February 15th, 2024 - The Further Enshittification of the U.S.
It's a little light today, as I had a 7 hour workday today. Happy Lupercalia.
#1 A number of organizations, including Harvard University, have begun taking steps to preserve data files and other information as the Trump administration continues its sweeping purge of federal webpages and the data to which they once provided access.
The rate at which federal government websites are being completely disabled or selectively censored by the administration has alarmed researchers, health officials, security experts and the general public, which has relied on government data for everything from public health warnings, scientific research, and environmental risk alerts to crime statistics and mental health information. (Over at Forbes)
#2 Damon Hininger, CEO of private prison giant Core Civic, just told investors: " I've worked at CoreCivic for 32 years, and this is truly one of the most exciting periods in my career ... we're anticipating .. the most significant growth in our company's history." (from over at The Intercept)
#3 San Francisco city officials are investigating after three men who claimed to be from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) showed up at City Hall on Friday demanding records from offices before fleeing.
According to the San Francisco Sheriff's Office, the men, who were dressed in "DOGE" shirts and hats with the pro-Trump slogan Make America Great Again, arrived at City Hall around noon. The men entered several offices and demanded employees turn over digital information "related to alleged wasteful government spending and fraud." (CBS News)
#4 The Trump administration’s campaign to slash the federal civil service hit one of the crown jewels of global public health on Friday. Members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, a legendary training program run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were warned on Friday morning that they were about to be fired, two people with knowledge of the meeting told STAT.
The 135 members of the two-year program were informed that many would be hearing of their dismissals by late in the day. But by late Friday afternoon, none had yet received a notice of their firing, one of the sources said. (Statnews.com)
#5 Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers Thursday night at the National Nuclear Security Administration — the agency tasked with managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile — as part of broader Energy Department layoffs, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.
[...]
“Congress is freaking out because it appears DOE didn’t really realize NNSA oversees the nuclear stockpile,” one source said. “The nuclear deterrent is the backbone of American security and stability – period. For there to be any even very small holes poked even in the maintenance of that deterrent should be extremely frightening to people.”(CNN.com)
#6 A Marine vet thought he found a ‘home’ working at the VA. Now he’s one of 1,000 fired.
#7 Elon Musk’s DOGE Posts Classified Data On Its New Website
“People are scrambling” to see if their sensitive information has been accessed by Musk’s programmers, said one federal intelligence employee.
#8 The "Fork in the Road" email arrived in Liz Goggin's inbox around 11 p.m. on Jan. 28.
The email blast from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) went to nearly all federal employees — some 2.3 million people across the U.S.
The memo presented federal workers with a choice: Offer your resignation by Feb. 6, in exchange for pay and benefits through the end of September. Or remain in your position, with the understanding that you may be laid off.
Goggin is among roughly 75,000 federal employees who agreed to resign, according to OPM. But she is also one of an unknown number of people who have since learned they can't take the deal, because their positions are exempt. (NPR.org)
#9 CFPB Union @nteu335.bsky.social·37mBIG WINS in court order our union is celebrating tonight:
🚫NO MORE MASS FIRINGS/RIFs/layoffs
🚫NO draining CFPB’s bank account
🚫NO deleting or breaking CFPB website & data
(til hearing on March 3)
WE'RE STILL FIGHTING for 160+ illegally fired on Tues & Thurs to get our jobs back! Join us tomorrow!
#10 The Internal Revenue Service has now joined the list of federal agencies and offices experiencing life on the “DOGE” side. Two sources told TPM that a staffer affiliated with President Trump and Elon Musk’s controversial “efficiency” initiative left some bewildered and concerned on Thursday as they held their first meeting at the Washington headquarters of the tax agency.
Reuters and other news outlets have reported on the IRS meeting and identified the DOGE staffer involved as Gavin Kliger. A Capitol Hill source who was briefed on the meeting confirmed to TPM that Kliger represented DOGE at the agency. According to the Hill source, who requested anonymity to discuss the meeting, Kliger explained that DOGE wants to get a deep look inside the IRS.
“Their interest was … really across the board, so it included the operation of enforcements, it included taxpayer service in terms of function and the personnel footprint, and they wanted extensive system access,” the Hill source said. (TalkingPointsMemo.com)
