"Musk and his minions decided to summarily fire as many federal workers as they could without making any effort to find out what these workers do and whether it’s important."
- Paul Krugman
Here begins the 6th Elon Musk thread.
Previous threads:
1st: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113934284003400421
2nd: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113951618453636625
3rd: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113963233763918473
4th: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113980599958766875
5th: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/114004086338314054
#ElonMusk #Musk #Coup #Corruption #Trump #Politics #USPol #News #USNews #US #USA
- Paul Krugman
Here begins the 6th Elon Musk thread.
Previous threads:
1st: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113934284003400421
2nd: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113951618453636625
3rd: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113963233763918473
4th: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/113980599958766875
5th: https://newsie.social/@ZhiZhu/114004086338314054
#ElonMusk #Musk #Coup #Corruption #Trump #Politics #USPol #News #USNews #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ (@ZhiZhu@newsie.social)
Attached: 1 image "A private citizen with zero Constitutional authority is effectively seizing control of critical government functions.Newsie
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
#Musk and #Trump Are Cutting Popular Programs. That’s Deliberate.
This is how you sever the positive relationship between people and government—ensuring there’s nothing left to defend.
https://newrepublic.com/article/191573/musk-trump-freeze-ira-education-environment
"But why pick on so many of the most popular [govt programs]?
...their popularity is precisely what the #TrumpMusk administration dislikes about them. For anti-government ideologues, it’s important that people not have good experiences w/the #government"
#Coup #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
The departure of the acting commissioner is the latest backlash to #DOGE efforts to access sensitive data.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/us/politics/social-security-musk-team-access.html
"abrupt departure of a senior federal official who refused to provide Musk’s lieutenants with access to closely held #data. Musk’s team has been embedding with agencies across the federal #government & seeking access to private data"
#Privacy #ElonMusk #Coup #Trump #Politics #News #USA #US
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/top-social-security-official-steps-disagreement-doge-sensitive-data-rcna192530
"some of the #information involved in the dispute included #Americans’ bank information, #SocialSecurity numbers, earnings records, marital statuses, dates of birth &, in some cases, medical records if people have applied for disability benefits.
“She was replaced as acting commissioner because she would not give access to the sensitive information”"
#Musk #Coup #USPol #News #US
Top Social Security official steps down after disagreement with DOGE over sensitive data
Yamiche Alcindor (NBC News)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
#DOGE is supposed to root out waste, fraud, & abuse-- but thus far, it's only served Elon Musk's personal interests
https://plus.briantylercohen.com/p/elons-fraud-search-exposed-as-a-fraud
"Elon starts off by dismantling one agency that just so happens to be investigating him, that costs barely anything to operate, that offers invaluable resources to the world, that affords us substantial soft power benefits… & another agency whose entire purpose is to help victims of financial crimes"
#Musk #News #US
Elon's fraud search exposed as a fraud
Brian Tyler CohenZhi Zhu 🕸️ •
#ElonMusk claims to have found rampant #fraud in the #SocialSecurity Administration. There’s a much simpler explanation.
https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-doge-social-security-150-year-old-benefits/
"weird quirk of the Social Security Administration’s benefits system, which was largely written in COBOL, a 60-year-old programming language...
These systems default to the reference point [May 20, 1875] when a birth date is missing or incomplete"
#Musk #Coup #Trump #Politics #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/doge-busts-its-way-into-social-security-administration
"DOGE demanding access to literally everybody’s and every companies’ #tax returns at the #IRS. It seems like they now have that access, though we don’t know that for certain. (We’re basically entirely dependent on leaks since #DOGE works entirely in secret.) Now news just broke that the DOGErs appear to have busted their way into the #SocialSecurity Administration"
#Musk #Trump #GOP #Politics #US
First IRS, Now DOGE Busts Its Way Into the Social Security Administration
Josh Marshall (TPM - Talking Points Memo)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
As Trump & #ElonMusk signal menacing new intentions on numerous fronts, a scholar of democratic breakdown explains how we’re now seeing textbook signs of a country’s slide into #authoritarian rule.
https://newrepublic.com/article/191598/trump-musk-threats-darken-anger-enemies-takes-ominous-turn
"Elon Musk raged on #Twitter that people at CBS News deserve a “long prison sentence”... Meanwhile, #Trump tweeted out a line saying straight out that his presidency is above the #law."
#Authoritarianism
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.muskwatch.com/p/meta-removes-facebook-ad-criticizing
"Meta removed an advertisement earlier this month criticizing Elon Musk’s use of ... #DOGE to seize #Americans' private information. "A single individual now controls sensitive US #data, risking our #NationalSecurity. Urge #Congress to enforce strict oversight," read the rejected Facebook ad"
#ElonMusk #Musk #Fascism #SocialMedia #Facebook #Meta #Politics #USPol #News #USNews #US #USA
Meta removes Facebook ad criticizing Musk
Caleb Ecarma (Musk Watch)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Where Do You Protest Elon Musk?
Everywhere, It Turns Out.
From Stonewall to Tesla dealerships, protesters are pioneering a form of opposition that doesn't necessarily center on Washington, D.C.
https://newrepublic.com/article/191624/elon-musk-stonewall-protest-tesla
"These sorts of protests are now following each new #Trump decree, every agency #Musk has ravaged. The sites are expanding: from #DC sidewalks to Congressional offices, from #Stonewall to #Tesla dealerships"
#Resist #Resistance #Musk #Trump #Politics #News #US
Where Do You Protest Elon Musk? Everywhere, It Turns Out.
The New RepublicZhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/great-news-for-us-awful-news-for
"protests were held in all 50 states and DC yesterday, as part of the #NotMyPresidentsDay” and #NoKingsDay demonstrations. In many places, people braved below freezing wind chills and snow, or pouring rain, to make their voices heard.
With rallies in more than 100 cities, it was by far the largest day of #protests this year. It’s clear there is momentum growing"
#Resist #Resistance #USA #US #USPol #Politics #News
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
DOGE Is Targeting the Wrong Agencies
The Dept of Defense has a bloated budget, is ripe with #corruption, & has never passed an audit. Hundreds of billions should be slashed.
https://newrepublic.com/article/191611/doge-targeting-wrong-agencies
"The #DeptOfDefense, which commands an $850 billion budget, failed its 7th audit in a row in November. In fact, it’s the only major federal agency that has never passed one...
#Doge ...[should] have spent the last month at the #Pentagon, not #USAID."
#DOD #Musk #USPol #News #US
DOGE Is Targeting the Wrong Agencies
The New RepublicZhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Along with a whole lot of fraud that has no basis in fact. So what’s he up to, exactly?
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/elon-sees-dead-people
"Musk wasted no time spreading outright #lies...
#Musk made three big #false claims about #SocialSecurity fraud, both online & during that bizarre Oval Office presser where he acted like the president, with his toddler seated at the desk beside him the whole time. (Musk also brought his child X.)"
#ElonMusk #Trump #Corruption #GOP #Politics #USPol #USA #News
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Musk is lying to the #American public...
The legacy #press is doing a lousy job letting the public know that Musk’s statements are bogus & easily disprovable...
Just as #fascists have done throughout #history, Musk’s claims of rampant fraud are a #FalseFlag operation"
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/elon-sees-dead-people
#ElonMusk #Coup #Fascism #Politics #USA
Elon Sees Dead People
Jay Kuo (The Status Kuo)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-musk-is-cancelling-the-us-government
"This is blatantly illegal, yet #Congress remains silent.
...Musk has also become Trump’s hatchet man — threatening #Republican members of Congress if they deviate from #Trump...
#Musk warned Republican lawmakers... that his political action committee would “play a significant role in primaries” next year."
#ElonMusk #Corruption #Coup #Politics #USPol #USNews #News #US #USA
How Musk is cancelling the U.S. government
Robert ReichZhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Trump’s former adviser has some choice words for #ElonMusk as the #MAGA civil war escalates.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191652/steve-bannon-slams-parasite-elon-musk
"The far-right commentator & former #DonaldTrump adviser told the outlet that “Musk is a parasitic illegal #immigrant. He wants to impose his freak experiment and play-act as God without any respect for the country’s history, tradition or values.”"
