Marjorie Greene

In a bid to boost Elon Musk’s car company, Trump did a live White House ad and threatened Tesla protesters would “go through hell.” The post If Protesting Tesla Is Domestic Terrorism, Then What Demonstration Against Musk Isn’t appeared first on The Intercept.

President Donald Trump’s thirst for personal revenge has him using the whole of the federal government to attack everyone he feels wronged by. As Judge Beryl Howell put it: "Pursuing personal payback is not something in which the government has a cognizable interest." She should know, as Judge Howell granted a temporary restraining order, partially blocking the administration from enforcing Trump’s executive order that targeted Perkins Coie, a law firm Trump has been angry at for years.Trump’s attack on Perkins Coie stems from the fact that the law firm hired the firm that commissioned the Steele dossier, a controversial political opposition research report on Trump’s 2016 campaign. Still mad nearly a decade later, Trump stripped the firm of security clearances and restricted its employees from entering federal buildings. The executive order doesn’t hide this, instead explicitly complaining about the firm’s representation of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and their work with “activist donors” like George Soros.Perkins Coie filed suit, which led to Wednesday’s temporary restraining order. During the hearing, Judge Howell compared Trump’s behavior to that of the Queen of Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland,”running around yelling, “Off with her head!”This isn’t the only firm Trump has personally targeted. He’s also suspended security clearances for the lawyer who represented the whistleblower over Trump’s “perfect call” to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zenenskyy and the firm that provided services for former special counsel Jack Smith. These attacks are indeed intended to harm these firms directly. However, they also send a message to any law firm thinking of representing someone with interests adverse to Trump: don’t do it unless you want to be targeted. John BoltonTrump’s personal hatred is also what fueled his removal of security protections from dozens of people he’s mad at. It only took him one day to strip his former national security adviser John Bolton of his Secret Service detail. Bolton got Secret Service protection thanks to former President Joe Biden because Bolton received threats from Iran over a drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani during Trump’s first term. Biden did this even though Bolton is no fan of Biden. Indeed, after Trump yanked his detail, Bolton told CBS News, “Notwithstanding my criticisms of President Biden's national-security policies, he nonetheless made the decision to once again extend Secret Service protection to me in 2021.”Biden’s actions are what presidents are supposed to do, which is to ensure security protection of people regardless of whether he likes them or shares their politics. But for Trump, security protections are just another thing to arbitrarily withhold as punishment. Bolton’s sin is that he wrote a book calling Trump unfit to be president and, ironically, called him out for punishing personal enemies. Trump also immediately pulled State Department security details for his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and a senior aide, Brian Hook. Like Bolton, Pompeo and Hook received threats from Iran because they helped implement Trump’s bellicose approach to that country. Like Bolton, the Biden administration understood that security protection was necessary and even warned the incoming Trump team that Pompeo and Hook still faced threats, but Trump pulled the security details regardless. Mike PompeoUnlike Bolton, it isn’t as clear why Trump is unhappy with Pompeo. There are some minor things, like disagreeing with Trump’s assertion that Iran didn’t fund terrorist groups during his first presidency. Pompeo also said the GOP needed to shift away from leaders with “fragile egos” and correctly noted that the first Trump administration added to the national deficit. These are remarkably trivial, but Hook’s transgressions seem nonexistent. Hook, who was Trump’s envoy to Iran during his first term, was also expected to be a senior adviser in the second term. Instead, he was fired via an all-caps Truth Social post on Trump’s first day in office. One possible explanation is that Hook, though one of the key architects of Trump’s rabid anti-Iran policy, was compromised somehow because he spent his career affiliated with Republicans that Trump thinks are too soft. None of this is a reason to remove security protections from someone still facing active threats—threats that stem from actions supporting Trump’s policies. In late January, General Mark Milley, who Trump appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2019, was stripped of his security clearances and had his security detail removed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also ordered an inspector general examination of Milley’s record, with an eye toward reducing his rank. Retired Gen. Mark MilleyMilley’s transgression? Upon his retirement in 2023, he told troops they swore an oath to the Constitution, not to “a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.” He also called Trump “fascist to the core.” Trump learned that at the end of his first term, Milley talked with Chinese officials to tell them there was no threat to China. Trump then went on Truth Social to say Milley was treasonous and implied he should be executed. Biden preemptively pardoned Milley, knowing that Trump would possibly pursue criminal charges against him. However, that pardon only insulates Milley from criminal investigation. Trump can still use the levers of government to investigate and punish Milley via the inspector general process. Fifty former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter describing the Hunter Biden laptop debacle as a “Russian information operation” also lost their security clearances. This includes people who served under President Barack Obama, such as former CIA directors John Brennan and Leon Panetta. It’s also not surprising that Trump swiftly ended the security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, given he repeatedly attacked Fauci for suggesting actual and effective public health measures to combat COVID-19 rather than implementing Trump’s unhinged and untested ideas. Fauci only needed a security detail because of Trump’s attacks which, predictably, whipped his worst followers into a frenzy. Fauci has received death threats and has been targeted by conservative GOP members of Congress like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said he should be tried for crimes against humanity. Trump's behavior is viciously whimsical and unpredictable because he’s driven by pique as much as politics. It’s mad king behavior, King Lear banishing those who won’t flatter him. This isn’t how government is supposed to work. People shouldn’t have to live in fear of crossing Trump, but that’s exactly what’s happening, and exactly what Trump wants. Campaign Action

Rep. Seth Moulton spotted the "bottom line" in the president's love for "freedom and liberties."

