The Conversation -- February 6, 2025
Olivia George, et al., of the Washington Post: “A federal judge in Massachusetts paused the deadline for the Trump administration’s buyout program for federal workers Thursday afternoon, two days after unions representing more than 800,000 federal workers asked the court to halt the program, calling it an 'arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum.' U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. set another hearing for Monday at 2 p.m. for full arguments.”
Isaac Stanley-Becker, et al., of the Washington Post: “Agents of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have gained access to highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees — including Treasury and State Department officials in sensitive security positions — as part of a broader effort to gain control over the government’s main personnel agency, according to four U.S. officials with knowledge of the developments. The officials ... expressed alarm about potential breaches or abuses of such records by members of an administration whose senior-most officials, including ... Donald Trump, have threatened to retaliate against federal workers accused of disloyalty. The records maintained by the Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, amount to a repository of sensitive information about employees of most federal agencies — including addresses, demographic profiles, salary details and disciplinary histories. The moves at the OPM by members of Musk’s pseudo-governmental DOGE have coincided with similar efforts to gain access to sensitive systems at other agencies....”
David Nakamura of the Washington Post: “A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday blasted ... Donald Trump’s commitment to the rule of law, saying he is trampling the Constitution to pursue 'political or personal gain.' U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour offered his commentary while becoming the second federal judge in two days to issue a nationwide injunction that blocks the Trump administration from moving forward on an executive order aimed at curbing birthright citizenship. Coughenour had eviscerated the executive order as 'blatantly unconstitutional' during a hearing two weeks ago in the lawsuit brought by a coalition of four Democratic-led states. In Thursday’s court session, Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, criticized Trump in direct and unsparing terms moments after Justice Department lawyers had finished arguing that the order was constitutional.”
Don't Worry About Elon -- He's So Ethical He's Policing Himself. Isaac Schorr of Mediaite: “White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that Elon Musk ... is in charge of excusing himself when he comes across conflicts of interest pertaining to his businesses during the White House press briefing on Wednesday. 'The president was already asked and answered this question this week, and he said if Elon Musk comes across a conflict of interest with the contracts and the funding that DOGE is overseeing, then Elon will excuse himself from those contracts,' answered Leavitt. 'And he has again abided by all applicable laws.'”
Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: “Private-sector employers and nonprofits are starting to lay off workers as a result of the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts and funding freezes, unleashing a wave of job losses that economists say could pick up steam in the coming weeks, threatening the broader labor market.... More than 7.5 million Americans work in jobs directly connected to the federal government, according to the Brookings Institution, as contractors or grant workers — some of whom are already out of a job. And there are millions more who work in positions indirectly connected to federal funding delays.... Still, the labor market remains strong, and economists say it could take weeks or months before government-related job losses show up in national data.”
Stephanie Nolen of the New York Times: “... dozens ... [of clinical trials] have been abruptly frozen, leaving people around the world with experimental drugs and medical products in their bodies, cut off from the researchers who were monitoring them, and generating waves of suspicion and fear. The State Department, which now oversees U.S.A.I.D., replied to a request for comment by directing a reporter to USAID.gov, which no longer contains any information except that all permanent employees have been placed on administrative leave. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the agency is wasteful and advances a liberal agenda that is counter to ... [Donald] Trump’s foreign policy. In interviews, scientists — who are forbidden by the terms of the stop-work order to speak with the news media — described agonizing choices: violate the stop-work orders and continue to care for trial volunteers, or leave them alone to face potential side effects and harm.”
Am! Are Not! Am Too! Aaron Boxerman of the New York Times: Donald “Trump on Thursday defended his proposal for the United States to take charge of postwar Gaza and resettle its Palestinian residents, but stressed that he would not deploy U.S. troops to the enclave, as Israel’s defense minister announced that he had ordered the military to draft a plan to allow people to voluntarily leave. The developments add to a swirl of confusion over the proposal by Mr. Trump to 'take over' the Gaza Strip and for the roughly two million Palestinians living there to move elsewhere. The forced deportation or transfer of a civilian population is a violation of international humanitarian law, a war crime and a crime against humanity, experts say. Mr. Trump’s plan has already provoked furious opposition around the world, with some critics likening it to ethnic cleansing.... Some of Mr. Trump’s aides had sought to soften the president’s ideas on Wednesday evening. But in an early morning social media post, Mr. Trump doubled down, saying that the United States and its partners were prepared to build 'one of the greatest and most spectacular developments' on the planet in Gaza once Israel ceded control there.”
