POLITICO:
Elon Musk presents a new vulnerability for Donald Trump
The billionaire’s strategy of moving fast and breaking things isn’t going over so well with the public.
In a sign of how toxic Democrats believe Musk is, even the most conservative members of their party are joining progressives in bashing him.
Moderate Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who represents the reddest district in the House held by a Democrat, called Musk an “unelected, weirdo billionaire” on the social media site X and said he has “been getting a lot of calls over the past few days” about him.
In an interview, Golden said he doesn’t plan to respond to “every utterance of the president or even every executive order” but the speed at which Musk is attempting to make wholesale changes to the government prompted him to comment.
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For what it’s worth, Democrats did refuse consent on Vought. They tried to filibuster him, forced Republicans to jump through hoops and used up all 30 hours of allowed debate time, with an all-nighter on the Senate floor, and all 47 Dems voted NO each time. That’s about all they can do procedurally.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) 2025-02-07T02:15:54.448Z
Washington Post:
This time, the anti-Trump resistance is in the courts, not in the streets
As the president issues orders that critics say disregard the law, a haphazard group of opponents is filing lawsuits — and it’s starting to work.
This time, the resistance is unfolding in the courts rather than the streets.
FBI agents are suing over Trump’s plans to target agents who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol rioters. Unions have asked a judge to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Americans’ personal information. A coalition of educators has challenged the president’s move to kill diversity programs.
And it’s working, at least in some cases: Courts have blocked Trump’s push to end birthright citizenship and to impose a freeze on federal grants. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth halted an administration plan to transfer three transgender women to a men’s prison, part of Trump’s attack on what he calls the “woke” transgender movement.
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"Trump will end American imperialism"
-- Trump vows to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal, Gaza, Canada
"Trump will take down tech elites"
-- Trump gives Elon Musk your Social Security # and financial records
"Trump will protect free speech"
-- lol
"Trump will end DEI"
-- Hope it was worth it
— Radley Balko (@radleybalko.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T14:53:18.860Z
The Hill:
GOP support for Musk influence with Trump falls dramatically: Poll
In The Economist/YouGov poll taken in the days after the November 2024 election, 47 percent of surveyed Republicans said they wanted Musk to have “a lot” of influence in the Trump administration, while 29 percent wanted “a little” and 12 percent wanted him to have “none at all.”
Today, however, the share of Republicans who say they want Musk to have “a lot” of influence has fallen substantially to 26 percent. Meanwhile, 43 percent of Republican respondents say they want Musk to have “a little” influence, and 17 percent say they want him to have “none at all,” according to the latest poll from The Economist/YouGov released Wednesday.
Surveyed Democrats and independents are also showing less desire for Musk to have a prominent influence in the Trump administration. Only 6 percent of each group say they want Musk to have “a lot” of influence.
Jennifer Rubin/The Contrarian:
Democracy is Fighting Back
“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives…”
Meanwhile, Trump has accomplished practically nothing on two big promises. His attempt to enact consumer tax (tariff) on goods from Mexico and Canada was met with a storm of protest. After phony concessions from angered allies, Trump backtracked and put those consumer taxes on hold. And while he has staged showy immigration raids, the results have been meager. “President Donald Trump and his allies have promoted immigration operations in cities like Chicago and New York, where agents across federal agencies were called in to increase the number of arrests,” NBC News reports. “But arresting more people inside the United States on allegations of immigration violations means they need to be held somewhere. And significant space constraints in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities — and federal court orders forbidding indefinite detention — have forced the agency to release some of those arrested in the roundups rather than hold them until deportation.”
The Musk-Trump assaults (e.g., attempting to freeze federal funding or Musk’s capture of Treasury data) have collectively stirred Democrats to action. More importantly, Democrats have refocused attention on Musk, the unmistakable conniving link in the Musk-Trump presidency.
Haaretz:
Impractical, Incomprehensible, Illegal: Trump Traps Netanyahu and Sows Chaos With U.S. Takeover Plan for Gaza
Trump's plan for the Gaza Strip that includes the relocation of 2 million Palestinians is not logical or viable. Whether it's an imperialist tantrum or an actual 'out of the box' initiative, there is really no way to endorse, refute or examine it
So what does Trump want? Distraction. He thrives in the chaos and constant distractions he creates. Did he not impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and then grant them a 30-day extension since they promised they would do the things they are already doing?
Trump is a preeminent agent of chaos. That's a trademark he has always paraded, boastfully and defiantly. As he said he would, he is actively generating and promoting chaos in America, discord within alliances, and is out to undermine the world order.
Agents of chaos sow chaos. It's that simple. They instill discordance, confusion, controversy and uncertainty. That's a modus operandi, not a tailored policy or crisis management technique. Agents of chaos and anarchy are by definition out to disrupt the status quo by floating outrageous ideas, based on a simple principle: Everyone viscerally understands the status quo has exhausted its usefulness, more-of-the-same doesn't work anymore.
The Mercury News:
2.2 billion gallons of water flowed out of two Central California reservoirs because of Trump’s order to open dams
There are two major problems, water experts said: The newly released water will not flow to Los Angeles, and it is being wasted by being released during the wet winter season.
“They were holding extra water in those reservoirs because of the risk that it would be a dry summer,” said Heather Cooley, director of research for California water policy organization the Pacific Institute. “This puts agriculture at risk of insufficient water during the summer months.”
Agriculture at risk is AKA food prices.
The following polls are to remind and reinforce that you are, in fact, on the popular side of things:
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"What effect on prices do you think that increasing tariffs on foreign goods imported to the US generally has?"
Increases prices: 70%
No Effect: 8%
Decreases prices: 5%
Those who say it increases prices:
DEM: 86%
IND: 70%
GOP: 54%
YouGov / Feb 4, 2025 / n=1604
— Polling USA (@usapolling.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T20:13:48.756Z
Matt McNeil on Republican/Trump strategery:
