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9:15 AM ET, February 28, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:
Judge blocks Trump administration's mass firings of federal workers  —  A federal judge ruled that the terminations at several agencies, including the Department of Defense, were likely illegal.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Office of Personnel Management …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Federal workers could get a second email Saturday. It might require a response.
Discussion: Business Insider
New York Times:
How Elon Musk Executed His Takeover of the Federal Bureaucracy  —  The operation was driven with a frenetic focus by the billionaire, who channeled his resentment of regulatory oversight into a drastic overhaul of government agencies.  —  On the last Friday of September 2023 …
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Inside DOGE's Clash With the Federal Workforce  —  With a surprise incursion in the first minutes of the Trump presidency, Elon Musk's programmers seized control of a key personnel agency; ‘rogue bureaucrats’ fight back  —  WASHINGTON, D.C.-At 12:01 p.m. on Jan. 20, as Donald Trump …
Jake Lahut / Wired:
Elon Musk's Takeover Is Being Aided by a Trumpworld Power Couple  —  Stephen and Katie Miller—he's “the prime minister,” sources say; she's DOGE's comms guru—liaise between the White House and Elon Musk, and are centrally involved as he tears the government apart.
Discussion: Raw Story
New York Times:
How Trump's Cabinet Scrambled to Respond to Musk's DOGE Email
Discussion: Musk Watch and Vanity Fair
Rebecca Crosby / Popular Information:
BREAKING: SEC halts fraud prosecution of Chinese national who sent Trump millions  —  In December, Popular Information reported that Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun purchased $30 million in crypto tokens from World Liberty Financial (WLF), a new venture backed by President Donald Trump and his family.
RELATED:
Allison Morrow / CNN:
A crypto mogul who invested millions into Trump coins is getting a reprieve on civil fraud charges  —  A version of this story appeared in CNN Business' Nightcap newsletter.  To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.  —  New York CNN —  A businessman who pumped $75 million …
Discussion: Wired and Fortune
CNN:
NOAA fires about 800 employees, with more possible Friday  —  The Trump administration has its government-shrinking sights set on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where around 800 employees have been tapped for termination, according to two sources close to the agency.
Discussion: Washington Post, USA Today, OPB, UPI and NPR
RELATED:
The Guardian:
‘Cruel and thoughtless’: Trump fires hundreds at US climate agency Noaa  —  Employees informed by email that their jobs would be cut off at end of day in move a worker called ‘wrong all around’  — Don't let a billionaire's algorithm control what you read.  Download our free app to get trusted reporting.
Zack Budryk / The Hill:
NOAA begins firing hundreds of staffers
Washington Post:
FBI investigating Trump EPA claims of fraud in $20B Biden grant fund  —  While career prosecutors in two U.S. attorney offices and a U.S. judge balked at a court-ordered freeze, Citibank has locked down billions without explanation.  —  Just now  —  FBI agents this week questioned …
Discussion: Reason
Pamela Herd / Can We Still Govern?:
Trump's Assault on Social Security  —  Social Security is our biggest and most successful safety net program.  The annual $1.6 trillion in benefits constitutes 21% of federal spending and 40% of older adults' income.  It lifts more people out of poverty than any other government program.
RELATED:
Stephanie Nolen / New York Times:
U.S. Terminates Funding for Polio, H.I.V., Malaria and Nutrition Programs Around the World  —  Here are some of the 5,800 contracts the Trump administration formally canceled this week in a wave of terse emails.  —  Starting Wednesday afternoon, a wave of emails went out from the State Department …
Discussion: The Guardian and Politico
Punchbowl News:
2/28/25 ☀️ AM:  —  New Democratic ads, plus a big CPC PAC-DCCC fundraiser  —  Dem freshman confronts constituent concerns about DOGE … So it's time to take a spin around Capitol Hill for a Leader Look.  —  This is a particularly advantageous time to pass judgment …
Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart and Blaze Media
RELATED:
Politico:
Signs point to a long stopgap
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Republicans fear their big budget win is a 2026 time bomb … - One Republican moderate, speaking on the condition of anonymity to give candid thoughts about political concerns surrounding their party's marquee legislation, told Axios: “It could be trouble.”
RELATED:
Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite:
Young Republicans Group Invites Accused Sex Trafficker Brothers to Speak: ‘As Free Speech Absolutists...’  —  The Tampa Bay Young Republicans tweeted an invitation to Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to come speak to their group, drawing swift criticism for the outreach to the men currently facing charges …
Discussion: Florida Politics
RELATED:
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
Andrew Tate, Accused Sex Trafficker, Is Trump's Kind of Guy
Liz Goodwin / Washington Post:
Behind the scenes, GOP senators challenge legality of Trump's aid cuts  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who lauded the USAID cuts, quietly joined Democrats in expressing alarm.  —  Just now  —  A handful of Republican senators have joined their Democratic colleagues in expressing alarm …
William Vaillancourt / The Daily Beast:
Musk Makes Big Mistake While Trying to Smear CNN Legal Analyst Norm Eisen  —  CARELESS  —  The billionaire DOGE chief found a woman with the same last name as a lawyer he hates.  Cue the conspiracy.
