Today is Monday, 3 March 2025. Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are Open. Employees are expected to begin the workday on time. Normal operating procedures are in effect. Mostly clear, with a low around 25. Northwest wind around 3 mph.

Govcon

"Trump wants to shrink the State Department’s size, reach and focus," Politico

"The Trump administration, fueled by Elon Musk and his acolytes, appears determined to focus the department on areas such as transactional government agreements, safeguarding U.S. security and promoting foreign investment in America. That means cutting back or eliminating bureaus promoting traditional soft power initiatives — such as those advancing democracy, protecting human rights, supporting scientific research or generally fostering goodwill abroad.

"The changes would amount to a historic restructuring of the storied department whose work and scope has expanded over the decades to include a variety of efforts to bolster American influence abroad, ranging from helping countries defend their critical networks from hackers to advocating for people with disabilities."

"Cracks In KC-46 Tankers Halt All Deliveries," the War Zone

"Boeing 'is taking measures to temporarily halt deliveries until we fully understand the root cause and implement an effective corrective action plan,' the Air Force stated in response to our query about the latest problems with the troubled Pegasus program.

"After the inspection, if any cracks are found, 'the aircraft will undergo repairs before flying again,' the Air Force explained."

"Federal Workers Again Receive Email Asking Them to Detail Accomplishments," New York Times

"Workers at various departments received the email from the Office of Personnel Management, including Defense, Labor and Agriculture, according to copies of emails seen by The New York Times.

"The email, titled 'What did you do last week? Part II,' echoed an email sent to federal workers last weekend that instructed them to reply with a list of about five accomplishments from their workweek. That blast came shortly after Mr. Musk, the billionaire President Trump has assigned to shrink the federal work force, said on social media that it would be coming — and that failure to respond would be “taken as a resignation.”

"FAA staff reportedly ordered to find funding for deal with Musk’s Starlink," the Verge

"Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday ordered staff 'to begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal' to upgrade air traffic control communications, anonymous sources have told Rolling Stone. The story follows reports that Starlink may be taking the job from Verizon, which already has a multibillion-dollar contract with the government to improve the system."

"Trump eases rules on military raids and airstrikes, expanding range of who can be targeted," CBS News

"During his first overseas trip earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a meeting with senior U.S. military leaders from U.S. Africa Command in Germany, signed a directive easing policy constraints and executive oversight on airstrikes and the deployment of American commandos. 

"The move prioritizes flexibility by giving commanders greater latitude to decide whom to target while relaxing the multi-layered centralized control former President Joe Biden implemented over airstrikes and raids by American special operation forces, U.S. officials told CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about national security matters. ... The Islamist armed group Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Houthis in Yemen were discussed as potential targets, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the meeting."

"Trump FBI pick Kash Patel’s Vegas home belongs to timeshare tycoon accused of shady practices," Nevada Independent

"Clark said the couple found themselves ambushed by a bevy of costs and complications quite at odds with the glittering promises in the sales pitch — but familiar from countless complaints against Starpoint and its affiliates on the Better Business Bureau website, Facebook groups, Reddit forums, Yelp reviews and a 2019 class action lawsuit that accused the company of running a bait-and-switch scheme."

"Starpoint ultimately settled the case in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing. ... In the cache of paperwork that Clark provided, a single name recurs: Michael J. Muldoon, the GOP megadonor who has lured countless vacationers into his convoluted web of timeshare companies. ... Public records reveal something more: Muldoon doesn’t live there alone. Voter files show that Kash Patel, the conspiracy-theorizing Donald Trump loyalist that the president has nominated to lead the FBI, has been registered at the address since January 2022."

"Microsoft is shutting down Skype in favor of Teams," the Verge

"Microsoft is shutting down Skype in May and replacing it with the free version of Microsoft Teams for consumers. Existing Skype users will be able to log in to the Microsoft Teams app and have their message history, group chats, and contacts all automatically available without having to create another account, or they can choose to export their data instead. Microsoft is also phasing out support for calling domestic or international numbers."

Travel

"Five Years Without a Raise: How Sara Nelson Failed Flight Attendants," View from the Wing

"Nelson, who came up as United cabin crew, hasn’t won a new contract at United. Her flight attendants haven’t received a raise in five years.

Big raises for flight attendants at other airlines have mostly represented adjusting for inflation. Contracts agreed to before the pandemic have been updated to current dollars, plus a little bit. (Nelson’s United flight attendants are still earning pre-pandemic wages.)

That’s largely because there’s no union premium anymore in most jobs. There used to be."

"American Airlines Flight Attendants Say They Are ‘Alarmed’ By The Trump Administration’s Fast Paced Changes to Agencies That Oversee Aviation Safety," PYOK

"In an open letter to congressional leaders, including Ted Cruz and Steve Womack, the president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) said the 'arbitrary' cuts at agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration, must be immediately reversed."

"Of particular alarm to Hedrick and tens of thousands of other flight attendants is the Trump administration’s decision to carry out mass terminations at the FAA – a chronically understaffed agency that has struggled to hire mission-critical staffers."

"Southwest’s Free Bags Are On The Chopping Block – Executive Shake-Up and Expedia Deal Pave Way For Fees," View from the Wing

"The airline is moving to (paid) assigned seats; extra legroom premium seating for customers to spend more; redeye flights that generate incremental revenue using the same planes; route cuts; partnerships with other airlines; and selling planes to fund share buybacks. But Elliott has pushed for checked bag fees, too."

By selling on third-party sites like Expedia, "Southwest will face huge pressure to unbundle and show prices in stripped down fashion. That means charging separately for checked bags."