Texas Rep. Keith Self misgendered Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first openly transgender member of Congress, during a hearing on Tuesday but was immediately called out on it.xxYouTube VideoThe act of bigotry occurred during a hearing of the House Foreign Relations Subcommittee, which Self chairs. The Republican lawmaker recognized McBride, referring to her as “Mr. McBride.” McBride, cheekily referred to Self as “Madame Chair” when Democrat Bill Keating of Massachusetts broke in to ask Self to clarify what he had said.“Could you repeat what you said when you introduced a duly elected representative from the United States of America? Please,” Keating said.Self replied, “The representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride.”Clearly angered by the response, Keating said, “Mr. Chairman, you are out of order. Mr. Chairman, have you no decency? I’ve come to know you a little bit but this is not decent.”“We will continue this hearing,” Self answered.“You will not continue it with me unless you introduce a duly elected representative the right way,” Keating said, pounding the table with his fist.Self then banged his gavel and adjourned the hearing. In a follow-up post, Self defended his actions, writing, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.”Conservative pundit Michael Knowles, who has called for the eradication of transgender people, later said that Self had been scheduled for an appearance on his show following the incident.The open Republican disdain for McBride’s gender identity was condemned by longtime conservative activist and Bulwark writer Bill Kristol in a Bluesky post.“I’m neither young nor woke. In fact I’m kind of a stick-in-the-mud,” he wrote. “A few weeks ago, I was at a dinner that included Sarah McBride. We had a pleasant time and interesting conversation. It wasn’t at all a burden to treat her with decency and respect. Republican members of the House might try it.”Conservatives have been on a crusade against transgender equality over the last decades, and House Republicans have repeatedly attacked McBride since she was elected in 2024.Speaker Mike Johnson, responding to a demand from South Carolina’s Nancy Mace, segregated congressional bathrooms by “biological sex” in November.Mary Miller of Illinois, used “gentleman” to refer to McBride when she spoke on the House floor and posted her displeasure, along with Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, when the Congressional Record changed her remarks to “gentlewoman.”“I refuse to participate in this lie. Tim ‘Sarah’ McBride is a MAN!” she wrote.Lauren Boebert of Colorado even stalked the bathrooms on Capitol Hill, issuing a false alert that she had seen “a guy” in the women’s bathroom.Republicans have not only embraced anti-transgender sentiment in rhetoric (and have been joined by a few Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom), but have also pushed policy and legislation meant to restrict transgender equality.Keating’s decision to stand up to bigoted bullying is the rare occasion where Republicans have had to immediately justify their pro-hate actions.Campaign Action

Addressing vandalism against Elon Musk's car company, Rep. Mike Johnson called the attacks domestic terrorism.

