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6:40 PM ET, February 25, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Associated Press:
Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE  —  More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services.”
RELATED:
Ryan Mac / New York Times:
21 Civil Servants Resign From DOGE, Refusing to Implement Elon Musk's Changes
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
DOGE's Latest Cut: Glenn Youngkin's Balls
Discussion: New York Magazine and Axios
Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
‘Absolute chaos’: DOGE sows turmoil in its quest for ‘efficiency’
Discussion: The Hill, The Federalist and Axios
New York Times:
DOGE Quietly Deletes the 5 Biggest Spending Cuts It Celebrated Last Week  —  The cuts, highlighted on an earlier version of the “wall of receipts” posted by Elon Musk's team, contained mistakes that vastly inflated the amount of money saved.  —  Last week, Elon Musk's government cost-slashing initiative …
RELATED:
Ryan J. Foley / Associated Press:
Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk's DOGE are expected to produce no savings  —  Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that President Donald Trump's administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren't expected to save the government any money, the administration's own data shows.
Politico:
The Musk Oval meeting you haven't read about  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond.
RELATED:
Melissa Gira Grant / New Republic:
This Shocking Moment at a GOP Town Hall in Idaho Is a Foreboding Sign  —  Teresa Borrenpohl later told the Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press that, as it happened, she didn't know if it was an arrest or a kidnapping.  She was seated in a nearly full town hall hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee on Saturday.
Eli Stokols / Politico:
White House seizes control of press pool, will decide which outlets cover events with president  —  The move reverses the long established precedent of journalists determining who participates in the press pool.  —  The White House announced on Tuesday that the administration …
RELATED:
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
White House Moves to Pick the Pool Reporters Who Cover Trump
Financial Times:
Ukraine agrees minerals deal with US  —  Kyiv hopes agreement on jointly exploring resources will improve relations with Trump administration  —  Kyiv has agreed terms with Washington on a minerals deal that Ukrainian officials hope will improve relations with the Trump administration …
RELATED:
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Ukraine and U.S. agree to minerals deal: sources … - President Trump has said the agreement will yield billions of dollars in revenue for the U.S. and help to recoup costs related to U.S. support of Ukraine in the war.  — One source said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky managed …
Bloomberg:
Ukraine to Agree With US on Terms for Minerals Deal
Demetri Sevastopulo / Financial Times:
White House official pushes to axe Canada from Five Eyes intelligence group  —  Peter Navarro wants to increase pressure on country that Donald Trump has threatened to annex  —  A top White House official has proposed expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network …
RELATED:
Brad Reed / Raw Story:
Trump adviser pushes unprecedented new punishment against Canada: report
Discussion: The Kyiv Independent
NBC News:
Conservatives threaten to tank House budget vote needed to advance Trump agenda  —  Speaker Mike Johnson has been making progress with moderates who've raised concerns about potential Medicaid cuts, but a band of fiscal hawks are refusing to budge.  —  WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Trump Takes Aim at Law Firm Aiding Jack Smith  —  The move, signed by President Trump on Thursday, is a major escalation of his promise to pursue perceived foes.  —  President Trump plans to punish a prominent Washington law firm that has aided the former special counsel Jack Smith …
RELATED:
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Big, Big Scandal Brewing at DC US Attys Office … There's a big, big scandal brewing beneath the already big scandal of the alleged assault by Florida congressman Corey Mills (R).  But as yet no one seems inclined to pull on the dangling thread.  As you've probably already seen …
Discussion: HuffPost, The Status Kuo and Politico
RELATED:
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
RED ALERT: Now Is the Moment, Folks
Discussion: Politico and Bread & Circus
Devan Cole / CNN:
For Trump, 3 court losses in 90 minutes  —  Three different federal judges delivered legal setbacks and slap downs to President Donald Trump in the span of an hour and a half on Tuesday in a series of cases challenging controversial moves taken during the early days of his second term.
RELATED:
Gene Johnson / Associated Press:
A federal judge in Seattle blocks Trump's effort to halt the refugee admissions system
Politico:   Judge blocks Trump's executive order suspending refugee admissions to the U.S.
Washington Post:
DOGE's grab of personal data stokes privacy and security fears  —  Associates of Elon Musk have sought unfettered access to information that is typically guarded very closely.  —  Deputies of Elon Musk have sought access to massive amounts of information across the federal government …
Discussion: WisPolitics and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Acting IRS commissioner to step down amid DOGE blitz on agency
Discussion: New York Times and Politico
Bloomberg:
Trump to Offer ‘Gold Card’ Visas for $5 Million to the Rich  — Initiative would replace the existing EB-5 visa program  — Trump, Lutnick tout move as draw for wealthy investors  —  President Donald Trump said he is starting a program to offer residency and a path to citizenship …
Joseph Gedeon / The Guardian:
