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5:20 PM ET, January 31, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Tim Reid / Reuters:
Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say  —  Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees …
Discussion: NBC News and Rolling Stone
Washington Post:
Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system  —  A top Treasury career staffer is expected to depart.  Surrogates of Musk's DOGE effort had sought access to sensitive payment systems.  —  The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department …
RELATED:
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
Elon Musk Is Trying to Get Control of Key Payment System—at Any Cost  —  A top-ranking official in the U.S. Department of the Treasury is resigning after a fight with Elon Musk over a sensitive payment system.  —  The Washington Post reports that David Lebryk, who has worked in the department …
Discussion: Bloomberg, The Mahablog and alicublog
CNN:
FBI agents who worked on January 6 and Trump investigations are expected to be fired Friday  —  The Trump administration is set to expand a purge of career law enforcement officials, with dozens of FBI agents who worked on January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and Trump-related investigations …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
FBI considering mass purge of agents involved in Trump investigations  —  Leaders appointed by the Trump administration are identifying potentially hundreds of FBI agents for possible termination, said people familiar with the plan.  —  President Donald Trump's administration has launched …
Discussion: Breitbart, Fox News and CBS News
New York Times:
Trump Administration Plans to Scrutinize F.B.I. Agents for Possible Purge  —  The move to enact the plan comes just one day after Kash Patel, President Trump's pick to lead the F.B.I., testified before Congress that the bureau would not be targeted for political reasons.
NBC News:
Head of FBI Washington Field Office is forced out in Trump administration purge  —  David Sundberg was notified Thursday that he was going to lose his job.  He was head of the Washington Field Office during its involvement in investigations of Donald Trump.
ABC News:
Federal employees told to remove pronouns from email signatures by end of day  —  The mandate is the latest effort in the Trump administration's push to end DEI.  —  President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025.
RELATED:
Kate Kelly / New York Times:
Official Email Urges Federal Workers to Find More Productive Jobs  —  On Thursday, vast numbers of the government work force received an “F.A.Q.s” e-mail on how to leave their “lower productivity jobs” in government for more productive ones in business.  —  Late on Thursday …
Theresa Gaffney / STAT:
CDC removal of databases on sexual orientation, gender identity sparks alarm
NBC News:
CDC site scrubs HIV content following Trump DEI policies
Discussion: NPR
Jarrett Renshaw / Reuters:
Exclusive: Trump set to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada starting on March 1, sources say  —  U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce new tariffs against Canada and Mexico that will begin on March 1, but will include a process for the countries to seek specific exemptions for certain imports …
RELATED:
New York Times:
The Treasury official who oversees payments resigns suddenly.
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Aides Hunt for 11th-Hour Deal to Dial Back Canada-Mexico Tariffs
Associated Press:
White House says Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China will come Saturday. No word on exemptions
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China begin Saturday, White House says
RELATED:
New York Times:
Paramount in Settlement Talks With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit
The Bulwark:
A Wannabe Authoritarian Hard At Work
Washington Post:
Trump administration seeking access to database of immigrant minors  —  The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for caring for unaccompanied minors, has long operated independently of ICE.  —  The Trump administration is seeking to grant U.S. immigration officers access …
RELATED:
ProPublica:
ICE Enforcement Official Tapped to Lead Unaccompanied Migrant Children Office, Triggering Alarms
Associated Press:
New York doctor indicted for prescribing abortion pill in Louisiana  —  A New York doctor was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury on Friday for allegedly prescribing an abortion pill online in the Deep South state, which has one of the strictest near-total abortion bans in the country.
Discussion: WAFB-TV, Gothamist, The 19th and WTOP News
Phil Williams / WTVF-TV:
Career prosecutors withdraw from federal criminal investigation of GOP Congressman Andy Ogles  —  Local prosecutors are not commenting, but move may signal plans to drop investigation of one of President Trump's Republican allies  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Federal prosecutors based …
Discussion: Raw Story
Bloomberg:
Trump Spending Freeze Temporarily Blocked by Federal Judge  —  A judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from freezing an array of federal grants and loans, undercutting a White House effort to halt the flow of funds already approved by Congress.  —  The temporary restraining order …
Discussion: CBS News
RELATED:
Sam Stein / The Bulwark:   Rising Dem: Don't Raise Debt Limit Without Concessions From Trump
Stephen Neukam / Axios:
Scoop: Sanders probing Trump's purge of labor officials
Discussion: Twitchy
David Bauder / Associated Press:
Former ‘Meet the Press’ moderator Chuck Todd exits NBC News after nearly two decades  —  Former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd is leaving NBC News after nearly 18 years at the network.  —  Todd said in a memo to NBC News colleagues that Friday was his last day.
RELATED:
Jay Stahl / USA Today:
Chuck Todd exiting NBC News after nearly 20 years as Trump starts second term
Lois Henry / SJV Water:
Decision to dump water from Tulare County lakes altered after sending locals into a mad scramble  —  Water managers were relieved Thursday evening after the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to back off of a sudden decision earlier in the day to dump massive amounts of water from Kaweah and Success lakes.
Discussion: Los Angeles Times
CNN:
EPA workers receive emails warning their employment could be terminated  —  More than 1,100 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency received notice this week that they were deemed to be on probationary status and warning they could be fired immediately, according to an email obtained by CNN.
Discussion: Just Security, Townhall and GovExec.com
John Ganz / Unpopular Front:
Groyperfication  —  I'm working on something long-ish on the “vibe shift” discourse that I'm hoping will come in lieu of the Sunday Reading, Watching supplement.  But I just wanted to quickly remark again on what I think is an underreported key to understanding contemporary politics …
David Corn / Mother Jones:
SCOOP: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits Settlement for “Misconduct” Accusation  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has admitted to the US Senate that he has reached at least one settlement agreement in which he was accused of misconduct or inappropriate behavior.  —  After the Senate Finance Committee …
Discussion: Mediaite and New Republic
ProPublica:
“People Will Die”: The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid.  That's Not True.  —  Organizations that provide vital care for desperate and vulnerable people around the world have been forced to halt operations, turn away patients and lay off staff.
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Trump Media gifts DJT shares to FBI pick Kash Patel, Linda McMahon and president's son … Trump Media this week gifted thousands of shares of company stock to President Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, to Trump's eldest son and to four other board members, new regulatory filings show.
Discussion: NBC News and Forbes
RELATED:
Annie Massa / Bloomberg:   Trump Media Gives Stock Awards to Two of President's Nominees
Michael Tomasky / New Republic:
We've Now Learned the Three Principles of Trumpism, and They're Ugly … We're nearing the end of week two of Trump 2.0, and several things are already manifestly clear.  First and foremost, that the new Trump administration was more than ready to hit the ground running at noon on January 20.
Natasha Korecki / NBC News:
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blocks Jan. 6 rioters from state jobs after Trump pardons  —  In a written directive, the Democratic Illinois governor tells his hiring office that “no one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government.”  —  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is blocking …
Aaron Rupar / Public Notice:
DCA crash puts Trump's appalling unfitness on full display  —  🔊📺 🎥 With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent media is more important than ever right now.  Public Notice is made possible by paid subscribers.  If you aren't one already …
Slate:
The D.C. Air Disaster Is a Flashing Warning Sign About DOGE  —  From the moment he returned to the White House, Donald Trump launched a full-scale assault on the federal workforce.  The president has fired or demoted an unprecedented number of senior officials and civil servants.
Discussion: The Verge
James Romoser / Politico:
How Trump Could Snatch a Third Term — Despite the 22nd Amendment  —  Four ways Trump could stay in power beyond 2028.  —  Less than two weeks have passed since the last presidential inauguration, but try to imagine the next one.  —  It's Jan. 20, 2029.  The nation has weathered another tumultuous four years under Donald Trump.
Discussion: Raw Story
 
 
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 More Items: 
Lee Soo-Jung / Korea Joongang Daily:
150,000 Koreans in U.S. subject to Trump's deportation order: Report
Discussion: Raw Story
Chris Marquette / Politico:
DEI not to blame in crash, says top Republican overseeing FAA
Discussion: The Atlantic, DNyuz and FOX 32 Chicago
Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Zeldin: Anyone who isn't ‘committed to’ Trump's directives shouldn't be at EPA
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
MAGA's revenge of the mediocre: Trump's war on federal workers targets the meritorious
Discussion: Raw Story and NOTUS
 Earlier Items: 
New York Times:
Clues From D.C. Plane Crash Suggest Multiple Failures in Aviation Safety
Meg Kinnard / Associated Press:
The DNC's outgoing chair says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in 2024
Washington Post:
Records undercut Tulsi Gabbard's claim of ignorance on cleric's views
 

 
From Techmeme:

Liv McMahon / BBC:
Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr denounce the EU's €120M X fine

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Netflix agrees to acquire WBD's studios and streaming business in an $82.7B cash-and-stock deal, including debt, to close after WBD splits in two in Q3 2026

New York Times:
The New York Times sues Perplexity, claiming the AI startup violated its copyrights and kept using its content despite repeated demands over the past 18 months

 
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