Director Resigns: ‘This Is Not the Mission I Came to Serve’  —  “I do not believe that DOGE can continue to deliver the work of USDS, based on their actions so far,” wrote Anne Marshall in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.  —  The director of data science and engineering …
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Freshman Congressman tells constituent he is powerless to stop Musk's budget cuts  —  At an open house in Fairbanks on Monday, Alaskan Congressman Nick Begich (R) told constituents that there was nothing he could do to stop agency budget cuts being implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk.
Discussion: KTUU and Anchorage Daily News
The White House:
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Ends Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders  —  PRESERVING FEDERAL BENEFITS FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to ensure taxpayer resources are not used to incentivize or support illegal immigration.
Hannah Natanson / Washington Post:
These feds took Trump's ‘fork’ deal.  Then they got fired — creating a government ‘mess.’  —  The Trump administration is racing to fix mistakes after some agencies fired probationary employees who had accepted the deferred resignation offer for federal workers.
Dean Fioresi / CBS News:
Cal Fire captain found stabbed to death inside of her San Diego County home  —  A Cal Fire captain was found stabbed to death inside of her San Diego County home on Monday and authorities are still searching for the suspect.  —  Deputies were dispatched to a home in the 20200 block …
Madeline Sherratt / The Independent:
11-year-old took her own life after classmates threatened to call ICE on her family, devastated mother reveals  —  ‘I waited a whole week for a miracle that my daughter would be well, but unfortunately, nothing could be done,’ despaired her mother  —  Your support helps us to tell the story
Nick Reisman / Politico:
Andrew Cuomo supporter prepares reception ahead of likely mayoral bid  —  A “save the date” notice for a March 4 event is being planned for the ex-governor as he weighs a run for mayor.  —  NEW YORK — Supporters of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo are mobilizing to boost him as he prepares to run for New York City mayor.
Reuters:
‘Stagflation’ fears haunt US markets despite Trump's pro-growth agenda  —  Stubborn inflation and President Donald Trump's hard-line trade policies have rekindled fears of stagflation, a worrying mix of sluggish growth and relentless inflation that haunted the U.S. in the 1970s, even as markets remain upbeat on his pro-growth agenda.
Discussion: Bloomberg and The Week
 
 
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 More Items: 
Oliver Darcy / Status:
AP's Back-Channel Press
Just Security:
The Fundamental Flaws in the Barnett/Wurman Defense of Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
Discussion: Reason
Reuters:
Exclusive: Tesla cited by U.S. regulators over worker's death
Janna Brancolini / The Daily Beast:
Trump's New Cabinet Pick Reveals Plan to ‘Abolish’ the IRS
Patsy Widakuswara / Voice of America:
Trump says he has not seen Egyptian counter to his plan for Gaza
Discussion: New York Times
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Trump's vow to preserve Medicaid collides with House GOP plan for tax cuts
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Study of TikTok, X ‘For You’ feeds in Germany finds far-right political bias ahead of federal elections
more at Techmeme »
Rachael Levy / Reuters:
Exclusive: FDA staffers told that ‘woman,’ ‘disabled’ among banned words; White House says it's an error
Discussion: The Independent
 Earlier Items: 
Dan Ronan / WTOP News:
Trump voter, disabled military veteran, ‘valuable member’ at FEMA fired as part of DOGE cuts
Discussion: Raw Story
Tierney Sneed / CNN:
Trump can't end birthright citizenship, appeals court says, setting up Supreme Court showdown
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump Team Finds Loophole to Defy Spirit of Court Orders Blocking Spending Freezes
Discussion: Politico
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Citing ‘Biological Truth,’ Kennedy Issues Guidance Recognizing Only Two Sexes
Washington Post:
Trump administration orders Pentagon to plan for sweeping budget cuts
 

 
From Techmeme:

The Information:
Sources on how Apple declined a deal from Elon Musk to use SpaceX instead of Globalstar for its iOS SOS feature and its 2015 plans to build satellite internet

Ina Fried / Axios:
Memo: Meta reorganizes its AI teams into an AI products team and AGI Foundations; FAIR remains separate but one specific FAIR team is moving to AGI Foundations

Eric Geller / Cybersecurity Dive:
Memo: nearly all of CISA's top leaders, including heads of five of its six operational divisions and six of 10 regional offices, have left or are leaving in May
 
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