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11:20 AM ET, February 20, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
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 …
RELATED:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
To Russia, With Love, Donald
Voice of America:
US figures do not support Trump claims on Ukraine spending
Robert Reich:
The Trump-Vance-Musk-Putin plan  —  Making the world safe for oligarchy
Discussion: The Guardian
Joshua Keating / Vox:
Is Trump about to hand Ukraine to Russia?
Júlia Vadler / Politico:
‘Transatlantic relations are over’ as Trump sides with Putin, says top German MP
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Flips the Script on the Ukraine War, Blaming Zelensky Not Putin
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 …
RELATED:
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Trump's vow to preserve Medicaid collides with House GOP plan for tax cuts  —  President Trump's vow to keep Medicaid intact is colliding headlong into the Republicans' strategy to extend their 2017 tax cuts, complicating the GOP effort to secure a major policy win in the early months of Trump's second term.
Politico:
Trump blindsides staff, Congress with conflicting Medicaid messages
Jack Blanchard / Politico:   Playbook: One month of Trump
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:
RELATED:
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.
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: Bloomberg, Euromaidan Press and Semafor
RELATED:
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.
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: New York Times and Raw Story
RELATED:
Michael David Smith / NBCSports.com:
Ex-NFL punter Chris Kluwe arrested over protest at Huntington Beach City Council meeting
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
Washington Post:
Many of Trump's early actions are unpopular, Post-Ipsos poll finds  —  Reviews from Americans on President Donald Trump's second term are mixed to negative, and 57 percent say he has exceeded his authority since taking office.
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: Scripps News, The Guardian, Fox News and IJR
RELATED:
GovExec.com:
IRS expected to fire 6,700 employees beginning Thursday
Discussion: Frontpage Mag
New York Times:
I.R.S. to Begin Laying Off Roughly 6,000 Employees on Thursday
Myah Ward / Politico:
Fresh executive order targets sanctuary cities, federal aid for undocumented migrants  —  The action marks Trump's latest attempt to crack down on illegal immigration.  —  President Donald Trump signed an immigration executive order late Wednesday designed to target sanctuary cities …
Discussion: The Hill and CBS News
RELATED:
The White House:
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Ends Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders
Tierney Sneed / CNN:
Trump can't end birthright citizenship, appeals court says, setting up Supreme Court showdown
Christopher Flavelle / New York Times:
Trump Team Plans Deep Cuts at Office That Funds Recovery From Big Disasters  —  Staff at the office, a branch of the U.S. housing department that Congress uses to address the worst catastrophes, would be reduced by 84 percent.  —  The Trump administration plans to all but eliminate the office …
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 …
Discussion: Eschaton
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
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 …
Oliver Darcy / Status:
AP's Back-Channel Press  —  News outlets across the political spectrum have united behind the AP, signing a WHCA-backed letter urging the White House to reverse its press ban, a copy of which Status has obtained.  —  On Wednesday, Julie Pace boarded a plane to Florida for a high-stakes meeting.
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 …
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
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 …
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 …
Discussion: The Verge
Chris Perez / Law & Crime:
‘Discovery will be needed’: Trump must fork over his personal financials if he follows through with Kamala Harris ‘60 Minutes’ lawsuit, CBS says  —  Lawyers for CBS say they plan to demand that President Donald Trump — who is allegedly letting DOGE pillage U.S. treasury data …
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
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 …
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.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Reuters:
Hong Kong's last major pro-democracy party moves to disband
Discussion: Bloomberg
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
They Broke It.  They Own It.  —  How to hold GOP accountable  —  Senator Maria Cantwell …
Thomas Frank / Politico:
FEMA email: Firings will affect ‘majority of our staff’
Reuters:
Exclusive: Tesla cited by U.S. regulators over worker's death
Reuters:
‘Stagflation’ fears haunt US markets despite Trump's pro-growth agenda
Discussion: Bloomberg and The Week
Nick Reisman / Politico:
Andrew Cuomo supporter prepares reception ahead of likely mayoral bid
 Earlier Items: 
Patsy Widakuswara / Voice of America:
Trump says he has not seen Egyptian counter to his plan for Gaza
Discussion: Bloomberg and New York Times
Rachael Levy / Reuters:
Exclusive: FDA staffers told that ‘woman,’ ‘disabled’ among banned words; White House says it's an error
Discussion: The Independent
Dan Ronan / WTOP News:
Trump voter, disabled military veteran, ‘valuable member’ at FEMA fired as part of DOGE cuts
Discussion: Raw Story
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump Team Finds Loophole to Defy Spirit of Court Orders Blocking Spending Freezes
Discussion: Politico
Maya Yang / The Guardian:
Trump receives widespread backlash to social post calling himself ‘king’
Dean Fioresi / CBS News:
Cal Fire captain found stabbed to death inside of her San Diego County home
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
OpenAI backtracks, says its nonprofit will remain in control of its business operations, after a “constructive dialogue” with civic leaders and AGs of DE and CA

Alex Konrad / Upstarts Media:
Sources: Databricks is in advanced talks to acquire startup Neon, a maker of a serverless open-source alternative to AWS Aurora Postgres, for about $1B

Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
TeleMessage's parent company says it is “investigating a potential security incident” and has suspended all of its services “out of an abundance of caution”

 
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