#Data Center Migration

[dvsit]

At DVS IT Services, we specialize in Linux Server Management, Cloud Migration, Data Center Migration, Disaster Recovery, and RedHat Satellite Server Solutions. We also offer expert support for AWS Cloud, GCP Cloud, Multi-Cloud Operations, Kubernetes Services, and Linux Patch Management. Our dedicated team of Linux Administrators helps businesses ensure smooth server operations with effective root cause analysis (RCA) and troubleshooting. Learn more about our services at https://dvsitservices.com/.

[madmantechnologies]

The Essential Role of Data Centre Solutions for IT Services Industries

Introduction:-

The need for reliable and effective data centre solutions in the quickly changing digital landscape cannot be emphasized. With companies depending more and more on cloud computing and digital platforms, data centres are now the mainstay of contemporary IT infrastructure. Offering complete data centre solutions is a must for IT service providers to guarantee the smooth running, security, and scalability of their clients' digital ecosystems.

The Pillars of Data Centre Solutions:-

A vast range of technologies and services are included in data centre solutions, which are intended to handle, store, and process data. The essential elements consist of:

Infrastructure Management:-

This refers to the hardware and software infrastructure needed for processing and storing data. The reliability of IT services is increased overall, peak performance is guaranteed, and downtime is minimized with effective infrastructure management.

2. Cloud integration:-

Integrating cloud services with traditional data centres becomes crucial as businesses shift to cloud-based models. By providing flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency, this hybrid strategy enables businesses to make use of the greatest features from both worlds.

3. Data Security:

Sensitive information must be protected. To protect data from cyber threats, data centre solutions must incorporate strong security features including intrusion detection systems, firewalls, and encryption.

4. Disaster Recovery and Backup:

One essential component of data centre solutions is guaranteeing business continuity in the event of system failure or data loss. To reduce risks and guarantee a prompt restoration of services, regular backups and disaster recovery strategies are crucial.

5. Scalability:

Businesses need more data as they expand. Scalable data centre solutions guarantee that IT infrastructure can keep up with business demands by enabling organizations to grow their capacity and capabilities without requiring major overhauls.

Why Data Centre Solutions Matter for IT Services Companies

Enhanced Performance and Reliability: Data centres provide the foundation for reliable and high-performance IT services. By managing and optimizing data flow, IT services companies can ensure that their clients experience minimal downtime and maximum efficiency.

Cost Efficiency: Efficient data centre solutions can significantly reduce operational costs. By leveraging economies of scale, IT services companies can offer their clients cost-effective solutions while maintaining high service standards.

Compliance and Regulatory Adherence: Different industries have varying regulatory requirements for data management and security. Data centre solutions ensure that businesses comply with these regulations, avoiding legal pitfalls and enhancing their reputation.

Innovation and Competitive Advantage: Advanced data centre technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics enable businesses to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. IT services companies that provide cutting-edge data centre solutions empower their clients to harness the power of these technologies.

Sustainability: Modern data centres are increasingly focused on energy efficiency and sustainability. By adopting green technologies and practices, IT services companies can help their clients reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to environmental conservation.

CONCLUSION -

In conclusion, a variety of criteria, such as the organization's budget, performance requirements, scalability needs, and compliance duties, influence the decision between traditional data centres and cloud alternatives. Scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness are offered by cloud solutions, while control and security are provided by traditional data centres. Many businesses use a hybrid strategy, combining cloud and on-premises resources to strike the best possible balance between cost, scalability, and control. In the end, choosing the best IT infrastructure plan to support corporate growth and innovation in the digital age depends on knowing the particular requirements of the company.

Additionally, numerous people can view the data simultaneously thanks to this technology. This expedites and simplifies work. You may handle your data in real-time from any remote part of the world with the help of Madman Technologies, they are the best Cloud Computing and DC migration services in India.

You can google our website and contact us over the phone —

madmantechnologies.ai@gmail.com

Contact details — 9625468776

[preemptivetechnofield]

At Preemptive Technofield, we specialize in helping organizations navigate their digital journey with tailored IT infrastructure solutions. Enhance your business efficiency, agility, and measurable outcomes with our expert consulting.

