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Elon Musk's Blitz Shakes U.S. Government as He Sweeps Through Agencies — The billionaire is creating major upheaval as his team sweeps through agencies, in what has been an extraordinary flexing of power by a private individual. — The billionaire is creating major upheaval …
Discussion:
CNN, Today's Edition Newsletter, Associated Press, Mediaite, Forbes, DNyuz, Mashable and The Daily Wire, more at Techmeme »
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DOGE's access to federal data is ‘an absolute nightmare,’ legal experts warn — The latest moves at Treasury have already triggered a lawsuit, with a fight over the dissolution of USAID looming. — Elon Musk's headlong rush to take control of crucial federal agencies and functions …
Discussion:
American Prospect

Elon Musk Suggests Getting Rid Of All Regulations In Midnight Call — “If it's not possible now, it'll never be possible,” Musk said of his proposal to simply ignore all federal regulation as a baseline. — LOADING — President Donald Trump's “government efficiency” …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, Fortune, The Daily Wire, The Information, The Lens, Politico and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

The ‘Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly’ of the United States Government — Elon Musk's bureaucratic coup is underway. — Elon Musk is not the president, but it does appear that he—a foreign-born, unelected billionaire who was not confirmed by Congress—is exercising profound influence …
Discussion:
Boston.com, Al Jazeera, Raw Story, MPR News, Americans for Financial Reform, Techdirt, The Post Millennial, USA Today, Advocate and Bloomberg

Democrats flood the zone with acts of anti-Trump resistance … - “That's not a thing. … - House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) unveiled a 10-part plan for countering Trump that includes using the federal funding process to thwart his efforts to “defund programs important to everyday Americans.”

Democratic Senator Says He Will Stall Trump Nominees Until USAID Is Back — Schatz said he would hold up Trump's diplomatic confirmations — WASHINGTON—Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) said he would place a “blanket hold” on all of President Trump's State Department nominees until …
Discussion:
Raw Story, NBC News, Townhall, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Inside Climate News, Bloomberg, American Prospect, The Daily Caller, New York Daily News, Washington Examiner, The Status Kuo, Politico, Mother Jones, Blaze Media, RedState, OutsideTheBeltway, CBS News, Al Jazeera, NPR, The Gateway Pundit, Digby's Hullabaloo, Breitbart, Forbes, Eschaton and Axios

Elon Musk Is President — He did not receive a single vote. He did not get confirmed. He does not receive a government paycheck. — The world's richest man has declared war on the federal government and, in a matter of days, has moved to slash its size and reach, while gaining access to some of its most sensitive secrets.
Discussion:
The UnPopulist, Letters from an American, Axios, Reuters, RedState, Daily Mail, New York Magazine, USA Today and E&E News

Elon Musk Installs Illegal Server to Seize All Federal Workers' Data — Elon Musk has taken control of government employees' private data by having his cronies illegally install a commercial server at the Office of Personnel Management. — Musk and his handpicked associates at the fake …
Discussion:
American Greatness, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, NBC News and GovExec.com

CONSTITUTIONAL STANDOFF — *Special Alert from The Contrarian* — Public opposition to the most wholesale and jaw-dropping violation of Americans' privacy and President Trump's unilateral outsourcing of the executive branch's operation to a private individual, Elon Musk, has taken hold.
Discussion:
New York Times, FedScoop and Mediaite
Joan E Greve / The Guardian:
Progressive Democrats accuse Trump and Musk of ‘a plutocratic coup’
Progressive Democrats accuse Trump and Musk of ‘a plutocratic coup’
Discussion:
Reuters, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo
Erin Doherty / Axios:
Trump's obsession: He can't quit bashing Biden
Trump's obsession: He can't quit bashing Biden
Discussion:
Bangor Daily News and Reuters
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Hints at Curbs on Musk's Powers After Billionaire Shakes Up Washington
Trump Hints at Curbs on Musk's Powers After Billionaire Shakes Up Washington
Discussion:
Tennessee Star, Bloomberg and Reuters
Politico:
Unions sue to block Musk team's access to Treasury payments
Unions sue to block Musk team's access to Treasury payments
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, The Verge, UPI, Townhall, PoliticusUSA, Tumblr, The Post Millennial and MeidasTouch News
Peter Baker / New York Times:
How Trump Is Reshaping U.S. Government, Just 2 Weeks Into His Presidency
How Trump Is Reshaping U.S. Government, Just 2 Weeks Into His Presidency
Discussion:
Axios
Miles Klee / Rolling Stone:
Musk, Trump Prosecutor Targeting People Who Divulge Identities of DOGE Staff
Musk, Trump Prosecutor Targeting People Who Divulge Identities of DOGE Staff
Discussion:
DNyuz, New Republic, USA Today, Axios, New York Post, Associated Press and Daily Mail

