Trump's latest milestone: Forcing more than 211,000 people out of their federal jobs since January.

A near-decimation of the federal workforce in nine months.

“He is, in essence, taking our government to bankruptcy.” huffpost.com/entry/trump-fe… Partnership for Public Service, a good government group, has been tracking all the people that Trump has forced out of federal jobs in his 2nd term.

In the last month, 10,295 more people have left, either because of layoffs or by choice amid demoralizing work conditions.

Pay attention folks. The nonsensical language Mike Johnson is intentionally, increasingly, repeatedly using to try smear the "No Kings" peaceful protests set for Saturday -- rallies protesting Trump's authoritarianism -- is straight out of the authoritarian playbook.

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1979190601506787489

"Classic authoritarianism,” Stanislav Vysotsky, an expert on anti-fascism activism, said of Johnson's rhetoric.

“It’s an intentional framing of the opposition as violent and dangerous in order to dehumanize them, which then justifies a violent crackdown." huffpost.com/entry/no-kings…

Situation in DC, on 14th St and W St. NW, with federal agents -- no agency ID'd -- pulling cars over for checks. They arrested a Black woman in this car.

BIG crowd shouting at police.

"Fuck you!"

"What is wrong with you!"

"You don't need to terrorize people like this!" People loudly jeering these unidentified federal agents.

"You're not helping anyone!"

"How much overtime are you getting paid to do nothing!"

"Boooo!"

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has deleted all three of his tweets from his personal account that mocked and fanned conspiracies about the assassination of Minnesota Democrat state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. MORE: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has deleted a series of depraved tweets he posted after a gunman sought out and assassinated a Minnesota Democratic legislator and her husband over the weekend.

But Lee left some other disturbing posts up. huffpost.com/entry/mke-lee-…

In the entirety of Biden’s presidency, there was no judicial nominee who endured more partisan ugliness and cruelty than Adeel Mangi.

He was an objectively impressive + qualified pick. He was also Muslim.

So GOPers subjected him to a disgusting monthslong smear campaign. (1/x) Biden picked Mangi, a veteran civil litigator, for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

He checked all the boxes for a solid court pick.

Unanimously rated “well qualified” by ABA. Hailed for legal and pro bono work. Endorsements from lots of groups. (2/x)

I know there's a lot going on, but I would like to highlight that Mike Johnson slipped language into an otherwise routine House procedural vote yesterday that now blocks Democrats from forcing an investigation into Pete Hegseth’s Signal scandal, through October. When the House voted yesterday to approve the "rules" for beginning debate on 5 bills, this unrelated provision was tucked into the rule they approved:

Holy crap. Here are 91 pages of letters that 14 House Democrats just sent to the nine law firms that have paid off Trump to not attack them.

Lots of Qs aimed at sorting out if they violated federal bribery/anti-fraud/racketeering laws. min.house.gov/sites/evo-subs… This fresh round of Qs for these firms come after two other Dems, Rep. Jamie Raskin and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, sent their own letters on Tuesday. Their letters were more scathing.

"An illegal shakedown of the legal profession.” huffpost.com/entry/democrat…

Here's the rule the House just passed for taking up its budget resolution -- with a provision preventing any House member from filing a disapproval resolution on Trump's tariffs through Sept. 30.

See #6. They're insulating Trump's tariffs from being canceled by themselves. I know this reads like a bunch of procedural jargon.

In normal speak, what is happening here is the House is getting ready to vote to begin debate on its budget resolution -- and when it does, it is also voting to BAR ITSELF from taking action to stop Trump's tariffs.

In House Rules Committee hearing, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) rips the GOP for moving forward with the SAVE Act, a bill that makes it harder for eligible voters to register to vote.

"The SAVE Act is a voter suppression bill," he says. "That's all it is." McGovern says ~69M women who married + took partner's names don't have a birth certificate matching their legal name.

"Nothing in this bill guarantees they could use marriage licenses ... to prove their ID," he says.

NEW: Trump admin has ordered all federal agencies to submit plans for "large-scale" firings no later than March 13, per a new memo from OMB director Russ Vought.

Copy of memo in here:
huffpost.com/entry/trump-di… ALL federal agency heads are being directed to hollow out their teams by mid-March by...

-upholding Trump's hiring freeze
-removing "underperforming employees"
-reducing headcount through attrition
-revisiting collective bargaining agreements that "inhibit" government efficiency

Just got off the phone with Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), who said Elon Musk's DOGE team is "actively dismantling" federal Department of Education programs today.

"They are in the building, on the 6th floor, canceling grants and contracts." Stansbury says her understanding is the Trump admin "has been running drills for the last couple of weeks, planning for this."

