Top Items:
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Musk Cronies Dive Into Treasury Dept Payments Code Base — Overnight, Wired reported that, contrary to published reports that DOGE operatives at the Treasury Department are limited to “read only” access to department payment systems, this is not true. A 25-year-old DOGE operative named Marko Elez …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo and Nudity and Nerdery
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.
Discussion:
Notes on the Crises, Paul Krugman, The Independent, New Republic, emptywheel, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Axios, maaarine, Nebraska Examiner, Federal News Network, CBS News, Bloomberg, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, i shall wear …, Townhall, BatBoyBlog, Agence France-Presse and USA Today, more at Techmeme »
Dell Cameron / Wired:
Federal Workers Sue to Disconnect DOGE Server — Two federal workers, citing reports that Elon Musk's associates are operating an illegally connected email server at OPM, seek a restraining order. — Federal employees are seeking a temporary restraining order as part of a class action lawsuit accusing …
Slate:
Elon Musk's Power Grab Is Lawless, Dangerous, and—Yes—a Coup — The federal government is currently under relentless and unlawful assault by a man no one elected to lead it. With Donald Trump's blessing and enabling, Elon Musk and his confederates have laid siege to the executive branch …
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, Common Dreams, Los Angeles Times, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Baltimore Sun, IJR, Al Jazeera, NPR, Raw Story, The Verge and New York Magazine
Politico:
Bessent tells lawmakers Musk's DOGE does not control Treasury payments system
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Townhall, KSDK-TV, MarketWatch, Raw Story, FedScoop, Truthout, HuffPost, Metro.co.uk, ABC News and Baltimore Sun
Elizabeth Popp Berman / Liberal Currents:
Personal Discretion Over the Treasury's Payments System Means the End of Democracy
David Dayen / American Prospect:
Illegal Executive Spending Decisions Are Happening Now
Illegal Executive Spending Decisions Are Happening Now
Discussion:
The Independent and Axios
CNN:
FBI turns over names of 5,000 employees who worked on January 6 cases to Trump Justice Department, as agents sue — FBI officials have complied with demands to provide the Justice Department with a list of thousands of employees who worked on investigations related to the January 6, 2021 …
RELATED:
Adam Goldman / New York Times:
‘Accidental’ F.B.I. Chief Builds a Following as Agency's Defender — Brian Driscoll was accidentally catapulted into the acting director's chair on Jan. 20 and has defended the bureau from the potential of mass firings, inspiring memes and satirical clips. — Brian Driscoll …
Discussion:
Default, The Daily Beast and The Post Millennial
Politico:
FBI agents sue to block DOJ from compiling list of officials who worked on Jan. 6 or Trump cases
NBC News:
FBI agents file lawsuits alleging Justice Department ‘retribution’ over their work on Jan. 6 cases
FBI agents file lawsuits alleging Justice Department ‘retribution’ over their work on Jan. 6 cases
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reason, Bloomberg and Raw Story
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 …
RELATED:
CNN:
Trump administration plans sweeping layoffs among workers who don't opt to resign
Discussion:
FedSmith.com, Inside Medicine, WTOP News, DNyuz and E&E News
Corbin Hiar / Politico:
Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs
Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs
Discussion:
Federal News Network
Andrea Hsu / NPR:
Trump administration adds fine print to ‘Fork’ resignation offer, deepening confusion
Trump administration adds fine print to ‘Fork’ resignation offer, deepening confusion
Discussion:
Bloomberg and Washington Examiner
Washington Post:
U.S. government officials privately warn Musk's blitz appears illegal — The billionaire's DOGE team has launched an all-out assault on federal agencies, triggering numerous legal objections. — The chaotic blitz by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has triggered legal …
Discussion:
NPR, American Greatness, Al Jazeera and The Daily Signal
RELATED:
Richard Rubin / Wall Street Journal:
Treasury Department Says DOGE Access Is ‘Read Only’
Treasury Department Says DOGE Access Is ‘Read Only’
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA, Washington Examiner and Bloomberg
ABC News:
State Department moving to evacuate USAID staff worldwide: Sources — The State Department has begun working to assist in evacuating all USAID staff who are on foreign assignments worldwide, sources familiar with the effort told ABC News. — The Department is aiming to recall all USAID employees …
Discussion:
USA Today, Blaze Media, CBS News and Reuters
RELATED:
NBC News:
White House preparing executive order to abolish the Department of Education — The planned order follows years of campaign promises from President Donald Trump to abolish the federal Education Department. — The White House is preparing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education …
Discussion:
New York Times, NOTUS, CNN, Advocate, ABC News, The Daily Caller, Truthout, Breitbart, UPI, The National Pulse, Raw Story, The Daily Wire, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, NPR, USA Today, WFLA, DNyuz, The Independent and Washington Examiner
Washington Post:
RFK Jr. closes in on HHS Cabinet post after Senate panel vote — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., once seen as a long shot to serve as America's top health official, is now set to head to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now one step closer to running …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, STAT, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, New Republic, Bloomberg, The Hill, CBS News and Daily Mail
RELATED:
Adam Wren / Politico:
Sen. Todd Young will back Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
Discussion:
NBC News, USA Today, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Federal News Network, NOTUS, Axios, U.S. Senator Susan Collins …, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, One America News Network, UPI, The Independent, Scripps News, Blaze Media, Deadline, Fox News, The Daily Wire, The Transom, Mediaite and The Post Millennial
New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Committee Votes to Advance Tulsi Gabbard's Bid for Intelligence Post
Trump Administration Live Updates: Committee Votes to Advance Tulsi Gabbard's Bid for Intelligence Post
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Politico, Washington Examiner, CBS News, WNYW-TV, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Axios, Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, The Independent, NOTUS, NBC News, WSVN-TV, DNyuz, ABC News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Bangor Daily News, The Hill, Fox News, New York Daily News, MSNBC, Althouse, RedState, Townhall, Blaze Media, New York Post and The Daily Caller
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Order Set to Ban Transgender Girls and Women From Female School Sports — The NCAA has indicated it will move rapidly to change its rules in the face of such an order — WASHINGTON—President Trump is preparing to issue an executive order Wednesday effectively banning transgender girls …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump's orders
Discussion:
Nature and The Daily Caller
Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:
Trump Is Testing Our Constitutional System. It's Doing Fine.
Trump Is Testing Our Constitutional System. It's Doing Fine.
Discussion:
ABC News
Rachael Bade / Politico:
Democrats Are Falling For Trump and Musk's Foreign Aid Trap — Three veteran strategists want their party to be more thoughtful about fighting Trump's anti-bureaucracy campaign. — After three months of soul-searching about how to revive their party, some Democrats this week believe …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Bulwark and The Independent
Michael Waldman / Brennan Center for Justice:
Breaking the Law — Just weeks in, the Trump administration has violated rules, laws, and the Constitution. — “In America,” Thomas Paine wrote at the founding, “the law is king.” Amid today's governing and constitutional crisis, we are finding out whether that is still true.
RELATED:
Joe Perticone / The Bulwark:
Musk's USAID Shutdown: ‘This Is What the Beginning of Dictatorship Looks Like’
Musk's USAID Shutdown: ‘This Is What the Beginning of Dictatorship Looks Like’
Discussion:
CNN, Axios, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Caller
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
‘Things Are Going to Get Intense:’ How a Musk Ally Plans to Push AI on the Government — Thomas Shedd, a Musk-associate and now head of the General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services (TTS), told government tech workers in a meeting this week that the administration plans …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Wired, TechCrunch and New York Times
NOTUS:
Republican Senators Say They're Fine Handing Their Power to Elon Musk — Musk's actions may be unconstitutional but “nobody should bellyache about that,” Sen. Thom Tillis said. — Copy — Tech billionaire Elon Musk is working to shut down government agencies and cancel congressionally approved funding …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Semafor, The Dispatch, Talking Points Memo, Digby's Hullabaloo, ABC News, Orlando Sentinel, The Independent and Grabien
Michael Silver / New York Times:
NFL to remove ‘End Racism’ messaging in end zone ahead of Super Bowl: Sources — NEW ORLEANS — At his annual news conference Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed strong support for the league's policies designed to promote diversity at the club-employment level and indicated that those endeavors will continue.
