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5:40 PM ET, February 21, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Erin Doherty / Axios:
French leader cancels CPAC speech after Bannon's apparent Nazi salute … - Bannon did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.  — A CPAC representative did not respond to a request for comment Friday. … - “As a result, I have taken the immediate decision to cancel …
RELATED:
Jakub Krupa / The Guardian:
French far-right leader cancels US speech after Steve Bannon appears to make Nazi salute at CPAC - Europe live
Bryan Mena / CNN:
US consumer sentiment plunges over tariff and inflation fears  —  Inflation is picking up again and President Donald Trump said this week it's all his predecessor's fault.  But no matter who Trump blames for inflation, America's economic mood is now souring — and Trump is getting the heat for it.
RELATED:
Joe Rennison / New York Times:
Stock Market Sees Biggest Declines of Trump's Presidency So Far  —  Fueling a 1.7 percent decline on Friday was an unexpected drop in the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, as Americans worried about stubborn inflation.  —  Stocks slumped on Friday, with the S&P 500 wiping …
Bloomberg:
US Consumers Long-Run Inflation Views Rise to Highest Since 1995
Dan Burns / Reuters:   US consumer sentiment plunges in February on tariff worries
Julia Ainsley / NBC News:
Trump administration reassigning acting ICE director  —  Caleb Vitello, who the administration had chosen to run ICE on an interim basis, is out amid anger from the president and border czar over the pace of deportations.  —  The Trump administration has removed Caleb Vitello …
Discussion: The Hill and Grabien
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration to Replace Acting ICE Director  —  Officials have been frustrated with the pace of deportations  —  WASHINGTON—The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Caleb Vitello, was removed from his post, administration officials and other people familiar …
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
AOC shows how to fight back and stand strong
Discussion: The Daily Signal and Gothamist
David Bauder / Associated Press:
AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech  —  The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists.
Elie Mystal / The Nation:
This Executive Order Reveals the Trump-Musk Endgame  —  A recent order aimed at destroying independent regulatory agencies isn't just about taking control of the state—it's a giant cash-grab in disguise.  —  Bluesky  —  Pocket  —  The orders and actions of Donald Trump and his co-president Elon Musk are all part of a piece.
RELATED:
Eugene Daniels / Politico:
Dem governor tells Trump she will see him in court
Rolling Stone:
Trump and Elon's ‘Pointless Bloodbath’ at the FAA Is Even Worse Than You Think  —  The Trump administration fired several FAA lawyers tasked with helping keep reckless and drunk pilots out of the skies — and officials are baffled  —  Late last week, just as Presidents' Day weekend was starting …
RELATED:
Malcolm Ferguson / New Republic:
Trump's Firing Spree at FAA Was Even More Terrible Than He Admitted  —  The Trump administration's Federal Aviation Administration firings are much worse than they initially let on.  —  Politico has reported that the 130 terminated FAA workers last month included critical employees who directly …
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Inside DOGE's Dumbest Cut Yet  —  Andrew had meant to spend yesterday soaking in the sights and sounds at CPAC, but found himself tied up reporting our lead story below.  So he missed Vice President JD Vance's culture-war ruminations, Steve Bannon's calls for a third Trump term in 2028 …
RELATED:
Sam Stein / The Bulwark:
He Took Musk's Resignation Offer. He Was Fired Anyway.
Qasim Nauman / New York Times:
Justice Dept. to Drop Discrimination Case Against Elon Musk's SpaceX  —  The Justice Department had sued SpaceX in 2023, accusing the company of violating federal law by refusing to hire refugees and people granted asylum in the United States.  —  The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday …
RELATED:
CNBC:
U.S. says it will drop immigration case against SpaceX
Discussion: HotAir, The Hill and UPI
NBC News:
Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested on assault charge outside U.S. Capitol  —  Tarrio was released from prison last month after President Donald Trump cut short his 22 year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Sarah Jeong / The Verge:
I cannot describe how strange Elon Musk's CPAC appearance was  —  So here's a literal transcript, instead. … Elon Musk spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, giving a strange and often inarticulate on-stage interview to Newsmax presenter Rob Schmitt.
Amy Maxmen / KFF Health News:
Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread  —  Some private schools have shut down because of a rapidly escalating measles outbreak in West Texas.  Local health departments are overstretched, pausing other important work as they race to limit the spread of this highly contagious virus.
Politico:
MAGA takes aim at the Republican hawks  —  Trump loyalists are sending a message to the GOP's foreign policy traditionalists.  —  Top allies of President Donald Trump are in an escalating clash with the Republican Party's once-powerful defense hawks, viewing them as key obstacles standing …
Ali Bianco / Politico:
Richard Grenell: There will be conditions on Los Angeles fire aid  —  The Trump administration special envoy said the White House is talking about what the conditions will be.  —  President Donald Trump's special envoy Richard Grenell said there will be strings attached to California wildfire aid.
Discussion: The Hill
David Gardner / The Daily Beast:
Melania Trump's Astonishing Verdict on Her Husband Revealed  —  A bombshell new book makes some startling new revelations about Donald Trump's bizarre marriage to Melania.  “She f—ing hates him,” a “Mar-a-Lago patio confidant” of Trump and his family told Michael Wolff.
Discussion: Raw Story
Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
83 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump's Jan. 6 pardons: Poll  —  A majority of Americans are displeased with President Trump over his decision to pardon nearly all of those charged for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, according to a poll.
Isabel van Brugen / The Daily Beast:
Former Intelligence Officer Claims KGB Recruited Trump  —  A former Soviet intelligence officer has alleged that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987 and given the codename “Krasnov.”  Alnur Mussayev, 71, a former head of intelligence in Kazakhstan and before that a Soviet KGB officer …
Discussion: Byline Times
Hannah Knowles / Washington Post:
Back in their districts, GOP lawmakers get an earful on DOGE and Musk  —  Town halls from Wisconsin to Oregon grew testy this week as concerned voters showed up to vent  —  ROSWELL, Georgia — The crowd packed into City Hall and filled an overflow room with one question, above all …
Washington Post:
Musk's blitzkrieg is unnerving many of Trump's senior advisers  —  Officials have been blindsided by DOGE's actions.  But the president's strong support of the group means other advisers have limited options.  —  Top treasury officials have complained about disruption.
Discussion: Raw Story and Washington Examiner
CNN:
Pentagon hits pause on plan to carry out mass firings of civilian employees, officials say  —  The Defense Department has temporarily paused a plan to carry out mass firings of civilian probationary employees until Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel …
Douglas Murray / New York Post:
Mr. President: Putin is THE dictator and 10 Ukraine-Russia war truths we ignore at our peril  —  This has been a dizzying and disorienting week in international diplomacy.  One with wild implications for Ukraine, the future of America's standing in the world and President Trump's legacy.
Violet Jira / NOTUS:
Rep. Cory Mills Is Under Investigation for Alleged Assault, Police Say  —  The Florida lawmaker, who intends to run for the Senate, is being investigated by D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department for an incident reported at a residential address.  — Copy
Zeynep Tufekci / New York Times:
Here Are the Digital Clues to What Musk Is Really Up To  —  Watching Elon Musk and his band of young acolytes slash their way through the federal government, many observers have struggled to understand how such a small group could do so much damage in so little time.
Discussion: The Atlantic
Karen Hao / MIT Technology Review:
The foundations of America's prosperity are being dismantled  —  Federal scientists warn that Americans could feel the effects of the new administration's devastating cuts for decades to come  —  Ever since World War II, the US has been the global leader in science and technology—and benefited immensely from it.
Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:
In podcasts, D.C. U.S. attorney discussed investigating Trump foes  —  Conservative legal activist Ed Martin had conversations last year about potential targets for prosecution.  Now, he and the Justice Department have power to bring cases.  —  In the two years before he became D.C.'s top …
Daily Kos:
New York Times caught passing off GOP flack as average Black voter  —  The New York Times published a story pushing the idea that support for President Donald Trump from a young Black man was organic, but the paper hid a key fact from its readers.  On Thursday night, I read the story headlined “What 11 Black Voters Think...
Haley Chi-Sing / Fox News:
Bondi says Epstein client list ‘sitting on my desk right now,’ and is reviewing JFK, MLK files  —  Bondi herself advocated for the release of the Epstein list in 2024  —  U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday said the Jeffrey Epstein client list is “sitting on my desk right now” …
Politico:
Europe targets homegrown nuclear deterrent as Trump sides with Putin  —  Germany's Merz says Britain and France may need to “share” their nuclear weapons as America can't be relied on to defend NATO.  —  Europe's politicians are openly discussing how they could tackle the threat …
Discussion: European Council …
Associated Press:
Trump administration stalling medical evacuation for USAID staffers, spouses in peril, suits charge  —  A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for the Trump administration to pull thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development staffers off the job.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Jeremy Konyndyk / New York Times:
‘We Are Seeing Complete Destruction’: The Damage Done by the U.S.A.I.D. Freeze
Discussion: Reuters and The Hill
Jerel Ezell / Politico:
Democrats: It's Time to Retire the Term ‘People of Color’
Discussion: Fox News
Russell Payne / Salon:
“He's not standing up”: Protesters want Hakeem Jeffries to lead an aggressive opposition to Trump
Discussion: Raw Story
Beth Mole / Ars Technica:
RFK Jr. promptly cancels vaccine advisory meeting, pulls flu shot campaign
Sarah Stankorb / New Republic:
The Christian Nationalist Plot to Disenfranchise Women Voters
Discussion: R Street Institute
New York Times:
Coming Soon to Trump's Kennedy Center: A Celebration of Christ
 Earlier Items: 
Brooke Migdon / The Hill:
‘We are the federal law’: Trump, Maine governor clash over transgender athletes
Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:
Judge in Eric Adams Case Names Lawyer to Argue Against Dropping of Charges
Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:
Supreme Court unanimously sides with Hungary in Holocaust survivors' lawsuit
Discussion: Associated Press and SCOTUSblog
Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Patel tells FBI he will ‘always have your backs’ amid removal of senior executives and support staff
Discussion: Daily Kos
Oliver Darcy / Status:
The CBS Evening Blues
Discussion: Newsbusters
Associated Press:
Singer of Canadian anthem at 4 Nations Face-Off changes lyric to protest Trump's 51st state remarks
Catherine Rampell / Washington Post:
Why Gen Z men love Trump's reign of destruction
Discussion: USA Today
Brianna Keilar / CNN:
Military families rocked by Trump's federal government cuts
 

 
From Techmeme:

Sankalp Phartiyal / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple produced $22B worth of iPhones in India in the 12 months ended March 2025, up nearly 60% YoY, and now makes 20% of its iPhones in the country

Martine Paris / Forbes:
Sam Altman says ChatGPT users had doubled in the past few weeks and that “10% of the world uses our systems”, which would peg the number closer to 800M users

Ben Jiang / South China Morning Post:
Alibaba's AI assistant Quark surpassed ByteDance's Doubao to become China's most popular AI app in March, with ~150M and ~100M MAUs globally, respectively

 
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