She also said she expects that "the Department of Education is going to potentially be dissolved in the coming days."

And yes, this is illegal.

A federal employee who works on intel matters says Elon Musk's DOGE team was at the Defense Intel Agency over the weekend.

Today, some DIA leaders were asked to send a full list of personnel to OPM tied to any DEI issues.

Including intel officials undercover or embedded. For non-governmental folks: OPM = the Office of Personnel Management, the massive human resources agency for the federal government.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green met with Dem and GOP senators today, warning them not to confirm RFK as HHS secretary and describing RFK's role in spreading anti-vax misinformation in 2019 in Samoa that resulted in dozens of children dying from the measles. huffpost.com/entry/hawaii-g… Green, who is a physician, described the role he played in racing to vaccinate people in Samoa as RFK fueled anti-vax disinformation that drove down the measles vaccination rate to 31%.

“This is an absolute life-or-death decision" to confirm RFK as HHS secretary, Green warned.

A reader in Philly has flagged another mysterious new monument that has magically appeared in a public park to "honor" Trump.

It looks a lot like the ones popping up in DC.

Titled "In Honor Of A Lifetime Of Sexual Assault," it features Trump's "grab em by the pu**y" comment.
This reader emails that she was walking her dog in Maja Park this morning and came across this "probably 8 foot tall statue of Donald Trump like leering at the nude Maja statue that's been there."

I traveled 13 hours from DC to Window Rock, Arizona -- the capital of Navajo Nation -- for an Indigenous-led voter mobilization event featuring Mark Ruffalo, 100s of voters (and Hulk fans) + a 3-mile walk to cast ballots.

Savvy operation unfolding here. huffpost.com/entry/arizona-… Native Americans have faced so many obstacles to voting, for so long.

Even for this walk to a remote polling site, which carried deep meaning for participants, people came with spirit and a demand to be heard -- and then hit a barrier to casting their votes at the end.

I talked to North Carolina state Rep. Lindsey Prather, who represents part of Buncombe County -- a devastated region where Asheville is based -- about whether misinformation is affecting the disaster recovery efforts there.

(Short answer: it is.) huffpost.com/entry/hurrican… “The biggest issue is rumors and fake memes and photos of people being trapped in areas around the county," said Prather, who said local/state/fed govt officials are working around the clock to help.

"We send folks out to rescue them, and there’s no one there to be rescued."

My god did JD Vance lie and gaslight his way through last night's VP debate. About big things. So casually. Things that are so easy to call out.

Like.... (1/x) ... his claim that Trump “salvaged” Obamacare.

How many times did Republicans in Congress try (and fail) to dismantle Obamacare? 65? 70? And how many times did Trump demand that they do it, before and after he became president? Dozens.

Ben & Jerry’s co-founders have created a new limited edition ice cream flavor in support of Kamala Harris' campaign: "Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee." 🥥

MoveOn is raffling off free, signed pints as part of a new "Scoop the Voter" tour of swing states. huffpost.com/entry/2024-ele… MoveOn will be driving an ice cream truck to more than 20 cities in swing states -- PA, MA, NV, AZ, MI -- handing out ice cream and engaging with voters.

Other Harris-themed ice cream flavors on the truck: "Unburdened By What Has Vanilla Bean" and "Fight For Our Rights Sorbet."

Today, a group of House Dems is launching a new task force to fight Trump's "dystopian" policy plans if he wins in Nov.

“We have to mount the resistance in real time," said Rep. Jared Huffman. "If we’re caught off guard by it, we’re going to be too late." huffpost.com/entry/house-de… Huffman is very, very concerned that most people don't realize what Trump is planning to do if he gets back into the White House. And how quickly he can act.

"I believe we’re really close to having our democracy replaced by a dystopian, right-wing theocracy," he told HuffPost.

NEW: Leonard Peltier, the Native American rights activist the U.S. govt put in prison ~50 years ago, is getting what may be his last chance at freedom.

FBI director Chris Wray says the bureau remains opposed to his parole.

His statement is full of holes. huffpost.com/entry/leonard-… Things to know about Peltier's case.

The U.S. govt put him in prison after he was convicted for killing 2 FBI agents in a shoot-out on a S.D. reservation.

There was never evidence he committed a crime.

The FBI + U.S. Atty's office never did figure out who killed those agents.

Morning! ☕️

ICYMI: In a full-blown conspiratorial rant, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) said Donald Trump's felony conviction is proof that Democrats are akin to Nazis taking power in Germany in the 1930s huffpost.com/entry/derrick-… “The historical references and the similarities, the similarities to what the Democrat Party has been doing, they cannot be denied at this point," Van Orden claimed. "You simply cannot deny them.”

(You can.)