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6:40 PM ET, January 29, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Washington Post:
Trump White House reverses course, rescinds freeze on federal grants  —  The budget office came under immense pressure over the impacts on a sudden pause in key government spending  —  The White House budget office on Wednesday rescinded an order freezing federal grants …
RELATED:
Zachary Basu / Axios:
White House rescinds Trump's funding freeze after massive backlash  —  The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded a memo Wednesday that had ordered a “temporary pause” on federal funding and unleashed major confusion across the country.
CNBC:
White House says Trump funding freeze remains in effect despite rescinding OMB memo … The White House on Wednesday said a “federal funding freeze” remains in “full force and effect” despite it rescinding a controversial memo ordering that freeze on grants and loans to give agencies …
Paul Blumenthal / HuffPost:
The Trump White House Wants A Court Challenge Over Frozen Funds  —  An internal OMB document shows that it is official administration policy to block funding to provoke a constitutional challenge.  —  LOADING  —  The Trump administration's federal government funding freeze instituted Monday …
Just Security:
Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions  —  This public resource tracks legal challenges to Trump administration actions.  If you think we are missing anything, you can email us at [email protected].  Special thanks to Just Security Student Staff Editors Rick Da and Jeremy Venook.
NPR:
New memo, White House response adds to confusion on federal funding freeze  —  The Office of Management and Budget has rescinded its call for a pause on federal assistance, according to the agency's memo shared by Democracy Forward, which led a legal challenge over the effort.
NBC News:
Trump administration rescinds order attempting to freeze federal aid spending  —  The move comes just one day after the order was issued and a federal district judge temporarily halted it.  —  President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday rescinded an order that attempted to freeze …
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Signs Agreement Calling for Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle Suit  —  The president had sued the social-media company after his accounts were suspended  —  President Trump has signed settlement papers that are expected to require Meta Platforms to pay roughly $25 million to resolve …
RELATED:
Michael Scherer / The Atlantic:
X and Meta Scramble to Settle With Trump  —  Donald Trump spent decades in business gleefully suing and angrily being sued by his adversaries in civil court.  But since winning reelection, he has suddenly posted a remarkable string of legal victories, as litigants rush to settle their cases.
Washington Post:   Meta will pay $25 million to settle Trump lawsuit alleging censorship
Kaitlan Collins / CNN:
Trump signs settlement agreement with Meta, source says
Discussion: Business Insider and Bloomberg
Rachael Levy / Reuters:
USDA inspector general escorted out of her office after defying White House  —  Security agents escorted the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of her office on Monday after she refused to comply with her firing by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Washington Post:
Trump to build mass detention camp for deportees at Guantánamo Bay  —  The president said he will issue an executive order to construct a detention camp with room for 30,000 migrants on the U.S. naval base in Cuba.  —  President Donald Trump said he will order the construction …
RELATED:
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
While signing Laken Riley Act, Trump says he'll send ‘worst criminal aliens’ to Guantanamo  —  President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the Laken Riley Act into law, giving federal authorities broader power to deport immigrants in the U.S. illegally who have been accused of crimes.
Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:
RFK Jr. Completely Fumbles Basic Medicaid Facts at Hearing  —  That is not quite how Medicaid works, Mr. Kennedy.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday “most Americans are not happy” with Medicaid because “the premiums are too high,” suggesting he may be oblivious to the fact that Medicaid overwhelmingly does …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Live Updates: R.F.K. Jr. Faces Bipartisan Grilling Over Vaccines and Medicaid
Daniel Payne / Politico:
Senate Democrats rip into RFK Jr.
Ed Kilgore / New York Magazine:
Federal-Worker Buyouts May Make Government As Broken As X  —  In the latest episode of what MAGA nihilist Steve Bannon joyfully predicted would be “Days of Thunder” from the new Trump administration, on Tuesday the United States Office of Personnel Management offered all federal employees a buyout offer wrapped in menacing threats.
RELATED:
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
Compelling Mass Civil Servant Resignations Will Create Chaos
RELATED:
CNN:
Trump DOJ appointee in DC lashes out after flurry of ‘personally insulting’ leaks in his first week
Discussion: Raw Story
Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
Throw Biden under the bus  —  When Joe Biden stepped aside in favor of Kamala Harris, the overwhelming majority of Democrats praised him for the decision and painted an overall flattering portrait of Biden's presidency and his career.  I think that was the right way to approach the situation.
RELATED:
Politico:
Republicans brace for a messy slog on Capitol Hill
Discussion: New York Post
Kevin Freking / Associated Press:   Republicans crafting Trump's big bill hit a familiar roadblock: How to pay for it
NBC New York:
Former Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years corruption and bribery case  —  Menendez resigned from the Senate after his conviction last year  —  Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for selling his once-considerable clout in Washington for gold bars …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Former Senator Robert Menendez Is Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
NBC News:
Former Sen. Bob Menendez to be sentenced in gold bar bribery case
Andrea Shalal / Reuters:
Trump administration to cancel student visas of pro-Palestinian protesters  —  U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday to combat antisemitism and pledge to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests, a White House official said.
RELATED:
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Declassified CIA Guide to Sabotaging Fascism Is Suddenly Viral  —  The World War II-era “Simple Sabotage Field Manual” is full of steps that office workers can take to resist leadership. … A declassified World War II-era government guide to “simple sabotage” is currently one of the most popular open source books on the internet.
Sara Weissman / Inside Higher Ed:
Governor Leaves Indiana's Predominantly Black University Out of Budget  —  Martin University had a short-lived burst of state funding.  But those funds disappeared in Governor Mike Braun's budget proposal, unveiled on the heels of an anti-DEI executive order.  One lawmaker calls it racist.
RELATED:
Brad Reed / Raw Story:   'It's racist': Republican governor shamed for defunding state's lone Black college
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's First Big Fiasco Triggers Stephen Miller's Rage—Take Note Dems  —  Admitting failure is anathema to the authoritarian leader, who is perpetually in danger of being diminished by those who are resentful of his glory—which is why White House adviser Stephen Miller is frantically searching …
Politico:
DOJ moves to drop charges against former GOP lawmaker in case criticized by Trump  —  The step likely ends a legal saga that drove ex-Rep. Jeff Fortenberry from Congress over foreign donations.  —  The Justice Department has moved to drop its criminal prosecution of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry …
RELATED:
The White House:
Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  Parents trust America's schools to provide their children …
Discussion: Denver Post
 
 
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 More Items: 
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Mark Kelly: Trump's immigration raids are a ‘photo op’ to ‘intimidate people’
Discussion: The Hill and Wirepoints
Eric Berger / Ars Technica:
The long-planned return of two astronauts from space is now a political issue
Reuters:
Brazil seeking funds for Venezuelan migrant program after Trump freezes US aid
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Trump accuses Fed, Powell of creating inflation on heels of rate decision
CBS News:
Senate confirms Lee Zeldin to lead EPA as Trump vows to cut climate rules
 Earlier Items: 
Alex Gangitano / The Hill:
White House aide says spending freeze isn't being rescinded despite memo
New York Times:
With Tampons and Code, Silicon Valley Workers Quietly Protest Tech's Rightward Shift
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
OpenAI Furious DeepSeek Might Have Stolen All the Data OpenAI Stole From Us
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
“Trump is trying to collapse our economy”: War on “woke” revealed as a war on all Americans
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta is considering deep budget cuts to its metaverse efforts in 2026, potentially as high as 30% and most likely including layoffs as early as January

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Apple says general counsel Kate Adams and policy chief Lisa Jackson will retire, and Jennifer Newstead, Meta's former chief legal officer, will replace Adams

Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Two studies suggest AI chatbots can shift political views more effectively than TV campaign ads, especially by presenting many claims, regardless of accuracy

 
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