Top Items:
Washington Post:
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 …
Discussion:
The Handbasket, The Atlantic, Raw Story, HuffPost, CBS News, Associated Press, Axios, Baltimore Sun, Forbes, RedState, USA Today, The Post Millennial, The Guardian, Fortune, Good Politics/Bad Politics, Chase 🌾 …, NOTUS, E&E News, Wall Street Journal, Althouse, Saywhat Politics and Mourning Dove
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Chris Cameron / New York Times:
White House Budget Office Orders Pause in All Federal Loans and Grants — The full extent of the order was not immediately clear, but the directive sent to government agencies on Monday threatened to paralyze a vast swath of federal programs. — The White House budget office has ordered a pause in grants …
Discussion:
Jill Filipovic, The Independent and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Politico:
Trump administration orders sweeping freeze of federal aid — In a two-page memo, the Office of Management and Budget ordered all federal agencies to temporarily suspend payments. — One week in, the Trump administration is broadening its assault on the functions of government …
Discussion:
CBS News, Rolling Stone, MeidasTouch News, Scripps News, NBC News, Hollywood Life, New Republic, Justin's Political Corner and E&E News
Jack Blanchard / Politico:
Playbook: Trump's massive power grab — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, currently drinking tea and reading up on the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. What a life. — DRIVING THE DAY
Discussion:
The Transom
Jennifer Hansler / CNN:
All federal grants and loan disbursement paused by White House — The White House budget office has ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans, according to an internal memorandum sent Monday, potentially impacting trillions in government spending and halting public programs that affect millions of Americans.
Discussion:
The Hill, NBC News, Daily Mail, Roll Call, Fox News, Bloomberg, Forbes, Hollywood Life, American Greatness, The Guardian, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, Reason and IJR
NBC News:
White House orders freeze on federal aid to focus on Trump's conservative agenda
Discussion:
Daily Mail
Reuters:
Trump orders pause to all federal grants and loans
Trump orders pause to all federal grants and loans
Discussion:
The Hill, CBS News, Raw Story and Heatmap News
Melissa Nann Burke / The Detroit News:
Michigan's Gary Peters won't seek reelection to U.S. Senate. Here's why — Washington ― Gary Peters, Michigan's senior senator and a former congressman, said he won't seek reelection next year and will retire from the U.S. Senate when his second term ends in January 2027.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Axios, New York Times, CBS News, Scripps News, Fox News, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, The Hill, WXYZ-TV, Politico, Townhall, The Guardian, Michigan Advance and The Daily Caller
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Hans Nichols / Axios:
Scoop: Pete Buttigieg taking “serious look” at Michigan Senate race in 2026
Discussion:
The Independent, Associated Press and Talking Points Memo
Ben Kamisar / NBC News:
Democratic Sen. Gary Peters won't run for re-election in battleground Michigan
Democratic Sen. Gary Peters won't run for re-election in battleground Michigan
Discussion:
Axios
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
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.
Discussion:
Eschaton
RELATED:
New York Times:
Read the Memo Pausing Federal Grants and Loans
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider and Semafor
Matt Margolis / PJ Media:
He Did It: Trump Calls for Ending the Federal Income Tax!
He Did It: Trump Calls for Ending the Federal Income Tax!
Discussion:
Baltimore Sun and Louder With Crowder, more at Techmeme »
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Emmer cheers Trump's federal aid freeze
Emmer cheers Trump's federal aid freeze
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:
Trump Ousts Top Labor Board Leaders Who Backed Broader Worker Rights — Jennifer Abruzzo says she was fired by email late on Monday — Donald Trump is forcing out top leaders of the US labor board, ushering in a swift reboot of workplace law enforcement while testing the limits of presidential authority.
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, Axios and HuffPost
RELATED:
Hamilton Nolan / How Things Work:
Confirmed: Unions Squandered the Biden Years
Confirmed: Unions Squandered the Biden Years
Discussion:
New York Times
Steve Vladeck / One First:
120. The Impoundment Crisis of 2025 — The Trump administration's Monday spending freeze is likely to provoke a crisis over the constitutionality of “impoundment”—one that the justices could well have to resolve *very* soon. — Welcome back to “One First,” a weekly newsletter that aims …
Discussion:
Vox and AMERICAN HERITAGE
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David Dayen / American Prospect:
Trump's Most Lawless Action Yet
Trump's Most Lawless Action Yet
Discussion:
Washington Post and Digby's Hullabaloo
Jennifer Elias / CNBC:
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 …
Discussion:
Quartz, Associated Press, Fortune, Must Read Alaska, Benzinga, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, The Verge and USA Today, more at Techmeme »
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Washington Post:
Google Maps says U.S. users will see Trump's new name for Gulf of Mexico
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Examiner, Reuters, The Hill, Global News, Townhall, HuffPost, Deadline, IJR, Metro.co.uk, The Hollywood Reporter, Mashable, israelhayom.com, TechCrunch, New York Post and Alternet.org
Politico:
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 …
Discussion:
New York Times and NBC News
RELATED:
Oliver Darcy / Status:
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 …
Discussion:
Fox News, Variety, Mediaite, The Independent, Deadline, TVLine, The Gateway Pundit, The Hollywood Reporter, IJR, Breitbart, RedState, The Post Millennial and HuffPost, more at Mediagazer »
Lindsay Wise / Wall Street Journal:
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 …
Discussion:
The Bulwark, Townhall, Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Week One inside Trump's DOJ: ‘It feels like a non-violent war’ — Fear reigns among the staff at the beleaguered law-enforcement agency as a new reality sets in. — Career lawyers and staff at the Department of Justice say the rush of changes in the first week of the Trump administration make them feel like they're under siege.
RELATED:
NBC News:
Trump administration fires DOJ officials who worked on criminal investigations of the president
Trump administration fires DOJ officials who worked on criminal investigations of the president
Discussion:
Civil Discourse …, USA Today, Washington Post, Politico, ABC News, Associated Press, Fox News, WUSA, Mediaite, New Republic, Raw Story, Alternet.org, Bloomberg, CBS News, Reuters, The Independent, Washington Examiner, One America News Network, NPR, Lawyers, Guns & Money, emptywheel, CNBC and The Daily Signal
Jonathan Lemire / The Atlantic:
The Strategy Behind Trump's Policy Blitz — The staff was still setting up dinner on Mar-a-Lago's outdoor patio on a balmy early-January evening when Donald Trump sat down. He was surrounded by several top advisers who would soon join him in the West Wing and who wanted to get his input …
Adam Cox / Just Security:
Trump's Dictatorial Theory of Presidential Power - What the Executive Orders, in the Aggregate, Tell Us — In a flurry of executive orders and proclamations this past week, President Donald Trump took decisive action on a range of significant issues including border enforcement, energy policy …
ABC News:
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joins immigration enforcement operations in NYC — She witnessed both criminal and civil enforcement operations, sources said. — Newly sworn in Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem rides along on an immigration enforcement operation in New York City, Jan. 28, 2025.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, New York Daily News, RedState, The Post Millennial, The Independent, VINnews, Daily Mail and CNN
Dave Troy / America 2.0:
No Limits: Crypto Scams Set to Proliferate in 2025 — Donald Trump drew attention when he launched a so-called “meme coin” immediately before his inauguration. The value of the cryptocurrency, called $TRUMP, reached a price of $73 within a day of its release, giving it a total market valuation of about $72 billion.
Discussion:
Futurism
Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost:
Trump Administration Payment Freeze May Delay Money For Critical Preschool Program — Head Start providers logging onto the online funding system this morning found a message warning of delays because of “potentially unallowable grant payments.” — LOADING
Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
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 …
Discussion:
New Republic, Raw Story, Advocate, Mediaite, Brown Babe and them.
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
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.
Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
Congressional Republicans' coming war on poor people — What we know about GOP reconciliation plans — Donald Trump is nothing if not a master of attention, and the eyes of the world have been on his executive orders. With most of these, my sense is that there's less to them than meets the eye …
Discussion:
Fox News, Punchbowl News, E&E News and Politico
RELATED:
Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
Scott Bessent confirmed as treasury secretary, giving him a key role in extending Trump's tax cuts
Scott Bessent confirmed as treasury secretary, giving him a key role in extending Trump's tax cuts
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Blade, New York Post, PinkNews, Wall Street Journal, Axios, Raw Story, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, One America News Network, Alternet.org, New York Times, Advocate, IJR, Roll Call, Washington Examiner, freebeacon.com, CoinDesk, Townhall, Reuters, Bloomberg, Business Insider, RedState, Fox Business, The Hill, USA Today, The Post Millennial, CBS News, Scripps News, NPR and Fox News
Ron Dicker / HuffPost:
Border Czar Tom Homan Responds To Selena Gomez Crying Over Deportations: ‘No Apologies’ — Trump's immigration enforcement pick had blunt words for the “Only Murders in the Building” star. — LOADING — Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's border czar, was not moved Monday by viral video …
Discussion:
New Republic, The Hill, Daily Mail, Billboard, PinkNews, Townhall, ABC News, Daily Kos, RedState, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, Raw Story and Page Six
RELATED:
Fox News:
Trump border czar has blunt message for Selena Gomez: 'Where's the tears' for sex trafficked children?
Trump border czar has blunt message for Selena Gomez: 'Where's the tears' for sex trafficked children?
Discussion:
The Hill, Global News, New Jersey Online, Breitbart, Daily Mail, New York Post, One America News Network, People, Cosmopolitan, Townhall, Page Six, Deadline, Mediaite, Raw Story, TMZ.com and The Hollywood Reporter
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Trump signs 4 new executive orders, transforming military — President Trump signed a bevy of new executive orders Monday evening that have the potential to significantly transform the Defense Department (DOD). — The new orders prevent transgender people from openly serving in the military …
Discussion:
Reuters, Washington Post, BBC, NOTUS, CBS News, KRQE NEWS 13, them., ABC News, Washington Examiner, Axios, Al Jazeera, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, CNBC, Scripps News, PBS NewsHour, New York Post, USA Today, Townhall, MeidasTouch News, The Guardian, IJR and Fox News
Annie Karni / New York Times:
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 Hill:
By killing remote work, DOGE will only bleed taxpayers dry — Republicans in Congress, bolstered by a 41-page report from the House Oversight Committee, have unleashed a wave of criticism against federal telework policies. Their claims, aired at a Jan. 15 congressional hearing titled …

