Never a dull moment...

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Never a dull moment with Trump in charge. With a half hour to go in trading today, President Trump announced the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. The market blinked and it nearly destroyed the day's gains.

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Dollar jumps after Trump threatens tariffs on Mexico, Canada
The U.S. dollar rose against other currencies Thursday afternoon after President Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada.

 
Canada retaliates with counter-tariffs. It’s gonna get ugly.,

I’m thinking the market craters on Monday.

Nobody wins. Everybody loses. No?

What do you think?



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Trudeau:

"Like the American tariffs, our response will also be far reaching and include everyday items such as American beer, wine and bourbon, fruits and fruit juices, including orange juice, along with vegetables, perfume, clothing and shoes," Trudeau said. "It'll include major consumer products like household appliances, furniture and sports equipment, and materials like lumber and plastics, along with much, much more."

Canada invokes tariffs in response
 
I just got this from a current DC friend.

“THIS IS CRITICAL -- ALL FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: TRUMP TAKING DOWN FEDERAL PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPUTERS MONDAY​

Source: SENIOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEE

A TRUSTED SOURCE CONTACTED ME AT 9:55 PM SUNDAY FEB 2.

S/he was informed by a senior federal employee that the entire federal personnel system will become unavailable Monday morning, Feb 3.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ARE WARNED TO IMMEDIATELY DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THEIR LES AND SF50.”


It appears they (Elon and company) are going through OPM Personnel Files, to find possible “enemies”, including anyone who previously attended DEI courses of any kind, and /or any other reason to fire.

These are NOT federal employees who are going through records- these are 19-25 year old Musk company employees who walked into OPM and are going through all computer systems and files of personnel. Health records, Personnel records. performance ratings.




That’s what I am hearing.

I can’t confirm, but I’m seeing evidence it’s true.
 
USAID hit as well


USAID security leaders removed after refusing Elon Musk's DOGE employees access to secure systems​

Source: NBC News

By Abigail Williams, Vaughn Hillyard, Yamiche Alcindor and Dan De Luce

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s director of security and his deputy were placed on administrative leave Saturday after they tried to prevent employees from the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing secure USAID systems, five sources familiar with the events told NBC News.

The USAID systems the DOGE team tried to access included personnel files and security systems, including classified systems beyond the security level of at least some of the DOGE employees, according to three of the sources. The systems also included security clearance information for agency employees, two of the sources said.

Elon Musk, the Trump-empowered tech billionaire and head of DOGE, posted Sunday on X calling for USAID "to die" and accusing the independent agency, without offering evidence, of being a “criminal organization.”

"Reports that individuals without appropriate clearance may have accessed classified USAID spaces as well as American citizens’ personal information are incredibly serious and unprecedented," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the ranking member the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote to NBC News. "We are seeking immediate answers about any implications for our national security and are bringing a group of bipartisan Senators together on this as soon as the Senate comes back tomorrow."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna190357
 
It appears they (Elon and company) are going through OPM Personnel Files, to find possible “enemies”, including anyone who previously attended DEI courses of any kind, and /or any other reason to fire.
That would be over 2 million folks getting fired considering there is mandatory annual training in the DEI realm. FYI, I was able to log into my eOPF file this morning. Also, your LES does not reside in your personnel files.
 
Looks like their “team” is rummaging through performance files finding anybody who ever worked DEI related projects to fire them.

Union official says Education Department employees were placed on leave after taking diversity training during Trump's f​

Source: NBC

Dozens of employees who attended a diversity training course encouraged by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos during President Donald Trump’s first administration have been placed on paid leave as part of Trump’s targeting of DEI programs, a union official told NBC News.

Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, which represents hundreds of Education Department employees, told NBC News that at least 55 employees were placed on leave as of Friday evening and that she expected the number to grow as she learns more.

The affected workers included a public affairs specialist, civil rights attorneys, program manager analysts; loan regulators and employees working to ensure special needs children with individualized education programs get necessary accommodations from schools.

A letter to the affected employees obtained by NBC News said they would continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and would not be required or expected to do any work-related tasks or to come into the office during the leave. It also said their email access would be suspended.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/do...tment-employees-leave-dei-training-rcna190337
 
Musk: “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.”


https://apnews.com/article/doge-mus...aid-security-35101dee28a766e0d9705e0d47958611


USAID staffers told to stay out of Washington headquarters after Musk said Trump agreed to close it​

Source: Associated Press, via WTOP

USAID staffers told to stay out of Washington headquarters after Musk said Trump agreed to close it

The Associated Press
February 3, 2025, 8:02 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development were instructed to stay out of the agency’s Washington headquarters on Monday, according to a notice distributed to them, after billionaire Elon Musk announced President Donald Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency.

USAID staffers said they also tracked more than 600 employees who reported being locked out of the agency’s computer systems overnight. Those still in the system received emails saying that “at the direction of Agency leadership” the headquarters building “will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3.”

The developments come after Musk, who’s leading an extraordinary civilian review of the federal government with the Republican president’s agreement, said early Monday that he had spoken with Trump about the six-decade U.S. aid and development agency and “he agreed we should shut it down.”

“It became apparent that its not an apple with a worm it in,” Musk said in a live session on X Spaces early Monday. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.” ... “We’re shutting it down,” he said.

{snip}

Read more: https://wtop.com/government/2025/02...y-out-of-the-agencys-washington-headquarters/

(I’m hearing they locked down the ID’s of 600 USAID staffers and are writing firing letters this morning.)
 
Wow.

I’m hearing 1,100 Probationary Park Service employees are being terminated. IMG_9788.jpegNational Park Service probationary employees got told they are being terminated.

No reason, it is just because they can.

How many employees does the Park Service have?
 
I think that's actually EPA, not NPS.

I thought the CFR said probationary can only be fired for conduct or performance issues.
 
I don't think that's accurate:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-315/subpart-H

§ 315.804 Termination of probationers for unsatisfactory performance or conduct.​


(a) Subject to § 315.803(b), when an agency decides to terminate an employee serving a probationary or trial period because his work performance or conduct during this period fails to demonstrate his fitness or his qualifications for continued employment, it shall terminate his services by notifying him in writing as to why he is being separated and the effective date of the action. The information in the notice as to why the employee is being terminated shall, as a minimum, consist of the agency's conclusions as to the inadequacies of his performance or conduct.

(b) Probation ends when the employee completes his or her scheduled tour of duty on the day before the anniversary date of the employee's appointment. For example, when the last workday is a Friday and the anniversary date is the following Monday, the probationer must be separated before the end of the tour of duty on Friday since Friday would be the last day the employee actually has to demonstrate fitness for further employment.
 
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