Malu Cursino of BBC News: "Panama has denied making changes to allow US government vessels to transit the Panama Canal for free, following White House claims it had agreed to such a move. The State Department said in a statement on X that its government vessels 'can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year'. Responding to the comments, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said it was 'empowered to set tolls and other fees for transiting the canal,' adding that it had 'not made any adjustments to them'." Thanks to RAS for the lead.
Well, everything's going according to plan over there at Pete's Department of Defense of White Men & Drinking Society. ~~~
~~~ Paul Campos in LG&$ digs up a memo, via Ken Klippenstein, from DOD Defense Intelligence Agency (a misnomer if there ever was one) instructing all DIA personnel to immediately suspend all those nasty DEI observances, like MLK Jr. Day, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pride Day & Women's Equality Day. Two of the now-very-unspecial days -- MLK L. Day & Juneteenth -- are national holidays, so I'm not sure how DIA personnel will get around observing those. But I'm sure they can be flexible! Meanwhile, the Navy is cancelling all sexual assault prevention & response training, because, I don't know, women and gays or something. Thanks to RAS for the link.
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It Was Just Another Crazy Trump Blooper. Jonathan Swan & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: “When ... [Donald] Trump announced his proposal for the United States to take ownership of Gaza on Tuesday..., his administration had not done even the most basic planning to examine the feasibility of the idea, according to four people with knowledge of the discussions.... Soon before they walked out for their joint news conference on Tuesday, Mr. Trump surprised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel by telling him he planned to announce the Gaza ownership idea, according to two people.... While his announcement looked formal and thought-out — he read the plan from a sheet of paper -- inside the U.S. government, there had been no meetings with the State Department or Pentagon, as would normally occur for any serious foreign policy proposal, let alone one of such magnitude. There had been no working groups. The Defense Department had produced no estimates of the troop numbers required, or cost estimates, or even an outline of how it might work. There was little beyond an idea inside the president’s head.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Inside Donald Trump's head is THE last place in the world even the most inconsequential policy matter should be formed.
~~~ Kevin Liptak, et al., of CNN: No, no, it was all quite sensible & calculated: “At its root, officials said, this suggestion was intended in part to spur action on an issue Trump viewed as moribund, with no other nations offering reasonable solutions for how to rebuild an area that has been obliterated by Israeli bombardment.... 'The president has said he’s been socialing this idea for quite some time. He’s been thinking about this,' his press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.” MB: The most jarring news here is that we have a White House press secretary who thinks “social” is a verb. ~~~
~~~ Gaza Riviera? Never Mind. From the New York Times' live updates Wednesday of developments in Israel's wars, also linked earlier Wednesday: “Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday walked back elements of ... [Donald] Trump’s proposal to 'take over' Gaza and drive out the Palestinian population, insisting that he had not committed to using U.S. troops to clear the territory and that any relocation of Palestinians would be temporary. Mr. Trump’s brazen proposal to move as many as two million Palestinians out of Gaza and seize and redevelop it as a U.S. territory met with immediate opposition on Wednesday from key American partners and officials around the world, with many expressing support for a Palestinian state, and experts calling the idea a breach of international law.... Speaking to reporters in Guatemala, Secretary of State Marco Rubio twice suggested that Mr. Trump was only proposing to clear out and rebuild Gaza, not claim indefinite possession of the territory. Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East, told Republican senators at a closed-door luncheon that Mr. Trump 'doesn’t want to put any U.S. troops on the ground, and he doesn’t want to spend any U.S. dollars at all' on Gaza, according to Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. And at the White House, the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said 'the president has not committed to putting boots on the ground in Gaza.'...” (Also linked yesterday.) A Washington Post story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Trump's handlers should tell the truth, beginning the walk-backs with, "Look, the guy is incredibly stupid and corrupt...."