David Smith / The Guardian:
Trump tried to extort Zelenskyy and was impeached - now he may succeed  —  The Ukrainian president is expected at the White House on Friday to sign a multimillion-dollar minerals deal with echoes of a notorious 2019 phone call  —  Alexander Vindman remembers the phone call - and what he did next.
Discussion: Raw Story
RELATED:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
After Insults and False Claims, Trump to Host Zelensky for Minerals Deal
CDC Newsroom:
CDC Statement on Measles Outbreak  —  RELEASE  —  CDC Media Relations  —  (404) 639-3286  —  media@cdc.gov  —  CDC continues to be in close communication with Texas health authorities about the measles outbreak in West Texas, following the death of a child.  HHS sends its deepest condolences to the family.
RELATED:
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
'He's Full Of S**t': Pediatrician In Congress Blames RFK Jr. For Child's Death From Measles
Des Moines Register:
Iowa lawmakers pass bill removing trans civil rights protections, sending it to governor  —  Stephen Gruber-Miller Marissa Payne Sabine MartinDes Moines Register  —  Over the protests of hundreds of Iowans chanting “no hate in our state,” Iowa's Republican-dominated Legislature voted Thursday …
RELATED:
Angela Yang / NBC News:
Some people online are planning an ‘economic blackout’ Friday.  What does that mean?  —  Shoppers say they're targeting major companies to protest what they describe as corporate corruption.  —  An effort to encourage U.S. consumers to participate in a day of protest by not spending money Friday …
New York Times:
The MAGA War on Speech  —  In 1791, the nation's founders ratified the First Amendment to the Constitution.  It would come to offer protections in the new nation essentially never seen before: the right to ask things of and to criticize the government; to express opinions, popular or not …
US Department of Justice:
Attorney General Pamela Bondi Releases First Phase of Declassified Epstein Files  —  Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), declassified and publicly released files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his sexual exploitation …
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Former defense chiefs denounce Trump's ‘reckless’ Pentagon firings  —  The five former leaders urged Congress to hold the president accountable for what they called his unjustified removal of the Joint Chiefs chairman and other top military officers.  —  Five former defense secretaries …
William Shoki / New York Times:
Elon Musk Is South African.  It Explains a Lot.  —  Elon Musk is everywhere.  —  He is firing federal employees, gaining access to important government data, popping into the Oval Office, appearing on Fox News alongside President Trump and even attending a White House cabinet meeting.
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
MAGA Loses It as DOGE Staffer Identities Revealed  —  The New York Times identified several dozen employees working for the Department of Government Efficiency, but conservatives were surprisingly unhappy about the transparency.  —  “The so-called New York Times outs 45 people working for DOGE …
Politico:
Judge orders Trump administration officials to give sworn testimony on DOGE  —  The Justice Department fought the effort to put staffers involved in the controversial cost-slashing effort under oath.  —  A federal judge has ordered Trump administration officials involved in Elon Musk's …
Washington Post:
Harsh findings on Trump's aid freeze kept secret by USAID watchdog  —  Two reports showing dire impacts on Africa and Gaza have not been released in fear of Trump's wrath, official says  —  The watchdog for the U.S. Agency for International Development has yet to release two critical reports …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Robert Reich:
Boycott tomorrow!  —  Join in tomorrow's economic blackout  —  A grassroots movement …
Hanna Trudo / The Hill:
Sanders steps back into role as anti-oligarch crusader
Noah Shachtman / New York Times:
Dead Athletes. Empty Stands. Why Are We Paying Billions to Keep This Sport Alive?
Garrett M. Graff / Doomsday Scenario:
Patel, Ratcliffe Set Up U.S. for a National Catastrophe
Bloomberg:
Bitcoin Down 25% From All-Time High as Crypto Rout Worsens
Discussion: CoinDesk
Steve Inskeep / NPR:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells NPR: ‘Everything feels increasingly like a scam’
Discussion: The Contrarian and Daily Kos
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trump's new world order: Strongmen make the rules
Discussion: Vox and Associated Press
Paul Krugman:
Chaos Is Bad for Business
 Earlier Items: 
U.S. Department of Education:
U.S. Department of Education Launches “End DEI” Portal
Politico:
23 Dem AGs think they've cracked the code to fighting Trump
Discussion: The Daily Wire, Raw Story and E&E News
Scott Neuman / NPR:
Pentagon directs removal of trans service members from military
Chris Isidore / CNN:
Elon Musk says upgrade of FAA's air traffic control system is failing and SpaceX needs to take over Verizon's contract