Trump maintains funding freeze at NIH, defying court order  —  The Trump administration is still prohibiting National Institutes of Health (NIH) staff from issuing virtually all grant funding, an NIH official tells Popular Information.  The ongoing funding freeze is also reflected …

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are not tiptoeing toward autocracy  —  We cannot afford to wait any longer.  The immediate clear and present danger to the fabric of our democracy, the headlong rush to a police state, cannot be ignored.  And unprecedented times demand unprecedented approaches …

The big question looming over Trump's executive orders  —  Donald Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to transform federal spending and the federal workforce are crashing up against judges who've temporarily blocked several of their policies.  —  Judges have frozen Trump's “spending freeze” …

Senator Accuses F.B.I. Nominee of Covertly Directing Dismissals  —  A top Democrat demanded an investigation and suggested that the nominee, Kash Patel, may have lied under oath, citing what he described as multiple sources.  —  The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee …

DOGE Teen Ran Image-Sharing Site Linked to URLs Referencing Pedophilia and the KKK  —  Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old member of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), launched an image-sharing website in 2021 that featured custom “shitposting” web addresses that redirected to content hosted on his site.

27 religious groups sue Trump administration to protect houses of worship from immigration arrests  —  More than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists …

Pope rebukes Trump administration over migrant deportations, and appears to take direct aim at Vance  —  Pope Francis issued a major rebuke Tuesday to the Trump administration's mass deportation of migrants, warning that the forceful removal of people purely because of their illegal status deprives …

LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  —  I am writing today to address a few words to you in these delicate moments that you are living as Pastors of the People of God who walk together in the United States of America.

The Truth About Trump's Steel Tariffs  —  His first-term levies hurt consumers and U.S. manufacturers.  —  President Trump gave the economy another jolt of uncertainty on Monday when he signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.

Elon Musk's Financial Disclosure Will Not Be Made Public  —  The billionaire, who is serving President Trump as an unpaid “special government employee,” will file a confidential report on his financial interests, according to a White House official.  —  Elon Musk plans to file …

Trump administration removes acting head of DOJ's National Security Division: Sources  —  Devin DeBacker, a career DOJ official, served in the role for only a few weeks.  —  The seal of the U.S. Justice Department is seen on the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room …

Defense Secretary Hegseth booed and heckled by military families protesting against DEI push  —  Last week, Hegseth wrote a memo in which he banned transgender people from joining the military and restricted the use of some learning materials in Defense Department schools.

Elon Musk's Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up … Elon Musk controls six companies, including Tesla.  Mr. Musk's companies secured $13 billion in federal contracts over the past five years.Carly Zavala for The New York Times  —  President Trump has been in office less than a month …

The Right to be Woke  —  Two programming notes for today: At 1 p.m. ET today, JVL will go live on the site with Jim Acosta in the first chat for our pop-up series, WTF 2.0.  Jim recently left CNN and has joined the ranks of independent media here on Substack.

1 dead, 4 hospitalized after two planes crash on runway at Scottsdale Airport  —  The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. Monday  —  SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Officials confirm at least one person has died after an aircraft crash on the runway Monday at the Scottsdale Airport.

Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security  —  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.

US cyber agency puts election security staffers who worked with the states on leave  —  Staffers at the nation's cybersecurity agency whose job is to ensure the security of U.S. elections have been placed on administrative leave, jeopardizing critical support provided to state and local election offices across the country.

Obama Best Liked Among Living Presidents; Biden, Least  —  Obama, Bush, Clinton are viewed more positively than negatively  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Of the five living men who have served as U.S. president, Barack Obama receives the highest favorable rating (59%) and Joe Biden the lowest (39%).

Deb Haaland announces run for New Mexico governor … - Haaland, who served in the Biden administration, was the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency.  — She has been taking steps for some time to consolidate support in the state and assemble a team of political operatives …

Insider threats loom as Elon Musk's team gains swift government access … - Rapid firings and hirings across agencies may create uncertainty about who is authorized to access key systems.  — New DOGE employees — cleared through an expedited vetting process — may not fully understand …

Donald Trump Has Found a New Way to Threaten the Economy  —  Donald Trump first achieved national fame in 1987 with a bestselling book titled The Art of the Deal, which created an enduring false impression that Trump was good at making deals.  In fact, the secret to Trump's initial financial success …

Bannon Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Border Wall Case but Will Serve No Time  —  President Trump had already pardoned his adviser in a similar federal case, which accused him of skimming money from donations to build a southern border barrier.  —  Stephen K. Bannon, a longtime adviser to President Trump …

Mace Takes to House Floor With Charges of Rape and Sexual Predation  —  The South Carolina Republican used her floor privileges to lodge shocking accusations against her former fiancé and three other men.  —  Representative Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican who in recent weeks …

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Renames Fort Liberty to Fort Roland L. Bragg  —  While flying aboard a C-17 from Joint Base Andrews to Stuttgart on February 10, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum renaming Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Roland L. Bragg.

EU vows countermeasures to US tariffs; bourbon, jeans, peanut butter, motorcycles easy targets  —  U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc.

Palestinian Forces Are Openly Helping Israel Fight Its West Bank War  —  As the war moves to the West Bank, Palestinian security forces stun residents as they operate in occupied streets in cooperation with the Israeli army  —  The circling drones buzz overhead as explosions echo.

Court formally dismisses case against Trump's co-defendants in Mar-a-Lago documents probe  —  Washington — A federal appeals court formally granted the Justice Department's request to drop the case against two of President Trump's co-defendants in the prosecution over his handling of classified documents …

Elon Musk's Team Decimates Education Department Arm That Tracks National School Performance  —  The Trump administration canceled $900 million in contracts overseen by the Institute of Education Sciences, which partners with scientists and education companies to compile and make public data about schools each year.

FEMA cuts payments to NYC hotels after DOGE alleged funding for illegal immigrants  —  The Federal Emergency Management Agency took action after Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency reported that the bureaucracy spent millions paying New York City hotels to house illegal immigrants.

Powell says Treasury payments system is safe … - The fear is that the Department of Government Efficiency could restrict payments it deems wasteful. … - “People do depend on this in a big way, and we're committed to that.” … - The Treasury is charged with carrying out the payments inputted by government agencies.

Far-right populists much more likely than the left to spread fake news - study  —  Amplifying misinformation is now part of radical right strategy, says Dutch study of tweets by MPs in 26 countries  —  Far-right populists are significantly more likely to spread fake news on social media …

The Cruel Attack on USAID  —  Trump's assault on the aid agency poses a haunting question.  —  The speed of the cruelty has been stunning.  —  In a matter of a few weeks, the Trump administration, led by Elon Musk, has decimated America's main provider of global humanitarian aid, the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Springtime for Scammers  —  Financial predation now has friends in high places  —  Just over two years ago Wells Fargo agreed to pay $3.7 billion — $1.7 billion in penalties and $2 billion in damages — to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  As the New York Times report put it, the payments were

What Republicans really mean when they blame ‘DEI’  —  Referencing DEI is the new rightwing abstraction deployed by Republicans to conceal their anti-Black racism  —  In 1981, Lee Atwater, the most influential Republican party strategist of the late 20th century, sat down for an off …