Things Trump Did... Day 16 | Blog#42
American imperialism, Part II?
Yesterday’s Things Trump Did…
Things Trump Did... Day 15 | Blog#42
Please keep a tab open to this post as it gets continuous updates, sometimes several times an hour. Newest items appear at the bottom.
Today’s edition of my news round up starts with Politico’s morning newsletter:
Playbook: About those endless wars
WHERE TO EVEN START? Washington — and the world — is today trying to process what we all witnessed last night after Donald Trump upended decades of U.S. foreign policy by pledging to “take over” the Gaza Strip. The reaction to the president’s head-spinning East Room press conference is one of shock and bemusement as U.S. politicians, government officials, foreign diplomats and, yes, weary POLITICO newsletter writers try to figure out if we should take Trump literally or seriously this time. It goes without saying this story is going to dominate the news cycle throughout the day … or at least until the president starts talking about something else.
First things first: We’d best go through what he actually said.
The set-up: Trump, standing right next to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, said Gaza “has been a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades… An unlucky place, for a long time.” Netenyahu looked on, straight-faced.
Continue reading at Politico
The Hill’s Morning Report
Trump: US should 'take over' Gaza
President Trump floated one of his most stunning proposals yet Tuesday night with the suggestion the U.S. “take over” the Gaza Strip and evict around 2.2 million Palestinians as the enclave is rebuilt. The idea sparked swift and broad pushback.
At a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the U.S. should be responsible for clearing the territory of rubble and unexploded bombs and proposing an “economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Behind the Curtain: Trump's wild Middle East vision
On the 15th day, he proclaimed Gaza ours.
Why it matters: There are two ways to view President Trump's epic, historic, shockingly unexpected declaration Tuesday evening that the U.S. should seize, control, develop and hold "a long-term ownership position" in war-destroyed Gaza.
It was a wild bluff — or bluster — to gain leverage in the Middle East. It's like threats of trade tariffs against Canada and Mexico — all-consumingly controversial, yet instantly ephemeral. This strikes most Republicans as the right interpretation.
The other: It fuses several Trump obsessions — his hope for a grand Middle East peace deal, his belief Gaza will be a hellhole for decades to come, and his genuine intrigue about developing the seaside land. U.S. officials tell us Trump's words were premeditated, and mirror ideas he floated to some staff and family members privately.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump's Gaza shock wave stuns Middle East and some in White House
President Trump's stunning declaration that the U.S. could "take over" Gaza surprised many of his own advisers, thrilled right-wing Israelis, and deeply alarmed the governments in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, sources in Washington and around the region tell Axios.
Friction point: Trump's plan to displace two million Palestinians came at a very sensitive point of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal. It could even embolden both Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume the war.
Driving the news: After an Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu, Trump presented his proposal to turn Gaza — largely destroyed by Israel in its war with Hamas — into what he called the "Riviera of the Middle East" and invite "the world's people" to move there.
The sense of shock was palpable among the 150 journalists in the room.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump-voting states have more to lose if Education Department dismantled
President Trump's campaign promise to dismantle the Department of Education could prove more costly for red states than blue.
Why it matters: Funding for public schools primarily falls to local and state governments, but federal funds work to fill the gaps.
States that voted for Trump last November, on average, use more federal funding in their education apportions than states that voted for former Vice President Harris.
"That dependence is, in large part, because they're just lower wealth states and they don't have the same capacity to step in and make up that difference," Kevin Welner, the director of the National Education Policy Center, told Axios.
Continue reading at Axios
Which states have the biggest Black unemployment gaps
Sometimes overlooked in the big monthly jobs reports is a stark reality: The unemployment rate among Black Americans is consistently higher than the overall rate, and that gap is especially pronounced in some states.
Why it matters: Looking below surface-level at economic data can reveal important trends, differences and needs among specific groups.
Driving the news: The overall U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2% as of Q3 2024, but the rate among Black Americans was 6.5%, per the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank.
That's a gap of 2.3 percentage points
Continue reading at Axios
Musk team's access to Treasury records raises a row
Nearly every computer system draws a line between the right to look at files and the right to change them — but till now, the details barely mattered to most non-programmers.
The big picture: The early days of Trump's second administration — as Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) crew execute a hostile takeover of the federal government's digital infrastructure — are giving Washington a crash course in the importance of system permissions.
With "read-only" permission, you can open, review and copy data and programs.
With "read-write" access, you can delete files, alter data and rewrite code.
Why it matters: Much of the capital and the nation is still trying to figure out whether Musk is simply scouring the federal books to flag waste and fraud — as the Trump transition originally described the DOGE effort — or if he has unilaterally, and maybe unconstitutionally, seized a sort of line-item veto power over every dollar the government spends.
Continue reading at Axios
Kremlin says talks with US have ‘intensified’ in recent days
“There are indeed contacts between individual departments,” says spokesperson for Vladimir Putin.
Discussions between Moscow and Washington are ongoing and have started to ramp up, Russian leader Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
"There are indeed contacts between individual departments, and they have intensified recently. But I can't tell you any other details, there is nothing else to say," Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state-owned media.
Peskov was responding to a question about U.S. President Donald Trump's statement that Washington is conducting active negotiations on the war in Ukraine with both Kyiv and Moscow.
Continue reading at Politico
Greenland calls for snap election as Trump looms
Prime minister wants election on March 11.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede called for an early election on March 11, amid geopolitical tensions caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the Arctic island.
“It’s time for an election to the Inatsisartut [Greenlandic Parliament]. If the Inatsisartut approves my proposal, this will happen on March 11th,” Egede wrote Tuesday in a post on Facebook.
Continue reading at Politico
Ukraine reels in Trump with mineral riches
The U.S. president’s relentless pursuit of raw materials is storing up trouble for Greenland, but could well be good news for Ukraine.
After years of arguing its democracy is worth fighting for, Ukraine quickly calculated Donald Trump was likelier to think the country is worth saving because of its abundant mineral wealth.
To win over a United States president who wants to claim Greenland for its vast reserves of raw materials and strategic position in the Arctic, Kyiv has for months been stressing that its rich deposits of everything from titanium to graphite could help Trump beat China in the global race for resources.
