Politics Random, Random

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A new document undercuts Trump admin's denials about $400 million Tesla deal
February 24, 202512:22 PM ET
Bobby Allyn

The controversy started in a very Washington way: as a line item in a government spreadsheet buried on the State Department's website.

It appeared as if the State Department was taking steps to award Elon Musk's Tesla a $400 million government contract to buy armored electric vehicles to securely transport diplomats. The move to set in motion a lucrative contract to a company controlled by a high-profile ally of President Trump's seemed so bold it surprised even longtime observers of the norm-busting president.

When asked about it, the State Department issued a statement saying the plans are now on hold with no plans of fulfilling the contract, pointing out that talks with Tesla began during the Biden administration.

But NPR has obtained a State Department document detailing that Biden's State Department planned to spend just $483,000 in the 2025 fiscal year on buying electric vehicles and $3 million for supporting equipment, like charging stations. It represented less than 1% of the hundreds of millions of dollars likely destined for Tesla vehicles after the Trump administration quietly revised a State Department procurement document.

The vast discrepancy in the numbers raises the question: Was it an error, or a deliberate action?

A former Biden White House official familiar with the State Department's plans told NPR the steps taken to advance $400 million worth of government business to Tesla appear to be intentional.

"I don't think this is a clerical error. It was likely someone who is new in [the] State [Department] who decided, 'OK, we're gonna do this with Tesla,'" said the former official, who was not authorized to speak about the matter.

The person said the State Department and Tesla had agreed during the Biden administration to conduct research about armoring electric vehicles, but no money had been set aside to purchase armored Teslas for the State Department. A total budget of $483,000 had been approved to begin prototyping light-duty EVs as possible State Department vehicles. That plan was moving forward as recently as November 2024.

The White House and Musk did not return multiple requests for comment.

In a statement to NPR on Monday, a State Department spokesperson said the $400 million figure was "an estimate," pointing out that it was in the early stages and was not yet a full contract, but rather a proposal "strictly to gather information."

The department spokesman added: "the Department of State has no intention to move forward with the solicitation."

In a Feb. 13 post on his social media platform, X, Musk, who is also a top White House official, said: "I'm pretty sure Tesla isn't getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least."

After the original procurement document attracted widespread attention, NPR reported that the Trump administration appeared to have quietly edited the document, changing the phrase "armored Tesla" to the more generic "armored electric vehicles" without explanation. Eventually, the item vanished from the State Department's procurement document.


Screenshots from three different versions of a State Department procurement document that was posted online showing how the plans to procure armored Teslas morphed over time. The State Department says the plans to purchase $400 million of armored Teslas originated with the Biden administration but NPR's reporting only shows the Biden administration planned to spend less than $500,000 to explore whether electric vehicles could be armored for diplomatic use.

Department of State

The document claims it was originally published in December, at the end of former President Joe Biden's term, but it does not appear in the Internet Archive for that month.

The $400 million item in the procurement document caused a stir. Since then, Trump officials have not answered why the State Department appeared to be taking steps to pursue an acquisition of electric vehicles from Tesla, with the company's stainless steel Cybertruck likely being the most suitable option for an armored vehicle. The proposed purchase amount would likely exceed what the entire federal government would spend on electric vehicles in 2025.

The prospect of such a purchase also puzzled security professionals who work with the State Department.

"I can't imagine why the government would ever put dignitaries in a Cybertruck," said Jim McGuffey, an armored car expert who does work with the State Department. "Compared to the other armored car companies out there, it just wouldn't make any sense."

State Department abandons Tesla plan after publicity

The potential purchase of armored Teslas emerged as Tesla CEO Musk has become one of the most influential officials in the White House, leading a cost-cutting initiative that has swept across the federal government.

Musk's team has orchestrated the firings of tens of thousands of career government workers, and tried to dismantle entire agencies. Ethics experts have grown concerned about how Musk could use his influence to benefit one of his six companies. Trump has vowed to remove Musk from any government matters that could affect one of his firms, even though Musk is already shaking up agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that could have presented a regulatory headache for the billionaire.

The idea that the Trump administration would support a $400 million contract to buy Teslas would seem to run counter to Trump's opposition to electric vehicles. Trump has revoked Biden's executive orders backing funding and infrastructure for EVs, one of which sought to encourage the federal government to acquire electric vehicles.

