Things Musk (and Trump) Did... Day 23 | Blog#42
Same lesson, same lack of sense of self-preservation
Please keep a tab open to this post as it gets continuous updates and only one email goes out when I first publish the post, but not when I update it.
I usually make updates several times an hour. The newest items appear at the bottom.
Dems "pissed" at liberal groups MoveOn, Indivisible
A closed-door meeting for House Democrats this week included a gripe-fest directed at liberal grassroots organizations, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Members of the Steering and Policy Committee — with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in the room — on Monday complained activist groups like MoveOn and Indivisible have facilitated thousands of phone calls to members' offices.
"People are pissed," a senior House Democrat who was at the meeting said of lawmakers' reaction to the calls.
The Democrat said Jeffries himself is "very frustrated" at the groups, who are trying to stir up a more confrontational opposition to Trump.
A Jeffries spokesperson noted to Axios that their office regularly engages with dozens of stakeholder groups, including MoveOn and Indivisible, including as recently as Monday
Zoom in: "There were a lot of people who were like, 'We've got to stop the groups from doing this.' ... People are concerned that they're saying we're not doing enough, but we're not in the majority," said one member.
Some Democrats see the callers as barking up the wrong tree given their limited power as the minority party in Congress: "It's been a constant theme of us saying, 'Please call the Republicans,'" said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).
"I reject and resent the implication that congressional Democrats are simply standing by passively," said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).
Continue reading at Axios
Note from Rima: It is terribly disappointing to continue finding ourselves in the same sorry spot, no matter how dire the situation is. In the face of raging oligarchy, resistance isn’t futile. Ask the Vichy French!
From 2018:
Oliver Darcy, is a former CNN media critic and current writer at Status:
“In any case, Soon-Shiong has himself started to tease the venture on social media. Last week, he disclosed on X that Scott Jennings, CNN's resident pro-Donald Trump sycophant, is one of the names attached to the project. I've since learned that there have been conversations about adding Candace Owens, the right-wing extremist and conspiracy theorist who parted ways with Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire after embracing antisemitic rhetoric. There have also been discussions about adding Ana Kasparian, the liberal personality who has in recent years been critical of certain progressive policies. A representative for Owens declined to comment. A representative for Kasparian did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Times declined to comment.”
Continue reading at Status
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Trump to nominate Sean Cairncross as national cyber director
Cairncross is a former top official at the RNC and previously led a federal foreign aid agency during the first Trump administration.
President Donald Trump intends to nominate former administration official and GOP lawyer Sean Cairncross as the next national cyber director, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.
Cairncross served as CEO of the Millenium Challenge Corporation for two years under the first Trump administration, a U.S. foreign aid agency that provides grants to stimulate economic growth in other nations. Prior to being confirmed to lead the MCC, Cairncross served as a deputy assistant to the president under the first Trump term. He does not appear to have held formal roles in cybersecurity.
Cairncross also previously served as chief operating officer at the Republican National Committee from 2015 to 2016, after previously serving as chief counsel for the RNC. Last year, Cairncross was tapped to help run RNC spending operations in the lead-up to the presidential election.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump orders "large-scale" cuts to federal workforce, gives DOGE more power
President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday requiring federal agencies to work with the Elon Musk-led DOGE to make "large-scale" workforce reductions.
Why it matters: The order that's titled "Implementing The President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Workforce Optimization Initiative gives DOGE even more powers, just as the Trump administration faces several lawsuits accusing it of violating privacy laws.
The order requires a "DOGE Team Lead" to be stationed at every government agency, who will oversee hiring decisions.
Driving the news: The purpose of the action is to "restore accountability to the American public" and start "a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy," per the order.
Continue reading at Axios
Anderson Cooper to Sununu: ‘Don’t be a d‑‑‑’
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper admonished former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) during a debate over federal funding on the cable network this week.
“It’s 23 days in here, guys, 23 days. You’re talking about $2.3 billion that was saved last year. These guys are saving $2.3 billion a day,” Sununu said, praising the work of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team on behalf of President Trump.
“He’s giving very specific things, but he’s not actually giving any evidence of that,” Cooper responded.
Continue reading at The Hill
Watch live: Powell testifies before House on state of US economy
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will testify before the House Financial Services Committee Wednesday morning on the state of the U.S. economy.
Powell has put interest rate cuts on hold amid rising prices, suggesting that with President Trump’s return to the White House — and recent tariff threats — the Fed can afford to wait and see how the economy evolves under the new administration. In 2024, interest rates were slashed three times.
Trump has consistently pushed for cutting rates, writing in a Truth Social post early Wednesday that interest rates “should be lowered, something which would go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!! Lets Rock and Roll, America!!!”
Continue reading or watch the hearing at The Hill
Sotomayor: ‘Our founders were hell-bent on ensuring that we didn’t have a monarchy’
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor expressed faith that court rulings will be respected during a Tuesday fireside chat, comments that come as President Trump and his allies have stepped up their attacks on the courts.
“Our founders were hell-bent on ensuring that we didn’t have a monarchy. And the first way they thought of that was to give Congress the power of the purse, and because that’s an incredible power,” Sotomayor said while speaking at an event at Florida’s Miami Dade College.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrat goes after Trump, Musk in first DOGE hearing
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) went after President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk in the first Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee hearing Wednesday, saying lawmakers “can’t just sit here today and pretend like everything is normal.”
Stansbury, the top Democrat on the subcommittee, accused Republicans of shielding Musk and Trump “as they are clearly breaking the law,” before taking a swing at Vice President Vance, who she argued was “trying to rewrite the U.S. Constitution by tweet and undermine the judiciary.”
At the close of her opening remarks, the Democrat also sent a message “directly” to Musk, telling him to come to the committee if he has a “serious desire to engage in democracy and transparency.”
Continue reading at The Hill
House Republicans unveil blueprint to advance Trump’s agenda
The rollout of the budget resolution comes one day before the House Budget Committee is scheduled to debate and advance the resolution, the first step in the budget reconciliation process. The panel is set to consider the measure Thursday at 10 a.m. EST.
Republicans are looking to use the budget reconciliation process to pass Trump’s domestic policy priorities — including border funding, energy policy and an extension of the 2017 tax cuts — which would allow the party to circumvent Democratic opposition in the Senate.
The budget resolution acts as an outline for the reconciliation process, mandating minimums for spending cuts each committee will be tasked with making over the next 10 years, and a cap for how much the Ways and Means Committee will be allowed to increase the deficit through tax cuts over the coming decade.
The resolution includes a $4.5 trillion cap on the deficit impact of the Republicans’ plan to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, a number the Ways and Means Committee will use to craft the tax portion of the legislation.
Continue reading at The Hill
DeSantis: Wife Casey ‘not seeking’ Florida governor bid
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) debunked rumors Tuesday that his wife, Casey, would run for the job he now occupies in 2026.
“It’s not something that she’s seeking out. I think a lot of people are just concerned about the future of the state. But this is not anything new,” DeSantis said during a Tuesday interview on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle.”
“People have been asking her to do this for a long time. But she’s not seeking to do anything. But it’s flattering that people are asking her to do it,” he added.
Continue reading at The Hill
FBI finds thousands of documents related to JFK assassination
The FBI has discovered 2,400 new records related to former President Kennedy’s 1963 assassination, the agency said Tuesday.
The effort follows President Trump’s executive order declaring documents related to Kennedy’s death be declassified.
The FBI did not detail the contents of the files. The National Archives maintains over 5 million pages of records on the assassination, much of it public.
When declassification efforts started, a better index of available records aided the discovery, according to the Associated Press. In 2020, the agency opened a Central Records Complex to stockpile, ship and inventory the information electronically compiled by field offices across the country.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrat calls on NASA administrator to revoke Musk’s access to headquarters
Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday urged the acting head of NASA to revoke tech billionaire Elon Musk’s access to the space agency’s headquarters, citing an extreme conflict of interest.