President Donald Trump and co-President Elon Musk are not even trying to hide their blatant corruption anymore.The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Musk’s team recently told Trump's advisers that he wants to inject $100 million into super PACs controlled by Trump's political team. Such a large donation would give the president a massive amount of resources to play with in the 2026 midterm elections.From The New York Times report:Associates of both Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump have talked in recent days about Mr. Musk’s planned donation to a Trump-controlled entity. Mr. Musk has signaled he wants to make the donations not to his own super PAC, which is called America PAC and has spent heavily on Mr. Trump in the past, but to an outside entity affiliated with the president.The groups that are leading Mr. Trump’s outside activities include Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC, and Securing American Greatness, a political nonprofit. It is not clear if the money would go to those groups or to a new entity the Trump team could create.The Times’ report arrived on the same day as Trump held an infomercial for Musk's flailing Tesla car company in the White House driveway, in which Trump used a sheet of talking points to praise its vehicles and say he would go after people who protest in front of Tesla dealerships by labeling them domestic terrorists. That event alone was corrupt enough.President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters near a Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025.But the fact that while Trump was doing Musk a solid by hawking his cars, Musk was considering giving Trump a massive amount of money to engage in the midterm elections is a level of corruption that’s hard to fathom."Outright corruption," Democratic Rep. Nadia Velazquez of New York wrote about the news in a post on X.“Even though it's out in the open, corruption is corruption,” Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said in a video post on X.But don’t expect the Department of Justice to investigate the donation if it hits the pockets of Trump’s operation.NBC News reported on Tuesday that the DOJ is “gutting the Justice Department's unit that oversees prosecutions of public officials accused of corruption.”From NBC’s report:The unit, the Public Integrity Section, has overseen some of the country’s most high-profile and sensitive prosecutions. Now, though, only a small fraction of its employees will remain, and the unit will no longer directly handle investigations or prosecutions, two sources said.Prosecutors in the unit, which had housed dozens of employees, are being told to take details to other positions within the department. Its current cases will be reassigned to U.S. attorneys’ offices around the country.David Laufman, a former head of the DOJ’s counterintelligence, told NBC News that the move raises, “serious questions about whether future investigations and prosecutions will be motivated by improper partisan considerations.”That turned out to be a prescient comment from Laufman since a Republican lawmaker on Tuesday used her power to demand the FBI and Department of Justice go after people who are protesting at Tesla dealerships."Attacks on Tesla must be investigated as domestic terrorism!" Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wrote in a post on X. "Today, my @DOGECommittee colleagues and I sent a letter to @AGPamBondi and @FBIDirectorKash asking for an investigation into the wave of organized attacks targeting @elonmusk, @Tesla, and the @DOGE effort. Who is behind it? Who is funding it? Is there a link with Democrat-leaning NGOs? We look forward to exposing these terrorists and bringing them to justice!"To lay it all out: The richest man in the world, whose empire is built on billions of taxpayer subsidies, spent at least $260 million to get Trump elected, and is now using Trump to advertise his car company from the White House in exchange for potentially even more money to benefit Trump’s political ambitions.There are no words for how sick and perverse this all is.Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Robert Garcia, right, pictured here with Rep. Jamie Raskin in 2024, could get more face time in Republican attack ads.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sending praise and thanks to a restaurant company that is embracing his Make America Healthy Again mantra.What Happened: Kennedy recently traveled to a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant to try their French fries, which are now cooked in beef tallow, a food item he has encouraged restaurants to switch to.The Health and Human Services Secretary joined Fox News host Sean Hannity for an interview at a Florida restaurant location where he told the newscaster consumers were "raving" about the French fries."Steak ‘n Shake just switched out, and people are raving about these French fries," Kennedy said.The restaurant company, which is owned by Biglari Holdings (NYSE:BH), recently announced it was switching from seed oils to beef tallow at all locations."It's a completely different experience," Kennedy said of the fries. "Steak and Shake has been great. We're very grateful to them for RFKing the French fries."Kennedy ate a double cheeseburger and fries during the interview with Hannity and discussed the negatives of seed oils and positives of beef tallow, as reported by the New York Post.Thank you for visiting Steak n Shake Secretary Kennedy! pic.twitter.com/pRu1u37MvW— Steak ...Full story available on Benzinga.com

Air Force fighter jets on Sunday intercepted a civilian aircraft flying in the temporarily restricted airspace near President Donald Trump’s Florida home.

If congressional Democrats are going to embrace performative politics, they should be sure to give a good performance.

Many Democrats are ready to throw the trans community overboard. It's immoral, delusional and politically stupid

Explaining the Right is a weekly series that looks at what the right wing is currently obsessing over, how it influences politics—and why you need to know.Donald Trump was on the receiving end of considerable criticism after he and is Vice President JD Vance launched a series of attacks against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28. But in the middle of the internationally condemned dressing-down, there was a curious side story that highlights the conservative movement’s hypocritical approach to international fashion.Brian Glenn, the White House correspondent for the extremely right-wing cable network Real America’s Voice, was in attendance and positioned just inches away from the action. Glenn, who is dating the notoriously trollish Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, was in place thanks to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s mandate to give MAGA-friendly media as much access as possible.Instead of asking the leaders about the implications of the meeting—lives are at stake in Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of Europe, after all—Glenn instead angrily brought up fashion.“Why don't you wear a suit?” Glenn asked Zelenskyy. “You're at the highest level in this country's office, and you refuse to wear a suit. Do you own a suit? A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the dignity of this office,” Glenn huffed.xxYouTube VideoTaken aback because he was probably thinking more about the civilians that have been murdered by Russian bombs than his simple shirt and pants, Zelensky responded, “I will wear costume after this war will finish.”Zelenskyy has become an international icon for his defiance of Russian encroachment and part of that world-famous imagery has been his decision to abandon a suit and tie in favor of casual clothing, denying himself luxury in solidarity with his citizens and the crisis they are facing. The other world leaders that he has met with since Russia invaded his country haven’t made an issue of his clothing—not former President Biden, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, nor French President Emmanuel Macron.The Ukrainian leader’s choice of dress echoes British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who wore a “siren suit” when he visited the United States in 1942 to request aid in his country’s fight against the fascist Axis powers.Conservatives getting up in arms about Zelenskyy’s wardrobe is particularly strange considering how often Trump wears his ill-fitting red MAGA hat, along with the extremely casual dress choices associated with previous Republican presidents.A look at past conservative tantrums about clothing shows that the right’s anger seems to be depend on who is doing the wearing, instead of what they wore. In other words, Republicans’ perceived enemies get a dressing down, not their own heroes.The most infamous right-wing freakout over clothing has been mocked for just how over-the-top the reaction was. Former President Barack Obama wore a tan suit to a 2014 White House briefing—and the world was never the same.Now-retired Republican Rep. Peter King took a break from attacking Muslim people to complain that Obama’s suit demonstrated a “lack of seriousness,” and expounded on the problem in a CNN appearance.“If you were the head of ISIS, if you were Baghdadi, if you were anyone in the ISIS, would you come away from yesterday afraid of the United States?” King said.The mainstream media took the ball from there, spending endless airtime on the suit.xxYouTube VideoIn another instance, George W. Bush’s chief of staff Andrew Card fumed in 2009 at Obama for not having a “dress code of respect” when he was seen working in the White House without a suit jacket. Card claimed that this was a break from decorum—but then photos of his boss and Ronald Reagan doing the same thing surfaced.Perhaps if Card had focused on more important matters, Bush would not forever be associated with the failed war in Iraq and a global recession.Conservatives have also had a lot to say about women’s fashion—particularly women in a position of leadership within the Democratic Party, like Hillary Clinton and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Their crime of fashion: wearing pantsuits.Rep. Kevin Cramer chided female Democratic representatives for their choice of garb at Trump’s presidential address in 2017, complaining about “bad-looking white pantsuits” worn in homage to suffragettes. Conservative conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck said Clinton’s trademark pantsuits were part of an “antichrist” ensemble back in 2009.Meanwhile it was crickets from conservatives when Bush posed for photos “clearing brush” while wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a cowboy hat, and they were even fine with Reagan wearing jeans while on horseback. There was no “-gate” style controversy when Reagan wore a ridiculous looking pair of high-waisted sweatpants while speaking to the media on Air Force One.Trump’s cartoonishly long red ties are no problem at all, and when Trump allowed his financier and co-President Elon Musk to essentially run a Cabinet meeting, the right had no issue with the billionaire wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt (which read “Tech Support”), and jeans.Even Fox News noted the hypocrisy of it all. The propaganda network’s White House correspondent Peter Doocy recently noted that Musk “never wears a suit” during his trips to Washington. Press secretary Leavitt replied that Musk wore a suit while attending Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday and “he looked great.”Her statement gave up the right’s game on fashion, which just echoes conservatives’ double standards on everything else. What makes them gnash their teeth when their enemies do it is accepted behavior on the right. Because being on their team is what matters, and Zelenskyy’s stance in favor of freedom isn’t what the GOP signed up for.Campaign Action