~~~ Joey Cappelletti of the AP: “A group that played a key role in Donald Trump’s voter outreach to the Arab American community alongside his allies is rebranding itself after the president said that the U.S. would 'take over' the Gaza Strip. Bishara Bahbah, chairman of the group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, said during a phone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that the group would now be called Arab Americans for Peace. The name change came after Trump held a Tuesday press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and proposed the U.S. take 'ownership' in redeveloping the area into 'the Riviera of the Middle East.'” MB: That's your response, Mr. Bahbah??? To try to hide what you did to destroy this country by erasing Trump's name? Where's that apology you owe us all??? Even for single-issue voters like you, all it took to figure out Kamala Harris would have been better for you than Trump was to casually read a newspaper. Shame on you. ~~~
~~~ Joey Cappelletti & Mike Householder of the AP: “Residents of the largest Arab American community in the U.S. had plenty to say during the 2024 presidential campaign about the roiling politics in the Middle East. But after ... Donald Trump’s stunning announcement on Tuesday that he wanted to remove Palestinians from Gaza and impose a U.S. takeover in the region, some leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, were treading far more cautiously.... But many are struggling to come to terms with the audacious plan Trump announced Tuesday.... Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate in over two decades to win Dearborn, where Arab Americans make up close to half of the city’s 110,000 residents.” ~~~
~~~ Digby: “Donald Trump and his family have clearly had their eyes on the real estate development possibilities in the Gaza strip for quite some time.... Fortunately for Trump Israel has already done the demolition work for them so it’s just that sticky matter of getting rid of the people who live there.... [Tuesday,] standing next to the Prime Minister of Israel who nodded along like a demented marionette, Trump said that the US would take over the Gaza strip and assume a 'long term ownership position.'... He says that the US will level it and then build new buildings that will supply jobs for the people of the area. Not Palestinians, though. They’ll be living in their beautiful piece of land (or pieces, as many as 10 or 12) in other countries. According to Trump, this has been discussed at length and that everyone loves the idea of the United States owning that land and developing it into something magnificent.... And for the piece de resistance after going on and on for years about America First and not wanting to get involved in 'forever wars', he just committed sending US troops into the most fraught forever war on the planet.... Everyone knows that as demented as he sounds half the time, he’s still the guy with the nuclear codes.” ~~~
~~~ David Ignatius of the Washington Post: “Donald Trump, who said he wanted to end Middle East wars, is stumbling toward a dangerous new entanglement with his talk of expelling Palestinians from Gaza and seizing the territory for the United States.... For a Middle East that is just recovering from the trauma of 15 months of war, Trump’s suggestion of a U.S. takeover of Gaza was incendiary.... Concerns about the jaw-dropping proposal were so swift and sharp on Wednesday that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rushed to clarify that Trump didn’t plan to pay for that project or send in U.S. troops.... The Gaza bombshell is also creating worries about domestic protests or worse in the United States.... On Wednesday, a group called the Cyber Islamic Resistance was circulating a call for cyberattacks on U.S. banks in protest against Trump’s announcement....”
Hannah Natanson & Laura Meckler of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday that aims to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams by denying federal funds for schools that allow it.... It’s the latest salvo in Trump’s attack on transgender rights, adding to previous actions that are already ricocheting through school districts and college campuses across the country.... Trump’s orders represent a sharp assertion of presidential power, in particular his threat to pull federal funding from districts that teach about gender, as well as race, in ways he doesn’t like.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Frank Langfitt of NPR: "Late last week, a national museum literally papered over history. Responding to ... [Donald] Trump's order that terminated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government, the National Cryptologic Museum taped sheets of paper over plaques that celebrate women and people of color who had served the National Security Agency, which intercepts overseas conversations and breaks foreign government codes. The honorees are described as 'Trailblazers in U.S. Cryptologic History,' and the plaques hang in the museum's Hall of Honor.... Many former NSA workers were furious. The museum uncovered the plaques and said Sunday on X that it had made a mistake."
