I say YES. YOU say NO....Numero Tre! Enjoy!
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Couldn't get lousier if you were trying hard.
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About Those Prices
Why the Trump presidency may have a short shelf life
Photo by Madison Oren on Unsplash
A recent Business Insider headline read, “Eggs May Be Expensive Forever.” CNN told its viewers to expect record-high egg prices for most of the year.
It seems the avian flu outbreak is decimating the egg industry, leading to projected increases in egg prices of about 20% this year.
Imagine for a minute how news like this would play if Kamala Harris had just been inaugurated. Is there any doubt that the right-wing echo chamber would loudly proclaim the spike in egg prices to be a direct result of her failed socialist presidency?
That Democrats aren’t responding this way is a matter for us to address another time—most likely next week, when elections for a new Democratic party chair should launch a spirited discussion of how the party approaches its messaging. For now, let’s focus on the gap between campaign promises and economic reality that threatens to throttle the new administration.
The fact that egg prices are spiking and grocery prices are rising speaks directly to a fundamental pledge that helped elect Donald Trump president.
Candidate Trump vowed to end the “inflation nightmare” and bring down prices “very quickly.”
That vow lasted until the electoral votes were counted.
That’s when President-elect Trump said, you know, it’s actually hard to bring down prices, and—no—his presidency won’t be a failure if he doesn’t do it.
But that’s not how the public sees it. Donald Trump has to deliver.
Take, for instance, the results of a national study of young voters conducted a little over a week ago by John Della Volpe at Harvard and reported on his excellent Substack. The findings reveal a generation of voters that’s pragmatic rather than ideological and focused on economic results. They are willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt that he will come through on his promises to boost their economic situation, but they want to see meaningful improvements in their lives.
These 18-29 year olds expect Trump to increase job opportunities for young workers, provide economic security, make housing and healthcare affordable, and lower student debt. By large margins, they do not believe Biden did much to improve their lives (even though he objectively made or tried to make improvements to each of these items).
Della Volpe concludes: “Failing to deliver immediate, visible improvements in housing affordability, job opportunities, and economic mobility could quickly erode [Trump’s] current support levels. His relatively strong numbers on economic management (50% approval) and job creation (54% approval) could prove fragile if results don't match rhetoric.”
The dilemma for Trump is that his administration promises to be the inverse of Biden’s. As we discussed Monday, Biden was strong on accomplishments but weak on communication, resulting in the reaction to his presidency captured in Della Volpe’s survey (and among voters in general). Trump is better at the atmospherics but is terrible at governing.
Worse than that, the things he’s doing will have the opposite effect on the economy than what voters expect.
Climate change and the environmental disasters brought on by climate change are hurting food prices and boosting inflation. So of course Trump wants to accelerate the process by increasing oil drilling and withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.
Trump’s planned mass deportation of undocumented immigrants (and possibly those who are here legally) is a central MAGA campaign promise. If it actually comes to pass, it is likely to raise prices, cost jobs, and depress home construction.
Then there are the tariffs that Trump is threatening to impose. They didn’t materialize on Day One like he had promised, and there is still ambiguity as to the timing and size of the tariffs he might impose, but contrary to Trump’s claims, the Congressional Budget Office warns that aggressive trade barriers would raise prices, increase inflation, and shrink the economy.
Economists of the left and right agree that tariffs would act like a consumption tax on consumers, with 10% percent across-the-board tariffs on imports resulting in a $1,700 tax on consumers. The Center for American Progress estimates that the cost of everything voters expect Trump to lower—food, energy, housing, pharmaceuticals—will go up.
And none of this takes into consideration the looming congressional fights over raising the debt ceiling and keeping the government running after March 14, the date the continuing resolution that was passed amidst great angst last month expires. Failure to do either could damage the economy—or tank it completely.
In keeping with Trump’s preference for atmospherics over policy, one of his first executive orders directed government agencies to take action to lower prices, but it’s an empty gesture without specific directives for how to do it. Trump can posture all he wants about his commitment to lowering inflation, but reality will reveal itself in the policies he pursues.
Trump will of course blame any spike in prices on someone else, because he is incapable of accepting responsibility for anything. At first, he’ll say it’s Biden’s fault. For that matter, he may always say it’s Biden’s fault, but within a few months Biden will be a distant memory.
Trump likes to operate in a world he fabricates, where he can decree things to be wonderful and take credit. But his real agenda is working at cross-purposes to the one thing he needs to secure longterm political support. It’s going to catch up to him.
