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9:45 AM ET, February 4, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Elon Musk's Blitz Shakes U.S. Government as He Sweeps Through Agencies  —  The billionaire is creating major upheaval as his team sweeps through agencies, in what has been an extraordinary flexing of power by a private individual.  —  The billionaire is creating major upheaval …
RELATED:
Wired:
A 25-Year-Old With Elon Musk Ties Has Direct Access to the Federal Payment System  —  The Bureau of the Fiscal Service is a sleepy part of the Treasury Department.  It's also where, sources say, a 25-year-old engineer tied to Elon Musk has admin privileges over the code that controls Social Security payments, tax returns, and more.
Politico:
DOGE's access to federal data is ‘an absolute nightmare,’ legal experts warn  —  The latest moves at Treasury have already triggered a lawsuit, with a fight over the dissolution of USAID looming.  —  Elon Musk's headlong rush to take control of crucial federal agencies and functions …
Discussion: American Prospect
Matt Shuham / HuffPost:
Elon Musk Suggests Getting Rid Of All Regulations In Midnight Call  —  “If it's not possible now, it'll never be possible,” Musk said of his proposal to simply ignore all federal regulation as a baseline.  —  LOADING  —  President Donald Trump's “government efficiency” …
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Democrats flood the zone with acts of anti-Trump resistance … - “That's not a thing. … - House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) unveiled a 10-part plan for countering Trump that includes using the federal funding process to thwart his efforts to “defund programs important to everyday Americans.”
Discussion: NBC News, Daily Kos and NCJA
Charlie Warzel / The Atlantic:
The ‘Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly’ of the United States Government  —  Elon Musk's bureaucratic coup is underway.  —  Elon Musk is not the president, but it does appear that he—a foreign-born, unelected billionaire who was not confirmed by Congress—is exercising profound influence …
Notes on the Crises:
Day Five of the Trump-Musk Treasury Payments Crisis of 2025: Not “Read Only” access anymore  —  If you are a current or former career Bureau of the Fiscal Service Employee, especially if you're a legacy IT programmer with years of experience and especially if you are a COBOL programmer currently working …
Discussion: Raw Story and American Prospect
Jonathan Lemire / The Atlantic:
Elon Musk Is President  —  He did not receive a single vote.  He did not get confirmed.  He does not receive a government paycheck.  —  The world's richest man has declared war on the federal government and, in a matter of days, has moved to slash its size and reach, while gaining access to some of its most sensitive secrets.
Politico:
Bessent tells lawmakers Musk's DOGE does not control Treasury payments system  —  The remarks came during a two-hour gathering between the Treasury secretary and GOP members of the House Financial Services Committee.  —  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent privately reassured Republican lawmakers Monday …
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Elon Musk's DOGE Is Still Blocking HIV/AIDS Relief Exempted From Foreign Aid Cuts  —  The Trump Administration claims it is allowing “lifesaving” foreign aid to continue, but in reality, DOGE is preventing vital work on HIV and AIDS from saving lives.  —  One of President Donald Trump's …
Washington Post:
Elon Musk is a ‘special government employee.’ What does that mean?
Discussion: CNN and USA Today
Paul Krugman:
What the Musk is Happening?  —  It's a catastrophe, but what kind of catastrophe?
Discussion: Raw Story
Joan Westenberg / The Index:   Elon Musk Is an Existential Threat to Big Tech
Peter Baker / New York Times:
How Trump Is Reshaping U.S. Government, Just 2 Weeks Into His Presidency
Discussion: HuffPost and Axios
Makena Kelly / Wired:
Elon Musk Ally Tells Staff ‘AI-First’ Is the Future of Key Government Agency
Discussion: DNyuz, more at Techmeme »
Associated Press:
China counters with tariffs on US products.  It will also investigate Google  —  China countered President Donald Trump's across-the-board tariffs on Chinese products with tariffs on select U.S. imports Tuesday, as well as announcing an antitrust investigation into Google and other trade measures.
RELATED:
Jack Blanchard / Politico:
Playbook: China bites back
Discussion: Deadline, DNyuz and The Independent
The Hill:
Morning Report — Trump pauses tariffs on Mexico, Canada as China retaliates
Washington Post:
Trump preps order to dismantle Education Dept. as DOGE probes data  —  Closing the agency would require congressional approval, so the new administration hopes to diminish it in the meantime.  —  President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at eventually closing the Education Department and …
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Advisers Weigh Plan to Dismantle Education Department
New York Times:
Top ‘60 Minutes’ Producer Says He Will Not Apologize Over Trump Lawsuit  —  Bill Owens, the show's executive producer, addressed his staff as CBS's parent company, Paramount, pursues a legal settlement with the president.  —  The head of “60 Minutes” told the show's staff on Monday …
RELATED:
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
A Coup Is In Progress In America  —  A coup is underway in the United States, and we must stop pretending otherwise.  The signs are unmistakable and accelerating: in just the past 48 hours, Elon Musk's DOGE commission has seized control of Treasury payment systems and gained unauthorized access …
more at Techmeme »
Marc Caputo / Axios:
About 20,000 federal workers took “buyout” so far, official says  —  About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the “buyout” offer put forward by the Trump administration last week, a senior administration official tells Axios. … - The offer is open through Thursday, meaning the total could rise …
Discussion: The Bulwark
NBC News:
USAID personnel told to stay away from headquarters after Elon Musk's shutdown comments  —  Marocco held several national security positions during the first Trump administration, including at USAID, where he tried to consolidate power and slash funding.  —  WASHINGTON — Secretary …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Rubio views a deportation flight in Panama as Trump prioritizes an immigration crackdown
Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:
Trump Is Testing Our Constitutional System.  It's Doing Fine.  —  The president's flurry of illegal actions have been stopped by the courts.  That's how it is supposed to work.  —  The Trump administration is subjecting the US constitutional system to a stress test.
Discussion: ABC News and Executive Functions
Garrett Shanley / The Independent Florida Alligator:
State audit finds overall unnecessary spending under former UF President Ben Sasse  —  Sasse's expenditures included more than $300,000 in private jet flights  —  A preliminary report from the Florida Auditor General found UF failed to prevent former President Ben Sasse from leveraging …
Benjamin Wittes / Default:
The Situation: What's Going on at the FBI?  —  Don't look now but the FBI is resisting the political witch-hunt loosed upon it.  —  Meet The Authors … The Situation on Friday was too fluid to write responsibly on the ongoing purge at the FBI.  —  Things have clarified enough today …
The Hill:
Trump's impending massacre of the federal workforce will destroy his second term  —  The Trump administration has initiated what may become the most devastating dismantling of the federal workforce in modern history — not with mass firings, but with a carefully designed invitation to resign.
Peter M. Shane / Washington Monthly:
To Save Democracy, Start Filing Cases  —  The Trump-Musk ransacking of the federal government must stop.  The courts offer one important way to apply the brake, says an administrative law scholar.  —  If you were a state senator in 1975 seeking constitutional advice, any competent lawyer …
The White House:
At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep  —  Here are only a few examples of the WASTE and ABUSE:  — $1.5 million to “advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities”  — $70,000 for production of a “DEI musical” in Ireland  — $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam
Discussion: CBS News and Blaze Media
Brad Plumer / New York Times:
Chris Wright Is Confirmed to Be Secretary of Energy  —  The former fracking executive said in confirmation hearings that his top priority would be to “unleash” American energy production.  —  The Senate confirmed Chris Wright to lead the U.S. Department of Energy on Monday …
NBC News:
Jan. 6 conspiracy theory promoter named to a top State Department job  —  Darren Beattie, who's claimed the FBI was responsible for the 2021 attack on the Capitol, has been named acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy.  —  A conservative author who has spread conspiracy theories …
Graeme Demianyk / HuffPost:
Rupert Murdoch Is Pictured With Trump At Oval Office Signing  —  With the media mogul just feet away, the president was asked about a blistering attack on his tariff policy by the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal.  —  LOADING  —  Eyebrows were raised as billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch …
Bloomberg:
Kash Patel's $800,000 Trump Media Award Raises New Conflict Questions  — Patel got late windfall from Trump's social media company  — FBI nominee didn't detail plans for stock award in disclosures  —  Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation …
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Affirmative action for white men  —  Since taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump has targeted so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs, also known as DEI.  According to a January 21 executive order, “critical and influential institutions of American society …
Discussion: Mediaite
afsa.org:
Statement by AFSA on Decision to Dismantle USAID  —  Washington, D.C. - The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) strongly objects to the administration's decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  This will undermine U.S. national security …
Discussion: Fox News
Nandika Chatterjee / The Daily Beast:
Musk Says He's ‘Deleted’ Popular Free IRS Tax Filing Program  —  WHO ASKED FOR THIS?  —  The online tax filing option on the IRS website had a strong bipartisan 76% approval rating from registered voters.  —  Kanye West's Naked Grammys Stunt Could Cost Him $20M  —  THE NAKED TRUTH
 
