Today in one sentence: Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for Health and Human Services secretary advanced to a full Senate vote; Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence advanced to a full Senate vote; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent assured Republican lawmakers that Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency do not control the federal payment system; the Trump administration is drafting an executive order to dismantle the Education Department, though Trump even acknowledges he needs congressional approval to fully eliminate the agency; the FBI provided the Trump Justice Department with details on 5,000 employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases, prompting a pair of lawsuits from agents who argue the move violates their constitutional rights and exposes them to retaliation; more than 20,000 federal workers have accepted the Trump administration’s so-call “buyout” offer; Trump suggested that Palestinians “have no alternative” but to leave Gaza due to the destruction from Israel’s war with Hamas; and Trump said he has given advisers instructions to "obliterate" Iran if it assassinates him.

1/ Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for Health and Human Services secretary advanced to a full Senate vote. The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who previously expressed concerns about Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism, said he supported him after securing commitments that Kennedy would maintain federal vaccine recommendations and retain CDC statements rejecting a vaccine-autism link. Trump, meanwhile, celebrated vote, posting on social media: “20 years ago, Autism in children was 1 in 10,000. NOW IT’S 1 in 34. WOW! Something’s really wrong. We need BOBBY!!!” The full Senate vote, expected next week, will determine Kennedy’s confirmation. If all Democrats oppose him, Kennedy can afford only three Republican defections before JD Vance casts a tiebreaking vote. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who also backed Kennedy, welcomed his unconventional approach, saying, “It is time to put someone in there who’s going to go wild.” (Wall Street Journal / Axios / Associated Press / Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / NPR)

2/ Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence advanced to a full Senate vote. The Senate Intelligence Committee voted 9-8, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who later backed Trump, faced scrutiny over her past support for Edward Snowden and her shifting stance on surveillance powers. After initially refusing to call Snowden a traitor, she later assured Republican Sen. Todd Young that she would not seek a pardon or clemency, securing his support. “I’ve done my work. I’ve done my vetting,” Young said before voting for her. Gabbard’s confirmation remains uncertain, as she can afford to lose only three Republican votes if all Democrats oppose her. The full Senate vote is expected next week. (Politico / NBC News / Bloomberg / Axios / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post)

3/ Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent assured Republican lawmakers that Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency do not control the federal payment system. They do, however, have “read-only” access to payment data. Treasury officials also confirmed at least one DOGE appointee, Tom Krause, has top-secret security clearance and an office in the department, though his exact role remains unclear. Musk, meanwhile, hosted a late-night call where he proposed ignoring all federal regulations as a baseline, calling for a “wholesale removal of regulations.” He framed this moment as a unique opportunity to reshape government under Trump’s leadership. The White House confirmed Musk is officially a “special government employee,” granting him direct influence over multiple agencies. His access to classified information and his public comments about shutting down USAID and redirecting funds have sparked protests. Democrats argue that Musk’s unchecked authority is “destructive” and represents a constitutional crisis. Senate Republicans nevertheless downplayed Musk’s power, insisting that final decisions still rest with Trump and Bessent. Federal employee unions, meanwhile, sued to block DOGE’s access to government systems, and Democratic lawmakers demanded an investigation. “I’m sure the Treasury secretary and the president want to save face and downplay the risks as Elon Musk seizes power, but nothing they’re saying is believable or trustworthy,” Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said. “The American people can see what’s happening, and Secretary Bessent is asking them not to believe what’s playing out right in front of their eyes.” (Politico / Axios / Bloomberg / ABC News / Bloomberg / CNN / HuffPost)

  • ☎️ Democracy doesn’t run on vibes. Do something that matters. Call your representative and push back against Elon Musk’s influence over the government.

4/ The Trump administration is drafting an executive order to dismantle the Education Department, though Trump even acknowledges he needs congressional approval to fully eliminate the agency. The executive order would direct the Education Secretary to create a plan to reduce the department’s role through executive action while Trump pushes Congress to pass legislation to shut it down. “I think I’d work with Congress,” Trump said, adding “the teachers union is the only one that’s opposed to it. Nobody else would want to hold it back.” Trump framed the move as an effort to improve education, saying “Look, we have to tell the teachers union we’re rated last in the world in education.” He cited test scores showing U.S. students lagging behind other nations despite spending “more per pupil than any other country in the world.” Instead, Trump argued that states should control education policy and has taken steps to expand school choice. Last week, he signed an order directing the Education Department to issue guidance within 60 days on how states can use federal funds to support school choice programs. School choice has been a key GOP priority, with Republican-led states increasingly directing funding to private and charter schools. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s team is reviewing the department’s operations, with a focus on staff reductions in the civil rights office. (NBC News / Bloomberg / New York Times / Politico / Washington Post / NPR / ABC News / CNN)

5/ The FBI provided the Trump Justice Department with details on 5,000 employees who worked on Jan. 6 cases, prompting a pair of lawsuits from agents who argue the move violates their constitutional rights and exposes them to retaliation. One suit, filed by nine FBI agents, claims the administration seeks to fire personnel who worked on Jan. 6 and classified documents cases as “retribution.” The plaintiffs fear their names could be publicly exposed, making them targets for harassment, especially from former Jan. 6 defendants who were pardoned by Trump. The second lawsuit, backed by the FBI Agents Association, calls for court intervention to prevent the DOJ from compiling or publishing the list. Some agents’ personal information has already surfaced on the dark web, intensifying concerns about threats and doxing. The lawsuits cite violations of the First and Fifth Amendments and seek to block any further actions that would endanger FBI personnel. (CNN / Axios / CBS News / NBC News / Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / Bloomberg / Associated Press / ABC News)

