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12:40 PM ET, February 13, 2025

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 Top Items: 
Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Trump administration was set to purchase $400 million worth of armored Teslas  —  The Trump administration is expected to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla vehicles, according to a new State Department document detailing procurement for fiscal year 2025.
RELATED:
Oliver Willis / Daily Kos:
State Department buries massive payout to Tesla after public outcry  —  The Trump administration is trying to hide plans to hand off $400 million in taxpayer funds to Tesla, the electric car company owned by the world's richest man—Trump supporter Elon Musk.
Discussion: YouGov and Townhall
Matthew Gault / Gizmodo:
The $400 Million Armored Tesla Story Is a Fake Scandal In a Sea of Real Graft and Horror  —  The State Department does a lot of business with a lot of different companies and has bought Tesla's before.  But freaking out and editing a spreadsheet when it's pointed out is weird.
Chad De Guzman / Time:
Mention of Tesla Removed From $400 Million State Dept. Contract Amid Scrutiny of Musk  —  The State Department was planning to buy $400 million worth of “Armored Tesla” later this year, according to its 2025 procurement forecast, a document outlining projections of anticipated contracts, which was published in December.
Jack Ewing / New York Times:
State Dept. Plans $400 Million Purchase of Armored Tesla Cybertrucks  —  The department plans to buy armored Tesla vehicles.  Elon Musk, who is leading efforts to cut government spending, has won more than $13 billion in government contracts in the past five years.
Politico:
Europe braces for a future without the US as a reliable ally  —  European defense leaders are preparing for a tense gathering with the Trump team.  —  MUNICH — European allies are bracing this week for the answer to a question they've been dreading to ask: Can they really count on the United States?
RELATED:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
A Valentine for Vladimir  —  After January's inflation numbers, published yesterday, seemed to indicate expectations of more price hikes under Trump, the Wall Street Journal editorial page has a warning for the president that the policies he's been doggedly committed to for decades could be bad for the economy.
Financial Times:
Donald Trump opens the door to Vladimir Putin's grandest ambitions
Jakub Krupa / The Guardian:
Politicians weigh in on immigration debate after 28 injured as car hits crowd in Munich - Europe live
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Hegseth's Ukraine bombshell and Trump's Putin call leave NATO reeling
Politico:
Russia rejoices at Trump-Putin call as Zelenskyy rejects talks without Ukraine present
Noah Keate / Politico:
Ukraine's Brit allies cry ‘appeasement’ as Trump talks to Putin
Discussion: The Guardian, Metro.co.uk and Politico
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Health secretary; McConnell lone GOP dissenter  —  Longtime vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy is now the nation's top health official, after the Senate Thursday voted almost entirely on party lines to confirm him atop a department of nearly 100,000 employees that run 13 agencies.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Yes  —  If confirmed, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will oversee agencies that administer Medicare and Medicaid …
Discussion: IJR
Natasha Korecki / NBC News:
Senate votes to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary
Paul Krugman:
Elon Musk Is Faking It  —  The fraudster who cried “fraud”  —  Did you hear the one about how USAID spent $50 million — or was it $100 million? — providing condoms to Hamas?  This claim played a big role in the public relations campaign to rationalize the sudden, illegal dismantling …
RELATED:
Politico:
Walz considering Minnesota Senate run  —  Democratic Sen. Tina Smith announced earlier Thursday she would not seek reelection.  —  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is considering a run for Senate next year, according to a person close to the governor who was granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations.
RELATED:
Tina Smith / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Why I'll leave the U.S. Senate after serving out my term
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
How to stop Trump's power grab  —  At this point, there is little doubt that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are engaged in a fundamentally unlawful effort to rewrite the American constitutional order.  Their efforts to redirect federal spending are attempts to seize Congress's power of the purse …
Washington Post:
Justice, FBI ousters remove longtime experts from daily threats meeting  —  Trump administration shake-ups at the Justice Department and FBI have eroded continuity on national security matters, people familiar with the situation said.  —  Every morning at 9:45, top FBI and Justice Department officials meet …
New York Times:
Some Migrants Sent by Trump to Guantánamo Are Being Held by Military Guards  —  The Times has obtained a list of 53 Venezuelan men the Trump administration has put in a wartime prison built to hold Al Qaeda suspects.  —  Dozens of Venezuelan migrants sent by the Trump administration …
RELATED:
Brittany Gibson / Axios:
Trump's mass deportation plan hits its own wall
Discussion: Alternet.org and NBC News
Politico:
Playbook: A make-or-break moment  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  Good morning.  This is Eugene Daniels in the driver's seat on a consequential day for the House GOP, President Trump's legislative agenda, American health care, the FBI, India and all of Europe.
Discussion: Punchbowl News and New York Times
RELATED:
Politico:
Johnson's budget dare
Discussion: E&E News and Semafor
Jon Gambrell / Associated Press:
Elon Musk calls for the US to ‘delete entire agencies’ from the federal government  —  Elon Musk called on Thursday for the United States to “delete entire agencies” from the federal government as part of his push under President Donald Trump to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities.