[technicontrastron]

I have too many things to do and not enough time next week. Something needs to fail. But which one?

[liquisdecom]

Why Your Company Should Use Professional Decommissioning Services Vs. Doing It Yourself

While your vast record of successful DIY projects is amazing, you should leave data center decommissioning out. With that being said, it's necessary to engage data center migration professionals to ensure that your clients' and workers' sensitive information is secure and discreet during the move process. At Liquis, we offer top-tier business solutions for a wide range of data center decommissioning initiatives. From data migration to liquidation and resale – we got you!

https://liquis.com/blog/decommissioning-expert-vs-yourself.html/

[pebblegalaxy]

VergeIO Launches 24/7 VMware Migration Labs: Seamless, Hands-On Virtualization Experience @VergeIO_Inc #VMwareMigration #UltraconvergedInfrastructure

VergeIO Unveils Revolutionary 24/7 Self-Paced Hands-On VMware Migration Labs September 17, 2024 — Ann Arbor, Michigan — VergeIO, a pioneer in ultraconverged infrastructure (UCI), has launched a suite of innovative, self-paced hands-on labs aimed at transforming the way IT professionals migrate from VMware to VergeOS. In collaboration with TechAccelerator, VergeIO’s new lab offerings provide a…

[rosielindy]

One of the joys of working in technology are all the wonderful acronyms. I’m starting on a new technical project and hearing the term GNAS, so rather than asking somebody I decided to google it and found this page. I eventually found the correct acronym meaning but not here. I already know what a NAS is and discovered the G is Gateway.

What a relief! I really like my coworkers but not enough to do the last one on the list. 😜 😂

[digitalcreationsllc]

7 common data center migration challenges to avoid | TechTarget

Data center migration can be challenging, but proper planning can prevent some issues and pitfalls. Organizations should be aware of the most common problems in data center migration to avoid excess cost, delays and potential data loss. With plenty of planning, a practice run and careful execution, any organization can successfully migrate its data center. Consider the following seven challenges…

[syngrowc]

Ensuring a future-ready and resilient tech ecosystem. 🌟 Stay with us as we journey toward a seamless digital tomorrow!

visit us at - www.syngrowconsulting.com Email us at - contact@syngrowconsulting.com Call us at - +1 (917) 764 5482

[zimcommktg]

Disaster Recovery Solutions: Safeguarding Business Continuity in an Uncertain World

In an era marked by unprecedented digital reliance, disaster recovery solution have risen to prominence as an essential safeguard for business continuity. This article delves into the critical realm of disaster recovery solutions, exploring their significance, the technology that underpins them, and the profound benefits they offer in ensuring uninterrupted operations, even in the face of adversity.

Understanding Disaster Recovery Solutions

Disaster recovery solutions are comprehensive strategies and technologies designed to protect an organization's critical data, applications, and IT infrastructure from disruptions caused by various calamities. These disruptions can encompass natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes, technological failures, cyberattacks, or even human errors. The primary goal of disaster recovery solutions is to enable a swift and seamless restoration of essential business functions, reducing downtime and its associated costs.

Why Disaster Recovery Solutions Matter

Mitigating Downtime: Downtime can be crippling, leading to lost revenue, productivity, and customer trust. Disaster recovery solutions aim to minimize downtime by swiftly restoring systems and data.

Preserving Data Integrity: In the digital age, data is the lifeblood of organizations. Disaster recovery solutions ensure the integrity of critical data, preventing loss or corruption.

Maintaining Business Reputation: Being able to continue operations in the wake of a disaster or disruption demonstrates resilience and commitment to clients and stakeholders, enhancing an organization's reputation.

Meeting Compliance Requirements: Many industries and regulatory bodies mandate the implementation of disaster recovery plans to protect sensitive data and maintain business continuity.

Key Elements of Disaster Recovery Solutions

Data Backup and Replication: Regular and automated backups of critical data, coupled with real-time data replication, ensure data availability even in the event of hardware failures or data corruption.

