🔵 IRS Shakeup

Author

Citizen Frank
February 15, 2025

Good morning. It’s Saturday, February 15.

 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reported preparing to begin mass layoffs as early as next week as the Trump administration works to dramatically cut government excess and waste, three people familiar with the matter told the New York Times.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) ordered that government agencies terminate probationary employees earlier this week, which are employees who are relatively new at their jobs.

The outlet noted that thousands of IRS employees will be affected by the layoffs, but an exact figure was not known on Friday.

Several House Republicans are preparing articles of impeachment against the federal judges who are blocking some of President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s key policies.

Federal judges have blocked Trump’s executive order that limits transgender care for minors, and his administration’s plan to reduce the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by placing 2,200 employees on administrative leave.

Another federal judge blocked Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the Treasury Department payment records.

Hamas released three hostages including the last living American-Israeli civilian held in the Gaza Strip and took a swing at President Trump’s plan for rebuilding the enclave on Saturday, in a propaganda-tinged event that was nevertheless calmer than many previous releases.

The release took place in the city of Khan Younis in front of the destroyed home of Yahya Sinwar, the militant group’s late leader who orchestrated the Oct. 7, 2023, attack before being killed by Israel last fall.

On the stage set up for the event, Hamas hung a banner that read, “No migration except to Jerusalem”—a retort to Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and redevelop the seaside enclave after removing its inhabitants.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the formation of an “Armed Forces of Europe” in a speech delivered before the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday.

While the Trump administration has drawn feigned outrage throughout European capitals for daring to suggest that they meet their NATO defence spending obligations, President Zelensky was hailed with applause at the Munich Security Conference as he called for an international European army.

Zelensky argued that a European army would be necessary for Europe to take back its own destiny and to ensure its safety if America refused to come to its rescue.

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake was detected in western Texas Friday night, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake at 10:23 p.m. MT (11:23 p.m. CT) had a depth of roughly 4.1 miles, with its epicenter 33 miles northwest of Toyah, Texas –– a town around 160 miles east of El Paso.

Aftershocks were detected within five minutes near the same location, according to the USGS.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council to advise the president on strategies to make the United States energy-dominant.

A White House document on the order provided to Breitbart News notes that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum will chair the council, while Energy Secretary Chris Wright will be the vice chairman. Various cabinet and agency members will also serve on the council.

“The Council will advise President Trump on strategies to achieve energy dominance by improving the processes for permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, and transportation across all forms of American energy,” the White House document states.

A new poll reveals that former Vice President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic frontrunner for governor of California if she were to enter the state’s 2026 race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

In a hypothetical gubernatorial bid, nearly 6 in 10 Democratic primary voters in California – 57%, would vote for Harris, according to the survey by Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics/The Hill.

In a distant second place at 9% support was former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), who left the House to run for Senate last year, only to lose.

President Donald Trump maintained his administration’s aggressive pace last week, barely slowing down as he signed more executive orders, hosted foreign leaders, and implemented tariffs, setting off a global scramble to negotiate.

The president’s fourth week in office was heavy on foreign policy, but he kicked off the week with a wholly American tradition.

Trump attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans — the first sitting president to do so — to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was cheered by football fans when he was shown on the stadium’s screens.

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