This week, Lisa and David talk about how we woke up in an autocracy (see references below). The Trump administration's recent actions, which we characterize as autocratic and illegal. Elon Musk and his team have taken over the Office of Personnel Management and the Treasury Department, dismissing officials who opposed them and gaining access to sensitive information. They have also purged officials from the Department of Justice and the FBI, targeting those involved in prosecuting Trump and his allies. These actions have been met with little resistance from Congress and the media, leaving the public as the last line of defense against Trump's consolidation of power. Also, Siri hates Lisa; FAA, DEI, and the crash; LA protests; tariffs; Deepseek; Resistbot and other actions you can take; and more.
Links:
Elon Musk Is Running the Twitter Playbook on the Federal Government (Wired)
Musk aides lock Office of Personnel Management workers out of computer systems (Reuters)
Elon Musk’s Team Now Has Access to Treasury’s Payments System (New York Times)
Musk's team given access to U.S. government payment system (Reuters)
Senior US Treasury official to exit after rift with Musk allies (Reuters)
How an arcane Treasury Department office became ground zero in the war over federal spending (CNN)
We do not know what exactly Elon Musk is doing to the federal government (CNN)
The Network State Coup is Happening Right Now (Gil Duran - The Nerd Reich)
DOJ seeks list of potentially thousands of FBI employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases (ABC News)
The Real Reason Trump’s Purge of Career DOJ Officials Should Alarm You (Just Security)
Trump makes moves to expand his power, sparking chaos and a possible constitutional crisis (AP)
Trump's Attempt to Usurp Congress's Spending Power (Reason)
Resistbot - Contact all your officials at once
Chop Wood, Carry Water - Jessica Craven Substack
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