Redundant Infrastructure: Utilizing redundant servers, storage, and network infrastructure reduces the risk of single points of failure.

Disaster Recovery Testing: Regular testing and simulation of disaster scenarios help identify vulnerabilities and refine recovery processes.

Remote Data Centers: Storing data and applications in geographically distant data centers provides additional protection against localized disasters.

Cloud-Based Solutions: Cloud platforms offer scalable and cost-effective disaster recovery solutions, enabling quick recovery from virtually anywhere.

Benefits of Disaster Recovery Solutions

Minimized Downtime: Swift recovery ensures minimal disruption to business operations, reducing financial losses.

Data Resilience: Protection against data loss preserves critical information and intellectual property.

Improved Security: Disaster recovery solutions often include robust security measures, safeguarding against cyberattacks.

Regulatory Compliance: Meeting compliance requirements helps avoid potential legal and financial penalties.

Business Continuity: Demonstrating resilience reassures customers, partners, and employees, maintaining trust and business relationships.

Conclusion

In an unpredictable world where business continuity is non-negotiable, disaster recovery solutions provide the safety net organizations need to weather disruptions and emerge stronger. By embracing these solutions, businesses can not only protect their vital assets but also demonstrate unwavering commitment to their stakeholders. In an age of digital transformation, disaster recovery solutions are the linchpin of resilience, ensuring that, no matter what comes their way, businesses can keep moving forward.

[mariacallous]

When Germany’s election results were announced on Feb. 23 at the packed headquarters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Berlin, the hall erupted into wild rejoicing. The party’s leadership, among it frontperson Alice Weidel, and hundreds of supporters waving German flags immediately recognized the party’s 21 percent tally as a conspicuous victory—exactly twice its 2021 result—even though the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) won more votes by 8 percentage points, and with this the mandate to form a government.

Despite the fact that Germany’s other parties refuse to govern with it, the AfD—an extremist xenophobic party with ties to neo-Nazis—has definitively broken out of the margins and is positioned squarely at the center of German politics. It is now Germany’s second-strongest party; the largest opposition party in the Bundestag; the favored party of the working class; the no. 1 party in Germany’s eastern states; a darling of the new U.S. administration; and it also boasts representation in the regional legislatures of all but one German state and in the EU parliament, too, where it is buttressed by like-minded allies.

Perhaps, though, most critically: The election campaign illustrated just how fundamentally the AfD—as a party operating exclusively from opposition rows—can leverage a crude racist populism to swing the country’s political discourse and move rivals in its direction. The AfD’s cudgel was migration, which it wielded ruthlessly to force every other party (save the democratic socialist party, The Left) to harden their positions on the treatment of asylum-seekers, political asylum as such, policing practices, labor migration, and border policies. Every one of those parties paid a price at the urns for their acquiescence. The Left, on the other hand, was the only democratic party to significantly better its 2021 result and outperform the polls.

This applies to the CDU and Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, too—and will follow them into the chancellery. In response to the AfD’s drumbeat and a series of tragic, violent incidents involving asylum-seekers in Germany, Merz threw caution to the wind in late January, just weeks before the vote, to switch the campaign’s focus from the economy, Merz’s specialty, to migration, the AfD’s bugbear. Merz went so far as to propose a raft of measures restricting migration from the Bundestag floor with the help of AfD votes—a step he and other mainstream politicos pledged they would never take—thus further eroding the anti-AfD “firewall” that the centrist parties vowed to respect.

With eyes wide shut, the CDU walked into a trap that has spelled the marginalization or even disappearance of center-right parties across Europe: By taking up the call of the far right, Europe’s conservatives feed the extremists that voters ultimately deem more authentic or convincing on their own bread-and-butter issues—at the conservatives’ expense. While the CDU captured more votes than the AfD, its 28.5 percent showing counts as its second-lowest ever and several points below its polling before Merz’s controversial maneuver. Like in France, Italy, and the Netherlands, as well as across Central Europe, the center right’s adoption of far-right positions played right into the court of radicals. Election data shows that the CDU and the Social Democrats (SPD) lost voters to the AfD.

