The Kanye West Scarlett Johansson Problem, Trump's Putin Visit Pivot, & Today's News
PDS Published 02/12/2025
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That is what a bunch of celebrities said in a viral video, but the thing is, they didn’t actually say it… because that video was made with AI.
Right, it first made the rounds on Instagram and shows a slew of stars wearing shirts that give a middle finger to Kanye and have the star of David in the middle.
With this being an obvious pushback to the antisemitism he has spewed lately.
The likes of Scarlett Johansson, Drake, Mila Kunis, Ben Stiller and more all appearing before the video closes with Adam Sandler flipping the camera off.
And that video has been shared all over the place now, some arguing this was a good use of AI since it was condemning hate. [][]
But others were immediately rubbed the wrong way by it, writing:
And Twitter users were not the only people to chime in.
Because Scarlett Johansson, who was featured in the clip, gave a statement to People Magazine saying.
“I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality."
Noting she herself has been a victim of AI, arguing it is now a 1,000 foot wave coming for everyone, and our leaders need to do more to protect us, adding:[]
“It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of A.I."
"I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting A.I. use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large."
And it is not too surprising that of all the people depicted, Scarlett was the one to speak out.
As far back as 2018, she began speaking out against deepfake nonconsensual pornography.
She also took legal action in 2023 against an AI app that used her likeness in advertising, and last year, she slammed OpenAI for using a voice that sounded incredibly similar to hers after she denied their request to lend her voice to the program.
So this is obviously a big issue for her.
But then, you also have the Kanye angle.
Because this fake video aside, he has faced some real backlash for his actions.
After buying a Super Bowl ad in local markets to promote Yeezy.com, which was only selling swastika shirts as of Monday, Shopify pulled his site down.
With the platform telling NBC News that:
"All merchants are responsible for following the rules of our platform. This merchant did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms so we removed them from Shopify."[]
Kanye’s agent also dropped him this week, writing that this was specifically in response to his hateful remarks.
And a Jewish-ex employee also just filed a lawsuit against him, claiming he was abusive and called himself a Nazi.
That staffer says that at one point, she suggested he issue a statement condemning Nazism after people criticized his album artwork for using fonts and imagery appropriated by Nazis.
But the suit claims that Kanye responded to that by saying, “I Am A Nazi.”
The suit also claiming that in June, he complained about how much money several Jewish employees were making and then wrote “welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”
The staffer also claims that around this time, Kanye berated her, calling her ugly and stupid, and then she was fired the day after this rant.[]
With her lawyer releasing a statement saying:
“Ye waged a relentless and deliberate campaign of antisemitism and misogyny against my client… We need to stop excusing Ye’s behavior.”
People also just pointing to a larger conversation about how the public and culture at large has responded to Kanye’s latest wave of hate here.
The Washington Post put out a piece saying that his antics and Super Bowl ad show “how speech bounds have shifted” in recent times, explaining:
“The ad didn’t break the law, but it did allow the rapper to push into what was long considered taboo territory during one of the biggest television events of the year…The clear prelude to that push has been the relaxation of content moderation on the internet, which many on the right have hailed as a victory over censorship.”
So this AI story was sort of the tip of the iceberg for two much larger cultural stories, and I would love to know your thoughts on either.
Right, whether it be the AI of it all, what ScarJo was saying, or about Kanye and all the fallout there.
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We gotta talk about officials at FEMA defying court orders to comply with the Trump administration and firing those who refuse to do the same.
Right, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency?
It’s one of those agencies that’s particularly drawn the ire of Trump and his supporters.
And now, more than ever, it may be on the chopping block.
And with that, to start this whole conversation, let’s take it back to the second week of Trump’s presidency.
Right, when his administration ordered a government-wide funding freeze that quickly sparked not only conf
usion but also major doubts about its constitutionality.
And so it wasn’t long before a federal judge put a temporary pause on the funding freeze.
With a second judge also issuing a temporary restraining order against the directive just a few days later.