On Monday, Trump took the bait and said he planned to make a deal with Ukraine “where they will secure what we’re providing them with their rare earth materials and other resources.”
Continue reading at Politico
Britain stresses out over which Marco Rubio it’s going to get
Trump’s new secretary of state has been seen as a “committed internationalist.” The new right that swept his boss into power may be less interested in all that.
LONDON — The U.K. is hoping Marco Rubio can lend a hand to steady the special relationship with Washington — but there’s a catch.
Donald Trump’s new foreign policy chief has his own relationships back home to worry about, and they’re with people far less focused on transatlantic ties.
The signs have hardly been auspicious for relations between Keir Starmer’s Labour government and the incoming U.S. president since his sensational comeback in November. Labour Party officials have been accused of meddling in the U.S. election, while Trump’s newfound “first buddy” Elon Musk seems intent on trashing Starmer at every opportunity.
Continue reading at Politico
Poland spends big on arms to stay friends with Trump
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz warns that Europe must spend more “to retain the presence of the Americans in Europe.”
WARSAW — Poland is NATO’s top military spender for two reasons: to keep America close and Russia at bay, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told POLITICO.
This year, Poland aims to spend 4.7 percent of gross domestic product on its military, more than any other alliance member. A large portion of that is going to new weapons to modernize and expand Poland’s armed forces: Kosiniak-Kamysz estimated that $55 billion to $60 billion has been spent on American kit.
The hope in Warsaw is that those kinds of numbers will make an impression on Donald Trump and his new administration.
Continue reading at Politico
Morning Report — Trump eyes ‘long-term’ US ownership in Gaza
In today’s issue:
Trump floats “long-term ownership” of Gaza Strip
Bondi confirmed as Trump Cabinet takes shape
Senate GOP in the lead on budgeting
Who takes the mantle for Democrats?
President Trump floated one of his most stunning proposals yet Tuesday night with the suggestion the U.S. “take over” the Gaza Strip and evict around 2.2 million Palestinians as the enclave is rebuilt. The idea sparked swift and broad pushback.
Continue reading at The Hill
Musk’s expansive portfolio divides Trump world
Elon Musk may be the most divisive man in Washington — and in President Trump’s White House.
In one camp stand Trump allies who see it as a matter of time before the president tires personally and professionally of Musk, who has been inescapable for the past week as he and staff for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have sought to seize control of various agencies.
The critics see a tech titan who is not accountable to anyone but Trump and stirs controversy, even with some Republicans.
Continue reading at The Hill
Will Trump’s federal hiring freeze affect IRS tax returns?
Trump signed executive order for federal employee hiring freeze
Hiring freeze expires in 90 days for every agency except IRS
The IRS said job offers with a start date after Feb. 8, 2025, will be revoked
Continue reading at The Hill
Shutdown anxiety rises on Capitol Hill amid Trump chaos
Washington is growing increasingly worried about the potential for a government shutdown — and what devastation it could bring.
The president in charge during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has returned to the White House, current government funding expires in less than six weeks — and on Capitol Hill, people are nervous.
It’s not just President Donald Trump’s history of leading the country through a 35-day funding lapse that has lawmakers worried about his appetite for another one in March. It’s also that Trump’s actions in his first two weeks back in office are stifling bipartisan negotiations toward a funding deal as the president — and his “government efficiency” chief, Elon Musk — work to bulldoze the federal bureaucracy while freezing billions of dollars Congress already enacted and firing federal workers.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump's birthright citizenship order frozen by judge
A federal judge in Maryland issued a nationwide block of President Trump's executive order to nix birthright citizenship Wednesday.
Why it matters: The preliminary injunction means the president's effort to curb the constitutionally protected right to birthright citizenship cannot go into effect this month as planned unless a higher court rules on the case or it is resolved.
Continue reading at Axios
DOGE searches for DEI information at U.S. climate, oceans agency
DOGE representatives at NOAA are combing through IT databases to find employees associated with DEI initiatives, according to a source familiar at the oceans and atmosphere agency.
Why it matters: How Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency handles NOAA's information resources and workforce is critical for Americans since the agency provides severe weather warnings, researches climate change, protects fisheries and more.
Employees were told DOGE is looking for "DEI content," the person familiar stated.
Zoom in: Two agency sources who requested anonymity for fear of retribution identified a DOGE employee at NOAA who is in the agency's online personnel directory, with a non-working phone number.
Continue reading at Axios
What DOGE means for the job market
If Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency succeeds in its efforts to seriously reduce federal employment, it would likely be enough to ding the overall U.S. labor market — but just create a little dent.
The big picture: Given the massive U.S. economy, even hundreds of thousands of people potentially losing their jobs isn't enough to significantly move the overall unemployment rate.
But the impact on specific locations — the Washington, D.C., metro area in particular — could be greater.
By the numbers: The federal government employed 3 million people in December, per the Labor Department, but if you exclude the Postal Service and military, that number is 1.85 million.
Continue reading at Axios
America's adversaries cheer Trump admin's USAID teardown
The Trump administration's widely criticized overhaul of the U.S. government's lead humanitarian aid agency has drawn some international praise — from Russia and Iran.
Why it matters: Dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and freezing foreign aid will endanger millions of lives around the world and diminish U.S. influence.
Driving the news: Iran's government has seemingly welcomed the agency's overhaul and freezing U.S. foreign aid, with state media reports suggesting the moves will cut off support pro-democracy activists, AP reported.
Continue reading at Axios
Teachers, administrators caught in crosshairs of immigration crackdown
Educators are navigating an information bedlam as ICE arrests across the country have triggered heightened fear among the youngest generations and their families.
The big picture: After the Trump administration nixed a long-standing policy discouraging ICE enforcement in "sensitive" areas like schools and churches, educators have had to step up to soothe nerves among their school communities.
But misinformation has stirred panic among already stressed populations as false rumors spread of ICE raids in schools and hospitals.
Details from the Trump administration about who Homeland Security intends to target in raids have been contradictory.
Continue reading at Axios
Private prisons, a "Trump trade," sink as foreign options emerge
Shares in private detention center operators — once a core "Trump trade" — are quickly falling as the administration explores options to house deportees and other inmates overseas.
