Because DOGE has shut down USAID's payment system (Phoenix), our housing electricity and the electricity in our USAID building have not been paid for. Mission leadership has informed us that the only reason our electricity is on is because we've asked for an extension from the electric company. The Mission asked for a waiver but because our payment system is down, the Treasury has no way to issue money to USAID and State Department representatives here are hesitant to make payments on our behalf for fear of not being reimbursed. 7. Once the electricity goes out in our homes, we lose access to our security cameras and radios. Again, I live in a high-risk post, so access to security systems is very important to me. 8. I have been told by Mission leadership that the cell phone and internet bills are due this week with no way to pay them. This is despite the so-called "waiver" process that has been allegedly implemented to preserve such access. 9. Our cell phones and radios are also the only way to communicate with the Regional Security Office about security threats. We have access to no other USAID security systems.

The agency is also considering spending about $25,000 to install a washer and dryer on the building’s 6th floor, according to a Feb. 25 invoice obtained by POLITICO. There is also a child’s play area decorated with a stuffed animal and toys, according to a photo of the room shared with POLITICO. “People are definitely … sleeping there,” said one GSA staffer.

DOGE cut off payments for the electricity, cell phone, and internet service of U.S. government employees who work in a high-risk area in Central America.

Meanwhile, DOGE apparently plans to spend $25,000 to install a washer and dryer for their own personal use in a federal office building in DC.

A black mobile billboard truck parked near the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in D.C. On the side and back of the truck, a LED screen reads: Are (were) you a government worker? ProPublica journalists want to hear from you. Signal: 917-512-0201. propublica.org/tips.

Current and former federal workers: We’re here in D.C. sending out our signal 🚨

Contact us confidentially on Signal at 917-512-0201 or go to propublica.org/tips.

Quite the message from the guy running our government

Andrew Tate and His Brother Are Said to Leave Romania for the U.S. Andrew and Tristan Tate, the online influencers, are facing investigations in Romania and Britain, including accusations of human trafficking and sex crimes.

You can’t make this stuff up. Trump supporters spent the past few years obsessing over an apparent sex trafficking cabal in charge of our country. And yet one of the first things Trump seems to have done, apparently, is push to get the Tates, charged with sex trafficking, released from Romania.

Hell yeah bring back those buttons

Tesla Fires a Manager Who Criticized Elon Musk on Social Media The employee objected to a post on X by Mr. Musk, Tesla’s chief executive and a top adviser to President Trump, that referred to Nazi leaders.

free speech! www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/b...

With RFK Jr. at his side, a measles outbreak could prove 'politically perilous' for Trump The health secretary has long pushed misinformation about vaccines and played down an outbreak in Texas that has led to the death of a child.

HHS Secretary Kennedy has been scarce at headquarters, has not visited a number of HHS agencies and has not sent all-staff emails to the department's workforce, according to one department official.

Notably, this person says, Kennedy has not done anything to address the measles outbreak.

One thing that popped out of YouGov polling this week: The idea of Musk making money off his access is VERY unpopular.

Meta fires 20 employees for leaking The company announced the firings after a string of leaks about CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s internal comments.

With Meta out there banging on the "snitches get stitches" drum, seemed like a good time to lay out my best guidance for tech industry employees who feel a need to speak up. Below are a few notes:

www.theverge.com/labor/621059...

This buffoon almost got a Navy SEAL team killed www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc... and endangered a hostage rescue operation www.msnbc.com/top-stories/.... Look at the mess he's already making.

“Why would you buy something that’s just going to lose value?” Cecilia Ullman, Parquet Installer

Trump Plans To Sell $5 Million Gold Card Visa To Attract Rich Foreigners
theonion.com/trump-p...

Rubio terminated 5800 USAID contracts – more than 90% of its foreign aid programs – in defiance of the courts.

Here’s a list of just some of the lifesaving awards that were terminated. Nearly all were Congressionally mandated. They’ve saved millions of lives. 🧵

Warren: Elon, stop being such a coward. You claim to be for maximum transparency—so get out of your bunker and come face real questions.