The CDU can’t claim a “resounding victory,” concluded ARD, Germany’s public broadcaster. “Instead, it is well above the worst-ever 2021 tally of 24 percent, but far below the 42 percent that Angela Merkel’s CDU captured in 2013. Why is that?” the broadcaster asked. “It’s a combination of the generally difficult situation, the aftereffects of the Merkel era, mistakes made by the CDU leadership, but certainly also competition from the right. … Merz’s goal was not to leave the topic of migration to the AfD. … Did this tactic work? The numbers suggest: probably not.”

“Parties such as the AfD thrive on the longing for authority and security, and the current government [led by SPD] conveyed the opposite,” opined the daily Tageszeitung. “This is where the incessant crisis rhetoric of the right, whose slogans of ‘foreigners out’ offer a simple solution using authoritarian means, catches on,” social psychologist Oliver Decker told the media outlet. The fact that the centrist parties have jumped on the migration issue has not weakened the AfD, but rather legitimized it, he concluded.

The AfD was born in 2013, not as an extremist party but as an EU-critical collection of nationally minded neoliberal economists who questioned Germany’s role in Europe’s 2009-10 financial crisis and the replacement of the Deutsche mark, Germany’s postwar currency, with the euro. But soon after its founding, the party started creeping to the right—its earliest successes happening in Germany’s eastern states, which have proved its bastion ever since. “Initially, the AfD appealed to older voters who considered themselves conservative but were disenchanted with Merkel,” Rüdiger Maas, the author of bestselling books on Germany, told FP.

The east was fertile soil for the increasingly hard-right party: Easterners expressed broad disappointment with unification, which they felt had treated them unfairly and turned them into second-class citizens. The east’s economic transition—a bill footed by the state to the tune of $2 trillion—resulted in rampant unemployment and, to this day, lower wages and living standards for those in the east. (That is, for those who didn’t flee it: Around 3.6 million people left.)

Moreover, the easterners had very little experience with migration, foreign cultures such as Islam, and coexistence with non-Germans. The first nonwhite migrants in the 1990s were often confronted with naked violence; a hard-right neo-Nazi scene flourished and even dominated rural locations. When over a million migrants streamed into Germany from 2015 to 2016, those who settled in the east faced hostility and deep-seated resentment. The AfD radicalized, as did the eastern Germans: above all, the non-college-educated, male, rural-situated, and over-40 voters, who constituted the party’s mainstay.

“From the very beginning, the AfD was a male party that appealed above all to men,” Daniela Rüther, an historian at Bochum University, told FP. “Like every völkische Bewegung (ethnically defined national movement) in German history, it puts the traditional family with its male-led hierarchy at the center of the community. Some of its gender policies are taken directly, one-to-one, from the Nazis.” The fact that the AfD is today led by a (gay) woman in Weidel only appears to be a contradiction, Rüther said. Were the AfD to come to power, she said, Weidel would be sidelined just as the female antagonist of Serena Joy is in the conservative revolution in Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale.

As the AfD entered eastern German legislatures, it simultaneously shed its liberal sensibilities for an ever more hard-right archconservatism. The AfD swung sharply to the far right, adopting ever more radical positions on migration, Islam, the climate crisis, and foreign nationals in Germany, as well as an affinity for President Vladimir Putin’s Russia, latent antisemitism, and a rebuttal of Germany’s self-critical approach to its World War II past.

Its stunning electoral successes, however, first came in response to the refugee crisis. In 2016 and 2017, it stormed into regional legislatures in western Germany and then with tallies above 20 percent in several of the eastern states. In the east, a West German-born fortysomething and former schoolteacher named Björn Höcke gained prominence as the leader of the AfD’s most radical branch, called Der Flügel. Höcke made no bones about his sympathies for the Third Reich and disdain for Western-style democracy. Höcke, for example, referred to the Holocaust memorial in central Berlin as a “monument of shame,” the kind of breach of German taboo that many observers, including relative moderates in the party, thought would disqualify him from German politics. These views attracted the attention of Germany’s intelligence services, which put several of the eastern party branches, including Höcke’s, under surveillance.