#Musk #SteveBannon #Trump #GOP #Politics #USPol #US #USNews #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Despite all appearances, the White House insists that #ElonMusk is not in charge of DOGE. US Doge Service employees can’t get a straight answer about who is.
https://www.wired.com/story/doge-elon-musk-leadership-administrator/
"according to a new #court filing from the #WhiteHouse, the administrator of #DOGE isn’t Elon Musk after all. Who is? No one knows...
a sworn statement...Musk’s formal role is “senior advisor” to the president"
#Musk #Corruption #Coup #Trump #Politics #News
Not Even DOGE Employees Know Who's Legally Running DOGE
Makena Kelly (WIRED)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Declaration of Joshua Fisher
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69638651/24/1/state-of-new-mexico-v-musk/
"Musk is a senior advisor to the president...
In his role as senior advisor..., Musk has no actual or formal authority to make #government decisions...
He is not an employee of the US #Doge Service...
#Musk is not the US Doge Service administrator"
[Is Fisher lying to delay court rulings? Musk is obviously running Doge, whatever his official title.]
#ElonMusk #Lawsuit #NewMexico #Trump #Politics #USA #USPol
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
If #ElonMusk isn’t really the person in charge of the Dept of Govt Efficiency, who the hell is?
https://newrepublic.com/post/191633/white-house-elon-musk-doge
"So if #Musk isn’t in charge of #DOGE, who is? And if he’s just some adviser with “no actual formal authority,” why is he seemingly involved in eliminating massive #government programs, firing thousands of people, & holding press conferences in the Oval Office?"
#Trump #Lies #Corruption #GOP #Politics #USPol #News #US
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
If Elon Musk isn’t in charge & DOGE has no real authority... what happens next?
https://newrepublic.com/post/191661/trump-press-secretary-leavitt-doge-elon-musk
"It’s a clear attempt to avoid legal trouble... one unlikely to stand up in court. #Trump explicitly appointed #Musk as head of #DOGE just 1 week after he won the election... Musk even held a press briefing in the Oval Office, as Trump signed an executive order expanding DOGE powers... pathetic"
#Politics #Law #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
At least 8 ongoing #lawsuits related to the so-called Department of Govt Efficiency’s alleged access to sensitive data hinge on the Watergate-inspired Privacy Act of 1974. But it’s not airtight.
https://www.wired.com/story/privacy-act-doge-lawsuits/
"What Is the Privacy Act?
The Privacy Act is a #law that limits how the federal #government can collect, use, and share #information about #US citizens & other people in the #UnitedStates."
#Musk #Coup #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
But there are also two broad, vague exceptions..."
https://www.wired.com/story/privacy-act-doge-lawsuits/
#ElonMusk #Musk #Doge #Lawsuit #Resistance #Resist #Privacy #Law #Legal #Data #Information #Government #Politics #US #USPol #USA #News #USNews
Elon Musk’s DOGE Is Being Sued Under the Privacy Act: What to Know
Eric Geller (WIRED)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://paulwaldman.substack.com/p/you-are-the-inefficiency
"Musk and his online minions often refer to #liberals as NPCs, or nonplayer characters, a #VideoGame term referring to the figures who populate the background of #games...
as they see it, most of humanity is simply not #human. We are ants, or even less: bits of #programming to be moved around at Elon’s whim...
Any suffering he brings down on NPCs is meaningless"
#ElonMusk #Musk #Doge #Bigotry #Coup #Corruption #Government #HumanRights #USA
You Are the "Inefficiency"
Paul Waldman (The Cross Section)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Why #Trump and #Musk are on a firing spree
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/career-civil-servant-end/681712/
" #DOGE isn’t really a dept... and it has little to do with saving money... The whole enterprise is an attack against civil servants & the very notion of apolitical #expertise...
Modern societies, as #Americans are soon to learn, cannot function without #experts in every field, especially the many thousands who work in #public service."
