Top Items:
New York Times:
Live Updates: Federal Resignation Program Moves Ahead After Judge Signs Off — Where Things Stand — Trimming federal work force: A federal judge said the Trump administration's deferred resignation program for federal workers could move forward, allowing the White House to advance …
Discussion:
CNN, Forbes and Axios, more at Techmeme »
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Washington Post:
Trump closes down federal worker buyout offer after judge lifts hold — The administration moved to close the buyout program Wednesday evening after a federal judge in Massachusetts rejected a call from several labor groups that sued to block the initiative
Discussion:
HotAir, Townhall, Semafor, New York Times, Fox News, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
Shelby Talcott / Semafor:
75,000 workers accept Trump's buyout program
Discussion:
NBC News, Bloomberg, Reuters, Axios and ZeroHedge News
Associated Press:
Judge removes key legal hurdle for Trump's plan to trim federal workforce with deferred resignations
Judge removes key legal hurdle for Trump's plan to trim federal workforce with deferred resignations
Discussion:
WAGA-TV, Associated Press, GovExec.com, Federal News Network and Business Insider
The Boston Globe:
Judge clears way for Trump's plan to downsize federal workforce. Follow live updates.
Judge clears way for Trump's plan to downsize federal workforce. Follow live updates.
Discussion:
Associated Press
Reuters:
US judge allows Trump to proceed with government employee buyout
US judge allows Trump to proceed with government employee buyout
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Law Dork, New York Post, Bloomberg, Blaze Media and Daily Caller News Foundation
Ryan Grim / Drop Site News:
“Armored Tesla” forecast to win $400 million State Department contract after Trump's election, government document shows — The State Department's procurement forecast, revised as of late December 2024, lists Tesla as the recipient of the largest expected contract, with Marco Rubio's department planning …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Fortune, The Independent, The Democracy Labs, Raw Story, Mediaite, New Republic, Mock Paper Scissors and Electrek
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Miles Klee / Rolling Stone:
The Trump Administration Might Just Spend $400 Million on ‘Armored’ Teslas
The Trump Administration Might Just Spend $400 Million on ‘Armored’ Teslas
Discussion:
New York Times, Raw Story, ABC News and El País
New York Times:
Republicans Love Trump's Spending Cuts. Just Not in Their States. — Even as they praise the president's unilateral actions to slash federal spending, G.O.P. lawmakers have quietly moved to seek carve outs or exemptions for their own constituents. — Republicans in Congress have responded …
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Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
House Republican circulates petition to deport Omar
House Republican circulates petition to deport Omar
Discussion:
New York Post, The Gateway Pundit and Axios
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House budget resolution in limbo as conservatives push deeper spending cuts and work requirements
House budget resolution in limbo as conservatives push deeper spending cuts and work requirements
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, New York Times, PoliticusUSA, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Defying Johnson, Graham and Senate G.O.P. Push Their Own Budget Plan
Defying Johnson, Graham and Senate G.O.P. Push Their Own Budget Plan
Discussion:
New York Post, Politico, Associated Press, Reuters, NBC News, Axios and Raw Story
Associated Press:
White House says it's the judges — not Trump — causing a ‘constitutional crisis’ — In the weeks since Donald Trump returned to office, Democrats and legal scholars have warned that he's provoking a constitutional crisis by trying to expand his power and ignore laws that stand in his way.
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Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg:
Trump Removal of Whistleblower Agency Head Blocked by Judge — Judge held Trump's firing of Hampton Dellinger likely unlawful — Other independent agency officials are suing over removals — A federal judge in Washington blocked for now President Donald Trump from removing the head …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Elon Musk's X to pay about $10 million to settle Trump lawsuit over account suspension … Social media company X has agreed to pay about $10 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, who has put X's billionaire owner Elon Musk in charge of a major government cost- and staff-cutting effort.
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J.D. Wolf / MeidasTouch News:
Pro-Hitler Ad Runs on Elon Musk's X Amid His Growing Ties to Trump
Discussion:
MacRumors
Rene Marsh / CNN:
Mass firings have begun at federal agencies — Mass firings have begun at federal agencies, with terminations of probationary employees underway at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration, federal employees and union sources told CNN Wednesday.