On the contrary, Höcke and his allies helped the party chalk up ever larger tallies. In 2019, he led the Thuringia AfD to a 23 percent showing and then five years later to capture 33 percent of the vote—making it Thuringia’s strongest party, another milestone.

Yesterday, in Thuringia, Höcke took the party to a new record high: a full 38 percent of the vote. So tenuous are the democratic parties’ hold on Thuringia that they agreed last year to govern in a desperate, ungainly coalition of CDU, SPD, and the left-populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance. But at least the firewall held. Another grim statistic: In the east, it’s no longer old voters who back the party but rather the youngest: One in three male voters under 24 cast their ballot for the AfD. “These young people grew up with the AfD,” Maas explained. “In many cases their parents were the first AfD voters. For them, the AfD was always part of the Bundestag, talk shows, regional politics.” Moreover, Maas said, this generation gets its politics from social media, mostly TikTok, which the far right (and the far left) swamped with their messages.

In yesterday’s poll—as in the June 2024 EU parliament vote—the AfD swept the five eastern states: its bright blue party color standing in stark contrast to the jet black of the western states, the CDU’s color. This is Germany: a country divided between democratic and undemocratic archconservatives. From the AfD’s point of view, a coalition between conservatives and the right makes all the sense in the world. It looks natural in light of the striking overlap, not least on migration. Their voters share similar concerns. But the Christian conservatives remain adamant that it will never happen. “Never again” was the promise of the postwar generation that Germany would never be home to a fascist politics again. As one of the placards at the anti-right demonstrations across Germany earlier this month proclaimed: “Never again is now.”

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - January 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. In Chicago, all city buildings now use 100 percent clean power

“As of January 1, every single one of [Chicago’s municipal buildings] — including 98 fire stations, two international airports, and two of the largest water treatment plants on the planet — is running on renewable energy, thanks largely to Illinois’ newest and largest solar farm.”

2. California Rice Fields Offer Threatened Migratory Waterbirds a Lifeline

“Cranes need nighttime roosting sites flooded to a depth of about 3 to 9 inches, so they can easily hear or feel predators moving through the water. [... Bird Returns pays] farmers to flood their fields during critical migration periods [... and] provide foraging sites by leaving harvested rice or corn fields untilled, so cranes can access the leftover grain.”

3. New York Climate Superfund Becomes Law

“[Funds recovered “from major oil and gas companies” will be used to pay for] the restoration of stormwater drainage and sewage treatment systems, upgrades to transit systems, roads and bridges, the installation of green spaces to mitigate city heat islands and even medical coverage and preventative health programs for illnesses and injuries induced by climate change.”

4. Austin says retooled process for opening overnight cold-weather shelters is paying off

“[... T]he city's moves to lower the temperature threshold to open shelters and announce their activation at least a day in advance were the result of community feedback. [Shelter operators also passed out hot food.]”

5. Helping Communities Find Funding for Nature-Based Solutions

““From coastal oyster reefs to urban stormwater greenways, nature-based solutions are becoming the new normal.” That’s because these types of projects are often less expensive to build and have additional community benefits, such as improving water quality or creating parkland.”

6. Saving the Iberian lynx: How humans rescued this rare feline from extinction

“Back in the early 2000s, fewer than 100 individuals roamed the wild, including only 25 reproductive females. [...] Conservation staff [...] shape these cats into resourceful hunters and get them ready for life outside the center. [...] They’re fine-tuning captive-breeding routines, improving veterinary procedures, and pushing for more wildlife corridors.”

7. Biden cancels student loans for 150,000 more borrowers

“The 150,000 new beneficiaries announced Monday include more than 80,000 borrowers who were cheated or defrauded by their schools, over 60,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities and more than 6,000 public service workers[...] bringing the number whose student debt has been canceled during [Biden’s] administration to over 5 million[....]”