#ElonMusk #Corruption #Politics #Government #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
In slashing staff and disabling entire agencies the administration is lacerating the structures of US #democracy
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/17/trump-musk-government-cost-cutting-coup
“The president is openly violating the #US constitution by taking power from #Congress and handing it to an unelected billionaire – while #ElonMusk goes after judges who uphold the #law and rule against them”
#Musk #Coup #Trump #GOP #Politics #USPol #News #USNews #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Readers worried after Mr. Musk and his team were given access to federal payment systems. Here’s how to back up all your data and documents.
#GiftLink
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/business/personal-data-backup-musk.html?unlocked_article_code=1.w04.Zryd.XQW3ZRMFbGe-&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
"Back up everything important, everywhere you can. Do this at least once a year or so. It’s just good hygiene."
#SocialSecurity #IRS #CreditCards #Data #ElonMusk #Musk #Trump #Politics #News #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
A worker resigned in protest rather than giving Thomas Shedd access to Notify.gov, which they said would allow him to see "all personally identifiable information moving through the Notify system, including phone numbers"...
https://www.404media.co/musk-ally-demands-admin-access-to-system-that-lets-government-text-the-public/
"Elon Musk ally #ThomasShedd requested “admin/root access to all components of the Notify.gov system”"
#Tech #Technology #Programming #Musk #Corruption #Politics #News
Musk Ally Demands Admin Access to System That Lets Government Text the Public
Jason Koebler (404 Media)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
The Office of Personnel Management has just limited access to certain government records on #ElonMusk and his #DOGE minions.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191663/elon-musk-opm-privacy-team
"The Trump administration has fired members of the “privacy team” at the #OPM, a move that will hinder #public access & scrutiny over #government records related to the #security clearances of #ElonMusk & Doge."
#Musk #Coup #Trump #Corruption #Politics #Privacy #USPol #News #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Oops: Trump-Musk Cuts Just Wrecked an NIH Org Championed by GOPers
Republicans once lavished praise on an NIH center that deals with Alzheimer’s. #DonaldTrump & #ElonMusk are hobbling it. What will those #Republicans say now?
https://newrepublic.com/article/191702/trump-musk-national-institutes-health-wrecked
"The firing of Van Keuren-Jensen, CARD’s incoming director, is seen as particularly damaging to the cause... They describe her as a leading researcher in the #Alzheimers field"
#Health #NIH #Healthcare #Musk #Trump #Politics #News
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
An interview with writer Jill Lawrence, a sharp observer of Elon Musk’s #DOGE, who argues that the lies from Musk & Miller reveal how untenable MAGA’s larger “deep state” mythology has become
https://newrepublic.com/article/191677/transcript-stephen-miller-rages-cnn-musks-doge-lie-implodes
"The deep state is not deeply corrupted & shot through w/fraud. It’s not run by parasites...
#Musk is the parasite. He’s the one w/the #government contract. He’s the one getting billions & billions"
#USPol #News
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
It’s not just jobs cut & agencies gutted. It’s the talent that will be lost for generations to come.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-doge-brain-drain-has-begun-science-government-cuts-budget-researchers
“One might ask, ‘Why are they trying to destroy the #science training pipeline?... To what end?”...
the scope of its impact... can’t be measured in weeks or months or even in #government services affected... it will be felt over the span of decades & defined in metrics like intellectual talent lost."
#Musk #GOP #Politics #News #USA #US
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
This is NOT what democracy looks like.
https://www.publicnotice.co/p/elon-musk-trump-breaking-laws-democracy
"Trump did not run on a promise to unleash an unelected... [South African immigrant] to slash-&-burn through the #government, firing tens of thousands of employees & arbitrarily canceling contracts & federal programs.
And even if he had, that still wouldn't make it legal.
...most of what Musk is doing is flatly illegal."
#ElonMusk #Musk #Trump #GOP #Politics #Law #News
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
#Congress has the power of the purse, & “feeding #USAID to the woodchipper” violates the separation of powers because Congress established the agency & allocated funds"
https://www.publicnotice.co/i/157356503/laws-are-laws
#Musk #Trump #Coup #News #US
Unelected billionaire breaks laws to "restore" democracy
Liz Dye (Public Notice)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Elon Musk complained that the US govt was working exactly how it was set up.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191682/president-elon-musk-no-clue-government-works
"Neither #Musk nor #Trump care about the actual structure of the #government [3 branches, checks & balances], or that it was created in direct response to the tyranny of monarchy... To them, there is only the executive branch, the reins of which Musk seems to have happily taken off of Trump’s hands."
