Top Items:

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:
Politico, Semafor, CNN, Mediaite, emptywheel, Today's Edition Newsletter, Chicago Tribune, DNyuz, Forbes, Mashable and The Daily Wire
RELATED:

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.

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 …

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, Reuters, Letters from an American, Axios, 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:
Washington Examiner, American Greatness, Business Insider, NBC News and GovExec.com

What the Musk is Happening? — It's a catastrophe, but what kind of catastrophe?
Discussion:
Raw Story
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
CONSTITUTIONAL STANDOFF — Public opposition to the most wholesale and jaw-dropping violation …
CONSTITUTIONAL STANDOFF — Public opposition to the most wholesale and jaw-dropping violation …
Discussion:
DNyuz, FedScoop and New York Times
Politico:
Unions sue to block Musk team's access to Treasury payments
Unions sue to block Musk team's access to Treasury payments
Discussion:
Axios, The Hill, UPI, Townhall, The Verge, PoliticusUSA, Tumblr, The Post Millennial, MeidasTouch News and Wall Street Journal
Joan Westenberg / The Index:
Elon Musk Is an Existential Threat to Big Tech
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
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 »
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, Axios, New Republic, USA Today, New York Post, Associated Press and Daily Mail

Trump Is Testing Our Constitutional System. It's Doing Fine. — The president's flurry of illegal actions have been stopped by the courts. That's how it is supposed to work. — The Trump administration is subjecting the US constitutional system to a stress test.
Discussion:
ABC News and Executive Functions
RELATED:

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:
HuffPost, Raw Story, American Prospect, NBC News, Townhall, Crooks and Liars, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Bloomberg, The Daily Caller, Inside Climate News, New York Daily News, Washington Examiner, The Status Kuo, Mother Jones, Politico, Blaze Media, RedState, OutsideTheBeltway, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Axios, NPR, The Gateway Pundit, Digby's Hullabaloo, Breitbart, Forbes and Eschaton
Dylan Matthews / Vox:
The worst thing Trump has done so far
The worst thing Trump has done so far
Discussion:
Reuters, The Daily Caller, The Dispatch, Fox News, Associated Press, Townhall and DNyuz

Trump's obsession: He can't quit bashing Biden
Discussion:
Bangor Daily News and Reuters
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:
New Republic, Reuters, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

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:
Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Guardian, CNN, San Diego Union-Tribune, Mediaite, Semafor, The Information, masslive.com, Business Insider, WTOP News, NPR, DNyuz, Asia Times, Baltimore Sun and Raw Story, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:

Playbook: China bites back
Discussion:
Deadline, DNyuz and The Independent

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, The Independent, Chalkbeat, Fox News, USA Today, The Post Millennial and Reuters
RELATED:

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, Townhall and Politico

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:
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:
Reuters, New York Post, Daily Mail, Newsbusters and Washington Examiner
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 …

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, Daily Mail and Wall Street Journal

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, Drezner's World, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Fox News, Raw Story, Boston Herald, NPR, The Daily Signal, RedState, One America News Network, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Daily Wire, Politico, New Republic, The American Conservative, MeidasTouch News, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, New York Times, NBC News, The Poke, USA Today and Bloomberg
RELATED:
New York Times:
What Does Trump Really Want From Canada and Mexico?
What Does Trump Really Want From Canada and Mexico?
Discussion:
HuffPost, CNN, CBC News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Canadian Press, Ace of Spades HQ, Semafor, Business Insider, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Wire, The Daily Caller, New York Daily News, Bloomberg, Global News, Kyodo News+, DNyuz, The National Pulse, 6abc, PoliticusUSA, American Enterprise Institute, freebeacon.com, Washington Examiner, Blaze Media, Raw Story, Texas Standard, Associated Press, USA Today, Boston Herald, Scripps News, Axios and The Dialogue Dilemma

About 20,000 federal workers took “buyout” so far, official says — About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the “buyout” offer put forward by the Trump administration last week, a senior administration official tells Axios. … - The offer is open through Thursday, meaning the total could rise …
Discussion:
The Bulwark

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:
HuffPost, Mediaite, The Forward, Digby's Hullabaloo, Revolver News and ABC News
RELATED:

State audit finds overall unnecessary spending under former UF President Ben Sasse — Sasse's expenditures included more than $300,000 in private jet flights — A preliminary report from the Florida Auditor General found UF failed to prevent former President Ben Sasse from leveraging …

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
RELATED:
Elena Moore / NPR:
Federal judge issues restraining order blocking federal spending freeze
Federal judge issues restraining order blocking federal spending freeze
Discussion:
Palo Alto Online, MSNBC, Raw Story, American Prospect, The Independent, RedState, Ohio Capital Journal, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Scripps News, Advocate, Roll Call, WUSA and DNyuz

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 …

Rupert Murdoch Is Pictured With Trump At Oval Office Signing — With the media mogul just feet away, the president was asked about a blistering attack on his tariff policy by the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal. — LOADING — Eyebrows were raised as billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Independent, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and DNyuz

Kash Patel's $800,000 Trump Media Award Raises New Conflict Questions — Patel got late windfall from Trump's social media company — FBI nominee didn't detail plans for stock award in disclosures — Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation …

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:
Mother Jones, C-SPAN.org, Global Dispatches and Washington Examiner

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