Why it matters: Companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic were among the biggest beneficiaries of a Trump victory, as the promise of mass deportations signaled a possible spike in demand for detention facilities.
Yes, but: The government has in recent days made moves to ship immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as held talks with the government of El Salvador about sending inmates to that country's massive prison.
Continue reading at Axios
Former NLRB board member sues Trump over firing
An ex-member of the National Labor Relations Board, whom President Trump fired last month, filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging her dismissal and asking a federal court to reinstate her to the board.
Why it matters: The lawsuit could make its way to the Supreme Court. If it does, it could serve as a test case in a bigger fight over agency independence, with implications for not only the labor board but also the Federal Reserve, SEC and other federal bodies.
The suit, filed by Gwynne Wilcox, comes as the agency is without the quorum it needs to fulfill its role enforcing the nation's labor laws — and protecting workers' rights.
Wilcox said she was contemplating this lawsuit almost immediately after she was fired last week.
Continue reading at Axios
Judge orders nationwide injunction against Trump’s birthright executive order
Trump’s order, set to take effect in two weeks, was already temporarily paused.
A second federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, declaring that the measure is likely unconstitutional.
Following an hourlong argument session Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Deborah Boardman said that a group of five pregnant immigrants and two immigrant rights organizations had “easily” met the standard to put Trump’s order on hold while litigation over its legality goes forward.
Continue reading at Politico
House Foreign Affairs chair backs Trump on USAID
Brian Mast accused the U.S. Agency for International Development of wasteful spending and insubordination.
The support of key GOP lawmakers that once buttressed the U.S. Agency for International Development has all but disappeared since President Donald Trump moved to shutter the agency, halted much of its work with low-income countries, and effectively made it part of the State Department.
Florida Republican Brian Mast, the new chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a prime example. He took over the panel in January from term-limited Texas Republican Michael McCaul, who often defended foreign aid programs.
Continue reading at Politico
Rep. Al Green is filing new impeachment articles against Trump
The Texas Democrat made multiple unsuccessful impeachment bids during Trump's first term.
Rep. Al Green said Wednesday he was introducing impeachment articles against Donald Trump after the president said the U.S. would "take over" Gaza.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America," Green said in a floor speech Wednesday morning. "I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done."
Continue reading at Politico
House GOP mulls a short-term tax plan as deficit hawks hold out on cost
"Those are the levers to pull to try to figure out the math,” said Rep. Chip Roy.
House Republicans are discussing whether they should turn to a short-term tax-cut plan rather than a permanent one as they try to contain the costs and satisfy the demands of budget hardliners, GOP lawmakers said Wednesday.
“We have had conversations, including last night, about, do we do five-year tax policy? Do we do five-year policy for some, permanent/ten-year for others? I think we’re working on that. Those are the levers to pull to try to figure out the math,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who has pushed Republican leadership to offset the cost of their tax plans, told reporters.
Continue reading at Politico
Israeli ambassador to the United Nations says Palestinians shouldn’t be forced out of Gaza
“I think we all agree that it should require the consent,” Danny Danon said.
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, backed President Donald Trump’s plans for the United States to take control of Gaza, though he doesn’t believe Palestinians should be forcibly removed from the land.
“I think we all agree that it should require the consent — consent of people to move out from where they live, and the consent for other countries to receive them,” Danon said on CNN Wednesday.
Continue reading at Politico
Saudi Arabia contradicts Trump: No ties to Israel without Palestinian state
Saudi Arabia reasserted its support for an independent state for Palestinians and warned it would not forge diplomatic relations with Israel after President Trump floated the U.S. taking over the Gaza Strip.
“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia also stresses what it had previously announced regarding its absolute rejection of infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that was released Wednesday morning local time, just hours after Trump made the surprising remarks regarding the future of the enclave.
Continue reading at The Hill
Rand Paul knocks Trump Gaza takeover plan: ‘I thought we voted for America First’
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday slammed President Trump’s proposal to seize control of Gaza, send in U.S. troops if necessary and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
“The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians. I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood,” Paul posted on the social platform X.
Continue reading on The Hill
Zelensky accuses Tucker Carlson of ‘working for Putin’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took a shot at conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and accused him of promoting the Kremlin’s talking points.
“It seems to me that to this journalist, I do not remember his surname. Excuse me, Tucker. Yes, Tucker, his name, but it seems to me he needs to more deeply understand what’s happening in Ukraine,” Zelensky said during an appearance on pundit Piers Morgan’s program. “Just stop working for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”
Continue reading on The Hill
Headline of the month!
Top Justice Department official accuses FBI leadership of ‘insubordination’ over January 6 inquiry
The acting deputy attorney general accused FBI leadership of “insubordination” by refusing to identify a “core team” of bureau employees who worked on January 6 investigations, while trying to assure that rank-and-file agents who “simply followed orders” will not be fired unless they “acted with corrupt or partisan intent,” according to a copy of a memo obtained by CNN.
The memo emailed on Wednesday from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove is the first time that the Justice Department has indicated that the thousands of agents who worked on January 6-related investigations will not be fired en masse.
However, Bove does not rule out that some could still face consequences, including termination or other penalties.
Continue reading at CNN.com
Jeffries amps up call for two-state solution after Trump push to seize Gaza
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday flatly rejected President Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, suggesting it would undermine ongoing efforts to free Israeli hostages and bring peace to the volatile region.
The Democratic leader instead promoted more aid for Palestinians in Gaza and amplified his previous calls for a two-state peace deal — two facets of the multipronged strategy advanced by former President Biden throughout Israel’s war with Hamas.
“I strongly support the Biden peace plan, and we need to make sure that it is fully implemented with respect to surging humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza; making sure every single hostage is brought back home; and a foundation is laid to create a just and lasting peace,” Jeffries said.
Continue reading at The Hill
meanwhile…
Rubio on Trump’s Gaza Strip proposal: ‘Make Gaza Beautiful Again’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in on President Trump’s proposal to take over the Gaza Strip, calling to “Make Gaza Beautiful Again.”
“Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas,” Rubio posted to the social platform X. “As POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.”
