📡 Hot Spot

☀️ HAPPY THURSDAY, MARCH 20

from your Certified Emotional Support Newsletter

🙏 DAILY MANTRA 

“The Department of Government Efficiency is neither a Department nor Efficient.”

🐾 LET’S SIC ‘EM!

Hot Spot. White House Getting Starlink Internet Upgrade from Musk.

Call it an anniversary gift now that it’s been two months since the Co-Presidents consummated their partnership on Inauguration Day… Musk’s Starlink internet service has been installed at the White House.

While drinking champagne through linked arms, the White House stated that the installation is meant to “improve wifi connectivity” and was a vetted “donation”.

Naturally, critics are skeptical, questioning why Starlink is being introduced on government infrastructure, and warning that adding Starlink to government operations introduces new risks — especially as Starlink services continue to roll out at other federal properties too, including the General Services Administration.

This conflict of interest has fueled calls for investigations into potential corruption, particularly after the FAA canceled a massive contract with Verizon in favor of Musk’s Starlink to manage US airspace. And of course, we all remember the recent Tesla Sales-a-thon that Trump hosted at the White House.

But you know how jealous people are… haters always gonna hate, especially on these Star-Crossed -Linked lovers who most definitely deserve each other.

Dig Deeper here and here and here.

Kill-o-Bite. DOGE Slashes Key Government Tech Group, Raising Concerns Over Service Cuts.

Like a bored puppy with a new shoe, DOGE is shredding the Technology Transformation Services (TTS) group, with drastic cuts to staff and resources in an effort to meet DOGE’s efficiency goals.

The group focuses on digital modernization developed key public-facing IT services like Login.gov — the central login system for critical government services like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security — and cloud.gov — the government’s cloud hosting environment. You know, only two ultra-crucial services used by millions inside and outside the government, that’s all.

As the article perfectly puts it: “A charitable interpretation is that DOGE has in mind a ‘destroy to create’ approach to modernizing government systems. But, based on the group’s actions so far… it seems more likely that DOGE’s real agenda is just the “destroy” part.”

One staffer who recently opted to leave his job rather than become part of DOGE said, “Maybe that’s fine in private industry where the tools that you’re working with are Twitter or Tesla and the impact to the public is not as great and lives are not lost. But when you do this for a federal program, if it fails at any point there could be lives lost.”

Lives lost. Yeah, that would be super inefficient.

Dig Deeper here.

Fetch. FOIA Request Forces DOGE to Release Data on Federal Cuts — How To Find Out Which Data is Yours.

A federal judge recently ruled that DOGE must comply with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, prompting concerns over transparency and privacy. So Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin is encouraging Americans to use their rights under the Privacy Act to request access to any personal data DOGE may have collected.

This follows a lawsuit by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), demanding that DOGE disclose information regarding its actions and the cuts it’s making to federal programs. The court has expedited the request, citing public interest and potential harm from delays.

Newsweek laid out a handy walkthrough for how to fetch your personal data from DOGE, citizens should follow these steps:

  1. Obtain the Privacy Act Request Form: According to the Federal Trade Commission, individuals can submit a request online or through the mail, but online is the most efficient. A prefilled request form specifically for DOGE is available on Raskin's website.

  2. Complete the Form: Include your full name, contact details and any specific information related to the data you believe DOGE has collected about you.

  3. Send the Request: Send your completed form to DOGE via mail. The address of the destination is at the top of the form.

  4. Await Response: Agencies typically have 20 to 30 days to respond to Privacy Act requests. If denied, applicants have the right to appeal.

Dig Deeper here.

Bleach Blonde Bad-Built Bitch. MTG’s DOGE Subcommittee To Interrogate NPR & PBS CEOs.

Congressional DOGE Subcommittee — no, not that DOGE, this DOGE is Delivering on Government Efficiency. See what they did there?

Congressional DOGE Subcommittee, led by Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (ugh — we’d almost forgotten about her and that this position was her token prize) has announced that she’s hauling in the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify before subcommittee members.

