This is a web version of
The Lever’s daily email newsletter.🐪 It’s Wednesday. The news is stressful, with 6 in 10 U.S. adults admitting that they tend to avoid stories about President Donald Trump. I want to know: What keeps you reading? Email me your thoughts at rriccobene@levernews.com.
🔥 Today in The Lever: Democrats’ civil war over billionaire power just intensified — and that’s a good thing, argues David Sirota.
👇 Further down in this newsletter:
- DOGE employees accessed your tax return payment data.
- The investments that could sink public pension funds.
- Which state has a billionaire tax on its November ballot?
STORIES TO GO
In a hurry? These are the top stories in the country today.
🪖 Operation Inflated Budget. Department of War officials are on Capitol Hill today to pitch their $1.5 trillion budget, testifying before Congress for the first time since the war on Iran began.
😡 “No more Mr. Nice Guy.” Trump has warned Iran to “get smart soon” as he reportedly prepares aides for an extended blockade.
⛽ Goly. Average U.S. gas prices have hit $4.32 a gallon, the highest so far this year.
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TODAY’S TOPLINES
Break-in at the Treasury. Temporary Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees, hired by the Trump administration to assess waste and fraud at the Treasury Department, improperly accessed payment systems harboring Americans’ sensitive and personally identifiable data. A new watchdog report from Congress’ independent research body finds the Treasury “did not fully implement” cybersecurity controls meant to protect Bureau of the Fiscal Service data, which includes detailed payments information taken from personal tax returns, welfare and benefits distribution, and federal vendor expenditures.
📩 In one incident, a Treasury DOGE employee “improperly transmitted” federal payments data — including the full names of government employees and private citizens — to DOGE workers stationed elsewhere in the government.
🖥️ One DOGE employee was accidentally allowed to skip standard security and privacy training; another was mistakenly given the power not only to view but also to modify personal information.
