BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

MONDAY
FEBRUARY 10, 2025

We can’t trust the government anymore.” 

— DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, [who is quite literally]([link removed]) the government now.

LIAR LIAR, VANCE ON FIRE

Sure, Donald Trump’s on a rampage. But it’s not going as well as he wants you to think. 

- President Donald Trump burst into office hellbent on showing vigorous momentum in his first weeks. After all, that’s his whole brand: a self-styled gold-plated winner who never admits defeat, even when it smacks him in the face like a cream pie hitting a clown. His refusal to ever admit weakness, though, means that sometimes even his critics overlook the gaps between what he says is happening, and what’s really going on. Plenty of those gaps have emerged, however, to show just how bumbling and shambolic his start has been. 

- Things simply aren’t going smoothly. Take immigration, Trump’s single biggest issue. Trump is [“angry”]([link removed]) that more people aren’t being deported, as immigration raids in Los Angeles and Colorado were thwarted by leaked information, according to one person who spoke to NBC News. The logjam is “driving him nuts,” the person said. Meanwhile, his top officials [are freaking out]([link removed]) and [blaming “crooked deep state agents”]([link removed]) for leaks undermining their efforts. 

- Trump’s rash decisions are rattling even his top fans in Congress. A recent example: Trump’s move to cut billions in administrative overhead funding from the National Institutes of Health to medical research institutions. The [policy hits red states hard]([link removed]), prompting MAGA Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) to publicly warn that “a smart, targeted approach is needed in order to not hinder life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions like those in Alabama.” The White House attacked reporting of the funding cuts as “fake news” — a sign the negative press is getting to them. Today, a judge temporarily blocked the change. 

- Then there are the reversals. Trump tried to freeze federal funding, only to rescind his own order… which was blocked by judges anyway[​]([link removed]). He threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, whose leaders [duped him into dropping them]([link removed]) with meaningless concessions. Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE, realized the government can’t function if you fire everyone, so it [backtracked on who can resign]([link removed]). A 25-year-old DOGE staffer was outed for being [so racist that he resigned]([link removed]). Today, another judge blocked Trump’s birthright citizenship[​]([link removed]) executive order. Nineteen states are suing Trump and the Treasury Department for [giving DOGE access to sensitive data]([link removed]).
 

- Many of the Trump administration’s issues have been caused by its own comical stupidity. Trump [mistakenly appointed]([link removed]) FBI agent Brian Driscoll to temporarily lead the agency, refusing to correct the mistake, probably to save themselves the embarrassment. Well, “Drizz” has become a symbol of resistance, thwarting the Trump administration’s plans and developing his own [cult-following]([link removed]) inside the agency. What’s more, the dude looks like “John Bernthal, with a dash of Matthew McConaughey’s roguish energy,” Slate writes[​]([link removed]). They aren’t wrong! This problem could’ve been easily avoided if Trump’s buddies used two brain cells.

 
Courts and incompetence are obstructing Trump’s scariest authoritarian tendencies. Naturally, MAGAworld is responding by waging war on the judiciary.

- Vice President JD Vance grumbled over the weekend about the constraints of, y’know, following the law. “Judges aren't allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” Vance wrote on X, comparing Trump’s actions to a general commanding a military. The word “legitimate” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, as the vice president raises the question of how much power his boss has, rather than directly calling for him to defy the courts.

- The court system is the single biggest obstacle now facing Trump. And, to be sure,  the situation could change dramatically if he opts to start ignoring the courts altogether. “They are prepared to smash a system they control, simply because it won’t move at the frantic pace they demand,” The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait writes. “Quite possibly, cooler heads will prevail. 

“The trouble is that the Republican Party’s cooler heads have been on a losing streak since November,” Chait continues.

Are you a “crooked deep state agent”? Hit me up on Signal at 413-726-4767 or email at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). I’ll keep you totally anonymous.

RAGE STAYING

Donald Trump's simultaneous assaults on federal government workers and transgender Americans are putting people who fit into both categories in an extremely uncomfortable position.
 
Since taking office, Trump has declared that there are only two genders, ordered schools to stop teaching “gender ideology” (a nonsense catch-all term), banned transgender people from serving in the military, and ordered schools to bar trans women from playing competitive sports or risk losing federal funding. The moves are an erasure of the transgender community, plain and simple. Yes, he’s scapegoating about [one percent of the population]([link removed]) for all of the country’s problems. Very slick!
 
One transgender employee who works in the Department of Veterans Affairs told What A Day that the vibes are, well, atrocious right now. Last week, they received an e-mail from management calling the VA to identify any “plans that inculcate or promote gender ideology."
 