MTG is all hot and bothered in her little fiefdom and wants to know about alleged bias in their coverage, and how both organizations failed to report on issues like Hunter Biden's laptop, and COVID-19 origins, and circumcised space lasers… In other words, all the classic hits.

Her highness aims to evaluate whether NPR and PBS should continue receiving taxpayer subsidies and funding.

MTG’s Opening Night performance will be March 26th, and even though she’s really only performing for an audience of Two, you can probably watch the dog-and-pony show on C-SPAN.

Dig Deeper here.

Backdoor Diplo-mutts. DOGE to Close Dozens of U.S. Consulates and Slash Operations Budgets.

DOGE is shaking up U.S. consulates and embassies abroad with plans to close a dozen, mostly in Western Europe, while also implementing drastic budget cuts. The list of potential consulate closures includes missions in France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, and Brazil.

Smaller missions in cities like Bordeaux, Lyon, and Strasbourg, as well as Dusseldorf and Hamburg, are set to close too, and as a result, consular services will be consolidated into larger embassies and consulates, leading to significant layoffs.

Some staffing reductions have already been initiated and are expected to contribute to significant delays in visa processing. And for individuals planning on receiving visa services abroad, the closures and staff cuts will likely mean even longer waits in the future.

In a now familiar pattern, cuts always sound good on paper, but when the consequences of such rash decisions actually start taking place, then it’s two steps back in the “Inefficiency Shuffle.”

Dig Deeper here.

"FTC Shake-Up: Trump Fires Democratic Commissioners"
Co-President Trump has fired Democratic commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and now they (and lots of others) are claiming the move was illegal. Historically, agencies like the FTC are seen as more independent and don’t have quite the same partisan revolving door of firings and hirings that happen when a new administration comes into power. Therefore, Bedoya has accused Trump of wanting the FTC to become a “lapdog for his golfing buddies” rather than remaining a guard dog enforcing consumer protections, and then added: “he’ll see the President in court.”

Trump Orders Push for ‘Clean Coal,’ Ignites Environmental Backlash
This week, Co-President Trump went on another bArKInG mAd rANt: After years of being held captive by Environmental Extremists, Lunatics, Radicals, and Thugs, allowing other Countries, in particular China, to gain tremendous Economic advantage over us by opening up hundreds of all Coal Fire Power Plants, I am authorizing my Administration to immediately begin producing Energy with BEAUTIFUL, CLEAN COAL.” The Sierra Club’s response summed it up succinctly: "completely delusional.” Yeah, pretty much.

Musk’s Push to Privatize Amtrak Raises Concerns About U.S. Rail Future
Co-President Musk's recent comments about privatizing Amtrak and “every other public service we possibly can” have raised concerns about the future of U.S. high-speed rail. He went on to criticize Amtrak as being inefficient and outdated, suggesting privatization would increase productivity. However, his BFF in the White House has not weighed in on plan on privatization yet, so… who knows if Amtrak’s fate will be in the hands of one megalomaniac’s early AM ketamine-fueled whims on Twitter, or another megalomaniac’s early AM Adderall-fueled whims on Truth Social.

U.S. Pauses Critical Security Efforts Against Russia as Putin Ties Strengthen
The U.S. has suspended coordinated efforts to combat Russian sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation, a decision that significantly eases pressure on Moscow as Trump gets even cozier with Putin (we hear Elon is totes jelly). This marks a troubling shift in U.S. national security policy, as critical measures against hybrid warfare have been put on hold despite escalating threats from Russia. For years, the U.S. worked with European allies to disrupt Russian sabotage operations, including arson, assassinations, and cyberattacks aimed at destabilizing the West. Now, there are increased concerns that the U.S. is undermining its own security interests and those of its allies and may also embolden Russia to quietly continue cyber and physical attacks, leaving the West more exposed than ever. Like that Russian proverb says: "You needn't fear the dog the barks, it’s the silent dog that you should be afraid of.” Grrr.

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.

Sparky in Burbank, California

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👍 Thanks for reading. See you on Friday.  

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