New York Times headline "Trump Called for I.V.F. to Be Free, How Would That Work?" August 30, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/30/health/trump-free-ivf-treatment.html

CNN headline "Trump proposes making government or insurance companies pay for IVF treatments." August 29, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/politics/trump-ivf-treatment-proposal/index.html

Washington Post headline "Trump says he wants to cover IVF costs as president." August 29, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-says-he-wants-to-cover-ivf-costs-as-president/2024/08/29/d480c9ec-d495-4ee7-a1fe-9142ab0334d0_video.html

NBC News headline "Trump says he wants to make IVF treatments paid for by government or insurance companies if elected," August 29, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-wants-make-ivf-treatments-paid-government-insurance-compani-rcna168804

How could that Trump voter have believed electing him would make IVF free? She must've been into fringey alternative media, maybe saw it from some influencer, professional media outlets would never oh no.

Trump administration removes student loan repayment applications from Education Dept. website The Trump administration has taken down the applications for popular student loan repayments plans from the U.S. Department of Education's website.

The Trump admin has removed the applications for student loan repayment plans from the Education Department's website. www.cnbc.com/2025/02/27/s...

Fox News just said the U.S. doesn't have anything like China's Belt and Road Initiative, which is hilarious. We did. It was called USAID.

Who Is the Anonymous Data Expert Telling Elon Which Cuts to Make? Conservatives cite her account to spread misinformation about federal agencies. DataRepublican has worked at a tech firm that’s battled the CFPB.

SCOOP: Elon's favorite anon data expert, who's been appearing on NewsNation in sunglasses, isn't a govt. spending expert but rather a senior employee at an AI lending firm that's battled the CFPB for years.

Me at @rollingstone.com

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Millions of immigrants to be surveilled under Trump, largest US immigration contractor says Geo Group, an Ice partner, is moving at ‘unprecedented speed’ to build out its monitoring, executive chair says

The Geo Group, ICE's largest private contractor, said it's ramping up production of ankle monitors & other electronic monitoring devices to be able to track anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions more immigrants to meet the expected demand of Trump admin

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

She hoped Trump’s victory would change her life, but not like this Ryleigh Cooper is normally more focused on motherhood than politics. Then came DOGE.

People’s reactions to these stories tend to be of the leopards-eating-faces variety but this is a great piece of reporting in part about how voters very disconnected from politics make their choices.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

a bunch of the stuff currently being cancelled right now will end up being contracted out at 4x the cost in 6-12 months.

Seeing quite a lot of panic about this news: if VRBPAC doesn't issue recommendations about the strains for the 2025-2026 season, vaccine manufacturers will just use WHO's recommendations. The lack of US input would mean, at most, a less tailored vaccine, but it's guesswork anyway.

I'm no politician, but there's not a representative in this country who couldn't find a bright, young, patriotic federal employee from their district who got the buzz saw from Musk and Trump. Get them on camera. Make these job losses personal, ya know.

Tesla’s shareholders just lost another $38,640,000,000 today — a total $TSLA loss of $600 billion since December.

Tesla’s CEO was not in the office.

In literally any other public company ever, this would be the point where the CEO gets fired.

Thousands in Midwestern GOP Districts Attend Sanders' First Stops on Tour to Fight Oligarchy | Common Dreams Senator Bernie Sanders is on a mission to fight oligarchy and empower the people. With a powerful message against Trumpism and billionaire influence, he's rallying Americans to stand up for democracy....

This is really smart by @sanders.senate.gov Go to republican districts and push voters to pressure their republican reps.

www.commondreams.org/news/bernie-...

UPDATE on town hall chaos: Woman who was dragged out speaks, police chief condemns security, name of security firm confirmed A legislative town hall organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee devolved into chaos Saturday when unidentified, plainclothes security personnel dragged a Post Falls woman from th...

For those following the story of unidentified men violently dragging a protester from a local Idaho GOP meeting, it turns out they were from a private security firm called LEAR Asset Management. But neither the sheriff (who watched it all go down) or the GOP will take responsibility for hiring them.

The reply email inbox for this “what did you do last week” email is HR@opm.gov, so, you know, definitely don’t send them any unrelated messages that would interfere with their ability to carry out Elon’s dumbass bullshit

I posted this longer version on X

#Emails2DOGE
cc: HR@OPM.gov

Anti-DEI is white nationalism disguised as…well nothing.

Being a Black person and being a woman makes a person DEI, apparently. Not a DEI hire, but DEI itself. Per the NYT.