Plus: Education Secretary nomination faces Senate; Car-ramming attack in Munich

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Good morning,

The fake IDs of 2025 include holograms, bar codes, and laser engravings that can fool even electric scanners that bars now use.

Ah… I remember my first fake ID. The year was 2008 and I was told it had state-of-the-art scanning abilities. It did not, and it was quickly confiscated.
- I bought that one in a very sketchy in-person exchange. Nowadays, ID counterfeiters have websites where you can send in your own headshots and pay with cryptocurrency.
My next attempt was an “ID” of someone from the United Kingdom, forcing me to speak in a British accent to every bouncer I encountered. The stories continue; none of them lasted very long.
- Meanwhile, fake IDs these days are made using high-end equipment, measuring details like thickness and laminate to the micrometers.
- This is posing a problem for bar owners – who can face hefty fines or license suspensions for serving minors – and officials who worry about people using these IDs for identity theft or trafficking. Luckily, real ID technology is always advancing.

Young people these days will never know the struggle of remembering the zip code, Zodiac sign, and eye color on someone else’s “license.” Cheers!

Sari
Mo News Senior Producer

PS: We won’t be here Monday for Presidents' Day. Then starting Tuesday, the Mo Newsletter will be delivered to your inbox in the afternoon. Why? We want to help you stay informed all day long. Along with our podcast in the mornings, and coverage on IG all day, now you'll get an afternoon roundup as well. Here’s more from Mosheh on the change.

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🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Busy Week On Capitol Hill For Trump’s Cabinet Picks

It was a big week for the Trump White House on Capitol Hill, as three of his most controversial nominees — Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Kash Patel — cleared major hurdles to lead their respective government agencies, with Republican Senators rallying behind them.

Then Thursday, Linda McMahon, President Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education, faced unusual questions during her confirmation hearing, as the president has called to shut down the agency.

MORE FROM THE HEARING
Last week, Trump said he wanted McMahon “to put herself out of a job.” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) asked McMahon about Trump's plan.

She acknowledged that congressional approval would be needed to eliminate the agency altogether and vowed that, even if it were closed, its services would still be accessible to Americans – just through other agencies.
In regards to downsizing the department, McMahon said she and the president are just trying make it “operate more efficiently.”

McMahon also addressed recent reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is already cutting nearly a billion dollars and dozens of jobs the agency. McMahon called it “an audit.”

The Washington Post reports that just this week, with directives from DOGE, 89 contracts worth nearly $900 million were canceled at the Institute for Education Sciences at the Education Department.
- That’s in addition to dozens of employees who were already put on administrative leave. Employees who are still working there report confusion and concerns that these changes are not legal.

RFK JR. GETS THROUGH
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed Thursday to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He will oversee one of the largest federal agencies, with 80,000 employees and a $1.8 trillion budget, leading global and domestic health initiatives.

The final vote was 52 to 48. For the second time in two days, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was the only Republican to join all Democrats in voting against a Trump cabinet nominee.
- McConnell, the former Republican majority leader and a polio survivor, has been critical about RFK’s past comments undermining the effectiveness of vaccines, including the polio vaccine.
- He has stood out among Republicans as one of the lone voices willing to push back on Trump’s agenda. Four Republicans are needed to join Democrats to block a Trump nominee.
RFK Jr. faced contentious confirmation hearings over his past comments on vaccines, COVID-19, claims that Lyme disease is a manufactured bioweapon, as well as his support of abortion access.

After ending his presidential run as an Independent candidate, Kennedy backed Trump and gained a following under the banner “Make America Healthy Again.” He has pledged to fund research into chronic diseases, remove toxic chemicals from the American food supply, and pursue what he calls “gold-standard science.”

OVER TO KASH
Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, cleared a key hurdle Thursday. His nomination was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee 12-10 along party lines. A full Senate vote could happen as early as next week.

Democrats pushed to have Patel testify a second time and delayed the committee’s vote, citing concerns over his qualifications and the decade-long tenure for FBI directors, which extends beyond most Cabinet members' time in office.
- The committee's top Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, claimed Patel "may have committed perjury" when he testified that he knew nothing about a purge of top FBI officials.

*Yellow background means confirmed. Via: AP*

All of Trump’s nominees who have made it to a full Senate vote have been confirmed, and there are no indications that Patel will be different.

The Senate has confirmed 16 nominees — pacing ahead of the number Biden had confirmed at this point in his presidency.

MORE FROM AROUND WASHINGTON

📌 Several major resignations at Justice Department over move to drop case against NYC Mayor Eric Adams (AP NEWS)

📌 Brooke Rollins confirmed as USDA chief (POLITICO)

📌 Trump announces sweeping reciprocal tariffs (CNN)

📌 Trump administration begins laying off probationary government employees—may ultimately include more than 200,000 people (NY TIMES)

📰 ONE THING WE ARE FOLLOWING

Afghan Asylum Seeker Detained After Car-Ramming Attack In Munich

At least 28 people, including children, were injured after a car drove into a crowd at a labor union demonstration in Munich on Thursday morning. The driver, a 24-year-old Afghan seeking asylum in Germany, was taken into custody shortly after.

Investigators are still looking into a motive, but say they believe the attack was deliberate as he appears to have sped up as he approached people. The suspect was known to police for previous drug and theft offenses.

BROADER ISSUE
Bavarian Governor Markus Söder addressed the attack, saying “something has to change in Germany, and quickly.” The country has a general election on Feb. 23, and immigration has become one of the most controversial and central issues of the campaign.

There have been multiple vehicle-ramming attacks in Germany in recent years, including a 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack with a truck that killed 12 people and another Christmas market attack this past December that left six dead and around 200 injured.

The recent incident occurred near the site of a global security conference, which Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend on Friday, alongside other world leaders. However, police do not suspect any connection to the Munich Security Conference.

MORE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

📌 US aircraft carrier collides with ship in Mediterranean Sea (AP)

📌 Zelensky to Trump: Putin pretends to want peace because he's "afraid of you" (AXIOS)

📌 EU’s top diplomat accuses Trump of ‘appeasement’ with Putin (POLITICO)

📌 Freed Israeli hostages tell families of torture while held by Hamas (WASHINGTON POST)

⏳ A FEW MORE QUICK HEADLINES

📌 TikTok returns to Apple, Google App Stores in US (AP)

📌 Tim Walz considering Minnesota Senate run (POLITICO)

📌 Top federal prosecutor in N.Y. resigns after being told to drop Adams charges (NBC)

📌 Evacuations issued in Southern California as heavy rain brings threat of debris flows in areas scarred by wildfires (CNN)

📌 Renée Fleming, Ben Folds and Shonda Rhimes depart Kennedy Center as Donald Trump becomes chair (USA TODAY)

🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN’ WKND

What We’re Watching (besides the Super Bowl):

Mosh: SNL50: The Anniversary Celebration ~ NBC
Jill: The White Lotus ~ MAX.

What We’re Reading:

Mosh: Hop on Pop — My daughters Olivia loves it.
Jill: Scholastic News — great fun facts for Presidents’ Day

Want a new book this weekend? New listeners can get one free month of Amazon Audible Premium Plus. For hundreds of thousands of audiobooks and podcasts, Click HERE!

What We’re Eating:

Mosh: Don Artemio (in Fort Worth, TX)
Jill: Heart-shaped pizza, made by my kids