Things Musk (and Trump) Did... Day 28 | Blog#42
Presidents' Day, the name, today, is ironically apt.
Please click to read this post online from the email you received. The posts that go out are longer than can be contained in an email. No additional emails are sent out once a post is published. I update several times an hour all throughout the day and evening. The newest items appear at the bottom.
Yesterday’s post
DOGE seeks access to IRS system with sensitive taxpayer data
An Internal Revenue Service employee connected with the Elon Musk-led DOGE team is set to seek access to an IRS system that includes sensitive taxpayer data, the Washington Post first reported Sunday and Axios can confirm.
Why it matters: President Trump has given DOGE powers to oversee government agencies and the federal workforce with the goal of cutting bloat, but his administration is facing several lawsuits accusing it of violating privacy laws in regards to accessing sensitive data.
The big picture: The Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS) enables certain IRS employees "to have instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts," per an agency post.
It can be used for researching "account information and requesting returns" and automatically "generating notices, collection documents and other outputs," according to the IRS.
The staffer who joined at the start of Trump's second term has now been onboarded, Axios understands.
An administration official said the staffer is acting legally on the "DOGE mission" and "with the appropriate security clearances."
Continue reading at Axios
Musk’s SpaceX team visiting key FAA command center — despite past frictions
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he hopes “the brightest minds in America” will help improve the nation’s air traffic system.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced late Sunday that employees of Elon Musk’s SpaceX will head to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia on Monday as part of the Trump administration’s promise to make “rapid safety upgrades” to the nation’s aviation systems.
In a post on X — another of Musk’s companies — Duffy said a team from SpaceX will “get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools, and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.”
[…]
The Warrenton, Virginia, facility is considered a “nerve center” for the FAA, dictating plans for air traffic, space launches and monitoring for weather, among other crucial roles. Monday’s visit comes despite a history of friction between the agency and the private space company, including fines that the FAA has levied against SpaceX as well as Musk’s call last year for then-FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to resign (Whitaker subsequently stepped down, effective Inauguration Day).
Continue reading at Politico
GOP lawmakers divided on Musk, seen by some as a liability
Republicans on Capitol Hill are divided over tech billionaire Elon Musk being the public face of President Trump’s aggressive bid to shrink the government, with some souring on Musk’s prominent role as he increasingly has become a target of Democratic attacks.
Several GOP senators worry that having an unelected billionaire crow about slashing federal jobs, which happen to employ many people in their home states, is not a good look when inflation remains a major problem and many Americans are having trouble making ends meet.
Some Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), have defended having the political outsider take the lead in reforming federal agencies. But other GOP colleagues are grumbling that the execution has been “flawed,” as Musk has shuttered agencies and pressured workers to resign.
Continue reading at The Hill
Senate eyes possibility of vote-a-rama on budget resolution
The Senate this week may move ahead with its budget resolution to enact part of President Trump’s legislative agenda, an effort that would include an hours-long vote-a-rama — which Democrats could use to protest the measure and stall its passage.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has not indicated if he plans to bring the resolution to the floor, but the upper chamber’s schedule says “Additional votes are possible Tuesday evening in relation to a motion” to move to the budget resolution.
Also this week, the Senate will consider more of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, including his pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, who has emerged as one of his more controversial selections.
Continue reading at The Hill
Republicans hope to jam through defense, border funding boost ahead of shutdown fight
Senate Republicans have the ambitious goal of jamming through funding boosts for defense and border security — separately from the appropriations process — ahead of a mid-March deadline to prevent a government shutdown.
Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said this week that he told President Trump “it would be really helpful if we could give him the money for the border plan for four years before March 14.”
“It’d be really helpful if we had $150 billion of new money before March 14, because the discussions about funding the government are dramatically different,” he told The Hill. “And I think he buys into that.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrats grapple for response on education as GOP charges ahead
Democrats, who dominated the education realm for years, are on their back foot as President Trump and the GOP look to enact sweeping reforms, including federal about-faces on gender policy, a big push for school choice and potentially eliminating the Education Department.
Strategists say it is time Democrats get back ahead of the issue and get proactive with solutions and more aggressive messaging instead of assuming voters are on their side when it comes to schools.
“The Democrats have definitely lost their advantage on education,” said Jorge Elorza, CEO of Democrats for Education Reform. “Democrats are no longer the party of education, and so, there is a political imperative for them to reprioritize education and to refocus on it now with Donald Trump in office.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Fire-ravaged Los Angeles confronts difficult questions as it rushes to rebuild
As a charred Los Angeles resurfaces from the infernal flames that engulfed the region last month, questions loom as to how residents will rebuild — and whether they should remake their neighborhoods as they were, or take the chance to make the city less vulnerable to the fires of the future.
With an estimated 17,000 structures burned in Eaton and Palisades fires — and ensuing economic losses estimated at more than $250 billion — reconstruction efforts will face monumental challenges from every angle: planning, permitting, supply chains, workforce and insurance.
State and local officials have been trying to unload some of the burden and streamline the process by minimizing bureaucracy where possible.
Continue reading at The Hill
Five pressing questions as RFK Jr. takes HHS reins
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent decades as an outsider railing against federal health authorities. His entire Make America Healthy Again movement is based largely on undermining the scientific and public health messaging from the federal government, along with overhauling the status quo in the food and drug industries.
But after being confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as Health and Human Services secretary Thursday, Kennedy is now in charge of those agencies.
Here are five pressing questions he will face:
Continue reading at The Hill
The fight for Europe is on
At a time of intensifying great power competition, the EU has to choose between becoming a satrap of the U.S. or breaking free to steer its own course — and it must decide quickly.
MUNICH — This year’s disquieting Munich Security Conference was framed by two dueling speeches from U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Their words presented two very different visions for Europe — visions that, if pursued, would each deliver as severe a shock to the continent’s political system as the 2008 financial crash or the Covid-19 pandemic.
And either has the potential to recast Europe — or undo it.
Both men were brutally honest in their addresses, putting Europe on the spot to make some fundamental decisions, and make them quickly — no easy task for a bloc that’s consensus-based decision-making process is designed to move agonizingly slow. It won’t be easy at the national level either, as all 27 countries are grappling with critical economic challenges and bitter, highly polarized political divisions.
Nonetheless, the bloc is now faced with a stark choice, and given the state of the war in Ukraine and the pressing demands of an impatient and increasingly bullying administration in Washington, the clock is ticking.
In ideological terms, Europe is being forced to choose between MAGA illiberalism and the classical liberalism that underpins its own existence. Put even more simply: At a time of intensifying great power competition, the EU has to pick between becoming a satrap of the U.S. or breaking free to steer its own course.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Note from Rima: I don’t normally include opinion pieces, but this one, by Politico’s opinion editor, at the very least, lays out the issues quite well.
UK ‘ready’ to send peace-keepers to Ukraine, PM Starmer says
Ahead of a crunch meeting in Paris on Monday, the U.K. leader commits to putting British troops in harm’s way to secure lasting peace.
The U.K. is “ready and willing” to put British peace-keeping troops on the ground in Ukraine, its Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
In an opinion piece for the Telegraph newspaper published Sunday night, Starmer said “securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty for the long term is essential” to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from “further aggression.”
The commitment, made ahead of a meeting with European leaders in Paris convened by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, marks the first time Starmer has explicitly indicated the U.K. is ready to put British troops in harm’s way in Ukraine.
“We must be clear that peace cannot come at any cost,” Starmer said. “Ukraine must be at the table in these negotiations, because anything less would accept Putin’s position that Ukraine is not a real nation.”
He added: “The end of this war, when it comes, cannot merely become a temporary pause before Putin attacks again.”
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Live: Ahead of Paris talks, Sweden says 'not ruling out' peacekeepers in Ukraine
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would deploy troops to Ukraine if needed, a pledge reiterated by Sweden on Monday just hours before European leaders meet in Paris to address Washington's shock policy shift on the war. France has warned that EU countries should do more for their collective security, as talks between the US and Russia loom.
An emergency summit of European leaders is gathering in Paris on Monday to discuss the Ukraine war and Europe’s security as the continent scrambles to address the fallout of the US-Russian bilateral agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has said Europe would not be directly involved in talks on Ukraine, though it would still have "input".
Continue reading at France 24 in English
‘Freezing’ Ukraine war would allow Russia to threaten NATO, Latvian intelligence warns
Pausing hostilities, which U.S. President Trump has vowed to do, would free up Kremlin resources to threaten countries across the alliance, the report says.
Any pause in fighting in Ukraine would allow Russia to rebuild its forces and launch a confrontation with European Union countries, Latvia's state security service warned Monday, as U.S. President Donald Trump launches peace talks with the Kremlin.
In a newly unclassified report published by the Baltic nation's Constitution Protection Bureau, intelligence officers assess that "the likelihood of a direct Russian-NATO military confrontation in 2025" is "rather low" because Moscow's manpower and resources are tied up in the costly invasion.
"However, if the war were to become 'frozen' and Russia no longer had to suffer significant losses during the active hostilities in Ukraine, Moscow would be able to increase its military presence next to the NATO’s northeastern flank, including the Baltics, within the next five years," the report warns.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy travels to United Arab Emirates as momentum grows for war peace talks
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the United Arab Emirates late Sunday as momentum grows for potential peace talks ending Moscow’s war on the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump last week suggested he would be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia. The UAE, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, long has been floated as a possible site for peace talks as well given the large population of Russian and Ukrainian expatriates who have flooded the country since the war began, and due to the Emirates’ work on prisoner exchanges in the past.
Zelenskyy arrived in Abu Dhabi after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Footage released by his office showed him and his wife, Olena Zelenska, being greeted by an Emirati official and honor guard at the airport late Sunday night.
Zelenska has traveled to the UAE since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but this trip is Zelenskyy’s first to the UAE since the war began.
“Our top priority is bringing even more of our people home from captivity,” Zelenskyy’s office said in messages online. “We will also focus on investments and economic partnership, as well as a large-scale humanitarian program.”
Continue reading at the Associated Press
New York Democrat blasts DOJ’s dismissal of Eric Adams case as ‘outright extortion’
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) slammed the Department of Justice (DOJ) for dismissing the criminal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, saying it’s “outright extortion.”
Goldman joined MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sunday, where he weighed in on the mayor’s legal developments.
“It is an outright extortion,” he said. “This is way, way, way outside the bounds of the Department of Justice.”
[…]
Even though Goldman criticized Adams’ charges being dismissed, he wasn’t very supportive for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to remove him from his leadership position.
Continue reading at The Hill
Vance rips Margaret Brennan for ‘crazy exchange’ linking Holocaust to free speech
Vice President Vance slammed CBS News’ Margaret Brennan for a “crazy exchange” linking the Holocaust to free speech.
In a post on X, Vance responded to a post that included a clip from Brennan’s Sunday morning interview on “Face the Nation” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Brennan questioned the secretary on Vance’s recent remarks about German history.
“This is a crazy exchange,” Vance posted. “Does the media really think the holocaust was caused by free speech?”
Brennan asked Rubio what Vance accomplished by meeting with the leader of the far-right political group Alternative for Germany (AfD) and said in a speech that the biggest threat to Europe is censorship.
Rubio questioned why allies would be irritated by Vance using his freedom of speech to give his opinion about the state of European laws.
Continue reading at The Hill
Angry farmers push Poland away from Ukraine
After nearly three years of war in Ukraine, protests by Polish farmers are opening up social and political fractures in a once-unshakeable alliance.
MEDYKA BORDER CROSSING, Poland — Legally, the two ambulances should be allowed to cross into Ukraine unhindered, but the Polish farmers standing sentry on the border take the law into their own hands and motion for the drivers to stop.
They open the doors and peer inside, scanning for contraband, suspecting the vehicles are carrying unregistered cargo. They find nothing and wave the ambulances through.
