White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion  —  Trillions of dollars could be on hold, according to an Office of Management and Budget memo.  —  The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government …

Top USAID career staff placed on immediate leave  —  “This is like taking out all the generals,” said a former Trump administration official informed of the decision.  —  The Trump administration has ordered dozens of top career employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development …

Trump administration fires DOJ officials who worked on criminal investigations of the president  —  The DOJ employees had been involved in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation that led to Trump's classified documents and Jan. 6 cases.  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice …

Democrats' playbook for Trump 2.0: Tune out the noise and focus on economic issues  —  As Trump floods the zone in his first week in office, Democrats are departing from their “resistance” strategy in his first term and zeroing in on issues that cost them the last election.

Google says it will change Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ in Maps after government updates … Google said Monday it will change the name of Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” after the government updates its “official government sources.”  —  The company also said it will start using Mount McKinley …

Acosta La Vista  —  The anchor signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network, Status has learned. … The anchor, I'm told, signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network …

Trump Administration Halts H.I.V. Drug Distribution in Poor Countries  —  PEPFAR's computer systems also are being taken offline, a sign that the program may not return, as Republican critics had hoped.  —  The Trump administration has instructed organizations in other countries …

Tillis Assured Hegseth's Former Sister-in-Law Her Testimony Could Convince GOP Senators to Vote No  —  North Carolina senator provided pivotal 50th ‘yes’ vote to confirm Hegseth as defense secretary  —  WASHINGTON—A key witness in the contentious Senate confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth …

Trump's Victory Over Colombia Now Looks Less Clear Cut  — Colombia sends own planes to bring people home after showdown  — Trump runs the risk of overuse of tariff, sanctions threats  —  A deportation arrangement with Colombia that the White House on Sunday night presented …

Man Pardoned in Jan. 6 Riot Is Fatally Shot by Sheriff's Deputy During Traffic Stop  —  The police said that Matthew W. Huttle, 42, of Hobart, Ind., who was sentenced to six months for his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, resisted arrest after he was stopped in Indiana on Sunday.

Trump To Tariff Chips Made In Taiwan, Targeting TSMC  —  The tariffs would ensnare cutting-edge smartphone and PC-related chips for Apple, AMD and Nvidia if enacted.  But Trump is betting his plan will bring more chip production to the US.  —  President Trump is preparing …

Banking regulator rescinds more than 200 job offers for examiners it needs  —  A federal hiring freeze has made the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. even more short-handed.  —  A government-wide hiring freeze has led the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to yank job offers to more than 200 new examiners …

Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, and to ensure the readiness and effectiveness of our Armed Forces, it is hereby ordered:

Trump order targets transgender troops and ‘radical gender ideology’  —  The president's executive order took aim at transgender individuals in personal terms, noting that physical and mental health conditions make them “incompatible” with military service.

Johnson Joins the Trump Entourage, Shrinking the Role of House Speaker  —  In positioning himself as a junior partner to the president and doing his bidding on matters large and small, the Louisiana Republican is diminishing a job that involves leading a coequal branch of government.

The MAGA terror has begun  —  Their leader is glorifying political violence and weaponizing the threat of it.  —  ⛓️‍💥 ✍️ ⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent media is more important right now than ever.

Coalition of Jewish groups say they're leaving X over Musk's behavior … - It also came after Musk told members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party “there's too much focus on past guilt,” seemingly referring to the burden Germany carries for the Holocaust.

Scott Bessent pushes gradual 2.5% universal US tariffs plan  —  Trump's Treasury secretary wants levies to rise month by month in order to give businesses time to adjust  —  Donald Trump's Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is pushing for new universal tariffs on US imports to start at 2.5 per cent …

Inside a network of AI-generated newsletters targeting “small town America”  —  Good Daily, which operates in 47 states and 355 towns and cities across the U.S., is run by one person.  —  On first glance, Good Day Fort Collins appears to be a standard local news round-up.

Direct File shows how civic tech can work for good  —  Good evening from Washington, where the news cycles are moving faster than rats on a hot tin roof.  —  Thanks to all of the news subscribers over the weekend and everyone whose become a member since soft launch last year.

Trump's fake crime wave  —  On January 19, during a rally held in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump claimed that “crime has gone through the roof” and that it “was up like 40%.”  He claimed that violent crime is especially bad in American cities.  “We will rebuild our once great cities …