Posting on X, Activists Alter U.S. Rules Fast

Hey, friends. For those of you who are new here, I read the top story in the New York Times every morning so that you don’t have to. If you were forwarded this, you can subscribe here. I’m also doing a five-minute video version of this, each morning at 9 a.m. if you’d like to follow me on LinkedIn (you can always watch the recording later).

This morning’s story by D.C.-based reporter Zach Montague focuses on the rapid pipeline between conservative activists on X, and action by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The reporter chronicles examples of people tweeting things and then Elon Musk responding with screenshots saying, “fixed.”

Musk casts his efforts at DOGE as casting out “waste, fraud and abuse” but the story shows why it’s a little more sinister than that. In general his efforts are white supremacist and intended to hurt transgender people.

Christopher Rufo, an activist writer, found a video on X that featured a video produced by the Education Department’s little-known Comprehensive Centers program, which helps states address systemic problems in schools:

And sure enough,

Furthermore…

Nothing like school desegregation to prompt swift action by the world’s most reclusive billionaire, is there?

Not to harp on the New York Times too much but it’s worth pointing out that this story, while interesting, was essentially reported by Chalkbeat reporter Erica Meltzer a week ago. All the facts in her story are publicly available and so Mr. Montague at the Times isn’t obligated to credit Chalkbeat but I will just say that he’s late to the party and I’d like to think he would have gotten there sooner. I’m pleased the Times is reporting on this issues, but I’m also glad that other publications have gotten there first. The other night I found myself defending the New York Times to some friends who called it “corporate media” and get the majority of their news from social media. I said that while the paper isn’t perfect and has made some serious mistakes over the years it’s also, probably, the best single source for objective fact-based reporting in the world. Sure, I also read Reuters, Al Jazeera, the Washington Post (which canceled its opinion section yesterday, by the way), the Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Guardian, The New York Post, Le Monde in English, Private Eye, and Public Information, regularly. But if I’m reading the newspaper so that you don’t have to, I have to start somewhere!

Other activists have gotten DOGE to change government forms with different gender identities on them:

It’s not so much that DOGE is acting fast to make changes, as that there line from conservative activists online to the organization is so direct. That’s the crux of the reporting:

Musk, whose estranged daughter is transgender, has been particularly hostile on gender issues:

And I think this is important to talk about with your friends. So, thanks for tuning in! I appreciate you!

Matt Davis lives in Manhattan with his wife and kid.