And then, this week? That same judge said the Trump administration had failed to comply with the order –
Notably, with that being the first time a judge has explicitly stated that the Trump administration is disobeying a judicial mandate.
But despite that, it was just hours later when a senior FEMA official reportedly defied the order, sending an email instructing staff to freeze funding for various grant programs going back several years –
Including those focused on emergency preparedness, homeland security, firefighting, protecting churches from terrorism and tribal security.[]
With NBC News reporting that it obtained screenshots of that email from a recipient, who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal.
This person also claiming the the official’s instructions violated the court order, and adding:
"There's a lot of people who are running scared and trying to appease [the new administration]." []
And with that, you have NBC reporting that civil servants basically find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place.
Right, on one hand, they may technically be breaking the law if they do what they’re told.
But on the other hand, they risk getting fired if they defy the Trump administration.
And that’s not a hypothetical.
Right, with FEMA specifically, four employees have just been terminated for disbursing federal funds to house migrants in New York City hotels.
And these firings, notably, were just the latest in a chain of events set off by none other than Elon Musk.
Right, on Monday, Musk posted on X that the DOGE team had "discovered" that FEMA had sent $59M last week to luxury hotels in NYC to house unauthorized immigrants, claiming that:
“Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order.”
And adding: “That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!”[]
Of course, it’s not that simple.
Right, one, while it may have been in defiance of the Trump administration, as we discussed, the Trump administration may actually be the one in defiance of the law.
Two, the money? It wasn’t meant for disaster relief, and according to city officials, it certainly wasn’t being spent on “high-end” hotels.
I mean, for example, the average cost for a hotel room in New York City has recently exceeded $400 per night.
But the average cost of a night’s stay for migrant families sheltered by this program is around $156.[]
And with that, as far as this program? Musk seemed to be referring to payments made by the Shelter and Services Program –
Which, notably, CONGRESS created in 2023 to issue grants to groups and localities providing shelter AND other services to migrants released from D.H.S. custody after crossing the border.[]
Also, the money for this program, it has actually been allocated to Customs and Border Protection.
But because CBP doesn’t have its own system for administering grant programs, the payments issued by the program were administered by FEMA.
But still, this money is separate from the billions of dollars the agency spends on disaster relief.[]
But despite all that, just two hours after Musk’s post, FEMA’s acting director announced that the payments in question had been suspended and said that personnel would be held accountable.
And then, less than a day later, a spokesperson for DHS, which oversees FEMA, announced that the four employees, including the agency’s chief financial officer, had been terminated for, quote:
“...circumventing leadership to unilaterally make egregious payments for luxury N.Y.C. hotels for migrants.”
Also saying: “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem's leadership, DHS will not sit idly and allow deep state activists to undermine the will and safety of the American people.” []
And of course, some former senior officials at FEMA reportedly expressed concern, saying that the employees had been fired for simply doing their jobs by distributing federal funds as directed by Congress.[]
But in any case, all this? It’s just one part of the battle over FEMA.
Right, as we’ve talked about, FEMA has been a major target of dis- and misinformation from Trump, Elon Musk, and their supporters ever since Hurricane Helene.
And in the first week of his presidency, Trump talked about shutting down FEMA, then singing an executive order establishing a body to investigate the agency –
Which he accused of political bias, denying aid to his supporters, and spending billions to welcome unauthorized migrants.
Less than two weeks later, DOGE reportedly gained access to FEMA’s internal systems and began reviewing the grant programs it uses to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters.
With officials saying a small team without security clearance accessed the agency’s containing the private and sensitive information of tens of thousands of disaster victims. []
Then, this weekend, the new Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also talked about getting rid of FEMA “the way it exists today.”
And finally, just yesterday, Trump took to social media saying:
“THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER.”
“FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE.” []
Of course, Trump does not have the authority to terminate FEMA.
That would require congressional action.
But we also know there’s a lot that Trump can do whether or not he’s technically allowed to.
And with that, there’s a lot of concern about what that could mean for disaster preparedness across the country.
I will say, that doesn’t mean FEMA can’t be improved.
