Joy Reid: But we begin tonight with the people who are really running the country right now. And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about this guy, Elon Musk, who yesterday made an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, aka CPAC, where he rambled incoherently and waved around a chainsaw while wearing sunglasses indoors. That weird guy has control of our government because he bought it, getting Donald Trump in the bargain. And today we are getting a frightening new look at just how much control that means. In a new article for the Atlantic, one employee and senior leadership at USAID describes DOGE’s level of access to their systems as god mode, writing that they now have full, unrestricted access to the agency’s digital infrastructure, including total control over systems that Americans working in conflict zones rely on, the ability to see and manipulate financial systems that have historically awarded tens of billions of dollars and perhaps much more. And with that level of unfettered access at USAID, it raises the question of who or what is stopping Musk and DOGE from doing the same thing at every government agency that they’re infiltrating? And what could that mean for the American people? The Atlantic writes. At NASA, for example, it could mean access to knowledge about sensitive government technologies used for defense. At the CDC, such ability could expose millions of Americans’ health data and allow DOGE to access labs that store deadly pathogens. At Treasury, such access could allow Musk’s employees to view Americans’ names, Social Security numbers, and financial information. And if that’s not concerning enough, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the message coming from leadership at the Elon-owned social media site X Twitter is this: get your clients to spend more on our platform, or else.
Joy Reid’s scare tactics about Musk and DOGE fall flat. Fear is Joy’s hook. She’s the corrupt government’s puppet, peddling panic over truth. Trump’s no puppet; he’s a businessman running the country, with Musk working as his adviser pitching common sense fixes.
The Atlantic says DOGE has “god mode” at USAID, accessing systems tied to conflict zones and billions in funds. It’s about cutting waste—like USAID’s $20 million Iraqi “Sesame Street”—not seizing control. Reid’s panic over NASA, CDC, and Treasury? No proof DOGE’s snagging defense tech, health data, or Social Security numbers—Treasury says it’s “read-only” for audits. CDC pathogens? No sign DOGE’s near them—why do we even stockpile deadly pathogens anyway?
Meanwhile, the government’s got its claws in everything—bank accounts, tax records, phone calls—yet Reid’s silent on that. Musk’s exposing a secretive bureaucracy diverting billions, siphoning funds, and evading oversight—think FEMA’s $59 million on luxury hotels for illegal immigrants or hand-processed retirements in a limestone mine. This is efficiency, not takeover—scaremongering isn’t truth.