“Since January 20, 2025, Mr. Musk has enjoyed nearly unfettered access to data across several government agencies and offices. At the same time, SpaceX is NASA’s largest private contractor, receiving nearly $2.3 billion from the agency in Fiscal Year 2023,” Meng wrote in a letter to acting Administrator Janet Petro.
“Providing such access to Mr. Musk at NASA would create a blatant, multi-billion-dollar conflict of interest — exactly the kind of coziness between government and industry and corruption that my constituents fear happens in Washington,” she added.
Continue reading at The Hill
Scarborough: Musk speaking to reporters in Oval Office ‘extraordinarily important’
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough offered rare praise of Elon Musk for facing reporters inside the Oval Office on Tuesday as his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) works to trim the size and spending of the federal government.
“In theory, this would be wonderful. Whether you’re talking about the Pentagon, whether you’re talking about the VA, whether you’re talking about social security, anybody that has tried to deal with the IRS and how antiquated, and I may say, too, for Republicans, understaffed,” Scarborough said of Musk’s “government efficiency” efforts.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump, Musk ‘violating the law right and left’: Former White House ethics czar
Former White House ethics czar Norm Eisen argued that President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are “violating the law right and left.”
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Eisen — who served in the Obama administration — about Musk’s remarks from the Oval Office alongside Trump on Tuesday, when the Tesla CEO said he’d determine his own conflicts of interests while working within the federal government.
The former official said that is not how things are meant to work.
“The ethics laws are there to protect against conflicts,” Eisen said Tuesday during a panel on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” as highlighted by Mediaite. “So, people who are working for the government are serving the public interest, not their own interest. Elon Musk is slashing staff in agencies that are investigating him.”
Continue reading at The Hill
189 Democrats demand CFPB chief revoke DOGE access
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and nearly 200 other Democratic lawmakers are demanding that Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees be removed from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
“Your efforts to dismantle the CFPB are dangerous, and we will fight them at every turn,” the Democrats wrote in their Tuesday letter addressed to Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Budget Management and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.
“We ask that you remove Mr. Musk’s operatives from the CFPB, restore all internal and external systems and operations, and allow the CFPB to continue to do its job of protecting American consumers,” the Democrats said.
Continue reading at The Hill
EU trade chief calls Team Trump, urges dialogue as tariff tensions escalate
“Cooperation is our preferred option,” is the line from Brussels as Trump’s tariffs threaten to kick off transatlantic trade war.
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top trade official stressed the bloc’s commitment to constructive dialogue in a first call with his U.S. counterparts on Wednesday, ahead of an emergency meeting of the bloc’s ministers to discuss how to respond to President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič spoke with Trump’s pick for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, designated U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, his spokesperson Olof Gill confirmed.
“Cooperation is our preferred option. So, we remain committed to constructive dialogue and finding negotiated solutions, while protecting the EU interests — the same way the U.S. is protecting theirs,” Gill said in a statement. “The counterparts have agreed to meet soon.”
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Trump’s Envoy Lets Loose on the Panama Canal and ‘Imminent’ Change in Cuba
Maurico Claver-Carone on the administration’s hemisphere-wide shakeup.
President Donald Trump opened his second term with sudden moves to shake up the Western hemisphere — vowing to take back the Panama Canal, threatening tariffs on American neighbors and demanding the repatriation of undocumented migrants.
As Trump’s special envoy for Latin America, it’s up to Mauricio Claver-Carone to work out the details.
The role of Trump’s regional enforcer is a natural one for the Miami native.
In stints at the Treasury Department and National Security Council during Trump’s first term, Claver-Catone took a no-holds-barred approach to diplomacy, backing tougher sanctions on Cuba and organizing an abortive effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. As president of the Inter-American Development Bank — where he was ejected in 2022 over misconduct charges that he denied — Claver-Carone also became a fierce opponent of China’s presence in the hemisphere.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump calls for lower borrowing costs, hinting at clash with Fed
The president’s post came only a half hour before the Labor Department reported that inflation climbed last month.
President Donald Trump called for lower interest rates to go “hand in hand” with new tariffs he’s planning on imports, teasing a possible conflict with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who is in no rush to cut borrowing costs as inflation fears grow.
“Interest Rates should be lowered, something which would go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!! Lets Rock and Roll, America!!!” the president posted on his social media account, Truth Social, on Wednesday morning.
The post came only a half hour before the Labor Department reported that inflation climbed last month.
Trump’s comments stand in stark contrast to those of Powell, who on Tuesday told the Senate Banking Committee that policymakers do “not need to be in a hurry to adjust our policy stance,” echoing his commentary after the Fed left rates unchanged at its January meeting.
Continue reading at Politico
Russian defense spending overtakes Europe, study finds
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent its defense spending skyrocketing, and is raising fears it will attack NATO next.
LONDON — Russia's military expenditure is rising so fast that it is outperforming all European countries combined despite their effort to boost budgets and rearm, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ latest Military Balance report released Wednesday.
The think tank said that Russia’s military expenditure last year was forecast at 13.1 trillion rubles ($145.9 billion), or 6.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product — over 40 percent higher than the previous year.
Meanwhile, Europe’s combined 2024 defense spending was $457 billion, more than 50 percent higher in nominal terms than it was in 2014, and 11.7 percent higher in real terms than the previous year.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Trump and Putin stun Europe with peace plan for Ukraine
U.S. president announces that talks with Russia’s leader on ending the war will start “immediately”, after his defense chief warns that Ukraine’s peace goals won’t be met.
BRUSSELS — It was the moment Europeans and Ukrainians have been dreading for months, if not years.
Yet when it finally came, on a wintry afternoon as Kyiv froze in icy temperatures, the suddenness and scale of Donald Trump’s peace plan still left Ukraine’s allies in shock.
The United States has effectively called time on its support for Ukraine as it resists Russia’s invasion, with Trump announcing immediate negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and telling Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give up hope of taking back all the land Russia has seized.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the first to divulge America’s position at a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Hegseth told his counterparts gathered in the Belgian capital that Zelenskyy had no chance of achieving his goal of kicking Russian forces out of Crimea and the east of the country and returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 borders.
“Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” Hegseth said.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
House GOP budget still not final
Leaders want a blueprint released this morning ahead of a scheduled committee markup tomorrow.
House Budget Committee members are still debating key final details of the fiscal blueprint for Republicans’ massive domestic policy bill, with GOP leaders still hoping to release text of a budget resolution in the coming hours.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise, arriving at the Capitol Wednesday, told reporters he still expects that text to be released to the public “this morning.”
“I think we’re going to be on track to have budget markup tomorrow,” Scalise said.
But he acknowledged it’s not ready quite yet.
Continue reading at Politico
Hegseth to NATO: U.S. troops won't guarantee Ukraine's security after war
BRUSSELS -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a blunt message to NATO allies Wednesday: U.S. troops will not be part of any future peace-keeping mission in Ukraine.
Nor should NATO's Article 5 protections — under which the U.S. vows to respond if an ally is attacked — apply to any European forces sent to Ukraine to secure a postwar peace settlement, he said.
Ukraine, meanwhile, should make a deal now — and give up on regaining all of its occupied territory, or becoming a member of NATO.
Why it matters: Hegseth is the first senior Trump administration official to visit NATO headquarters, where he met with Ukraine's defense minister and other key officials ahead of the third anniversary of Russia's invasion.
A few hundred miles away, Vice President Vance is slated to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference later this week to discuss President Trump's vision for peace.
Continue reading at Axios
Consumer Price Index shows inflation heated up in January
Inflation moved higher in January: The Consumer Price Index rose 0.5%, while a measure that strips out energy and food rose 0.4%, the Labor Department said on Wednesday.
Why it matters: It's a warning to the White House and the Fed about inflation's potential staying power across the economy.
CPI rose 3% in the year through January, compared to the 2.9% increase in December.
Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 3.3% over the last 12 months, up from 3.2% the prior month.
The big picture: Inflation progress has been bumpy in recent months, with much uncertainty about how White House policy — including tariffs — might weigh on prices.
Any tariff effects would not be evident in this report; the 10% tariff on China went into effect in February, as did retaliatory measures.
Continue reading at Axios
Economist Jared Bernstein
Who benefits from the White House pause on fighting corruption
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act stands at the center of the global fight against bribery and corruption, and for the time being, it has been largely neutralized by Donald Trump.
Why it matters: The president's executive order pausing FCPA enforcement may act as a green light for corporate executives, both foreign and domestic, who have a high risk appetite and few ethical scruples about bribes and other forms of corruption.
In turn, that risks putting law-abiding corporations at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to procuring government contracts.
Context: Congress passed the act in 1977 to root out the "foreign corporate payments problem," as law professor and FCPA expert Mike Koehler wrote in 2012.
At its heart, the law prohibits giving "anything of value" to foreign officials to influence their behavior or secure business advantages.
The intrigue: While Trump's executive order claims that "American citizens and businesses" have suffered from FCPA enforcement, nine of the 10 biggest FCPA prosecutions have been against foreign companies, including Airbus, Siemens and Ericsson.
Continue reading at Axios
Inspectors general sue Trump admin over their firings
Eight of the federal agency watchdogs abruptly fired by President Trump last month filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging their terminations.
Why it matters: The group of inspectors general argue that their firings violated federal law and that they should be reinstated to their posts.
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., joins a tsunami of other legal challenges that hope to stop Trump's bid to radically reshape the federal government.
Continue reading at Axios
House GOP unveils $2 trillion in proposed spending cuts
The House Budget Committee released a budget blueprint Wednesday proposing $2 trillion in spending cuts.
Why it matters: The House is going bigger and bolder than the Senate with its proposed budget resolution to implement President Trump's legislative agenda — but they're also a step behind.
The blueprint follows days of stalled negotiations between GOP hard-liners and leadership over how deep spending cuts should go. The budget panel is set to vote on it Thursday.
The draft dropped as the Senate Budget Committee convened to vote on its own narrower bill on the border, energy and defense.
Driving the news: The blueprint calls for at least $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $4 trillion debt limit increase.
State of play: House Republicans have been facing pressure to finalize a budget resolution, setting up a de facto game of chicken between the two chambers.
Continue reading at Axios
Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as Trump's intel chief
The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as President Trump's Director of National Intelligence, largely along party lines.
Why it matters: It's a big win for the president's team, which worked hard to resuscitate Gabbard's nomination when it faltered earlier this year.
The final vote was 52-48, with former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) the only GOP opponent.
The big picture: Gabbard proved to be one of Trump's most controversial nominees, and the success of her confirmation was particularly questionable ahead of a committee vote earlier this month.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump says he and Putin will negotiate to end the war in Ukraine
The president says he and the Russian leader spoke and are eager to work together.
President Donald Trump said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” on Wednesday morning in which they agreed to work together “very closely” on a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine and to visit one another’s countries.
The president’s long summation of the phone call, which came in a social media post, laid bare an astonishing shift in strategy, a desire to normalize relations with Russia despite its 2022 invasion of Ukraine — and Trump’s willingness to take Russia’s leader seriously about his shared desire to end the war that he launched without provocation.
“As we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine,” Trump wrote. “President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’”
Continue reading at Politico
Trump says Putin agreed to begin negotiations to end war in Ukraine
President Trump said he spoke on Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and they agreed on "starting negotiations immediately" to end the war in Ukraine.
Why it matters: Trump's first publicly disclosed call with Putin since assuming office comes ahead of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Trump said he was speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to update him about the call with Putin.
The call comes a day after the U.S. and Russia implemented a deal for the release of American detainee Marc Fogel.
The deal and the phone call are a significant breakthrough in the frozen U.S.-Russian relationship.
Continue reading at Axios
Politico Playbook PM
Trump launches Ukraine talks with Putin
TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE: Trump had a phone call today with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of the countries’ prisoner swap, per CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. And NYT’s Maggie Haberman scooped that the U.S. had given up money laundering cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik to get wrongfully detained American teacher Marc Fogel back, as POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein had suggested last night. Special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had helped push the hostage deal forward. And envoy Adam Boehler told reporters that Belarus has released three more people, including an American, journalist Andrei Kuznechyk and Alena Maushuk.
The really big news: Trump said on Truth Social that he and Putin had agreed to immediately begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Witkoff leading the team. Witkoff met with Putin yesterday, per CNN’s Alayna Treene. Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shortly thereafter, per the FT.
The announcement — a significant shift from the U.S. — came on the heels of a striking speech from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Europe, where he threw a bucket of cold water on many of Ukraine’s goals: Getting NATO membership or returning to pre-2014 borders are “unrealistic” to achieve in these negotiations, Hegseth said, per CNN. He also said explicitly that the U.S. would not focus on European security, and any security guarantees for Ukraine would have to come from Europe.
Hegseth’s comments were not wholly unexpected given Trump’s signals that he’d pull back from supporting Ukraine, but some critics questioned the NATO news: “They just surrendered one of the main points of leverage before negotiations even begin,” said former Biden official Matthew Miller. And Zelenskyy is already worried that the Trump administration hasn’t consulted with him much on plans, he tells The Economist. Zelenskyy is due to meet with VP JD Vance tomorrow.
Continue reading at Politico
McConnell only Republican to vote against Gabbard
Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Wednesday voted against confirming former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official, sending a strong message to fellow GOP senators, some of whom privately doubted her qualifications to hold the job.
McConnell was the only Republican senator to vote against Gabbard, who came under heavy scrutiny over her past opposition to expanded surveillance authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and her refusal to call former government contractor Edward Snowden a traitor for stealing 1.5 million classified documents.
The Kentucky lawmaker flagged Gabbard’s refusal to label Snowden a “traitor” as a serious concern.
Continue reading at The Hill
House Democrats call for investigation into top DOJ officials
A coalition of House Democrats is calling for an investigation into two top Justice Department officials, arguing they violated the code of conduct in taking actions on cases in which they were previously involved.
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), along with six other members, asked Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate both acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove and Ed Martin, interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
Bove is a former member of President Trump’s criminal defense team, while Martin was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and later represented some defendants charged in connection to the riot at the Capitol.
Continue reading at The Hill
Larry Summers sounds alarm over inflation under Trump
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers on Wednesday offered a warning about inflationary threats under the Trump administration, after a new report found inflation rose unexpectedly to 3 percent in January.
“We are now in the riskiest period for inflation policy since the early Biden Administration,” Summers, who served as Treasury secretary under President Clinton and direction of the National Economic Council under President Obama, wrote in a Wednesday post.
“Even without tariffs, immigration restrictions, deficit bloat and attacks on the Fed there would be serious grounds for inflation worry,” he wrote.
Continue reading at The Hill
Read Paul Krugman on the topic:
Senate Dems demand bipartisan probe of Trump's watchdog purge
Senate Democrats are pressing Republicans to investigate and hold a public hearing looking into President Trump's mass firing of government watchdogs, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Trump's widespread purge of inspectors general is a rare example of an early second-term move that has drawn criticism from inside the president's own party, creating a leverage point for Democrats.
Nearly a dozen Senate Democrats, led by freshman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), called for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to investigate the firings in a letter obtained by Axios.
Schiff and the other Democrats said the firings are a "clear violation of federal law" that pose an "existential threat to the federal government's ability to conduct independent oversight.
Continue reading at Axios
Black History, Pride Month and other events quietly vanish from Google calendars
Google's removal of certain holidays and cultural events from the default settings on Google Calendar has gained more attention this month, even though the company said the moves took place last year.