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Let's Do This: All the Lawsuits Against the Trump Administration, Listed
Here are lawsuits on 15 different issues that I could find news stories about
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
It can be unsettling to watch Donald Trump, and his minions, rapidly engage in what seems to be widespread illegal activity. This is especially the case when, as my colleague Matt Kerbel discussed yesterday in his article "The Trump Crime Spree," the primary means of stopping these illegal activities—lawsuits, the upcoming government funding negotiations, and the 2026 and 2028 elections—are either slow-moving or will not take place for some time.
However, that is just the way it is right now, and we have to deal with it: Trump gets to move fast, and our only real means of stopping him moves slowly.
That said, while slow, attempts to block Trump are moving. In fact, they might be moving a lot more than you realize. To demonstrate this point, I decided to compile a long list of all the lawsuits that have currently been filed against the Trump administration to block executive orders and actions that might be illegal. My thinking is that in seeing this list, you might be comforted by its length and reassured that a lot of people are taking meaningful action to stop him.
Please, read through the entire list of lawsuits, and add any that I may have missed in the comments. Also, consider following the links to the websites of the groups filing these lawsuits, so that you can learn more about them and support their efforts if you are able and willing to do so.
(Note: These lawsuits are listed in no particular order.)
- Trump's DEI orders. Several groups, including “[t]he National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and the American Association of University Professors, along with the city of Baltimore and a restaurant group, are asking the courts to block the implementation of the executive orders [relating to DEI] due to President Trump allegedly exceeding his authority under the Constitution.”
- Removal of health data from government websites. “A liberal-leaning medical advocacy group is suing over the removal of health data from government websites, the latest in a series of lawsuits pushing back against the Trump administration’s shakeup of the federal government. Doctors for America filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Office of Personnel Management, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services.”
- Ending refugee asylum. The ACLU is suing the Trump administration over its attempt to end refugee asylum.
- Retribution against FBI agents. In two separate lawsuits, anonymous FBI agents are suing the Justice Department over “efforts to develop a list of employees involved in those inquiries that they fear could be a precursor to mass firings.”
- Birthright citizenship. In multiple lawsuits, numerous individuals, nonprofits and 22 Democratic attorneys general have sought to block Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. They have already succeeded in achieving a nationwide injunction blocking the order.
- National Labor Relations Board. Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board, was fired by Trump on January 27. She has filed a lawsuit contesting the legality of her firing.
- Schedule F. Two unions representing government workers, AFGE and AFSCME, have filed lawsuits to block Trump's executive order that would reclassify large numbers of federal employees under Schedule F, which would make it easier for Trump to fire them. You can read more about these lawsuits at Reuters and Democracy Docket.
- Federal funding freeze. At least two federal judges have issued injunctions blocking the Trump administration's various funding freezes of federal spending. Numerous groups have joined in these lawsuits, including states attorneys general.
- Legal assistance for asylum seekers. In response to a lawsuit from the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights for other nonprofits, the Department of Justice has already reversed one of Trump's executive orders halting legal aid for asylum seekers.
- DOGE access to sensitive data. The Alliance for Retired Americans, AFGE, and SEIU have filed lawsuits against the Treasury Department to block the Department of Government Efficiency's access to sensitive data.
- Gender-affirming care. PFLAG and GLMA have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for halting funding for gender affirming care for people under 19.
- Sanctuary Cities. According to Newsweek, a group of Chicago-based immigrant groups have filed a lawsuit against Trump administration guidance instructing the Department of Justice to take action against sanctuary cities.
- The existence of DOGE. A group called National Security Counselors has filed a lawsuit challenging the very existence of the Department of Government Efficiency. Additional lawsuits against the existence of DOGE have been filed by Public Citizen and the American Public Health Association.
- Transgender servicemembers. GLAAD and other groups have filed a lawsuit against Trump's order banning transgender Americans from serving openly in the military.
- Buyout offer for federal employees. AFGE, which has clearly been quite busy with lawsuits against the Trump administration, has filed suit against the Office of Personnel management for the buyout offer sent to many government employees over email in the earliest days of the Trump administration.
These are the 15 lawsuits or groups of lawsuits I could find news stories about as of 4:15 PM ET, Wednesday, February 5. It would not be surprising if more had been filed already, or that more were filed between when I wrote this article and when it was published. Many more lawsuits will be forthcoming, and soon.
As you can see, there is a lot of legal action against the Trump administration right now. Further, a few of these lawsuits have already made real progress, winning injunctions and/or reversals of Trump administration policy. My hope is that this will provide readers of this article with some solace, during what has been a very difficult time for many.
There was a passage I recently read in a Politico article about the legal resistance to Trump that, while referring specifically to federal employees, I believe applies to how many grassroots activists opposed to Trump will feel as the days and weeks move forward:
“Federal employees around the country are surely feeling Trump’s orders as body blows, as he likely intended,” said Daniel Richman, a lawyer and former adviser to FBI leadership. “But once the immediate shock at his extraordinary power claims wears off, I doubt they will all be cowed. Rather, they will be the source of litigation that all but the most die-hard Trumpist judges will take seriously.”
Things may seem overwhelming right now, but eventually that feeling will wear off. When it does, I doubt you will feel cowed. Instead, your support of the groups leading the legal resistance to Trump will be crucial in the many legal victories which are to come.
At Matt noted in his post "Whirlwind," we need to stay steady. Learn about the lawsuits against the Trump administration and, if you are able to do so, support some of the groups undertaking this crucial work.
If you are looking for one group in particular to support, allow me to recommend the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), the national party committee dedicated to supporting Democratic states attorneys general in elections around the country. Over the next four years, no group or groups will be more active in the lawsuits against the Trump administration than Democratic states attorneys general.
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There does seem to be a lot of pushback and pressure being applied. Also, Democrats in the? Senate I think are saying they are not going to do anything (especially as regards the current need for a viable budget) as long as Musk is allowed to have "employment" and not gotten rid of. So, much, and according to the above, more expected. Since a lot of the media is not willing to be very candid about these things I have to admit it felt like the Democrats were not doing much. I had some depressing thoughts about this, but I do feel somewhat better.
It was said and likely true the fact that Musk and Trump are flooding the place with their illegalities means some may make it through, but the negative vibes along the way will likely not be worth it or so I hope.
I am still reeling a bit about so much of this even happening, but I do feel better knowing that there is a lot more attention on Musk and what he is doing. He and Trump are both total misfits and shouldn't be anywhere near where they are, but Trump proved he is so demented that he is out of it period. Agreeing to things with Mexico and Canada that were already put in place by Pres. Biden. If anything spells it is actually Trump with the dementia that would certainly qualify.
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The Trump Crime SpreeThis is a particularly hard moment to live through, but it is not the last word on what will happen
Photo by David von Diemar on Unsplash
Elect a criminal and get someone who commits crimes. Elect an insurrectionist criminal and get someone who commits crimes against the government he pledged to serve.
That’s where we are in the third week of the Trump sequel, during what we knew would be a chaotic and overwhelming start to the administration. At its core, what Trump is doing should not be surprising. We knew we would have to brace for an unprecedented flurry of attacks on the political process. But that doesn’t make it easier to experience. Something can be predictable and shocking at the same time.
Because you follow the news, you don’t need me to recount all the things Trump is doing in his effort to grab power, so I will focus on two of his most egregious and unprecedented actions. He has permitted Elon Musk access to Treasury Department computers—essentially the nation’s checkbook—which gives Musk proximity to the sensitive personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans.
Meanwhile, Musk has moved to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), while Trump ordered a freeze on international foreign assistance. An act of Congress is required for the former, while the president does not have the authority to do the latter.
None of this is constitutional and none of it is legal.
But Trump, as expected, is doing it anyway, daring anyone to make him stop.
In a functioning democracy, impeachment hearings would already be underway and they would have bipartisan support. But in the degraded democracy Trump inherited, there was never any chance of this happening. We knew congressional Republicans would not provide a guardrail against his actions, and we are seeing this play out.
We also knew coming into the new administration that the courts and federalism would likely be the only remaining institutional obstacles to Trump’s lawlessness. And we are seeing this happen as well, although it may not feel like it is effective because legal action takes time while Trump and Musk are destroying things at a dizzying pace.
Three federal workers’ unions have sued to block Musk’s access to the Treasury database. The dismantling of USAID will inevitably face court challenges. A federal judge has blocked all vestiges of a spending freeze Trump ordered then reversed course on last week. On the political front, House and Senate Democrats rallied in front of USAID offices yesterday to draw attention to the extra-legal efforts of the Trump administration. Said Rep. Jamie Raskin: “We don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk, and that’s going to become real clear.”
Given the imbalance between the swift execution of illegal executive authority and the slower judicial response, it should not be surprising that Trump holds the offensive initiative right now. And real damage is being done as a consequence. But we also need to give the forces pushing back time to get established.