 
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 More Items: 
Politico:
Trump's plan to kill offshore wind is paying off
New York Post:
RFK's hearings remove all doubt: He's not fit to lead a key federal health agency
Discussion: The Hill
Christian Paz / Vox:
How Democratic Gen Z activists lost the Gen Z vote
Axios:
Trump's other immigration strategy: Looking tough for the cameras
Discussion: Fox News and Bloomberg
Erin Doherty / Axios:
Trump's obsession: He can't quit bashing Biden
Discussion: Bangor Daily News and Reuters
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Blinks on North American Tariffs
 Earlier Items: 
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
President-unelect Musk pushes US democracy to the brink
Washington Post:
China strikes back at Trump's tariffs with levies on U.S. imports
Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:
Unmasked: Elon's Secret DOGE Goon Squad—Every One Under 26
Discussion: Daily Mail, Raw Story and Twitchy
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Hints at Curbs on Musk's Powers After Billionaire Shakes Up Washington
Discussion: Tennessee Star, Bloomberg and Reuters
Andrea Margolis / Fox News:
Trump announces new picks including deputy director of the CIA, chief Pentagon spokesman
 

 
From Techmeme:

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

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
The EU fines X €120M for breaching online content rules, the first fine under the DSA, citing issues like its deceptive blue checkmarks, after a two-year probe

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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