🥊 Dogfight

☀️ April 9, 2025 ☀️

🐾 Now Let’s Sic ‘Em! 🐾

Oh, brother. Big Brother, that is… Sources inside the government say DOGE is actively using A.I. to surveil employees at agencies like the EPA — scanning internal communications for signs of dissent against Trump or Musk.

Trump officials have informed some agency leaders that DOGE is monitoring platforms like Microsoft Teams to flag employees whose views don't align with the administration’s “mission.” One manager reportedly warned staff to “be careful what you say, what you type and what you do.”

Musk’s own Grok AI chatbot is powering the effort which is facilitated through encrypted Signal chats — a combination raising red flags about legality and transparency. “If they’re using Signal and not backing up every message to federal files, then they’re acting unlawfully,” said a government ethics expert.

Some EPA managers were told directly that AI was being rolled out to identify any language “hostile to Trump or Musk.” After these facts were uncovered, the EPA vaguely confirmed that it was exploring AI to “optimize agency functions” but denied using it for personnel decisions — tho they avoided directly addressing the surveillance claims.

Dogfight. Musk and Navarro Continue Their Very Public Display of Contention.

Grab your popcorn…. 🍿

The public grudge-match between Co-President Musk & Trump Trade Zealot Peter Navarro is escalating.

For convenience, we compiled the juicy bits into a junior high text chain...

Paw & Order. High Courts Back DOGE in Two Key Rulings.

Higher courts handed down two separate rulings in favor of DOGE & Trump — weighing in on lower court decisions. Here’s the gist of each…

In one decision, the Supreme Court halted a lower-court order that would’ve forced multiple agencies — including Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Treasury — to reinstate roughly 16,000 federal workers fired by the administration.

These were mostly probationary employees terminated under DOGE directives, and a California judge had ruled their removal was procedurally flawed. But SCOTUS sided with the administration, agreeing that the judge overstepped by ordering reinstatement while the case is still ongoing.

In a second case, a federal appeals court overturned an injunction that had blocked DOGE’s access to private data at the Education Department, Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management.

The lawsuit — filed by the American Federation of Teachers and other groups—alleged violations of federal privacy laws after DOGE was given broad access to Social Security numbers, income, addresses, and more.

But, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that DOGE’s access doesn’t meet the legal threshold for “concrete injury” and is likely to be upheld.

However, while DOGE is now back in these systems, it remains blocked from accessing Social Security Administration data… at least for now.

Made an Oopsie. Social Security Erroneously Told Disabled People & Seniors Their Benefits Ended.

The Social Security Administration mistakenly told some Social Security recipients last week that their benefits had ended, causing widespread panic among low-income seniors and disabled Americans.

Affected users saw messages saying they were "not receiving payments" and had no payment history visible.

Chris Hubbard, whose adult autistic son relies on SSI, described staying up all night refreshing the site. Although benefits were deposited on time April 1, she received no explanation or contact from the agency.

SSA claims the issue only affected certain SSI recipients and was resolved within 24 hours. But advocates say it's part of a larger pattern of dysfunction ever since DOGE took over.

This, on top of the SSA website constantly being down, blocked logins, and shuttered offices all contribute to a growing unease and chaos for recipients in need.

To make matters worse, they’re still flooding AARP hotlines as an alternative — ever since DOGE halted phone communications.

Puppy Mills. Grants Fighting Global Child Labor Axed by DOGE.

DOGE has abruptly terminated all federal funding for global efforts to combat child and forced labor, ending decades of work led by the Labor Department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB).

The move effectively shutters around $500 million in grants that supported programs across multiple continents and industries — from preventing child labor in West Africa's cocoa fields to stopping forced cotton harvesting in Uzbekistan.

“These grants were not ‘foreign handouts’ — they leveled the playing field,” said a joint letter from the American Apparel and Footwear Association and the Fair Labor Association. “We rely on ILAB’s essential work to enforce fair labor standards.”