Continue reading at The Hill
SoCal wildfires caused as much as $164B in damage: UCLA research
The two biggest blazes that recently ravaged the Los Angeles metropolitan region may have caused property damage and capital losses of up to $164 billion, new research has determined.
Insured losses, meanwhile, likely made up around $75 billion of that total, according to the report, issued by economists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Anderson School of Management.
Continue reading at The Hill
10 ‘high-threat’ migrants now at Guantánamo Bay: Pentagon
The first military flight carrying 10 “high-threat” migrants to Guantánamo Bay landed on Tuesday evening, according to the Defense Department.
The C-17 plane, which took off from El Paso, Texas, landed at 7:20 p.m., U.S. Transportation Command said in a social media post.
The Pentagon later released a statement Wednesday saying that the “10 high-threat individuals are currently being housed in vacant detention facilities” at the high-security prison facility, which has been used to hold detainees linked to the 9/11 attacks.
Continue reading at The Hill
Senate’s top appropriator says Elon Musk has gone too far
Susan Collins says she is "concerned" about Elon Musk and the Trump administration's efforts to control congressional purse strings.
The Senate’s top appropriator thinks Elon Musk has gone too far.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, is raising alarms about the influence that billionaire Elon Musk is wielding inside the Trump administration and across federal agencies.
Continue reading at Politico
Capitol Police report surge in threats against members of Congress in 2024
Threats against members of Congress and the Capitol complex climbed for the second year in a row in 2024, according to a report released by the United States Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section.
The report, released Feb. 3, identified 9,474 statements and threats against members of Congress — as well as their family and staff — which USCP investigated in 2024.
Continue reading at Politico
Former DOD official who called Obama a ‘terrorist leader’ tapped as Pentagon personnel chief
The president abandoned Anthony Tata’s nomination for a top policy job during his first term due to Senate resistance.
President Donald Trump has nominated Anthony Tata, whose bid for a top Pentagon post in the president’s first term was undermined by his inflammatory comments, for a leading role at the Defense Department.
Trump abandoned Tata’s nomination for a high-level policy job at the time amid Senate resistance. He was later named to the position in an acting capacity.
Continue reading at Politico
Politico
Playbook PM: Reconcilable differences rage on the Hill
RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: House Speaker Mike Johnson was slated to address the ongoing debate about the shape and scope of the reconciliation package in this morning’s closed-door GOP conference meeting. But his remarks — urging members to “keep the faith” and telling them that they have “no choice” but to get it done despite the delays — did little to assuage the Republican critics of his one-bill approach.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) reportedly “confronted” the speaker during the meeting, alleging that leadership is not moving fast enough to get Trump’s agenda through the House, per CNN’s Lauren Fox. Afterwards, “Donalds told reporters that the party is ‘stuck in the mud’ and that he prefers a two-bill strategy,” which is favored by Senate Republicans and a number of hardline conservatives in the House.
Asked about the back-and-forth, Johnson said “I assured him that we're moving forward toward the final decision” on reconciliation, Meredith Lee Hill reports. Johnson added that “none of us” want to work with Democrats to get it through, but that “the reality is you have to get 60 votes in the Senate, so that's what dictates how all this goes.”
During his post-meeting press conference, Johnson side-stepped directly discussing the reconciliation drama, instead of accusing Democrats of “changing their tune” on government shutdowns now that Trump is in office.
Continue reading at Politico Playbook PM
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper's security detail revoked
The security detail for former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, which was provided by the Defense Department, was revoked Tuesday night, a U.S. official and a Defense Department official told CBS News.
The Defense Department has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Continue reading at CBS News
Google Lifts Self-Imposed Ban on Using AI for Weapons and Surveillance
'Don't be evil' is so passe.
Google dropped a pledge not to use artificial intelligence for weapons and surveillance systems on Tuesday. And it’s just the latest sign that Big Tech is no longer concerned with the potential blowback that can come when consumer-facing tech companies get big, lucrative contracts to develop police surveillance tools and weapons of war.
Google came under serious pressure back in 2018 after it was revealed the company had a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense for something called Project Maven, which used AI for drone imaging. Shortly after that, Google released a statement laying out “our principles,” which included a pledge to not allow its AI to be used for technologies that “cause or are likely to cause overall harm,” weapons, surveillance, and anything that, “contravenes widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.”
Continue reading Matt Novak’s excellent reporting at Gizmodo
House GOP eyes new Plan B on extending Trump tax cuts
With their conference deadlocked, House Republicans are now considering a shorter time frame on tax cuts.
Why it matters: Extending the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts is a huge GOP priority on the Hill. But the price tag is complicating efforts to produce a "big, beautiful bill" on schedule.
Instead of extending tax cuts for 10 years, some Republicans are now considering a five-year extension, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told reporters Wednesday.
"Do we do five-year policy for some, permanent/10-year for others? I think we're working on that. Those are the levers to pull to try to figure out the math," Roy said.
Continue reading at Axios
‘Frankly Insane’: Trump’s Plan to Ship Migrants to Guantanamo Could Quickly Collapse
A reality check from a top lawyer who knows Guantanamo.
President Donald Trump’s plan to send up to 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo Bay has echoes of the past — but it’s also unlike anything ever done before. And it’s almost certainly doomed to fail.
That’s according to Harold Hongju Koh, a Yale University law professor and former senior State Department official whose career has been deeply intertwined with Guantanamo.
“It is a mirage, but it’s also insane,” Koh said in an interview with POLITICO Magazine.
The U.S. detained migrants at Guantanamo in the early 1990s under President George H.W. Bush, when thousands of Haitians fled violence in the wake of a military coup and were picked up at sea by the Coast Guard. The administration refused to accept their claims of political asylum and sent them to a makeshift detention camp on the base on the southeastern tip of Cuba.
Continue reading at Politico
Democrats accuse DOGE of going after NOAA
Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday accused Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of improperly inserting itself into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In a joint statement, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said Musk’s cost-cutting group of accessing NOAA’s computer systems. NOAA is charged with forecasting weather, monitoring atmospheric conditions and mapping the seas, among other things.
