Monday morning news: February 10, 2025

USAID / DOGE battle »  Republicans and Democrats continue to clash over DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. The independent office, led by tech business titan Elon Musk … is making good on Trump’s campaign promise to pry open the books on Washington spending.

Democrats aren’t happy about it. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut told ABC’s This Week:

MURPHY:  The president wants to be able to decide how and where money is spent so that he can reward his political friends. He can punish his political enemies. That is the evisceration of democracy.

They also say it amounts to allowing an unelected billionaire to take over the government, referring to Musk.

Republicans say they have one of the brightest minds in America working under the president’s authority … helping to fix what’s broken. Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio:

TURNER:  The fact that we have Elon Musk looking from the private sector into the public sector, advising the president in ways that we can find ways to, to reduce overall spending, to get this, this curve down is incredibly important and an unbelievable opportunity for, for our government.

Republicans say DOGE is already uncovering shocking waste, fraud, and abuse … and charge that Democrats are just afraid of what else DOGE will find.

DHS deportations » The Trump administration has been ramping up deportations of illegal immigrants.

As of last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made 7,400 arrests since President Trump’s inauguration. But Border Czar Tom Homan said Sunday:

HOMAN:  I'm not satisfied yet, we gotta have more, uh, criminal arrests, and the sanctuary cities are slowing us down. But, uh, we're gonna keep coming, we're gonna keep coming, and they're not gonna stop us.

Recent numbers shared by the Texas Department of Public Safety suggest that migrant encounters at the southern border are down sharply.

Migrants to Guantanamo » Among those deported were the first migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba last week. The U.S. has had a migrant detention facility at GITMO for decades. It is separate from the detention facility there used to hold suspected terrorists.

Some groups, like the ACLU have been highly critical of the decision to house illegal migrants there. But DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says they’re not moving just any migrants to GITMO.

NOEM:  I watched a plane load of people unload at Gitmo that were pedophiles, child pornographers. Um, they were drug dealers in our communities That's who we're putting down there at Gitmo.

And she said even so,  the military is on the ground to make sure the facilities meet U. S. standards.

Top level talks on Ukraine » President Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz says that top administration officials are traveling to Europe this week. He says they will be talking to European officials about how to end the war in Ukraine, nearly three years after Russia launched an all-out invasion. He told NBC’s Meet the Press.

WALTZ:  Russia's economy is not doing well. Uh, he is prepared to tax, to tariff, to sanction. Uh, we need to get all sides of the table and end this war. And it has come up in conversations with President Xi, uh, with Prime Minister Modi, uh, with leaders across the Middle East, everybody is ready to help President Trump end this war.

Multiple reports on Sunday stated that Trump has spoken with Vladimir Putin by phone about ending the war. But neither the White House nor the Kremlin could immediately confirm that.

Alaska plane crash » In Alaska, authorities say they have recovered the remains of all 10 people killed when their small plane crashed into ice on the Bering Sea.

Recovery crews had been racing to recover the bodies before a winter storm was expected to hit the region.

Crews then went to work trying to recover the plane.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennefer Homendy

HOMENDY:  Please know that we'll work diligently to determine how this happened with the ultimate goal of improving safety here in Alaska and across the United States.

The Bering Air single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet to the hub community of Nome when it disappeared Thursday afternoon. It was found the next day after an extensive search.

Super Bowl » The Kansas City Chiefs were denied a third straight Super Bowl victory last night.

AUDIO: For the second time, the Vince Lombardi trophy is headed to Philadelphia. The Eagles fly in Super Bowl 59! 

Fox Sports with the call there … Philadelphia Eagles routed the Kansas City Chiefs 40 to 22 last night.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts was the Super Bowl MVP … after throwing for 2 touchdowns and running for another.

President Trump was in attendance in New Orleans, becoming the first president in office to attend a Super Bowl.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the Supreme Court considers the question if telling the truth requires telling the whole truth. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat with economics David Bahnsen.

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