Elon Musk, who leads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, isn't drawing high approval ratings in a new poll.What Happened: According to a new Emerson College poll of voters in February, President Donald Trump lost support from January.The same poll asked voters their thoughts on Musk, who Trump put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency.The poll asked: "Do you approve or disapprove of the job Elon Musk is doing at the Department of Government Efficiency?"The results were:Approve: 41%Disapprove: 45%Neutral: 14%The poll found Musk to have a lower approval rating than Trump (48%) and a higher disapproval rating (42%). This suggests that voters don't approve of Musk's role at DOGE or the new department overall.Voters also showed minimal support for the DOGE and the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Education.The poll ...Full story available on Benzinga.com

Two European men have been charged with federal crimes in connection with swatting attempts involving about 100 victims, including Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) is under scrutiny after blasting Elon Musk and DOGE in colorful comments.

A California congressman is finding out what happens when you dare to mock Elon Musk in Donald Trump's America.Rep. Robert Garcia on Thursday posted a letter he received from the Department of Justice saying that billionaire co-President Musk and his minions in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency are concerned that the outspoken Democrat is threatening them.“So if you criticize Elon Musk, Trump’s DOJ will send you this letter,” Garcia wrote on Bluesky. “Members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration. I will not be silenced.”xSo if you criticize Elon Musk, Trump’s DOJ will send you this letter. Members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration. I will not be silenced.— Robert Garcia (@robertgarcia.bsky.social) 2025-02-20T19:55:59.203ZThe letter addressed to Garcia and signed by interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin Jr. quotes the congressman’s Feb. 12 appearance on CNN."What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight,” Garcia said when asked how Democrats can stop the unelected Musk’s takeover of the U.S. government. “This is an actual fight for democracy.”The letter to Garcia appears to be an opening salvo in “Operation Whirlwind,” a new push to prosecute threats against public officials that Martin announced to DOJ prosecutors on Wednesday.“This sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk,” the letter continues, “an appointed representative of President Donald Trump who you call a ‘dick’—and government staff who work for him. Their concerns have led to this inquiry.”Martin appeared to be referring to the Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee’s first chaotic hearing, where Garcia chided chair Marjorie Taylor Greene’s previous antics.“In the last Congress, Chairwoman Greene literally showed a dick pic in our Oversight congressional hearing. So, I thought I'd bring one as well,” Garcia said before proffering a picture of Musk. During his CNN appearance, host Brianna Keilar asked Garcia a question: “Do you think that calling Elon Musk a ‘dick’ is effective messaging for confronting what is a potentially irreversible transformation of the U.S. government?”The congressman pulled no punches in his response.“Well, he is a dick, and I think he’s also harming the American public in an enormous way,” Garcia said. “What I think is really important and what the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy, for the future of this country, and it’s important to push back on the chairperson of this committee.”xxYouTube VideoWho is to say if Musk is indeed a “dick” or not? The fact of the matter is that calling the world’s richest man a “dick” isn’t a physical threat, and Garcia’s First Amendment rights allow him to use the descriptor. So “dick” or not, self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Musk and the Department of Justice have no right to be threatening a congressman.Martin previously sucked up to Musk by threatening legal action against people perceived to be harassing his anonymous and unvetted DOGE dorks as they gained access to Americans’ sensitive personal and financial information.Garcia is one of six Democrats on the Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee. Under the leadership of infamous crackpot Greene, the committee’s first hearing went off the rails almost instantly. The Southern California congressman has been vocal in demanding answers from Musk and Trump for their likely illegal efforts to dismantle government agencies. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace has also threatened to file a resolution to censure Garcia over his “bring actual weapons to a bar fight” figure of speech, which is a variation of “Never bring a knife to a gun fight.” Here is the full text of Martin’s letter to Garcia:As United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, I receive requests for information and clarification. I take these requests seriously and act on them with letters like this one you are receiving.At this time, I respectfully request that you clarify your comments from February 12, 2025. During a live interview with CNN, when asked how Democrats can stop Elon Musk, you spoke clearly: "What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy."This sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk - an appointed representative of President Donald Trump who you call a "dick" - and government staff who work for him. Their concerns have led to this inquiry.We take threats against public officials very seriously. I look forward to your cooperation with my letter of inquiry after request. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Please respond by February 24, 2025. Should you have further questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to call my office or schedule a time to meet in person.Click here for Daily Kos’ Bluesky Starter Pack. Join us on Bluesky and @#$% that "dick," Elon Musk!Campaign Action

Ed Martin, Trump's pick for U.S. Attorney for DC, warned Rep. Robert Garcia to leave Musk and DOGE alone

FIRST ON FOX: The legislation would terminate U.S. membership in the United Nations and its affiliated bodies, and funding to those groups.

Patel's nomination heads for a full Senate confirmation vote in the early afternoon.

The Senate voted to confirm Patel, a veteran of Trump's first administration who drafted the 'Nunes memo' on the Crossfire Hurricane probe.

Data: Reporters Without Borders; Chart: Axios VisualsPresident Trump, in small and unprecedented ways, is punishing media companies more than any leader since America's founding.Why it matters: Once considered a bastion for free expression, America's record on press freedoms has fallen to a historic low, according to Reporters Without Borders. Under Trump's second presidency, the press is "under siege," the group argues.The big picture: Trump is targeting traditional media sources at a moment of tremendous vulnerability for the industry.American trust in media has hit an all-time low. Most U.S. counties have little to no local news sources anymore.In his first four weeks, Trump's Administration has:Banned the Associated Press: The White House last week said it would bar the AP from future events in the Oval Office and Air Force One over its decision not to directly follow Trump's executive order renaming "Gulf of Mexico" as "Gulf of America" in its style guidance.Ended federal news subscriptions: The State Department on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of news subscriptions around the world. The directive came shortly after the executive branch said it will stop spending money on Politico subscriptions after paying the outlet millions last year.Reshuffled Pentagon press: The Defense Department informed several outlets, including NPR, NBC News, Politico and CNN that they had to move out of their workspaces at the Correspondents' Corridor in the Pentagon, although their press credentials will remain intact. They will be replaced by mostly conservative outlets such as Washington Examiner, Daily Caller, and Newsmax, and others under a new rotation system.Zoom in: These moves, while punitive, are temporary and a new president can easily reverse them. Broader efforts to target media companies by Trump, his administration and a Republican-led Congress recently could be harder to unwind. Congressional PBS, NPR probe: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has called on the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify at a DOGE subcommittee hearing about what she says is "systemically biased content." It's the first hearing to be announced for the subcommittee. Both broadcasters rely on congressionally appropriated funding to survive.FCC PBS, NPR probe: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is also investigating the two public broadcasters over whether their member stations violated FCC rules around airing commercial ads. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr implied that the investigation could help influence Congress' funding decision. FCC Comcast/NBC investigation: Carr informed Comcast he is opening an investigation into the company's diversity, equity and inclusion practices. It marked the first public effort by the new administration to target a private company for its DEI initiatives.FCC CBS inquiry: Carr opened an inquiry into CBS News to evaluate whether it violated the FCC's news distortion rules when it edited a "60 Minutes" interview with 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris during the campaign. The inquiry adds pressure to CBS, as it considers whether to settle a separate lawsuit filed against it last year by Trump before he took office.Reality check: A strong U.S. legal and regulatory framework makes it difficult for Trump and his regulators to go after media companies without likely having to defend at least some of their actions in court.Efforts by Trump to block reporters during his first administration didn't pass muster in court, and First Amendment experts believe the principles established by those decisions should apply to the AP's situation if it's litigated.Zoom out: Bullying and harassment campaigns, which include everything from lawsuits to name-calling, are often easier and more effective than leveraging presidential powers.Lawsuits drain media companies of precious time and resources. Public bashing undermines the public's trust in the media, which can have a material impact on business.Trump and Elon Musk have both attacked journalists by name on their respective social media platforms in recent weeks.Trump unleashed a slew of lawsuits against the media industry last year before he took office. He recently increased his lawsuit claim against CBS from $10 billion when it was initially filed to $20 billion. He sued and eventually settled a lawsuit with ABC, even though some legal experts said ABC could've won the case. In December, he filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and its top pollster, while vowing to continue suing news outlets and influencers.What to watch: Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order that gives him greater power over independent regulatory agencies, including agencies like the FCC that govern media companies. The bottom line: Trump and his allies have vowed to go after the media if he won reelection. They weren't bluffing.

