The Journal. - Trump 2.0: The Musk-Trump Bromance

It’s been a busy month in D.C. for Elon Musk. WSJ’s Tim Higgins joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to discuss what Musk’s strategies as a CEO can tell us about his plans for DOGE and the federal government. Plus, we get into Trump’s relationship with the judiciary and take a question from a listener about American expansionism. 


Further Reading:

-Musk Brings His Business Playbook to Washington: Move Fast and Claim Victory 

-DOGE, Musk and Trump—Our Reporters Answered Your Questions 


Further Listening:

-R.I.P. CFPB? 

-Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs 


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Opening Arguments - Drinking from the Firehose of Fascism

OA1125 - (NOTE: Acting US Attorney for SDNY Danielle Sassoon’s resignation letter and DOJ acting deputy Emil Bove’s acceptance of that letter were published while we were recording this episode, and hours before the Trump administration was enjoined by a DC federal judge from suspending international aid. The news hose never stops!)

For this Rapid Response Friday, we do our best to answer some of your questions about waves hands in the general direction of DC. 

Why is the media reporting the illegal attempts to fire (among others) the head of the Office of Special Counsel and 17 investigators general like a normal federal HR issue? Did FEMA really just straight-up steal $80 million from New York City’s bank account? Is it now legal to bribe foreign companies abroad and act as an unregistered foreign agent at home? Why are we sending Venezuelan asylum seekers with no criminal records or gang affiliations to Guantanamo Bay just weeks after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem promised that it would only be housing the “worst of the worst”? And just where exactly is the “Gulf of America” anyway? These and other questions from the week’s news are answered within.

Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!

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Money Girl - Understanding Mortgage Points and How They Can Save You Money

Laura answers a listener's question about whether buying mortgage points saves money over the long run.

Money Girl is hosted by Laura Adams. A transcript is available at Simplecast.

Have a money question? Send an email to money@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail at 302-365-0308.

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Money Girl is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.

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Headlines From The Times - Could ten more patrolling engines have prevented the Palisades Fire?

According to the CDC, bird flu infections in dairy cows are more widespread than previously thought. When flames erupted in the Pacific Palisades, fire crews took 18 minutes to arrive—but by then, it was too late. Now, former LAFD officials say at least 10 more engines should have been deployed in advance to patrol the area. Immigration raids may be coming to Southern California, and activists are preparing to fight back. Amazon is bringing 2,000 new jobs to the Inland Empire. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is facing a major legal battle, as California and more than a dozen other states sue the Trump administration over his role as the President’s personal budget advisor.

The Daily Detail - The Daily Detail for 2.14.25

Alabama:

  • Both US senators for AL support bill to rein in administrative over regulation
  • Sen. Tuberville says Kash Patel leading FBI is scaring Democrats to death
  • Governor Ivey signs bill into law that codifies the definition of male & female
  • Several immigration bills passed the Alabama senate this past Thursday
  • Democrats opposed bill that bans drag queens, bill still passed committee
  • State lawmaker Randall Shedd to leave seat and work for Senate President
  • Congressman Strong offers bill to bring Pledge of Allegiance back to schools

National

  • Robert Kennedy Jr. sworn in as next Secretary of Health & Human Services
  • Trump issues "reciprocal" tariffs on trade partners with tariff disparities
  • EPA Secretary seeking to clawback $20B in reckless spending by Biden
  • Elon Musk says DOGE should be deleting federal agencies entirely
  • DOGE team uncovers more payments from USAID to major media groups
  • DOGE team seen entering the IRS building just before the weekend
  • Woman on TikTok encapsulates the outrage among Americans at the level of corruption and sinister actions taken by USAID 


Unexpected Elements - Let’s talk about love

Valentine’s Day is here - the one day of the year where you can be unashamedly romantic and splash out on posh dinners, flowers and chocolates for your beloved. So we dig into the science of love.

First, we find out about a monogamous rodent that has a special way of forming lifelong bonds with its partner. Next, we discover how to apply maths to your love life, before delving into the technology behind AI chatbots, and find out if a new dating app can help shine a light on the science of compatibility.

Plus, we are joined by Bianca Acevedo, a research scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies the neuroscience of love. She reveals what’s going on in our brains when we are infatuated with someone and what purpose love serves.

Presenters: Marnie Chesterton, with Tristan Ahtone and Edd Gent Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, William Hornbrook, Debbie Kilbride, Imaan Moin and Noa Dowling

Everything Everywhere Daily - The St Valentines Day Massacre

On the morning of February 14, 1929, a horrific crime took place on the north side of Chicago.

Seven men were lined up against the wall of an auto garage and gunned down in cold blood by machine gun fire. 

The event marked the low point of the violent mob wars that took place in the city of Chicago. It also marked a turning point in attitudes towards prohibition in the United States and the war on organized crime.

Learn more about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, why it happened, and its repercussions on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. 

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NBN Book of the Day - Paul Podolsky, “The Uncomfortable Truth About Money: How to Live with Uncertainty and Learn to Think for Yourself” (Harriman House, 2024)

We are all stuck in a money cage. Money isn’t the most important thing, but it is a thing and you can’t get away from it. Birth costs money and death costs money. So even if you hate talking about money, you need to know the basics, the same way you need to know how to cook yourself a simple meal. The problem with most money books is that they are not written by practitioners and avoid hard truths. Paul Podolsky’s The Uncomfortable Truth About Money: How to Live with Uncertainty and Learn to Think for Yourself (Harriman House, 2024) breaks down walls around financial knowledge.

What a weathered investor knows is that stocks are not always good for the long run. They know that being stingy helps accrue wealth. They know the big thing when you buy property has nothing to do with the property. They know the big thing is less what happens to the markets in a day than if the entire system holds together. And they know what to look for if it’s time to pull out. That’s what this book will teach you: a lifetime of money learnings distilled to a thin volume, like a basic cooking recipe you can follow.

Paul Podolsky writes about macro–politics and money. For many years, he was the strategist and equity partner at the largest hedge fund in the world. Previous to that, he worked as a reporter.

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What A Day - Dem Attorneys General Take On Trump

Democratic state attorneys general have been a major thorn in President Donald Trump's side since he returned to the White House last month. They've successfully gotten federal courts to block some of the president's most questionably constitutional actions, from trying to end birthright citizenship and freezing trillions in federal grant money to letting Elon Musk run roughshod over government agencies. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin stops by the 'What A Day' studio to talk about how Democratic AGs are working together to push back on the Trump administration's agenda.

And in headlines: A vaccine skeptic is now running the Department of Health and Human Services, Trump's pick to run the Department of Education talked about her plans to dismantle the Department of Education during her first Senate confirmation hearing, and there's new hope the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will continue to hold.

Show Notes: