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Today's Political News Compilation - Monday, February. 17, 2025

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Below are some of the top political news stories of the day:



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Elon Musk’s DOGE seeks access to taxpayer data at IRS: AP sources

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to troves of sensitive taxpayer data at the IRS, two people familiar with the inner workings of the plan who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly told The Associated Press on Monday.

If successful, Musk and his group would have access to millions of tightly controlled files that include taxpayer information, bank records and other sensitive records. The people who spoke to the AP and requested anonymity said DOGE is specifically seeking to access the IRS’ Integrated Data Retrieval System
, which enables employees “to have instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts,” according to the IRS website.

Advocates fear that the potential unlawful release of taxpayer records could be used to maliciously target Americans, violate their privacy and create other ramifications.

Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said in an emailed statement that “waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long. It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it.” ...

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Senate to vote on budget resolution this week, speeding ahead of House

  • News source: Politics - CBSNews.com
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Washington — Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Tuesday that the Senate will move forward with a vote on a budget proposal to begin enacting President Trump's agenda this week, moving ahead of Republicans in the House who are pursuing a competing plan.

"It's time to act on the decisive mandate the American people gave to President Trump in November," Thune said in a post on X Tuesday afternoon, adding that "ecuring the border, rebuilding our defense, and unleashing American energy" will begin "this week."

The Senate's budget resolution...
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NY judge orders Eric Adams, Trump DOJ officials to court over motion to dismiss corruption charges

  • News source: FOX News
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 0
A federal judge in New York City ordered Mayor Eric Adams and Trump administration Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to court over the
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How is a political appointee different from a career federal employee?

  • News source: FOX News
  • Replies: 0
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Under President Donald Trump's second administration so far, significant restructuring of the federal workforce has led to widespread layoffs and policy shifts designed to align with his agenda to eliminate bureaucracy. As these changes unfold, the divide between political appointees and career employees has become more apparent.

Political appointees, chosen by the president, serve at his discretion and include both Cabinet-level department heads and other senior-level officials. They are tasked with carrying out the administration's agenda.

By...
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MAGA loyalists take aim at GOP senator as key Trump defense post sparks controversy: 'Why the opposition?'

  • News source: FOX News
  • Replies: 0
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A key Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee is reportedly on the fence about one of President Donald Trump's Defense nominees over his stance on a nuclear Iran - a potential roadblock to his confirmation given the GOP's slim Senate majority.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is reportedly hesitant about the nomination of former Defense official Elbridge Colby to serve as the under secretary of defense for policy, a key Defense post that remains unmanned amid the ongoing confirmation process.

"Senator Cotton is focused on ensuring all defense...
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‘Waste, fraud and abuse': The country's oldest political rallying cry

  • News source: Bill Barrow | The Associated Press
  • Replies: 0
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Good-government advocates, anti-tax conservatives, politicians of various stripes and everyday Americans grouse about “waste, fraud and abuse” across the U.S. government.

President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, led by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, opened the latest chapter for a phrase hailed as common sense and derided as propaganda.

“It’s a very broad idea,” said Matt Weidinger of the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. “But this phrase ‘waste, fraud and abuse’ obviously means different things to...
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Critics concerned Border Patrol agents may stop wearing body cameras

  • News source: Shelby Bremer
  • Replies: 0
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Major questions were raised Monday about both security and transparency amid reports that Border Patrol agents may no longer use body-worn cameras.

Customs and Border Protection did not answer questions about the potential change, which a San Diego civil rights attorney called “really concerning and disappointing.” The news was first reported by NewsNation.

“It's tremendously important for any law enforcement agency or organization,” attorney Joseph McMullen said of the body-worn cameras. “They have been used in the local policing context, where...
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Pope Francis has pneumonia but remains in 'good spirits,' Vatican says

  • News source: ABC News: Top Stories
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 4
A follow-up chest CT scan on Tuesday "demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy," the Vatican said.
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USAID worker blames 'stress and strain' of aid freeze for wife's pregnancy scare

  • News source: ABC News: Top Stories
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 4
A U.S. foreign service officer blamed the Trump administration's "cruel and harmful shutdown" of USAID for threatening the lives of his pregnant wife and unborn child.
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WATCH: Dramatic video shows moment Delta plane flipped after landing in Toronto

  • News source: ABC News: Top Stories
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 6
Twenty-one people were taken to hospitals after Monday's crash, Delta said. ABC News' Reena Roy and Sam Sweeney report.
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MAGA loyalists take aim at GOP senator as key Trump defense post goes unmanned: 'Why the opposition?'

  • News source: FOX News
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 6
A key Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee is reportedly on the fence about one of President Donald Trump's Defense nominees over his stance on a nuclear Iran - a potential roadblock to his confirmation given the GOP's slim Senate majority.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is reportedly hesitant about the nomination of former Defense official Elbridge Colby to serve as the under secretary of defense for policy, a key Defense post that remains unmanned amid the ongoing confirmation process.

"Senator Cotton is focused on ensuring all defense...
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Circuit court puts final nail in the coffin for Biden's $500M student loan forgiveness plan

  • News source: FOX News
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 6
The U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals put a final end to former President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan on Tuesday.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey originally sued the Biden administration over its $500 million effort to wipe away student loans, known as the SAVE plan. The court's Tuesday ruling found that Biden's secretary of education had "gone well beyond this authority by designing a plan where loans are largely forgiven rather than repaid."

Bailey noted in a statement that the ruling has no active impact beyond blocking...
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Vice President JD Vance to speak at CPAC's opening day

  • News source: FOX News
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 5
Vice President JD Vance is no stranger to the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference, better known by its acronym CPAC.

But on Thursday, at the opening session at National Harbor, Maryland, just outside the nation's capital, Vance will address CPAC for the first time since his inauguration last month as vice president of the United States.

Vance has been a regular at the conference in recent years, dating back to his successful 2022 campaign for the Senate in Ohio. And last October, as he crisscrossed the national campaign trail as...
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Russia won't accept Nato troops in Ukraine, Lavrov says after talks with US

  • News source: BBC News - World
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 5
The meeting was the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that Russian and American delegations are known to have met face-to-face.
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Republicans consider cuts, work requirements for Medicaid

  • News source: Amanda Seitz | The Associated Press, Andrew
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 5
Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program.

Millions more Americans signed up for taxpayer-funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act's marketplace during the Biden administration, a shift lauded by Democrats as a success.

But Republicans, who are looking to slash federal spending and offer lucrative tax cuts to corporations and wealthier Americans, now see a big target ripe for...
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Dramatic video shows moment Delta plane flipped after landing in Toronto

  • News source: ABC News: Top Stories
  • Replies: 0
  • Views: 9
New, dramatic video shows the moment Delta Flight 4819 caught fire and rolled over upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport Monday afternoon.
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