Senior U.S. prosecutor resigns, citing demands to open probe into Biden-era contract  —  The top federal prosecutor who supervised criminal cases at the Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney's office resigned on Tuesday, citing what she described as an improper demand by officials appointed …

Musk Ally Demands Admin Access to System That Lets Government Text the Public  —  A worker at the General Services Administration told colleagues in a Slack message Tuesday that they have resigned in protest after Elon Musk ally Thomas Shedd requested “admin/root access to all components …

U.S. weighs destroying $500 million in stockpiled covid tests  —  The government is reviewing proposals to shut down the program that ships free covid tests to American households and has been considering destroying 160 million tests.

F.D.A.'s Food Safety Chief Resigns Over Trump Administration Layoffs  —  The chief said the loss of critical employees overseeing the nation's food supply made his work impossible.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's new health secretary, has pledged to gut the division.

Not Even DOGE Employees Know Who's Legally Running DOGE  —  Despite all appearances, the White House insists that Elon Musk is not in charge of DOGE.  US Doge Service employees can't get a straight answer about who is.  —  President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have repeatedly affirmed Musk's leadership …

Judge calls prosecutors into court to explain reasons for abandoning Eric Adams case  —  Judge Dale Ho scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.  —  NEW YORK — The federal judge overseeing the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams ordered the mayor and federal prosecutors to appear …

‘Good luck with that.’ Trump administration terminates privacy officials at agency overseeing government hiring and firing  —  The Trump administration has quietly fired multiple members of the “privacy team” and other officials from the office that oversees the hiring of federal workers …

As U.S. and Russian Officials Meet, Talks Are Set to Go Beyond Ukraine  —  The two sides met in Saudi Arabia for their most extensive discussions in years.  In addition to Ukraine, business ties are on the table.  —  Senior American and Russian officials agreed on Tuesday to establish teams …

Senator says GOP's hands are tied on DOGE cuts — ‘except complain’  —  Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said Congress is powerless in the face of cuts from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.  “Congress can't do anything except complain” about the slashing of the federal government …

Trump's DOJ Erases Report On Violence Against Native American Women  —  The Justice Department has removed a report from its website that lays out recommendations for tackling the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women.  —  The Not Invisible Act Commission's final report …

Defense Department layoffs expected to start soon, officials say  —  Pentagon agencies were told to submit lists of probationary employees after members of Elon Musk's DOGE arrived, people familiar with the matter said.  —  The Trump administration has directed defense agencies to turn …

Under Trump's Mass Deportation Plan, Some Migrants Are Being Sent to Panama  —  Migrants deported from the United States are being held at the Decapolis Hotel Panama in Panama City.  The deportees come from Afghanistan, Iran, China and other nations.  —  They arrived at the United States border …

Hamas says it will release bodies of four hostages, including Bibas children, on Thursday and six living hostages on Saturday  —  Hamas on Tuesday said that it will release the dead bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including the two youngest people held by the group, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.

National Science Foundation Fires 168 Workers as Federal Purge Continues  —  Firings at the NSF included permanent employees who had already completed their one-year probationary period, as well as at-will workers.  —  The National Science Foundation fired nearly 170 workers in a Zoom call …

US Postal Service head DeJoy to step down after 5 years marked by pandemic, losses and cost cuts  —  Louis DeJoy, the head of the U.S. Postal Service, intends to step down, the federal agency said Tuesday, after a nearly five-year tenure marked by the coronavirus pandemic …

Birthright Citizenship  —  Since the publication of our opinion piece on birthright citizenship in the New York Times ("Trump Might Have a Case on Birthright Citizenship"), we have received numerous critiques, some quite thoughtful (others less so), both in this and other venues.

DOGE Tipline  —  The actions taken by Donald Trump through his executive orders and Elon Musk's tampering with federal agencies and systems are creating havoc within the government.  Have you been affected by this?  —  Please use the form below to share your story with us!

FAA Employees Say Trump and Musk's Purge Is a ‘Threat’ to Air Safety  —  After firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees, the Trump administration is now attempting to downplay safety concerns  —  Donald Trump and Elon Musk fired hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration …

Zachary Levi Begs Elon Musk Not To Fire The ‘Good’ Federal Workers Who Voted For Trump  —  The “Shazam” star was upset that Trump supporters are getting “lost in the cracks” during DOGE's firing frenzy.  —  LOADING  —  Oh, bless his heart: Zachary Levi seems to believe that a billionaire cares …

Trump Administration Wants to Let Banks Jack Up Overdraft Fees  —  The administration's assault on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is turning into a direct attack on consumers  —  The Trump administration is looking to overturn a Biden-era rule limiting major banks' ability …

A quarter of US shoppers have dumped favorite stores over political stances  —  A new poll also found that four in 10 Americans have shifted spending to align with moral views in recent months  —  Americans are changing their shopping habits and even dumping their favorite stores in a backlash …

Trump Administration Live Updates: Top Social Security Official Resigns After Musk Team Seeks Data Access  —  Where Things Stand  — Social Security data: The top official at the Social Security Administration stepped down this weekend after members of Elon Musk's so-called Department …

Meta removes Facebook ad criticizing Musk  —  Meta removed an advertisement earlier this month criticizing Elon Musk's use of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to seize Americans' private information.  “A single individual now controls sensitive U.S. data, risking our national security.

Wokeness Is Not to Blame for Trump  —  How a misdiagnosis of the 2024 election has calcified into self-defeating conventional wisdom.  —  In the midst of chaos and cataclysm, it's rare to find agreement across partisan divides, but in the months since Donald Trump won his second presidential election …

Appeals court blocks Biden's $500 billion student debt relief plan  —  A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked former President Joe Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education plan, ruling that his administration lacked the authority to implement key provisions of the student loan repayment program.

The Unicorns Are Zombies  —  Also Safe Superintelligence, OpenAI voting rights, the egg spot market, Libra and the Meet Kevin ETF.  —  Zombie unicorns  —  Somewhat surprisingly, the phrase “zombie unicorn” does not appear in the Money Stuff archive.  “Blood unicorn,” sure, in Greek even.

Judge Chutkan rejects call from Democratic AGs for temporary restraining order blocking DOGE's access to federal data  —  A federal judge declined on Tuesday to temporarily block Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from accessing federal data systems at a slew of executive branch agencies.

Federal Mortgage Insurer to Lay Off Nearly Half of Workforce  —  The Trump administration is planning to lay off at least 40% of the workers at the federal agency that provides mortgage insurance on loans for people who otherwise wouldn't qualify for one, according to two sources familiar with the agency's plans.

Seven Myths Shattered by Trump 2.0 (and One True Thing)  —  THE PAST FEW WEEKS have been a master class in myth-busting, starting with the fantasy that the government should be run like a business and the corollary delusion that winning candidates don't follow through on their campaign agendas.