8. PosiGen wins another $200M for lower-income rooftop solar

“PosiGen offers a ​“no credit check” [solar panel installation to] those with a higher percentage of their income going to power and fuel bills[....] “somewhere between 25 and 75 percent” of the consumer’s monthly energy savings could come from efficiency measures such as sealing heating and cooling leaks, replacing thermostats, and installing LED lights[....]”

9. Indigenous communities come together to protect the Colombian Amazon

“At this year’s COP, Indigenous peoples celebrated the [protection of] traditional knowledge, innovations and practices[... and] the Cali Fund, which ensures that communities, including Indigenous peoples, receive benefits from the commercial use of [...] genetic data derived from the biological resources that they have long stewarded.”

10. How the heartland of Poland’s coal industry is ditching fossil fuels - without sacrificing jobs

“[Katowice, a former coal city] committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 40 per cent compared to 1990, prioritising investments in green infrastructure, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. [...”]The gradual departure from heavy industry did not bring high social costs in our city,” says Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice City.”

January 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[darkeagleruins]

NOAA funneled $1.2 million taxpayer dollars into bureaucratic planning exercises rather than tangible flood solutions for New Orleans—classic D.C. misprioritization. While communities face chronic flooding, this grant prioritizes "holistic water management visions" and public relations campaigns over fixing broken infrastructure or drainage systems. Compare that to United Houma Nation’s $56.5 million award for actual resilience hubs and migration strategies—even there, millions vanish into "capacity building" workshops instead of boots-on-ground fixes.

The real issue? Bloated climate initiatives under Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act shovel cash into equity-focused paperwork while ignoring practical engineering needs. New Orleans deserves levees that work, not another policy manual gathering dust on a bureaucrat’s shelf:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant (2024)

Amount: $1,208,108

Recipient: New Orleans Community Support Foundation

Purpose: Empower: enabling meaningful progress for water equity and resilience through the greater New Orleans regional water plan recipient:

This project builds on more than a decade of planning and collaboration across the greater New Orleans region to adopt a holistic, adaptive water management vision that centers the leadership of black, indigenous, and people of color communities.

This vision will enable greater cohesion in selecting community green infrastructure projects and ensure the investments address multiple climate hazards and realize multiple benefits.

This project will result in 1) a regional approach to making key water management and climate adaptation data more accessible to the community; 2) a policy manual for holistic, adaptive management of green infrastructure projects; and 3) a public communications campaign that highlights the collaboratives efforts and findings with media, events, workshops, and facilitated conversations about management efforts across the region.

[liquisdecom]

What Is Data Center Migration

Data center migration is a complex process involving the transfer of large-scale data to a new environment. The migration plan is crucial and begins with cataloging assets in the assessment phase, considering the retirement of apps and equipment. Key areas of consideration include contracts, hardware inventory, and communications resources.

In this article, we will explain what is involved and why a migration strategy is necessary.

https://liquis.com/blog/data-center-migration.html/

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The New Yorker :: @NewYorker [An advance look at Barry Blitt’s “Left to Their Own Devices,” the cover for next week’s issue.]

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 28, 2025

Heather Cox Richardson

Mar 29, 2025

“Another wipeout walloped Wall Street Friday,” Stan Choe of the Associated Press wrote today. The S&P 500 had one of its worst days in two years, dropping 2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 715 points, losing 1.7% of its value. The Nasdaq Composite fell 2.7%. On Tuesday, news dropped that the administration’s blanket firings and wildly shifting tariff policies have dropped consumer confidence to a low it has not hit since January 2021. Today’s stock market tumble started after the Commerce Department released data showing that consumer prices are rising faster than economists expected.

AIG chief international economist James Knightley said: “We are moving in the wrong direction and the concern is that tariffs threaten higher prices, which means the inflation prints are going to remain hot.” Business leaders like lower interest rates, which reduce borrowing costs and make it cheaper to finance business initiatives, but with rising inflation, the Federal Reserve will be less likely to cut interest rates.