#ElonMusk #Coup #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.democracynow.org/2025/2/19/federal_workers_strike_action_trump_layoffs
"Federal #government workers & #union members are holding protests in cities across the country in what they’re calling #SaveOurServices ...
Every major city in the country is going to have a big protest, and the locations & the times differ... go to the website:
go.workersfiremusk.com
& then you can find your local rally."
#Musk #Resist #Resistance #USA #US #Protests
To Fight the Trump/Musk Purge, Federal Workers Hold Nationwide Day of Action to “Save Our Services”
Democracy Now!Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/more-good-news-thats-bad-for-trump-2c3
"Protests continued this week outside of #Tesla dealerships... On Monday, hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the# SanFrancisco showroom, where a small sign on the building read: “We hate him too.”
...
“Call all of your elected officials, write them, text them, email them... Do it repeatedly. Everybody from your local city council to your #US senator, because pressure bursts pipes.”
#ElonMusk #Trump #GOP #Coup #News #USA
More Good News That’s Bad for Trump and Elon
Scott Dworkin (The Dworkin Report)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Elon Musk’s sloppy work is sending the #government rushing around for much-needed personnel.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191693/usda-bird-flu-experts-elon-musk-doge
"“Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations... we are working to swiftly rectify the situation & rescind those letters."...
Last week, 300 employees who oversee the US’s #nuclear stockpile were fired... then quickly invited to return"
#Musk #Trump #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/19/donald-trump-doge-republicans-congress
"The #job and #funding cuts are now hitting #GOP lawmakers' districts and states. There's also a larger conflict brewing over whether the administration can simply bypass #Congress on these decisions...
some are quietly fuming that their #Constitutional role in controlling federal funds could be steamrolled"
#Musk #Trump #Coup #GOP #Republicans #Politics #USPol #News #USNews #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Elon Musk & Donald Trump’s spending freeze has sent #Republicans scrambling.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191699/republican-senators-beg-donald-trump-elon-musk-money
"Republican Senators are being forced to grovel at the thrones of #DonaldTrump and #ElonMusk to collect the very #funding they appropriated in the first place...
Others took more desperate means to beseech Trump’s cadre: tweeting at them."
#GOP #Musk #Trump #Coup #Congress #Politics #Government #News #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Republicans in #Congress are getting pissed as #DOGE keeps wreaking havoc.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191690/republicans-congress-revolt-elon-musk-doge
"Infighting is brewing among the GOP’s congressional ranks, as Elon Musk’s takeover of the #government and sweeping federal employee #purge begins to hit #red states.
...agencies like #USAID, the #FAA, and #NOAA —agencies that many #Republicans actually like & support—have been crippled."
#Musk #Trump #Coup #GOP #Politics #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Angry Americans gather outside Tesla dealerships & across the country
https://www.headsupnews.org/p/elon-musks-lead-role-in-destroying
"Musk’s singular, secretive & ruthless crusade to destroy broad swaths of the #government & get access to confidential #data – along with his status as an unelected foreign-born multibillionaire – have turned him into “a particularly heinous villain”"
#Resist #Resistance #Protest #ElonMusk #Musk #Coup #Corruption #Politics #News #USA #US
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/pccc_2024_musk_poster_single
#Resist #Resistance #Protest #ElonMusk #Musk #Donate
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://apnews.com/article/democrats-musk-trump-protests-congress-ccb64f2889d31aad8c25d37686f62d7a
" #ElonMusk is the focus for thousands of Democratic #activists launching a #protest campaign this week to fight the #Trump administration’s push to gut federal #health, #education and human services agencies.
