☢️ Mutt-ually Assured Destruction

🐾 LET’S SIC ‘EM!

In a concerning move (understatement of the year), DOGE has slashed jobs at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a critical agency responsible for managing the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Over 130 employees, including key engineers, analysts, and safety experts, have been let go from the already-understaffed agency as part of efforts to eliminate what Musk & DOGE deem “government waste.” These cuts, made amid escalating global tensions and nuclear threats, have raised alarms about the agency's ability to manage America’s nuclear stockpile effectively.

Many of the fired workers held Q-level security clearances, granting them access to top-secret nuclear weapon data and losing such expert, trained, and vetted personnel could undermine national security operations. Not to mention that’s it’s become well known that China and Russia are both targeting federal workers who’ve been recently DOGE’d.

Needless to say, the last disgruntled employees you want Red Rovering their way over to our adversaries are your Nuclear Security staff.

Dig Deeper here and here.

Dogpile. The Whole “Return-To-Work” Mandate Is A Real Shit Show.

More details are coming to light about how Trump’s ill-conceived ordering of all federal workers back to the workplace is actually playing out.

The mandate, which is being overseen by Musk and DOGE, is being enforced with next to zero preparation. And for such a massive and radical sea change in office culture, it’s no wonder why the horror stories are quickly piling up. Here are some highlights:

• At NASA HQ in DC, employees returned to offices with chairs, but no desks. What they did have though, was an massive infestation of cockroaches.

• At an IRS office in Memphis, tax assessors have been forced to work within the stuffed and overcrowded confines of a shared room, and therefore can’t discuss sensitive tax matters with clients over the phone out of fear of breaching privacy laws.

• At IRS offices in California and Washington, employees were told to sit with their computer on the floor or use a supply closet as an office because resources were so limited.

As one staff member at U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services put it: the hunt for desks and workspace has become “like the Hunger Games.”

Not to worry — all those people will probably get DOGE’d out of their jobs soon anyway. Grrr.

Dig Deeper here and here.

Kill List. DOGE Lease Cancellations: Government Office Closures and Timings Released (Sorta).

The General Services Administration, in collaboration with DOGE, has informed landlords that federal agencies will be ending hundreds of office leases soon. A GSA document from March 10 outlines expected cancellation dates. While not all locations will close by then, agencies must either renegotiate leases or relocate if they stay open.

However, these plans have also faced significant pushback since they were released. In some cases, leases have actually been restored following protests from lawmakers, who argue that these closures could disrupt essential services and impact local economies.

Therefore, nothing is a sure thing yet (is it ever with this DOGE crew?), so check the list and see if there are any leases that have been slated for euthanasia, then act accordingly.

Dig Deeper here.

Microchipped. Musk Visits NSA Headquarters to Discuss Major Overhaul Plans.

Co-President Musk visited the National Security Agency (NSA) last week to meet with NSA chief Gen. Timothy Haugh and other cybersecurity leaders. This visit came shortly after Musk called for a "revamp" of the NSA on his social media platform.

His push for change aligns with his and DOGE’s broader efforts to cut the federal workforce, and even an agency like the NSA, which oversees critical digital and cybersecurity operations, isn’t exempt.

During his visit, Musk sniffed around the NSA’s Remote Operations Center and discussed priorities with U.S. Cyber Command. Meanwhile, layoffs loom at the agency, with efforts underway to reduce the civilian workforce by 5 to 8 percent, leading to concerns about national security.

National Security aside (and that’s admittedly a huge aside), we don’t even want to think about the DOGE Bros getting their paws on all the private and personal data that the NSA has… or has access to…or has access to but never would actually access during other more normal times. But normal no longer applies to DOGE Days that we’re in now.

Dig Deeper here.

Lab Rats. DOGE Slashes Federal Science Budget, Causing Chaos in Universities.

Co-Presidents Trump’s & Musk’s sweeping budget cuts to federal research programs have led to major disruptions across US academic and scientific institutions. These cuts, backed by DOGE, are causing widespread job losses, funding freezes, and hiring slowdowns at top universities.