Charlie Savage & Lazaro Gamio of the New York Times: “Other presidents have occasionally claimed a constitutional right to bypass particular laws. But in the opening weeks of his second term..., [Donald] Trump and his administration have opened the throttle on blowing through apparent legal limits, often with no clear public explanation for how their actions could be consistent with the rule of law. Already some of Mr. Trump's moves have prompted legal challenges, though the administration may be betting on rulings in its favor with a Republican-appointed Supreme Court supermajority. Here are some examples of the administration’s defiance of statutes.”
David Corn of Mother Jones: “... the Office of Personnel Management, now being overseen by Elon Musk and his minions, just issued a memo, which was obtained by Mother Jones, to all heads and acting heads of federal agencies asking them to request a change in the status of CIOs [-- chief information officers -- ] from 'senior executive service' and 'career reserved' to 'general.' This means Musk could move to take over the IT of the entire federal government by placing cronies and ideologues into these key posts.... If OPM succeeds in reclassifying the status of CIOs, Musk — or someone else — could gain control of the lifeblood of any modern organization: its IT.”
Dan Diamond, et al., of the Washington Post: “Representatives of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency fanned out across several agencies Wednesday, sending representatives to the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and meeting with the Labor Department, seeking access to sensitive data. The moves came on the heels of the DOGE team gaining access to sensitive health payment systems at the Department of Health and Human Services. As federal workers braced for possible layoffs after a Thursday deadline that has led to at least 40,000 employees taking a buyout, DOGE staffers met with agencies facing sweeping cuts in a project that has gutted whole programs and given Musk’s team broad access to private data. In a little more than two weeks, the Trump megadonor — acting as a “special government employee” while still running the companies that have made him the richest man in the world — has probed all over for cuts and begun enacting some....
“On Wednesday, several labor unions sought a restraining order to keep Musk’s team away from the Labor Department, arguing that DOGE’s work was illegal and has 'already been catastrophic.'... Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee blocked Democrats’ bid to subpoena Musk, with the panel’s GOP leaders dismissing Democrats’ protests that an unelected billionaire should not be able to dismantle the bureaucracy without lawmakers’ consent.”
Jennifer Bahney of the Raw Story: "Elon Musk's desire to slash and burn his way through government spending is now taking aim at Medicare and Medicaid, according to a report published Wednesday. A Wall Street Journal headline announced, 'DOGE Aides Search Medicare Agency Payment Systems for Fraud.' The story went on to say, 'Representatives of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have been working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS], where they have gotten access to key payment and contracting systems, according to people familiar with the matter.'... Musk ... [wrote on X,] 'Yeah, this is where the big money fraud is happening.'"
Eric Lipton of the New York Times: “A White House spokesman told The New York Times on Monday that [Elon] Musk has been given [the] status as a special government employee, but no official records have been released documenting it.... As a special government employee, Mr. Musk is subject to a federal criminal law that blocks him from taking action in a 'particular matter' that has a direct benefit to his own financial interest or that of his family, unless he has received a special waiver from the federal government.... The ban would also limit Mr. Musk’s ability to intervene with federal agencies on behalf of any of his companies.... The law would require Mr. Musk, even as a special government employee, to file a financial disclosure that details all of his assets and sources of income.... [Former White House ethics lawyer Norman] Eisen said that even if Mr. Musk is now designated as a special government employee and received an exemption at the proper time..., [his] involvement in federal government operations appears to have been so extensive in recent weeks that it goes far beyond the traditional definition of a special government employee, Mr. Eisen said.” ~~~
~~~ Walter Shaub in the Contrarian: “... whether [Elon Musk] is a regular government employee, a 'special government employee,' or a volunteer, the primary conflict of interest statute prohibits him from ... work[ing] on any particular matter affecting a company in which he holds either stock or any other form of ownership interest. Musk might seek a waiver of conflicts laws..., [but] the waiver cannot be issued retroactively.... The conflict of interest law applicable to federal officials is a criminal law.... Trump administration officials owe Americans answers about Musk’s status.... The names of the mysterious DOGE affiliates running around with the black backpacks, their employment status, and their background investigation status are also among the details that the administration has concealed from us.”