Discussion:
Nextgov/FCW, NPR, GovExec.com, Wired, Business Insider, New Republic, Fortune, Politico and Bloomberg
Luis Ferré-Sadurní / New York Times:
New York Got $80 Million for Migrants. The White House Took It Back. — The New York City comptroller's office, which first noticed the missing money, said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had unilaterally taken the funds from the city's accounts.
Discussion:
The City, New York Daily News, Daily Mail, Above the Law, Politico, The Independent, Forbes, Twitchy and Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
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New York Times:
Many Groups Promised Federal Aid Still Have No Funds and No Answers
Discussion:
CT Mirror, Grist, Alternet.org and NBC News
Associated Press:
FEMA yanks back $80 million that New York City meant to cover hotel costs for migrants
FEMA yanks back $80 million that New York City meant to cover hotel costs for migrants
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Post, Fox News, Washington Examiner, abc7NY, Shore News Network, Breitbart, New York Magazine, The Republic News, The Daily Signal, Twitchy, The Daily Wire, CNN, The Post Millennial, HotAir, Scripps News, ABC News, Exposing the role …, RedState, New York Times and Reuters
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Hegseth's rough start: Pentagon chief faces protest at U.S. base abroad — The question isn't why the defense secretary faced pushback at U.S. European Command headquarters; the question is whether he'll see more protests soon. — Though it still seems hard to believe, a couple of weeks ago …
Discussion:
New York Times, RedState, The War Zone, Axios, Fox News, NBC News and Bloomberg
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John Vandiver / Stars & Stripes:
Middle school students hold walkout during Hegseth visit to US base in Germany
Middle school students hold walkout during Hegseth visit to US base in Germany
Discussion:
Defense One and The Gateway Pundit
Reuters:
US sues New York state officials over immigration enforcement, attorney general says — The U.S. Justice Department has sued New York State officials over alleged failures to enforce federal immigration law, Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters on Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Guardian, Daily Mail, New York Times, Washington Examiner, The Independent, abc7NY, New York Daily News, Twitchy, Axios, USA Today, Fox News, CBS News and Bloomberg
Nicholas Fandos / New York Times:
Eric Adams Discussed Possible Republican Primary Run With G.O.P. Leader — The mayor discussed options to run for re-election in the Republican contest as recently as Monday. Asked for comment, he said he was running as a Democrat. — Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has quietly explored running …
Discussion:
The Independent, USA Today, Politico and San Diego Union-Tribune
New York Times:
Some Migrants Sent by Trump to Guantánamo Are Being Held by Military Guards — The Times has obtained a list of 53 Venezuelan men the Trump administration has put in a wartime prison built to hold Al Qaeda suspects. — Dozens of Venezuelan migrants sent by the Trump administration …
Discussion:
NBC News, NPR, Axios, USA Today, The Independent and Mother Jones
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Teddy Rosenbluth / New York Times:
Measles Outbreak Hits Town in Texas — As of Tuesday, 22 children and two adults had been infected, all of whom were unvaccinated, local officials said. — A worsening measles outbreak has taken root in Texas, sickening two dozen and hospitalizing nine on the western edge of the state …
Discussion:
ABC News, Ars Technica, CBS News and UPI
Abby Vesoulis / Mother Jones:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Two-Word Plan to Save the CFPB From Elon Musk — “Banks hated this agency from the first time I ever talked about it.” — Following the 2008 global financial crisis, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was established by Congress to reign …
Discussion:
The Independent, Rolling Stone, Accountable US, Bloomberg, Semafor, Blue Virginia and Public Notice
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell:
McConnell Comments on Gabbard Nomination — Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement today on the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to serve as Director of National Intelligence:
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, Associated Press, NPR, Breitbart, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, LewRockwell, Bloomberg, Fox News, Deseret News, Nextgov/FCW, Jewish Insider, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, MeidasTouch News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, NOTUS, Mediaite, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, Patterico's Pontifications and Babylon Bee
Washington Post:
New Kennedy Center board elects Trump as chair. Rutter departs as president. — President Trump's refashioned board of trustees voted him chairman in a meeting Wednesday afternoon. President Deborah Rutter told staff she was leaving the institution. — The Kennedy Center board …
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, CBS News, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, Townhall, Politico, Time, Twitchy, NPR, Mediaite, Axios, The Independent, One America News Network, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Post Millennial, WRIC ABC 8News, Forbes, New York Daily News and Fox News
Josh Funk / Associated Press:
US eggs prices hit a record high of $4.95 and are likely to keep climbing — Egg prices hit a record high as the U.S. contends with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, but consumers didn't need government figures released Wednesday to tell them eggs are terribly expensive and hard to find at times because of an ongoing.