Why it matters: The removal of events like Pride Month from G-cal comes as President Trump has taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion policies. As a result, major companies have rolled back their DEI efforts.
Continue reading at Axios
Musk calls for ‘wave of judicial impeachments’
Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday called for judges to be impeached for checking the power of the Trump administration, as some of its efforts to overhaul the government get bogged down in legal fights.
“There needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one,” Musk said on X, responding to claim of a conflict of interest for U.S. District Judge John Bates, who ordered federal health agencies Tuesday to restore online datasets taken down.
Neither Musk or the other X user he responded to gave evidence into the claim.
Continue reading at The Hill
Farah Griffin: Trump ‘giving himself distance’ by putting Musk in charge of massive cuts
Former White House staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin said President Trump is “giving himself distance” by placing Elon Musk in charge of controversial cuts to federal spending at various agencies.
“What Trump is doing by putting Elon in charge of so much of overseeing the federal government and these massive cuts is he’s giving himself distance from when they inevitably become unpopular — these cuts that are made. He is delegating right now,” Griffin stated during a Wednesday appearance on “CNN News Central.”
“He’s not going to own it if he — he hopes he will not own [it] if people are really mad down the road when they say, ‘Oh, great, we don’t have this resource that we once had because of Elon,'” she said.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump secures release of journalist jailed in Belarus
President Trump has secured the release of a journalist jailed in Belarus, a development that follows Russia’s exchange of a jailed American as a confidence-building measure leading toward negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
Belarus released Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Andrey Kuznechyk, who served more than three years in prison on charges criticized as politically motivated.
“This is a joyous day for Andrey, his wife, and their two young children. After more than three years apart, this family is together again thanks to President Trump,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President Stephen Capus said in a statement.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump’s FCC probing Comcast, NBC over DEI policies
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is planning to open an investigation into Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, over its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.
In a letter to Comcast Chair Brian Roberts dated Tuesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the goal of the investigation is to “ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC and civil rights laws.”
“Following President Trump’s executive actions, we have ended the FCC’s promotion of DEI,” Carr wrote in a social media post on Wednesday publicizing the letter. “And the FCC will be taking steps to ensure that every company the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act and agency rules. We are starting with Comcast for the reasons set forth in my letter.”
White House acknowledges disagreement with Jordan over relocating Palestinians
The White House on Wednesday acknowledged disagreement between President Trump and King Abdullah II of Jordon over Trump’s pitch to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip while the U.S. takes over the territory.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that while Abdullah opposes relocating Palestinians from leaving Gaza, Trump is committed to moving them out of the Strip and into neighboring countries, including Jordan.
“The king would prefer that the Palestinians stay in place with the additional land to be used for new development, which would greatly create jobs at levels never seen before. The president feels it would be much better and more majestic if these Palestinians could be moved to safer areas,” she said.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democratic lawmakers question Energy Department over DOGE nuclear data access
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) wrote Wednesday to Energy Secretary Chris Wright about reports that staffers with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been granted access to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Markey and Beyer, who co-chair the Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, cited recent remarks by Wright that three DOGE associates “have access to look around, talk to people, and give us some good feedback on how things are going.” They also cited media reports indicating a former SpaceX intern was given access to the department’s IT system despite lacking the required security clearances.
“There is no justification for relaxing basic security procedures when it comes to our nuclear stockpile, but recent actions reflect a brazen disregard for DOE security policies,” Markey and Beyer wrote, using an abbreviation for Department of Energy. “DOE must ensure that all personnel with access to classified information and systems surrounding our nation’s nuclear arsenal follow the highest security standards.”
Continue reading at The Hill
First DOGE committee hearing becomes referendum on Elon Musk
The star of the first Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee hearing in the House Wednesday was an individual not in attendance: Elon Musk.
Democrats on the panel took intense aim at Musk, who is heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative under President Trump, accusing him of breaking the law in his quest to eliminate spending he deems wasteful and analyze government payments.
“While we’re sitting here, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are recklessly and illegally dismantling the federal government, shuttering federal agencies, firing federal workers, withholding funds vital to the safety and well-being of our communities and hacking our sensitive data systems,” ranking member Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said. She repeatedly said Musk should testify under oath before the panel.
Continue reading at The Hill
Robson launches bid for Arizona governor, with Trump’s support
“I will fight every day alongside President Trump for stronger borders, a stronger economy, and a stronger Arizona,” she says.
Karrin Taylor Robson, an attorney and business executive with ties to the state’s GOP establishment, launched a second run for governor of Arizona on Wednesday — this time with Donald Trump’s backing.
Her bid comes roughly three years after she lost a brutal Republican governor primary to Kari Lake in a race that drew national attention because of Lake’s personal and nasty attacks on Robson. In 2022, Lake had Trump’s endorsement.
Continue reading at Politico
House GOP budget plan targets deep SNAP cuts
Republicans are growing concerned about the House GOP budget blueprint's impact on food assistance.
The higher level of spending cuts in the newly released House Republican budget blueprint means some current food aid benefits for low-income Americans will likely be reduced, according to two GOP lawmakers.
House Republicans were already targeting expanded work requirements across the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which currently helps to feed more than 40 million low-income Americans.
But the new plan to be marked up by the House Budget Committee on Thursday contains instructions for the Agriculture Committee to slash $230 billion across programs under its purview, meaning work requirements and changes to state waivers alone won't reach that target number, said the lawmakers with knowledge about the ongoing talks.
Continue reading at Politico
House budget resolution in limbo as conservatives push deeper spending cuts and work requirements
Hard-liners, including two who sit on the House Budget Committee, want an additional guaranteed $500 billion in spending cuts.
A planned markup on House GOP leaders' budget plan is less than 24 hours away — and they currently don't have the votes to pass it.
The House Budget Committee released text of their one-bill proposal to tackle the border, energy and taxes Wednesday morning, which includes $1.5 trillion in minimum spending cuts. The panel plans to meet Thursday to markup and possibly vote to advance the resolution.
It was immediately panned by some hard-liners in the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, who huddled in the basement of the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon to discuss it. They're pushing for at least $500 billion in additional spending cuts, as well as work requirements for Medicaid, food aid benefits and another safety net program to be guaranteed in the resolution.
Critically, two of those skeptical conservatives sit on the panel and could tank it in committee if they side with Democrats and vote against advancing the budget resolution — and Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) say they're not on board yet.
Continue reading at Politico
Dems fail to land viral moment at DOGE hearing
Democrats tried to goad Marjorie Taylor Greene; she didn't bite.
The highly anticipated first meeting of the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, or DOGE, came and went on Wednesday with scarce political drama.
Democrats sought to cast the subcommittee — a complementary effort to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk — as an extension of what they see as a corrupt executive branch plot to destroy the federal bureaucracy. But Republicans largely sidestepped those attacks, arguing they were in the business of eliminating government waste while Democrats had little interest in engaging earnestly on the subject.
It was a surprising twist for a panel filled with political firebrands and chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who just a few years ago was stripped of her committee assignments for controversial actions like suggesting she supported the assassination of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And on Wednesday, Democrats seemed at times keen on provoking Greene, known for viral spats and sparring with fellow lawmakers.
Continue reading at Politico
How Trump’s assault on bureaucracy could rock Virginia elections
The off-year races are often a bellwether for the national mood a year before the midterms.
Virginia Democrats have a new message for the tens of thousands of federal workers who will vote in their state elections this fall: Republicans stood by silently as President Donald Trump came for your jobs.
The state’s off-year races are often a bellwether for the national mood a year before the midterms. But they are poised to take on even more significance this November because so many government employees and contractors who live in Northern Virginia are experiencing firsthand the impact of the Trump administration’s attempt to shrink the federal bureaucracy.
For Democrats, who have the thinnest of grips on the House of Delegates and are eagerly seeking to reclaim the governor’s mansion, it may be an opening.