6/ More than 20,000 federal workers have accepted the Trump administration’s so-call “buyout” offer, which allows them to resign while continuing to be paid through September. The voluntary resignation program – which unions and lawmakers argue is illegal and designed to push workers out without guarantees of payment – aims to cut 5-10% of the federal workforce. Federal agencies, including the General Services Administration, are preparing for potential layoffs if the buyout does not meet its target. (Axios / Bloomberg / Politico / Washington Post)

7/ Trump suggested that Palestinians “have no alternative” but to leave Gaza due to the destruction from Israel’s war with Hamas. Trump proposed that Jordan and Egypt take in Palestinians and that building new settlements elsewhere would be “better than going back to Gaza,” which he described as a “big pile of rubble.” Trump claimed Gazans would be “thrilled” to relocate to a “beautiful alternative” rather than return. Hamas called Trump’s ideas “a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.” The proposal also faces opposition from Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab states, which have repeatedly refused to take in displaced Palestinians. (New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press / NPR / Reuters / CNN)

The midterm elections are in 637 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. China imposed retaliatory tariffs and trade restrictions after Trump’s new 10% tariff on Chinese imports took effect. Beijing announced tariffs on U.S. coal, liquefied natural gas, crude oil, and agricultural equipment, while also restricting exports of key minerals used in high-tech manufacturing. China launched an antitrust investigation into Google and blacklisted two U.S. companies. (New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post)

  2. A federal judge extended a restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding. Judge Loren AliKhan ruled that the administration had not fully complied with prior orders to lift the freeze on federal grants and loans. Although the White House rescinded its memo, it maintained the freeze, creating confusion while leaving nonprofits and states without access to funding. The Justice Department, meanwhile, argued that AliKhan had no authority to continue blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to freeze trillions of dollars in federal spending. (USA Today / Politico / New York Times)

  3. Bill Owens, executive producer of 60 Minutes, told staff he would not apologize for the show’s editing of a Kamala Harris interview, despite CBS’s parent company pursuing a legal settlement with Trump. Trump sued CBS, claiming the network deceptively edited Harris’s responses during an October interview. Owens told staff, “The edit is perfectly fine; let’s put that to bed so we can get on with our lives.” (New York Times)

  4. Transgender minors and families with transgender youth sued to block Trump’s executive order cutting federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender youth care, arguing that Trump lacks the authority to unilaterally withhold congressional funding. (Washington Post / ABC News / NBC News)

  5. Trump will sign an executive order banning transgender girls and women from female sports. The order, called “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” aligns with Trump’s campaign promise and Republican-led state policies restricting transgender participation in athletics. (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

  6. The roughly 2.2 billion gallons of water that Trump ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release is being wasted. That water was discharged into the dry lakebed of Tulare Lake and will not flow to Los Angeles to help with the fires. (CNN)

  7. Trump said he has given advisers instructions to “obliterate” Iran if it assassinates him. Federal authorities have tracked Iranian threats against Trump since he ordered the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian commander. (Associated Press)

🔍 Dept. of Context and Consequence.

Beyond the news – what’s at stake and why it matters.

  1. More dangerous than Watergate. “It’s like every past constitutional crisis rolled into one.” (Bulwark)

  2. Elon Musk is creating a constitutional crisis by seizing control of U.S. government payment systems and overriding Congress’s authority over federal funding. (Zeteo)

  3. What Trump and Musk are doing could change the American system forever. Federal power is being centralized, sidelining civil servants, purging prosecutors, and pressuring corporations to comply. (Vox)

  4. Elon Musk is rapidly reshaping the federal government, sidelining civil servants, accessing sensitive systems, and dismantling agencies with little oversight. (New York Times)

  5. A coup is in progress in America. Trump and Musk are bypassing legal constraints to consolidate power, purging civil servants and undermining constitutional governance. (Techdirt)

  6. The “rapid unscheduled disassembly” of the United States government. “Elon Musk is not the president, but it does appear that he—a foreign-born, unelected billionaire who was not confirmed by Congress—is exercising profound influence over the federal government of the United States, seizing control of information, payments systems, and personnel management. It is nothing short of an administrative coup.” (The Atlantic)

  7. The Young, inexperienced engineers aiding Elon Musk’s government takeover. “Engineers between 19 and 24, most linked to Musk’s companies, are playing a key role as he seizes control of federal infrastructure.” (Wired)

  8. Don’t believe him. Ezra Klein argues that Trump’s second-term strategy follows Steve Bannon’s 2019 playbook: flood the media with constant actions to create chaos and overwhelm opposition. Through a flurry of executive orders, controversial pardons, and agency overhauls, Trump projects unchecked power, but Klein notes his actual authority remains constrained by courts and congressional limits. His spending freeze and birthright citizenship order were quickly blocked, exposing his legal vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, efforts to purge the civil service, led in part by Elon Musk, have sparked backlash. Klein warns that Trump’s strength is an illusion designed to intimidate the public into accepting his overreach. (New York Times)

Four years ago today: Day 16: "America is back."
Five years ago today: Day 1111: An unmitigated disaster.
Six years ago today: Day 746: Willful ignorance.
Eight years ago today: Day 16: Suspended.