Elon Musk flashes his t-shirt that reads "DOGE" to the media as he walks on South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AI AI, CAPTAIN
Managers at two federal agencies have warned staffers that their communications may be secretly monitored, as anxiety about DOGE runs rampant through the workforce.
- Ever felt like someone’s watching you? Plenty of federal workers feel that way these days — including, in at least two cases, because their managers have warned them that it’s really happening. That’s according to reporting I did alongside reporter Joseph Gedeon, in Crooked Media’s debut collaboration with The Guardian. We spoke to more than two dozen federal employees across six agencies, who detailed their fears of being snooped on by agents of Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” or possibly by senior management — and cases in which their bosses told them it’s already happening.
- Managers at the Environmental Protection Agency told employees that DOGE is “using AI to scan through agency communications to find any anti-Musk, anti-DOGE, or anti-Trump statements”, an employee told us. Workers should be “very careful” about what they say in private messages and virtual meetings, the supervisors added. Meetings and phone calls with the EPA are being monitored by an AI tool, a supervisor at one organization that works closely with the agency warned staffers in an email.
- The EPA denied recording meetings, but didn’t specifically address the use of artificial intelligence. “This is fake news,” an EPA spokesperson said in a statement. “EPA is not monitoring or transcribing phone calls, meetings, or calendar entries.”
- At the Department of Veterans Affairs, a senior official also warned employees in an email that virtual meetings were being secretly recorded. Anyone dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s decisions should be careful about voicing their opinions, the official cautioned. The VA didn’t reply to an official request for comment.
In some cases, federal employees have been taking new measures to safeguard their privacy.
- Some staffers at the State Department have started using white noise machines in their offices, or have even turned on an office breakroom sink, to muffle conversations in case there might be any hot mics within range, an employee told us. A State Department spokesperson denied that employees are being monitored “for loyalty or other ridiculous purposes.” They added: “The Department has always been transparent with its employees on expectations of privacy,” in questions of national security.
- The vibes aren’t better elsewhere: “It’s like being in a horror film where you know something out there [wants] to kill you but you never know when or how or who it is,” an employee at the Department of Housing & Urban Development told us.
- The White House issued a blanket denial. “Fake reporters are willing to draft up any sensationalist, totally fake stories for clicks, instead of spending their time and effort on real reporting. None of this story is true, and another fake news reporter is once again missing the point of DOGE — saving the American people billions of dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement.
- You can think of this story as the result of a collaboration not just between reporters, but between us and all of you as well. Many of the sources we relied on to write this article reached out to us in response to callouts that we published in this newsletter. Some of you saw something, and said something — and now, we’re sharing that with the world. In other words, What A Day fam, this is your story, too. It’s our work, together. Thank you. You guys rock.
Read the entire investigation here. As always, reach out to me on Signal at mattberg.33 with any tips.
And check out this awesome graphic that The Guardian’s team made:
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"We’re turning on sinks and shit to have conversations.”
— A State Department employee, on federal employees’ fears about DOGE possibly spying on them.
NEWS NEWS NEWS
Breaking: The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father who was mistakenly deported to an El Salvador mega prison.
The Trump administration is moving to cut off migrants’ Social Security numbers, pressuring them to “self-deport” as part of its mass deportation agenda, the New York Times reports. That will cut people off from accessing their bank accounts, credit cards, and government benefits. Just when you didn’t think they could stoop lower…
Six people died after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near New York City this afternoon. The passengers included a family of Spanish tourists, including three children, who were sightseeing, officials said.
Democrats in Congress are calling for an investigation into whether Donald Trump engaged in insider trading or market manipulation by abruptly calling off the tariff plan. “Family meme coins and all the rest of it are not beyond insider trading or enriching themselves. I hope to find out soon,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) told TIME. What’s fishy? “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social right after the market opened on Wednesday… promoting his own media company. Nothing to see here!
Elon Musk said he expects DOGE to save $150 billion this year as a result of its supposed cost-cutting agenda. That is a lot less than the $1 trillion goal he set *checks calendar* last month. I, for one, just can’t believe he lied… or is that stupid.
The State Department didn’t list criminal conduct as a reason for detaining Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil, according to a memo written by the department obtained by the Associated Press. Instead, Khalil was arrested for having views that undermine “core American interests,” per the memo. Reminder: He was arrested for leading pro-Palestinian protests… y’know, exercising his right to free speech.
Kathleen Sgamma, Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, withdrew her nomination after past criticism she made about the Jan. 6 riots was revealed. “I am disgusted by the violence witnessed yesterday and President Trump’s role in spreading misinformation that incited it,” she reportedly said. Her withdrawal was “self-inflicted,” a Trump official said.
Trump said that a deal to save TikTok from being banned in the U.S. is still “on the table,” days after China reportedly pulled out of talks due to the tariff chaos. Trump extended the deal’s deadline to June 19. That ensures he can post a “Trump Dance” on TikTok during his military parade birthday celebration. I can feel my eyeballs burning already.
A Florida high school teacher lost her job after using a student’s preferred nickname, which is apparently against state law without parents’ permission? Truly dystopian stuff.
The White House ended funding for the group that creates the United States’s major climate report every four years, outlining the impacts of global warming across the country. “There’s really no coming back from this, and it means we are all less informed about climate impacts, and won’t have the most up-to-date information on risks and threats,” a federal employee who worked with the group told The Guardian. Fortunately, if we stop thinking about climate change… it just goes away. Right, guys?
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