Michael Bender, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump’s administration deepened its pressure campaign on government employees to resign before a Thursday deadline, rattling and angering a civil service steeling itself for a prolonged battle with Elon Musk and his ongoing foray into the federal bureaucracy. With hours dwindling for workers to decide whether or not to quit, agency officials held last-minute meetings to walk their teams through a dizzying barrage of emails detailing the offer to leave their jobs — and to urge them to take the deal.... On Wednesday, Mr. Musk proudly proclaimed his team’s advance into another federal agency, announcing that his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, an arm of the White House overseeing downsizing efforts, would 'make rapid safety upgrades' to the nation’s air traffic control system. The announcement came as investigators continued their probe into the Jan. 29 crash of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet that killed 67 people.
“Mr. Musk’s team was also spotted at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where they obtained access to the agency’s computer systems to search for programs and staff tied to diversity policies that the Trump administration has vowed to stamp out.... The access came as some climate data disappeared from NOAA’s website, prompting concern that political staff had interfered. Project 2025, a conservative think tank’s policy blueprint for Republicans, identified NOAA as 'one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry' and called for the agency to be dismantled.”
Our payment system is not being touched. -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, lying on Fox "News" ~~~
~~~ Andrew Duehren, et al., of the New York Times: “In the days after President Trump took office, as Elon Musk’s team began pressing for access to the Treasury Department’s payments system, officials repeatedly said that their goal was to undertake a general review of the system. They said they would observe, but not stop money from going out the door. But emails reviewed by The New York Times show that the Treasury’s chief of staff originally pushed for Tom Krause, a software executive affiliated with Mr. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, to receive access to the closely held payment system so that the Treasury could freeze U.S. Agency for International Development payments.... The emails viewed by The Times undercut the Treasury’s explanation for why Mr. Krause and his team were given access to the payment system last week.... [Treasury Secretary Scott] Bessent, in an interview on Wednesday with the Fox Business Network, defended DOGE’s work and dismissed the suggestion that the Treasury’s payment system was compromised.” ~~~
~~~ Daniel Barnes, et al., of NBC News: "Attorneys for the Justice Department have agreed to temporarily restrict staffers associated with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing information in the Treasury Department’s payment system. The agreement comes after a group of union members and retirees sued the Treasury Department alleging that providing DOGE access to the federal government’s massive payment and collections system — and the personal data housed in it — violated federal privacy laws. The Trump administration filed a motion Wednesday night seeking to enter a proposed order that detailed the agreed-upon terms. 'The Defendants will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained by or within the Bureau of the Fiscal Service,' the proposed order says. The order would allow exceptions for two special government employees at the Treasury — Tom Krause and Marko Elez — saying they are permitted access 'as needed' to perform their duties, 'provided that such access to payment records will be "read only."'" MB: Both Krause & Elez are Musk acolytes.
Michael Crowley of the New York Times: “Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday told an official with the United States Agency for International Development that foreign aid was 'the least popular thing government spends money on' and had become increasingly difficult to defend, according to a transcript of a private embassy event. Mr. Rubio sought to explain his support for the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. during a question-and-answer session he held at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, one day after thousands of agency workers overseas learned that they were being placed on administrative leave and must return home to the United States.... Some of what Mr. Rubio said reflected public remarks he has made in recent days, but at moments during the embassy event he appeared to speak with some sympathy for the agency.... 'I know it’s hard to ask for patience,' he told [the USAID mission director for Guatemala]. 'I know it’s hard to ask for trust, because you’ve never met me before. I’ve never been in charge of the State Department. I’ve never been acting U.S.A.I.D. administrator before.'”
