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DOGE

💰️ Trump digs into couch cushion, finds federal employees

Voters love the idea of running government like a business. But what happens when that business is losing money hand over fist? Layoffs, baby. The Trump administration sent a spicy email (check it out here) to almost the entire federal workforce — that's 2.3 million people — offering them eight months of severance to quit their jobs. Administration officials believe that between 5 and 10 percent of eligible employees will take the deal, which could save the government up to $100 billion.

• This offer comes on the heels of Trump cracking down on telework and threatening to fire those who refuse to return to in-office work.

• Critics of the idea, like Sen. Tim Kaine, warn Trump doesn’t have the authority to do this.

DOGE vibes: Trump’s government efficiency guru, Elon Musk, is bringing the Silicon Valley vibes to Washington. As he did in the early days of Tesla, Musk is reportedly sleeping on the floor of his Department of Government Efficiency office next door to the White House.

Freeze, unfreeze: The White House lit a firestorm on Monday when it froze all federal assistance payments that weren’t going directly to end users (like food and medical benefits). Two days later, Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) yanked the order.

• The White House says the freeze was intended to ensure Trump’s other orders, like his ban on federal DEI programs, were being followed.

• Officials maintain that while assistance and grants are back on the menu for now, the others — including his pause on foreign aid — remain in effect.

GOVERNMENT

🇺🇸 Tragedy struck late last night when an American Airlines flight from Wichita and a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, which was on a training flight, collided in mid-air. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. In the meantime, rescue divers continue searching for possible survivors.

🚨 On Wednesday, President Trump signed the bipartisan Laken Riley Act into law. Named for a slain Georgia college student, the law makes it easier to deport illegal immigrants who are accused of crimes. This is the first bill signed in Trump's new term. At the signing ceremony, he announced a plan to detain up to 30,000 of "the worst criminal aliens threatening the American people" at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Migrants would be housed at the base's pre-existing Migrant Operations Center.

🎂 With just 17 months to go, America's 250th birthday is coming in hot. President Trump signed an order yesterday expanding the pre-existing party planning process. He will chair the new Task Force 250 alongside Vance and 15 others. As part of the plan, Trump also re-upped his 2020 idea of building a National Garden of American Heroes. The planned monument would include statues of 250 significant figures from America's first 250 years and, if built, would be completed "as expeditiously as possible."

POLITICS

🪙 In very on-brand move, ex-New Jersey senator gets 11 years for beef bribes

Never change, New Jersey. Disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez, 71, will spend the next 11 years in federal prison. A judge sentenced him yesterday following his 2024 bribery conviction. As a sitting senator, Menendez accepted literal gold bars from Egyptian businessmen in exchange for guiding U.S. policy to help them corner the American market for, of course, halal beef.

• After his sentencing, ole Gold Bar Bob called the justice system a "cesspool" that's "corrupted to the core" and said he hopes Trump cleans it up.

• It goes without saying that Menendez — a New Jersey Democrat — meant every word of that. He's obviously not trying to woo Trump into pardoning him. Noo.

The 448 voting members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) will elect a new party chair on Saturday. Eight major candidates are in the race, including a former governor of Maryland, the chairs of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Democratic Parties, and Bernie's 2020 campaign manager.

• With no president to guide things, the new DNC chair will be the party's media face. The lucky winner will also shape political strategy and, most importantly, try to raise Scrooge McDuck-sized vaults of cash ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

🗳️ Trump’s Cabinet grows as Senate keeps ‘em coming

Back in the Senate, Trump’s cabinet is taking shape. Of the 22 Cabinet roles requring Senate confirmation, 7 have been filled so far. The Senate this week confirmed former “Real World” star (okay, and congressman) Sean Duffy as secretary of Transportation, former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA, and financier Scott Bessent to fill Alexander Hamilton’s shoes leading the Treasury. Expect to see Gov. Doug Burgum approved to take over the Interior Department later today.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. took his turn in the hot seat yesterday. Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) survived his first of two confirmation hearings. He also survived being called a "predator" by his first cousin, Caroline Kennedy (JFK’s daughter). Ouch.