The farmers have taken it upon themselves to check all commercial traffic on the four-lane border crossing at Medyka. There are a dozen of them, clad in fluorescent vests and carrying Polish flags, braving a biting wind that brings sleet, then snow.
It may seem like a lonely picket on a bleak winter’s day, but these border protests have helped generate an important political dynamic in a country that was once seen as Ukraine’s most resolute ally against the common enemy: Russia. After three years of war, the public mood is souring over economic sacrifices made for Kyiv, and sympathy for the farmers is playing a significant role in that shift.
At the most fundamental level, the farmers are pushing back against a European Union system of “solidarity lanes” that allowed agricultural heavyweight Ukraine to pour its massive exports of grain and other foodstuffs over the land border into the EU because they could no longer be shipped out via the Black Sea.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
How von der Leyen blindsided Brussels with her deregulation drive
The Commission president is pushing a sweeping, rapid and centralized agenda to “simplify” EU rules — and not everyone in Brussels is thrilled.
Ursula von der Leyen has begun her second term as European Commission president with a lightning-fast deregulation drive — and almost no one in Brussels knew about it until it was already happening.
Under pressure from right-wing governments, von der Leyen has hinged her second term as president on an agenda of cutting red tape to make Europe's economy more attractive.
POLITICO spoke with figures across the Brussels policymaking world, from Commission officials at different levels of seniority to national diplomats, European Parliament lawmakers, industry and NGOs.
The picture they paint is of a sweeping, rapid and centralized agenda to “simplify” European Union rules and slash burdensome regulations on businesses large and small, reflecting a rapid shift in priorities away from the environment and toward industrial competitiveness.
From Commission staffers “depressed” to see years of work being speedily undone, to Cabinet officials straining for influence under von der Leyen’s centralized working style, the speed and top-down nature of the new deregulation drive has transparency alarm bells ringing in Brussels.
“When we’re going that fast, how can we be sure we’re getting it right?” said a senior national regulator, who, like others in this piece, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive talks.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Macron’s U-turn against EU green rules triggers internal revolt
The French president’s anti-regulation push has thrown his environmental legacy into doubt and angered many in his own party.
PARIS — Emmanuel Macron’s new crusade against European green rules is causing outrage, even among his allies.
Heavyweights from the French president’s camp are speaking out against a push by Paris to water down upcoming European Union rules requiring companies to report on their environmental footprint and potential human rights violations in their supply chains.
They complain that France has betrayed its reputation as one of Europe's loudest green champions, and warn that yielding to anti-green pressure from business groups and from countries outside the EU — most notably the United States — will not serve the interests of France or the EU in the long run.
“We are aiming at the wrong target,” Macronist lawmaker and former minister Olivia Grégoire told POLITICO in defense of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which requires that companies disclose their environmental impact and exposure to the risks of climate change. France strongly supported the directive until recently.
“My fear is disavowal, my fear is that we are naive enough to think for a minute that we'll be able to confront the new American economy with the tools it uses itself,” said Grégoire, who negotiated the text of the CSRD in Brussels as a minister.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Germany’s labor market — long the envy of Europe — is losing its shine
For the first time in a decade, the number of unemployed is closing in on 3 million — and there’s more to come.
For most of the last 20 years, the labor market reforms of ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder have ensured near-full employment in Germany. But the model is creaking ever more loudly, due to a broad-based industrial crisis and a widening skills gap.
It’s just a matter of months until the number of unemployed people in Germany hits 3 million for the first time in a decade, as companies either go bankrupt or give up waiting for a turnaround that just refuses to arrive. After a wave of plant closures in energy-intensive industries such as chemicals in 2022, the key automotive sector succumbed last year, with Volkswagen and others announcing thousands of job cuts.
That’s now having knock-on effects on all the smaller sectors that live off the manufacturing giants. The employment barometer of Munich-based research institute Ifo shows that “almost all branches of industry in Germany want to reduce their headcount.”
At the start of the year, the number of people out of work rose by a seasonally adjusted 11,000 to 2.88 million, or 6.2 percent of the workforce. The jobless rate is now at its highest level in more than four years, only just below where it peaked during the pandemic, and is clearly headed in the wrong direction. Klaus Wohlrabe, Ifo’s head of surveys, said he expects the jobless rolls to hit the psychologically important 3-million mark by the middle of the year.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Germany’s economy is in the dumps. Here are 5 reasons why
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany hasn’t seen significant economic growth in five years. It’s a stunning turnaround for Europe’s biggest economy, which for much of this century had expanded exports and dominated world trade in engineered products like industrial machinery and luxury cars.
So what happened?
Here are five reasons for Germany’s ongoing economic slump:
Energy shock from Russia
Moscow’s decision to cut off natural gas supplies to Germany in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dealt a severe blow. For years, Germany’s business model was based on cheap energy fueling production of industrial goods for export.
In 2011, then-Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to hasten the end of nuclear power use in Germany while relying on gas from Russia to bridge the gap as the country moved away from coal generation and toward renewable energy. Russia was then considered to be a reliable energy partner; warnings to the contrary from Poland and the United States were dismissed.
When Russia discontinued the flow, prices in Germany skyrocketed for gas and for electricity generated from gas, both key costs for energy-intensive industries such as steel, fertilizer, chemicals and glass. Germany had to turn to liquefied natural gas, or LNG, super-cooled and imported by ship from Qatar and the U.S. LNG costs more than pipeline gas.
Electricity now costs industrial users in Germany an average of 20.3 euro cents per kilowatt hour, according to a study the research firm Prognos AG prepared for the Bavarian Industry Association. In the U.S. and China, where many competitors of German companies are located, the cost is the equivalent of 8.4 euro cents.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Credit: France 24 in English
Germany’s Merz again rules out coalition with far right, but opens door to center-left parties
Germany’s likely next chancellor suggested he’d consider governing with the center left — but not the AfD or the liberals.
BERLIN — The conservative frontrunner to become Germany’s next chancellor on Sunday signaled his openness to forming a governing coalition with center-left parties, but not the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party or the liberals.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the conservative candidate for chancellor, made a strategic pivot in a heated four-way televised debate, saying explicitly that he is open to coalition talks with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens while dismissing the AfD as unviable partners.
Merz categorically ruled out working with the far-right AfD, saying “The voters will decide everything else.”
Continue reading at Politico Europe
European leaders regroup in Paris for strategy huddle after Trump diplomatic blitz on Ukraine
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron called leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom to his ornate Elysee Palace on Monday for an emergency meeting on how to deal with the U.S., a once rock-solid partner.
The move follows a weeklong diplomatic blitz on Ukraine by the Trump administration that seemed to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies.
Despite belligerent warnings for months ahead of Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. president, EU leaders publicly ignored the ominous forebodings and somehow hoped Trump would stand side by side with Europe, as it would finally start to act on beefing up its defenses and become less reliant on the firepower of Washington.
But a flurry of speeches by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during their initial visits to Europe last week questioned both Europe’s security commitments and its fundamental democratic principles. Macron said their stinging rebukes and threats of non-cooperation in the face of military danger felt like a shock to the system.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Video
Ukraine and Europe worry about being sidelined as Trump pushes for direct talks with Russia on war’s end
In an exchange with reporters Sunday, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “will be involved” in the negotiations. Trump offered no further explanation. Trump on Sunday said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin is eager for a deal, while also noting that Russia has historically impressed on the battlefield.
Credit: the Associated Press
Politico Global Playbook newsletter
Munich wraps up as Ukraine faces the abyss
GREETINGS. The Munich Security Conference may be over for another year, but the reverberations of the past few days are ricocheting across Europe as Ukraine faces a defining moment.
The latest: French President Emmanuel Macron will host European leaders in Paris today for crisis talks as they scramble to respond to the fast-moving events of recent days. It comes as Trump’s top team head to Saudi Arabia for negotiations, with Axios reporting the meeting will take place Tuesday.
Ahead of today’s Paris summit and the Saudi talks, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he’s “ready and willing” to put British peace-keeping troops on the ground to secure “a lasting peace in Ukraine.” It comes after the Trump administration sent EU leaders a questionnaire asking them to spell out what security guarantees they plan to provide to Kyiv, including whether they will send troops.
We’ll step up — as long as you don’t step down: “While European nations must step up in this moment — and we will — U.S. support will remain critical and a U.S. security guarantee is essential for a lasting peace, because only the U.S. can deter Putin from attacking again,” Starmer wrote in his opinion piece in the Telegraph newspaper. “I will be meeting President Trump in the coming days and working with him and all our G7 partners to help secure the strong deal we need.”
Moving up in the world: In another unforeseen plot twist that captures the head-spinning state of current international relations, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has emerged as a key figure in negotiations over the Ukraine war. Best known for his short-lived spell on the diplomatic naughty step over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, MBS spoke to Emmanuel Macron last night, with the French president stressing the role Europe could play in the process.
‘NOTHING ABOUT UKRAINE, WITHOUT UKRAINE’
Continue reading at Politico Playbook Global
Top Russian officials will hold talks with US in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
Top Russian officials will hold talks with U.S. counterparts on restoring ties, negotiating a peaceful settlement to the war in Ukraine and preparing a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said Monday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov will fly to the Saudi capital later in the day to take part in the talks set for Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the U.S. delegation. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News Sunday that he and national security adviser Mike Waltz also will take part in the talks.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Musk’s DOGE seeks access to personal taxpayer data, raising alarm at IRS
Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is seeking access to a heavily-guarded Internal Revenue Service system that includes detailed financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the country, according to two people familiar with the activities, sparking alarm within the tax agency.
Under pressure from the White House, the IRS is considering a memorandum of understanding that would give DOGE officials broad access to tax-agency systems, property and datasets. Among them is the Integrated Data Retrieval System, or IDRS, which enables tax agency employees to access IRS accounts — including personal identification numbers — and bank information. It also lets them enter and adjust transaction data and automatically generate notices, collection documents and other records.
Continue reading at the Washington Post
Trump administration cuts reach FDA employees in food safety, medical devices and tobacco products
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s effort to slash the size of the federal workforce reached the Food and Drug Administration this weekend, as recently hired employees who review the safety of food ingredients, medical devices and other products were fired.
Probationary employees across the FDA received notices Saturday evening that their jobs were being eliminated, according to three FDA staffers who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The total number of positions eliminated was not clear Sunday, but the firings appeared to focus on employees in the agency’s centers for food, medical devices and tobacco products — which includes oversight of electronic cigarettes. It was not clear whether FDA employees who review drugs were exempted from the layoffs.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Mass firings continue across nation’s health agencies
The cuts have raised questions about the extent of the impact on public health.
The Trump administration carried out more mass firings across the Health and Human Services Department this weekend, continuing a chaotic purge of the federal workforce that career officials and lawmakers warned would hurt key programs and impair efforts to track threats to public health.
The cuts hit staffers at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, several people with knowledge of the firings told POLITICO. The administration also terminated some staff at the office responsible for emergency preparedness and response.
The firings were part of a culling of roughly 3,600 probationary employees across the sprawling department that began earlier this week with terminations primarily at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health.
Trump officials on Friday cast the layoffs imposed by billionaire Elon Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency as methodical decisions meant to spare HHS’ core functions. Yet those inside the agencies disputed that portrayal over the weekend, describing deep cuts that at times seemed indiscriminate — with even some Trump political appointees unaware which of their employees were being fired or why.
Continue reading at Politico
Democratic governors diverge on how to handle Trump
Democratic governors are diverging in their approaches to President Trump amid mounting speculation that some of them are gunning for the White House in 2028.
Some are digging their heels into resistance efforts, as in Illinois, where Gov. JB Pritzker (D) this week trolled Trump’s plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Others are taking a softer approach, as in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is working with Trump to help the Golden State recover from wildfires.