US threatens permanent visa bans on trans athletes based on sex markers  —  Exclusive: State department memo directs officers to bar those deemed to misrepresent birth sex on applications  —  The US state department has ordered officials worldwide to deny visas to transgender athletes attempting …
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
DOJ Hires A State Judge Who Was Once Suspended To Advise The Deputy AG  —  Ex-Oregon Judge Vance Day was suspended by a state judicial ethics commission in 2018.  —  A new top Justice Department appointee brings a bizarre past to the job: he was a state judge in Oregon but was, in 2018 …
Makena Kelly / Wired:
DOGE Is Working on Software That Automates the Firing of Government Workers  —  Operatives working for Elon Musk's DOGE appear to be editing the code of AutoRIF—software designed by the Defense Department that could assist in mass firings of federal workers, sources tell WIRED.
Discussion: Raw Story, CBS News and NBC News
James Carville / New York Times:
It's Time for a Daring Political Maneuver, Democrats  —  The Republican Party is all too often effective at campaigning and winning elections, but there's another fact about it that a lot of Americans forget: The Republican Party flat out sucks at governing.  Even Tucker Carlson agrees with this.
Vivian Ho / Washington Post:
‘Unknown disease’ that can kill within days leaves 53 dead in Congo  —  World Health Organization officials said the outbreak appeared to originate from a village where three children died after reportedly eating a bat carcass.  —  An unknown illness has killed 53 people in a northwest region …
Parker Molloy / The Present Age:
“That Feels Indefensible”: MSNBC's New Direction Leads Rachel Maddow to Speak Out  —  As Joy Reid and Alex Wagner lose their shows, Rachel Maddow uses her platform to challenge management's decisions.  —  MSNBC's major programming overhaul has sparked a rare public rebuke from the network's biggest star …
New York Times:
Slashing Medicaid to Pay for Trump's Tax Cuts Could Lead to Vast State Shortfalls  —  Republicans have proposed lowering the federal share of costs for Medicaid expansions, which could reshape the program by gutting one of the Affordable Care Act's major provisions.
Zach Everson / Forbes:
Trump Media Paid Donald Trump Jr. Nearly A Quarter Of Its Annual Revenue.  He Attended Just Two Board Meetings  —  Donald Trump Jr. made $813,000 in 2024 as a director of Trump Media & Technology Group—roughly a quarter of the company's annual revenue—despite attending …
Michelle Hackman / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Proposes Fines, Prison Time for Migrants Who Don't Join Registry  —  Administration plans to establish registration website as soon as this week  —  WASHINGTON—The Trump administration plans to create a registry for immigrants in the U.S. illegally to submit their personal information …
Discussion: CBS News
Politico:
Musk's ‘what did you do last week?’ email hits a million replies  —  About one-third of the federal workforce replied to the demand.  —  More than a million federal employees responded to last weekend's controversial email — amplified by Elon Musk in a threatening post on X …
Mickey Djuric / Politico:
Canadians to Elon Musk: You're not one of us  —  “People are really angry,” Ottawa lawmaker says of petition to revoke the citizenship of Trump's unofficial right-hand man.  —  OTTAWA — More than 242,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for Elon Musk's passport and citizenship …
Marco Margaritoff / HuffPost:
Donald Trump Accidentally Insults Himself: ‘Who Would Ever Sign A Thing Like This?’  —  The president recently rebuked a 2020 trade deal known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement even though he signed it.  —  President Donald Trump is outraged that Americans are footing an unfair financial burden …
Jeff Seldin / Voice of America:
Pentagon chief tours Guantanamo Bay as more detainees arrive  —  More migrants slated for deportation from the United States arrived Tuesday at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, under the watchful eye of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.  —  Hegseth, visiting the U.S. naval base …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Jessica Valenti / Abortion, Every Day:
Montana Bill Would Charge Women for ‘Trafficking’ Their Own Fetus
Discussion: MeidasTouch News and New Republic
Punchbowl News:
Thousands of veterans likely fired under DOGE
Discussion: Washington Times and Democrats
Matt Shuham / HuffPost:
Republicans Are Already Sending Fundraising Pitches About Trump's ‘Third Term’
Discussion: The Texas Tribune
Alexandra Skores / CNN:
Southwest jet attempting to land at Chicago Midway Airport nearly collides with a private plane on the runway
 Earlier Items: 
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Musk Scandal at USAID Takes Ugly Turn, Putting Starving Kids at Risk
Isabella Simonetti / Wall Street Journal:
He Left CNN to Start a Newsletter. It's Now a Must-Read.
more at Mediagazer »
Elena Schneider / Politico:
‘Furious and looking for action’: DOGE is turning into a Democratic candidate recruitment tool
Discussion: The Independent
Dan Pfeiffer / The Message Box:
How to Make the GOP Pay a Price for DOGE
Katherine Eban / Vanity Fair:
America's Food Safety Is Now in the Hands of Don Jr.'s Hunting Buddy
Discussion: The Guardian
New York Times:
Trump Administration Highlights: Personnel Officials Say Musk's Directive Is ‘Voluntary’
 

 
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Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
A closer look at the iPhone 17 “Air”, which lays the foundation for major design changes in future devices, including possible portless and foldable iPhones

Bloomberg:
Baidu releases Ernie X1, an AI model that articulates its reasoning similarly to DeepSeek R1, and upgrades its flagship foundation model to Ernie 4.5, both free

Tom Dotan / Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Chetan Nayak, who leads Microsoft's Station Q team trying to build a quantum computer; source: Microsoft spends ~$300M annually on quantum research
 
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