For example, a guy who briefly served as FEMA administrator during Trump's first term?
He claims there’s actually widespread agreement that the agency needs reform but also says that its preparedness and disaster response functions are in high demand and well-executed:[]
And with that, you have him telling Axios:
But with that, I’ll pass the question off to you.
What are your thoughts with all this?
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Trump just had his first confirmed conversation with Vladimir Putin since taking office last month, and he said they agreed to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump broke the news on Truth Social, saying the the phone call was “lengthy and highly productive,” noting they discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, AI, and more, then adding:[]
“We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’”
Claiming that they have agreed to have their respective teams start negotiations immediately, and that he plans on calling Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy to inform him of their conversation.
Then thanking Putin for “his time and effort with respect to this call” as well as for yesterday’s release of Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher who was detained in Russia.
And closing the statement by saying:
“I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!”
As far as other details about the conversation, a Kremlin spokesperson told reporters it lasted nearly an hour and a half, and that they agreed to hold a personal meeting, with Putin inviting Trump to Moscow. []
And while Trump did not say whether or not he and Putin discussed Fogel on the call, many outlets did note that their conversation did follow a major prisoner swap.[]
Right, in exchange for Fogel’s release, the U.S. freed a Russian national being held in the states for money laundering.
And yesterday, Trump did suggest that Fogel’s release could be the start towards building relations that would allow for the war to end.
Many outlets also noting this comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently said that a return to Ukraine’s pre-war borders is unrealistic. []
And while Trump’s post about the call notably did not specify where Zelenskyy fits into the negotiations, []
Not long after Trump’s announcement, Zelenskyy did take to Twitter to say:[]
“I had a meaningful conversation with @POTUS. We long talked about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together at the team level, and Ukraine’s technological capabilities.”
“President Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin…No one wants peace more than Ukraine. Together with the U.S., we are charting our next steps to stop Russian aggression and ensure a lasting, reliable peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done.”
Right, and as this news broke, you had a lot of outlets noting describing the call as marking a shift in U.S.-Russa relations.[][][]
With the Washington Post further saying that:[]
“In the highly charged choreography of diplomacy with an adversarial leader, the Trump-Putin call was likely to upset Kyiv, since former president Joe Biden made a mantra of coordinating closely with Ukrainian leaders before any contacts with Russian officials. This time, Trump spoke first to Putin and said he would then call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to loop him into the conversation.”
So that is where we are on this one, though obviously we will have to see where all of it goes, what comes next, but I would love to know your thoughts here.
Head to Paired and start to strengthen your relationship today!
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What happens when someone has been sentenced to death in a state that doesn't carry out executions?
According to a recent Washington Post analysis, more than half of the 2,100 inmates in the U.S. sentenced to death are in jurisdictions where executions are on hold in one way or another.
In many of those places, executions could resume at any time, whether by official decree or a ruling being overturned.
So, you've got hundreds of inmates and the loved ones of countless victims left in this limbo state while the debate surrounding the death penalty drags on—waiting for an execution that may never happen.
A perfect example of this is John Lesko.
In early 1980, John Lesko and Mike Travaglia committed a string of violent robberies and killed four people, with their fourth and final victim being Leonard Miller, a 21-year-old police officer in Apollo, Pennsylvania, who they shot and killed on January 3, 1980.
Later that day, police stormed the hotel room where Lesko and Travaglia were staying and arrested them.
They were sentenced to death for Miller's murder in 1982.
After death row, they went—but they didn't go quietly.
They spent decades filing appeals and even got a new sentencing that ended with the same result.
But before they could be executed, in 2015, Pennsylvania's governor placed a moratorium on executions.
In 2017, Travaglia died of natural causes, and Lesko is still waiting for execution to this day.
But it isn’t just Lesko waiting.
People back in Apollo who loved Miller have also been waiting for decades.
In some cases, it’s been so long that some have actually changed their minds about the sentence.
William Kerr, who was the mayor of Apollo when Miller was killed, and Robin Davis, an officer in Apollo who later served as a local police chief, are among those who have reconsidered their views.
That’s not the case for everyone.
Some are still waiting for Lesko to be put to death.
James Clawson, for example—who went to the police academy with Miller and was a pallbearer at his funeral—told the Post, "We know who was guilty. Carry it out."
With all that said, we’re not talking about this just because of Lesko.
This issue is much bigger.
In fact, the Washington Post looked at every single person sentenced to death in the U.S. and found that nearly 80% of them—1,681 people—are being held in just eight states.
Five of those eight states are not currently carrying out the death penalty.
California and Pennsylvania have moratoriums on executions but have more than 700 death row inmates combined.
Arizona paused executions in 2023 after the governor ordered a review of the state's procedures.
Ohio stopped executions due to necessity—they reportedly don’t have the drugs for lethal injection, and the governor said it’s unlikely they’ll perform any executions for the remainder of his term.
In North Carolina, which has 136 people on death row, executions were blocked by the courts, and the state hasn’t put anyone to death since 2006.
Since 2007, many states have abolished or abandoned the death penalty, citing various concerns—including wrongful convictions and racial bias.
The Post analysis found that while just 14% of the U.S. population is Black, a disproportionately high number of those on death row are Black.
Support for the death penalty has also declined.
According to a Gallup poll, support for capital punishment dropped from 80% in the 1990s to 53% in 2023.
As a result, new death sentences have become far less common.
In fact, the Post found that nearly half of all people currently on death row were sentenced before 2000.
But that raises a big question: What happens to inmates already on death row in places where executions are on hold?
Opponents of the death penalty argue that even if executions aren’t happening immediately, inmates still face increased restrictions and live in a terrifying state of never knowing what could happen.
David Bruck, a longtime death penalty defense attorney and an emeritus professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, called it a “grim lottery,” saying:
"What's so horrifying about the death penalty is its randomness. Every now and then, someone's name will be called, and they'll be fed into this ritualistic process of execution."
That sentiment is similar to what Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 30 years on death row before being exonerated in 2015, told the Post.
He described death row as "a place of pure hell" and said:
"Knowing at any point your number will come up and you'll die—it's unlike any other punishment."
Even though he was exonerated, Hinton said he still doesn’t feel free, stating:
"I won't be free until the day I die. I will never, ever be free until God calls me home."
Beyond the psychological toll on inmates, there’s also a financial aspect.
The Post cited researchers and criminal justice experts who say that housing people on dedicated death rows requires more resources—more security, more staffing, and solitary cells.
A 2008 study from California’s Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice found that at the time, it cost an additional $90,000 per year to house someone on death row compared to a maximum-security prison.
Opponents of the death penalty also argue that simply seeking the death penalty is more expensive.
Studies in Washington state and Maryland found that pursuing a death sentence costs more than an extra million dollars compared to sentencing someone to life in prison.
Peter Collins, a criminal justice professor at Seattle University, explained that capital punishment cases require multiple attorneys, in-depth investigations, and expert witnesses.
He added:
"The state is contemplating taking someone's life, and there's no reversing that. That’s why it costs more. It has to be more expensive."
Some states have responded by commuting death sentences.
In 2022, the governor of Oregon commuted the sentences of all 17 people on the state’s death row.
More recently, President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 people on federal death row, changing them to life in prison without parole.
This was a significant move, especially considering former President Trump was a vocal supporter of the death penalty, even restarting federal executions during his term and carrying out more than a dozen.
When Biden took office, federal executions were paused—but if Trump returns, that could change again.
It’s not just Trump pushing for executions to resume.
The Post reports that several officials are working to restart executions in their states.
Louisiana, for example, hasn’t carried out an execution since 2010, but its new governor signed a bill last year adding nitrogen gas and electrocution as possible execution methods in a bid to restart them.
Some states, like Utah and South Carolina, have already done so, each carrying out their first execution in over a decade in 2024.
Supporters of the death penalty argue that leaving sentences unfulfilled allows horrific crimes to go unpunished and leaves victims' families in limbo.