Makena Kelly of Wired reported today that billionaire Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is planning to move the computer system of the Social Security Administration (SSA) off the old programming language it uses, COBOL, to a new system. In 2017, the SSA estimated that such a migration would take about five years. DOGE is planning for the migration to take just a few months, using artificial intelligence to complete the change.

Experts have expressed concern. Dan Hon, who runs a technology strategy company that helps the government modernize its services, told Kelly: “If you weren’t worried about a whole bunch of people not getting benefits or getting the wrong benefits, or getting the wrong entitlements, or having to wait ages, then sure go ahead.” More than 65 million Americans currently receive Social Security benefits. Today Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) recorded himself calling the SSA and being told by a recording that the wait times were more than two hours and that he should call back. And then the system hung up on him.

Musk told the Fox News Channel today that he plans to step down from DOGE in May, apparently at the end of the 130-day cap for the “special government employee” designation that enables him to avoid financial disclosures. In February, White House staffers suggested Musk would stay despite the limit.

Today the State Department told Congress it is shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) altogether by July 1. Whatever agency functions the administration approves will move into the State Department. Founded by President John F. Kennedy and enjoying bipartisan support, USAID administers programs for global health, disaster relief, long-term economic development, education, environmental protection, and democracy. It is widely perceived to be a key element of U.S. “soft power.”

USAID was created by Congress, and its funds are appropriated by Congress. Congress and the courts have established that the executive branch—the branch of government overseen by the president—cannot kill an agency Congress has created and cannot withhold appropriations Congress has made. The authors of Project 2025 want to challenge that principle and consolidate government power in the hands of the president. It appears they have chosen USAID as the test case.

As Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shatters science and health agencies, the nation’s top vaccine regulator, Dr. Peter Marks, submitted his resignation today after being given the choice to resign or be fired. Dan Diamond of the Washington Post noted that Marks has been at the Food and Drug Administration since 2012 and has been at the head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research since 2016.

In his resignation letter, Diamond says, Marks expressed his deep concern over the ongoing measles outbreak in the Southwest—now more than 450 cases—and warned that the outbreak “reminds us of what happens when confidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being is undermined.” Marks said that although he was willing to work with Kennedy on his plan to review vaccine safety, “it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”

On Tuesday, news broke that Kennedy has tapped anti-vaccine activist David Geier to lead a study looking to link autism to vaccines, although that alleged link has been heavily studied and thoroughly debunked. Infectious disease journalist Helen Branswell notes that Geier does not have a medical degree and was disciplined in Maryland for practicing medicine without a license.

British investigative journalist Brian Deer, who has written about the hoax that vaccines cause autism, told Branswell: “If you want an independent source,… [you] wouldn’t go to somebody with no qualifications and a long track record of impropriety and incompetence.” But, he said, “[i]f you wanted to get in anybody off the street who would come up with the result that Kennedy would like to see, this would be your man.”

Tara Copp of the Associated Press reported today that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has done some targeted staffing, too. His younger brother Phil Hegseth is traveling to the Indo-Pacific with the secretary in his role at the Pentagon as a liaison and senior advisor to the Department of Homeland Security. Hegseth also employed his brother when he ran the nonprofit Concerned Veterans for America, where the younger Hegseth’s salary was $108,000 for his media work. Copp notes that a 1967 law “prohibits government officials from hiring, promoting or recommending relatives to any civilian position over which they exercise control.”

Hegseth and his colleagues are still in the hot seat for uploading the military’s attack plans against the Houthis in Yemen to Signal, an unsecure commercially available messaging app. Yesterday, Nancy A. Youssef, Alexander Ward, and Michael R. Gordon of the Wall Street Journal reported that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz identified a Houthi missile expert whose identity Israel had provided from a human source in Yemen, angering Israeli officials.

Americans, especially those with ties to the military, aren’t happy either. Military, the leading news website for service members, veterans, and their families, titled a story about the scandal “‘Different spanks for different ranks’: Hegseth’s Signal scandal would put regular troops in the brig.” Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt of the New York Times reported that the story had “angered and bewildered” fighter pilots, who say “they can no longer be certain that the Pentagon is focused on their safety when they strap into cockpits.”