• Despite a history of skepticism, he reassured wary senators that he’s pro-vaccine and pro-science.

• He assured pro-life Republicans that, despite being a pro-choice Democrat, he serves at the pleasure of the president and vowed to back Trump’s position on abortion.

The fireworks will continue today when Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence) and Kash Patel (FBI) take the stand.

TRIVIA

On Tuesday, investor Scott Bessent was sworn in as the 79th secretary of the Treasury by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He is now the highest-ranking openly gay person in the history of American government. Biden-era Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is also gay. But Treasury comes in at #2 in the Cabinet pecking order, far outweighing Transportation's 11th-ranked spot. Can you name, in order, the top five Cabinet officials by rank?

Hint: You've already got one. Think about the other big-time jobs.

WHITE HOUSE

🎤 New 27-year-old White House press secretary begins briefings

Karoline Leavitt made her debut this week as the youngest-ever White House press secretary. The 27-year-old new mom of a six-month-old baby boy promised to hold herself “to the truth” and noted that she expects the media “to do the same.”

• Leavitt’s youth might be big news. But her being a working mom is not — she’s the sixth White House press secretary in a row to hold that title.

Leavitt said Trump wants to focus more on “new media” like podcasters and influencers and announced that some would be given press passes to the White House briefing room. More than 7,000 content creators quickly threw their names in the hat.

The big man is 10 points more popular now than he was at this point in 2017. According to a new poll from Quinnipiac, 46% of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president so far. At this point during his first term? Only 36% of voters said so.

• As for the political parties, they're both underwater with voters. Republicans are sitting at a net rating of -2 (their 45% unfavorability rating is 2% lower than their 43% popularity).

• Democrats, on the other, hand, have hit rock bottom and started to dig. Just 31% of voters view the party in a favorable light, while 57% say they're not fans. Net rating: -26%.

It's not all good new for Rs, however. Voters expect potential tariffs to hurt the economy and strongly disapprove of Trump's pardons of January 6 defendants.

BRIEFS

● The U.S.’s renewed eye for Greenland is forcing the Danes to step up their game on their semi-autonomous island. Denmark has agreed to pump an extra $2 billion into its military presence in the Arctic to help plug what the U.S. views as a security black hole.

● Interest rates aren't going anywhere for the time being. The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that rates will remain steady in their current 4.25% to 4.5% range and that it has no plans for cuts anytime soon.

● Syria has a new president. Six weeks after overthrowing dictator Bashar al-Assad, militants announced that rebel leader (and former al-Qaeda member) Ahmad al-Sharaa will take over during a "transitional period."

● Aerospace startup Boom Supersonic made history this week when its XB-1 jet broke the sound barrier. The company is still early in testing but already has more than 100 orders from commercial airlines for a planned 80-seat version.

● There are more Republicans than Democrats in Nevada for the first time since 2007. Independents still lead the pack but this is a worrisome sign for Dems just two months after losing the state to Donald Trump the 2024 presidential race.

QUOTE

ANSWER

Cabinet rank comes from the presidential line of succession — the ordered list of people who’ll take over in the event of a catastrophe. Once you run through the president, VP, speaker of the House, and some decrepit old senator, you hit these guys:

1. Secretary of State (Marco Rubio)

2. Secretary of the Treasury (Scott Bessent)

3. Secretary of Defense (Pete Hegseth)

4. Attorney General (nominee: Pam Bondi)

5. Secretary of the Interior (nominee: Doug Burgum)

Slots 1, 2, and 4 were created by George Washington himself in 1789. Number 3 came about in 1947 after a military reorganization effort. But it's pretty important, so Defense was slotted into the (RIP) Department of War's old spot.

Number 5 is simply the next oldest department (from 1849). However, some smart policy nerds think it should get bumped in favor of the newest kid on the block: the more important but currently last-ranked Department of Homeland Security.