Pritzker and Newsom are among several Democratic governors — along with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and others — who have generated early 2028 chatter. Their varied engagements with Trump underscore the complexities of navigating a Republican power trifecta in Washington, and the high stakes for Democrats as they look toward the next presidential election.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrats play blame game with GOP on looming government shutdown
Democrats are signaling they won't bail out Republicans as yet another government funding deadline looms — and with a GOP trifecta in Washington, some say it won't be their fault if the government goes dark.
Why it matters: If past negotiations are an indicator of how the vote to stave off the March 14 shutdown deadline will go, the GOP will almost certainly need Democratic support.
The strategy some key Democrats have floated — and that is being encouraged by grassroots groups — is to let the GOP collapse if it can't reach an internal consensus.
"Republicans have consistently shut down the government in the past," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "It would be no surprise if they do just that this time around."
Continue reading at Axios
Senate Democrats split over how to combat Trump’s USAID shutdown
On one side are Democrats trying to enlist Republican allies, who have historically been staunch supporters of foreign assistance as a key tool in competing with China for global influence and security. The other wing is banging the drum for action, obstruction and public opposition to the Republican triumvirate in Washington, arguing that bipartisanship is futile.
[…]
A senior Senate Democratic adviser said banking on these Republicans to influence the White House was futile.
“Even if the GOP are weighing in, it’s not helping,” they said.
Democrats advocating obstruction warn that Trump’s moves to overhaul USAID and fold it into the State Department — spearheaded by Elon Musk and his colleagues at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — is the first salvo from an administration that wants to run roughshod over Congress’s power of the purse.
Continue reading on The Hill
Dems are losing the online information battle to Trump and Musk
The Democratic response to Trump, one Texas lawmaker said, is “too slow and too tepid and not meeting the moment.”
The Department of Government Efficiency created its own account on X last November, amassing 4 million followers with a stream of news on contract cancellations and other cuts to the bureaucracy. Elon Musk has posted relentlessly on the social media platform he owns, promoting his own voice on an algorithm he controls.
The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, started a rapid response account in January with about 121,000 followers, a fraction of DOGE’s reach. And Democrats held traditional rallies outside the USAID and Treasury buildings, where Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, was mocked on late-night TV and by even some within his own party after leading a chant of “We will win!”
Continue reading at Politico
Navalny supporters mark first anniversary of his death as Russian opposition falters
Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marked the first anniversary of his death on Saturday, risking retaliation from President Vladimir Putin. The opposition has been badly weakened since Navalny’s death as many members have fled into exile while those who remain face fines or imprisonment.
A year after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died behind bars, his supporters were set to hold memorial events on Sunday, with some risking reprisals by visiting his grave in Moscow.
Remembrance events will take place as Russia's opposition movement -- driven into exile by unprecedented repression -- has been plagued by infighting and badly weakened since the loss of its figurehead.
Exiled in various countries, its leading members have tried to revive the fight against Vladimir Putin's long reign, including in Russia where criticism of authorities is severely punished.
Continue reading at France 24 in English
Brexit’s unfinished business: Gibraltar talks stuck in limbo
The rock’s government wants open borders with Spain to make life easier for its residents. But there are no further rounds of talks in the calendar.
LONDON — Negotiations to strike a Brexit deal for Gibraltar are stuck between a Rock and a hard place.
Four-way talks between London, Madrid, Brussels and Gibraltar began in 2021 in a bid to hammer out one of the trickiest remaining issues thrown up by Brexit: how a 6.8km² rock off the southern coast of Spain can function outside the EU.
A British territory since 1713, Gibraltar’s economy is heavily integrated with Spain’s. But since Brexit, border controls have become more onerous — making life harder for the 15,000 people who commute across its frontier daily.
To solve the problem, the Rock’s government wants to do away with border checks.
While big questions remain over how the system will work in practice, talks seemed close to a conclusion ahead of last year’s snap U.K. general election.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
US’s Rubio in Riyadh, Russia’s Lavrov en route, with Ukraine talks expected
Kremlin says U.S.-Russia meeting expected on Tuesday in Riyadh “will be devoted primarily to the restoration of the entire complex of Russian-American relations.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was on his way to the country, amid expectations that peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine are about to begin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) late Sunday.
The Kremlin on Monday said Lavrov and Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov are headed to Saudi Arabia and will meet with U.S. representatives in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Rubio is in Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The White House has not disclosed who exactly the American officials will be meeting in the Saudi capital.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Politico
Playbook: Europe’s split-screen moment
First, to Saudi: Trump’s negotiating team began to arrive in Saudi late last night, with talks with their Russian counterparts to start tomorrow, per Axios’ Barak Ravid. As POLITICO’s Robbie Gramer and Paul McLeary scooped at the weekend, the U.S. team will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Trump’s top negotiator — and NYC real estate pal — Steve Witkoff. On the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin aide Yuri Ushakov will lead the talks (h/t WaPo’s John Hudson).
NFI: As has been widely noted, there’s no seat at the table this week for Ukraine, for Europe, nor even for Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg. Robbie and Paul said U.S officials were initially claiming Ukraine would be involved … which came as news to Kyiv.
When we said “involved” … Witkoff told Fox News yesterday that Ukraine is, in a sense, already involved in negotiations, citing conversations between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — as well as other top U.S. and Ukrainian officials — last week. “I think Ukraine is part of the talks,” he said. “I don’t think this is about excluding anybody. In fact it’s about including everybody.” Kyiv is not exactly sold on that.
Race to the finish: Team Trump is hoping to get the entire peace agreement wrapped up by Easter, according to U.S. officials who briefed Bloomberg’s Arne Delfs and colleagues. That’s just 62 days from now — an improbably tight timeline in the eyes of many Western diplomats. (Trump, of course, had promised to end the war “on Day One” of his presidency.)
Gulp: That sort of talk is spooking other European leaders, who, like Zelenskyy, are terrified the continent is about to be carved up in their absence. Rubio — seen in Europe as Trump’s “good cop,” in contrast to the fire and brimstone of VP JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — tried to play down those fears yesterday. “Right now, there is no process,” Rubio told CBS. “If [real negotiations] were to happen, Ukraine will have to be involved because they’re the ones that were invaded. And the Europeans will have to be involved because … they’ve contributed to this effort.” Rubio arrived in Saudi this morning; Witkoff and Waltz were due in last night.
Panic stations: Europe is now scrambling to make itself relevant amid this rapid-fire Trump/Putin power play. Today’s main event will be the emergency summit of European leaders in Paris, called by French President Emmanuel Macron following the Vance- and Hegseth-led fireworks at the Munich Security Conference. (French government officials phoned POLITICO to insist this is not actually an “emergency” summit, but just an informal meeting called at short notice. Sure thing.) Lining up with Macron in Paris from 10 a.m. ET will be the leaders of the U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and Denmark. EU and NATO leaders will also be in attendance.
Continue reading Politico Playbook newsletter
‘Waste, fraud and abuse’ is a political fight older than the nation. Here’s what to know
ATLANTA (AP) — Good-government advocates, anti-tax conservatives, politicians of various stripes and everyday Americans grouse about “waste, fraud and abuse” across the U.S. government.
President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, led by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, opened the latest chapter for a phrase hailed as common sense and derided as propaganda.
“It’s a very broad idea,” said Matt Weidinger of the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. “But this phrase ‘waste, fraud and abuse’ obviously means different things to different people.”
Here is a look at this rhetorical cudgel and how it relates to the outset of Trump’s second administration.
The seemingly far-away government has always been a bogeyman
Pinpointing the genesis of “waste, fraud and abuse” as political rhetoric is difficult. But the concept and resulting battles are older than the nation: Think “taxation without representation” and the break from Great Britain.
After winning independence, the early American republic reprised the arguments.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Steve Vladeck is a law professor at Georgetown University and editor and author of the Supreme Court newsletter, "One First"
This is Not Marco Rubio’s State Department
The secretary of State is taking positions that were once anathema and sounding very Trumpy online.
It is becoming increasingly clear that Marco Rubio is secretary of State in name only.
Since taking over Foggy Bottom, Rubio has constantly appeared one or two steps behind the actions of President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk — popping up to explain, justify or even double down on choices he probably would not make if he was actually running the show. He’s talking (and posting online) in a different voice, contradicting earlier policy views and appears to have little control over the implementation of Trump’s assault on the federal workforce.
Democrats, who backed Rubio for secretary of State hoping he would be a moderating force in the administration, say they increasingly worry Rubio does not have the president’s ear and almost no sway over Musk.
“The simple story is that Rubio is not in charge,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat. “But in order to maintain the appearance that he’s in charge, he has to defend the decisions other people are making,”
Who is the real secretary of State, then? “Elon Musk,” Murphy said.
Rubio has tried to make his presence felt, whether through trips abroad or public comments. But he doesn’t sound like himself.
“South Africa is doing very bad things,” he declared on X. That is a sentence that would not survive a Public Diplomacy 101 class, but it channels Trump’s, and likely South Africa native Musk’s, anger over that country’s land reform plans.
Rubio’s reaction to Trump’s wild — yes, wild even for Trump — proposal that the U.S. take control of the Gaza Strip and push out its 2.2 million Palestinians? “Make Gaza Beautiful Again.”
Continue reading at Politico
Note from Rima: This was written by Politico’s senior foreign affairs correspondent
Scoop: Why Trump targets AP
One of the big reasons President Trump is limiting AP reporters' White House access is to protest what aides see as years of liberal word choices that the wire service's influential stylebook spread across mainstream media, according to top White House officials.
Why it matters: The trigger was the announcement by The Associated Press that it would continue using the 400-year-old "Gulf of Mexico" rather than switch to "Gulf of America," as declared by Trump in a Day 1 executive order. But it turns out that broader underlying grievances made AP a target.
The big picture: By spotlighting AP, Trump is amplifying Republican and conservative criticisms that the AP Stylebook, a first reference for most U.S. news organizations, shapes political dialogue by favoring liberal words and phrases concerning gender, immigration, race and law enforcement.
"This isn't just about the Gulf of America," White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich told Axios. "This is about AP weaponizing language through their stylebook to push a partisan worldview in contrast with the traditional and deeply held beliefs of many Americans and many people around the world."
Continue reading at Axios
This story was updated:
Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal
Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday. One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, which saw about 30% of the cuts. Those employees work on reassembling warheads, one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons enterprise, with the highest levels of clearance.
By late Friday night, the agency’s acting director, Teresa Robbins, issued a memo rescinding the firings for all but 28 of those hundreds of fired staff members. The NNSA staff who had been reinstated could not all be reached after they were fired, and some were reconsidering whether to return to work, given the uncertainty created by DOGE. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the firings could create a sense of instability over the nuclear program both at home and abroad.
Original story
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs, in an about-face that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE’s blind cost cutting will put communities at risk.
Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday, with some losing access to email before they’d learned they were fired, only to try to enter their offices on Friday morning to find they were locked out. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, which saw about 30% of the cuts. Those employees work on reassembling warheads, one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons enterprise, with the highest levels of clearance.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddling
NEW YORK (AP) — When a suspicious video of ballots being ripped up in Pennsylvania gained attention on social media last October, federal agencies responded quickly and called it out as Russian disinformation.
On Election Day in November, bomb threats to polling places in numerous states caused relatively few disruptions to voting. It’s one of the many scenarios covered by the nation’s cybersecurity agency in its outreach to state and local officials.
The future of that assistance is now uncertain.
The Trump administration’s downsizing and disbanding of federal agencies has hit efforts that improve election security and monitor foreign influence. That could create gaps for America’s enemies to exploit the next time the country holds a major election.
“Our adversaries are upping their game every day,” said former Department of Homeland Security cyber chief Suzanne Spaulding. “I’m worried that we are, at the same time, tearing down our defenses.”
Continue reading at the Associated Press
EU top brass plans Kyiv visit amid US-Russia talks
The trip will take place in a show of solidarity as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine hits the three-year mark, one EU official said.
