The Morning Sixpack - February 5, 2025
The never-ending coup continues unabated. Trump & Musk are on a rampage.
Workplace Horror: Gunman Kills 1, Injures 5 at Ohio Manufacturing Plant
A tragic night unfolded at KDC/One, a beauty products manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio, as an active shooter left one person dead and five others wounded. Local law enforcement responded late Tuesday to the chaotic scene, evacuating approximately 100 workers. While police say they’ve identified a suspect, the individual remains at large, adding an unsettling layer of uncertainty to an already horrifying situation.
“Police are finishing evacuating employees from the building,” the department reported around 1:30 a.m., attempting to calm fears as the suspect was believed to have fled the area. Authorities recovered a firearm at the scene, and Police Chief Greg Jones confirmed that six victims had been transported to local hospitals—one of whom succumbed to their injuries.
As the investigation continues, the community is left rattled by yet another workplace shooting. Whether it’s an act of revenge, random violence, or something more sinister, one thing is clear: no place is immune.
Source: ABC News
Just another very important issue that we keep sweeping under the rug because. Well, just because.
Elon’s 25-Year-Old Prodigy Has the Keys to the U.S. Treasury—What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
In a revelation that sounds like the setup to a dystopian cyber-thriller, a 25-year-old engineer with ties to Elon Musk has direct access to the U.S. Treasury Department’s payment systems—the same ones that process more than a fifth of the entire U.S. economy. According to multiple sources, Marko Elez, a former SpaceX and X (formerly Twitter) employee, isn’t just peeking at the system.
He has the ability to write code directly into the Payment Automation Manager and Secure Payment System at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS), which controls government payouts, including Social Security, tax refunds, and veteran benefits. You know, just casual access to trillions of dollars.
“You could do anything with these privileges,” a source told WIRED, baffled as to why anyone would need this level of control simply to detect fraud or analyze payments.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are sounding the alarm over Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its creeping influence over federal financial infrastructure. As Senator Chuck Schumer put it, “Will DOGE cut funding to programs approved by Congress that Donald Trump decides he doesn’t like? What about cancer research? Food banks? School lunches? Veterans aid?”
Given that the last Treasury official who resisted DOGE was placed on leave and resigned, the answer isn’t looking reassuring.
Despite the growing concerns, both the White House and Musk have remained suspiciously silent. Meanwhile, Elez—a Rutgers grad with no apparent government experience—hasn't responded to requests for comment. In the absence of oversight, the real question is: Who exactly is holding the leash on DOGE, and should Americans be worried about who’s controlling their money?
Source: WIRED
NOBODY is getting this. They are taking over the world’s largest ECONOMY. When you can control and CHANGE where payments go that amount to $6 Trillion per year…
Guys, our GDP is around $30 Trillion. Do the math!
Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Ban Hits the Courts—And the Constitution
President Donald Trump’s latest executive order—an attempt to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants—is already running into serious legal roadblocks. A federal judge in Maryland is set to hear arguments today in a lawsuit seeking to block the order, which critics have slammed as “blatantly unconstitutional.” The order, signed during Trump’s first week back in office, is already on temporary hold due to a separate legal challenge from four states. In total, 22 states and multiple advocacy groups have filed lawsuits to stop it.
At the center of the legal battle is the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 to guarantee citizenship to former slaves and their descendants.
Plaintiffs argue that Trump's move is a direct assault on this constitutional protection.
“The principle of birthright citizenship is a foundation of our national democracy,” the lawsuit states, emphasizing how deeply ingrained this right is in American law.
The Trump administration, however, insists that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S., claiming the Constitution does not guarantee them citizenship. Meanwhile, 18 Republican attorneys general have jumped in to defend Trump’s order, setting the stage for a legal showdown that could reach the Supreme Court.
Trump’s immigration orders are rolling out fast, but whether they stick is another question entirely.
While some executive actions have been felt immediately, others—like this one—are destined to be tied up in court for years.
One thing is certain: the fight over birthright citizenship is far from over.