At a raucous town hall held today by Republican representative Victoria Spartz (R-IN), the crowd booed Spartz loudly when she said she would not call for the resignations of Waltz, Hegseth, and the rest of the people on the group chat.

All the mayhem created by the administration has created enough backlash that the White House appears concerned about upcoming special elections on April 1. One is for the seat in Florida’s District 6 that Waltz vacated when he became national security advisor. In 2024, Trump won that district by 30 points, and Republicans considered their candidate, state senator Randy Fine, whom Trump has strongly endorsed, to be such a shoo-in that he barely campaigned. His website features pictures of him with Trump but has only bullet points to explain his stand on issues.

Democrat Josh Weil, a middle-school math teacher who has outraised Fine by almost 10 to one, is polling within the margin of error for a victory in a contest where even a 10- to 15-point loss would show a dramatic collapse in Republican support. Weil has tied Fine to Musk’s unpopular DOGE and to the president, as well as to cuts to Social Security and Medicaid.

Trump is now personally campaigning for Fine and for the Republican candidate to fill the seat vacated by former representative Matt Gaetz in Florida District 1. There, Democratic candidate Gay Valimont is running against Republican Jimmy Patronis in a district that elected Trump with about 68% of the vote. Like Fine, Patronis is strongly backed by Trump and wants more cuts to the federal government; Gay is a former state leader for Moms Demand Action and focuses on healthcare and veterans’ services. She has criticized DOGE’s cuts to VA hospitals. Like Weil, she has significantly outraised her opponent.

Republicans are concerned enough about holding the seats that billionaire Elon Musk, who poured more than $291 million into the 2024 election to help Republicans, has begun to contribute to Republicans in Florida. On Tuesday he spent more than $10,000 apiece for texting services for the Florida candidates.

Musk has contributed far more than that—more than $20 million—to the April 1 election for a ten-year seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Trump loyalist Brad Schimel is running against circuit court judge Susan Crawford in a contest that has national significance. Wisconsin is evenly split between the parties, but when Republicans control the legislature and the supreme court, they suppress voting and heavily gerrymander the state in their favor. When liberals hold the majority on the court, they ease election rules and uphold fair maps. Currently, the state gerrymander gives Republicans 75% of the state’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives although voting in 2024 was virtually dead even. The makeup of the court could well determine the congressional districts of Wisconsin through 2041, through the redistricting that will take place after the 2030 census.

Musk has told voters that if Crawford wins, “then the Democrats will attempt to redraw the districts and cause Wisconsin to lose two Republican seats.” Not only has Musk said he is going to Wisconsin to speak before the election, but also he is handing out checks to voters who sign a petition against “activist judges,” a suggestion that it would not be fair to unskew the Republican gerrymander. Last night, Musk advertised a contest that would award two voters a million dollars each, with the condition that the winners had to have already voted.

This morning, Wisconsin Democrats issued a press release noting that Musk had “committed a blatant felony,” directly violating the Wisconsin law that prohibits offering anyone anything worth more than $1 to get them to “vote or refrain from voting.” Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler said that if Schimel “does not immediately call on Musk to end this criminal activity, we can only assume he is complicit.”

Musk deleted the tweet and then, eliminating the language that said people had to have voted, posted that he would give the checks to spokespeople for his petition. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul sued to stop Musk “from any further promotion of the million-dollar gifts” and “from making any payments to Wisconsin electors to vote.” “The Wisconsin Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that elections in Wisconsin are safe, secure, free, and fair,” Kaul said in a statement. “We are aware of the offer recently posted by Elon Musk to award a million dollars to two people at an event in Wisconsin this weekend. Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening.”

MeidasTouch reposted Musk’s offer to “personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote” and noted: “No matter what side of the aisle you are on, you should be appalled that a billionaire thinks he has the right to buy elections like this.” Former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party David Pepper posted: “Have some pride, America. We are so much better than this guy thinks we are.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON