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5:05 AM ET, February 12, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Lauren Easton / The Associated Press:
AP statement on Oval Office access  —  The Associated Press issued this statement on Tuesday from Executive Editor Julie Pace:  —  As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Live Updates: Musk Asserts Without Proof That He's Fixing a Bureaucracy Rife With Fraud  —  The billionaire, chosen by President Trump to lead a federal overhaul, insisted he was working transparently, but his team's secretive actions have delivered shocks across the government.
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Hegseth's visit to U.S. base in Germany met with student walkout  —  The civil disobedience by dozens of middle schoolers — and some adults — was aimed at the Trump administration's rollback of DEI initiatives.  —  February 11, 2025  —  Live updates: Trump signs executive order calling on agencies to work with Elon Musk-led group
ProPublica:
The Staffers Helping Elon Musk Dismantle and Downsize the U.S. Government, One Agency at a Time  —  Musk and his lieutenants are reshaping the government and its mission with the blessing of President Trump.  ProPublica has confirmed the names and roles of more than 30 staffers affiliated with the billionaire.
Ben Johansen / Politico:
Associated Press blocked from Oval Office after not using ‘Gulf of America’  —  The White House had threatened to bar the news organization from Tuesday's executive order event, a top editor said, if it did not change their guidance on the body of water.  —  The White House blocked …
Washington Post:
Trump fires USAID inspector general one day after blistering report  —  Paul K. Martin, appointed by President Joe Biden, was dismissed a day after issuing a report assessing the Trump administration implemented its aid freeze and stop-work order.  —  February 11, 2025
Discussion: New York Post
New York Times:
Trump Orders Plans for ‘Large Scale’ Work Force Cuts and Expands Musk's Power  —  The latest executive order by the president made clear that the billionaire's cost-cutting team will have continuing oversight of the Civil Service.  —  President Trump signed an executive order …
Jennifer Hansler / CNN:
USAID IG fired day after report critical of impacts of Trump administration's dismantling of the agency
Washington Post:
Trump executive order vows substantial cuts to federal workforce
Discussion: CBS News
Hadas Gold / CNN:
The AP says it was blocked from the Oval Office over continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico”
Oliver Darcy / Status:   Soon-Shiong's La-La Land
Washington Post:
Trump signs executive order calling on agencies to work with Elon Musk-led group
Associated Press:
Musk appears at White House defending DOGE's work but acknowledging mistakes
Discussion: STAT, Al Jazeera and NBC News
Politico:
Paging Mr. Vance  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the power dynamics …
Discussion: Politico
Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
FEMA official ignores judge's latest order, demands freeze on grant funding  —  Federal workers are being swept into the fight between Donald Trump and federal courts, with four FEMA aides fired Tuesday for being “deep state activists.”  —  WASHINGTON — A senior official …
RELATED:
Luis Ferré-Sadurní / New York Times:
Top FEMA Official Is Fired Over Payments for N.Y.C. Migrant Shelters  —  The Trump administration fired the Federal Emergency Management Agency's chief financial officer and three others after Elon Musk misleadingly claimed the agency had used disaster-relief funds for migrant services.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Not Hyperbole Anymore: Musk Is In Charge of the US Government  —  These are wild times at TPM because they're wild times in the American government.  It's hard to keep up with everything happening from one moment to the next.  I had not had a chance to look at the new DOGE executive order President signed …
Discussion: Breitbart
RELATED:
The White House:
Implementing The President's “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Purpose.
Axios:
Scoop: Dems “pissed” at liberal groups MoveOn, Indivisible … - “People are pissed,” a senior House Democrat who was at the meeting said of lawmakers' reaction to the calls.  — The Democrat said Jeffries himself is “very frustrated” at the groups, who are trying to stir up a more confrontational opposition to Trump.
Discussion: Breitbart, Mediaite and CBS News
Julia Métraux / Mother Jones:
Project 2025 Is Gutting Medical Funding That Helped Russell Vought's Own Kid  —  The National Institutes of Health, the federal government's leading medical research agency, came under attack by Project 2025 well before its architect, Russell Vought, was confirmed to Donald Trump's second-term cabinet …
Discussion: STAT, Time and Raw Story
Eugene Ludwig / Politico:
Voters Were Right About the Economy.  The Data Was Wrong.  —  Here's why unemployment is higher, wages are lower and growth less robust than government statistics suggest.  —  Before the presidential election, many Democrats were puzzled by the seeming disconnect between “economic reality” …
Discussion: HotAir
NBC News:
Appeals court rejects Trump administration bid to reinstate funding freeze  —  The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Justice Department's request to pause a judge's order while it challenges the order in court.  —  A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's bid …
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
American Detainee Marc Fogel Arrives in U.S. Following Release From Russian Custody  —  Arrested in 2021, the schoolteacher was serving a 14-year prison sentence  —  American Marc Fogel arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday night after his release from Russia, where he was arrested in 2021 on marijuana charges …
RELATED:
Ryan Deto / Axios:
Marc Fogel released from Russian prison
Politico:
Treasury officials: Musk ally ‘mistakenly’ had power to alter payments system  —  The incident prompted an internal forensic investigation that remains ongoing.  —  Treasury Department officials said Tuesday that the agency last week “mistakenly” and “briefly” gave a member of Elon Musk's team …
RELATED:
Wired:
Dozens of CFPB Workers Fired in After-Hours Blitz  —  Some affected employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were notified with an email that addressed them as [EmployeeFirstName][EmployeeLastName], [Job Title], [Division].  —  Dozens of Consumer Finance Protection Bureau employees …
Discussion: Slate and Yahoo Finance
Jason Kelley / Electronic Frontier Foundation:
EFF Sues DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management to Halt Ransacking of Federal Data  —  EFF and a coalition of privacy defenders have filed a lawsuit today asking a federal court to block Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the private information of millions …
Discussion: Wired and Politico
RELATED:
Julianne McShane / Mother Jones:
Please Don't Use Nancy Mace's So-Called Victim Hotline, Advocates Say  —  On the House floor Monday night—in a speech that was jarring, graphic, and nearly an hour long—Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) made disturbing allegations of sexual abuse against four men from her home state, one of whom is her ex-fiancé.
Melissa Quinn / CBS News:
Judge orders HHS, CDC and FDA to restore deleted webpages with health information  —  Washington — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration to restore webpages and data …
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
President Elon Musk Suddenly Realizes He Might Not Know How to Govern  —  A weekend interaction between Vanity Fair's Molly Jong-Fast and Elon Musk unexpectedly showcased just how little the world's richest man understands about the effects of his slashing spree at the top of the federal government.
Discussion: Daily Kos
Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:
Federal Agency Fires Staff, Calls It an Error, Fires Them Again  — Small Business Administration workers receive series of emails  — Firings align with Musk's effort to reduce federal workforce  —  President Donald Trump's Small Business Administration told probationary staff members …
Discussion: Politico
Brandi Buchman / HuffPost:
Trump DOJ Accused of Deleting Evidence In Jan. 6 Court Cases  —  Videos are mysteriously missing from an online portal that is legally required to house evidence related to Jan. 6 cases, according to a new lawsuit.  —  LOADING  —  Federal courts and judges have repeatedly ordered …
more at Mediagazer »
Foreign Affairs:
The Path to American Authoritarianism  —  What Comes After Democratic Breakdown  —  Donald Trump's first election to the presidency in 2016 triggered an energetic defense of democracy from the American establishment.  But his return to office has been met with striking indifference.
Aimee Picchi / CBS News:
Almost $500 million in food is at risk of spoilage after USAID pause, report says  —  Almost $500 million in food aid is at risk of spoilage as it sits in ports, ships and warehouses after funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, was paused by the Trump administration …
Discussion: Frontpage Mag and The Guardian
Ellen Knickmeyer / Associated Press:
Trump administration owes US business millions in unpaid bills amid USAID shutdown, lawsuit says  —  The White House fired the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday, a U.S. official said.  It comes a day after the watchdog's office warned …
Discussion: Reuters
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Gaming Out Going Head to Head with the Trumpist Scourge  —  I want to take a moment to address a few questions I've gotten about a potential standoff between congressional Democrats and President Trump over the DOGE wilding gangs he's allowing to run free through the executive branch.
Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo
 
 
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 More Items: 
Bloomberg:
Greek Lawmakers Elect Country's New President in Fourth Attempt
Discussion: Reuters
Politico:
Trump to nominate Sean Cairncross as national cyber director
Discussion: Axios and CyberScoop
Nick Miroff / Washington Post:
Top ICE officials reassigned amid strain to meet Trump deportation goals
Discussion: Shore News Network
Gustaf Kilander / The Independent:
Trump State Department official has repeatedly called for mass sterilization of ‘low-IQ trash’
Discussion: Daily Kos and NOTUS
Mike Heuer / UPI:
Federal workers, union members, supporters rally on Capitol Hill
 Earlier Items: 
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Exclusive: Disney making changes to its DEI efforts
House Committee on the Judiciary:
Reining in the Administrative State: Regulatory and Administrative Law Reform
Discussion: RedState
Congressman Buddy Carter:
Carter introduces bill renaming Greenland
 

 
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

Oliver Darcy / Status:
Sources: David Ellison's interference in WBD's failed summer talks to extend HBO Max's South Park licensing deal left David Zaslav distrustful of Ellison

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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