Experts interviewed for this story raised this possibility: Trump's State Department may have hoped to replace some or all of the department's fleet of armored cars and SUVs with Teslas, with the most fitting model likely being the Cybertruck, a large and angular vehicle that began deliveries in 2023. Musk has called it a "futuristic battle tank."

Replacing whole State Department fleet with Teslas? 'It's possible'
Security experts and former federal officials said $400 million would likely cover the purchasing and "up-armoring" of thousands of Cybertrucks.

According to the State Department document reviewed by NPR, there are about 3,000 armored cars and SUVs around the world that are used to transport diplomats, VIPs and other officials working for the State Department.

If every one of those vehicles was replaced with a new Cybertruck, which costs around $80,000 for an entry-level model, the bill would come out to about $250 million. The vehicles would then need to go through a process known as "up-armoring," which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per car. Multiply those costs by the size of the State Department's entire fleet and experts said $400 million would likely be a ballpark cost.

"It's possible, diplomatic-level armoring starts in the mid-$70,000s," said Mark Burton, chief executive of Armormax, a Utah firm that installs bulletproof glass and other security-enhancing modifications to vehicles. "We're doing EVs all the time," he said. "We've done Rivians, [Tesla] Model S and Cybertrucks."

Yet as of July 2024, when the State Department document was submitted to the White House, the department's officials had serious reservations about converting its fleet to electric vehicles.

Among the issues was identifying an electric vehicle durable enough to be "armored up," which would require securing the vehicle's battery against something that could cause the battery to explode or catch fire, the State Department officials wrote. The officials wrote that "finding an electric vehicle that can hold the weight of armor and have viable range for protection driving are other initial challenges."

Indeed, security industry experts say fully armoring a vehicle can add something like 1,000 pounds of weight. A Cybertruck already weighs around 7,000 pounds. The added armor could add stress to the entire vehicle and significantly reduce the electric vehicle's range, a potential safety concern, especially in countries with limited EV charging infrastructure.

In a now-famous early demo of the Cybertruck, in 2019, Musk wanted to show a live crowd that the car was "bulletproof" and had Tesla's chief designer throw a metal ball at one of its windows. He did, and the glass smashed.

"Well, maybe that was a little too hard," Musk said.

Diplomats in Cybertrucks in Karachi and Mogadishu? Not likely, says former U.S. official

With those concerns in mind, the State Department officials in the agency's document outlined a gradual timeline, writing it hoped to test the first electric vehicles prototypes in 2026, before discussion of wider adoption would begin.

But the Trump administration's 2025 procurement document was on a far more aggressive timetable, noting it planned to begin accepting bids for the $400 million armored electric vehicle order this May, with the goal of completing a purchase by September.

When Michael Evanoff saw that figure, he was instantly skeptical.

Evanoff, a former senior State Department diplomatic security official with 40 years of experience, said the gold standard for diplomatic security are vehicles that are manufactured from the ground up with armor, not with armor added on later. Carmakers including Mercedes, BMW and GM offer such armored models. In fact, the State Department awarded GM a $300 million contract for armored SUVs in 2023.

A Cybertruck, he said, would not fit the bill.

"It would be hard for a Cybertruck to survive in a hostile environment,"said Evanoff, pointing to potential problems arising from the vehicle's weight after being modified with armor and battery life issues. "You're not going to see diplomats in Cybertrucks in Karachi and Mogadishu."

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/24/nx-s1-53 ... musk-trump

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Elon Musk makes an admission about the productivity email his group sent to federal workers
Department of Government Efficiency head says he wants to test whether federal employees are ‘capable of replying to an email’

James Liddell
Monday 24 February 2025 16:12 GMT

Elon Musk said that blanket emails sent to federal employees asking for a response about their weekly accomplishments or risk termination was a test to see if they “had a pulse.”

The tech billionaire, tasked by President Donald Trump with slashing bureaucracy and federal spending through his Department of Government Efficiency, wrote on his X platform Friday that all government staff would receive an email requesting specifics of what they had achieved last week.

Workers reportedly received the email Saturday afternoon from the Office of Personnel Management with the subject line “What did you do last week?” The deadline given in which to respond, according to emails reviewed by Reuters, was 11:59 p.m. EST Monday. Failure to reply would be “taken as resignation,” Musk tweeted.

Less than 24 hours before the deadline, Musk hinted that the emails were simply a ruse to ensure federal employees were “capable of responding” to his correspondence.

In the early hours of Monday morning, Musk replied to American venture capitalist Garry Tan on X after he shared a post claiming that DOGE wouldn’t be capable of reading all of the federal workers’ responses, calling the initiative “stupid” and “performance art.”

“Most people don’t understand LLMs have changed the nature of management already, and this will be a bit of a shock to people,” Tan tweeted on Sunday night, speaking of large language models: a type of machine learning model designed for processing large data sets of text.

Musk responded that LLMs would not be needed for his task.

“This was basically a check to see if the employee had a pulse and was capable of replying to an email,” Musk said. “This mess will get sorted out this week. Lot of people in for a rude awakening and strong dose of reality. They don’t get it yet, but they will.”

On Sunday afternoon, Musk also referred to the emails as a “very basic pulse check.” That evening, Musk added that a response was indicative that employees have “two working neurons.”

As of Saturday night, employees at several agencies — including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — had received the emails, Reuters reports.

When asked for comment, an OPM spokesperson told The Independent that “agencies will determine any next steps” after employees respond.

“As part of the Trump Administration's commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC’ing their manager,” the spokesperson said.

A rift emerged on Sunday evening between Trump’s agency heads and Musk after leaders at the FBI, Pentagon, State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Energy instructed staff not to reply to the OPM’s email.

Some managers, including at the Department of Health and Human Services, instructed workers to comply with the request to send a list of five accomplishments from the past week to a generic government email address, only to later reverse course. While others simply told their staff to wait until Monday — and not to reply to the note before then.

“EXTREMELY troubling that some parts of government think this is TOO MUCH!!” Musk tweeted on Sunday. “What is wrong with them??”

Senior officials worked to provide employees guidance on how they should proceed, including freshly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel urging employees to “pause responses.”

The emails thrust the Defense Department into chaos over the weekend as they tried to determine what to tell employees about how to respond, multiple senior officials told CNN.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 03536.html

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The felon posted this about Federal workers but ha ha it was just a joke.

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[skatingfan]

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U.S. lays out $1 billion plan to combat bird flu egg shortages
The plan includes biosecurity upgrades and purchasing millions of eggs from other countries, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

Updated
February 26, 2025 at 15 p.m. EST today at 2:15 p.m. EST

By Tim Carman

As avian flu continues to impact millions of laying hens, causing egg prices to hit an all-time high, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it will invest $1 billion to try to curb the spread of the virus and bring consumer prices back down to earth.

In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department has developed a five-pronged strategy to eradicate avian flu. The plan includes $500 million to upgrade biosecurity at poultry farms as well as $400 million in financial relief to farmers whose flocks have been decimated by the flu. The money earmarked for biosecurity would help farmers who have been channeling millions of their own dollars to improve security. The department will also explore more egg imports to help lower consumer prices, potential vaccines for laying hens, and a dismantling of regulations that Rollins said place an undue burden on egg producers.

“This five-point strategy won’t erase the problem overnight, but we’re confident that it will restore stability to the egg market over the next three to six months,” Rollins wrote. “This approach will also ensure stability over the next four years and beyond.”

The plan comes less than a month after the price of eggs hit an all-time high. In January, the average price for large, Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 per dozen, nearly double the price from the previous January and about $3 more than in January 2022, according to statistics with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bird flu is the cause for the spikes. According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has killed more than 166 million birds since 2022 and affected 973 dairy herds in 16 states. More than 12,200 wild birds have been detected with the virus in 51 jurisdictions. To date, 64 human cases have been identified with the virus, and there is no known person-to-person spread. The CDC considers the risk to public health low.

The strategy roll out came just days after Rollins traveled to four states to listen to farmers and ranchers speak about the issues they’re facing. She also hosted a roundtable for a number of governors to discuss how they can work together to combat avian flu. The announcement comes just a few days after President Donald Trump addressed a gathering of the nation’s governors at the White House.

“I’m hearing so much about eggs,” Trump said. “You got to figure something out fast.”

United Egg Producers, a cooperative of U.S. egg farmers, was supportive of the plan. In a statement to The Post, the group said it “stands ready to partner with the administration and USDA in these critical initiatives. Our teams are reviewing the plan with our members so we can identify immediate ways to provide support for and amplification of this robust strategy to stop the spread of HPAI across our nation.”

Among the countries the USDA could turn to is Turkey. The U.S. could increase its egg purchases from Turkey from 70 million a year to an estimated 420 million this year, a spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman added that wherever the agency looks for egg imports, it will make sure the products meet safety requirements for American consumers.