Source: My Daily Grind
I can’t believe we have to refight all these settled legal issues.
Trump’s CIA ‘Makeover’: Spy Agency Offers Buyouts to Entire Workforce
In a move that sounds less like national security policy and more like a corporate restructuring gone off the rails, the CIA is offering buyouts to its entire workforce as part of President Trump’s latest “drain the swamp” initiative.
The offer, which includes about eight months of pay and benefits, is reportedly aimed at reshaping the agency to align with Trump’s priorities—chief among them, targeting drug cartels, ramping up espionage on U.S. trade partners, and taking a more aggressive stance on China. Also, not investigating any crimes the Trump admin commits!
The hiring pipeline is also frozen, with conditional job offers put on hold or revoked if candidates don’t fit Trump’s new intelligence vision.
“There’s no statutory authority that I can see for the president making this offer,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.), who represents thousands of federal workers.
He warned that accepting the buyout is a dangerous move: “The administration immediately knows, you don’t want to work for me. They’ll find some other way to get rid of you.”
Meanwhile, CIA Director John Ratcliffe has made it clear that employees who don’t share the administration’s vision should hit the road. “If all of that sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference,” Ratcliffe told lawmakers last month. “If it doesn’t then it’s time to find a new line of work.”
This buyout marks a dramatic shift for the agency, which has gone from Cold War intelligence gathering to post-9/11 counterterrorism and now—if Trump gets his way—will pivot to spying on Mexico as part of a trade war strategy.
Whether this mass exodus will gut the agency or create a leaner, more aggressive CIA remains to be seen.
One thing is certain: intelligence veterans are questioning whether Trump’s version of “national security” has anything to do with actual security.
HINT: It doesn’t.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
USPS Slams the Brakes on China Packages—Ecommerce Takes a Gut Punch
In a move that has sent online retailers scrambling, the U.S. Postal Service has abruptly halted all package shipments from China and Hong Kong until further notice.
The decision follows China's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, which were in response to President Trump’s latest tariff hike. The fallout? A logistical nightmare for companies reliant on cheap Chinese imports—and a potential price surge for American shoppers hooked on bargain deals from sites like Temu and Shein.
Truckers and logistics companies are already feeling the squeeze. “A lot of trucks were actually turned away today at the border,” one trucking company owner told WIRED.
Customs agents are manually inspecting shipments and grilling drivers about the origins of their cargo. Complicating matters further, Trump’s order not only slaps an extra 10% tariff on Chinese goods but also kills the de minimis rule, which previously allowed packages under $800 to enter the U.S. tariff-free. In 2024 alone, over 1.36 billion such packages entered the country—so good luck tracking that chaos.
While some industry experts predict delays, price hikes, and mass confusion, others warn this could fundamentally reshape how Americans shop online. "Will the dress that was $5 now cost $5.50 or $15?" trade expert Cindy Allen asked. “That we don’t know.”
What we do know is that if you were planning on stocking up on cheap gadgets or fast fashion, you might want to do it now.
Source: WIRED
May as well bookend this Morning Sixpack with another mass shooting…
Sweden Shattered: Country Reels from Deadliest Mass Shooting in Its History
Sweden is in mourning after a horrific mass shooting at an adult education center in Orebro left 11 people dead, including the suspected shooter. The attack, which also left five others wounded, is now considered the worst mass shooting in the nation’s history. Authorities have yet to identify the suspect or determine a motive, though they have ruled out any signs that the attack was part of a larger coordinated effort.
For a country long associated with low crime rates and a high quality of life, the tragedy has sent shockwaves through Swedish society. The shooting comes at a time when Sweden has been grappling with one of the highest per capita rates of gun violence in the European Union—a grim statistic that now feels all too real. Officials remain tight-lipped about further details, leaving the public anxiously awaiting answers.
As Sweden processes the trauma of this unprecedented attack, questions loom over how a nation known for its peace and stability could be shaken by such violence. The investigation is ongoing, and officials are expected to provide more details in the coming days.
Source: My Daily Grind