“Elon Musk and his DOGE hackers are ransacking their way through the federal government, unlawfully gaining unfettered access to Americans’ private information and gutting programs people depend on,” said Huffman and Lofgren, the top Democrats on the House Natural Resources and Science, Space and Technology committees, respectively.
Continue reading at The Hill
Fox News hires Lara Trump to host weekend show
Fox News has inked a deal with Lara Trump, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and daughter-in-law to President Trump, to host a show on the channel.
The new show, dubbed “My View with Lara Trump,” will premier Feb. 22 and air every Saturday at 9 p.m. EST, the cable channel said.
Continue reading at The Hill
NIH in Chaos; Docs for Oz; Activist Group 'Helped Torpedo' Psychedelic Company
— This past week in healthcare investigations
As President Trump takes the reins of the federal government, one of the agencies in turmoil is the National Institutes of Health — the world's leading public funder of biomedical research.
The new administration imposed a blackout on the NIH and other health agencies on most communications with the outside world and banned travel, forcing the cancellation of meetings needed for decisions about what research to fund next in the fights against cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases.
Continue reading at NPR
Public Health Journal Won't Be Complicit in Trump Admin's Censorship
— "We will publish things under our guidelines, under our ethical principles"
Studies censored by government employees will have a tough time getting published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), the journal's leadership said during an interview with MedPage Today's editor in chief.
"We at the American Journal of Public Health have no interest in following the president's prohibitions on language," said Georges Benjamin, MD, publisher of AJPH and executive director of its parent organization, the American Public Health Association.
"We will publish things under our guidelines, under our ethical principles," Benjamin told Jeremy Faust, MD, acknowledging that may mean that federal government employees -- and perhaps even private-sector researchers with federal grants -- won't submit to them.
Benjamin made the statements to Faust during a Tuesday Instagram Liveopens in a new tab or window (at about 28 minutes into the video) hosted by MedPage Today titled, "Public Health Under Attack," focusing on the impact of a recent spate of executive orders that have put science and medicine in the crosshairs. They come after Faust reportedopens in a new tab or window that the CDC instructed its scientists to withdraw or pause the publication of any manuscript being considered by any medical or scientific journal to ensure no "forbidden terms" -- largely related to gender equity -- appear in the work.
Continue reading at MedPageToday
House Democrats try and fail to subpoena Elon Musk
House Democrats made an unsuccessful long-shot attempt Wednesday to subpoena billionaire Trump lieutenant Elon Musk to testify about his efforts to radically reshape the federal government.
Why it matters: It's a stark demonstration of the strict limits on Democrats' power to serve as a check on the Trump administration as the minority party in Congress.
Continue reading at Axios
Hispanic Democrats privately strategize how to counter Trump with immigration groups
Democrats are searching for a response to the president’s immigration and border crackdown.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus members met privately with immigration advocacy groups Tuesday night to strategize how to counter President Donald Trump’s executive actions that have already altered the immigration system.
The goals of the meeting, which were outlined in a document obtained by POLITICO, include increasing immigration legal defense, fundraising for the influx of legal needs and messaging efforts to counter anti-immigrant rhetoric from Republicans. It’s the latest sign that Democrats are scrambling over a strategy to fight Trump as they look on from the congressional minority.
Continue reading at Politico
Senate panel will advance budget next week, Graham says
The move is a blow to House leaders’ one-bill plan for advancing Donald Trump’s agenda.
The Senate will move forward with a budget blueprint next week setting out a two-track approach to enacting President Donald Trump's domestic agenda, key senators said Wednesday.
The announcement, made by Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) inside a closed-door Senate GOP lunch, comes after a competing framework from Speaker Mike Johnson and other House Republican leaders has stalled in recent days due to internal conflicts in that chamber.
Continue reading at Politico
White House defends Trump’s Gaza takeover, resettlement proposal
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt was peppered with questions at a briefing with reporters about Trump’s comments a day earlier in which he suggested Palestinians should permanently relocate out of Gaza and that the U.S. should turn the territory into an economic development. Trump said U.S. troops would be used to secure the Gaza Strip “if it’s necessary.”
Leavitt disputed the suggestion that Trump’s comments were at odds with his “America First” foreign policy doctrine or years of railing against U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.
Continue reading at The Hill
Tensions flare as GOP stymied in advancing Trump legislative agenda
Tensions flared during a House GOP conference meeting Wednesday as the group struggles to unite around a plan to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda, delaying Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) ambitious timeline for considering the sprawling measure.
Those frustrations — which have been percolating throughout the conference over the past week — rose to the surface at Wednesday’s closed-door gathering, which one House Republican described as “predictably emotional.”
“Members, representing districts with different priorities differ on how to tax, spend and address the deficit,” the lawmaker added.
Continue reading at The Hill
White House: Trump hasn’t committed to sending US military to Gaza
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday insisted that President Trump has not committed to sending the U.S. military into Gaza after he appeared to float such a possibility during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the day before.
Trump was asked if he was sending U.S. military personnel to secure the territory, to which Trump responded: “We will do what is necessary,” without elaborating.
Continue reading at The Hill
ICE releasing migrant detainees as arrests exceed capacity: Report
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been releasing migrant detainees due to overcapacity in detention centers, according to a report from CBS News.
Facilities were at 109 percent capacity on Tuesday, following a release of 160 migrants the day before, according to the outlet which cited internal Department of Homeland Security data it had obtained.
“We are exploring every solution including working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and our state and local law enforcement partners, asking Congress for increased funding, and scrutinizing case files to quickly remove criminal aliens with executable final orders of removal from Department of Justice immigration judges,” ICE said in a statement to CBS News.
Continue reading at The Hill
Musk’s cost-cutters to ‘plug in’ to air traffic control system, Trump’s transportation chief says
Sean Duffy said that he’d spoken with Musk, calling him a “pretty remarkable guy” who has “access to the best technological people, the best engineers in the world.”
Elon Musk’s “DOGE” cost-cutting squad will soon turn its attention to America’s air traffic control system, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday in a post to Musk’s social media site X.
“Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system,” Duffy said.
Continue reading at Politico
Labor Department workers fear they’re next on DOGE’s to-do list
Several unions are suing to block DOGE from accessing the agency’s sensitive government systems and firing career personnel.