To help fund the planned initiatives, Rollins said the Agriculture Department is working with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, “to cut hundreds of millions of dollars of wasteful spending. We will repurpose some of those dollars by investing in long-term solutions to avian flu.”

“There’s no silver bullet to eradicating avian flu,” Rollins added.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/202 ... lu-prices/


TL;dr We're going to (illegally) fire more people to bring the price of eggs down and bail out the industrial farms where unsanitary conditions caused the problem in the first place.
Not mentioned is that President Musk riffed 20% of the employees at the USDA Agricultural Research Service Animal Health lab in Ames IA. This is the number one lab in the US for research on bird flu...

They're literally making this ish up as they go along.

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‪Brett Meiselas‬ ‪@bmeiselas.bsky.social‬

You know we could've just been going about our lives as the economy steadily grew, our alliances continued to be strong, and we didn't have to worry about a psychopath running the country every day

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[ponchi101]

It has been removed. Can you give a brief summary?

[ti-amie]

It has been removed. Can you give a brief summary?

This is the best that I can do.

What Trump’s order making English the official language in the US could mean

By FERNANDA FIGUEROA
Updated 5:50 PM EST, February 28, 2025

As President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, activists and advocacy groups are alarmed by what that will mean for non-English speakers when it comes to immigration, voter access and other issues.

The order, which was announced Friday, will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in languages other than English, according to a fact sheet. The move rescinds a mandate from former President Bill Clinton that required the government and organizations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.

Designating English as the national language “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” according to the White House. But some activists and organizations think the move is just another way for the president to stoke division and fear.

“This isn’t just an offensive gesture that sticks a thumb in the eye of millions of U.S. citizens who speak other languages, but also will directly harm those who have previously relied on language assistance for vital information,” Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group for immigration reform, said in an email.


What does it mean to have an official language?

According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an official language is what is used by the government to conduct official, day-to-day business. Having one or more official languages can help define a nation’s character and the cultural identity of those who live in it.

Prioritizing one language may place certain people in position of power and exclude others whose language is not recognized, according to the institute.

U.S. English, a group that advocates for making English the official language in the United States, believes having an official language provides a common means of communication, encourages immigrants to learn English to use government services and “defines a much-needed common sense language policy.”

Currently there are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The most widely spoken languages other than English are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic.

People in the U.S. also speak Native North American languages such as Navajo, Yupik, Dakota, Apache, Keres and Cherokee, among others.

Potential impact on citizenship and voting

Anabel Mendoza, the communications director for United We Dream, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization, said limiting the language of federal communication will make it harder for people to become citizens if they are denied the ability to speak their native tongue throughout the process. Currently, people of certain age and residency requirements can qualify for a waiver to do the citizenship test and interview in their native language.

“Trump is trying to send the message that if you’re not white, rich and speak English you don’t belong here,” Mendoza said. “Let me be clear: Immigrants are here to stay. No matter how hard Trump tries, he can’t erase us.”

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced Friday that New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, caucus chair, will deliver, on behalf of Democrats, the official Spanish-language response to Trump’s upcoming joint address to Congress.

George Carrillo, co-founder & CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council, said it seems like a step backwards in a country that has championed its diversity. He is also concerned how limiting governmental communication might affect U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico where the predominant language is Spanish.

“This executive order, while framed as promoting unity, risks dismantling critical supports like ESL programs and multilingual resources that help immigrants adapt and contribute,” Carrillo said. “Imagine families navigating healthcare or legal systems without materials in a language they understand, it’s a barrier, not a bridge.”

APIAVote, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on registering Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, also expressed worry this could mean barriers for millions of voters such as naturalized citizens or elderly residents who aren’t English-proficient.

“It will make it harder for them to participate civically and vote, as well as access critical healthcare, economic and education resources,” the group said in a statement.

Furthermore, the organization says this action could make anyone who speaks another language a target.

“The exclusionary nature of this policy will only fuel xenophobia and discrimination at a time when anti-Asian hate and hate against other minority and immigrant groups are rising.”

States that have English as the official language
More than 30 states, from California to New Hampshire, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands have already passed laws designating English as their official language, according to U.S. English. Hawaii is the only state to declare two official languages, English and Hawaiian.

For decades, lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to designate English as the official language, but those efforts failed. The most recent effort was in 2023, when Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and JD Vance, R-Ohio, introduced the English Language Unity Act. Vance is now vice president.

