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February 4, 2025
Murphy says tax records 'potentially compromised' by Musk
(The Hill) Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Americans’ tax records could be “potentially compromised” by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Murphy joined CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday, where he sounded the alarm about Musk’s growing influence over the federal government, and its payment systems in particular. Musk allies working with DOGE were reportedly given access to the Treasury Department’s federal payment system over the weekend, causing an uproar by Democrats.
Go to discussionDemocrats Say They're 'Pulling the Fire Alarm' on Trump and Musk
(Newsweek) Washington Senator Patty Murray said during a press conference on Monday that she and other top Democrats are "pulling the fire alarm" with Senate procedure after Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reportedly gained access to Treasury Department data. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force run by Musk, President Donald Trump's billionaire ally, is working to cut wasteful federal spending. DOGE has been granted access to "sensitive Treasury data," including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems, the Associated Press reported.
Go to discussionHouse Democrats call for urgent hearing on Trump plans for USAID
(The Hill) Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee are calling on Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.) to convene an urgent hearing with senior Trump administration officials, raising concerns over potentially illegal efforts to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), joined by Democratic members of the committee, urged Mast to convene a hearing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Peter Marocco, director of foreign assistance, within the next two weeks, with lawmakers set to go on recess on Feb. 13.
Go to discussionElon Musk Suggests Getting Rid Of All Regulations In Midnight Call
(Huff Post) The public call was hosted on his website X, formerly Twitter, and included two senators and the Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. “Regulations, basically, should be default gone,” Musk said. “Not default there, default gone. And if it turns out that we missed the mark on a regulation, we can always add it back in.”
Go to discussionProgressive Democrats accuse Trump and Musk of 'a plutocratic coup'
(The Guardian) Progressive lawmakers condemned Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Monday, pointing to the attempted shuttering of the foreign aid agency USAid and the accessing of the treasury department’s federal payment system as the markings of a “constitutional crisis”. After Musk declared that he was working to shut down USAid, Democratic members of Congress tried to enter the agency’s Washington headquarters but said they were turned away on the orders of Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge).
Go to discussionGOP's Susan Collins to back Tulsi Gabbard confirmation
(The Hill) Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced Monday that she will support Tulsi Gabbard to become director of national intelligence (DNI), giving her a key boost in her confirmation push. Collins was considered a crucial swing vote on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is set to meet Tuesday afternoon to potentially advance Gabbard toward a floor vote. Last month, Collins had expressed reservations about Gabbard.
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FBI Agents Association Urges Congress to Protect Jobs Amid Feared Purge
(Newsweek) The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), which represents more than 14,000 current and former FBI agents, implored Congress to protect agency personnel at risk of being fired over their involvement in investigations related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The letter from the FBIAA comes days after the DOJ fired dozens of federal prosecutors who worked on the sprawling January 6 investigation, which was the largest in department history and resulted in hundreds of convictions and guilty pleas. President Donald Trump later pardoned roughly 1,500 people convicted in the deadly siege.
Go to discussionDOJ threatens legal action against 'anyone who impedes' Elon Musk's DOGE work
(USA Today) The interim U.S. attorney in Washington warned Monday his office would pursue charges against "anyone who impedes" the work of tech entrepreneur Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which President Donald Trump has tasked with dismantling the federal bureaucracy. The Justice Department's message was delivered shortly before the White House confirmed to USA TODAY that Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, had been made a "special government employee" amid his efforts to downsize and restructure the federal government.
Go to discussion'Breaking a country': Analyst claims Trump's tactics are straight out of Iraq
(Raw Story) President Donald Trump's whirlwind first few days in office have hit America with a “shock and awe” campaign that has startling similarities to George W. Bush’s policies in Iraq, a New York Times columnist wrote Tuesday. After vastly dismantling the nation’s government, Bush put in place “right-wing apparatchiks, some barely out of college” — and left the nation a destabilized mess, wrote Michelle Goldberg.
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