Federal employees at the Labor Department are racing to block Elon Musk’s government efficiency team from hobbling the agency and gaining access to sensitive computer systems, following similar efforts at USAID and the Office of Personnel Management.
Government employee unions and labor groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday contending that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency will attempt to illegally gain access to Labor Department systems containing sensitive information and unlawfully fire career personnel.
Continue reading at Politico
Progress made on House budget, key holdout says
Rep. Ralph Norman said a revised blueprint for the GOP agenda could emerge this week.
A key ultraconservative holdout said Wednesday that enough progress has been made in stalled House budget talks that a blueprint needed to unlock President Donald Trump's domestic policy plans could be released by the end of the week.
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina is one of several Freedom Caucus members who sit on the House Budget Committee and have so far rejected Speaker Mike Johnson’s initial budget plan last week — causing GOP leaders to scramble for hundreds of billions more in spending cuts.
Continue reading at Politico
Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was spotted in a wheelchair Wednesday after suffering a fall while leaving the Senate chamber earlier in the day.
The former GOP leader took the fall in view of reporters while walking to a Republican Conference lunch; he was then spotted leaving the lunch on his feet, walking the handful of steps to Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s nearby office surrounded by staff. He later left in the wheelchair through a back exit.
Multiple senators who attended the lunch said McConnell participated fully in the meeting. A spokesperson for the senator did not respond to a request for comment.
Continue reading at Politico
DOGE officials home in on Medicare, Medicaid offices
Representatives of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have turned their focus to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency confirmed Wednesday.
It was unclear which systems DOGE had access to and whether any sensitive medical information was part of the efforts.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Wednesday that DOGE aides had been granted access to key payment and contract systems.
The CMS did not respond to a request to clarify.
Continue reading at The Hill
CIA shares new employee names through unclassified email
The CIA used unclassified email to share a list of employees hired within the last two years to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
The agency sent a list of first names and last initials of employees still on probation — a status that makes them easier to dismiss as the CIA pushes ahead with plans to shrink its workforce.
The nature of the communication risks compromising the identifies of the agents — sparking immediate condemnation by intelligence leaders.
Continue reading at The Hill
Jared Bernstein, economist and former Biden administration economic counsel
IRS workers can't take Trump's "buyout" until after tax season
Some government employees who work for the Internal Revenue Service and choose to take the so-called "buyout" offered by the White House, will have to stick around through tax season 2025, according to an email viewed by Axios.
Why it matters: The processing of tax returns and refunds could be delayed if the IRS were to lose employees during the busy filing season.
The big picture: This means these IRS workers won't get the full eight months of paid leave that's been offered in the Fork in the Road, "deferred resignation" program cooked up, in part, by Elon Musk.
Workers who have already replied "resign" to the note that went out last week will be contacted with instructions about when to return to work, per the email viewed by Axios.
Continue reading at Axios
DOGE targets government media subscriptions after MAGA attacks
The executive branch will stop spending money on Politico subscriptions after paying millions of dollars to the news outlet last year, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Wednesday.
"I was made aware of the funding of USAID to media outlets, including Politico ... And I can confirm that the more than eight million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayer's dime will no longer be happening," Leavitt said. "The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now."
'This is a whole of government effort to ensure that we are going line by line when it comes to the federal government's books."
Continue reading at Axios
How Proposal To Gut Education Department Could Affect CA
The Trump administration is slashing spending and pressuring employees to quit, but only Congress can abolish the Department of Education.
CALIFORNIA — As President Donald Trump explores ways to dramatically shrink the Education Department budget, questions loom about everything from how Golden State residents will repay their student loans to how public schools will be funded.
To be clear, an executive order dismantling the Education Department isn’t among the more than 40 Trump has signed to reshape the federal government, but he quipped to reporters at the White House Tuesday about the first task for Linda McMahon, his nominee for education secretary.
“I want Linda to put herself out of a job,” Trump said.
Trump lacks the full authority to close the agency. Most of its spending — and its very existence — is ordered by Congress. Still, the president has directed his administration to slash spending while pressuring employees to quit.
Continue reading at Patch.com
Inside the Elon Musk-Jim Jordan ‘mind meld’ shaking up Capitol Hill
Musk has a White House office and growing pull across federal agencies. Now he’s burrowed into the House Judiciary Committee.
Elon Musk has a critical ally in Congress as he tries to slash federal bureaucracy at a break-neck pace: Rep. Jim Jordan.
The billionaire tech executive and the Ohio conservative hardliner have grown increasingly close since first being introduced by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy shortly after Musk’s takeover of Twitter in late 2022. Musk and Jordan, who chairs House Judiciary, talk roughly once a month, according to a person with knowledge of their relationship granted anonymity to speak candidly. And Jordan has already helped Musk advance a number of his goals since they became acquainted.
Continue reading at Politico
Top House tax writer hits back at Senate plans to jam chamber on budget
Senate Republicans are going to Mar-a-Lago this weekend to pitch their strategy to President Donald Trump.
House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith on Wednesday pushed back against Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham’s plan for kickstarting work on enacting President Donald Trump's legislative agenda.
At issue in the dispute is which chamber will have the final word on how to push the legislation through Congress. While Graham (R-S.C.) wants to take a two-bill approach — one for energy and border issues, and the other for taxes — Smith says packaging it all in one bill is the only way to get it through the House.
Continue reading at Politico
The House’s DOGE Subcommittee will have its first hearing next Wednesday.
The panel formally known as the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), will meet for a hearing titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud.” The panel, part of the larger Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has not shared additional information about what the hearing will be about and who will be called as witnesses.
It comes as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk and his team have already launched their multi-agency effort to drastically alter the federal government.
Continue reading at Politico
The US is ‘no longer the America we used to know,’ warns Germany’s Merz
“The way they’re pardoning people who have been sentenced to years in prison, that will have consequences for America,” Merz cautioned.
Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become Germany’s next leader, is “highly concerned” about recent developments in the United States under Donald Trump’s second presidency.
The German chancellor candidate told a rally in Singen on Wednesday night that “this is no longer the America we used to know,” amid the Trump administration’s major overhauls of the federal government.