RELATED:
Sadanand Dhume / Wall Street Journal:
If Indians and Pakistanis Can Relocate, Why Can't Gazans?  —  Population transfers aren't a Trump innovation.  There are plenty of examples from the 20th century.  —  President Trump's idea that the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip and relocate two million Palestinians has elicited outrage and derision.
Axios:
Trump nominations loom over Senate's cherished Munich trip … - In an email to senators, Thune warned they may have to stay in town to vote on President Trump's nominations on Friday, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.  — That would delay, and potentially cancel …
Discussion: Punchbowl News
Rene Marsh / CNN:
Mass firings have begun at federal agencies  —  Mass firings have begun at federal agencies, with terminations of probationary employees underway at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration, federal employees and union sources told CNN Wednesday.
David Bixenspan / Public Notice:
Linda McMahon is much worse than you think  —  💭 🤔 💥 With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever.  Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.  If you aren't one already …
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Trump executive order leads to $100 energy bill hike for hundreds in Alabama  —  Donald Trump promised that, as president, he would drastically lower Americans' energy bills.  “[W]e're going to make it a much — a much different place,” Trump said during a November 14 speech at Mar-a-Lago.
Teddy Rosenbluth / New York Times:
Measles Outbreak Hits Town in Texas  —  As of Tuesday, 22 children and two adults had been infected, all of whom were unvaccinated, local officials said.  —  A worsening measles outbreak has taken root in Texas, sickening two dozen and hospitalizing nine on the western edge of the state …
S.V. Date / HuffPost:
Musk Claims To Know The Net Worths Of Federal Employees - But How?  —  His Oval Office remark suggests a remarkable invasion of privacy of potentially millions of federal employees.  —  LOADING  —  WASHINGTON - Elon Musk suggests he has obtained access to the personal financial records …
Washington Post:
Musk team kicks off federal layoffs as White House eyes big cuts  —  The Trump administration's plan for shrinking the civilian workforce is coming into increasingly clear view.  —  Billionaire Elon Musk's team has initiated sweeping layoffs of federal employees, as the Trump administration races …
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Senate panel votes ‘yes’ on Trump's pick to lead the FBI  —  Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the FBI, was voted out of committee along party lines on Thursday morning.  The 12-10 vote from the Senate Judiciary Committee paves the way for Patel to be confirmed …
Gregg Gonsalves / New York Times:
I Shudder to Imagine Kennedy Running Our Health Agencies.  —  The Senate has just confirmed as health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, a science denialist who once said there is no vaccine that is safe and effective, who has suggested that Covid might have been genetically engineered to spare Jewish …
Discussion: Associated Press
Christopher F. Schuetze / New York Times:
Dozens Injured as Driver Crashes Car Into Munich Protest  —  The authorities believe the crash, into a union's strike-day demonstration, was a deliberate attack carried out by a 24-year-old man who was known to the police.  —  More than two dozen people were injured when a car crashed …
Discussion: Associated Press and Breitbart
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
China's Salt Typhoon Spies Are Still Hacking Telecoms—Now by Exploiting Cisco Routers  —  Despite high-profile attention and even US sanctions, the group hasn't stopped or even slowed its operation, including the breach of two more US telecoms.  —  When the Chinese hacker group known …
Financial Times:
Donald Trump Jr invests in ‘steroid Olympics’  —  US president's son backs Enhanced Games for athletes using performance drugs  —  Donald Trump's son has backed a proposed sports event for athletes using performance enhancing drugs as the US president shakes up health policy and sports governance.
Carmen Paun / Politico:
US food and medical aid to the world's poorest is still in limbo  —  The Trump administration exempted lifesaving assistance from its foreign aid freeze, but providers say it's still not getting through.  —  Critical U.S. food and medical assistance to the world's poorest countries isn't getting through …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Anna Kramer / NOTUS:
Pennsylvania Still Can't Access More than $1 Billion in Federal Funds, Per New Lawsuit
Discussion: USA Today
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
February 2025 California Poll: Kamala Harris Emerges as Democratic Frontrunner for Governor
Discussion: Washington Examiner and Townhall
Joey McFadden / The Daily Beast:
Ex-Trump Adviser: Putin Swigging Vodka to Celebrate Gabbard
Discussion: HuffPost
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal:
Jayapal Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Citizens United
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Apple Resumes Advertising on X
Michael Embrich / Rolling Stone:
Trump and Musk Are Going to War Against Military Veterans
Discussion: al.com and Breitbart
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Musk took all their power, so Republicans remake Congress into a ministry of disinformation
 Earlier Items: 
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
The White House Is Now Running The Justice Department
Sergio Hernández / ProPublica:
ProPublica Updates Supreme Connections Database With Previously Missing Disclosures
Jonathan Lambert / NPR:
Sen. Ted Cruz's list of ‘woke’ science includes self-driving cars and solar eclipses
Megan Brenan / Gallup:
More Democrats Favor Party Moderation Than in Past
Discussion: The Hill and Semafor
Luis Ferré-Sadurní / New York Times:
New York Got $80 Million for Migrants. The White House Took It Back.
Washington Post:
Trump closes down federal worker buyout offer after judge lifts hold
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Elon Musk's X to pay about $10 million to settle Trump lawsuit over account suspension
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Hegseth's rough start: Pentagon chief faces protest at U.S. base abroad
Discussion: RedState and The War Zone
 

 
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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