Link Roundup February 2025

[wepon]

‘Blow this place up’: Frustrated Democrats want the Senate to fight harder

After voting to confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Schumer told his members Tuesday he will vote against any remaining Cabinet nominees and urged his colleagues to do the same, an aide to the New York Democrat said. Just hours later, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voted for Pam Bondi’s attorney general nomination, and on Wednesday Fetterman and Welch voted for HUD’s Scott Turner.

Federal health workers terrified after 'DEI' website publishes list of 'targets'

Federal health workers are expressing fear and alarm after a website called “DEI Watch List” published the photos, names and public information of a number of workers across health agencies, describing them at one point as “targets.” It’s unclear when the website, which lists mostly Black employees who work in agencies primarily within the Department of Health and Human Services, first appeared. “Offenses” for the workers listed on the website include working on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, donating to Democrats and using pronouns in their bios.

Mom of Sam Nordquist, transgender man tortured and killed in New York, slams police response

Months before his remains were discovered last week, his family requested two wellness checks with police in Canandaigua, New York, his mother, Linda Nordquist, told NBC News in a phone call. She added that her son expressed that he was in danger to local social services and she questioned if more could have been done to intervene before his killing. "Sam may be alive today if they would have done their jobs," she said through tears. The Canandaigua Police Department's chief of police, Mathew Nielsen, said in a phone call that none of his roughly 30 officers spoke with the family prior to Sam's death. He suggested that the family is confused about which law enforcement agency they called to perform the wellness checks. The phone number the family said they called matched the number of CPD's office. The family also shared a screenshot of their call log with NBC News.

Elon Musk’s DOGE Wants Access to the Treasury’s Payment Systems: Report

According to the Post, since shortly after the election, Musk’s DOGE team has been requesting access to payment systems under the Bureau of the Fiscal Service that control the distribution of more than $6 trillion in annual funds. Some of the payments that run through the bureau include Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, and federal salaries.

The tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas is alarming. It’s not the biggest in US history though, CDC says

As of Jan. 24, 67 people are being treated for active TB, most of them in Wyandotte County, Bronaugh said. Another 79 have latent TB. The state’s provisional 2024 count shows 79 active TB cases and 213 latent cases in the two counties where the outbreak is happening, Wyandotte and Johnson. Not all of those are linked to the outbreak and Bronaugh did not respond to requests for clarification.

Super Bowl halftime performer detained after unfurling Sudan-Palestine flag

A performer in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show was detained on the field and could face charges after unfurling a combination Sudanese-Palestinian flag with “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it. The NFL confirmed the person was part of the 400-member field cast. The New Orleans Police Department said in a statement that “law enforcement is working to determine applicable charges in this incident.” “The individual will (be) banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in an emailed statement.

Here's a Super Bowl riddle: Why are egg prices surging — but not chicken wings?

Chickens raised for meat — known as "broilers" — live on different farms than those that produce eggs. And while broilers are not immune from avian flu, they haven't been hit nearly as hard as their egg-laying cousins. "They're younger typically, and older birds are more susceptible to the virus," says Tom Super of the National Chicken Council. "And broiler chickens are also not on the farm as long — only about seven weeks."

Amazon’s killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books

Starting on February 26th, 2025, Amazon is removing a feature from its website allowing you to download purchased books to a computer and then copy them manually to a Kindle over USB. It’s a feature that a lot of Kindle users are probably not aware of, given books can be more easily sent to devices over Wi-Fi, but it’s especially useful for backing up purchases or converting them to other formats compatible with non-Kindle e-readers.

Elon Musk tightens grip on federal government as Democrats raise alarms

The apex of Musk’s work so far came on Monday at the Washington headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, where yellow police tape blocked access to the lobby and hundreds of employees were locked out of computer systems. Musk said Trump had agreed to let him shutter the agency. “It’s not an apple with a worm in it, what we have is just a ball of worms,” Musk said of the world’s largest provider of humanitarian, development and security assistance. “You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”

Federal prosecutors in New York and Washington resign after refusing to drop Adams charges

The prosecutors resigned after Emil Bove, the acting U.S. deputy attorney general, issued a memo Monday ordering federal prosecutors in New York to drop the case against Adams, arguing, in part, that it hampered his ability to tackle “illegal immigration and violent crime.”

A federal worker tried to take Trump's 'Fork' resignation offer. Here's what happened

That weekend, she made her decision. She replied to the original email with the word "Resign" and hit send. The following week, in an effort to be transparent, Goggin emailed her supervisor about her decision. But a few days later, she got another surprise in her inbox: an email from the VA, exempting scores of positions from the resignation offer, including social workers.

'Chilling effect': Arts organizations react to end of DEI initiatives from fed agency

In a move that has shaken arts organizations, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) said on its website that it is eliminating a funding program that supports diversity, equity and inclusion and underserved communities. Instead, the federal agency will prioritize programs that celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Groups sue to get access to immigrants at Guantánamo Bay

President Trump announced in a memorandum late last month plans to house at Guantánamo Bay up to 30,000 immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally as part of his immigration crackdown. The White House directed the secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security "to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity."

NATO is in disarray after the US announces that its security priorities lie elsewhere

Hegseth told almost 50 of Ukraine ’s Western backers on Wednesday that he had joined their meeting “to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.” “The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must — and we are — focusing on security of our own borders,” he said. Reading the riot act to U.S. allies, Hegseth said that Ukraine will not get all its territory back from Russia and will not be allowed to join NATO, which would provide the ultimate security guarantee to ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin never attacks it again.

Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them

An NNSA nuclear safety specialist fired Thursday because she was a two-year probationary employee told NBC News she was still locked out of her email, but her manager had called to inform her that her “termination was rescinded” and to report to work on Tuesday. “I will be honest, I intend to keep looking for work,” the employee said. “I will go back, but as soon as I find another role, I’ll be leaving.” Asked why she will still look for employment elsewhere, she said that she has “no faith I will keep my job.”

Trump 2.0 initial approval ratings higher than in first term

53% of Americans approve of Trump so far, according to a newly released CBS News/YouGov poll conducted Feb. 5 to 7, while 47% disapproved.