“The way officials, the Department of Justice, the public prosecutors’ offices, the way they’re all being thrown out, the way they’re pardoning people who have been sentenced to years in prison, that will have consequences for America,” Merz cautioned.
Continue reading at Politico
Judge eyes short-term block on Musk allies’ ability to share Treasury records outside the department
The move comes in a lawsuit alleging that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency is compromising Treasury’s payment system.
A federal judge said Wednesday she’s prepared to issue an order that would temporarily block two of Elon Musk’s allies — now special employees of the Treasury Department — from sharing Treasury records with anyone outside the department, including Musk himself.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she’s leaning toward issuing the short-term block in response to a lawsuit brought by retirees and government employees fearful that Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is compromising Treasury’s payment system. That system manages billions of transactions, many of which contain sensitive financial data.
Continue reading at Politico
37 ways Project 2025 has shown up in Trump’s executive orders
President Donald Trump on the campaign trail last summer disavowed Project 2025, saying he knew nothing about the effort.
But many of the conservative blueprint’s ideas have made their way into his early executive orders, signaling the sweeping impact the Heritage Foundation document has already had on the Trump administration’s policy making. A side-by-side review by POLITICO found dozens of cases where the president’s early executive actions have aligned with portions of the 922-page policy document, including some instances with nearly verbatim language lifted from the report to the White House.
Continue reading at Politico
Musk says DOGE will make ‘rapid safety upgrades’ to air traffic control system
Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday said the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will make “rapid safety upgrades” to the air traffic control systems with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“With the support of President @realDonaldTrump, the @DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system,” Musk wrote Wednesday on the social platform X, which he owns.
“Just a few days ago, the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours!” he added, likely referring to an outage of the FAA’s Notice to Air Mission system over the weekend.
Continue reading on The Hill
Comment from Rima: Self-driving car software?
The origin story behind the federal aid freeze
MAKE IMPOUNDMENT GREAT AGAIN — The Trump administration’s move to freeze all federal aid payments last week seemingly came out of nowhere, catching Washington off guard and sowing confusion through the federal ranks.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise: the order was the culmination of a multi-year campaign by allies of President Donald Trump to turn presidential impoundment authority — the executive branch’s power not to spend money that has been appropriated by Congress — into a weapon in the MAGA movement’s fight against the federal bureaucracy.
The administration has since rescinded the Office of Management and Budget memo implementing the freeze, which, though not technically an instance of full-on impoundment, was still swifty enjoined by multiple federal courts. But the persistence with which Trump’s allies have pursued this legal fight strongly suggests that the story will not end there. The White House’s immediate move to freeze federal aid payments may be on ice for now, but its broader fight to gain greater control over the power of the federal purse remains very much ongoing.
More of today’s news from the best sources… later
Continue reading at Politico Nightly
How Trump arrived at his stunning idea to ‘take over’ the Gaza Strip
CNN —
Trump administration officials are hurrying to catch up to the president’s audacious and improbable plan for the United States to take ownership of Gaza and redevelop it into a “Middle Eastern Riviera,” trying to wrap their heads around an idea that some hope might be so outlandish it forces other nations to step in with their own proposals for the Palestinian enclave.
President Donald Trump’s idea — announced Tuesday evening at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — was formulated over time, people familiar with the matter said, and appeared to originate with the president himself. It was only the latest reminder that policy ideas often start with Trump, rather than slowly build through national experts before ultimately reaching the Oval Office for discussion.
At its root, officials said, this suggestion was intended in part to spur action on an issue Trump viewed as moribund, with no other nations offering reasonable solutions for how to rebuild an area that has been obliterated by Israeli bombardment following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.
However it came about, his unveiling of the idea — which he delivered by reading off notes in the East Room — came as a shock.
One adviser on Middle East issues had not heard the proposal until Trump raised it during his news conference. The official described themselves as stunned.
Continue reading at CNN
Donald Trump Jr. accused of shooting protected rare duck in Venice lagoon
RomeCNN —
An Italian lawmaker has filed a legal complaint for hunting without a license against Donald Trump Jr. and his hunting party after video emerged showing him surrounded by dead birds that he and his group allegedly shot in a protected conservation area of the Venice lagoon.
The carcasses appear to include an orange-brown ruddy shelduck, which is protected under Italian law.
Continue reading at CNN
California Playbook PM (Politico)
DRIVING THE DAY: Gov. Gavin Newsom this afternoon sat for a long meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House after gathering with lawmakers in the U.S. Capitol, as he continues his quest to secure string-free federal wildfire aid.
Newsom’s team said his bipartisan visits included stops at the offices of California Reps. Brad Sherman, Judy Chu, George Whitesides, Ken Calvert and Doug LaMalfa. He also met with Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff, Patty Murray (Wash.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.).
LaMalfa told our Josh Siegel that he and the governor discussed conditions on wildfire aid, which has been floated by Republicans and supported by Speaker Mike Johnson. “We need to be able to sell this to my colleagues,” LaMalfa told Josh of the federal funding.
“If we’re going to send aid to California, are we going to get bang for the buck?” LaMalfa asked. “Or is this going to cost double just because it’s California? That’s not a good sale for my colleagues.”
Continue reading at Politico Playbook PM newsletter
Senate Democrats vow rare overnight session to protest Trump’s ‘most dangerous nominee’
Senate Democrats are bracing to stay in the chamber overnight to make the case against the nomination of Russell Vought to serve as the White House’s next budget chief, who is expected to be confirmed later this week.
The Senate voted along party lines earlier on Wednesday to advance Vought’s nomination, clearing its procedural hurdle before the full GOP-led Senate is expected to vote to confirm the nominee.
“We’re going to have more than 35 United States senators on the Democratic side, opposing Russ Vought’s nomination,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a senior appropriator, said in a video posted to X on Wednesday as he headed to the Senate floor to speak.
Continue reading at The Hill
A dozen West Point cadet clubs ordered to disband, all others paused
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., has ordered a dozen cadet extracurricular and social clubs to immediately and permanently “cease all activities,” with all affected groups centered on gender, race and ethnicity, the school acknowledged Wednesday.
A memo dated Feb. 4 and signed by Chad Foster, deputy commandant at West Point, directed the clubs to immediately disband; cancel any trips, meetings, events, and other activities; and “unpublish, deactivate, archive, or otherwise remove all public facing content.”
The clubs are also not authorized to continue informal activities using government time, resources or facilities, as noted in the memo notes.
Continue reading at The Hill
GOP support for Musk influence with Trump falls dramatically: Poll
In The Economist/YouGov poll taken in the days after the November 2024 election, 47 percent of surveyed Republicans said they wanted Musk to have “a lot” of influence in the Trump administration, while 29 percent wanted “a little” and 12 percent wanted him to have “none at all.”
Today, however, the share of Republicans who say they want Musk to have “a lot” of influence has fallen substantially to 26 percent. Meanwhile, 43 percent of Republican respondents say they want Musk to have “a little” influence, and 17 percent say they want him to have “none at all,” according to the latest poll from The Economist/YouGov released Wednesday.
Continue reading at The Hill
Ex-AOC aide launches primary challenge to Pelosi
Saikat Chakrabarti said he would initiate a bid to challenge former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the party primary for the seat she’s held for more than two decades, citing concerns with new government regulations.
In the post announcing his candidacy, he spoke about his time with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
“After serving as her campaign manager and first chief of staff, I returned to San Francisco where for five years I’ve led a policy think tank that develops comprehensive solutions to the problems that both America and San Francisco face,” he wrote in a statement on the social platform X.
Continue reading on The Hill
Cows infected by lethal bird flu strain never before seen in the animal showing respiratory symptoms, Nevada says
At least four cattle herds in Nevada have tested positive for a strain of H5N1 bird flu never before seen in cows, state agriculture officials confirmed Wednesday, and respiratory symptoms like coughing and sneezing have been reported.
That bird flu strain, called D1.1 by scientists, was also linked to a fatal human case in Louisiana last year after exposure to sick birds. The D1.1 strain has emerged in recent months to dominate infections in wild birds and poultry flocks across North America.
Symptoms seen in humans infected by D1.1 have been more severe than the previous bird flu strain that has been spreading in cows. That strain, called B3.13, has led to only mild symptoms, like pink eye and fever, in humans infected after contact with sick cows.
Continue reading at CBS News
Democrats' phones bombarded with calls to "fight harder"
Congressional Democrats' offices are being inundated by phone calls from angry constituents who feel the party should be doing more to combat President Trump and his administration.
Why it matters: Some lawmakers feel their grassroots base is setting expectations too high for what Democrats can actually accomplish as the minority party in both chambers of Congress.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Axios: "What I think we need to do more is: Put the onus on Republicans, so that the calls that we're getting are directed toward Republicans."
"There has definitely been some tension the last few days where people felt like: you are calling the wrong people. You are literally calling the wrong people," said one House Democrat.
What we're hearing: More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers and aides said in interviews with Axios that their offices have received historically high call volumes in recent days.
Continue reading at Axios
Labor groups sue to keep DOGE from key economic data
A coalition of labor groups filed suit Wednesday seeking to stop DOGE from coming to the Labor Department and gaining access to some of the world's most vital macroeconomic data.
Why it matters: This isn't the first lawsuit against Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, but appears to be one of the first filed as a preventative measure — instead of after some major action.
The big picture: The Labor Department houses an enormous amount of confidential data, and includes the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which produces important economic data, including inflation readings and market-critical employment statistics.
State of play: DOGE staff reportedly met with management at the Department of Labor earlier on Wednesday, raising fears that data, include sensitive information about worker complaints, was at risk.
Continue reading at Axios
Twin deadlines crash down on Mike Johnson
Two deadlines are threatening to scuttle Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) precious plan for one, big budget bill.
Why it matters: President Trump's Friday night dinner with senators at Mar-a-Lago is the soft deadline. Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) plan to move his own bill next week is the hard one.
Miss the first deadline, House Republicans fear, and the Senate will exploit their quality time with Trump to convince him of their two-bill approach.
Blow past the second one, and the Senate will be firmly in control of the process.
There's a real risk that "we're going to get jammed by the Senate," Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) told Axios on Wednesday at an Axios News Shapers event.
Continue reading at Axios
In photos: Thousands across the U.S. protest Trump and Musk's policies
Thousands gathered in front of state capitols across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest against the Trump administration's aggressive moves to reshape the federal government and American society.
The big picture: Demonstrators nationwide rallied against a slew of policies instated by the president less than three weeks into his term, with protesters denouncing his comments on a U.S. "take over" of Gaza, his immigration crackdown, anti-trans orders and Elon Musk's role in the White House.
Zoom in: The demonstrations were initiated by an online movement with the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501.
See the pictures on Axios
Musk’s brash bid to slash workforce hits the intel community
Civilian intelligence staff across the U.S. government have received the deferred resignation deal from the Trump administration — and are confused as to whether they qualify for it.
Staff for at least seven U.S. intelligence agencies have received deferred resignation offers from the Trump administration — a sign that the Elon Musk-backed push to slash the federal workforce is reaching national security personnel the administration previously indicated would be insulated from it.
Since last Tuesday, full-time civilian workers at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the FBI, the NSA, the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have received similar versions of the resignation offer that first went to an estimated 2 million employees late last month, according to nine people granted anonymity to share details on sensitive personnel matters.
Continue reading at Politico
Former USAID leaders speak out against Trump’s attempt to dismantle agency
A group of former administrators of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joined on Wednesday to issue a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency.
In a joint statement, five former administrators who “served different presidents and voted for different political parties” stressed the global importance of the agency and said destroying it would only harm Americans.
“While we don’t agree on all issues, we wholeheartedly agree that USAID and America’s foreign assistance programs are vital to our interests, that the career men and women of USAID have served each of us well, and that it is the duty of the Administration and Congress to swiftly protect the Agency’s statutory role,” they wrote in the statement.
Continue reading at The Hill
David Hogg is a Target of Centrist Dems?
Beware the right wing propaganda. David Hogg is all good, smart as a whip, wise beyond his young years, and incredibly well-read.
Some are going after David Hogg, so I wrote this last night…
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