Hundreds of protests are scheduled outside congressional offices and #Tesla dealerships"
#Resist #Resistance #Musk #Trump #GOP #Politics #USPol #News #US #USA
Anti-Musk protests are expected to ramp up with Congress on recess
Steve Peoples (AP News)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Elon Musk’s supposed savings aren’t entirely correct.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191707/elon-musk-fake-doge-savings-data
" #DOGE published an itemized list of canceled #government contracts Monday accounting for an alleged $16 billion in spending. Almost half of those savings were attributed to a hefty $8 billion contract...
it was only worth $8 Million, not $8 billion." [And actually only $5.5 million]
#ElonMusk #Lies #Musk #Coup #Trump #Politics #News #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
[tldr: yes]
Inaccuracies on DOGE’s website raise questions about DOGE’s activities and transparency.
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/did-doge-take-credit-for-spending-cuts-related-to-president-carter-s-death
"DOGE did not terminate at least some of the contracts and leases listed on its website. Even if #DOGE played an active role in terminating some of these contracts, it may be overstating the value of its cuts."
#Musk #Corruption #Trump #GOP #Politics #USPol #Transparency #Lies #US #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-musk-nyc-protest/
"The #protest took place, in part, in New York's Washington Square Park on Feb. 17, 2025 — Presidents Day...The #video showed the park's Washington Square Arch, which some users mistook for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris."
Link to video on xcancel.com:
https://xcancel.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1891926650075369913
#Resist #Resistance #NYC #US #Musk #Trump #Twitter #Snopes #FactCheck
Drone video truly shows NYC protest against Trump and Musk
Jordan Liles (Snopes.com)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.mediaite.com/news/trump-rambles-when-reporter-confronts-him-over-filing-saying-elon-musk-is-not-doge-employee/
"Trump’s White House has been busy cranking out a series of contradictory explanations for what Musk’s job exactly is, referring to him as a “special employee” and the “head of DOGE” then claiming in a court filing that he doesn’t work at #DOGE at all, then the “head of DOGE” again."
#Musk #Trump #Coup #Corruption #GOP #Politics #USPol #News #USNews #US #USA
Trump Confronted On Elon Musk Not DOGE Employee Filing
Tommy Christopher (Mediaite)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
A series of mistakes by #DOGE shows just how arbitrary & destructive this slash-and-burn strategy can get.
https://www.wired.com/story/doge-incompetence-mistakes-feature-not-bug/
"The federal #government exists to do all of the things that are definitionally not profitable, that serve the #public good rather than protect investor profits...
And if you don’t believe in the public good? You sprint through the ruination."
#Musk #Trump #GOP #Coup #Corruption #Politics #USPol #News #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-dc-us-attorney-nom-targets-house-dem-expanding-effort-to-stifle-trump-admin-criticism
"Acting #WashingtonDC US attorney Ed Martin is escalating his psuedo-investigations of what he describes as purported threats to billionaire #ElonMusk...
targeted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)...
designed to smother #FreedomOfSpeech and criticism of #Musk & the #Trump administration."
#FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #Politics #Coup #Corruption #GOP #News #US #USA
Trump’s DC US Attorney Nom Targets House Dem, Expanding Effort To Stifle Trump Admin Criticism
Emine Yücel (TPM - Talking Points Memo)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Democratic Representative Robert Garcia is now being investigated by a #Trump attorney.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191787/trump-doj-threatens-democratic-congressman-garcia-elon-musk-dick-pic
"Trump’s Dept of #Justice has sent a threatening letter to Representative Robert Garcia after the #California Democrat mocked #ElonMusk last week.
...Garcia displayed a large picture of #Musk, calling it a “dick pick” and jokingly referring to the #tech mogul as president"
#FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
It seems that Martin, a defender of Trump’s election fraud #lies and the #Jan6 Capitol riots, wants to use his prosecutorial power to punish anyone who dares to oppose the president or Musk."
https://newrepublic.com/post/191787/trump-doj-threatens-democratic-congressman-garcia-elon-musk-dick-pic
#FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment #Trump #Coup #DOJ #GOP #Corruption #Politics #USPol #US #USA #News #USNews
Trump’s DOJ Threatens Dem Congressman Who Shared “Elon Musk Dick Pic”
The New RepublicZhi Zhu 🕸️ •
#ElonMusk called a famous astronaut a slur simply because he countered one of his newest talking points.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191782/elon-musk-loses-astronaut-dares-calls-lie
“What a lie,” Danish #astronaut Andreas Mogensen wrote... in reply to #Musk parroting the talking point yet again on #FoxNews. “And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream #media"
Musk exploded."