It can also be helpful to remember that Trump will fold when challenged. Just look at how quickly he gave in on his tariff threats against Canada and Mexico when the market and some investors registered their concerns. Or, as the Wall Street Journal put it, Trump blinked.
It is also the case that the unhinged start to the second Trump presidency isn’t helping his public standing. And he didn't have much standing to begin with.
Like the courts, public opinion can move at less than lightening speed. It takes time for people to notice what’s happening and form an opinion. Sometimes their personal situation has to get really bad before they do. But Most Americans already have an unfavorable view of Musk and his DOGE project. It’s unlikely to comfort them when they learn that he’s rummaging around in their personal data.
If the person who swore to uphold the law wasn’t the one violating it, we would have avenues for swift action that could halt this crime wave in its tracks. Instead, we are forced to rely on the slower mechanisms that remain available to us. It can be hard to feel good about this when so much damage is being done, although it is also the case that the destruction we’re seeing was baked into the results of the election. We knew this—and more—would happen back in November. We’re just living through it now.
How things develop will depend on how effectively the opposition can come together and leverage legal and political tools to push back on the bully. Trump is determined to upend the global order and our national stability, but there are plenty of people invested in the status quo who will not stand by and let him have his way without a fight.
Trump has an enormous advantage right now in the executive power he wields, and in his willingness to abuse his office knowing his party will not stop him. But we are not without tools. This is an exceedingly challenging moment, and it can feel like all is lost, but the opposition is not helpless.
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Actually, he is just willing to help his billionaire buddies steal from poor people. They let him have plenty that way too.
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We know it is these two fascist cons.
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The GOP are Trump. So yes — they are happy to feed children lead, while they don't educate them properly or feed them, or help them at all after birth.
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Called voting against your best interests and a lot of these people had no idea that's what they were doing.
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Yes, yes, yes.
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Trump is such a tiresome piece of dung.
BREAKING: Panama humiliates the Trump administration by immediately debunking a false claim by Marco Rubio's State Department about a supposed great new deal.
These people truly can not get anything right...
The U.S. State Department claimed amidst the growing animosity between the two nations that American government ships would no longer have to pay transit fees to cross through the Panama Canal.
In fact, they went so far as to post a big announcement on the State Department's X account touting the supposed victory along with an image repeating the false claim.
According to CNN, Panama’s Canal Authority has already released an official statement that no such deal exists and the tolls are not being adjusted, dispelling the Trump admin's claim that they would be saving "millions of dollars a year."
"In response to a publication released by the United States Department of State, the Panama Canal Authority, which is authorized to set tolls and other fees for transiting the Canal, reports that it has not made any adjustments to them," the authority said on X.
This is what happens when you put MAGA ignoramuses in charge of the government. They are totally disconnected from reality and think that simply saying a thing makes it true.
Meanwhile, diplomatic relations between the United States and Panama have drastically deteriorated due to Donald Trump's imperialist announcement that he intends to seize back the canal.
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Way to go Liz. Thank you.
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BREAKING: Senator Bernie Sanders shreds MAGA billionaire Elon Musk and his so-called "Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)" and reveals that what they're doing is actually "illegal."
This is hitting MAGA world like a bombshell...
"Nothing wrong with looking for waste in the kinds of bureaucracy that exist. I think we can do a whole lot to get rid of the waste, the fraud, the excessive bureaucracy that exists in government — especially, by the way, in the Defense Department," Sanders said on CNN.
Notably, Musk and his minions have not been going after the Pentagon — a move that would enrage the military-industrial complex that funnels so much money into Musk's companies — but have instead focused on gutting things like AIDs prevention programs and support for the global poor.
"What is wrong right now is one simple reality: What Musk is doing is illegal and unconstitutional," said Sanders.
Senator Sanders is absolutely correct. Musk and his DOGE minions have been rummaging through the Treasury Department's payment systems without proper clearance or Congressional oversight.
On top of that, they have moved to lock federal employees out of the U.S. Agency for International Development, a blatantly illegal move since USAID is funded by appropriations from Congress. Musk is directly violating the balance of power between the branches of government.
"You cannot go into an agency like USAID and essentially fire everybody and get rid of that agency,” stated Sanders. "That’s an agency that was created by Congress."
“They want to get rid of USAID? Fine. Come to the Congress. Make your case. You can’t do it unilaterally," he continued.
"You tell me whether or not we are living in an oligarchy," Sanders added. "And I think the function of government under Trump, under Elon Musk, will not be to serve ordinary people, but to make the very richest people in this country even richer."