“We were on a path to eliminating the scourge,” said Reid Maki of the Child Labor Coalition. “Now we’re looking at an explosion of child labor.”

Maybe this is just a laying the groundwork for DeSantis to import kids to Florida sweatshops, since he’s been loosening child labor laws there too.

"White House Confirms Extra 50% Tariff on China"
Here we go… Trump’s tariffs kicked in at midnight for scores of countries around the world — most notably for China, who he slapped with an Even! More! Mega! Tariff! Chinese goods will increase by an additional 50%, bringing the total to 104%. This follows China’s announcement of a 34% retaliatory tariff on U.S. products in response to Trump’s earlier 34% “reciprocal” tariff. So the pissing contest is escalating, and time will tell if Trump is just pissing in the wind.

“Manufacturing Projects in JD Vance’s Hometown Getting DOGE’d”
DOGE is planning to kill a $500 million steel grant for Cleveland-Cliffs in Middletown, Ohio — Vice President JD Vance’s hometown. The funding would have modernized the plant with cleaner tech and created over 1,000 construction jobs. Now it’s in limbo, part of broader DOGE-driven cuts targeting major manufacturing investments. “This makes no sense. It really reads like a bunch of 24-year-olds at DOGE are working through this,” one source said. Critics say the cuts contradict the administration’s promises to boost U.S. manufacturing, especially in GOP strongholds like Ohio. Might be time for a very different kind of Hillbilly Elegy soon.

“Trump Ads Thanking Himself Exempted From DOGE Review”
Trump is funneling up to $200 million in taxpayer money into an ad campaign that thanks Trump for cracking down on immigration — and it’s dodging the very DOGE oversight that was set up to prevent waste and abuse. The ads, which run domestically and internationally, feature DHS Secretary Kristi Noem literally thanking Trump by name at his request. “I want you to thank me,” Trump reportedly told her directly. She complied: “Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for securing our border… under President Trump, America’s borders are closed to law-breakers.” Trump carved out broad exemptions for himself from DOGE — ensuring that while disaster relief funds remain frozen, his campaign-style immigration ads remain untouched. He’s so starved for attention, next thing you know he’ll be demanding a parade. Oh. Right.

“US Marshals Warn Fired DOJ Lawyer Before Her Congressional Testimony”
The Justice Department dispatched armed U.S. Marshals to deliver a warning letter to Liz Oyer ahead of her scheduled congressional testimony. Oyer, who was terminated for refusing to recommend restoring gun rights to Trump-supporter Mel Gibson, received the warning while in the car with her family — learning that Marshals were headed to her home where her teenage child was alone. Oyer ultimately testified before lawmakers, stating she “won’t be bullied into concealing the ongoing corruption and abuse of power at the DOJ.”

“IRS to Share Undocumented Workers' Data with ICE, Breaking Privacy Norms”
Acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause has resigned after the Trump administration quietly signed a deal allowing ICE to access immigrant tax data for deportation efforts. The agreement — inked by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem — lets ICE cross-check undocumented immigrants’ names and addresses with IRS records. The move undermines tax privacy laws and could discourage immigrant communities from filing taxes and critics warn: “This sets a dangerous precedent for data privacy abuse.”

Well, that was a lot to chew on… Again.

So as your reward, here are a few treats.

Some doggy goodness to calm your nerves… lift your spirits… and get you through to tomorrow…

Your Daily Dog.  The Best Pups from the Internet.

Pack Pooches. Submitted by Pack Members.

Submit Your Dog Too!

Want your precious pup featured in the newsletter?

Just email a pic or social link to us at [email protected]. 

Include your pet’s name and/or your name and/or other details like “It’s Bernese Sanders’ 3rd birthday!” etc. (But only if you want that info published. No pressure.)

Howl It From The Rooftops!

🙌 Thanks for reading. See you on Thursday!  

🐾 And until then, do your best to stay pawsitive!