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11:25 PM ET, February 6, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Katherine Long / Wall Street Journal:
Exclusive |  DOGE Staffer Resigns Over Racist Posts  —  A staffer for Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency whose access to U.S. Treasury payment systems was approved by a federal judge on Thursday has links to a deleted social-media account that advocated for racism and eugenics.
RELATED:
Wired:
The US Treasury Claimed DOGE Technologist Didn't Have ‘Write Access’ When He Actually Did  —  Sources tell WIRED that the ability of DOGE's Marko Elez to alter code controlling trillions in federal spending was rescinded days after US Treasury and White House officials said it didn't exist.
ProPublica:
Elon Musk's Demolition Crew  —  On President Donald Trump's authority alone, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has been unleashed on federal agencies.  Employees from Musk's companies and those of his allies, as well as young staffers he's recruited, are wresting authority from career workers and commandeering computer systems.
Shelby Talcott / Semafor:
DOGE follows longtime Musk pattern — and turns attention to Social Security Administration  —  Elon Musk's DOGE shuttered USAID.  It has searched Medicare payments and gained access to a sensitive Treasury Department payment system.  Its initial Labor Department presence prompted a lawsuit.
Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politico and DNyuz
CNN:
Musk associates sought to use critical Treasury payment system to shut down USAID spending, emails show
RELATED:
Politico:
Note to Our Readers  —  POLITICO has been the subject of debate on X this week.  Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false.  Let's set the record straight.  —  POLITICO has been the subject of debate on X this week.  Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false.
Christian Paz / Vox:
What a wild conspiracy theory about Politico tells us about how Trump governs
Liam Reilly / CNN:
White House says it will cancel $8 million in Politico subscriptions after a false right-wing conspiracy theory spreads
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
Senate Confirms Russell Vought as Office of Management and Budget Director  —  Mr. Vought, an architect of Project 2025 who served in the first Trump administration, will be at the center of President Trump's plans to upend the federal bureaucracy.  —  The Senate voted along party lines …
RELATED:
Stephen Groves / Associated Press:
Senate confirms Project 2025 architect Russell Vought to lead powerful White House budget office
Tony Romm / Washington Post:   Senate confirms Russell Vought to lead White House budget office
Newsweek:
DOGE Emails Went Out to Federal Judges by Mistake  —  One of the people who received an email from allies of  —  was a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit aimed at blocking these messages.  —  “I, like probably every other judge in the country, also received the [Office of Personnel Management] …
RELATED:
RELATED:
Reuters:
Trump administration to keep only 294 USAID staff out of over 10,000 globally, sources say
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:
Trump Tax Priorities Total $5 to $11 Trillion  —  In a closed-door meeting with House Leadership today President Trump reportedly outlined his tax priorities.  According to press reports, they included extending the expiring pieces of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA); …
Bill Allison / Bloomberg:
Trump Fires Head of Federal Election Panel, But She Won't Leave  — Commissioner Ellen Weintraub says procedures weren't followed  — Weintraub, a frequent Trump antagonist, joined the FEC in 2002  —  The chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission posted a letter from President Donald …
RELATED:
Shawn McCreesh / New York Times:
Trump Pauses Online Tirade to Preach Unity
Roy Canivel / The Daily Dot:
Conservative film critic who called child trafficking movie a ‘call to action’ arrested for child molestation  —  In 2023, Aaron Craig Gleason wrote a review for the conservative publication the Federalist about The Sound of Freedom, an indie hit and a favorite among right-wing circles.
Discussion: Raw Story
Washington Post:
Elon Musk's DOGE is feeding sensitive federal data into AI to target cuts  —  At the Department of Education, the tech billionaire's team has turned to artificial intelligence to hunt for potential spending cuts —  part of a broader plan to deploy the technology across the federal government.
RELATED:
Wired:
Elon Musk's DOGE Is Working on a Custom Chatbot Called GSAi  —  The chatbot is part of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's ambitions to use AI and other technologies to cut costs and modernize the US government.  —  Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is pushing to rapidly develop …
Juliet Macur / New York Times:
N.C.A.A., Following Trump's Order, Excludes Transgender Athletes From Women's Sports  —  The decision, effective immediately, came a day after President Trump signed an order barring transgender girls and women from playing in women's sports at federally funded educational institutions.
RELATED:
NCAA.org:
NCAA President Charlie Baker issues statement regarding Trump administration executive order
Jessica Riedl:
Yes, My Name has Changed...  ...but my focus on center-right economic policy will continue  —  Hi everyone, well, this is awkward.  I have always been comfortable presenting my economic research in meetings, speeches, national TV interviews, and Congressional testimony.
Zach Montague / New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Judge Delays Program Offering Federal Workers Incentives to Quit  —  Where Things Stand  — Judge delays resignation plan: A federal judge in Massachusetts has stopped, at least temporarily, the Trump administration's effort to get federal employees …
Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
Do Democrats Have a Plan?  —  Senator Brian Schatz on how the Party should be responding to Donald Trump's breakneck assault on the government.  —  Three weeks into office, President Trump has issued a slew of controversial executive orders, fired officials across government agencies …
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Sotomayor hits presidential immunity decision in first public comments since new Trump admin  —  Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday doubled down on her opposition to the presidential immunity decision last summer and expressed concern about public confidence in the high court.
Robert Downen / The Texas Tribune:
Houston man pardoned by Trump arrested on child sex charge  —  Andrew Taake received a six-year sentence for assaulting officers on Jan. 6.  He was arrested Thursday on an outstanding charge of soliciting a minor.  —  A Houston man who was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump for his role …
Stephanie Nolen / New York Times:
Dozens of Clinical Trials Have Been Frozen in Response to Trump's USAID Order  —  The stop-work order on U.S.A.I.D.-funded research has left thousands of people with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, with no access to monitoring or care.  —  Asanda Zondi received a startling phone call …
Andrew Prokop / Vox:
All the ways Elon Musk is breaking the law, explained by a law professor  —  Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is moving fast and breaking the law — lots of laws.  —  The scope of Trump and Musk's sweeping effort to purge the federal workforce and slash government spending …
Discussion: Rolling Stone and Reuters
RELATED:
Patrick Reis / Vox:
A setback for Elon Musk's plan to gut the federal workforce
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
White House Preparing Order to Cut Thousands of Federal Health Workers  —  The executive order could come as soon as next week, if the Trump administration goes ahead with plans  —  The White House is working on an executive order to fire thousands of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services workers …
Discussion: Raw Story and Baltimore Sun
Ella Nilsen / CNN:
Trump energy secretary allowed 23-year-old DOGE rep to access IT systems over objections from general counsel  —  A representative from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was granted access to the Energy Department's IT system on Wednesday by Energy Secretary Chris Wright …
Matt Dixon / NBC News:
Casey DeSantis considers running for Florida governor amid push from top donors  —  The wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has long been rumored as a potential 2026 candidate, but the prospect is inching closer to reality.  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican donors at a gathering last week …
Discussion: al.com, Boston Herald and New York Post
New York Times:
C.D.C. Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Spread Between Cats and People  —  The data, which appeared fleetingly online on Wednesday, confirmed transmission in two households.  Scientists called on the agency to release the full report.  —  Cats that became infected with bird flu might …
Discussion: Forbes and DNyuz
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump's Gaza Takeover Plan May Sound Death Knell for the Two-State Solution  —  Already unlikely, the prospects for creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel could vanish altogether if the United States takes over Gaza and displaces the population, as President Trump proposes.
Aarian Marshall / Wired:
Feds Halt the National Electric Vehicle Charging Program  —  The US government has ordered states to retract their plans to build hundreds of federally funded EV charging stations, according to a memo obtained by WIRED.  —  The US Department of Transportation has ordered states to kill …
 
 
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 More Items: 
NBC News:
Health clinics face cuts, closures as Trump's funding fight ripples outside of Washington
Bradley Hope / Whale Hunting:
Breaking: Christmas Comes Early for Kleptocrats - DOJ Shutters Anti-Corruption Units
Discussion: Rolling Stone and The Hill
Caroline O'Donovan / Washington Post:
Whole Foods says Trump's actions make union win moot
Discussion: WHYY
Sam Stein / The Bulwark:
Trump and Musk Are Strangling the Government
Discussion: Daily Maverick
 Earlier Items: 
Andrew Goudsward / Reuters:
Trump administration disbands task force targeting Russian oligarchs
Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:
‘Trump Brazenly Defies Laws’ is not an A17 story
Discussion: New York Times
Niraj Chokshi / New York Times:
Airline Pilots in the DC Plane Crash Acted as Expected, Experts Say
Discussion: Washington Examiner and DNyuz
Daily Kos:
Trump taps televangelist kook to run new White House ‘faith’ office
Timothy W. Ryback / The Atlantic:
The Oligarchs Who Came to Regret Supporting Hitler
 

 
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

Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:
Sources: Forbes has cut ties with dozens of contributing writers; one exec said Forbes needs to ensure the contributor model is “financially sound”
 
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