Discussion:
New York Times, KFTC-TV, Bangor Daily News, Associated Press, CBS News, Mercury News, Deseret News and Eater
Dan Froomkin / Heads Up News:
What you can do to fight the Trump agenda — “What can I do?” — That's the question a lot of you are asking. — I've spent the last week exploring that question. And the overarching answer, based on my research, is that you should reach out and make connections with others …
New York Times:
Behind Kennedy's Vow to ‘Follow the Science’ on Vaccines — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited a disputed study from a close network of fellow vaccine skeptics during his confirmation hearings. His critics say it is part of a pattern that raises concerns about whose research he would elevate as health secretary.
Discussion:
The Republic News and Breitbart
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Daniel Payne / Politico:
Why the health care industry is letting RFK Jr. cruise to confirmation
Why the health care industry is letting RFK Jr. cruise to confirmation
Discussion:
New York Times
Leah Feiger / Wired:
The GSA Plans to Sell Hundreds of Its Federal Government Buildings — The General Services Administration, staffed at its upper levels by Elon Musk associates, plans to sell 500-plus buildings—some of which house government agencies and the offices of US senators.
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump and Musk Hunt for Corruption, Very Selectively — Spending that the White House does not like is being labeled fraudulent. At the same time, President Trump is rolling back anticorruption efforts and ethical standards for himself and allies like Elon Musk.
Discussion:
LewRockwell
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
BREAKING: NIH admits funding freeze is illegal, will resume issuing grants — On Monday afternoon, Popular Information broke the news that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had frozen virtually all grant funding in violation of two federal court orders.
Discussion:
The Bulwark, Washington Examiner and American Greatness
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
“Largest data breach in US history”: Three more lawsuits try to stop DOGE … The US DOGE Service's access to the private data of ordinary Americans and federal employees is being challenged in several lawsuits filed this week. — Three new complaints seek court orders that would stop …
Discussion:
Wired, UPI, Forbes and Electronic Frontier Foundation
Oliver Darcy / Status:
A Runaway Carr — Pressed by Status over text message, FCC boss Brendan Carr defended his actions—including his decision not to go after Rupert Murdoch's Fox. … Carr had already revived petitions filed by pro-MAGA forces against ABC, NBC, and CBS. He had also announced a string …
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Donald Trump is Now the Mayor of New York — The Trump DOJ's decision to drop charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams may not be the most serious act of prosecutorial corruption in decades but it's almost certainly the most brazen. The stated reasons for dropping the charges were absurd …
Discussion:
The City, New York Times, The Republic News, NPR and New York Post
Holly Otterbein / Politico:
Bernie Sanders launches high-profile offensive against ‘the oligarchy’ — “He likes spreading his message, and likes being adored,” a former aide said. — Bernie Sanders, the two-time presidential candidate, is barnstorming Iowa and Nebraska to rally voters against what he calls …
Justin Williams / New York Times:
Department of Education rescinds Title IX guidance that NIL payments must be proportionate — The U.S. Department of Education has officially rescinded a nine-page fact sheet on Title IX guidance that was released last month under the outgoing presidential administration, a move that was anticipated by many within college sports.
Discussion:
ABC7, WUSA, Deseret News, Fox News, Associated Press and Twin Cities


