Top Items:

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.
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Musk Cronies Dive Into Treasury Dept Payments Code Base — Overnight, Wired reported that, contrary to published reports that DOGE operatives at the Treasury Department are limited to “read only” access to department payment systems, this is not true. A 25-year-old DOGE operative named Marko Elez …
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo, The Independent and Nudity and Nerdery

Federal Workers Sue to Disconnect DOGE Server — Two federal workers, citing reports that Elon Musk's associates are operating an illegally connected email server at OPM, seek a restraining order. — Federal employees are seeking a temporary restraining order as part of a class action lawsuit accusing …
Discussion:
Raw Story

Bessent tells lawmakers Musk's DOGE does not control Treasury payments system — The remarks came during a two-hour gathering between the Treasury secretary and GOP members of the House Financial Services Committee. — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent privately reassured Republican lawmakers Monday …
Discussion:
Raw Story, FedScoop, Truthout, MarketWatch, HuffPost, Townhall, The Verge, ABC News, Baltimore Sun, Bloomberg, USA Today and Marketplace

Day Five of the Trump-Musk Treasury Payments Crisis of 2025: Not “Read Only” access anymore
Discussion:
American Prospect and Raw Story
Paul Krugman:
What the Musk is Happening? — When writing posts for this newsletter, I like to have a clear focus …
What the Musk is Happening? — When writing posts for this newsletter, I like to have a clear focus …
Discussion:
Blue Virginia and Raw Story
New York Times:
Elon Musk's Blitz Shakes U.S. Government as He Sweeps Through Agencies
Elon Musk's Blitz Shakes U.S. Government as He Sweeps Through Agencies
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Guardian, No More Mister Nice Blog, emptywheel, The Atlantic, ABC News, Fortune, The Independent, Breitbart, Althouse, Rolling Stone, Politico, Mediaite, Today's Edition Newsletter, Semafor, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Chicago Tribune, HuffPost, DNyuz, The UnPopulist and The Daily Wire, more at Techmeme »

‘Accidental’ F.B.I. Chief Builds a Following as Agency's Defender — Brian Driscoll was accidentally catapulted into the acting director's chair on Jan. 20 and has defended the bureau from the potential of mass firings, inspiring memes and satirical clips. — Brian Driscoll …
Discussion:
The Post Millennial
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FBI agents sue to block DOJ from compiling list of officials who worked on Jan. 6 or Trump cases — The agents are fearful that the Trump-led Justice Department will exact punishment against employees deemed disloyal. — FBI agents who worked on cases stemming from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol …

FBI agents file lawsuits alleging Justice Department ‘retribution’ over their work on Jan. 6 cases — The agents allege a survey regarding their role in any Capitol riot investigations is meant to identify targets to be fired “as a form of politically motivated retribution.”
Discussion:
Washington Post

FBI turns over names of 5,000 employees who worked on January 6 cases to Trump Justice Department, as agents sue
Discussion:
CBS News, Axios, Florida Politics, Orlando Sentinel, Metro.co.uk and New Republic
Benjamin Wittes / Default:
The Situation: What's Going on at the FBI?
The Situation: What's Going on at the FBI?
Discussion:
Fox News, HotAir and The Daily Beast

White House preparing executive order to abolish the Department of Education — The planned order follows years of campaign promises from President Donald Trump to abolish the federal Education Department. — The White House is preparing an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education …
Discussion:
UPI, Raw Story, Reuters, The National Pulse, The Gateway Pundit, DNyuz, The Independent, USA Today, New York Post, WFLA and Washington Examiner
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Trump administration drafting executive order to initiate Department of Education's elimination — The Trump administration has begun drafting an executive order that would kick off the process of eliminating the Department of Education, the latest move by President Donald Trump to swiftly carry …
Discussion:
ABC News, The Independent, Hollywood Life, NPR, The Daily Wire, Fox News, WTOP News, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, Reuters and Forbes
Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:
Trump Is Testing Our Constitutional System. It's Doing Fine.
Trump Is Testing Our Constitutional System. It's Doing Fine.
Discussion:
ABC News

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 …
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Federal layoffs ‘likely’ if too few employees choose to quit, memo says
Discussion:
RedState, WTOP News, Federal News Network, The Gateway Pundit and DNyuz
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
We Did This to Ourselves — Four years ago today, the House of Representatives voted to remove …
We Did This to Ourselves — Four years ago today, the House of Representatives voted to remove …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal

RFK Jr. passes key HHS confirmation hurdle with Senate panel vote — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., once seen as a longshot to serve as America's top health official, is now set to head to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now one step closer to running …
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Senate committee backs Tulsi Gabbard as next intelligence chief
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Fox News, Washington Examiner, The Post Millennial, The Daily Caller, ABC News, Axios, Townhall, Blaze Media, DNyuz and CBS News
New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Committee Votes to Advance Tulsi Gabbard's Bid for Intelligence Post
Trump Administration Live Updates: Committee Votes to Advance Tulsi Gabbard's Bid for Intelligence Post
Discussion:
Politico, The Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, NOTUS, Axios, Bangor Daily News, WSVN-TV, Raw Story, Fox News, NBC News, Associated Press, Blaze Media, DNyuz, New York Daily News, MSNBC, RedState, Althouse, Townhall, Washington Examiner, New York Post, The Daily Caller and The Transom, more at Techmeme »