The European Union’s College of Commissioners will travel to Kyiv next week after top European leaders were left out of U.S. President Donald Trump’s talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia, the European Commission announced Monday.
The European commissioners’ visit will follow Monday’s emergency summit of European leaders in Paris who are scrambling to make long-term plans for the bloc’s security amid the start of a second Trump administration.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
European leaders regroup in Paris for strategy huddle after Trump diplomatic blitz on Ukraine
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron called leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom to his ornate Elysee Palace on Monday for an emergency meeting on how to react to the U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine, which left the once rock-solid partner as a potential political liability.
The first visit by top U.S. officials to Europe has left the impression that the Trump administration was ready to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies.
Despite belligerent warnings for months ahead of Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. president, EU leaders publicly ignored the ominous forebodings and somehow hoped Trump would stand side by side with Europe, while the continent would finally start to act on beefing up its defenses and become less reliant on the firepower of Washington.
[…]
Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, called the week “an existential moment. It’s a moment where Europe has to stand up.”
That’s where Macron hopes to step in with Monday’s meeting. Even if Jean-Noël Barrot, Macron’s foreign minister, sought to play down the significance of the emergency huddle of Europe’s main leaders, the weekend scramble to set up the meeting underscored something much more fundamental.
Ever since World War II, the United States and western European nations have basically walked in lockstep as they confronted the Soviet Union during the Cold War right up to the increasingly aggressive actions of current-day Russia close to its borders. Even if there had long been U.S. complaints about the reluctance of many European NATO nations to step up their defense efforts, they never boiled up to the political surface as they have over the past days.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Steven Saltzberg is the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, and Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University
Zelenskyy: I want to show Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy the front line
Keith Kellogg will be in Ukraine for two days this week.
KYIV — As the United States and Russia meet to discuss Kyiv's future in Riyadh, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set on showing Washington the reality of war.
Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, is due to visit Ukraine on Thursday.
"He will be in Ukraine for two days, maybe more. I want to invite him to visit the front line with me. I don't think he'll say no,” Zelenskyy told journalists on Monday.
Kellogg's visit comes amid widespread speculation and anxiety that President Donald Trump could negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine over the heads of Kyiv and other Western allies.
“He will visit [Ukrainian Army Chief Commander General Oleksandr] Syrskyi, maybe the brigades’ commanders … military intelligence. We will talk about security guarantees in detail, as it is important. After his visit and return to the U.S. we will understand when will we meet with President Trump,” Zelenskyy said.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Ukraine will not participate in Russia-US talks, Zelenskyy says from UAE
The Ukrainian leader said he will be in Turkey while Russia and the US speak in Riyadh.
On Monday, Ukraine and the UAE signed an economic cooperation partnership, opening free trade, Zelenskyy said. He added that he will be traveling to Turkey on Tuesday, when Russia and the U.S. are expected to meet in Riyadh, and only arrive in Saudi Arabia the following day.
“So, once again, my visits have nothing in common with those talks. Although when I arrive in Saudi Arabia I will ask his majesty what he knows about the topics of the talks,” Zelenskyy added.
“You know it used to be sort of not good to speak to the aggressor during the war, but the talks about the need for renewal of negotiations had been there for quite some time,” Zelenskyy said.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
American arrested in Moscow on drug smuggling charges is freed ahead of Russia-US talks
Russia has freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a U.S. official.
The move appears to be an effort to ease tensions between Moscow and Washington ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Kalob Byers, 28, was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage. According to media reports, Byers had traveled from Istanbul with his Russian fiancee, who was also detained.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Trump suggests no laws violated if he ‘saves’ country
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump posted Saturday to Truth Social and X.
The phrase is attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, who declared himself French emperor in the early 1800s.
Trump’s post drew quick criticism from Democrats, who argued it was another instance of the president likening his executive authority to authoritarianism.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) reposted Trump’s comment and said it was “spoken like a true dictator.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) also expressed concern.
“Donald Trump seems to believe he can do whatever he wishes in the name of ‘saving the country,’” Torres said online. “In our constitutional republic, the means matter more than the ends. The US Constitutions trumps the policy preferences of President Trump.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Conservative Party leader in Canada pledges to respond forcefully to Trump tariffs
Poilievre, seen as a likely contender to become the next prime minister, laid out his “Canada first” policy approach at a rally on Saturday, warning that the U.S. could lose a friend in Canada if it continues with its “unprovoked attack on our economy.”
“We must respond with strength, and strength means leverage. America has leverage, and we have leverage. I will use that leverage,” Poilievre said at the rally.
“Retaliation is only the beginning,” he continued. “Yes, we need to retaliate. If they put tariffs on our steel and aluminum, I will put tariffs on their steel and aluminum. If they hit us with generalized tariffs, we will respond dollar for dollar.”
Continue reading at The Hill
NAACP spending guide urges Black Americans to avoid companies that dumped DEI
The NAACP is urging Black Americans to refrain from shopping at retailers that have stepped back from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
The nation’s oldest civil rights organization released its Black Consumer Advisory, a project intended to help educate Black Americans on “who’s pushing progress and who’s stuck in the past.”
The advisory lists companies that have recommitted to DEI in recent weeks – such as Delta Airlines, Apple and Ben & Jerry’s – while also highlighting major corporations that have dismantled their programs.
“While companies backtrack on diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, the @NAACP ’s Black Consumer Advisory is designed to leverage the $1.7 trillion spending power of the Black community to hold corporations accountable to #DEI and social justice,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, wrote on social media.
Continue reading at The Hill
Retired general: Putin will likely ‘wait out’ Trump term and take Ukraine
Retired U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane said he suspects Russian President Vladimir Putin will wait for President Trump to leave office before trying to topple the government in Ukraine.
In an interview Saturday on Fox News, Keane said he does not think Putin will ever give up his long-term goal of taking over Ukraine, even if he accepts a peace agreement during Trump’s time in office.
Keane said he thinks Putin is “willing to, at some point, if the deal is OK with him, to accept a peace agreement and a ceasefire.”
“But he’s not given up on his strategic goal to topple the government in Ukraine and take over the country,” Keane continued, adding, “So, where is he coming from? He’ll wait out President Trump, I suspect, and attack.”
Continue reading at The Hill
‘Five alarm warning': Possible DOGE access to private taxpayer data sparks outcry
The Elon Musk-run effort wants to study a system that includes tax returns, Social Security numbers and other information.
Democrats and tax experts are sounding alarms about a plan by Elon Musk’s DOGE team to gain access to an IRS system that contains detailed financial information about millions of taxpayers, including their tax returns.
“This is a five-alarm warning,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees the IRS, said in a post on X, calling the move an “illegal and blatant power grab.”
A White House official confirmed the so-called Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to the sprawling IRS database, known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System. The move was first reported by the Washington Post.
A single person who is affiliated with DOGE and an IRS employee will be assigned to the effort, a White House official said.
The data is a closely guarded secret and unauthorized access to it is a felony. Some of Musk’s federal tax payment history was leaked several years ago.
Continue reading at Politico
UK’s Starmer to meet Trump next week
Prime minister heads to Washington to meet with US president as European capitals fret over Ukraine’s future.
LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington, D.C. next week for his first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump since the U.S. president took back the White House in November.
The prime minister's visit — confirmed Monday by No.10 Downing Street — comes as the U.S. starts negotiations with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine and as the U.S. urges European nations to spend more domestically on defense.
Addressing journalists, Starmer's spokesperson said Monday: “There’s going to be a wide range of issues that we’ll be working with the new U.S. administration on.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Deadly storm system brings heavy snow and flooding rains to multiple states
A massive, severe storm system that's slamming the U.S. Northeast with heavy snow has this weekend triggered flash flood warnings in West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, where officials reported at least eight deaths.
The big picture: The multifaceted storm that began Saturday has knocked out power to an estimated half a million customers from Virginia to Mississippi and delayed thousands of flights during the holiday weekend.
In Atlanta, Georgia, a local fire department official reported a man in his 60s was killed when a tree fell on his home during the storms.
Threat level: President Trump approved an emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky, making funds available in the storm that's impacting towns including Hazard, Ky., which was also affected by 2022's deadly flooding.
Continue reading at Axios
To these Black retirees, the federal civil service now under attack was a path to the middle class
WASHINGTON (AP) — Evelyn Seabrook was able to buy a home even though she had only a high school diploma. Glenn Flood worked his way up the career ladder to become a public affairs officer for former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. And Calvin Stevens had a dual military and federal service career that took him to high levels in both.
Now in their late 70s and early 80s, the three retirees are part of a generation of Black Americans who used the military and federal civil service to pursue the American dream. They acknowledge there were challenges. But they believe they received more opportunities in the military and as government employees than they would have in a private sector where racial discrimination and patronage were common at the time they were ready to enter the workforce.
“I am glad I chose to be in federal service,” Seabrook said. “Even with all the drawbacks, my personal life was enhanced by my federal job.”
Continue reading at the Associated Press
FCC chair mocks Sheryl Crow over selling Tesla for NPR donation: ‘Bravo’
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr took a jab at Sheryl Crow over the weekend after the singer announced she is selling her Tesla and donating the funds to NPR amid President Trump and Elon Musk’s campaign to slash federal funding, including for public broadcasters.
“I know celebrities are hesitant to weigh in on hot button issues, so I appreciate Sheryl Crow making an argument here — not through words alone, but through her actions — that Congress should not force taxpayers to subsidize NPR,” Carr wrote on X on Saturday.
“Bravo,” he added, attaching a clapping hand emoji.
Continue reading at The Hill
NYC Mayor Eric Adams: ‘I am going nowhere’
“And I want you to be clear — you’re going to hear so many rumors and so many things, you’re going to read so much. I am going nowhere. Nowhere,” Adams said, addressing congregants at Maranatha Baptist Church in Queens Village, according to video shared on the mayor’s social platform X page.
“I’m the second Black mayor in the history of the city. But God has fortified me. And no matter what you read, no matter what you hear, they want to fight me,” Adams said. “I’m going to fight for you.”
Continue reading at The Hill
FAA firings begin weeks after deadly crash near DC
In a late-night email Friday, probationary workers were notified they had been fired, David Spero, the president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
One air traffic controller told the outlet that impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance.
The firings come just weeks after an American Airlines flight collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter shortly before landing at Washington Reagan National Airport.
Continue reading at The Hill
Nissan CEO suggests production could move out of Mexico, citing Trump tariffs
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said if President Trump follows through on his plan to impose 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Mexico, the company might be forced to move its production out of Mexico.
During a Thursday press conference on the company’s Q3 financial results, Uchida warned of the “huge” consequences of such a tariff policy.
“We are exporting a large volume to U.S., so if there’s a high tariff, this will have huge implications on our business, so we need to monitor this carefully,” Uchida said when asked about Trump’s tariff policies, according to a translation from Reuters.
Continue reading at The Hill
After Munich, How Will Europe Handle Trump?
Last week, the continent confronted its worst fears about the new president, but also recognized the need for a new strategy.
By Jonathan Martin
MUNICH — It was the week European fears about Donald Trump’s America began to come true.
And it happened as the continent’s leaders converged in Bavaria for the annual Munich Security Conference, which often felt like a gathering of “psychiatrists trying to calm down emotions,” as the president of Latvia put it here Sunday.
The European officials had good reason to crave therapy if not a stein or three of the local brew.
At every turn, the Trump administration seemed to confirm the dread Europe has about the new president: chaos, extremism, protectionism and, perhaps most of all, a softness toward Vladimir Putin. Let’s take them in order.
Continue reading at Politico Magazine
An army of MAGA think tanks behind him, it’s Trump’s Washington now
If Trump’s first administration was run by a ragtag group of rabble rousers barely large enough to fill the White House ranks, his second is being steered by a more sophisticated operation.
President Donald Trump took office eight years ago as the ultimate outsider whose rhetoric often shocked Washington but was seldom taken seriously by the policy shops that have long helped administrations transform their agenda into action.
Now, he has an army of think tanks and other advocacy groups behind him, reverse-engineering even his off-the-cuff statements into white papers, training legions of his acolytes — and jockeying for influence.
All want to be seen as part of the MAGA brain trust, a paradoxical and often tricky job for a president who prides himself on operating from his gut and disdains the traditional policy process. That means when Trump says he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico, turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” buy Greenland, or ignore congressional spending laws, there’s likely now someone who not only takes the idea seriously but can tell you why they think it’s a sound policy that fits into a broader worldview.
There are now MAGA-specific think tanks, like the Center for Renewing America and the America First Policy Institute; MAGA recruiting and training organizations, like American Moment; and MAGA incubators, like the Conservative Partnership Institute, all aimed at not only bolstering the Trump cause but strategizing how to sustain it with just four years until his successor is named, according to interviews with more than a dozen Trump allies, former administration officials and other conservatives who work for think tanks or other outside groups, many of whom were granted anonymity to speak candidly about dynamics between the organizations.
Continue reading at Politico
A Warning to Trump Targets: The Law Isn’t on Your Side
The law protecting defendants from vindictive prosecutions wasn’t built for the Trump era.
Kimberly Wehle is a professor of law at the University of Baltimore and a POLITICO Magazine contributing writer. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works — and Why.
Now that Donald J. Trump has returned to office, his fans and foes alike are bracing for him to fulfill a campaign “promise” he made over 100 times — to investigate, prosecute, put before military tribunals and even execute his perceived political enemies.
Skeptics have suggested that Trump’s threats are mostly hot air. They reckon that the U.S. legal system — with its life-tenured judges, juries, constitutional rights, burdens of proof, rules of evidence and appeals — will stop vindictive prosecutions.
Unfortunately for those on Trump’s bad side, the law is pretty much stacked against them. That’s because not only is there no meaningful legal mechanism for a target to push back against vindictive or baseless investigations, the law on vengeful prosecutions has little teeth. Both were built on the presumption that prosecutors, with rare exceptions, act in good faith.
Trump’s threats have turned that presumption its head.
Already, Trump has made clear that he is willing to use the justice system to reward his allies and prosecute his enemies. He has pardoned upwards of 1,500 people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, and fired over a dozen Justice Department officials involved in former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s cases against him.
Continue reading at Politico Magazine
Macron and Trump have ‘frank conversation’ minutes before European meeting on Ukraine
The call came before the French president welcomed a group of European leaders in Paris.
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and his American counterpart Donald Trump spoke on the phone minutes before Macron greeted European dignitaries who had gathered to discuss security in Paris.
The French president's office said the "frank conversation" lasted 20 minutes.
The call came as European leaders are scrambling to come up with a unified response to the upheaval posed by Trump's second term, including his plans to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. European powers worry that they are being cut out of a negotiation in which they hold a vital stake.
Germany's Olaf Scholz, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Spain's Pedro Sánchez, the United Kingdom's Keir Starmer, Denmark's Mette Frederiksen, Poland's Donald Tusk and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof have all gathered in Paris for what French officials described as an "informal meeting." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President António Costa and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte are also in attendance.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Watch live: Senators discuss trip to Israel from Tel Aviv
The remarks are scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. EST and follow a number of meetings the group had with Israeli government officials. It’s the first congressional delegation to visit Israel since President Trump took office for a second time.
Trump has called for building up the Gaza Strip into a resort and wants Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza while the area is developed.
While Israel’s government has responded favorably to the idea, Egypt and Jordan are not yet on board, and there are several questions about the plan’s workability.
Other senators in the delegation include Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.).
Watch the event live in the video player above.
Continue reading/viewing at The Hill
New chair kicks off multistate tour in effort to get DNC ‘out of D.C.’
The new chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is kicking off a multistate tour, traveling across the country to meet with state parties and support local candidates as he looks to get national party “out of D.C.”
Ken Martin will travel to states including Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri, according to the DNC, which added that he will meet with state parties and labor leaders and campaign for candidates in local elections like Democrat Dan Goughnour, who’s running for a state House seat in Pennsylvania.
“We have to be organizing everywhere, which is, by the way, the name of this tour. We’re going to be talking with voters, with union members, with farmers, door knocking for candidates, holding listening sessions throughout those red, purple, and blue states that we’re visiting this week,” Martin said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday.
Continue reading at The Hill
Julianne Moore on her children’s book being restricted at DoD schools: ‘It is a great shock’
Actor Julianne Moore says she is surprised that schools overseen by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have apparently decided to pull her children’s book, “Freckleface Strawberry,” amid an ordered review of educational content.
“It is a great shock for me to learn that my first book, ‘Freckleface Strawberry,’ has been banned by the Trump Administration from schools run by the Department of Defense,” Moore wrote in a post on Instagram on Sunday.
Amid the review, the department has also reportedly also pulled at least two other children’s books: Kathleen Krull’s biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “No Truth Without Ruth,” and Ellis Nutt’s “Becoming Nicole.”
Continue reading at The Hill
GOP fight over Pentagon policy nominee breaks out
A GOP debate is breaking out over Elbridge Colby, President Trump’s pick to serve as Defense undersecretary for policy.
As The Hill reported, a number of Republican senators have raised concerns about Colby’s international defense views, as he’s advocated for U.S. defense efforts to focus less on the Middle East and more on the threat of China.
This has raised questions about whether Colby can be confirmed by the Senate.
In a post Sunday on X, conservative activist Charlie Kirk questioned the opposition to Colby, and directly called out Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a conservative who is chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Continue reading at The Hill
Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine at George Washington University
Top Democrats question IRS on DOGE access to taxpayer data
Senate Finance Committee members Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to IRS acting Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell on Monday, requesting any agreements the IRS had signed with DOGE, information on whether DOGE has already been granted access to any IRS taxpayer information and a list of DOGE members who’ve been working on getting access to IRS information.
“Is the IRS considering giving DOGE team members access to [the IRS Integrated Data Retrieval System]? If so, why?” the senators wrote to O’Donnell.
The Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS) is a software program the IRS uses to get access to taxpayer accounts. It allows IRS employees to request tax returns, generate notices and enter transaction and collections data on a taxpayer’s file.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump shares poll showing Donalds leading Florida governor’s race
President Trump is touting a internal poll showing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) leading in a hypothetical Florida governor’s race.
Trump touted the poll, which was conducted by the Florida-based Republican pollster Victory Insights, in a post on Truth Social.
The poll showed Donalds leading a hypothetical Republican primary field with 31 percent support. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R) trailed at 4 percent support followed by the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson (R) at 3 percent support, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at 1 percent support.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrats plan Musk protests outside Tesla dealerships
Democratic activists are planning a protest campaign this week against tech billionaire and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk outside offices of lawmakers and Tesla dealerships.
The campaign aims to counter the Trump administration’s efforts to gut federal health, education, and human services agencies.
Led by Indivisible, a coalition of Democrats and progressives, the campaign aims to fight Musk’s rise as a top President Trump official and his controversial handling of the federal bureaucracy.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of the group, called Musk “a major weak link in the MAGA coalition.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump nominates ally who defended Jan. 6 rioters, DOGE efforts as top DC federal prosecutor
President Trump nominated Ed Martin — who defended Jan. 6 rioters and Elon Musk’s efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — to serve as the permanent U.S. attorney for D.C.
Martin has been serving in the role on an interim basis since shortly after Trump was sworn into office. The job requires Senate confirmation.
“Since Inauguration Day, Ed has been doing a great job as Interim U.S. Attorney, fighting tirelessly to restore Law and Order, and make our Nation’s Capital Safe and Beautiful Again. He will get the job done,” Trump wrote Monday on his Truth Social platform.
Continue reading at The Hill
Mass resignations from Eric Adams’ administration spark chaos in NYC government
Participants in a Pennsylvania focus group shared concerns about how polarized political parties and social media giants are pushing the country in a dangerous direction.
NAZARETH, Pennsylvania — President Donald Trump declared upon taking office that the U.S. had entered a “new golden age,” but it doesn’t feel that way to a select group of voters from a state that helped deliver his victory.
The voters — men and women, young and old — were part of a 15-person focus group that came together on a frigid mid-January night in the battleground town of Nazareth, to dissect the state of the country’s democracy following one of the most divisive elections in American history.
Their outlook would prove to be a far cry from Trump’s triumphalism. Members of the focus group instead spelled out their anxieties about the fragile nature of the country’s increasingly polarized, anger-riddled and online experiment in self-governance.
“There’s too much hate in politics right now, and it just makes you scared to vote honestly,” said Joe, a college student in his early 20s who was one of the younger participants in the group. “You’re just like, ‘What side do I pick?’”
The focus group in Nazareth was brought together by Keep Our Republic, a nonpartisan non-profit organization that since 2020 has traveled across Rust Belt swing states to restore Americans’ trust in their elections. POLITICO observed it, like the one held here last year, under the condition that voters be identified by their first names only.
Continue reading at Politico
Mass resignations from Eric Adams’ administration spark chaos in NYC government
The departures follow the Democratic mayor’s increasing closeness to Republican president Donald Trump, who provided him a legal reprieve.
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is falling apart, as four deputy mayors have signaled their intent to resign Monday over concerns about the Democratic mayor’s handling of immigration matters.
First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, who effectively runs the government, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker all plan to step down, four people with direct knowledge of the matter told POLITICO. They were granted anonymity to describe internal dynamics.
Spokespeople for City Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The pending resignations follow a tense meeting between the deputy mayors and Adams at the official mayoral residence of Gracie Mansion Friday night, POLITICO first reported. WNBC then reported resignations were pending, and the Daily News and New York Times further reported their likelihood.
Continue reading at Politico
Got a $1,400 rebate text from the IRS? It's a scam, Better Business Bureau warns.
If you get a text claiming you're due a $1,400 stimulus check from what looks to be the IRS, don't click on any links. The text is most certainly a scam, as the federal agency doesn't send such messages. Yet criminals are impersonating the IRS to trick taxpayers into sharing personal information by texting them fake alerts of their eligibility for extra money, warns the Better Business Bureau.
The devious texts have a truthful air, as they are connected to recent news. The IRS in late December said it was sending $2.4 million in total to 1 million people to cover those who didn't get all of their federal stimulus checks during the pandemic.
But the payments — a maximum of $1,400 per recipient — are automatic and those getting them were sent a letter by the IRS, with most of the payments expected to have arrived by late January. The money involves taxpayers who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns, with no action required from them.
Continue reading at CBS News
Poland to Europe: Don’t play games with Trump, spend more on defense
The Polish PM is adamant that Europe must not break ties with the U.S.
PARIS — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk piled pressure on other European leaders to massively ramp up defense spending and not clash with the U.S. on Tuesday as he flew to Paris for an emergency summit devoted to Ukraine's future and European rearmament.
"I will ask the prime ministers gathered in Paris today directly, are they ready to make a serious decision?" Tusk said on his way to the gathering, referring to defense spending. "Poland is unfortunately an exception to the rule in Europe at the moment. This absolutely has to change."
The comments from Tusk, whose country is the top military spender in NATO at 4.7 percent of gross domestic product, come as European countries scramble to formulate security guarantees for Ukraine and shore up the continent's ability to deter Russia under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
British MPs already want a vote on sending troops to Ukraine
Labour MPs — and opposition lawmakers too — are asking for a parliamentary say on any British escalation.
LONDON — Keir Starmer wants to send troops to Ukraine as a post-war peace-keeping force — but the country's lawmakers already want a say.
MPs from across the main parties told POLITICO they think parliament should be involved in any decision to deploy peacekeeping troops on the ground in Ukraine — after the prime minister made clear he is "ready and willing" to put troops from the United Kingdom in harm's way.
