TRUMP REGIME

NY Times - The F.B.I.’s acting director abruptly retired on Monday as the bureau faces a potentially tumultuous leadership change under the Trump administration. The move left unclear who would take over once the departure of the acting director, Paul Abbate, took effect at noon. His exit is unusual given that the acting director typically remains in place until a new director is confirmed by the Senate to ensure stability at the highest ranks of the bureau.

Mr. Abbate took command of the bureau on Sunday after Christopher A. Wray, the previous director, announced last month that he would step down before the inauguration. President Trump appointed Mr. Wray in 2017 but publicly attacked him and the F.B.I., which repeatedly investigated him.  In a rare move, Mr. Wray extended the service of Mr. Abbate, who is 57, the mandatory retirement age of certain F.B.I. agents.

The Guardian -  Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) program was sued within minutes of Donald Trump being sworn in.The 30-page lawsuit, obtained by The Washington Post, challenges the legality of the government advisory committee Donald Trump claims he has created, by alleging it violates federal transparency rules on disclosure, hiring and other practices.

The public interest law firm National Security Counselors says in the claim that Musk’s efficiency panel meets the bar to be considered a “federal advisory committee”, a class of legal entity regulated to ensure the government receives transparent and balanced advice, but fails to have “fairly balanced” representation, keep records of its meetings and be open to public scrutiny, as required by law.

“All meetings of Doge, including those conducted through an electronic medium, must be open to the public”, the lawsuit states. Doge has reportedly already hired dozens of staffers who work out of Musk’s SpaceX offices in Washington DC, and often communicate using the encrypted messaging app Signal.