Welcome to The Logoff. Today I’m focusing on the Trump administration’s effort to exert control over independent regulators, a power grab with implications for the government’s balance of power — and for your daily life.

What’s the latest? Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday that would put a series of independent regulatory agencies (and their investigations and rulemaking processes) directly under White House control.

How does that change the way things work now? The dozens of independent agencies in the federal government have the power to interpret federal law and launch investigations into alleged rulebreakers. The president appoints the leaders to the agencies’ boards. But many commissioners’ terms are longer than a single administration’s, and the president can’t fire them simply because he doesn’t like their decisions.

Under Trump’s new rules, that autonomy would go away.

What are these independent agencies? There are dozens of them, including:

Are they all included? The order specifically exempts the Federal Reserve’s work to set interest rates, but that’s it!

What’s next? The executive order will almost certainly face legal challenges, and the question over the reach of executive power could get kicked all the way up to the Supreme Court. These agencies’ independence is protected by law, but the Trump team argues those laws are unconstitutional.

What’s the big picture? Trump is again attempting to expand the president’s power. Congress passed laws giving these agencies a measure of independence, and putting lawmakers in charge of their oversight. Trump is now claiming that power for himself, arguing their independence makes them unaccountable.

But how does it affect me? These agencies regulate so many facets of daily life — preventing everything from predatory business practices to nuclear reactor meltdowns.

And with that, it’s time to log off …

How are you sleeping these days? If the answer is “not well,” I have a listen for you, courtesy of Vox’s Explain It to Me podcast. This week, they interviewed a sleep psychologist to get answers to questions like: Why am I a night owl? How can I nap responsibly? And what should I do about my chronic struggle to stay asleep? I hope you enjoy it. And I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump dominated headlines last night and today with his proclamation that the US would “take over” Gaza and remove the Palestinians who live there. That plan — potentially invading and definitely occupying a foreign territory for many years, displacing millions of inhabitants — sounds like a massive development, a major shift in American foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war.

Except it’s almost certainly not happening. There is zero indication that the administration is taking any serious steps toward a foreign invasion. Instead, administration officials are quickly walking back Trump’s declaration. The White House press secretary said Wednesday that the US would neither send troops to Gaza nor fund its reconstruction — effectively rendering Trump’s statement void.

So why are you writing about it? Because it’s a very useful reminder of how to effectively understand the Trump administration.

And with that, it’s time to log off …

I have been trying (with mixed success) lately to read before bed, rather than watching TV or, worse, doomscrolling. I find I end the day more calmly, and I wake up the next morning with more clarity on what needs to be done. Plus, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night to the voice of Michael Scott. I find pre-sleep reading pretty easy once I’m engrossed in a book, but I often struggle to start a new one. If you can relate, I have a solution: Vox’s amazing book critic, Constance Grady, has suggestions for books that will grab your attention and keep it.