“Of course it’s going to have an impact on the elections of Virginia, because we are seeing put into motion the potential destruction of massive amounts of our economy and of the very work that people have dedicated their lives to on behalf of our country,” said state Del. Dan Helmer, the Democratic campaign chair for the Virginia House of Delegates.
Continue reading at Politico
‘The case is over’: Adams’ lawyer declares victory
Attorney Alex Spiro responded to critics who said the New York City mayor is beholden to Trump.
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ lawyer claimed Wednesday that the criminal case against the mayor “is over” and won’t be picked up again because it was weak, countering critics who say the mayor is now compromised and under President Donald Trump’s thumb.
“There is no looming threat. This case is over. This case will never be brought back. It wasn’t a real case in the first place,” Alex Spiro said at a press conference two days after Trump’s Justice Department ordered Manhattan prosecutors to dismiss the corruption charges against Adams.
Continue reading at Politico
Top Trump picks have ties to Project 2025
President Trump contended he knew nothing about Project 2025 — but several of his Cabinet picks certainly do.
The big picture: Trump has apparently plucked a number of officials and nominees straight from the pages of the 900-plus-page Heritage Foundation-backed blueprint, which laid out plans to dramatically expand executive power and implement hardline conservative policies.
Trump has so far nominated at least 18 authors or contributors to the text to serve in his second administration.
Driving the news: Russ Vought — an architect of Project 2025 — was confirmed by the Senate among party lines to return to the White House as Trump's director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Vought is one of the roughly 140 members of the first Trump administration who were involved in Project 2025, per CNN's tally.
Flashback: Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 as press coverage of its proposals became a headache on the campaign trail.
Continue reading at Axios
In photos: Black History Month's 60 year anniversaries
Black History Month this year falls on the 60th anniversary of many crucial moments of the Civil Rights Movement that would transform the nation and spark new fights still being played out today.
Through the lens: From the last days of Malcolm X to the climatic marches in Selma, Alabama, to the Watts Riots foreshadowing what was to come, Axios is sharing images of joy, tragedy and triumphs of 1965.
See the photos on Axios
NYSE to launch stock exchange in Texas
The New York Stock Exchange is announcing plans to launch an equities exchange in Texas.
Why it matters: The move comes amid growing interest in corporate America in locating operations in Texas, viewing the Lone Star State as business friendly.
Zoom in: The NYSE, part of the Intercontinental Exchange, said it will launch NYSE Texas based in Dallas.
Continue reading at Axios
How they report on us from the outside
Putin’s Ukraine
The End of War and the Price of Russian Occupation
From afar, the situation Ukraine faces after three years of full-scale war with Russia seems clear. Over the past 12 months, Moscow has intensified its assault on civilian populations, sending drones, missiles, and bombs in almost daily attacks on cities across the country. Infrastructure and power stations have been relentlessly targeted. Millions of people have been displaced, and millions more who fled the country after 2022 have been unable to return. Even as Ukraine has struggled to hold the frontlines, its soldiers continue to be injured and killed.
Given these mounting costs, and that Ukraine has, against all odds, managed to defend 80 percent of its territory, one might expect its citizens to support any effort to end the war. That would be sensible in the eyes of many Western analysts. Just as Russia seems unlikely to make major new advances, it will also be very difficult for Ukrainian forces, contending with an enemy that is prepared to burn through huge quantities of ammunition and manpower, to recapture all the territory now controlled by Russia. In this view, securing a cease-fire and bringing relief to the bulk of the country should be a top priority.
Yet that is not how Ukrainians see it. With U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to quickly end the war—and even before that, the threat from the United States and its allies that they might reduce military aid in the future—Ukraine’s government and population have had to take seriously the discussion of a cease-fire. But such a scenario diverges sharply from the victory plan that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outlined in the fall of 2024. And many Ukrainians themselves are deeply skeptical of a settlement, saying that no deal is better than a bad deal. Indeed, in Western eyes, Kyiv’s determination to keep fighting—sometimes in grueling months-long battles to defend ruined towns and villages—may seem irrational.
Continue reading at Foreign Affairs
1 big thing: A new inflation surge
Inflation surged ahead to start 2025, crimping Americans' buying power and serving as a warning to policymakers — whether those contemplating new tariffs or further interest rate cuts — that price pressures are not yet vanquished.
Why it matters: Economic policymakers have described the disinflation process as a bumpy road. The past six months instead look like an uphill path.
Prices flatlined last summer but have risen at a 4.5% annual rate over the last three months, far above the Fed's goals and the highest since fall 2022.
What they're saying: "There's a déjà vu element here — 2024 also started with a few hot inflation prints that forced a big reassessment of rate-cutting expectations," JPMorgan Wealth Management's Elyse Ausenbaugh wrote in a note.
"No matter how you slice the data, the January CPI print marks an unwelcome re-acceleration in prices to start off 2025," Jason Pride, chief of investment strategy and research at Glenmede, wrote this morning.
Continue reading at Axios
Economist Jared Bernstein
No delusions: Bidenomics wasn't perfect, but it did many great things
Responding to Jason Furman
State workers may lose coverage.
ACLU sues Trump over Gitmo migrant detainees’ access to attorneys
It’s the latest challenge to President Donald Trump’s plan to turn Guantanamo Bay into a massive immigration detention facility.
The Trump administration is violating the constitutional rights of migrant detainees at Guantanamo Bay by denying them access to lawyers, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The suit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C, seeks a court order requiring the administration to give attorneys in-person access to the detainees as soon as possible and immediate video and telephone access in the interim. It argues that the detainees’ lack of access to attorneys violates their legal right to counsel, and that legal organizations have their own First Amendment right to meet with migrants held at the naval base in Cuba.
Continue reading at Politico
Ozempic cut heavy drinking in clinical study
The small study suggests there’s promise in further investigating the drug in this field.
Taking Ozempic or Wegovy once-a-week has shown to reduce heavy drinking and cravings in a small study of people with alcohol-use disorder.
The U.S.-based trial involving 48 people with moderate alcohol-use disorder found that semaglutide, the diabetes and obesity medication, “significantly reduced alcohol craving and drinks per drinking day.”
Recent reports linking semaglutide or drugs of the same class to alcohol-related outcomes have previously relied on “observational or anecdotal data,” the study said.
Continue reading at Politico
Why the health care industry is letting RFK Jr. cruise to confirmation
From drugmakers to doctors, few health care groups are asking senators to block Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming HHS secretary.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s expected Senate confirmation on Thursday to lead the nation’s health agencies threatens upheaval for America’s $4 trillion health care industry.
The industry is doing little and hoping for the best.
From drugmakers to doctors’ organizations, groups thought to have the clout to steer policy and funding in Washington because they enjoyed bipartisan support and huge lobbying budgets have remained silent about Kennedy. They haven’t spoken up even though he has accused them of fraud and conspiracy, and promised to hold them accountable.
That’s not because they aren’t worried, but because they didn’t think they could stop him — or think the cost of speaking out would be too steep, five people representing health groups, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said. By staying mum, they hope to limit the fallout if Kennedy follows through on his plans to strip the industry to the studs.
“They think he’s the wrong person for the job,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, one of the few groups to openly decry Kennedy’s bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. “With good respect to all my buddies, they’re making the false assumption that if they stay silent, they will get something in return.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Blanche grilled over slate of FBI, DOJ firings
Senate Democrats grilled Todd Blanche, President Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, on whether he would blunt attempts to interfere with the Department of Justice (DOJ) if confirmed as deputy attorney general.
[…]
But under questioning from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Blanche would not fully commit to barring release of their names, even as he stressed the need for agent safety.
“I don’t believe that disclosure is on the table,” Blanche told the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending the request of agents’ names.
“The memos that I’ve read that have now become public — it’s to better understand what went wrong, because in President Trump’s view, something went wrong in that investigation,” he added.
“Something went wrong in the Capitol, too,” Durbin retorted.
Blanche called the safety of FBI agents “of course, extraordinarily important.”