“Harvard University is imposing a temporary freeze on hiring faculty. Columbia University is grappling with cuts to $400 million in federal funding. California Institute of Technology is leaving postdoctoral positions unfilled. A University of Washington researcher is wondering about a climate and health grant after a government site was taken offline.”

Other universities like MIT have imposed hiring freezes, while still more like Johns Hopkins are cutting thousands of jobs due to terminated federal grants.

Specifically, key scientific areas like climate, health, and weather research have seen significant setbacks, with institutions like NOAA halting critical data collection.

With billions of dollars in funding at risk, experts warn that the future of US scientific leadership is in jeopardy, as research projects are pawsed, and the pipeline of new talent is severely impacted.

The Trump administration's actions are already having a ripple effect globally, with other countries like China and France vying to drain our brain and attract US researchers. Especially with training programs at NIH and other institutions being suspended, then that gives even more incentive for young researchers to launch their careers elsewhere.

Dig Deeper here.

"Toronto Mulls Ban on U.S. Firms for Future City Contracts Amid Trade War"
In a move driven by rising tensions and trade wars with the U.S., Toronto is considering a ban on American companies bidding for any city contracts. This proposal, announced by Mayor Olivia Chow, would primarily impact architectural, engineering, and construction contracts. Since 2022, U.S. businesses secured about 10% of Toronto's competitive city contracts, totaling around $210 million. The ban could lead to more local job growth by favoring Canadian companies, while at the same time hurting American businesses and jobs. Oh that’s just Tariff-ic.

“Trump Names Former Criminal Co-Defendant to Naval Academy Board”
Remember Walt Nauta? Even though that era feels like decades ago in dog years, Nauta is back in the news again. Co-President Trump has appointed Nauta, his former co-defendant in a classified documents case, to the U.S. Naval Academy’s board of visitors. Nauta was charged with helping Trump conceal classified materials, then had the case dropped by the Trump-led Justice Department. Now, he’ll be in charge of overseeing critical aspects of the Naval Academy, alongside a murder’s row of other controversial figures — including Sean Spicer, Ronny Jackson, and Derrick Van Orden — all with questionable backgrounds tied to Trump’s administration. Given the Academy’s mission to cultivate duty, honor, and loyalty — oh nevermind.

“Trump Scraps Biden’s Minimum Wage Increase for Federal Contractors”
Co-President Trump has reversed key Biden-era policies aimed at raising the minimum wage for federal contractors and promoting union neutrality, effectively rolling back progress on workers' rights. In 2021, Biden raised the federal contractor wage to $15 per hour, but now Trump has undone these efforts, reinforcing his stance against labor-friendly policies (even though he was previously on record as being “for” raising wages originally). So much for Trump’s new messaging about transforming the GOP into the “Party of Workers.”

“ICE Detains Canadian Woman in Inhumane Conditions Amid Visa Struggles”
A Canadian entrepreneur, Jasmine Mooney, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after attempting to enter the U.S. to obtain a visa. She was held at a private for-profit detention kennel in Arizona where she experienced inhumane conditions. Mooney had previously worked on a TN visa for a health beverage company in Los Angeles, which was revoked due to missing paperwork. Despite her efforts to rectify the situation by submitting new visa documents at the border, she was detained, stripped of her rights, and subjected to brutal conditions — like being kept in chains during her transfer to Arizona and being forced to sleep on a floor mat with a foil blanket for days. This case highlights the increasingly harsh and arbitrary enforcement of immigration policies under the Trump administration, reflecting its broader assault on civil liberties and inhumane treatment of non-citizens.

“Trump Claims Biden’s Pardons are Invalid Due to Use of Autopen”
Co-President Trump has made claims (without evidence) that President Joe Biden's pardons for individuals connected to the Jan. 6 insurrection should be invalid because they were allegedly signed using an Autopen, a machine that replicates signatures. This accusation is part of a broader rhetoric Trump has continued to use to question Biden’s mental fitness for office, claiming that Biden may not have been aware of key decisions. Legal experts dismiss the notion that using an Autopen invalidates pardons, noting that there’s no constitutional requirement for pardons to be signed by hand and that it in fact was already adjudicated during Bush’s term. Also, we thought “Everything’s Computer” now, right?

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…

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👍 Thanks for reading. See you on Hump Day.  

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