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7:20 AM ET, February 5, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Washington Post:
Trump proposes U.S. ‘take over’ Gaza, permanent displacement of residents  —  The idea, a first indicator of Trump's approach to the conflict, was sure to inflame the region given the history of Palestinians' displacement from their territory.
RELATED:
NBC News:
‘Deranged’ and ‘problematic’: Bipartisan lawmakers bash Trump's Gaza proposal  —  Trump said Tuesday night that the U.S. “will take over Gaza” and send in troops “if necessary.”  —  Criticism and concern spread across both sides of the aisle Tuesday night following President Donald Trump's announcement …
Politico:
Trump's plan to ‘take over’ Gaza Strip confuses GOP lawmakers
Discussion: NOTUS
Associated Press:
Trump suggests displaced Palestinians in Gaza be ‘permanently’ resettled outside war-torn territory
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
Live updates: Trump wants US to take ownership of Gaza Strip
New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Committee Votes to Advance Tulsi Gabbard's Bid for Intelligence Post
Paul Campos / Lawyers, Guns & Money:
Fetterman Supports US Occupation Of Gaza
Discussion: Grabien
Wall Street Journal:
The CIA Is About to Get a Trump Makeover  —  Spy agency's workforce receives buyout-style offer  —  WASHINGTON—The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts to its entire workforce Tuesday, in what officials said is a bid to bring the agency in line with President Trump's priorities, including targeting drug cartels.
RELATED:
CNN:   CIA sends ‘buyout’ offers to entire workforce
Dan De Luce / NBC News:
CIA offers buyouts to workforce as Trump administration continues efforts to scale back government
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 …
RELATED:
The Atlantic:
Trump Advisers Stopped Musk From Hiring a Noncitizen at DOGE  —  As Elon Musk set out to upend the federal bureaucracy on behalf of Donald Trump, he reached out to Trump's team with an unusual request: U.S. law generally prohibits noncitizens from working for the federal government …
Reuters:
Musk creates new power base in Washington with takeover of US agencies  —  Elon Musk's rapid takeover of two U.S. government agencies has enabled the South African-born billionaire to exert unprecedented control over America's 2.2-million-member federal workforce and begin a dramatic reshaping of government.
Joseph Gedeon / The Guardian:
Democrats join protest against Musk's ‘hostile takeover’ of federal payment systems  —  Trump ally, whose team has reportedly gained access to sensitive data, accused of ‘desecrating our constitution’  —  Hundreds of protesters and a contingent of Democratic lawmakers rallied outside …
Discussion: Bloomberg, IJR, Townhall, WAGA-TV and WTOP News
NBC News:   Elon Musk gets quiet White House reminders his power isn't unchecked
RELATED:
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Treasury Defends Musk Team's Access to Federal Payment System  —  The department said that no payments would be interrupted and that it was conducting a review of the integrity of the system.  —  The Treasury Department said on Tuesday that it was not stopping or rejecting federal expenditures …
Michael Stratford / Politico:
Treasury defends DOGE's ‘read-only access’ to payments system
NBC News:
Federal health workers terrified after ‘DEI’ website publishes list of ‘targets’  —  The site calls out workers who have been involved with DEI initiatives.  A majority are Black.  —  Federal health workers are expressing fear and alarm after a website called “DEI Watch List” published the photos …
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.
Discussion: E&E News and DNyuz
RELATED:
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
There Is No Going Back  —  Even if anyone had elected Elon Musk to anything …
Discussion: DNyuz and Chicago Tribune
Elizabeth Popp Berman / Liberal Currents:
Personal Discretion Over the Treasury's Payments System Means the End of Democracy
Discussion: maaarine
Slate:
Elon Musk's Power Grab Is Lawless, Dangerous, and—Yes—a Coup
CNN:
Hong Kong CNN  —  The US Postal Service says it has temporarily suspended the acceptance of incoming international parcels from China and Hong Kong until further notice.  —  It did not provide a reason for the suspension, but said in a statement Tuesday the flow of letters will not be affected.
RELATED:
Michael Sainato / The Guardian:
Doge staffers enter Noaa headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats  —  Members reportedly sought access to IT systems at agency that Project 2025 has called ‘harmful to US prosperity’  —  Staffers with Elon Musk's “department of government efficiency” (Doge) reportedly entered …
CNN:
Multiple ICE impersonation arrests made during nationwide immigration crackdown  —  Editor's note: This story contains profane and hateful language.  —  Authorities in at least three states have arrested individuals allegedly impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers …
RELATED:
Daniel Gonzalez / Arizona Republic:
Family member condemns use of armored vehicle, stun grenades in Phoenix ICE arrest
Discussion: Daily Mail
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 …
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 …
RELATED:
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:
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 …
Aseem Bassi / India Today:
US military plane carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants lands in Amritsar  —  Police and civil administration officials were at the airport to receive the 104 illegal immigrants comprising 79 men and 25 women.  An official from the US Embassy was also present. … In Short
Discussion: The Independent
RELATED:
Ross O'Keefe / Washington Examiner:
Biden signs with Hollywood agency  —  Former President Joe Biden is signing with a Hollywood agency in one of the first major indicators of what the 82-year-old will do after his presidency.  —  Biden previously signed with the Creative Artists Agency from 2017 to 2020 after leaving office as vice president.
Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:
Senate confirms Pam Bondi to lead Justice Department  —  The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Pam Bondi as the next attorney general, giving her control of a Justice Department embroiled in controversy.  —  The vote was 54-46.  Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joined all Republicans in voting in support of Bondi.
Discussion: New York Times
RELATED:
Melissa Quinn / CBS News:
Pam Bondi confirmed as attorney general in 54-46 vote
Wall Street Journal:
How Trump Gutted America's $40 Billion Aid Agency in Two Weeks  —  Dismantling of USAID appears to be a test case for new administration  —  WASHINGTON—The cuts came so fast that one dismissed employee had to be rehired to process other employees' time sheets.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Veronica Riccobene / The Lever:
From Watergate to Elon-gate  —  Musk is trying to shut down the agency probing his company's equipment …
Samantha Cole / 404 Media:
Workers at NASA Told to ‘Drop Everything’ to Scrub Mentions of Indigenous People, Women from Its Websites
Discussion: Semafor and SpaceNews
Cathy Gellis / Techdirt:
When It's Not Just A Coup But A CFAA Violation Too
 Earlier Items: 
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Negotiations stall ahead of shutdown deadline as Democrats slam Trump for subverting spending laws
Discussion: New York Times
NBC News:
White House preparing executive order to abolish the Department of Education
 

 
From Mediagazer:

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

Liam Scott / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at the First Amendment Watch's SLAPP Back Initiative, a US SLAPP tracker; in 2024, 69 of 500 cases involved the media, of which 46 were dismissed

 
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