As the Witch Hunts. Jeremy Roebuck & Perry Stein of the Washington Post: “Attorney General Pam Bondi spent her first day on the job Wednesday redirecting the Justice Department’s significant law enforcement authority toward addressing ... Donald Trump’s grievances with the agency, making her allegiance to his agenda clear in a series of strongly worded directives. Despite pledging during her confirmation hearing that 'politics will not play a part' in her decision-making, Bondi, within hours of taking office, created a 'Weaponization Working Group' to review instances of what she described as 'politicized justice' — starting with the federal criminal cases brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith. She also ordered an examination of what she alleged was federal cooperation in the criminal and civil investigations of Trump in New York — even though they were carried out by state authorities, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Other directives she signed ended the federal moratorium on the death penalty, paused federal justice grant funding for sanctuary cities, and demanded 'zealous advocacy' of the president’s agenda from the department’s more than 10,000 lawyers.” CNN's story is here. ~~~
~~~ No Surprise Here. Michael Schmidt & Adam Goldman of the New York Times: “The Justice Department said on Wednesday that it would not bring charges against anyone affiliated with the group Project Veritas over their role in trying to publish the contents of a diary that had been stolen from Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s daughter in the final weeks of the 2020 election campaign. The prosecutors, who made their announcement in a one-paragraph letter to a judge overseeing the matter, did not say why they were declining to bring additional charges in the long running investigation.... Project Veritas and its founder, James O’Keefe, have long been favorites of Mr. Trump’s and gained attention by using sting operations and undercover videos to seek to embarrass liberal groups and mainstream news organizations, among others.” MB: The writers try to present this as business-as-usual, but of course it is not. It obviously is part of the Trump/Bondi selective prosecution project.
Meet Your CIA Spy! David Sanger & Julian Barnes of the New York Times: “The C.I.A. sent the White House an unclassified email listing all employees hired by the spy agency over the last two years to comply with an executive order to shrink the federal work force, in a move that former officials say risked the list leaking to adversaries. The list included first names and the first initial of the last name of the new hires, who are still on probation — and thus easy to dismiss. It included a large crop of young analysts and operatives who were hired specifically to focus on China, and whose identities are usually closely guarded because Chinese hackers are constantly seeking to identify them.... One former agency officer called the reporting of the names in an unclassified email a 'counterintelligence disaster.'... Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, wrote in a social media post that the sharing of the officers’ names was 'a disastrous national security development.'” (Also linked yesterday.)
Jonathan Allen & Courtney Kube of NBC News: “... Donald Trump's administration evicted former Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan from her home with three hours of notice on Tuesday — not even enough time to gather her personal effects — according to two people familiar with the incident. Fagan, a four-star admiral and the first woman to lead a branch of the military, was removed from her post as the Coast Guard’s top officer on Trump’s second day in office. Officials at the Homeland Security Department — which oversees the Coast Guard — cited border security issues and an 'excessive focus' on diversity, equity and inclusion among the reasons for her dismissal. Fagan, who was named commandant in 2022, made a convenient target for a new president who wanted to flex his muscle.” ~~~
~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "More than anything else, Trump, Elon et al. are insecure bullies[.]... Well, to be Scrupulously Fair their misogyny might trump even their pettiness."
David Nakamura & Silvia Foster-Frau of the Washington Post: “A federal judge Tuesday indefinitely blocked ... Donald Trump’s effort to curb birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and foreigners with temporary visas, a decision that is likely to mean the executive order will not take effect as planned this month. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued a preliminary injunction after a court hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, in a lawsuit brought by civil rights groups aiming to stop Trump’s order on the grounds that it violates the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. The injunction applies nationally and will remain in place as the case is adjudicated. The Maryland lawsuit is one of at least six federal cases brought against Trump’s order by a total of 22 Democratic-led states and more than a half-dozen civil rights groups. A federal judge in Seattle previously issued a 14-day restraining order.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Concerned® Alert! Alex Griffing of Mediaite: “'There’s no doubt that the president appears to have empowered Elon Musk far beyond what I think is appropriate,' [Sen. Susan] Collins [R-Maine] told reporters. 'I think a lot of it is going to end up in court.... I am concerned if the Trump administration is clawing back money that has been specifically appropriated for a particular purpose.'... Collins, the last Republican senator from New England, is also the chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and has oversight over the spending that Musk has now seemed to wrangle control over.”
Jake Johnson of Common Dreams: "Democrats took turns speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate into the early hours of Thursday morning in a show of opposition to ... Donald Trump's pick to lead the White House budget office and the new administration's lawless broadside against key federal agencies — an assault led by unelected billionaire Elon Musk. Facing growing pressure to use every tool available to obstruct an administration that they have characterized as authoritarian, Democratic senators are expected to take up all 30 hours of debate on Russell Vought, a right-wing extremist and Project 2025 architect who is poised to take charge of the Office of Management and Budget. Unless Democrats give in and grant unanimous consent (UC) to end debate — as they've done with other Trump nominees in recent days — a vote on Vought's confirmation won't take place until Thursday evening. As of this writing, the Democratic speeches are still going."
Sara Ruberg of the New York Times: “Thousands of people on Wednesday turned out across the U.S. to protest ... [Donald] Trump’s flurry of early actions, denouncing his plans for mass deportations, his attacks on diversity initiatives and his efforts to restrict transgender rights. The demonstrations, which popped up in major cities and state capitals in more than a dozen states, appear to have been spurred online, with word spreading via hashtags such as '#BuildtheResistance.' They were loosely organized under an unofficial tagline — 50501, to represent a goal of 50 protests in 50 states on one day, according to various websites and social media accounts. Most demonstrations began in the afternoon at Capitol buildings and at city halls.” ~~~
~~~ The video below is an unauthorized copy of last night's Rachel Maddow show, so it will probably be taken down. If you can access MSNBC via your cable provider, you can watch the previous evening's show by starting here. (This requires going through some folderol to get there, but it works [and I think it leaves you permanently logged in on the computer/phone you're using, so you don't have to go through the dance every time].) Also Julie in Massachusetts sent me a short video (which I haven't the technical expertise to share) of the protest in Boston. ~~~
Annals of “Journalism,” Ha Ha Ha. Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: Donald “Trump persuaded several Fox News hosts to leave the network and take up major roles in his administration. Now Lara Trump, Mr. Trump’s daughter-in-law and a former co-chair of the Republican Party, will begin hosting a new weekend show on Fox News on Feb. 22, the network announced on Wednesday.... There is no precedent for the close relative of a sitting president to host a high-profile show on a major television news channel.... Ms. Trump ... worked for several years as a producer on 'Inside Edition,' and served as an on-air contributor to Fox News from March 2021 to December 2022.” MB: Did the U.S. end up with a drunken misogynist running the Pentagon just so Lara could get a job at Fox??
Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: “The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday released the transcript of a '60 Minutes' interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that has been at the center of a lawsuit between CBS and ... [Donald] Trump. The transcript of the interview shows that Ms. Harris gave a lengthy answer to a question about Benjamin Netanyahu.... About 21 seconds of that answer was aired in a preview of the interview on 'Face the Nation.' A different seven-second part of the answer aired the next day in an episode of '60 Minutes.' After the interview aired, Mr. Trump sued CBS in Texas, claiming that '60 Minutes' deceptively edited the interview in order to interfere with the election. But ... it’s common practice for news organizations to include an excerpt from a full interview in news articles or TV broadcasts for the sake of concision.... The F.C.C.’s chairman, Brendan Carr, had requested a transcript of the interview after a news distortion complaint was lodged with that agency. Mr. Carr has said that complaint could come up in the agency’s review of a multibillion-dollar merger of Paramount, CBS’s parent company, with Skydance.... Anna M. Gomez, a Democratic commissioner on the F.C.C., said in a statement that the transcript and raw footage of the interview 'provide no evidence' that CBS violated F.C.C. rules.”
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