DOGE is now requesting and appears soon to receive access to everyone’s and every non-human entities’ tax returns at the IRS, according to a new report out from WaPo.

Critical development overnight both in terms of immediate impact on tens of millions of Americans and the political dynamics of the moment. Overnight, big rounds of firings got underway at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — the folks who run the Medicare system — as well as the FDA. Those who evaluate medical devices and administer Obamacare were also hit. More here.

I said last week that after the events of last Monday it was important for New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) to remove Mayor Eric Adams (D) from office. The voters of New York City are entitled to a mayor who is not being held hostage by a President most New Yorkers don’t support. The argument is straightforward; I make it here. But this is part of broader necessity. As long as the sitting President persists in governing in defiance of the federal Constitution, the power and autonomy of state governments become critical bases of legitimate political power. Blue states need to be expanding ways to work together to protect the liberties of their residents against unlawful uses of power, harassment and abuse. This is a difficult challenge since the supremacy of federal law is a cornerstone of the constitutional system. But state governments are not subordinate to the federal government in the way that regional and local governments are in unitary states. There are many areas where the federal government has no say in state action. And at the most basic level, state officials do not answer to federal officials. The tether binding one to another is at best through the courts. With Democrats for the moment excluded from power in Washington, Democratic power at the state level becomes a critical hold on power and executive authority. It’s in that context that removing Adams from power becomes even more critical. The federal government is now run by a lawless President enabling criminal conduct across the executive branch. He can’t be allowed to extend that power within New York state — or in any other state for that matter. New York City, after all, has a larger population than all but about a dozen states.

There are probationary employees who are new in government service and those who are labeled as probationary because of a job switch but who have continuous government service prior to their current job. If you are in that latter category, and if you are fired as a probationary employee in these category terminations taking place now, there is a good chance your termination was illegal. And it is illegal in a way that courts will vindicate. Obviously there are details and nuances about how this works. But if this applies to you you should at least speak with an attorney who knows this area of law. There’s a good chance you have a case and can receive compensation and/or reinstatement.

Needless to say I am not a lawyer and I am certainly not your lawyer. But I say the above after conferring with someone who has relevant expertise and experience in this area of law.

This afternoon termination notices are going out to more than 300 employees at the National Cancer Institute. Locked out of access by the end of the day, four weeks paid leave, and that’s that.