How many countries have official languages?

It is estimated that over 170 countries have an official language, with some having more than one language.

Mexico does not have an official language. In Canada the official languages are English and French. According to Canada’s Official Languages Act of 1969, the purpose of designating two languages ensures “the equality of status” and protecting linguistic minorities “while taking into account the fact that they have different needs.”

_____
Figueroa reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in New York and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-declar ... 69e13f8724

[ponchi101]

Txs.
In S. America, most countries have an official language. Vennieland, Colombia and Argentina have Spanish, of course. Any official document MUST be in that language.
In view of all the other looney things they are doing, this is not at the top of the list. But this hyper-nationalistic BS is truly worrisome.

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Republicans advised to avoid in-person town halls after confrontations over layoffs go viral
The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee advised Republicans in a closed-door meeting that there were other ways to reach constituents.

March 4, 2025, 12:45 PM EST / Updated March 4, 2025, 2:47 PM EST
By Melanie Zanona and Megan Lebowitz

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are again being advised against holding in-person town halls after several instances of lawmakers being berated by attendees went viral.

The chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the Hill committee that works to get Republicans elected to the House, told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning that there were more efficient ways to reach constituents than in-person town halls, according to two sources in the room.

The chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., compared the moment to 2017, when a series of GOP town halls made headlines after angry attendees confronted lawmakers.

The committee's communications director, Will Kiley, said in a post on X that Hudson "supports members reaching and helping as many of our constituents as possible, using technology makes this a heck of lot easier."

"Chairman Hudson opposes attention seeking Move On and Indivisible activists hijacking these events," he added.

Later Tuesday, Hudson told reporters that "in-person town halls are no longer effective because Democrat activists are threatening democracy by disrupting the actual communication at town halls."

Progressive groups have previously pushed for their supporters to attend town halls, but it is unclear if those initiatives influenced the attendees who raised issues with the lawmakers to join the events.

Separately, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday that House Republicans were encouraging members to “communicate directly with their constituents” in telephone town halls and small groups rather than open forums.

“They’re professional protesters,” Johnson said, though there is not evidence to back up that claim. “So, why would we give them a forum to do that right now? The best thing that our members can do is communicate directly, frequently, consistently with their constituents, and there are other avenues to do it.”


Video shows Kansas senator getting booed after leaving town hall early
01:21

Hudson also claimed without evidence that the disruptions were from paid protesters. His and Johnson's cautions against in-person town halls are just the latest warnings by top Republican leaders about participating in the events, which give constituents the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.

NBC News previously reported that House GOP leaders have urged lawmakers to stop engaging in town halls, according to a GOP aide. Party leaders have also suggested that lawmakers instead participate in tele-town halls or vet attendees, according to GOP sources.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., faced strong criticism from attendees at a town hall at a Kansas hospital last weekend who were angry with the Department of Government Efficiency.

In videos obtained by NBC News, Marshall argued that DOGE employees had been vetted, prompting boos and jeers from the crowd. Later, Marshall argued that the audience has been "fed so much information," prompting another outburst from the attendees.

Shortly before the end of the town hall, one attendee criticized the job cuts, including the firing of veterans. Sweeping federal worker cuts have affected veterans, who comprise about 30% of the federal workforce, according to publicly available data.

Marshall then left the town hall, citing other obligations. As he left, attendees booed and yelled that he had not completed the full hour he said he would stay.

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, also faced criticism at a Saturday town hall. A video posted to X by the Collin County GOP showed attendees booing Self and chanting, "Vote you out." Collin County GOP attributed the scene to Democrats, but the party of the attendees is unclear.

Democrats criticized Republicans' cautions against in-person town halls.

“So House Republicans’ political strategy is ‘see no families nor workers,’ ‘hear no protesters,’ ‘speak to no one’ and hope everyone gets less angry at them when they rip away Americans’ health care? Got it,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton said in a statement.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin took aim at Marshall's town hall as well, saying in a weekend statement that "it comes as no surprise that Republicans like Roger Marshall are hiding from their own constituents, because Americans are rightfully furious about what's happening in Washington right now."

President Donald Trump has also weighed in on the town halls, claiming in a Monday post to his social media site, Truth Social, that people were being paid to cause trouble, although there is no evidence to suggest that.

Marshall later reposted Trump's comment, writing, "can confirm."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congre ... rcna194689

Every accusation is a confession with these people...

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