Who Is In Charge Of DOGE?

2.18.25

Ally Sammarco Feb 19

Good Tuesday evening, readers, and thank you for making Today’s American News your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment.

Clueless Trump blames Zelenskyy for Russia’s invasion as Musk piles on… Of course this was coming… “Donald Trump mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a poor negotiator,” Politico writes, despite the fact that Trump kept Zelenskyy away from the negotiating table, or whatever we should be calling Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meetings in Saudi Arabia with his Russian counterpart. Apparently Trump, who brands himself on making “the best deals” thinks good negotiating means not even being at the table. Meanwhile, there was the incompetence below from Kremlin echoer-in-chief Elon Musk… to be clear: There would be peace tomorrow if Russia pulled its troops out of sovereign Ukrainian territory.

Judge declines to halt Elon Musk’s powergrab… Saying the plaintiffs hadn’t shown “they will suffer imminent, irreparable harm absent a temporary restraining order,” U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied such an order to a group of Democratic state attorneys general raising claims about private data and abuse of power. However, CNN reports “the judge also indicated she was skeptical about the Trump administration’s statements about Musk and his powers in DOGE. Musk and DOGE’s access to closely guarded government data – including sensitive information it has collected about and from the American public – has become a battleground in the legal fight against the Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the federal bureaucracy.

USAID worker’s pregnant wife denied emergency medical transport abroad… This is the human impact of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). NBC News reports, “A foreign service worker whose pregnant wife allegedly was denied emergency medical transport while stationed abroad has filed an affidavit in federal court against the Trump administration, claiming its ‘rushed, haphazard and cruel’ push to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development has placed the mother and unborn daughter at grave risk. The worker, who identified themselves only as ‘Terry Doe’ in a filing that's part of a larger case in federal court in Washington, D.C., charges that the U.S. government twice denied previously approved medical transport orders for the mother, who is 31-weeks pregnant. ‘Each day has brought a new constellation of suffering,’ the worker said.” Not that Elon Musk cares…

NPR calls out MAGA nonsense of blaming DEI for everything… Audrey Nguyen breaks down Trump and his supporters’ attempts to blame diversity efforts for everything from the California wildfires to the Baltimore bridge collapse. This story is the succinct breakdown we’ve been waiting for… and sadly the kind of reporting that will likely have Elon seeking retribution on NPR. The truth hurts.

Today’s Buzz

We finally know what “TGIF” stands for… Thank God It’s Friday? Thank Goodness It’s Friday? That’s what we thought it stood for. Nope. Jim Janicek, the marketer behind ABC's long-running TGIF programming, said on the latest episode of Pod Meets World that the acronym stands for Thank Goodness It’s Funny. Who knew?! “Full House” and other ‘90s nostalgia will never be the same after this big reveal. Entertainment Weekly has the buzz – and you can check out Pod Meets World here.

Today’s Furry Friend

Because, who doesn’t like seeing a cute kitten be rescued from the cold?!

Thanks for following and tune back in tomorrow evening for another edition of Today’s American News.