Attention to the Unseen

Politico reports: President Donald Trump declared victory on Friday in his long-running water war with California, boasting he sent billions of gallons south — but local officials say they narrowly prevented him from possibly flooding farms. ”Today, 1.6 billion gallons and, in 3 days, it will be 5.2 billion gallons. Everybody should be happy about this long fought Victory! I only wish they listened to me six years ago — There would have been no fire!” he said in a…

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The Wall Street Journal reports: To defend and burnish Tulsi Gabbard’s image as her political star was rising, her congressional campaign hired a public-affairs firm in 2017 that tried to suppress coverage of an alleged pyramid scheme connected to her Hindu sect, according to interviews, emails and Federal Election Commission records. Gabbard, a former House member who is now President Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, was raised in the Science of Identity Foundation, a sect tied to a…

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The Verge reports: The Federal Aviation Administration is facing its first major aviation disaster in 16 years without a leader because Elon Musk helped push him out. Michael Whitaker stepped down as FAA administrator on January 20th, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, after clashing with Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX is regulated by the agency. Musk publicly called on Whitaker to resign after the FAA fined SpaceX for failing to get approval for launch changes. And now the power…

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Gallup reports: At 47%, President Donald Trump’s initial job approval rating for his second term is similar to the inaugural 45% reading during his first term, again placing him below all other elected presidents dating back to 1953. Trump remains the only elected president with sub-50% initial approval ratings, and his latest disapproval rating (48%) is three percentage points higher than in 2017, marking a new high for inaugural ratings. Trump’s current job approval rating, from Gallup’s Jan. 21-27 poll,…

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Michael Embrich writes: The mass purge of federal workers under Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plan is more than just an attack on the government bureaucracy — it’s a direct assault on the veterans who make up nearly 30 percent of the federal workforce. In a decision that will be remembered as a betrayal of the veteran community and the broader federal workforce, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued an email Tuesday…

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Politico reports: Outrage over Elon Musk’s support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and call for Germany to “move past” its Nazi history could start impacting his financial interests after Polish Tourism Minister Sławomir Nitras called for a Tesla boycott. “There is no justification for any reasonable Pole to continue purchasing Teslas. A serious and strong response is necessary, including a consumer boycott,” Nitras told Polish media. Musk is a key advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump and…

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Politico reports: Secretary of State Marco Rubio doubled down on President Donald Trump’s desire to buy Greenland, saying it would be vital to U.S. interests. “This is not a joke,” Rubio said on the “The Megyn Kelly Show” on SiriusXM Thursday, one of his first media appearances since being sworn in. “This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest and it needs to be solved.” During the interview, Rubio downplayed…

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Matthew Yglesias writes: When Joe Biden stepped aside in favor of Kamala Harris, the overwhelming majority of Democrats praised him for the decision and painted an overall flattering portrait of Biden’s presidency and his career. I think that was the right way to approach the situation. Voluntarily relinquishing a claim to power is a big ask, and the way to align incentives for the future is to praise people, like Biden, who do the right thing and criticize people who…

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Wired reports: Centibillionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of the former US Digital Service—now the United States DOGE Service—has been widely publicized and sanctioned by one of President Donald Trump’s many executive orders. But WIRED reporting shows that Musk’s influence extends even further, and into an even more consequential government agency. Sources within the federal government tell WIRED that the highest ranks of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)—essentially the human resources function for the entire federal government—are now controlled by people…

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