Proud Boys Lose Control of Their Name to a Black Church They Vandalized — A judge awarded the trademarked name and symbols to a Washington church to help satisfy a $2.8 million judgment against the far-right group. — The Proud Boys no longer have control over their own name.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Daily Kos, New Republic, The Independent and Washingtonian
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Aimee Picchi / CBS News:
Proud Boys lose their trademark ownership to a Black church they vandalized, court rules
Proud Boys lose their trademark ownership to a Black church they vandalized, court rules
Discussion:
The Hill

Waffle House is placing a surcharge on every egg it sells — New York CNN — The soaring price of eggs has forced Waffle House to add a temporary surcharge on customers' orders. — The Georgia-based chain is adding a 50-cent charge per egg because of the “nationwide rise in cost of eggs …
Discussion:
USA Today, CBS News, Eater, Crooks and Liars and DNyuz
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Nandika Chatterjee / The Daily Beast:
Waffle House Slaps Surcharge on Every Egg It Serves
Waffle House Slaps Surcharge on Every Egg It Serves
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, Quartz, DNyuz, New York Daily News, Associated Press, Fortune, New York Post, WAGA-TV, WCSC-TV, Breitbart and KSDK-TV

Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump's orders — National Science Foundation staff have been combing through thousands of active science research projects, alongside a list of keywords, to determine if they include activities that violate Trump's executive orders. — “Women.”
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
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Republican Senators Say They're Fine Handing Their Power to Elon Musk — Musk's actions may be unconstitutional but “nobody should bellyache about that,” Sen. Thom Tillis said. — Copy — Tech billionaire Elon Musk is working to shut down government agencies and cancel congressionally approved funding …
Discussion:
ABC News, Orlando Sentinel, The Independent, Grabien and HuffPost
Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Ocasio-Cortez: Musk ‘one of the most unintelligent billionaires I have ever met’ — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) slammed tech billionaire and “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) head Elon Musk as “one of the most unintelligent billionaires that I have ever met.”
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, RedState and Mediaite
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Trump Claims Victory Over Canada, Mexico After Getting ... Basically Nothing — The president made a show of temporarily postponing a regional trade war after Mexico and Canada promised him things they were already doing — Donald Trump has temporarily delayed the implementation of tariffs …
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Associated Press:
China counters with tariffs on US products. It will also investigate Google
China counters with tariffs on US products. It will also investigate Google
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, Reuters, 19FortyFive, WXIA-TV, Houston Public Media, The Guardian, Wired, Associated Press, Quartz, The Information, Mediaite, Bloomberg, The Independent, MeidasTouch News, Asia Times, NPR, DNyuz, Business Insider, WTOP News, WHYY, Baltimore Sun and Raw Story, more at Techmeme »

Elon Musk's Midnight Takeover — The world's richest man and his allies are “avoiding office hours at all costs” as they take a wrecking ball to the US government. — Much like a gremlin fed after midnight, Elon Musk is staying up late and causing mayhem.
Discussion:
Pharyngula and The Gateway Pundit
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Elon Musk and DOGE are hacking the government
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, Baltimore Sun, The Guardian, Breitbart, FOX 11 Los Angeles, DNyuz, Twitchy, Metro.co.uk, NPR, The Atlantic, The Nation, USA Today and Daily Mail

Scoop: Senate Dems plot USAID revenge on Trump … - Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios on Tuesday that he's willing to place holds on Trump nominees on the Senate Judiciary Committee. — Blumenthal said the caucus is proceeding as if there is a blanket hold on Trump nominations.
Discussion:
NPR and PBS NewsHour

U.S. Begins Migrant Flights to Guantanamo Bay — The Trump administration has said it would expand operations at the American naval base in Cuba to hold up to 30,000 immigrants — WASHINGTON—The first flights carrying detained migrants from the U.S. to Guantanamo Bay have headed …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Post, The Independent and Instapundit

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 …
Discussion:
Florida Politics

‘Things Are Going to Get Intense:’ How a Musk Ally Plans to Push AI on the Government — Thomas Shedd, a Musk-associate and now head of the General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services (TTS), told government tech workers in a meeting this week that the administration plans …
Discussion:
Wired, TechCrunch and DNyuz, more at Techmeme »

NFL to remove ‘End Racism’ messaging in end zone ahead of Super Bowl: Sources — NEW ORLEANS — At his annual news conference Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed strong support for the league's policies designed to promote diversity at the club-employment level and indicated that those endeavors will continue.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Defector, Fox News and Washington Examiner

‘Beyond betrayal.’ Venezuelans in Florida are angry at Trump immigration policy — MIAMI — Venezuelan migrants in South Florida say they feel betrayed by a Trump administration decision to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of people who fled dictatorships and sought refuge in the U.S.
Discussion:
Federal Register, NBC News, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, Breitbart, Associated Press, Orlando Sentinel, Axios and Bloomberg

Cassidy says he secured key vaccine commitments from RFK Jr. — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he secured significant concessions from the Trump administration on vaccine safety that led to his vote Tuesday morning to advance the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
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