Irony meters popped over the Donald Trump acolyte's social media post.

Another week of Donald Trump's presidency is in the rearview. And like the two weeks before it, it was filled with lawless actions, lies, and ridiculous behavior that Republicans lined up to defend.Trump threw Ukraine under the bus and appears likely to let murderous Russian dictator Vladimir Putin seize control of the sovereign nation. He also fired more independent watchdogs, let more corrupt politicians off the hook, slashed grants to medical research, and he even said he might ignore court rulings blocking his unlawful actions.And like the pathetic lapdogs they are, Republicans defended every move.After multiple federal judges of all ideological stripes blocked some of Trump’s executive actions, Republicans pushed the country further into a constitutional crisis by backing Trump when he suggested he’ll ignore those court orders and do whatever he wants.“It seems hard to believe that a judge could say, ‘We don’t want you to do that.’ So maybe we have to look at the judges. ‘Cause I think that’s a very serious violation,” Trump said on Tuesday.Trump likely got this idea from his own vice president, who wrote in an X post on Feb. 9 that judges shouldn’t be allowed to stop the president’s executive power. “If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” he wrote.And other Republicans agreed with the false statement that the courts are not allowed to check the president’s power—when that’s exactly what the Constitution dictates.“Of course the branches have to respect our constitutional order but there’s a lot of game yet to be played. This will be appealed, we’ve got to go through the whole process, and we’ll get the final analysis. In the interim, I will say that I agree wholeheartedly with Vice President JD Vance, my friend, because he’s right,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said during a news conference on Tuesday.Later that day, he said that the courts should back off of Trump altogether.“I think that the courts should take a step back and allow these processes to play out. What we’re doing is good and right for the American people,” Johnson told reporters, specifically referring to the cuts co-President Elon Musk is trying to make with his fake agency, the Department of Government Efficiency.Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah"I don't believe judges, courts have the authority or power to stick their nose into the constitutional authority of the president,” Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said.“These judges need to back off and get out of the way of what the executive branch is doing to administer the government,” Roy said on Fox News.Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also expressed agreement that courts don’t have the power to challenge Trump’s executive orders.“These judges are waging an unprecedented assault on legitimate presidential authority, all the way down to dictating what webpages the government has. This is absurd,” he wrote on X.Rep. Darrel Issa, Republican of California, claimed that “nowhere in our Constitution is a single federal judge given absolute power over the President or the people of the United States.”But, of course, the Supreme Court ruled in the landmark 1803 Marbury v. Madison case that the judiciary has the power to declare laws or actions unconstitutional. On the other hand, Sen. Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota seemed to acknowledge that ignoring court orders is wrong, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to criticize Trump.“I think what you're seeing right now is the natural give and take between branches of the government,” he said.A handful of other Trump sycophants went a step further, saying that they would launch an impeachment effort against the judges who block Trump's actions.“I’m drafting articles of impeachment for US District Judge Paul Engelmayer. Partisan judges abusing their positions is a threat to democracy. The left has done ‘irreparable harm’ to this country. President Trump and his team at @DOGE are trying to fix it,” Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona wrote on X, referring to the federal judge who blocked Musk from accessing Treasury data.And Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia wrote on X that he is backing Crane’s efforts.“The real constitutional crisis is taking place in our judicial branch. Activist judges are weaponizing their power in an attempt to block President Trump’s agenda and obstruct the will of the American people. [Crane] and I are leading the fight to stop this insanity,” he wrote.Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia called for the impeachment of another federal judge who blocked Trump’s freeze on congressionally appropriated federal funds.“This judge is a Trump deranged Democrat activist. Below is proof he is not capable of making good decisions from the bench. He should be impeached,” Greene wrote on X.Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio backed those efforts, saying the judges blocking Trump’s actions “should be mocked and ignored while articles of impeachment are prepared.”“These clowns are undermining every lower court, leaving the sole burden on SCOTUS. This is not sustainable. Sadly, excesses in judicial and executive authority are a symptom of the real problem: Congress keeps failing to take action. Time for #DeedsNotWords,” he wrote on X.Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, once a fierce defender of watchdogs, was fine with Trump axing the inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development who said that Trump's unlawful shuttering of the agency let hundreds of millions of dollars worth of food aid go to waste. Grassley said that he "should have been fired," and gave Trump a workaround to make the firing legal. "I'm just trying to make the president's job easier," Grassley said, completely ditching his past watchdog advocacy to bow down to Trump.Other GOP lawmakers chose Trump over their own constituents, who are being directly harmed by the president’s actions.Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio said that Trump’s decision to drastically cut back National Institutes of Health funding for medical research institutions is a good thing, even though it would decimate institutions in his own state and beyond.“Well, I think what happens is the president is exactly right. I think if you ask the average American if we were spending a billion dollars to cure childhood cancer, how much of the billion dollars would go towards during childhood cancer? They’d probably say a billion. The idea that 60% goes to indirect cost and overhead is insane. And so I applaud the president,” he told the BulwarkAnd Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri said that Trump's funding freeze, which is hurting farmers who are not being paid for contracts, is just a "little bit disruptive."“But that's what this administration promised whenever they were coming to Washington,” Smith said on CNN, “is that they would be disruptive.”xRep. Jason Smith dismisses farmers in his state who are getting stiffed by the US government not fulfilling contracts: "Right now it's a little bit disruptive, but that's what this administration promised whenever they were coming to Washington is that they would be disruptive."— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-02-11T17:38:10.608ZThank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