“‘Dystopian’ is pretty much the word. I want to quit, but I know that’s what they want,” they said. “I’m grateful that I still have the support of my direct supervisors and colleagues, but the whole environment right now is really bad.”
 
There are many trans people who receive federal assistance, considering [one in five of them]([link removed])— some 150,000 — are military veterans.
 
“It’s such a bait and switch to say, if you serve the country we’ll take care of you, and then pull the rug out from under people. It’s so fucked up and unfair,” the employee said, explaining that targeting trans people could give the Trump administration an opening to target other minorities. “They will come for you too, they’re just coming for me first.”
 
The Trump administration has told employees to remove gender identities from patient records. It could affect whether veterans receive necessary treatments, such as hormone therapy, and whether they’ll want to seek assistance from the VA at all. 
 
If you've ever played a video game or a sport, you might be familiar with the term “rage quitting.” That’s when you become so frustrated that you throw your controller across the room, or storm off the field in an unsportsmanlike way. Trump’s actions are causing the opposite to happen.
 
“Someone I work with called it Rage Stay,” the employee texted, accompanied by a laughing emoji. “Nobody I know has quit yet. I think we’re taking a ‘if we quit the fascists win’ approach.”
 

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WHAT ELSE?

[Donald Trump said that under his plan to “own” Gaza,]([link removed]) Palestinians wouldn’t have the right to return if he expels them. “They’re going to have much better housing” in refugee camps built outside of Gaza, he told Fox News. He is literally advocating for textbook ethnic cleansing, which is a war crime. 
 
[Hamas said it will delay the release of Israeli hostages after accusing Israel]([link removed]) of violating the ceasefire agreement, putting the entire deal at risk. Israel, in response, ordered its military to the “highest level of readiness.”
 
[A federal judge extended the amount of time federal workers]([link removed]) have to accept Elon Musk’s deferred resignation scheme. TBD on when that deadline may be.
 
[Trump fired the director of the Office of Government Ethics.]([link removed]) Yes, that’s the guy in charge of making sure Trump isn’t doing bad things. 
 
[The Trump administration is closing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]([link removed]) for the week, following DOGE bros appearing in the agency’s internal servers. Elon Musk and other Trump officials are waging war on CFPB, a government watchdog that has found $20 billion in financial relief for consumers since its founding in 2011. Nothing screams “WE WANT TO DO FRAUD!!!” like shutting down the CFPB. 
 
[The Vatican’s charity called Trump’s plan to gut USAID “reckless” and “unhuman,”]([link removed]) saying that it will cause hundreds of millions of people around the world to die or be left in poverty. Reminder: USAID accounts for only 1.2 percent of the federal budget. A penny on the dollar. 
 
[Only 10 of 200 countries met the goal today to slash carbon emissions]([link removed]) under the U.N. Paris climate agreement. 
 
[Trump said that he told the Treasury Department to stop minting pennies]([link removed]), which cost more than three cents to make. Again, I’m cool with this idea, even if he stole it from “[West Wing.]([link removed])”
 
[MAGA Godfather Steve Bannon reportedly plans to plead guilty in a fraud case]([link removed]) connected to fundraising for Trump’s southern border wall, which will allow him to avoid jail time, according to the outlet Law360. Stunning to see MAGA accept guilt for anything, although the alternative was serious prison time, which apparently gives even Steve Bannon a sense of perspective.  

[Taylor Swift got booed at the Super Bowl last night, and one annoying attendee]([link removed]) felt the need to chime in: “The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. So classy, so presidential!

LOOK NO FURTHER THAN CROOKED MEDIA
 
The Democratic Party is the most unpopular it’s been in polling dating back to 2008, according to a new survey from Quinnipiac University. On the latest episode of Pollercoaster, Dan unpacks what the results mean and answers listener questions. Get access to this exclusive series, ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, and more by signing up at [crooked.com/friends]([link removed]) or subscribing directly on the Pod Save America Apple Podcast feed. For a limited time, enjoy a 7-day free trial.
 

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[More than 22 million workers likely missed work today]([link removed]) in the great tradition American phenomenon known as “Super Bowl Flu.” Apparently, 3.2 million can be expected to “ghost” their employer, according to the estimates. What job lets you do that??? I wouldn’t hear the end of it from you guys!

[Speaking of, the Super Bowl commercials didn’t disappoint.]([link removed]) Here’s a breakdown of the best (and weirdest) ones in case you missed it. Jeremy Strong emerging from a massive cup of soaked Dunkin’ coffee grounds… impeccable.

[Students at UNC Chapel Hill put up a sign on campus that reads:]([link removed]) “Tell us something good that happened to you today.” It’s an effort to focus on the bright spots in such dark times, and it worked. [Here’s an awesome video of the responses]([link removed]).
 

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