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2:35 AM ET, February 4, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
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 …
RELATED:
Matt Shuham / HuffPost:
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” …
Politico:
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
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
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 …
Jonathan Lemire / The Atlantic:
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.
Denise Cana / Slate:
I'm a Federal Worker.  Elon Musk's Government Data Heist Is the Entire Ballgame.  —  On Friday night, reports emerged that Elon Musk's aides had tussled with Office of Personnel Management and Treasury staffers while demanding access to troves of information about federal employees.
Discussion: Vox
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
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 Westenberg / The Index:
Elon Musk Is an Existential Threat to Big Tech
Ryan Broderick / Garbage Day:   Musk's superteam of former iPad babies
Alexander Ward / Wall Street Journal:
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 …
RELATED:
Andrew Solender / Axios:
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.”
Discussion: Daily Kos and NCJA
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Hints at Curbs on Musk's Powers After Billionaire Shakes Up Washington
Discussion: Tennessee Star, Bloomberg and Reuters
Grace Yarrow / Politico:
Trump's USDA pick sails through committee
Discussion: Roll Call and Fox News
NBC News:
Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz puts a hold on Trump's State Department nominees
Discussion: The Hill
Washington Post:
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 …
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
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 …
Juan Perez Jr / Politico:
Trump administration finalizing plans to shutter Education Department
Discussion: NBC News
Josh Kovensky / Talking Points Memo:
Trump II Punishes Fed Workers For Attending Trump I Diversity Training
Discussion: ABC News
NBC News:
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 …
RELATED:
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
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 …
Sean Seddon / BBC:
What is USAID and why is Trump reportedly poised to close it?
John Paul Tasker / CBC News:
Trump to pause promised tariffs for 30 days after speaking with Trudeau  —  Trump, Trudeau spoke last hour for the second time today  —  Trump, Trudeau have 2nd phone call as tariff deadline nears  —  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will hold off …
RELATED:
Politico:
Trump backs off tariff threat with Mexico, digs in on Canada
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Trump pauses tariffs on Canada imports for 30 days after doing the same for Mexico
New York Times:
Trump's Trade Move Could Increase Costs for Many Online Goods
Politico:
Trump backs off tariff threat with Canada and Mexico
Courtney Cohn / Democracy Docket:
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: Washington Examiner
RELATED:
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 …
New York Times:
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 …
RELATED:
RELATED:
Alejandro Serrano / The Texas Tribune:
Texas National Guard to make immigration arrests under agreement with Trump administration, Abbott says  —  Gov. Greg Abbott said that the agreement was effective immediately.  —  Texas National Guard soldiers now have the authority to make immigration arrests and help detain …
RELATED:
Tony Romm / Washington Post:
CFPB halts work after Trump appoints Bessent as acting head  —  The consumer watchdog agency was formed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.  Elon Musk wants to “delete” it.  —  President Donald Trump on Monday appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the acting director …
RELATED:
Laurel Wamsley / NPR:
Treasury Secretary Bessent, tapped to run CFPB, orders staff to halt work
Al Weaver / The Hill:
GOP's Susan Collins to back Tulsi Gabbard confirmation  —  Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced on Monday that she will support Tulsi Gabbard to become director of national intelligence (DNI), giving her a key boost in her confirmation push.  —  Collins was considered a crucial swing vote …
RELATED:
Connor O'Brien / Politico:   Collins, Lankford back Gabbard for top Intel job ahead of committee vote
Nandika Chatterjee / The Daily Beast:
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
The White House:
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: Blaze Media
 
 
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 More Items: 
Brad Plumer / New York Times:
Chris Wright Is Confirmed to Be Secretary of Energy
Andrea Margolis / Fox News:
Trump announces new picks including deputy director of the CIA, chief Pentagon spokesman
Wall Street Journal:
The 24-Hour Blitz That Flipped One Senator's Vote from No to Yes on Hegseth
afsa.org:
Statement by AFSA on Decision to Dismantle USAID
Discussion: Fox News
New York Times:
State Dept. Fires About 60 Contractors Working on Democracy and Human Rights
Discussion: NOTUS
Clara Jeffery / Mother Jones:
Nobody Voted for Elon Musk
Discussion: Slate
 Earlier Items: 
Cathy Gellis / Techdirt:
Musk's Takeover Of The Government's Computer Systems Needs To Be Understood As A Cyberattack, Or Worse
Rob Golum / Bloomberg:
Former President Joe Biden Signs With Talent Agency CAA
Reuters:
Trump orders creation of US sovereign wealth fund, says it could buy TikTok
Rochelle Raveendran / CBC News:
Ford ‘ripping up’ Ontario's $100M contract with Elon Musk's Starlink in wake of U.S. tariffs
 

 
From Techmeme:

Reuters:
Sources: Ilya Sutskever's Safe Superintelligence is in talks to raise funding at a $20B+ valuation, up from a $5B valuation in its September 2024 funding round

Hayden Field / CNBC:
Sources: SoftBank is set to invest $40B in OpenAI at a $260B pre-money valuation; investors last valued OpenAI at $157B, when it raised $6.6B in October 2024

Ryan Christoffel / 9to5Mac:
Apple settles a lawsuit against a former iOS Software Engineer who leaked Journal app details and more to journalists; the employee issues an apology on X
 
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