Duffy Stone, an elected prosecutor in South Carolina who has successfully argued for a death sentence, said:
"A courtroom has said, 'This is the sentence.' For that sentence not to mean what it says calls our criminal justice system into question."
As we wait to see what happens at both state and federal levels, what are your thoughts?
Whether you’re for or against the death penalty, it’s a very divisive topic.
I'd love to hear your perspective on this situation. So, like, with anything we talk about, let me know what you're thinking in those comments down below.
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The tech giant NVIDIA found itself in another controversy over the past few days as reports came out that its brand new graphics cards were causing fires.
There’s been rumors ever since the RTX 5090s (fifty ninety) came out that they burnt up their connector cables, but it wasn’t until this weekend that credible proof came forward.
In a post, reddit user Ivan6953 showed that the cable his graphics card came with was just completely melted -- meaning he effectively burned up $2000.
And that’s assuming he got it at MSRP, considering these cards are almost literally impossible to get and scalpers sell them for double.[]
The burning actually affected both sides of the cable, meaning the computer’s power supply was also damaged.
And considering this is a high end PC that’s another few hundred bucks down the drain.[]
In the post he explains that he was playing battlefield and noticed a burned smell before shutting off his PC.
Following this more reports came out, but things kicked into high gear after YouTuber DerBauer -- who is very well known in the custom PC space and even has his own products-- got a hold of Ivan’s the card and cable.
He instantly put a few things to rest, such as claims that this was caused by user error by highlighting Ivan’s longtime experience in the custom PC space.
“We talked for over three hours. He knows a lot. He knows the overclocking scene and even core enthusiasts that I know well.” @3:10
DerBauer also made it clear that the third-party cable the card used was high-quality, so it shouldn’t have reached nearly 200 degrees celsius when plugged in. [broll] [broll2 thermals]
(That’s INSANELY hot, even for PC stuff which often deals with high temperatures).
Which is backed up by the fact that Ivan had used the same cable on his last graphics card, which used the same connector.
So if it’s not user error or cables causing these meltdowns, what is?
The current leading theory from DerBauer and others is that NVIDIA cut it too close with their power requirements.
The 5090 draws something like 575 watts of power.[]
And the 12-pin connector that NVIDIA uses is just certified for 600 watts of power -- so 4% headroom.[]
Although theoretically the cable can go as high as 660 watts… which is still just 15%.
Considering similar issues happened with the last generation card -- which had 46% head room -- many feel NVIDIA should have known this was likely to happen.[]
(In that situation not properly seating the cable would cause fires, so there’s been backlash about this cable for at least two years now).
There are now questions about why the company is so adamant about using the 12-pin connector instead of alternatives like multiple 8-pin connectors.
That way power can be more evenly distributed across the cables rather than potentially surging and causing damage, as can be clearly seen.[]
The leading theory is just that it makes it easier to fit everything onto the product, as a bunch of 8-pin connectors take a ton of space.
Obviously consumers are angry and frustrated that such an expensive product has issues like this.
But it also comes as NVIDIA had a major stock crash after the Deepseek AI was revealed to have been super efficient without the use of high end NVIDIA cards -- which are ubiquitous in Western AI systems.[]
Since then the stock has recovered… but there were real worries this news would cause another crash.
And in premarket trading it was down nearly 2%
But since the markets opened this morning things have stabilized and the stock is just down about 1%.
(To be fair, it’s NVIDIA so that’s still a crazy amount of money).[]
All that actually kinda highlights how much NVIDIA relies on the AI market.
Right, because before enthusiast PC parts was a much bigger part of their company.
But since the AI boom they’ve fully embraced it and now a story that their cards literally melt cables isn’t enough to send their stock tanking.
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Huge government cuts, more power to Elon Musk, bans on certain media outlets, a fired watchdog, overhauls to foreign corruption, accusations in the Senate, court orders, lawsuits, mayhem — there is a firehose of political news we have to cover.
And first, let’s dive into Donald Trump’s most recent executive orders.
