📣 Musk’s ultimatum

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It’s Monday, February 24 — today’s featured story is about Elon Musk’s ultimatum.

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2) Federal workers face mass confusion as Musk’s deadline to list accomplishments looms.

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5) Cardinal Parolin to lead Rosary for Pope's health in St. Peters Square.

6) Chaos erupts at Idaho legislative town hall, woman pulled from seat and dragged out.

Musk’s ultimatum

Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to federal workers: Reply to an email with a list of recent accomplishments, or risk losing your job. AP News says the move stirred up anxious feels among federal workers -- and faced some pushback from lawmakers.

You can read the email for yourself here.

WaPo says several federal agencies are directing their workers to ignore Musk's message: Top officials urged federal employees to safeguard sensitive info by not responding.

But Scripps News says Elon himself is defending the move: He argued the email requirement was fair, quick, and offered accountability against inefficiency.

Still, The NYT says all the pushback to Elon's email could signal his influence is waning: Some mock Elon as “unelected and unhinged” for demanding immediate responses.