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are stripping our government for parts. We can either sit back and watch as our country crumbles or we can demand immediate action.
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One way or another, he is going to get us.
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She needs to meet the same fate as we are hoping to get dished out to Musk — along of course with all the rest of the Trump misfits.
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Going to increase as much as he can.
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Beyond words.
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BREAKING: A federal judge delivers a crushing defeat to Donald Trump's attempt to illegally end birthright citizenship in the United States — and then tears into him for trying to shred the Constitution. The fascist MAGA power grab has hit a brick wall...
U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle labeled Trump's Executive Order to end birthright citizenship unconstitutional and extended a temporary hold on the policy. Even Coughenour — a judge who was appointed by the far-right conservative President Ronald Reagan — had to draw a line in the sand on this one.
"It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals," said the judge. "The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain."
"Nevertheless, in this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow," he added. The executive order in question was rammed through on Trump's first day in office this term and ordered federal agencies to stop issuing citizenship documents to children born in the U.S.A. after February 19th if they don't have a parent who is an American citizen or legal permanent resident. They were also ordered to stop recognizing such documents. Unfortunately for Trump and the racists in his MAGA movement, the 14th Amendment leaves no ambiguity on the matter, stating: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
"Birthright citizenship is a fundamental constitutional right. The 14th Amendment secures the blessings of liberty to our posterity by bestowing on all those born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction, the rights of citizenship," said Coughenour.
"The fact that the government has cloaked what is effectively a constitutional amendment under the guise of an executive order is equally unconstitutional," he continued.
"If the government wants to change the exceptional American grant of birthright citizenship, it needs to amend the Constitution itself. That’s how our Constitution works, and that’s how the rule of law works, because the president’s order attempts to circumscribe this process. It is clearly unconstitutional," he added. This is a powerful reminder that Donald Trump is not invincible. Despite what he thinks, the rule of law still exists in this country. It falls to the courts to keep the guardrails in place for our democracy and it falls to the rest of us to speak up and denounce every attempt by MAGA to overreach.
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Maybe one of the only times he said something that was completely true.
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I'll drink to that.
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So true so totally said for us that he is where he is right now. Hope that changes soon — along with the rest of his heathen conspiracy misfit cronies trying to ruin us all.
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Just know that many of us did not want this at all and feel just as you do so hope you give us that.
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GazaLago
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So, the Billionaire who got appointed by a convicted felon had this idea of shutting down a Federal agency called USAID. Does he have government experience? No. Does he really understand what they do? Who knows. The department funds lifesaving programs for people around the world who don't have the means to produce the resources themselves. The agency also builds relationships with these countries. Elon is essentially taking away food and medical treatment for people around the world by calling USAID a “wasteful use of funds” and a "criminal organization."
This is NOT a Democrat/Republican issue. It’s a humanitarian issue. People will die.
Research shows 8,340 women will die from complications during pregnancy and childbirth without assistance from aid. Food for children across Africa and Haiti have been stopped. Some of these kids are already suffering from malnutrition so the meals they receive in schools or homes are important for them. They feed 25 million children around the world and now their food is locked up in warehouses. In addition, much of the food that was sent overseas to help people came from US farms and businesses. Farmers who worked in rice, soybean and wheat farms will be affected. To put this in perspective, in 2024, USDA had purchased more than a million metric tons of US crops for more than 510 million dollars. That's not going to happen this year based on the USAID shutdown.
"President Trump's effort to dismantle USAID without congressional approval damages US national security, and it's immoral and unconstitutional" said US Senator Jack Reed.
Changes need to happen SOON. Deaths, illnesses and starvation across the globe will rise.
Elon Musk should be subpoenaed by Congress and show up to answer questions.
And then he needs to be fired and deported back to Africa. That's go home, troublemaker.
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No doubt in my mind. He needs to be dumped and all the rest of his cronies and all 2025 lovers.
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MAJOR BREAKING NEWS
A Federal judge in D.C. has BLOCKED Elon Musk from accessing sensitive Treasury Department systems and records. In a filing late Wednesday evening, lawyers with the Justice Department agreed to a proposed order that would largely prohibit the Treasury Department from sharing sensitive financial data with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The agreement allows two individuals associated with Musk but employed by the Treasury Department – called special government employees – to have “read only” access to the sensitive data. Once approved by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is overseeing the case, the agreement will stay in place until Feb. 24 when both sides return to court to argue about a long-term preliminary injunction.
This is a great decision.
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Most Reps. don't — all they seem to know how to do is kiss the RING or is that the orange A##.
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