Starting with Trump pausing investigations and prosecutions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, which criminalizes corporate corruption in foreign countries. [Quote, first line]
Now, critics argue this essentially legalizes corruption, but Trump has said this move will “mean a lot more business for America.” [Same quote]
And The New York Times describing it as a “far more transactional approach to the Justice Department’s handling of corruption cases.”[]
With this coming the same day that Trump dropped the bribery charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams and pardoned Rod Blagojevich, the former Democratic governor of Illinois who was convicted in 2011 of essentially trying to sell a Senate seat. [Image and Image]
Then, yesterday, Trump signed an executive order directing agency officials to draw up plans for “large scale” cuts to the federal work force. [Quote]
With it stating that each federal agency, with some exceptions, will be allowed to “hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart” after a hiring freeze is lifted. [Quote same link]
And for those people who are hired, they’ll need to be vetted by Elon Musk’s DOGE.
With the order stating that aside from agencies involved in functions like law enforcement and immigration enforcement, executive branch departments will need hiring approval from an official working with the DOGE team. [Quote same link, find “hiring approval”]
And that agencies should not fill career positions that DOGE deems unnecessary, unless an agency head decides otherwise. [Quote same link, find “deems”]
All of which is a striking expansion of Musk’s power over the civil service, which he’s already deeply penetrated.
With The New York Times tallying at least 19 agencies that DOGE has inserted itself into. [Quote, find “19 agencies”]
Leading to protests from Democrats, federal workers and even some Republicans that Musk is unchecked, unelected, and utterly unaccountable.
So on Tuesday, for the first time since inauguration day, Musk opened himself up to questions from the media. [B roll, 01:33]
Though not all the media, since one outlet was conspicuously absent: the Associated Press. [Same B roll]
This reportedly after the White House threatened to bar the AP if it didn’t change its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump renamed the Gulf of America. [Quote, find “alter”]
And the outlet refused, so the White House apparently made good on its threat.
With the AP saying one of its reporters tried to enter the event as usual but was turned away. [Quote same link, find “turned away”]
And that in the evening, another of its reporters was also barred from the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room. [Same quote]
So you have Julie Pace, AP’s senior vice president and executive editor, saying:
“It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism. Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment.” [Quote same link]
And this comes after the Trump administration reportedly evicted several media organizations from their workspaces at the Pentagon and replaced them with friendlier ones. [Headline]
So NBC News, the New York Times, NPR, Politico, CNN, The Washington Post, the Hill and War Zone got the boot, with One America News, the New York Post, Breitbart News, Huffpost, Newsmax, the Washington Examiner, the Daily Caller and the Free Press taking their spots. [Quote same link, find “NBC” and “the Hill”]
This even though, according to the AP, none of those incoming outlets requested more space from the Pentagon Press Association. [Quote same link, find “more space”]
But anyway, Tuesday’s event with Musk was something to behold. [Lead B roll into clip]
Right, donning a signed MAGA hat alongside Trump and his 4-year-old son X (yes, this is the reality we’re living in), [Lead B roll into clip]
Musk fielded questions about his last three weeks of allegedly illegal activity for about 30 minutes. [Lead B roll into clip]
With him claiming that the goal of the DOGE team is to “restore democracy,” and mainly focusing on two targets.
First …
[Clip, 02:37 - 02:48] Caption: “We have this unelected fourth unconstitutional branch of government, which is the bureaucracy, which has in a lot of ways currently more power than any elected representative.”
… and second …
[Clip, 03:01 - 03:08] Caption: “So we’ve got a two trillion dollar deficit, and if we don’t do something about this deficit, the country’s going bankrupt.”
So he kind of tied the two things together by accusing members of the civil service of wasting and embezzling taxpayer money.
[Clip, 03:58 - 04:17] Caption: “We do find it odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow manage to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position.”
With him specifically claiming people like that worked for USAID, though providing no further details or evidence.
And later, he also claimed that fraudsters from foreign countries are taking advantage of U.S. federal entitlement programs to the tune of one to two hundred billion dollars a year.
But again, he provided no specific details or evidence.
