Today's Liberal News
Trump’s spending freeze spreads chaos across US
Supporters of climate, infrastructure, mortgage, tech, health, veterans’ and other projects expressed alarm as tens of thousands of programs appeared possibly at risk.
Lael Brainard’s ‘Crisis Management Agency’ — and Her Warning For Trump
Joe Biden’s top economic adviser opens up on harrowing moments from her time in the White House, and what makes her nervous about the Trump agenda.
Stephen Miran is Trump’s pick to lead Council of Economic Advisers
Miran has called for a sweeping overhaul of the Fed to ensure greater political control over the central bank, including giving the president the power to fire board members at will.
“Educational Arson”: Trump Moves to Abolish Dept. of Education Amid Broader Attack on Public Schools
As the Trump administration, led in part by his unelected adviser Elon Musk, sets its sights on cutting the Department of Education, we speak to longtime educator Jesse Hagopian about what he calls an “extremist, authoritarian power grab to dismantle public education and enforce ideological conformity.” Hagopian, whose new book, Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education, traces the history of racist educational censorship, adds, “This isn’t about protecting children.
DOGE working with two Trump health appointees to examine Medicare and Medicaid books
The Trump political appointees are leading the agency’s “collaboration” with Elon Musk’s team.
How the Tariff Whiplash Could Haunt Pricing
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When it comes to tariffs for Canada and Mexico, America is ending the week pretty much as it started.
What Is AI Distillation?
This is Atlantic Intelligence, a newsletter in which our writers help you wrap your mind around artificial intelligence and a new machine age. Sign up here.
OpenAI has said that it believes that DeepSeek, the Chinese start-up behind the shockingly powerful AI model that launched last month, may have ripped off its technology. The irony is rich: We’ve known for some time that generative AI tends to be built on stolen media—books, movie subtitles, visual art.
What the Democrats’ Musk Whisperer Thinks Now
Representative Ro Khanna has known Elon Musk for more than a decade, so he thought he should raise some concerns about the billionaire’s assault on the federal government where he would be sure to see them. Posting on the platform Musk owns, the California Democrat said yesterday that Musk should be hauled before Congress to explain himself. “Musk’s attacks on our institutions are unconstitutional,” Khanna wrote.
It took Musk just 16 minutes to reply: “Don’t be a dick.
Trump Takes Over the Kennedy Center
Updated at 7:48 p.m. on February 7, 2025
Artists embarrassed Donald Trump when he first came to Washington. Now that Trump is back in power, he is determined not to let that happen again.
Paranoia Is Winning
The Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate USAID is many things: an unfolding humanitarian nightmare, a rollback of American soft power, the thin end of a wedge meant to reorder the Constitution. But upon closer examination, it is also an outbreak of delusional paranoia that has spread from Elon Musk throughout the Republican Party’s rank and file.
Several days ago, the administration began promoting the theory that USAID was secretly directing a communist conspiracy of unknown dimensions.
Trump Guts EPA’s Environmental Justice Office, Putting Poorest Communities of Color at More Risk
The Trump administration is planning to shutter the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights at the Environmental Protection Agency and has placed nearly 170 employees on administrative leave. “I’m very concerned about the deregulation and the focus on corporate profits,” says Mustafa Santiago Ali, the former head of the environmental justice program at the EPA.
“Authoritarian Rampage”: Trump/Musk Sued to Block DOGE Access to Confidential Info of Millions
A lawsuit by a coalition of labor unions Thursday prompted the Labor Department to agree not to release any sensitive economic and privacy data to DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk. Musk’s group has already gained access to sensitive files and computer systems across other key agencies as part of a push to restructure much of the federal government.
Holding Musk Accountable: Rep. Ro Khanna on Stopping DOGE’s “Unconstitutional” Power Grab
We speak with Democratic Congressmember Ro Khanna of California about the Trump administration’s ongoing assault on the federal bureaucracy and the gutting of various agencies, led by the president’s unelected billionaire adviser Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
“No DOGE employee should have access to any of Americans’ sensitive, confidential information, and they should not have access to be able to stop payments,” he says.
The Real Reason Tech Bros Are Following Elon Musk’s Lead to Leave Delaware
Mark Zuckerberg and other execs might follow Elon Musk out the door.
Trump Is Deleting the Data That Keeps This Country Running
The gutting of government statistics is a recipe for chaos.
Money Talks: Is Silicon Valley Coming for Our Democracy?
Historian Quinn Slobodian joins Felix Salmon to discuss how his book on market radicals is more relevant than ever.
The Federal Employee ‘Buyout’ Sounds Bogus
There’s not a lot of evidence that the resignation offer will be honored.
Health agencies sued after taking down data following Trump order
It’s the latest lawsuit pushing back on the Trump administration’s shakeup of the federal government.
How Bill Cassidy got to ‘yes’ on RFK Jr.
The Louisiana Republican said he hoped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would be “a partner” in promoting good health.
Bill Cassidy’s decision on RFK Jr. could jeopardize his Senate career
As a doctor, Cassidy is troubled by RFK Jr. As a politician, he has reason to support him anyway.
Finance Committee to vote on RFK Jr. Tuesday
Kennedy’s approval by the committee is far from certain.
Pro-RFK Jr. letter to the Senate includes names of doctors whose licenses were revoked or suspended
The letter was meant to lend credibility to Kennedy’s nomination.
Is Aziz Ansari Sorry?
The Waves also discusses the Riverside Church controversy and the case of Sarah Milov.
Your Opinions on Her Wardrobe Are Probably Unwelcome
What we say matters, especially depending on whom we say it to.
What Role Does HR Play in the #MeToo Era?
The Waves also discusses the case against Jeffrey Epstein and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble.
Trump’s spending freeze spreads chaos across US
Supporters of climate, infrastructure, mortgage, tech, health, veterans’ and other projects expressed alarm as tens of thousands of programs appeared possibly at risk.