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, USA Today, UPI, WAVY-TV, The Post Millennial, Mediaite, Fox News, RedState, Breitbart, Daily Mail, Defector, The Daily Wire, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Examiner
Greg Allen / NPR:
‘Beyond betrayal.’ Venezuelans in Florida are angry at Trump immigration policy — MIAMI — Venezuelan migrants in South Florida say they feel betrayed by a Trump administration decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of people who fled dictatorships and sought refuge in the U.S.
Discussion:
NBC News, Federal Register, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, Florida Politics, Breitbart, Associated Press, Orlando Sentinel, Axios and Bloomberg
Associated Press:
Trump will attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans. He'll be the first sitting president to go — Donald Trump is going to the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday, the first sitting president to do so. The U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Trump and Musk demand termination of federal office leases through General Services Administration — One of the next moves in President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's sweeping effort to fire government employees and curtail operations is using the agency that manages thousands …
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Magazine and Chicago Tribune
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Negotiations stall ahead of shutdown deadline as Democrats slam Trump for subverting spending laws — Democrats are eying the March 14 deadline to push back on Trump's recent unilateral actions, saying he needs to follow the law on government funding. — WASHINGTON — Government funding negotiations …
Discussion:
New York Times
Jean Chemnick / Politico:
EPA spending freeze continues despite court orders — Two judges have ordered the administration to lift the freeze. But nonprofits and states still can't get money for contracts backed by the Inflation Reduction Act. — The Trump administration is still freezing many climate …
Discussion:
Esquire, RedState, Oregon Capital Chronicle and Bloomberg
Olivia Reingold / The Free Press:
EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Penny Gets Hired by Andreessen Horowitz — “Daniel acted with courage in a tough situation,” said partner David Ulevitch in a statement explaining the hire. — In less than two months, Daniel Penny has gone from facing a potential 20 years in prison to landing a role …
Discussion:
RedState and The Information, more at Techmeme »
Stephen Neukam / Axios:
Scoop: Senate Dems plot USAID revenge on Trump … - Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios on Tuesday that he's willing to place holds on Trump nominees on the Senate Judiciary Committee. — Blumenthal said the caucus is proceeding as if there is a blanket hold on Trump nominations.
Discussion:
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz …, New Republic, NPR, KTLA, WTOP News and PBS NewsHour
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Begins Migrant Flights to Guantanamo Bay — The Trump administration has said it would expand operations at the American naval base in Cuba to hold up to 30,000 immigrants — WASHINGTON—The first flights carrying detained migrants from the U.S. to Guantanamo Bay have headed …
Discussion:
New York Post, The Guardian, The Independent, Washington Examiner, U.S. Southern Command and Instapundit
The Bulwark:
Anne Applebaum: Outside the Rule of Law — If the Chinese hacked the U.S. government the way private citizen Elon has, it would be a major act of cyber warfare. And since Elon is a government contractor, he's now in a position to make policy calls that benefit his own companies and hurt his competitors …
Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Proud Boys Lose Control of Their Name to a Black Church They Vandalized — A judge awarded the trademarked name and symbols to a Washington church to help satisfy a $2.8 million judgment against the far-right group. — The Proud Boys no longer have control over their own name.
Discussion:
The Bulwark, CBS News, The Guardian, Law & Crime, UPI, WUSA, New Republic, Daily Kos, The Independent and Washingtonian
Alvise Armellini / Reuters:
Donald Trump Jr. accused of illegal duck hunting near Venice — Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. President Donald Trump, broke Italian and European Union environmental protection laws when he hunted ducks near Venice in December, according to two Italian Green party lawmakers.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Politico, New York Times, Agenzia ANSA, Page Six and Global News
Daniel Gonzalez / Arizona Republic:
Family member condemns use of armored vehicle, stun grenades in Phoenix ICE arrest — A family member is speaking out against an ICE operation in northwest Phoenix on Sunday, calling it an unnecessary use of force that involved an armored vehicle, flash bang grenades and several dozen ICE agents …
Discussion:
Daily Mail