“I cannot sit here today and commit to anything beyond that statement — that we will never do anything to put the lives of the family or the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in danger.”
Continue reading this extensive report at The Hill
Trump says he expects to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia
President Trump said Wednesday he expects to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times, suggesting they are likely to meet first in Saudi Arabia.
“We ultimately expect to meet,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “In fact, we expect that he’ll come here, and I’ll go there, and we’re going to meet also, probably in Saudi Arabia. The first time we’ll meet in Saudi Arabia.”
The timing of when the meetings would happen were not yet clear but Trump said it would be “not in the too distant future.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump unveils nominees for CFPB director, comptroller of the currency
Jonathan McKernan was tapped to chair the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CPFB). The former board member at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced his plans to step down from the agency Monday.
His nomination comes as the CFPB has been thrown into turmoil in recent days, after acting Director Russell Vought ordered employees to halt all work and announced he would not take the agency’s last drawdown from the Federal Reserve.
Staff members were also told that the CFPB’s headquarters would be closed for the week, and employees affiliated with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency reportedly gained access to the agency’s data systems.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump’s Oval Office presser
Lawyer for Vince McMahon says criminal probe ‘definitively concluded’ with no charges
“We have been in consistent communication with the government and understand, with no ambiguity, that the investigation has definitively concluded and will not result in charges,” McMahon attorney Robert Allen said in a statement.
The Hill requested comment from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. The New York Post first reported the investigation’s apparent conclusion.
Continue reading at The Hill
House GOP approves bill to expand Congress’s power to undo of Biden-era rules
The House on Wednesday voted to dramatically expand Congress’s ability to roll back regulations passed by the prior administration, a move by the GOP to crush a number of new rules passed in the final year of the Biden administration.
The final vote was 212-208. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) were the only lawmakers to vote with the opposite side of the aisle.
Congress already has the power under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to do a case-by-case review of any regulation finalized since August, roughly the final six months of President Biden’s term.
Continue reading at The Hill
House Commerce chair launches data privacy working group
House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday announced the creation of a data privacy working group as policymakers work toward a national privacy standard.
“We strongly believe that a national data privacy standard is necessary to protect Americans’ rights online and maintain our country’s global leadership in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence,” Guthrie and Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), the vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a joint statement.
“That’s why we are creating this working group, to bring members and stakeholders together to explore a framework for legislation that can get across the finish line,” they continued.
Continue reading at The Hill
Energy and Commerce Committee's Medicaid problem just got tougher
Congressional Republicans are going to have to cut deep into a popular health safety-net program to pay for President Donald Trump's domestic agenda.
It was always going to be tough for House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie to rally his members around cuts to Medicaid; his job could soon get even harder.
The House GOP budget blueprint unveiled Wednesday would direct several congressional committees to achieve at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts across programs under their panels’ purviews — necessary to offset a party-line, budget reconciliation bill to enact President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.
The Energy and Commerce Committee has been told to find at least $880 billion in savings, or more than half of that total amount, to pay for a massive package that would extend expiring tax cuts, beef up border security and expand American energy production. It’s a far larger number than many House Republicans had originally anticipated.
The bulk of those savings will have to come from making changes to Medicaid, which currently insures more than 70 million Americans. And, in an interview Wednesday, Guthrie acknowledged that one major savings option probably won’t have the support to pass the House.
Continue reading at Politico
Vance, Miller and Vought backing 2-bill reconciliation strategy; Bessent pushing 1
Congressional Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to bypass Senate filibusters and more quickly enact President Donald Trump’s agenda, including tax cuts and additional funding for border security and defense.
Vice President JD Vance, White House policy chief Stephen Miller and budget chief Russ Vought are among those in the Trump administration pushing for a two-bill approach on reconciliation, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pushing for one, people familiar with their thinking, granted anonymity to share it, said Wednesday.
Two of those familiar confirmed Vance and Miller’s positions, which prioritize quickly passing immigration-related funding and dealing with tax cuts in separate legislation later, while one of those and a third person confirmed Vought also supports the strategy.
Congressional Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to bypass Senate filibusters and more quickly enact President Donald Trump’s agenda, including tax cuts and additional funding for border security and defense.
Continue reading at Politico
Bessent pledges ‘economic commitment’ to Ukraine as Trump pushes for negotiations
Trump spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says economic cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine will be key to ensuring that the war-torn country is secure, as President Donald Trump increasingly publicly pushes for an end to the Russian-Ukraine war.
In a Wednesday press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Bessent told reporters an economic partnership would show the Kremlin that the Trump White House was committed to standing by its ally.
“We believe that this is an important signal to the world, to Russian leadership, that we stand together,” Bessent said. “And by increasing our economic commitment through a partnership with the government and the people of Ukraine, that it will provide, once this conflict is over, it will provide a long-term security shield for all Ukrainians.”
Continue reading at Politico
Trump-Putin Ukraine peace talks mustn’t exclude Kyiv, EU allies warn
U.S. and Russian leaders spoke on the phone Wednesday about ending the war — and agreed to start negotiations “immediately.”
High-stakes negotiations that could decide the future of Eastern Europe must include Ukraine, top European diplomats have warned, after U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to hold talks.
“Peace can only be achieved together. And that means: with Ukraine and with the Europeans,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told POLITICO following Trump’s announcement of a dialogue with the Russian leader on Wednesday. “We must take this path together so that peace returns to Europe.”
Also speaking to POLITICO, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said: “Ukrainian agency in any peace talks is crucially important.”
Continue reading at Politico Europe
RFK Jr. taps former border patrol agent as senior adviser
Chris Clem could help Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who will have a role in immigration policy as health secretary, manage deportations.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tapped a retired border patrol chief to be one of his senior advisers, in a sign of the outsized role that the government’s health department could once again play in managing the fallout of President Donald Trump’s deportation policies.
Chris Clem, a longtime U.S. Border Patrol agent who supported Kennedy’s 2024 run for president, joined the Health and Human Services Department in recent weeks, two people familiar with the appointment said and an HHS spokesperson confirmed.
He is expected to work closely with Kennedy as one of a handful of top aides, focusing on HHS’ coordination with other agencies on border issues and the department’s own responsibility for caring for unaccompanied migrant children. Clem referred a request for comment to HHS.
HHS oversees the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which faced intense scrutiny during Trump’s first term over its efforts to house more than 5,000 migrant children separated from their parents as a result of the administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy.
Continue reading at Politico
Not sure where this is from, but I thought I’d still post it here. I’ll do a bit of research on the source.
Vance enters the world stage. Can he speak for Trump?
The vice president faces a perennially difficult task as he attempts to take the MAGA mantle.
MUNICH — Vice President JD Vance has his first major chance to present himself as Donald Trump’s proxy on the world stage this week in Europe, as he attempts to build the case that he is the natural heir to the America First movement.
But he faces the perennial question: Can anyone really speak for Trump?
The question goes beyond Vance’s personal ambition. Allies and adversaries are watching closely amid a thicket of thorny questions facing the Trump administration.
Trump has been pushing at home to end the war in Ukraine, announcing new talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday. He’s prompted additional questions over his actions on tariffs, tech deregulation in the European Union and Trump’s repeated demands to expand U.S. territorial domain over Greenland, Panama and Gaza.
For Vance, the challenge later this week at the Munich Security Conference — a global security confab — will be not only articulating Trump’s mercurial pronouncements but also carving space for his own interpretation of America First, and the broader MAGA agenda.
Continue reading at Politico
Johnson leaves door open to full-year funding stopgap
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) didn’t rule out a full-year stopgap to keep the government funded through the end of the fiscal year, as lawmakers struggle to strike a bipartisan deal.
Pressed by reporters on the chances of a full-year stopgap, Johnson left the door open on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re trying to negotiate in good faith, but Democrats have sent over counter offers that are just simply not acceptable, and they know that, and so we’re looking at all options,” he said.
Reports emerged Wednesday afternoon that Johnson was pushing for a full-year funding stopgap, which could keep funding mostly at the levels hashed out in the last Congress, for the rest of fiscal 2025.
Continue reading at The Hill
Note from Rima: We’ve never had a full year stop-gap
Linda McMahon faces confirmation hearing for department Trump wants to kill
McMahon, whose confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. EST, will be questioned by senators just a week after Trump said he would like to use executive action to eliminate the Department of Education and amid media reports that he is preparing executive orders to weaken and reduce the federal agency and calling on Congress to finish it off.
While she’s also likely to face questions on her lack of education experience, a lingering lawsuit from her professional wrestling days and how she might implement executive orders on gender issues and school choice, McMahon’s hearing could be dominated by the future of the Education Department.
Republicans have voiced no objections to McMahon, so far giving her a clear path to confirmation, but Democrats and other opponents of the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) executive have made clear their lines of attack ahead of the hearing.
Continue reading at The Hill
Note from Rima: See above, the DOJ has cleared him of charges he would have been prosecuted for
Bernie Sanders is heading to Iowa. It’s not why you think.
“He likes spreading his message, and likes being adored,” a former aide said.
Bernie Sanders, the two-time presidential candidate, is barnstorming Iowa and Nebraska to rally voters against what he calls “the oligarchy” — the kind of high-profile offensive that typically signals a potential run for the White House.
But in Sanders’ case, he’s more likely paving the way for someone to follow in his footsteps.
Sanders isn’t interested in mounting a third presidential campaign, several friends and allies said. At the age of 83, they said, the Vermont senator is more concerned with laying the groundwork for another progressive — or progressives — to carry the torch in 2028.
“I have no doubt that that weighs heavily on his mind,” said Ben Cohen, a co-chair of Sanders’ 2020 campaign and co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s. “I have no doubt that that is a focus of his, as it would be with anyone who’s passionate about a campaign, who’s passionate about particular issues, and is reaching, according to the actuarial tables, the end of their lives.”
Continue reading at Politico
Law enforcement agency investigating AI firm’s work with Eric Adams administration
Remark Holdings scored a pilot with the help of a controversial former mayoral aide.
NEW YORK — The New York City Department of Investigation is probing an artificial intelligence company whose technology was piloted in a migrant shelter at the behest of one of Mayor Eric Adams’ former top aides, records show.
The department’s interest in Remark Holdings — a Las Vegas-based company with shaky financials and ties to China — follows a POLITICO investigation last year that documented how senior City Hall adviser Timothy Pearson helped the company gain a foothold in the administration.
Pearson, who oversaw contracts for migrant shelters, was forced out in September amid several corruption probes. At the time he was promoting Remark to city agencies, Pearson was in a personal relationship with a consultant for the company.
Continue reading at Politico
Top Democrats reopen 2017 playbook on Trump tax cuts
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met Wednesday to try to re-create the magic Democrats found in 2017, when they turned President Trump's original tax cuts into political poison for the GOP majorities.
Why it matters: Grassroots Democrats are demanding to see real action immediately. But top Democrats are eyeing a different date: November 2026.
Their goal is to develop a unified message ahead of the midterms and take back at least one chamber of Congress.
They'll have to temper the expectations of activists who want quicker results, while also keeping them motivated to support Democrats in the coming campaigns.
Zoom in: Democratic leaders firmly think their life in the minority will be shorter if they seize on the right messaging opportunities, not every messaging opportunity.
They want to avoid responding to Trump's outrages du jour and develop a deeper narrative about what unified Republican control means for working families.
What's next: Democratic leaders are eyeing the 2018 midterms as a blueprint, when they made Trump's tax cuts so unpopular that Republicans barely mentioned it in their campaign messaging.
Continue reading at Axios
Note from Rima: See the related items at the top of this post
Trump admin welcomes reform of Palestinian prisoner payments dubbed "pay for slay"
The Trump administration welcomed on Wednesday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to revoke the system of payments to families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails or to families of Palestinians who were killed or wounded during attacks against Israelis.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's positive response is an achievement for the Palestinian Authority, which wanted to prove that it conducted a serious reform in the payment system that was dubbed by its critics "pay for slay."
The U.S. and Israel have argued for years that the system incentivized attacks on Israelis, and they repeatedly demanded that the Palestinian Authority revoke it.
While Israel outright rejected the reform carried out by the Palestinian president, calling it "a fraud," the Trump administration's statement indicates it does not automatically adopt the Israeli interpretation.
Driving the news: According to Abbas' presidential decree, all the payment system and its database will move from the Palestinian government to a new independent entity called the Palestinian National Foundation for Economic Empowerment.\
Continue reading at Axios
X verifies fake, crypto-hawking Maltese president impersonator
The bogus handle has since been deleted, but Myriam Spiteri Debono’s real account still doesn’t have a gray tick.
A fake social media account impersonating the president of Malta was mistakenly verified by X, Maltese media reported Wednesday.
The account, which had some 50,000 followers before it was suspended, purported to belong to Maltese President Myriam Spiteri Debono and had the handle @MyriamDebono. It was given a gray checkmark, denoting an official government account.
The imposter shared political content as well as what appeared to be scammy announcements about a new Maltese cryptocurrency.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Note from Rima: X is used by DOGE…
Sanders sounds alarm over Musk acting ‘in a sense, illegally’
More updates soon and all throughout the day…
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Wednesday he thinks all Americans should be concerned that tech billionaire Elon Musk is acting “in a sense, illegally, unconstitutionally.”
In a brief interview with NewsNation, Sanders identified “the growth of oligarchy” and “the move toward authoritarianism” as his primary concerns, amid ongoing efforts by President Trump and Musk to reshape the federal government.
“I think there are two issues. Number one is the growth of oligarchy,” Sanders said. “Every American should be concerned the richest guy in the world is running all over this country acting, in a sense, illegally, unconstitutionally.”
“Congress passes laws here,” he continued. “You don’t like those laws? You can change the laws. But you can’t just arbitrarily do what Musk is doing.”
Continue reading at The Hill
McConnell warns of ‘big, lingering concerns’ with Trump tariff plan
Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday warned of “big, lingering concerns” with President Trump’s tariff plan.
“In recent weeks, the president sought to impose sweeping tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, as well as key imports, such as steel and aluminum,” McConnell said in an opinion piece for The Courier Journal.
“While the administration walked back plans to levy 25% duties on imports from Mexico and Canada — paused now for 30 days as both nations brokered deals to tighten border security and crack down on illegal drugs — the president’s aggressive proposals leave big, lingering concerns for American industry and workers,” the Kentucky Republican added.
Continue reading at The Hill
House GOP budget resolution hangs in the balance as hardliners hold out support
At least six Republicans on the House Budget Committee remained undecided Wednesday afternoon on whether they will support the budget resolution when the panel considers it on Thursday, a number far larger than the two GOP lawmakers the conference can afford to lose and still clear the measure, assuming all Democrats vote “no.”
Hardline conservatives and some other Republicans are pushing for changes to the measure and commitments on spending cuts, a dynamic that is threatening the path forward for the resolution.
“Tomorrow will be a big day,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), one of the Budget Committee holdouts, told reporters. “If it doesn’t go, that puts us back at ground zero.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Judge temporarily reinstates head of whistleblower office fired by Trump
A federal judge late Wednesday agreed to a temporary restraining order blocking President Trump from firing the head of the Office of the Special Counsel, keeping a key protector of whistleblowers in place.
The order from Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, keeps Hampton Dellinger in his job after Trump fired him on Friday.
“The effort by the White House to terminate the Special Counsel without identifying any cause plainly contravenes the statute, which states, ‘[t]he Special Counsel may be removed by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,’” Jackson wrote.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump’s plan for Ukraine a great deal — ‘for the Kremlin,’ Kyiv’s backers say
“Let’s not mince words about what this represents: a surrender of Ukraine’s interests and our own, even before negotiations begin,” says U.S. Senator Adam Schiff.