With him making similar claims throughout the event, such as that tons of federal contracts are just fraudulent kickbacks, or that USAID was influencing elections in other countries.
But again, he provided no specific details or evidence.
Though when it came to his supposed discoveries at the Treasury, he did at least get a little more specific, if not bringing evidence.
[Clip, 04:51 - 05:10] Caption: “Basic controls that should be in place, that are in place at any company, such as making sure that any given payment has a payment categorization code, that there is a payment field that describes the payment, and that if a payment is on the ‘do not pay’ list, that you don’t actually pay it. None of those things are true currently.”
With him then claiming, without evidence, that blank checks are flying out the door to terrorist organizations, known fraudsters and other sources of waste that don’t match any Congressional appropriation.
Next, he went after Social Security, saying DOGE has found 150-year-old, presumably dead enrollees and payments with no identifying information.
But here, some context is important.
Because undeniably Social Security fraud does exist, but whether or not it’s widespread and extraordinary? Well, that falls down your opinion.[]
With an inspector general’s report last year finding that from 2015 to 2022, the agency had issued 71.8 billion dollars in improper payments. [Quote, find “71.8”]
Which, yes, is a massive amount of money, but on the other hand, it is only about 0.84% of the 8.4 trillion dollars paid out in benefits over that time. [Same quote]
So after that, Musk opened the floor to questions, and a reporter asked him about the criticism that he’s orchestrating a hostile takeover of the federal government.
To which he responded by citing the November election and saying:
But then a reporter asked him what checks and balances are in place to ensure that he’s transparent and accountable, so he’s not just policing himself.
And he claimed that DOGE is “maximally transparent,” citing as evidence how all of its actions are supposedly posted to its X account and its website.
[Clip, 11:46 - 11:51] Caption: “I don’t know of a case where an organization has been more transparent than the DOGE organization.”
But critics have argued there are many reasons to be skeptical of that claim.
Right, first of all, that DOGE website contains little information, and while the X account does post about contracts it’s supposedly “terminated,” there’s not a lot of detail. [Website and account]
Right, just saying you ended 29 “DEI training grants” at the Education Department and elaborating on one of them doesn’t really tell us much about what those were. [Tweet]
Also, Trump has reportedly made the DOGE team exempt from public records law for about a decade. [Quote, find “a decade”]
So if a media outlet wants to dig further into any of those posts on X through a FOIA request, they can’t.
And the White House said Musk’s financial disclosure filing will be kept private because he is an unpaid “special government employee.” [Headline]
But just adding the word “special” doesn’t negate the fact that he’s a federal employee, and therefore, criminal law prohibits him from taking actions that directly benefit himself or his family, unless he gets an ethics waiver. [Quote same link, find “criminal law”]
And as many have argued, Musk more than perhaps anyone is rife with potential conflicts of interest.
With him, you know, being the world’s wealthiest man, overseeing a sprawling business empire, owning an entire social media platform, taking billions of dollars in federal contracts and facing over a dozen pending federal probes or lawsuits through his companies, to pick the obvious stuff. [Quote same link, find “dozen pending”]
Though with that said, Trump has shown his willingness to pardon his supporters, even those convicted of violently assaulting Capitol police officers.
Speaking of which, a group of news outlets said in a legal filing yesterday that nine video exhibits from the DoJ’s case against Glen Simon, a January 6 defendant, have inexplicably disappeared from a government platform. [Headline]
But anyway, back to the event, we also heard a little bit from the president.
With one reporter asking him the question that’s been raising half the country’s blood pressure for several days now.
[Clip, 20:20 - 20:35] Caption: [Reporter:] “If a judge does block one of your policies, part of your agenda, will you abide by that ruling? Will you comply with that order?” [Donald Trump:] “Well I always abide by the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it. But then, what he’s done is he’s slowed down the momentum. And it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books.”
So to some, that’ll be reassuring; for others, they’ll believe it when they see it.
But in the meantime, Trump revealed two of the DOGE team’s next targets: the Departments of Education and Defense.