China counters with tariffs on US products. It will also investigate Google — China countered President Donald Trump's across-the-board tariffs on Chinese products with tariffs on select U.S. imports Tuesday, as well as announcing an antitrust investigation into Google and other trade measures.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Mediaite, The Information, Semafor, Asia Times, masslive.com, Business Insider, WTOP News, NPR, DNyuz, Bloomberg, Baltimore Sun and Raw Story, more at Techmeme »
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Playbook: China bites back
Discussion:
Deadline, DNyuz and The Independent

A 25-Year-Old With Elon Musk Ties Has Direct Access to the Federal Payment System — The Bureau of the Fiscal Service is a sleepy part of the Treasury Department. It's also where, sources say, a 25-year-old engineer tied to Elon Musk has admin privileges over the code that controls Social Security payments, tax returns, and more.
Discussion:
Politico, Paul Krugman, Agence France-Presse, ABC News, Baltimore Sun, Talking Points Memo and The Independent, more at Techmeme »
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Makena Kelly / Wired:
Elon Musk Ally Tells Staff ‘AI-First’ Is the Future of Key Government Agency
Elon Musk Ally Tells Staff ‘AI-First’ Is the Future of Key Government Agency
Discussion:
DNyuz, more at Techmeme »

Trump preps order to dismantle Education Dept. as DOGE probes data — Closing the agency would require congressional approval, so the new administration hopes to diminish it in the meantime. — President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at eventually closing the Education Department and …
Discussion:
New York Times, Forbes, NPR, DNyuz, Chalkbeat, Fox News, The Independent, USA Today, The Post Millennial and Reuters
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Trump Advisers Weigh Plan to Dismantle Education Department — Administration officials are discussing executive order that could shut down key functions of the agency — Trump administration officials are weighing executive actions to dismantle the Education Department as part of the campaign …
Discussion:
Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Semafor, ABC News, MPR News, New York Post, USA Today, RedState, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Jewish Insider, The Gateway Pundit, Scripps News, Raw Story, Politico and Townhall
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
A Coup Is In Progress In America — A coup is underway in the United States, and we must stop pretending otherwise. The signs are unmistakable and accelerating: in just the past 48 hours, Elon Musk's DOGE commission has seized control of Treasury payment systems and gained unauthorized access …

Top ‘60 Minutes’ Producer Says He Will Not Apologize Over Trump Lawsuit — Bill Owens, the show's executive producer, addressed his staff as CBS's parent company, Paramount, pursues a legal settlement with the president. — The head of “60 Minutes” told the show's staff on Monday …
Discussion:
RedState, Fox News and DNyuz, more at Mediagazer »
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Brian Stelter / CNN:
The FCC's battle with CBS over its Harris interview is raising red flags
The FCC's battle with CBS over its Harris interview is raising red flags
Discussion:
New York Post, Daily Mail, Newsbusters and Washington Examiner

USAID personnel told to stay away from headquarters after Elon Musk's shutdown comments — Marocco held several national security positions during the first Trump administration, including at USAID, where he tried to consolidate power and slash funding. — WASHINGTON — Secretary …
Discussion:
BBC, DNyuz, The Daily Caller, Mercury News, The Independent, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, The Root and Daily Mail

Trump Blinks on North American Tariffs — The President pauses after minor concessions from Canada and Mexico. — President Trump never admits a mistake, but he often changes his mind. That's the best way to read his decision Monday to pause his 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada after minor concessions from each country.
Discussion:
The Economist, Bloomberg, Drezner's World, Chicago Tribune, New York Post, Fox News, Raw Story, Boston Herald, NPR, The Daily Signal, RedState, One America News Network, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Daily Wire, New Republic, Politico, The American Conservative, MeidasTouch News, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, NBC News, The Poke, USA Today and New York Times
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New York Times:
What Does Trump Really Want From Canada and Mexico?
What Does Trump Really Want From Canada and Mexico?
Discussion:
CNN, CBC News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Business Insider, Canadian Press, Semafor, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Kyodo News+, Bloomberg, Global News, The Daily Caller, DNyuz, 6abc, PoliticusUSA, The National Pulse, American Enterprise Institute, freebeacon.com, Washington Examiner, The Daily Wire, Blaze Media, Raw Story, Texas Standard, Associated Press, USA Today, Boston Herald, Scripps News, Axios and The Dialogue Dilemma

Jan. 6 conspiracy theory promoter named to a top State Department job — Darren Beattie, who's claimed the FBI was responsible for the 2021 attack on the Capitol, has been named acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. — A conservative author who has spread conspiracy theories …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Forward, Digby's Hullabaloo and Revolver News
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DOJ Says Trump Administration Doesn't Have to Follow Court Order Halting Funding Freeze — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) argued Monday that a federal court order blocking President Donald Trump's federal funding freeze doesn't halt the administration's efforts.
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, WTTG-TV and Washington Examiner
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Elena Moore / NPR:
Federal judge issues restraining order blocking federal spending freeze
Federal judge issues restraining order blocking federal spending freeze
Discussion:
MSNBC, Raw Story, American Prospect, The Independent, RedState, Ohio Capital Journal, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Scripps News, Advocate, Roll Call, WUSA and DNyuz
Al Weaver / The Hill:
Gabbard, RFK Jr. face make-or-break moment after perilous hearings — Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are staring down crucial tests on Tuesday as Senate committees will decide whether to advance their nominations to the floor amid increasing pressure from allies of President Trump.
Discussion:
Fox News and Washington Examiner
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At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep — Here are only a few examples of the WASTE and ABUSE: — $1.5 million to “advance diversity equity and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities” — $70,000 for production of a “DEI musical” in Ireland — $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam
Discussion:
CBS News and Blaze Media

Chris Wright Is Confirmed to Be Secretary of Energy — The former fracking executive said in confirmation hearings that his top priority would be to “unleash” American energy production. — The Senate confirmed Chris Wright to lead the U.S. Department of Energy on Monday …

Affirmative action for white men — Since taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump has targeted so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs, also known as DEI. According to a January 21 executive order, “critical and influential institutions of American society …
Discussion:
Mediaite

Elon Musk's DOGE Is Still Blocking HIV/AIDS Relief Exempted From Foreign Aid Cuts — The Trump Administration claims it is allowing “lifesaving” foreign aid to continue, but in reality, DOGE is preventing vital work on HIV and AIDS from saving lives. — One of President Donald Trump's …
Discussion:
C-SPAN.org, Mother Jones, Global Dispatches and Washington Examiner

President-unelect Musk pushes US democracy to the brink — He's running the X playbook on the federal government. — ∙ Paid … 🚀 — The world's richest man is trying to seize control of the American government to advance his own far-right agenda, and he's doing so in blatant violation of the Constitution.

Musk Says He's ‘Deleted’ Popular Free IRS Tax Filing Program — WHO ASKED FOR THIS? — The online tax filing option on the IRS website had a strong bipartisan 76% approval rating from registered voters. — Kanye West's Naked Grammys Stunt Could Cost Him $20M — THE NAKED TRUTH