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pressure over the impacts on a sudden pause in key government spending — The White House budget office on Wednesday rescinded an order freezing federal grants …
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, CBS News, Benzinga, Houston Landing, The Atlantic, Media Matters for America, PoliticusUSA, FedScoop, Truthout, HotAir, Bloomberg and Forbes
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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.
Politico:
Another judge is preparing to block Trump's spending freeze, despite White House cleanup — U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell said a bid by the White House to rescind a “hugely ambiguous” order implementing the freeze appeared to be undercut by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, Deseret News, ClearanceJobs, RedState, Reuters and Alternet.org
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House rescinds Trump's funding freeze after massive backlash — The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded a memo Wednesday that had ordered a “temporary pause” on federal funding and unleashed major confusion across the country.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Post, Slow Boring and Raw Story
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 …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, New Republic, Politico, Associated Press, The Guardian, Bloomberg and ABC News
New York Times:
Inside the Chaotic Rollout of Trump's Federal Funding Freeze
Discussion:
Axios, Democracy Now and The Status Kuo
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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Politico, Washington Post, NBC News, CNN, Axios, Scripps News, Business Insider, ABC News, The Guardian, Bloomberg, RedState, One America News Network, NPR, The Verge, Mediaite, Engadget, Raw Story, Daily Mail, The Gateway Pundit, Deadline, The Information and Lawyers, Guns & Money, more at Mediagazer »
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Michael Scherer / The Atlantic:
Why Meta Is Paying $25 Million to Settle a Trump Lawsuit — 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.
Discussion:
The Hill
Denise Cana / Slate:
I Just Got Trump's “Buyout” Offer at My Job. Let Me Tell You How That's Going. — The author is a federal civil servant who has been granted the use of a pen name to protect them and their family from reprisals. — The new Trump administration's effort to both get a grip on and dismantle …
Discussion:
Vox, Al Jazeera, Washingtonian, One America News Network, Mashable, RedState and HotAir
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Suzanne Summerlin / Just Security:
Beware the “Deferred Resignation” Offer: A Legally Dubious Proposal for Federal Employees — On Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a memorandum outlining the details of a “Deferred Resignation Program.” — According to OPM, the program allows federal employees …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Post, Ars Technica and OutsideTheBeltway, more at Techmeme »
Andrea Hsu / NPR:
‘Not a buyout’: Attorneys and unions urge federal workers not to resign
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, CNN, GovExec.com, The Verge and Must Read Alaska
Ed Kilgore / New York Magazine:
Federal-Worker Buyouts May Make Government As Broken As X
Federal-Worker Buyouts May Make Government As Broken As X
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Times, Civil Discourse …, The Hill and Hollywood Life
Patrick Reis / Vox:
The Logoff: The government purge, explained
Scott Pilutik / Slate:
Elon Musk Looks to Stick a Fork in Federal Government Workers
Elon Musk Looks to Stick a Fork in Federal Government Workers
Discussion:
New Republic, Daily Kos, The Independent and Mock Paper Scissors
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Fetterman: RFK Jr.'s nomination in trouble after rocky hearing — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who was thought to be open to voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, now says the nominee is in serious trouble after his rocky confirmation hearing.
Discussion:
NBC News and Associated Press
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Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Sanders grills RFK Jr. on baby onesie saying ‘No Vax, No Problem’
Discussion:
Gizmodo, Louder With Crowder, RedState and Twitchy
Rolling Stone:
The Most Alarming Moments From RFK Jr.'s Confirmation Hearing
The Most Alarming Moments From RFK Jr.'s Confirmation Hearing
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, Bloomberg, The Federalist and Page Six
NPR:
What would RFK Jr. mean to HHS?
What would RFK Jr. mean to HHS?
Discussion:
Missouri Independent, Breitbart, New York Post, Fox News, Protect Our Care, The Independent, Hollywood Life and The Daily Signal
Niall Stanage / The Hill:
5 takeaways from RFK Jr.'s first Senate hearing
5 takeaways from RFK Jr.'s first Senate hearing
Discussion:
USA Today, The Nation, New York Times, Politico, New York Magazine, New Republic, The Independent, STAT, Washingtonian and Daily Kos
NBC News:
4 things to know from RFK Jr.'s confirmation hearing: from the Politics Desk
4 things to know from RFK Jr.'s confirmation hearing: from the Politics Desk
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, Daily Mail, Forbes, Al Jazeera, The Daily Signal, Washington Post and STAT
Cathy Young / The Bulwark:
11 Questions Senators Should Ask RFK Jr. This Week
11 Questions Senators Should Ask RFK Jr. This Week
Discussion:
New Yorker, Breitbart and The Independent
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.
Discussion:
Fox News, Daily Mail, Twitchy, Gizmodo, Townhall, Alternet.org, Daily Caller News Foundation, RedState, The Post Millennial, Raw Story, Slate and New Jersey Online
Washington Post:
Trump plans to build mass detention camp for deportees at Guantánamo Bay — The president ordered construction of a facility with room for 30,000 migrants on the U.S. naval base in Cuba. — President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered the construction of a detention camp with 30,000 beds …
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Will Weissert / Associated Press:
While signing Laken Riley Act, Trump says he'll send ‘worst criminal aliens’ to Guantanamo
While signing Laken Riley Act, Trump says he'll send ‘worst criminal aliens’ to Guantanamo
Discussion:
USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Daily Kos, Bloomberg, Associated Press, New York Post, Axios, NBC News, Reuters, Politico, The Guardian, The Independent, The Hill, WUSA, NewsNation, Fox News, Roll Call, CBS News, America Magazine, RedState, Townhall, Chicago Sun Times, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Scripps News, The Post Millennial, New York Times and The Daily Signal
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Declassified CIA Guide to Sabotaging Fascism Is Suddenly Viral — A declassified World War II-era government guide to “simple sabotage” is currently one of the most popular open source books on the internet. The book, called “Simple Sabotage Field Manual,” was declassified in 2008 by the CIA and …
New York Times:
R.F.K. Jr. Appears Unfamiliar With Key Elements of Medicare and Medicaid — In testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, Mr. Kennedy seemed to confuse the two government programs that cover more than 150 million Americans. — In a tense exchange with Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Examiner, Chicago Tribune, Fox Business and Time
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Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:
RFK Jr. Completely Fumbles Basic Medicaid Facts at Hearing
RFK Jr. Completely Fumbles Basic Medicaid Facts at Hearing
Discussion:
The Hill, RedState, The Gateway Pundit and Protect Our Care
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.
Discussion:
New York Post
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Matthew Xiao / freebeacon.com:
Trump Signs Executive Order Paving the Way To Deport Anti-Semitic Student Visa Holders
Discussion:
The White House, The Hill, The Forward, The Guardian, New Republic, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Townhall, The Post Millennial and VINnews
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Is Said to Discuss Dropping Case Against Eric Adams — Senior officials under President Trump have talked with prosecutors in Manhattan about the possibility of abandoning the corruption case against Mr. Adams, the mayor of New York City. — Senior Justice Department officials …
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Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
Elon Musk rose to the top of video game charts. Now he has confessed to cheating. — The world's richest man has admitted to paying to boost his online warriors into global leaderboards, raising questions about his gaming prowess — and his need for digital praise.
Discussion:
Newsbusters and Raw Story
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 …
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Times, NBC News, The Guardian, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Washington Post, Reuters, CBS News, USA Today, Breitbart, Roll Call, freebeacon.com, RedState, Twitchy, Al Jazeera, CNN, Washington Examiner, New Jersey Monitor, Deseret News, Rolling Stone, Politico, Mediaite, Scripps News, New York Magazine, Fox News, Forbes, New Jersey Online, Townhall, Shore News Network, Bloomberg, The Independent, FOX 13 Tampa Bay, New York Daily News, Daily Caller News Foundation, One America News Network and New York Post
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:
Advocate, New York Times, Townhall, The Post Millennial, Mother Jones, Daily Mail, Denver Post and Chalkbeat
Lois Parshley / The Lever:
Trump's Tech Donors Have Big Plans For Greenland — A Trump takeover of Greenland could open the door to tech moguls' mineral interests and their utopian aspirations. — President Donald Trump started his second term with his sights set on Greenland.
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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 …
Discussion:
Washington Post and Raw Story
New York Times:
Trump's Retribution Continues With Removal of General Milley's Security Detail — Early in his first administration, President Trump noted the general's “brilliance and fortitude.” And then the president got angry. — In the last days of 2019, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman …
Discussion:
NPR
RELATED:
John Sakellariadis / Politico:
GOP races to convince Trump to save former aides from Iran's hit list
GOP races to convince Trump to save former aides from Iran's hit list
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal and Daily Kos
Jessica Valenti / Abortion, Every Day:
RFK Jr. Accidentally Reveals Trump's Plan on Abortion — Here we go: At his confirmation hearing today, RFK Jr. revealed how the Trump administration is thinking about restricting abortion—dropping hints not just about mifepristone, but abortion ‘complication’ reporting, emergency abortions, and the possibility of a national ban.
Discussion:
CBS News, Mother Jones, The 19th, LifeNews.com, RedState and The Guardian