And already, we’ve seen them announce over 900 million dollars in cuts to Education, primarily targeting the Institute of Education Sciences. [Headline]
With them reportedly terminating education innovation and research grants, as well as review projects tied to the What Works Clearinghouse, which produces and curates research on best practices in education. [Quote same link, find “best practices”]
Now if you just read the DOGE team’s post, you’ll get the impression these were mostly wasteful expenses and DEI programs. [Tweets]
But the American Institutes for Research said it lost several major grants, including a large-scale effort to gather and analyze data on how American students compare to other countries. [Quote, find “analyze data”]
As well as a data report on school safety, and an effort to understand what sorts of supports are most effective for disabled youth. [Same quote]
So we’ll watch out for any lawsuits there, because we’ve seen pretty much everything Trump’s done get challenged in court.
And on that front, an array of new lawsuits shot forth during the past couple of days.
Including one by a group of NGOs, contractors and small businesses that rely on federal aid seeking to overturn the White House’s foreign aid freeze. [Headline]
Alleging that the Trump administration “violated the separation of powers” by withholding funds appropriated by Congress. [Quote same link]
With the suit stating, “These programs cannot simply be restarted on command. U.S.A.I.D.’s partners are hemorrhaging resources and employees.” [Quote same link]
And this comes on the heels of another lawsuit by USAID unions against the agency’s attempt to put thousands of them on administrative leave.
Speaking of which, Trump reportedly fired the USAID inspector general yesterday. [Headline]
With that coming one day after the IG’s office released a scathing report assessing the impact of Trump’s recent changes.
And almost three weeks after Trump fired 17 other inspectors general, a move that was condemned by many as illegal because he didn’t notify Congress 30 days in advance. [Headline]
Then, we’ve got another lawsuit from more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups targeting Trump’s policy giving federal immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. [Headline]
With the plaintiffs arguing that the move has spread fear of ICE raids, causing attendance to go down and infringing on their religious liberty to minister to migrants. [Quote same link, find “fear”]
But while Trump’s having trouble in the courts, he’s finding more success in the Senate.
Because on Wednesday, lawmakers voted 52 to 48 to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. [Headline]
With Senator Mitch McConnell being the lone Republican who joined Democrats in voting against her.
And writing in a statement:
“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment.” [Quote]
And reportedly some others were previously on the fence for a number of reasons.
Namely her 2017 meeting with Bashar Assad, her seemingly friendly comments about Russia, and her past support for Edward Snowden. [Quote, find “2017”]
But after confirmation hearings and meetings with individual lawmakers, apparently she assuaged their concerns enough to win over their votes.
So now Gabbard is set to oversee the entire American intelligence apparatus, but more confirmations are coming.
With the Senate voting 53 to 47 to advance the nomination of RFK Jr as health secretary. [Headline]
And this time, Mitch McConnell voted in favor, though we’ll see if he does the same during her confirmation vote, which will probably come Thursday.
Right, because he also voted to advance Gabbard’s nomination, but then backed out of confirming her.
And then finally, the last big confirmation we’re waiting on is Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for the FBI. [Image]
But his name’s in the news for a different reason.
With “Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accusing Patel of secretly orchestrating a purge of career FBI officials before he was even made director. [Image]
Right, according to Durbin, who outlined this in a letter to the Justice Department’s inspector general, “highly credible information from multiple sources” revealed this “alleged misconduct.” [Quote]
And he claims that if the allegations are true, then the acting No. 2 at the DoJ, Emil [Uh-meel] Bove, fired career civil servants “solely at the behest of a private citizen.” [Quote same link]
And that furthermore, Patel “may have perjured himself” at his confirmation hearing. [Same quote]
Right, because during his live testimony and in written answers afterward, Patel said he was “not aware” of any Trump administration plans to fire FBI officials.
So Durbin concluded, “If this man is so fast and loose with the truth before our committee now, imagine what he will do if given the protection of office. We need to pause in this consideration.” [Quote same link]
But for now, we’ll have to wait and see what comes from that as well as so much of what I’ve tried to consolidate for you.
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