Laurel Zuckerman's Paris Weblog

Fourteen states challenge Musk's unlimited power

Fourteen states have filed a lawsuit which begins with the words:

"There is no greater threat to democracy than the accumulation of state power in the hands of a single, unelected individual."

It explains the law and details illegal and unconstitutional actions by Elon Musk.

You might want to read the court filing for the details. 

https://www.azag.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/NM%20v.%20Elon%20Musk.pdf

Who to read during a coup?

Where to find reliable information about Elon Musk's sustained assault against Americans and their government?

The Big Lie is the method of dictators. Personality cults and massive disinformation campaigns are something Hitler, Stalin, Trump and Musk have in common. How to get accurate information at a moment when government websites with decades of data are being disappeared and so much of our prestige press is cowering?

Here are publications that have been outstanding in their fearless, in-depth reporting on the Trump-Musk coup.

Number 1: WIRED

This is a tech led coup so it's not illogical that the best source of information is a tech publication. The journalists and the editorial staff have really stepped up. A subscription to WIRED is about the best investment you can make in getting accurate and timely information today. 

 "The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover"
Engineers between 19 and 24, most linked to Musk’s companies, are playing a key role as he seizes control of federal infrastructure.

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-government-young-engineers/

Archive: https://archive.ph/YAmss#selection-553.0-557.132

DOGE’s Race to the Bottom

Elon Musk’s takeover of US government agencies has happened at remarkable speeds. That’s the point.

https://www.wired.com/story/doge-elon-musk-fast-cuts/

 

Number 2: PROPUBLICA

Propublica has been doing excellent reporting and investigations for a long time. A lot of  crucial background to the players we are now seeing is already in Propublica (like this piece on the family funding so much of the effort to make Republicans believe the lie that Trump won the 2020 elections). Propublica is a great publication and deserves every support

 

See also:

🔗 Elon Musk’s Financial Disclosure Will Not Be Made Public: (The New York Times)

🔗 AI Slop of Musk and Trump on TikTok Racks Up 700 Million Views:  (404 Media)

🔗 How Elon Musk and His DOGE Goons Are Following the Private Equity Playbook: Anna Merlan smartly views DOGE through a private equity lens. (Mother Jones)

“Largest data breach in US history”: Three more lawsuits try to stop DOGE

DOGE and Musk face three more lawsuits over "brazen ransacking" of private data.

JON BRODKIN – 12 FEB 2025 22:31 ARSTECHNICA

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/largest-data-breach-in-us-history-three-more-lawsuits-try-to-stop-doge/

.

See also Youtube

Brian Tyler Cohen: The Legal Breakdown

https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohen

 

 

Why is Elon Musk rooting around in your most sensitive personal and payments information?

 

 

"The system is responsible for paying Social Security and Medicare benefits, salaries for federal personnel, payments to contractors and grant recipients, and tax refunds, among tens of thousands of other functions."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/01/elon-musk-treasury-payments-system/

 

 

 

"The system run by the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service controls the disbursements of around $6 trillion in federal funds to American households, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, tax refunds, and payments to U.S. federal employees and contractors, according to a letter written by Wydenand sent to Bessent a day earlier. Access to the payments system was historically limited to a few staff because it contains personal information about millions of Americans who receive payments from the federal government, per the Times."

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/01/senator-warns-of-national-security-risks-after-elon-musks-doge-granted-full-access-to-sensitive-treasury-systems/

 

Read more about this unprecedented and illegal action by an unelected private individual at

Reuters:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-aides-lock-government-workers-out-computer-systems-us-agency-sources-say-2025-01-31/

Washington Post mentions Tom Krause, "a Silicon Valley executive working in concert with Musk".

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/01/elon-musk-treasury-payments-system/