#Musk #Lies #Space #Astronauts #ISS #SpaceStation
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.wired.com/story/usaid-famine-system-dismantled/
"By cutting off a program that has given various #US agencies advance notice about a potential spike in people fleeing famine, the #Trump administration...[is] hindering its goal to curb illegal border crossings. “The heavy hand #DOGE is taking... when it comes to cuts... shows a lack of understanding of how these things work, because they're complex”
#Musk #GOP #Politics #News #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things-stand/rand-paul-sheepishly-nods-to-fact-that-musk-is-not-supposed-to-be-in-charge-of-govt-funding
"weak acknowledgements from #Republicans that...
#DOGE federal #funding freezes are not just lawless, but are also a violation of Congress’ authority to stand up agencies and fund the federal #government.
#Musk... has seized for himself one of the few powers #Congress has continued to regularly exercise — at least, up until 2025"
#ElonMusk #Coup #Trump #GOP #USPol #News #USA
Rand Paul Sheepishly Nods To Fact That Musk Is Not Supposed To Be In Charge Of Gov’t Funding
Nicole Lafond (TPM - Talking Points Memo)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://www.mediaite.com/news/trump-contradicts-his-own-white-houses-legal-filing-admits-i-put-a-man-named-elon-musk-in-charge-of-doge/
"Musk’s technical role is likely to be a major point of contention in the many #legal battles involving #DOGE. If he is deemed to not have a role with the cost-cutting outfit, he may be able to avoid legal scrutiny.
But #Trump, on Wednesday, seemed to remove any doubt about who’s running the show at DOGE."
#ElonMusk #Musk #GOP #Politics #Coup #News #US #USA
Trump Says Elon Musk is 'In Charge' of DOGE, After WH Denies
Joe DePaolo (Mediaite)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
Elon Musk’s teenage #DOGE workers are running amok through the federal government.
https://newrepublic.com/post/191759/elon-musk-doge-cronies-federal-agencies
“every #hacker in the world knows there are a small number of people new to federal service who hold the keys to access all US #government payments, contracts, civil servant personal info, and more,” they wrote. “DOGE is one romance #scam away from a #NationalSecurity emergency.”
#Musk #Coup #Tech #News #USA #US
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
DOGE techs Edward Coristine—the 19-yr-old known online as #BigBalls —& Kyle Schutt are now listed as staff at the #Cybersecurity & Infrastructure #Security Agency.
https://www.wired.com/story/doge-cisa-coristine-cybersecurity/
"working his way through numerous federal agencies & depts... access to systems containing sensitive #information about diplomats & many sources around the world who provide the US #government with #intelligence & expertise."
#Musk #Coup #News #US #USA
Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/doge-dives-into-core-national-defense-and-data-systems-across-government
"DOGE currently has far deeper and far more extensive access to US #government computer systems — and is far deeper into the #NationalSecurity space — than is conceivably necessary for anything related to their notional brief & goals...
( #CISA), the agency charged w/the defense of the federal government’s civilian computer networks"
#ElonMusk #Musk #Coup #Politics #Data #Security #News #US #USA
DOGE Dives Into Core National Defense and Data Systems Across Government
Josh Marshall (TPM - Talking Points Memo)Zhi Zhu 🕸️ •
If we look at everything that #DOGE has done over the last 3+ weeks, a unifying feature is the effort to pull all of these networks together for more central control...
It’s obvious that you’d want to be very cautious about centralizing this much #power in anyone’s hands"
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/doge-dives-into-core-national-defense-and-data-systems-across-government
#Musk #Coup #Tech #Authoritarianism #NationalSecurity #Security #USA #US #News
DOGE Dives Into Core National Defense and Data Systems Across Government
Josh Marshall (TPM - Talking Points Memo)GlennMG hat dies geteilt