Fundraising for the Feb. 25 Urbana mayoral primary election is approaching the $50,000 mark, with most of it going to DeShawn Williams, the chief deputy in the Champaign County treasurer’s office.

California Rep. Robert Garcia slammed Musk during a House Oversight Committee hearing on his agency, DOGE.

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. After months of negotiations, Republicans took formal steps this week toward enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda. The House Budget Committee appears set to approve [...]The post At the Races: Talkin’ ’bout a Resolution appeared first on Roll Call.

House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-S.C., waged "war on waste" during first hearing.

Elon Musk, a man absent from the proceedings, was a major focus—but possible solutions to waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid were addressed too.

Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette challenges some of President Donald Trump's early moves to increase the efficiency of the federal government, pointing out that the inspectors general he fired focused on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico is the ranking Democrat on the House’s new Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee—and on Wednesday, she showed why. Along with the rest of the Democrats on the dais, Stansbury stood up for democracy at the subcommittee’s first hearing. She excoriated Republicans for their fealty to billionaires like Elon Musk, the unelected meddler who is supposedly cutting government waste with seemingly limitless power and impunity.Chaired by the reprehensible Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the subcommittee purportedly supports the work of the very unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE. President Donald Trump appointed Musk to run the so-called department, which has resulted in chaos as the billionaire and his minions trample through every government agency, recommending and enacting draconian cuts while gaining access to crucial data and information.“We are going to have so much fun in this committee,” Stansbury said before turning her attention to a video presented earlier by the GOP, which showed President Barack Obama signing a 2011 executive order that set up an oversight and advisory board in a push to limit government waste. “I actually worked on the waste EO that was referenced,” Stansbury said. “But there is one fundamental difference between the presidents and vice presidents that were shown on that video and what's happening today, and that is that they followed the law.”“We work for the American people,” Stansbury reminded her colleagues before denouncing Musk and the GOP’s attempts to characterize our federal workforce as waste. “Unfortunately, my colleagues right now are working on a reconciliation deal to cut Medicaid, to cut Medicare, and use that money to give tax breaks to their billionaire buddies. That is the gravy train that is actually going on here.”xxYouTube Video“Because this is the oversight committee, let’s do some oversight,” Stansbury said before digging in on Musk’s dangerous desire to hack our Treasury Department.“This system pays the bills,” she explained. “It pays our soldiers. It pays for the work that we do overseas. It pays your Social Security benefits. It pays your tax refunds. So why is Elon Musk and his hackers trying to access that system?"xxYouTube Video"So what is going on here, and why is this such a threat to the American people?” Stansbury proceeded. “We know they're trying to shut down payments. They're trying to shut down agencies. What's next? Are they going to shut down your Social Security payments? We don't know because they have no oversight,” Stansbury added, pointing out that Republicans have blocked attempts to subpoena the billionaire to appear in front of the committee. “So we are sounding the alarm,” Stansbury continued. “And no matter how many executive orders that Donald Trump signs or how many tweets the VP sends, you cannot rewrite the Constitution and we are going to hold you to account.”Hear, hear.xxYouTube VideoYou can help ensure that Daily Kos remains the paywall-free home for our shared fight for democracy and justice. Daily Kos is supported by readers like you.

As snow falls on D.C., House Republicans push forward on President Donald Trump's agenda with multiple bills and visits to the Capitol.

