The Patriots Within

 Last week in the essay “What’s Happening Here,” I reported that by targeting FBI agents who worked on the Jan. 6th cases for firing, the Trump administration was on the verge of expelling its top counter-terrorism experts.

I’ve since learned that those experts are among the 6,000 FBI agents who have sued the federal government to prevent their names to be released to the public. In an agreement approved by a judge, the government was ordered not to release the names — for now.

The agents, whose identities are protected in the court filings, argued that if their names fell into the wrong hands, the “national security of the United States would be severely compromised.”

Ironically, the “wrong hands” include the President of the United States, as well as those convicted, then pardoned of crimes in the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6th. Collectively, they represent the gravest danger to our national security. 

We are just one dog whistle away from another violent insurrection, and among our few remaining defenses against that scenario is the continued presence of domestic counter-terrorism experts inside the FBI. 

They are our patriots within.

Of course that brings us to the man with the whistle.

Headlines: 

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Donald Trump of living in a ‘disinformation bubble’ (Financial Times)

• Elon Musk Is Leading a ‘Hostile Takeover of the Federal Government’ (NYT)

• Trump scores win in suit challenging Elon Musk's cost-cutting powers (Reuters)

• White House says Elon Musk is not in charge of DOGE — legally, anyway (NPR)

• Trump-Musk Threats Darken as Their Anger at Enemies Takes Ominous Turn (TNR)

• Top criminal prosecutor in Washington U.S. Attorney’s office abruptly quits (Politico)

• Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees. One employee suggested he was targeted over his criticism of Elon Musk's companies Tesla and X. [AP]

• Inside the Trump administration’s error-plagued federal firing spree (WP)

• Federal Government Agrees Not to Release List of FBI Agents Involved in Trump Cases (Democracy Docket)

• Thousands join class actions as fired feds weigh options to challenge Trump's moves (Government Executive)

• Trump's firings of independent agency heads put 90-year-old Supreme Court precedent in crosshairs (CBS)

• Trump says he has instructed DOJ to terminate all remaining Biden-era US attorneys (Reuters)

• Republicans consider cuts and work requirements for Medicaid, jeopardizing care for millions (AP)

• U.S. weighs destroying $500 million in stockpiled covid tests (WP)

• Russia and US agree to work toward ending Ukraine war in a remarkable diplomatic shift (AP)

• Trump blames Ukraine over war with Russia, saying it could have made a deal (Guardian)

• Hamas to hand over 4 Israeli hostages' bodies Thursday and 6 living hostages Saturday (NPR)

• Gaza Arab plan may involve up to $20 billion regional contribution, sources say (Reuters)

• EPA is considering blocking states from passing stronger pesticide regulations. Tell them: NO. (PAN)

• Trump’s Kennedy Center Coup Has Christian Nationalism Written All Over It (Daily Kos)

• Leonard Peltier leaves prison after Biden commuted his sentence in the killing of two FBI agents (AP)

• The revolt of the ‘low performers’ (Business Insider)

• Google’s AI Efforts Marred by Turf Disputes (Information)

• China's humanoid robots to take on factory work, household tasks, half-marathon (Global Times)

• How U.S. tech giants' AI is changing the face of warfare in Gaza and Lebanon (AP)

• Numerous Teams Express Interest In Aaron Rodgers Playing Elsewhere (The Onion)