Kyiv’s backers reacted with shock and outrage to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and would “start negotiations immediately” with him about the Ukraine war.
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, a long-time Trump critic who was the lead prosecutor in the Republican’s first impeachment trial, called the president “a great dealmaker all right — for the Kremlin.”
“Today, President Trump called our enemy, Russia, before calling our ally, Ukraine,” Schiff said on social media. “Meanwhile, his Secretary of Defense, ruled out a future for Ukraine in NATO and a restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty over its own lands. Let’s not mince words about what this represents: a surrender of Ukraine’s interests and our own, even before negotiations begin.”
Continue reading at Politico
Key committee could advance stalled health policy overhaul
A powerful panel is indicating a desire to restart bipartisan negotiations on an overhaul of a major facet of the U.S. health care system.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is giving a significant platform to revived, bipartisan talks on legislation to lower prescription drug costs, according to a staff memo reviewed by POLITICO.
The committee’s health subcommittee, led by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), will hold a hearing on so-called "PBM reform" for Feb. 26, although that date could change.
Democrats and Republicans struck a deal late in the last Congress to place new regulations on pharmacy intermediaries, known as pharmacy benefit managers, in a bid to lower costs for patients and employers. These benefit managers, or PBMs, negotiate drug costs for insurers and employers. Carter and his counterpart on the health subcommittee, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), held craft the legislative compromise.
The agreement was part of a larger, bipartisan package of health care policy provisions slated to be passed alongside a sweeping government funding bill — until Donald Trump and Elon Musk railed against the spending measure for being too broad and had to be shelved.
Continue reading at Politico
Labour tried to ignore Nigel Farage. It didn’t work
The Brexiteer’s Reform UK party is climbing in the polls — but fighting him on his terms risks fracturing Labour’s coalition.
LONDON — Nigel Farage used to be seen as merely a nuisance by the British left — a buzzing mosquito that should be quietly swatted away.
But now his populist, right-wing Reform UK party is surging in the polls. And Keir Starmer’s ruling Labour Party is trying to fight Farage on his own turf.
Wary of how the incumbent Democrats were routed by the anti-immigration campaign of Donald Trump in the United States, Starmer’s government has been markedly shifting its tone to appear much more hardline on immigration.
The unauthorized arrival into the U.K. of thousands of asylum seekers after perilous crossings of the English Channel on small boats has been a major concern for many Brits in recent years.
To counteract the very visual breaches of the border, the government this week chose for the first time to release footage of people being put onto a deportation flight. Labour has also copied Reform’s branding in social media posts celebrating migrant removals. And Starmer has criticized Farage directly.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Germany’s disappearing green agenda
The country once seen as a climate trailblazer is in danger of becoming a laggard, as the party almost certain to lead the next government is on a mission to dilute environmental targets.
John Kampfner is a British author, broadcaster and commentator. His latest book “In Search of Berlin” is published by Atlantic. He is a regular POLITICO columnist.
This is a tale of two cities, two streets and an unlikely divergence that speaks volumes about the state of politics in Europe today.
Parisian authorities are forging ahead with plans to make the city 100 percent navigable by bike. On the Rue de Rivoli, one can pedal serenely in the knowledge that one lane is solely for cyclists, the other reserved for buses.
Meanwhile, in Berlin, the first major decision taken by the incoming senate was to reopen one of the most famous thoroughfares, which had been partially closed off to vehicles. On Friedrichstrasse, where one could previously drink a coffee on wide wooden benches in the middle of the road, the cars have returned.
So, as Germany heads to the polls on Feb. 23, the country once seen as a climate trailblazer is now in danger of becoming a laggard. And the Christian Democrats (CDU) — the party almost certain to lead the next government — is on a mission to dilute environmental targets, with leader Friedrich Merz framing all things green through
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Chevron to lay off up to 20 percent of its workforce
Chevron plans to lay off up to 20 percent of its workforce, according to a company spokesperson.
Vice Chairman of the Chevron Corp., Mark Nelson, said that the company “is taking action to simplify our organizational structure, execute faster and more effectively, and position the company for stronger long-term competitiveness” in a statement emailed to The Hill.
“This work includes optimizing the portfolio, leveraging technology to enhance productivity, and changing how and where work is performed, including the expanded use of global centers,” Nelson added. “We believe changes to the organizational structure will improve standardization, centralization, efficiency and results, unlocking new growth potential and helping Chevron drive industry-leading performance now and into the future.”
Continue reading at The Hill
OPM: 75,000 workers took Trump, Musk government buyout
Roughly 75,000 federal workers across government have accepted a buyout offer, taking an unusual deal spearheaded by the Trump administration as it looks to reduce the federal workforce.
A senior administration official confirmed the figure in the hours after a court rejected a bid by unions to quash the program.
The court ruling allowed the government to officially close what was known as the Fork in the Road program.
The buyout offered federal workers eight months of pay and benefits for those who wished to leave government as President Trump forges ahead with a return to office mandate.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump’s uphill battle to make NATO allies hit his mega defense spending target
There is broad agreement to boost defense spending — but the U.S. president’s call for 5 percent of GDP is too much for most European countries.
Donald Trump lobbed a financial hand grenade into NATO, and now the alliance's members are scrambling to figure out how to respond.
NATO spent a decade trying to reach its target of spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense — a goal that 24 out of 32 members currently meet — but the U.S. president now wants that increased to 5 percent.
Thursday's meeting of NATO defense ministers and this weekend's Munich Security Conference — which gathers top defense officials from both sides of the Atlantic — will be focused on that demand. Allies are weighing the need to deter Russia and keep Trump interested in Europe against their strained budgets.
However, most European countries along with Canada cannot dramatically boost defense budgets in the short term — even if that's what Trump wants.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
EU shoots down rumors it will revive divisive gas price cap
Energy firms are concerned about talk of bringing back the politically fraught mechanism.
BRUSSELS — The European Union is not planning to include a gas price cap in its upcoming strategy to slash energy prices, a European Commission official said, pushing back on chatter that the EU executive was eyeing the measure.
A proposal to limit the price of gas imports is “not on the cards” for the EU’s upcoming green industrial plans later this month, said the official, who like others in this story was granted anonymity to speak freely.
The denial came after Europe’s energy traders and fossil fuel firms sounded alarm bells over talk that Brussels might return to the emergency gas price measure. On Tuesday, 11 industry groups — including Energy Traders Europe, Eurogas and the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers — sent a letter to Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressing their “strong concerns” around the move.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Elon Musk-owned X settles lawsuit with Donald Trump over January 6 suspension
New YorkCNN —
Elon Musk-owned X has agreed to pay to settle a lawsuit from his close ally President Donald Trump over Trump’s deplatforming following the January 6, 2021, insurrection, according to multiple reports that cite people familiar with the matter.
After the January 6 riot, social media companies such as X, then known as Twitter, and Meta suspended Trump from their platforms at the end of his first term.
“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said on January 8, 2021.
The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported details of the settlement. Court filings from this week show that both parties filed a motion to dismiss the appeal and pay their own costs. The dismissal was granted Monday. CNN has reached out to lawyers for both parties and X for comment.
Continue reading at CNN
Note from Rima: Friend paying a friend…
Mass firings have begun at federal agencies
CNN —
Mass firings have begun at federal agencies, with terminations of probationary employees underway at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration, federal employees and union sources told CNN Wednesday.
The mass firings mark the first from the Trump administration as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency aim to dramatically shrink the federal workforce. Until now, federal employees across all government agencies had only been placed on paid administrative leave.
The move comes the same day as a federal judge allowed the administration’s deferred resignation program to proceed. About 75,000 employees have accepted the offer, which generally allows them to leave their jobs but be paid through the end of September.
Continue reading at CNN
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