Elon Musk tells federal employees to justify their jobs: In an e-mail with a topic line “What did you do final week?” Elon Musk, head of the Division of Authorities Effectivity, requested federal authorities workers to justify their jobs.
Despatched Saturday afternoon, Musk (or a DOGE underling) instructed workers to “please reply to this e-mail with approx. 5 bullets of what you completed final week and cc your supervisor.” He reminded them to “not ship any categorised data, hyperlinks, or attachments.” Deadline for submission is finish of day at this time. Failure to reply, the e-mail warns, could also be grounds for termination.
Union representatives have began speaking about lawsuits, however Musk maintains that “the bar may be very low right here” (which: true) and that the e-mail “ought to take lower than 5 minutes to put in writing” (additionally true). In the meantime, particular businesses objected to the unorthodox protocol.
You might be studying Cause Roundup, our each day, morning publication.
Need articles similar to this in your inbox each morning? Subscribe to Cause Roundup. It is free and you may unsubscribe any time.
“The FBI, by way of the Workplace of the Director, is in command of all of our overview processes, and can conduct evaluations in accordance with FBI procedures,” said new FBI director Kash Patel. “When and if additional data is required, we’ll coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”
“The State Division will reply on behalf of the Division. No worker is obligated to report their actions exterior their Division chain of command,” learn an inner e-mail to workers.
“It’s merciless and disrespectful to lots of of 1000’s of veterans who’re sporting their second uniform within the civil service to be compelled to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has by no means carried out one single hour of trustworthy public service in his life,” stated authorities worker union president Everett Kelley, betraying an insane notion of what “public service” is. I might provide that Starlink alone, to not point out expanded spaceflight, has been of nice service to the general public (or Tesla, or Musk’s earlier firm X.com, which merged with PayPal, or…the listing goes on and on).
Federal employees appear to be chafing at the truth that Musk appears to be maximally having fun with the chaos. However the entrenched federal forms, for its half, additionally appears to be having fun with throwing sand within the gears to attempt to make the cuts painful for most of the people.
“At California’s Yosemite Nationwide Park, the Trump administration fired the one locksmith on employees on Friday. He was the only worker with the keys and the institutional data wanted to rescue guests from locked restrooms.” And at different parks: pic.twitter.com/y3ngZyncW2
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) February 20, 2025
German election outcomes: “The most important German turnout in a long time gave probably the most votes to the Christian Democrats and their sister celebration, the Christian Social Union. That nearly definitely means the following chancellor will probably be Friedrich Merz, a businessman who flies his personal non-public airplane and has lengthy coveted the highest job,” reports The New York Occasions. Be aware that this is not the far proper—the Different for Germany celebration—rising victorious; it is the center-right, in what may be learn as a average repudiation of lefty insurance policies on immigration and financial coverage.
“The hard-right Different for Germany, or AfD, doubled its vote share from 4 years in the past, largely by interesting to voters upset by immigration. Within the former East Germany, it completed first, forward of Mr. Merz’s celebration,” adds the Occasions. AfD’s followers embody Musk, who spoke at one of many celebration’s latest rallies. However the far-right celebration carried out barely worse than expectations on this election, and die Linke—a far-left celebration—carried out barely higher.
Scenes from New York: Starting to do my make-up earlier than I take my son to the playground in case they make me get a mugshot.
To recap for these not on X (full publish here): My buddies and I went to the Pier 26 playground alongside the Hudson River after Mass to let my toddler run round (he’s 2.5 and did a wonderful job sitting nonetheless in church). The indicators stated the playground was closed as a result of icy situations. There was a small quantity of snow on the bottom nonetheless, nevertheless it was shortly melting; it was 45 levels exterior, a uncommon reprieve from the New York winter.
Having encountered one other padlocked playground every week and a half in the past, I noticed this padlock and thought hell no. Took my fancy footwear off and hopped the fence. My pal was proper behind me, and we boosted my son over the fence. Then probably the most stunning factor began taking place: Different dad and mom and children noticed how a lot enjoyable we had been having and we supplied to assist get their children over the fence too. We liberated perhaps two dozen children. (The dads had been particularly down, with many hopping the fence themselves.)
Think about my frustration at coming down the huge slide tremendous quick (semi-immodestly, in a elaborate costume!) and being greeted by the authorities demanding my ID and threatening to high-quality me. I resisted for some time and took down badge numbers, after which my husband talked about that he didn’t need to pay my fines or bail at this time, that it might be prudent for me to not get arrested in entrance of our little one, and many others. (the same old).
NYC hates its little one inhabitants. Encountered ANOTHER padlocked playground (it was 45 levels out). Hopped the fence w my pal, liberated my son, and 25 different children took little boosts from us to hop the fence. Pleasure.
Then town stated they’d high-quality me & they wanted to see my ID. https://t.co/xeWclYMzeM pic.twitter.com/YemzCfpBFY
— Liz Wolfe (@LizWolfeReason) February 24, 2025
One thing is sick and rotten in big-city parenting tradition if our public officers consider it higher for youngsters to sit down inside glued to Cocomelon than danger going exterior and enjoying. Play dangers damage. Outside play dangers publicity to the weather. Social play dangers rejection and battle. We permit kids to take these dangers to show them resilience. The enjoyment of play is just not trivial or insignificant—that is the stuff of a cheerful, balanced childhood, one New York Metropolis officers appear intent on destroying.
When you have any suggestions as to why this retains taking place, or which metropolis officers to contact to make it cease, please attain out to me.
QUICK HITS
- Our Simply Asking Questions episode with Randy Barnett has generated plenty of hate from the left-wing commentariat—Matt Stoller and Matt Yglesias, for starters—and loads of people have taken challenge with the time period “malicious compliance”:
????@RandyEBarnett on JAQ: “This can be a normal strategy of the forms––it is referred to as malicious compliance. They attempt to take advantage of painful cuts potential. It is like when there was a 2-day authorities shutdown & they ostentatiously closed the federal government parks surrounding DC &… https://t.co/XM2BObwNXJ
— Liz Wolfe (@LizWolfeReason) February 21, 2025
However this reply continues to be my favourite, as a result of I really like any and all point out of our zoomer overlord Big Balls:
Truly it is the fault of the park rangers that their budgets are being slashed by a 19 yr outdated named Huge Balls. I believe Liz Wolfe should have realized to tie her footwear in her thirties https://t.co/HQCFyWIBbM
— noah kulwin (@nkulw) February 22, 2025
- “French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with President Donald Trump this week as they attempt to clinch a European position within the ongoing talks between Washington and Moscow on ending Russia’s battle in Ukraine,” reports Bloomberg. “The French and British leaders spoke Sunday to coordinate their goals, which embody getting US safety ensures for Ukraine, slowing the tempo of Washington’s talks with Russia and demonstrating Europe’s dedication to extend protection spending, in keeping with folks conversant in their plans, who spoke on the situation of anonymity.” Trump has made noises about winding down U.S. spending on Ukraine, and European leaders look like panicking.
- “Greater than a yr of battle has crippled the already restricted waste assortment infrastructure in Gaza,” reports Reuters. “With entry to designated landfills blocked and no transport as a result of a gas blockade imposed by Israel, lots of of 1000’s of tons of stable waste has piled up within the streets.”
- Fascinating:
Within the former DDR, pro-Russian events (AfD, Die Linke, Wagenknecht/BSW) received a majority (57.4%). Within the outdated West Germany, these events received simply 29.4%. https://t.co/ofd4bi6dcR
— Aaron Astor (@AstorAaron) February 24, 2025