Co-president Elon Musk now has more power, thanks to an order signed by President Donald Trump, and it seems like he’s going to use it to enact further federal spending cuts.The “special government employee” was given more jurisdiction by his second in command, who signed an executive order on Tuesday that effectively compels federal agencies to collaborate with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.Underscoring his support for Musk’s plans to cut spending, the executive order has specific instructions that direct federal agency heads to “coordinate and consult with DOGE to shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions.” Each agency will also be limited to hiring for so-called “essential positions,” according to a summary of the decree. (There are some exceptions for organizations such as immigration enforcement, law enforcement, and public safety.)In addition, the order said federal agencies can only rehire a maximum of a single worker for every four people who leave. This is all a part of DOGE’s “workplace optimization initiative,” which is jargon for bulldozing the bureaucratic apparatus in MAGA’s image. Considering Musk’s unpopularity and the fact that about half of Americans don’t want him involved in spending decisions, it’s somewhat surprising that Trump continues to elevate Musk’s political influence and is fully behind the mega-billionaire efforts to cut red tape. So far, that’s already included basically shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development and limiting hiring. But these moves haven’t come without consequence: DOGE is facing multiple lawsuits from labor unions and Democratic state attorneys general for potentially running afoul of the law. After all, they can’t shut down federal agencies without first seeking congressional approval.That probably won’t stop the duo from trying, though. That’s especially true for Musk, who was just given more control over “reducing the unnecessary footprint of government.” But as Daily Kos has reported extensively, his plans so far have been short-sighted and could have deadly consequences.Notably, it doesn’t appear that programs and agencies beloved by Republicans are safe from Musk, either. NOTUS reported on Wednesday that Musk and his DOGE team are eyeing Pentagon spending, which has some Republicans worried that Musk will touch their stuff. GOP lawmakers are apparently so desperate to make sure that their precious dollars don’t go bye-bye that they’re putting their faith in alcoholic sexual harasser Pete Hegseth (who also leads the Department of Defense), to keep the DOGE efforts in line.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth“While we’re certainly looking for efficiencies, there are security concerns,” Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican of Mississippi, told NOTUS. “I hope the administration and Mr. Musk can be mindful of that.”Trump has ceded so much power to Musk, though, that it’s unclear whether the president will have a say or simply defer to his “first buddy” on what spending should be reduced first. Indeed, Musk’s growing presence was on full display on Tuesday during the signing of the DOGE-related executive order. Musk, who stood over Trump while the president sat behind the Resolute Desk, even answered questions from the press, which surely ought to make Trump feel even smaller than he is. When rationalizing his want for more spending cuts, Musk told reporters, “The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get. They’re going to get what they voted for.” Musk, of course, was never elected by the public to get the role he now has.Indeed, Musk’s power grab makes Trump look feeble by comparison. As MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell said during Tuesday’s joint press conference, Trump was left looking like the “most powerless” president ever caught on camera.Maybe the president and Musk’s most recent moves are because the administration is desperate for more cash and is reportedly running low on it. After all, on Tuesday, members of Trump’s administration practically begged Senate Republicans to find $175 million so they could fulfill the president’s inhumane border and immigration wants. Let’s hope Musk and his team make his plans to gut more agencies clearer at Wednesday’s subcommittee hearing. The panel, chaired by conspiracy-loving, right-wing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican of Georgia, is set to discuss “stamping out the scourge of improper payments and fraud.”There’s an irony to the fact that Greene, who, four years ago, was completely stripped of her committee assignments, now spearheads one of the most high-profile subcommittees in Congress. But then again, given that Musk seems to employ some of the worst people, she should fit right in. Campaign Action

House GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke with reporters after the first hearing of her DOGE subcommittee under the House Committee on Oversight.

Democrat lawmakers were ripped by conservatives over an anti-DOGE rally held outside the Treasury Department on Tuesday night, where Elon Musk was called a "Nazi."

A new internal memo being circulated among certain Republican lawmakers is encouraging a set of talking points to push back on criticism of Trump's foreign policy.

For every action, says one principle of both physics and politics, there is a reaction. So when President Donald Trump threatened to put conditions on disaster aid in the wake of California’s unprecedented January firestorms, there was a reaction. Many Californians, according to a poll taken during those Southern California blazes, the most devastating in American history [...]

The president drew criticism for his response during a press conference with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

'The coddling is for the white boys'

A 538 politics chat on Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.

The congresswoman compared herself to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert in a fierce takedown of the new regime.

A January filing shows that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene reported a purchase in Home Depot (NYSE:HD), valued between $1,001 and $15,000. The transaction date is listed as January 27, 2025, with the report published on January 27, 2025.At present, Home Depot shares are trading down 0.97% at $420.75.Representative's Recent Trading ActivityIn the last three years, Marjorie Taylor Greene completed 163 stock transactions totaling more than $1.14 million. Costco Wholesale and Home Depot stocks were among the largest trades. Some of the most notable transactions the Rep. has executed recently include: Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE): $1,001 - $15,000 PurchaseAmazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN): $1,001 - $15,000 PurchaseApplied Mat (NASDAQ:Full story available on Benzinga.com

The far-right lawmaker inspired mockery in a pitch on X to change the map the Trump way.

Fauci says he has continued to face death threats for his role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Laken Riley Act would require the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes

While a name change for the Gulf of Mexico could be applied for federal references, other nations have no obligation to follow suit.

Elon Musk is seen on a television during a watch party for the second inauguration of President Donald Trump at Union Pub on Capitol Hill on Monday.

Trump reportedly has plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali in his first day in office — but can he?