"The U.K. is ready to play a leading role in accelerating work on security guarantees for Ukraine," Starmer wrote in a Telegraph newspaper op-ed Sunday, days after U.S. President Donald Trump began talks with Russia about ending the war.
That's sparked an immediate debate in London about the ability of lawmakers to shape the response — with some pushing for a parliamentary vote and others keen not to bind the prime minister's hands.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Germany’s Scholz: It’s ‘inappropriate’ to discuss sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
Ukraine doesn’t have to accept whatever peace plan Russia and the United States present, Scholz added.
PARIS — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed frustration at the discussion around sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine shortly after leaving a crucial meeting with European leaders on Monday.
Scholz said he was "annoyed" by the debate around sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine after the war is over, arguing that it is "highly inappropriate" to discuss it before a peace plan is decided upon.
Earlier in the day, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk ruled out sending any Polish troops to Ukraine, saying his country would help with logistics. French President Emmanuel Macron, who originally raised the idea, is for sending soldiers. The U.K. is also "ready and willing" to send troops, its Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Parliament’s right-wing majority puts EU ethics body in the crosshairs
Lawmakers claim right-wing coalition is using procedural tricks to “obstruct” implementation.
BRUSSELS — In the fallout from the cash-for-influence Qatargate scandal, the European Parliament pushed for the creation of a common ethics body to set and monitor standards for elected officials.
Now, that plan could be on the rocks.
Centrist and left-wing MEPs fear the Parliament’s right-wing majority could obstruct — or even block — its implementation, despite an inter-institutional agreement last term to create the body.
Right-wing lawmakers have teamed up to reopen previously settled files, such as legislation on the Green Deal, as well as to push for harsher rhetoric on migration and against the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Last term’s ethics body negotiations saw much back-and-forth between centrist and left-wing forces, which supported the body, and the center-right European People’s Party, which pushed back against the idea that such a body could arbitrarily define moral conduct. The EPP also warned it would become a disciplinary chamber for MEPs.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Judge seems unwilling to immediately bar Musk from meddling in federal agencies
Blue states have not provided enough initial evidence to justify a temporary restraining order, Judge Tanya Chutkan said at a court hearing.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Monday appeared poised to reject an effort to immediately bar Elon Musk and his allies from accessing data or causing firings across a broad swath of the federal government.
The judge said an effort by Democrat-led states lacked enough concrete evidence to justify that extraordinary restriction.
[…]
“DOGE appears to be moving in no sort of predictable and orderly fashion and plaintiffs are obviously scrambling to find out what’s next,” Chutkan said during an hourlong hearing held via videoconference on the federal holiday. “I don’t know if that’s deliberate or not.”
But the judge said granting the temporary restraining order sought as part of a lawsuit brought by Democratic attorneys general required much clearer evidence that DOGE’s actions were causing grave, permanent damage. Instead, she said, states had relied primarily on news reports that speculated about the risks of Musk and DOGE’s actions, some of which she said could potentially be remedied in further litigation.
“I’m not seeing it so far. … It’s sort of like a prophylactic TRO and that’s not allowed,” Chutkan said, adding that she hoped to issue a ruling within 24 hours. “The courts can’t act based on media reports. We can’t do that.”
Continue reading at Politico
Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza, countering Trump’s call to depopulate the territory
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without forcing Palestinians out of the strip in a counter to President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the territory so the U.S. can take it over.
Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said the proposal calls for establishing “secure areas” within Gaza where Palestinians can live initially while Egyptian and international construction firms remove and rehabilitate the strip’s infrastructure.
Egyptian officials have been discussing the plan with European diplomats as well as with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, according to two Egyptian officials and Arab and Western diplomats. They are also discussing ways to fund the reconstruction, including an international conference on Gaza reconstruction, said one of the Egyptian officials and an Arab diplomat.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
The anti-Musk protest movement is expected to ramp up with Congress on recess
Hundreds of protests are scheduled outside congressional offices and Tesla dealerships, with organizers hoping to send a pointed message to members of Congress who are on recess this week.
The backlash still hasn’t approached the intensity of protests during and after Trump’s first inauguration eight years ago. But a loose coalition of Democrats and progressives is coalescing around Musk’s rise as Trump’s top lieutenant and his purge of the federal bureaucracy.
“He’s a major weak link in the MAGA coalition,” Ezra Levin, co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible, said of Musk. “I can’t think of something that polls worse than the richest man in the world is coming after your Social Security check or your Meals on Wheels or your Head Start.”
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Mike Pence emerges as one of the few Republicans willing to challenge Trump 2.0
WASHINGTON (AP) — His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivering speeches urging the president to stand with longstanding foreign allies and lobbying members of Congress while aides write letters and opinion columns.
This weekend, he posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”
Mike Pence is emerging as one of the last Republicans in Washington willing to publicly criticize the new administration.
It’s an especially jarring role for the former vice president, whose refusal to break with Trump defined their time together in office until the two had a falling out over Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his efforts to remain in power.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Warnock at National Cathedral: ‘Don’t tell me you reject DEI when you live in a White House built by Black hands’
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) is issuing a sharp rebuke of President Trump’s flurry of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) since his inauguration.
Speaking at the National Cathedral’s Holy Eucharist and Annual HBCU Welcome Sunday, Warnock said many of the president’s orders are a “wholesale unabashed assault” on DEI.
“Don’t tell me you reject DEI when you live in a White House built by Black hands,” said Warnock, a Baptist preacher. “The White House is a DEI house built by slaves who worked without the benefit of compensation.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Education Department investigating Northern Virginia school districts for transgender support policies
The department’s Office for Civil Rights opened probes into the Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William County school districts, according to a letter sent Wednesday to America First Legal, a conservative organization founded by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The group had asked the department to conduct investigations into the five school districts earlier this month, alleging each of them had continued enforcing policies meant to support transgender students in violation of Title IX, the federal civil rights law banning sex discrimination in schools. The policies vary by school district, but all allow transgender students to use restrooms and changing rooms that match their gender identity.
Continue reading at The Hill
DOGE sets up IRS, SEC accounts on X
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has set up X accounts for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), seeking “insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud and abuse” at the two agencies.
Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE’s efforts to cut trillions of dollars in government spending, reposted messages from both accounts Monday.
The new X accounts come as the DOGE team is reportedly seeking access to a sensitive IRS system, known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), that the agency uses to access taxpayer accounts.
Continue reading at The Hill
The economic state of Black America
As the nation marks a turbulent Black History Month, the economic state of Black America has much improved over the last few decades but is still nowhere near parity.
Why it matters: Economic hardships define people, families and communities for generations; breaking those cycles is the key to broader prosperity.
By the numbers: These are some of the most important indicators that tell the story of the Black community's financial progress and challenges.
It's worth noting that some of this data is already becoming harder to come by, as the Trump administration purges various federal datasets that touch on issues like race.
Continue reading at Axios
Rubio meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman
Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a meeting Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
The State Department issued a statement on Rubio’s meeting with the Saudi crown prince, saying Rubio emphasized the necessity of a Gaza solution that strengthens regional security. However, the statement didn’t elaborate on how Rubio and bin Salman reconciled their differing opinions on Gaza’s future.
Rubio has publicly supported Trump’s plan, which involves seizing control of Gaza and displacing Palestinians, a proposal Saudi Arabia opposes.
Continue reading at The Hill
Energy secretary blasts ‘sinister’ zero carbon emissions goal
Energy Secretary Chris Wright denounced efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions by midcentury as a “sinister goal” in remarks at a conservative policy conference Monday.
“Net zero 2050 is a sinister goal, it’s a terrible goal,” Wright said to applause at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship forum in London, where he spoke through a video link. “It’s both unachievable by any practical means [and] the aggressive pursuit of it — and you’re sitting in a country that has aggressively pursued this goal — has not delivered any benefits, but it’s delivered tremendous costs.”
Wright, a former fracking executive, claimed that countries that set net zero goals simply “export your industry.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Senate Democrat calls Trump Gaza plan a ‘hot mess’
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Monday that President Trump’s plan for the U.S. to take over Gaza is a “nonstarter” for many U.S. lawmakers and called it a “hot mess.”
“I’ll be very blunt. My view is that the Trump plan is a non-plan. It’s a hot mess,” Blumenthal said at a press conference in Israel, standing alongside bipartisan members of the Senate on a delegation to the country.
“The possibility of takeover by the United States is a nonstarter, I think, for most of us,” the Connecticut Democrat continued. “A takeover involving any troops, any taxpayer dollars, is simply a nonstarter.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Musk signals DOGE could look into gold at Fort Knox
ech billionaire Elon Musk signaled Monday that he will be looking into Fort Knox, where the United States has a massive and heavily secured gold reserve.
“Looking for the gold at Fort Knox …” Musk wrote on the social platform X.
He also shared a post from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on X, in which the senator said he has been denied access to Fort Knox, an Army installation in Kentucky.
“Who is confirming that gold wasn’t stolen from Fort Knox? Maybe it’s there, maybe it’s not. That gold is owned by the American public! We want to know if it’s still there,” Musk said.
Continue reading at The Hill
4 deputy NYC mayors plan to quit over Adams-Trump cooperation
First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and Deputy Mayors Anne Williams-Isom and Meera Joshi confirmed their departure in a statement to The Hill.
“Due to the extraordinary events of the last few weeks and to stay faithful to the oaths we swore to New Yorkers and our families, we have come to the difficult decision to step down from our roles,” the officials said.
Deputy Mayor Chauncey Parker confirmed his resignation in a separate statement.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrats force Hochul into an uncomfortable position over Adams
The Democratic governor has worked well with the mayor, but faces pressure to oust amid his legal predicament.
ALBANY, New York — The unprecedented political and legal crisis engulfing Mayor Eric Adams is landing at the doorstep of his ally Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The moderate governor is under rapidly expanding pressure from fellow Democrats to act against Adams as he appears to carry out the Trump administration’s conservative immigration policy after a top Department of Justice official called for the mayor’s corruption case to be tossed.
Continue reading at Politico
DeSantis ‘bulldog’ is now Florida’s attorney general
Florida’s new attorney general served as DeSantis’s presidential campaign manager.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday officially elevated James Uthmeier from his spot as the Republican governor’s chief of staff to the state’s next attorney general.
Uthmeier was sworn into office during a brief ceremony inside the Old Capitol held in front of a crowd of well-known Republican officials, legislators and members of the DeSantis administration. Uthmeier, who served several months as campaign manager for DeSantis’ ill-fated bid for president, is one of the governor’s closest and most trusted aides.
Continue reading at Politico
Europe’s leaders find no quick response to Trump’s bombshell on Ukraine
Top European leaders could not find common ground on issues including sending peacekeepers in Ukraine.
PARIS — A French-led effort by European leaders to present a united front on Ukraine in the face of rising fear over U.S. President Donald Trump's intentions fizzled Monday as they failed to agree on sending troops to police a possible peace deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron had called the emergency meeting in Brussels after European leaders were left reeling by news that the U.S. would start negotiations with Russia to end its war on Ukraine, but without inviting any representatives from Europe or from Ukraine.
But after a 3.5-hour huddle at the Elysée presidential palace, the response of leaders to the biggest shift in security calculus for decades was underwhelming.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Why There Is No Relief Ahead for High Used-Car Prices
Factory disruptions three years ago are coming back to haunt the auto market
Used-vehicle shoppers are finding stubbornly high prices at the dealership lot—if they can find a car at all.
Used-car and truck prices rose 2.2% from December to January, while new-car prices were flat, according to the Labor Department. It was a significant factor keeping overall inflation stuck at 3%, raising questions this week about whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year.
Prices on both new and used vehicles have come down from their 2022 peak, when vehicles were in short supply because of supply-chain problems. The inflation was more pronounced on used cars, though, and they remain pricier than they had been before the pandemic relative to new vehicles.
Car dealers and analysts say higher used-car prices will stick for a while. A number of factors are depressing inventory on preowned vehicle lots, likely extending a seller’s market.
Inflation in New, Used CarsUsed cars have experienced more inflation over the previous five years than newSource: Cox AutomotiveNote: Average transaction price for new cars, January of each year; Average wholesale price of 3-year-old cars,week 6 of each year
Continue reading at the Wall Street Journal (Gift link)
Police arrest apparent leader of cultlike ‘Zizian’ group linked to multiple killings in the US
BOSTON (AP) — The apparent leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians has been arrested in Maryland along with another member of the group, Maryland State Police said Monday.
Jack Lasota, 34, was arrested Sunday along with Michelle Zajko, 33, of Media, Pennsylvania. They face multiple charges including trespassing, obstructing and hindering and possession of a handgun in the vehicle.
A bail hearing for the the two is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Allegany District Court.
The Zizians have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January and five other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Homan says he’s asked DOJ whether Ocasio Cortez impeding ICE
President Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, on Monday, said he asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) ‘s efforts to educate people about their rights while facing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is impeding the agency’s operations.
Speaking on Fox News, Homan said he finds it disturbing that “any member of Congress wants to educate people how they evade law enforcement.”
“You can claim you [are] educating [them about] constitutional rights.,” he said, adding, “But what she [Ocasio-Cortez] is, in fact, doing is telling people ‘don’t open the door, hide in your home, don’t talk to ICE.'”
Continue reading at The Hill
Fetterman blasts Musk over DOGE, IRS
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) went after tech billionaire Elon Musk over a report that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been trying to access an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) system.
“I want to save billions of your money and make our government more efficient. Rummaging through your personal s— is *not* that. A party of chaos loses—always,” Fetterman said in a post on the social platform X Monday.
His post featured a screenshot of a Politico headline from a report on DOGE’s attempts to access the IRS’s Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS). A White House official confirmed to Politico the IDRS access effort by DOGE.
Continue reading at The Hill
Graham: ‘Very little appetite’ for US to take over Gaza
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Monday he thinks there’s “very little appetite” among Americans for a U.S. takeover of Gaza.
“One thing I will say, there’s very little appetite that I’ve seen in the United States Senate for America to take over Gaza in any way, shape or form,” Graham said at a press conference in Israel, standing among bipartisan Senate colleagues on a delegation overseas.
“I think that would be a difficult sell in South Carolina,” Graham said.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump Administration Wants to Help Get Professional Misogynist Andrew Tate out of Romania
Tate and his brother are charged with human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and money laundering.
Off in the depths of the QAnon and PizzaGate corners of the internet, conspiracists swear Donald Trump is quietly preparing charges to bring down notorious sex trafficking circles operated by celebrities. Back in reality, the Financial Times reports the Trump administration is pressuring Romanian authorities to let Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate travel freely despite facing charges of sexual misconduct and human trafficking.
Per the report, Trump officials have been pushing for Romania to return the Tates’ passports and lift travel restrictions on the brothers, who have been banned from leaving the country until their criminal case concludes. The pressure campaign started on phone calls last week and then got raised in-person when Trump special envoy Richard Grenell, who met with the Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu at the Munich Security conference.
Grenell—who served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany during his first term only to get iced out by German leaders for cozying up with the far-right, Nazi-aligned (and now Elon Musk-backed) Alternative for Germany (AfD)—has been publicly supportive of the Tates. In a post made earlier this month, Grenell seemed to suggest the Tate brothers were the victims of a concerted effort to target “conservatives around the world,” which he believed was funded by USAID programs.
Continue reading at Gizmodo
Pope Francis, sensing he is close to death, moves to protect his legacy
The battle to succeed Pope Francis is likely to be highly politicized, particularly given the pontiff’s recent clash with Catholic U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
The pope initially resisted going to hospital but was told in no uncertain terms that he was at risk of dying if he stayed in his room in the Vatican, the second person added.
As his health has deteriorated over the last month, Francis has also moved to complete key initiatives and appoint sympathetic figures to key posts, following a progressive-tinted papacy marked by bitter ideological divisions.
Since he became pope in 2013, Francis has aimed to make the Church more inclusive, opening up key roles to women and LGBT+ people. While that has provoked furious reaction from many conservatives, liberals complain that the reforms have been insufficient. Meanwhile, the pope’s efforts to put an end to rampant child abuse by clerics have produced mixed results.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
MAGA sheriff running for CA governor vows to end ‘sanctuary’ laws
Similar laws in other states have become a target for President Donald Trump.
RIVERSIDE, California — A pro-Trump sheriff from Southern California said he would overturn a state law protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation if he wins a long shot bid for governor of the deep blue state.
“The best thing would be to completely abolish SB 54 and repeal it because it does absolutely nothing for public safety,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told POLITICO Monday at his gubernatorial campaign kickoff using the bill name for the state’s so-called sanctuary law.
Continue reading at Politico
Hegseth claims outgoing Biden IRS targeted family with audit
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday accused the Biden administration of targeting his family with a “rushed” tax audit, posting an unverified document showing he owes the IRS more than $33,000 in taxes.
Hegseth posted on social media a screenshot of what he claimed was an IRS letter sent to him and his wife. The document said the family’s federal income tax return showed they owed the government $33,558.16, which needed to be paid immediately to avoid further penalties.
“Of course the outgoing Biden IRS rushed an ‘audit’ of the incoming SecDef. Total sham,” Hegseth wrote on X. “The party of ‘norms’ and ‘decency’ strikes again. We will never back down.”
Continue reading at The Hill
WSJ asks Kennedy to cast aside ‘antivax hooey’ amid Texas measles outbreak
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board published on op-ed on Monday calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to set aside his anti-vaccine activist positions in light of the nearly 50 measles cases that have been confirmed among mostly unvaccinated children in Texas.
“We are on record as skeptical of RFK Jr.’s nomination. The Senate confirmed him. Now the best-case scenario would be for Mr. Kennedy to internalize that he is no longer an activist outsider who needs to take provocative potshots to get attention,” wrote the Journal’s editorial board.
As of last week, 48 children in the South Plains region of Texas have been confirmed to have measles and 13 have been hospitalized. The disease is so transmissible that up to nine out of 10 people who come into contact someone with measles can be infected, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Continue reading at The Hill
Protests you won’t see on the major cable networks…
For more on protests around the nation, search protests on Bluesky
House, Senate standoff over Trump agenda escalates
The showdown between House and Senate Republicans is escalating as the two groups barrel ahead with their contrasting strategies to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda — with the upper chamber expected to move this week.
The House Budget Committee last week advanced a budget resolution for one sprawling bill full of Trump’s wish list items, getting the measure over the finish line after weeks of bitter infighting. The conference is eyeing a vote in the full chamber as early as next week, but concerns among moderates — and even some conservatives — could stymie that plan.
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, advanced their own budget resolution through the Budget Committee shortly before the House last week, moving the ball forward on its two-track blueprint. The measure is likely to hit the floor for a vote this week.
The two conferences have been at odds over strategy for months, racing each other to get a bill to the floor and seeing if either measure would get stuck in committee.
Continue reading at The Hill
Fox’s Turley decries ‘prosecution’ of Ocasio-Cortez over immigration webinar
Fox News Media contributor Jonathan Turley on Monday decried “a prosecution” of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) “for hosting” an immigration webinar.
“Border Czar Tom Homan doubled down last night that Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) might be prosecuted for hosting a forum on ‘Know Your Rights’ for accused illegal aliens. Such a prosecution would be an assault on free speech rights,” Turley said in a thread on the social platform X on Monday, which was highlighted by Mediaite.
Turley said the New York Democrat “has never been a defender of free speech,” but also added that “principle demands something more from the rest of us who value the First Amendment.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Note from Rima: LOL! Turley defends AOC…
New York City comptroller asks Adams to prove he can govern amid turmoil
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander (D) on Monday called on Mayor Eric Adams to prove he can continue to govern amid calls for his resignation after the Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped charges against the mayor in what prosecutors alleged was a quid pro quo deal.
“Given the gravity of this situation and the chaos it has unleashed among New Yorkers, I formally request that your office promptly develop and present a detailed contingency plan outlining how you intend to manage the City of New York during this period of leadership transition,” Lander wrote in a letter to Adams on Monday.
Continue reading at The Hill
Walz says he’s ‘in touch with Delta’ after crash landing at Toronto airport
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said Monday he was “in touch with Delta” following the crash landing of a flight at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The flight originated at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in Walz’s state.
“I’m in touch with Delta after a flight taking off from MSP crash landed in Toronto this afternoon,” Walz said in a post on the social platform X. “Grateful to the first responders and professionals on the scene.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Black consumers put on notice amid DEI rollbacks
The NAACP is urging Black Americans to refrain from shopping at retailers that have stepped back from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
The advisory lists companies that have recommitted to DEI in recent weeks — such as Delta Air Lines, Apple and Ben & Jerry’s — while also highlighting major corporations that have dismantled their programs.
Despite backlash from civil rights organizations, companies including McDonald’s, Target, Walmart, Amazon and Tractor Supply have all ended or rolled back their DEI promises, many of which were made in the wake of social unrest in 2020.
In its advisory, the NAACP argues the rollbacks “reinforce historical barriers to progress under the guise of protecting “meritocracy.’”
Continue reading at The Hill
Medicaid concerns threaten GOP budget resolution
House Republicans’ budget resolution could be in jeopardy of not clearing the full chamber amid a chorus of opposition from swing-district members over likely substantial cuts to safety-net programs for low-income Americans — chiefly Medicaid.
Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) — both of whom represent districts with a significant percentage of Medicaid recipients — told The Hill that they are withholding support from the budget resolution as they seek more information on the severity of the cuts and how they could impact their constituents, The Hill’s Mychael Schnell reported.
Valadao represents a Hispanic-majority district in California where 34 percent of adults are on Medicaid. In Malliotakis’s New York district, 23 percent of adults have Medicaid coverage.
“To make up $880 billion, I need more clarity on how they’re going to make up that entire number and how that could potentially affect beneficiaries before I move forward in this process,” Malliotakis said.
Continue reading at The Hill
Handful of dismissed Energy Department staffers offered their jobs back
“They had no idea what we did,” says one union member.
A small group of federal workers who help run the power grid in the Pacific Northwest are being asked to return to work after being fired only days ago.
It’s the latest sign, critics said, that President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s attempt to gut the federal workforce in Washington and beyond doesn’t always go as planned.
Mike Braden, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 928, a union that represents federal workers, said about 30 of his members who help build and maintain high-voltage power lines and perform other work to run the power grid for the Bonneville Power Administration in the Department of Energy were terminated last week and then asked to return to the job.
Continue reading at Politico
The economic state of Black America
As the nation marks a turbulent Black History Month, the economic state of Black America has much improved over the last few decades but is still nowhere near parity.
Why it matters: Economic hardships define people, families and communities for generations; breaking those cycles is the key to broader prosperity.
By the numbers: These are some of the most important indicators that tell the story of the Black community's financial progress and challenges.
It's worth noting that some of this data is already becoming harder to come by, as the Trump administration purges various federal datasets that touch on issues like race.
In some charts below, we look at the statistics solely for the Black community, while in others we compare to some or all races and ethnicities — in part to illustrate just how stark some of the gaps are.
Continue reading this long form economic compilation at Axios
Top Social Security official exits after clash with Musk’s DOGE over data
The acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration left her job this weekend after a clash with billionaire Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service over their attempts to access sensitive government records, three people familiar with her departure on Sunday night said.
Michelle King, who spent several decades at the agency before being named its acting commissioner last month, has now left her position after the disagreement, the people said.
President Donald Trump appointed Leland Dudek, a manager in charge of Social Security’s anti-fraud office, as acting commissioner while Frank Bisignano, the president’s nominee for permanent commissioner, is vetted by the Senate, according to three individuals who spoke on the condition anonymity to speak candidly. A public announcement is expected this week. Dudek had posted positive remarks on social media about DOGE’s efforts to cut costs and search for fraud in federal agencies, according to two of the individuals.
The White House declined to comment on the developments.
Continue reading at the Washington Post
Is Elon Musk Auditing Fort Knox's Gold Reserve? What We Know
ocial media users, including a Republican lawmaker, have encouraged Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to audit Fort Knox, the military installation that houses about half of the country's gold reserves.
Newsweek has contacted the Treasury Department—which operates the United States Bullion Depository, known as Fort Knox—for comment.
Why It Matters
As the head of DOGE, a newly formed advisory task force, Musk has been leading a campaign to eliminate perceived waste from government spending while also reviewing other aspects of the federal budget.
If a review is conducted, any discrepancy between the reserves in Fort Knox and the figures that have been reported could send shock waves through global gold markets.
Continue reading at Newsweek
Note from Rima: The article includes a video of Musk addressing this issue
Musk’s DOGE expected to arrive at SEC in coming days
The SEC is of particular note for Musk, who has repeatedly battled with the agency and is still fighting with it today.
Elon Musk has repeatedly clashed with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the last decade. Now, his cost-cutting crusade is about to hit the regulator.
The Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency is expected to arrive at the SEC in the coming days, according to two people briefed on the matter.
“They are at the gates,” said one of the people, who like the other person was granted anonymity to speak freely.
DOGE’s arrival at the SEC will make the top U.S. markets regulator the latest federal agency to come under scrutiny by the group, which has been spearheading President Donald Trump’s push to rein in federal spending and regulations.
Continue reading at Politico
As States Mull Medicaid Work Requirements, Two Scale Theirs Back
— Republicans are hoping to slash billions from the federal budget
But, just as a second Trump administration reignites interest in work requirements, Georgia is proposing to scale back key parts of the nation's only active program. And Arkansas announced an effort to revive -- with fundamental changes -- a program that ended after a legal judgment in 2019.
The Georgia and Arkansas proposals, from the only two states to have implemented Medicaid work requirements, reveal the disconnect between rhetoric behind such programs and the realities of running them, said consumer advocates and health policy researchers.
"They recognize that what they did the first time didn't work," said Ben Sommers, MD, PhD, a Harvard professor and a former health official in the Biden and Obama administrations. "It should be a signal to federal policymakers: Don't point to Georgia and Arkansas and say, 'Let's do that.'"
More than a dozen states had Medicaid work requirement programs approvedopens in a new tab or window during Trump's first administration.
Continue reading at MedPageToday
Are Diet and Exercise the Keys to Longevity? Think Again, Expert Tells Senators
— What's needed is an environment "that makes the healthy choice the easy choice"
Why are the people in Blue Zones living 10 years longer than Americans? "Because they're avoiding the diseases that shorten Americans' lives and are bankrupting us in many ways," Buettner, of Miami, Florida, said at a hearing on "Optimizing Longevity: From Research to Actionopens in a new tab or window."
What are they doing? "Well, none of them are dieting or exercising or running down to Latin America for stem cell treatments," he said. Instead, "every time they go to work or a friend's house or out to eat, it occasions a walk -- they're getting 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day, mindlessly. The cheapest and most accessible foods for them are peasant foods; they're whole grains. They're tubers."
"The cornerstone of every longevity diet in the world is beans," he said. "They're eating about a cup of beans a day. They're not spending time on Facebook. Instead, they're spending time in face-to-face conversations, living in extended families, and connecting with their neighbors."
In addition, they feel that they have a purpose. "We know that people who have a sense of purpose live about 8 years longer than people who are rudderless," said Buettner. "They manifest their purpose usually in family, but also with religion. We know people who show up at church or temple or mosque live about 4 years longer than people who don't show up at all."
Continue reading at MedPageToday
Trump begins firings of FAA staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash
[Updated today]
Probationary workers were targeted in late-night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement.
The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told The Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
In a message posted to X late Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said fewer than 400 FAA employees were fired and “Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.”
Continue reading at the Associated Press
‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump and Musk
BOSTON (AP) — Protesters against President Donald Trump and his policies braved frigid temperatures in parts of the U.S. Monday, shouting “No kings on Presidents Day” in East Coast cities and attempting to enter the Arizona Statehouse to oppose a bill that would bolster fast-changing federal immigration enforcement.
In Florida and California, local media outlets reported on hundreds of protesters carrying out “Not my Presidents Day” protests. The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, and marked the second set of protests criss-crossing the nation in less than two weeks. A similar nationwide event on Feb. 5 drew participants in dozens of cities. Both sets of rallies denounced Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the leader of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, an outside-government organization designed to slash federal spending.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Judge to rule swiftly on effort to block DOGE from assessing data and firing federal employees
A federal judge on Monday questioned the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency but was skeptical of a request to block DOGE from accessing sensitive data and firing employees at half a dozen federal agencies.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan held a hearing on a request from 14 states for a temporary restraining order seeking to curtail Musk’s power in President Donald Trump’s quest to downsize the federal government. Chutkan said she would rule within 24 hours.
Trump appointed Musk to lead DOGE in a push to slash the federal workforce and reduce or end disfavored programs. The administration dismissed probationary employees and Trump in an executive order told agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions.”
Continue reading at the Associated Press
Shaheen, Tillis and Bennet tour Ukraine amid Trump peace push
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) all recently took a trip to Ukraine according to a page on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s website.
The senators finished the visit to Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, on Monday, according to the page. The Colorado, New Hampshire and North Carolina lawmakers also went to Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv that experienced mass atrocities that happened within the beginning weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Our delegation saw firsthand how Ukraine is holding the Russian military at bay at the gates of Europe,” Shaheen, the Foreign Relations Committee’s ranking member, said on the page.
Continue reading at The Hill
Europe’s big guns sideline the EU to get real on Ukraine
Macron’s mini-summit shunned Brussels’ normal obsession with consensus and revealed a new core with the region’s future in their hands.
LONDON — As Europe grapples with its deepest security crisis since 1945, a small group of the continent’s leading powers took a radical step: They dumped the traditional craving for 27-nation consensus at Brussels summits and tried to sort out the mess themselves.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s mini-summit in Paris on Monday brought together the leaders of Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark and even the United Kingdom — which left the European Union five years ago.
But there was no invitation for Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Slovakia’s Robert Fico — or others deemed too sympathetic to Moscow to be helpful in an emergency. Smaller EU states such as Latvia and Estonia were also excluded, even though they’re among the bloc’s most hawkish members on dealing with Russia.
This is not the way EU politics is meant to be conducted, but the Paris format lays bare the severity of the geopolitical shock that is currently roiling the continent. The streamlined summitry is a sign that patience is running thin with the EU’s exasperating Council meetings, where countries often fail to agree on proposals, or water them down to near irrelevance.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Europe is on the brink of another financial crisis, German frontrunner Merz warns
It’s “definitely coming,” he tells POLITICO ahead of the Feb. 23 election.
BERLIN — Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next chancellor, told POLITICO he’s “very worried” the European Union is heading for another financial crisis because governments have taken on too much debt.
“We cannot be as careless with our public finances as perhaps some of the others — and even with others, I’m starting to get very worried,” the conservative frontrunner told POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook Podcast.
He didn’t name the other countries he was talking about but six in the EU — France, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Spain and Portugal — have debt that’s bigger than the size of their yearly economic output.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Hochul weighs "serious step" of removing NYC mayor after deputies resign
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said she's meeting with "key leaders" at her Manhattan office Tuesday to discuss a "path forward" after four top officials in NYC Mayor Eric Adams' administration resigned.
[…]
Zoom in: Hochul noted that "in the 235 years of New York State history," the governor's power to remove an elected had never been used and that "overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly."
However, she said "the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored."
Continue reading at Axios
Note from Rima: CNN reported during Kaitlan Collins’ show that Hochul is close to making a removal announcement.
Ex-acting FAA Administrator: Now is the time for air traffic control upgrades
Billy Nolen, a former acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator, said Monday that now is the time for air traffic control upgrades.
“[One of the things] I’ve testified both before the House and before the Senate, that says the FAA oversees systems of systems and facilities that are between 40 and 60 years old,” Nolen told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill.”
“So, I think it’s an … opportune time for [Elon Musk], for others, to come in and say … first get a clear understanding of what’s in play here, and then how we go about giving America the very best air traffic control system in the world,” he added.
The Trump administration began firing hundreds of employees at the FAA on Friday, just weeks after a deadly crash outside of Washington, D.C., put a spotlight on the agency.
Continue reading at The Hill
Latvia’s president: ‘Never stop panicking’
Keep calm and carry on? Nah — everybody panic, Edgars Rinkēvičs advises.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has a grim message for the world: Hit the panic button, and keep hitting it.
“Never stop panicking,” the Latvian head of state wrote on X, Facebook and Bluesky — presumably cross-posting to ensure everyone gets the memo.
Rinkēvičs’ anxiety-inducing advice comes amid a precarious moment for Europe’s security architecture and transatlantic relations under United States President Donald Trump.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Judge refuses to block DOGE’s access to student borrower data
A federal judge Monday evening declined to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from gaining access to Education Department data on student borrowers.
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the University of California Student Association (USCA), which brought the lawsuit, had not shown sufficient irreparable harm to receive such immediate relief.
“Because the Court concludes that UCSA has failed to clear that essential hurdle, the Court’s analysis also ends there,” wrote Moss, who was appointed by former President Obama.
“The Court leaves for another day consideration of whether USCA’s has standing to sue and has stated a claim upon which relief may be granted. Those questions are less clear cut and are better answered on a more complete record,” Moss continued.
Continue reading at The Hill
Who’s in charge of DOGE? Not Elon Musk, White House says
A Trump administration personnel official says Musk has “no actual or formal authority to make government decisions.”
Elon Musk is not the leader of DOGE — the mysterious Trump administration operation overseeing an effort to break and remake the federal bureaucracy. In fact, he’s not even technically part of it at all, the White House said in court papers Monday night.
In a three-page declaration, a top White House personnel official revealed that Musk’s title is “senior adviser to the president,” a role in which he has “no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself.”
That explanation, provided to a federal court by Joshua Fisher, the director of the White House’s Office of Administration, seems to directly contradict the way President Donald Trump and Musk have spoken publicly about the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, widely seen as a Musk-driven project to shrink and dismantle key aspects of the federal government.
The sworn statement instead deepens the questions surrounding DOGE. Fisher confirmed that Musk is not the official administrator of the office, which was established by Trump as an office in the Executive Office of the President. But Fisher did not indicate who the administrator actually is.
Continue reading at Politico
Musk is not a DOGE employee and "has no actual or formal authority," WH says
Elon Musk is not the administrator of DOGE and nor is he an employee of the department that's overseeing massive cuts to the federal workforce and agencies, per a Monday night White House court filing.
Why it matters: President Trump described Musk as a leader of the operation when he announced the department in November, and the billionaire has become the face of the operation.
Driving the news: "Like other senior White House advisors, Mr Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself," per the filing, signed by Joshua Fisher, director of the Office of Administration at the White House and was filed in D.C. federal court.
Musk is a "Special Government Employee" and in that job he's a senior adviser to the president, said Fisher, per the declaration in the case, which the state of New Mexico brought against Musk and others.
The SpaceX owner "has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself, said Fisher, per the filing, Fisher said.
He said Anita Dunn, a senior adviser to former President Biden, was similarly "influential" in this role.
Continue reading at Axios
Economist Jared Bernstein
Economist Dean Baker
More news added all throughout the day and evening. Please keep an open page and check back periodically. To see when I update, follow me on Bluesky or Substack.
Your support is what keeps me going…
This newsletter, updated all throughout the day (and night), every day, will remain free to all because it is more important to me to keep you informed. 99% of my subscribers are free.
All I ask is that, if you are able, please contribute $5 a month so that I might keep this free for everyone.
Thank you.