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12:30 PM ET, February 27, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Berkeley Lovelace Jr / NBC News:
FDA cancels meeting to select flu strains for next season's shots  —  The canceled meeting comes just days after a CDC vaccine advisory committee meeting was abruptly postponed.  —  A Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for March to select the strains …
Discussion: New Republic, STAT and Washington Post
RELATED:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
A Midnight Global Health Massacre
Discussion: UPI and CBS News
Associated Press:
Trump administration says it's cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts
Nina Golgowski / HuffPost:
RFK Jr. Dismisses Measles Outbreak As ‘Not Unusual’ After Child's Death
Insights:   Breaking: US FDA Cancels Upcoming Adcomm Discussing 2025-2026 Flu Vaccine
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
FDA cancels meeting to choose flu vaccine strain
Discussion: WANE 15
The Guardian:
Andrew Tate and brother leave Romania for US after travel ban lifted  —  Self-styled ‘misogynist influencer’ and brother Tristan had been banned from leaving Romania since December 2023  —  The self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, have left Romania …
Discussion: New York Times
RELATED:
Frank Andrews / CBS News:
Trump intervention suspected as Andrew Tate, brother Tristan leave Romania for U.S. despite rape charges  —  London — Self-proclaimed misogynist social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been allowed to leave Romania on a private jet bound for the U.S. despite facing rape …
Associated Press:
Andrew Tate, who faces rape and trafficking charges in Romania, has left for the US  —  Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, left for the U.S. after authorities lifted travel restrictions imposed as part of the case, an official said Thursday.
Sky News:
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have left Romania for the US
Discussion: Mediaite
Robert Berkvist / New York Times:
Gene Hackman, Hollywood's Consummate Everyman, Dies at 95  —  The winner of two Oscars, he was hailed for his nuanced performances in films like “The French Connection,” “Unforgiven” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”  —  Gene Hackman, who never fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were dead for some time, warrant shows  —  Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog were found dead in different rooms of their Santa Fe home, and they had apparently been dead for some time, according to investigators.
RELATED:
Politico:
Musk to meet with House Republicans  —  Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Thursday that he's trying to schedule a meeting of House Republicans with Elon Musk soon to discuss the work of the Department of Government Efficiency.  Johnson, who met with Musk at the White House late Tuesday …
Robert Tait / The Guardian:
Republicans terrified of crossing Trump due to physical threats, Democrat says  —  Eric Swalwell says threats to them and their families are stopping GOP officials from criticizing president  —  Republicans on Capitol Hill are shying away from criticizing Donald Trump's policies over fears …
Discussion: The Hill
Andrew Duehren / New York Times:
GOP Gambles on Budget Plan That Helps the Rich and Cuts Aid to the Poor
Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Trump's Third-Term Talk Faces Pushback From a Democratic Congressman
Discussion: American Prospect
New York Times:
Who Is in DOGE?  Tracking Its Staffers and Allies in the Federal Government  —  The New York Times identified 45 people within the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a group formed by Elon Musk that in a short few weeks has radically upended federal agencies.  Few members have formal Washington experience.
Discussion: Bloomberg
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Musk claims DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort.  Officials disagree.  —  USAID's initiatives to fight Ebola and other diseases have been gutted, current and former agency officials said  —  Elon Musk on Wednesday acknowledged that the U.S. DOGE Service “accidentally canceled” …
Brian Barrett / Wired:   The DOGE Takeover Is Worse Than You Think
Emily Davies / Washington Post:
She hoped Trump's victory would change her life, but not like this  —  Ryleigh Cooper is normally more focused on motherhood than politics.  Then came DOGE.  —  BALDWIN, Mich. — Ryleigh Cooper exhaled as she slid onto the couch after nine hours of work for the U.S. Forest Service …
Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money
Washington Post:
FAA targeting Verizon contract in favor of Musk's Starlink, sources say  —  Turning the $2.4 billion project over to Musk's company would be a major test of conflict-of-interest rules in government contracting.  —  Just now  —  The Federal Aviation Administration is close to canceling …
RELATED:
Conrad Quilty-Harper / The Daily Beast:   FAA Could Cancel $2.4B Verizon Air Traffic Control Contract and Give It to Elon Musk's Starlink
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
The Era of Purges  —  Here is what happened.  An intelligence employee at the National Security Agency leaked chats of fellow officers to a political activist.  The chats included inappropriate messages, mostly around medical issues, plus mockery of political commenters.
Chris Cameron / New York Times:
Trump Administration Escalates Layoffs of Federal Workers  —  Federal officials circulated a memo asking agency leaders to plan even more job reductions after thousands of federal workers were fired in recent weeks.  —  The Trump administration moved forward on Wednesday with plans …
RELATED:
Aaron Wiener / Washington Post:
Federal agencies given deadline for plans to move offices out of D.C. area
Discussion: The Independent
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:   February 26, 2025  —  This morning, Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought …
Margaret Sullivan / The Guardian:
Jeff Bezos is muzzling the Washington Post's opinion section.  That's a death knell  —  'I couldn't be more sad and disgusted,' says former top editor Martin Baron  —  Owners and publishers of news organizations often exert their will on opinion sections.  It would be naive to think otherwise.
RELATED:
Marcia Brown / Politico:
Trump administration struggles to rehire fired bird flu employees  —  USDA supervisors are being asked to justify rehires and some employees still haven't gotten their laptops back.  —  The Trump administration touted a nearly $1 billion plan Wednesday to combat the spread of avian flu …
Peter Baker / New York Times:
In Trump's Washington, a Moscow-Like Chill Takes Hold  —  A new administration's efforts to pressure the news media, punish political opponents and tame the nation's tycoons evoke the early days of President Vladimir V. Putin's reign in Russia.  —  She asked too many questions that the president didn't like.
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Strain From Trump's Tariffs and Spending Cuts  —  Consumer and business sentiment is wobbling as fiscal support fades and fears rise that tariffs will lead to higher prices.  —  The United States economy is starting to show signs of strain as President Trump's abrupt moves …
Discussion: The Contrarian and Insights
Alice Miranda Ollstein / Politico:
5th Circuit rebuffs ruling against Planned Parenthood  —  The unanimous ruling overturns a decision by Texas U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Donald Trump appointee.  —  A three-judge panel at the conservative-leaning 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reversed …
Thalia Beaty / ABC News:
MacArthur Foundation to increase giving for two years in response to ‘crisis’  —  NEW YORK — The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will increase its giving over the next two years in response to what it calls a “crisis” prompted by the Trump administration's freeze on federal foreign aid …
Alicia Wallace / CNN:
Jobless claims spike, in worrisome sign for the US labor market  —  First-time applications for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, indicating that cracks may be forming in America's long-solid labor market.  —  There were an estimated 242,000 jobless claims filed last week …
Discussion: CBS News
Kriston Capps / Washington Post:
Art Museum of Americas cancels shows of Black, LGBTQ artists following Trump orders  —  Participants said the museum, run by the Organization of American States, shut down two upcoming exhibitions featuring major American and international artists.  —  The Art Museum of the Americas …
Discussion: Advocate
Politico:
Trump says Canada, Mexico tariffs will go into effect March 4  —  It could be a negotiating tactic: Trump similarly pledged to levy tariffs earlier this month before backing off at the last minute.  —  President Donald Trump pledged Thursday to enforce his planned 25 percent tariffs on Canada …
Will Saletan / The Bulwark:
Vance Gets Creepy About Immigrants, Again  —  ON TUESDAY, JD VANCE rebuked Americans of Ukrainian ancestry who oppose his betrayal of Ukraine.  The rebuke is instructive.  It shows us how Vance, Donald Trump, and many of their followers think about immigration and foreign policy.
Matt Burgess / Wired:
Elon Musk's Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online  —  A WIRED investigation reveals that criminals who make billions from scam compounds in Myanmar—where tens of thousands of people are enslaved—are using Starlink to get online.  —  The plea for help arrived last summer.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Paul Krugman:
Cruel and Usual: Republicans Prepare to Gut Medicaid
Discussion: CT Mirror
Emma Fuentes / Washington Examiner:
Trump to make Christmas great again at the Kennedy Center
Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:
First case of measles reported in Kentucky as US battles spread of disease
Discussion: WCSH, New York Times and NBC News
The Guardian:
Seized, settled, let: how Airbnb and Booking.com help Israelis make money from stolen Palestinian land
Burt Neuborne / Just Security:
No, the Defense Department Did Not “Ignore” a Judicial Order in 1973 Cambodia Bombing Case
Ari Daniel / NPR:
Why Dean Karlan, chief economist of USAID, resigned on Tuesday
Discussion: Advocate
 Earlier Items: 
Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
Is what DOGE is doing legal?
Discussion: Fortune
GovExec.com:
Top Social Security deputies leave amid rumored staff cuts
Discussion: New Republic and American Prospect
Bloomberg:
Trump Team Weighs Pulling Funds for Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine
Discussion: CNN and Megyn Kelly
Associated Press:
VA pauses billions in cuts lauded by Musk as lawmakers and veterans decry loss of critical care
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Kaya Yurieff / The Information:
Source: President Trump plans to announce TikTok America, a company that is ~50% owned by US investors and 19.9% by ByteDance, which would license the algorithm

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
Newsquest's editorial development director says it now employs 36 “AI-assisted” reporters, freeing up the rest of the newsroom to “be out pounding the beat”

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Tortoise Media names Times journalist Rachel Sylvester as The Observer's political editor; a source says 50%+ of Observer staff have decided to leave

 
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