Top Items:
Jenna McLaughlin / NPR:
Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as director of national intelligence, overcoming skepticism — The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to lead the intelligence community as director of national intelligence, despite initial skepticism. — Gabbard was confirmed 52-48 …
Discussion:
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, New York Times, Defense One, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, MeidasTouch News, Al Jazeera, Alternet.org, Raw Story, LewRockwell, Deseret News, Mediaite, New Republic, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Jewish Insider, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit and Patterico's Pontifications
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NBC News:
Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as top U.S. intelligence official — Gabbard overcame initial skepticism from some Republican senators about her nomination, underscoring Trump's grip on the party. — WASHINGTON — The GOP-controlled Senate early Wednesday morning voted …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Associated Press, USA Today, New York Times, Forbes, New Republic, The Guardian, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, NOTUS, Accountable US, Baltimore Sun, Tennessee Star, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, Townhall, RedState, Mediaite, Breitbart, Twitchy, New York Daily News, The Independent, Deadline, The Post Millennial, E&E News, Semafor and The American Conservative
New York Times:
Live Updates: Trump Holds Call With Putin to Start Talks on Ending Ukraine War — Where Things Stand — Trump-Putin call: President Trump said that he had “a lengthy and highly productive” call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Wednesday that he characterized as the start of the negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.
Discussion:
CNN, CBS News, NBC News, Axios, Reuters, NOTUS, NPR, Crikey, ABC News, One America News Network, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Semafor, EADaily, New York Daily News, New York Post, Forbes, ZeroHedge News, The Independent, The Post Millennial and New Republic
CNN:
Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence — The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, a major win for President Donald Trump as Gabbard had been among the most controversial of his Cabinet picks.
Discussion:
NBC News, HotAir, Washington Post, UPI and The Post Millennial
Beatrice Peterson / Associated Press:
Exclusive: Gabbard to meet with US allies in Munich on first trip as DNI
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Roll Call, WTTG-TV, New York Post, One America News Network, The 19th and The Daily Caller
New York Times:
Trump Softens Tone on Inflation After Pledging to Lower Prices — President Trump pledged to lower costs on “Day 1” as a candidate. His administration now acknowledges it will take more time. — President Trump promised voters that, if elected, he would enact policies that would bring prices down on “Day 1” in office.
Discussion:
American Enterprise Institute, The Guardian, New Republic, Alternet.org, NPR, WHDH-TV, New Jersey Online, Democrats and Reuters
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Colby Smith / New York Times:
CPI Report: Inflation Rose Unexpectedly in January — The Consumer Price Index rose 3.0 percent from a year earlier as food and energy prices picked up. — U.S. inflation rose to 3 percent in January, strengthening the case for the Federal Reserve to extend a pause on interest rate cuts.
Callum Jones / The Guardian:
Inflation picks up speed after Trump promised to ‘rapidly’ bring down prices
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CBS News and ZeroHedge News
Andrew Ackerman / Washington Post:
Inflation heated up in January, as prices for groceries and housing picked up
Inflation heated up in January, as prices for groceries and housing picked up
Discussion:
New York Times, Forbes, CNN, Raw Story, Fortune, Associated Press, Deseret News, NPR, WTTG-TV, One America News Network, Scripps News, Washington Examiner, Axios, ABC7, Breitbart, CBS News and Wall Street Journal
Janna Brancolini / The Daily Beast:
Trump Humiliated in the ‘Most Powerless Image Ever’ of a U.S. President: O'Donnell — Trump has always craved is the attention of the “truly rich,” and how he finally has it, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell said.
Discussion:
Mercury News, Mediaite, The Independent and Breitbart
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Lee Moran / HuffPost:
Donald Trump Taunted Over ‘Most Powerless Image Of A President’ Ever — It's “a picture of presidential subservience the likes of which we have never seen,” said MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell. — LOADING — MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out the power plays that Elon Musk appeared …
Discussion:
New Republic, Deadline, Mediaite and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
This obscure law is one reason Trump's agenda keeps losing in court — Lawsuits challenging Trump policies raise big constitutional questions, but they also rely on a law that requires the government to follow the correct procedures when changing course. — WASHINGTON — Lawyers challenging …
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Raw Story
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Associated Press:
White House says judges balking at Trump's actions are provoking a ‘constitutional crisis’ — The White House said Wednesday that court rulings going against the Trump administration are coming from “judicial activists” on the bench whose decisions amount to a “constitutional crisis.”
Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
It's a Good Thing Democrats Didn't Pack the Courts — Without an independent judiciary, the Constitution would be no match for Donald Trump's authoritarian impulses. — As disturbing as the first three weeks of the second Donald Trump administration have been, we can take solace …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Defying Johnson, Graham and Senate G.O.P. Push Their Own Budget Plan — Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who relishes being in the middle of the action, is leapfrogging the House G.O.P., which is still tied in knots over how to pass its budget.
Discussion:
Reuters, NBC News, Axios, Associated Press and Raw Story
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Stephen Neukam / Axios:
Scoop: Senate Dems demand bipartisan probe of Trump's watchdog purge
Scoop: Senate Dems demand bipartisan probe of Trump's watchdog purge
Discussion:
Politico, Fox News, Associated Press, NBC News, UPI, New York Times, CBS News, USA Today, Baltimore Sun and The Gateway Pundit
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:
Washington Examiner
Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
Hegseth Says Return to Ukraine's Pre-2014 Borders Is ‘Unrealistic’ — In his first trip abroad, the new U.S. defense secretary told Ukrainian and NATO officials that a durable peace could only come ‘with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.’ — A return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is …
Discussion:
CNN, Washington Post, Euronews, Axios, Politico, Associated Press, CBS News, Reuters, Bloomberg, El País, Fox News, RedState, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Raw Story, Mock Paper Scissors, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and Grabien
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emptywheel:
Trump Fired Inspectors General Who Identified $183.5 Billion in Waste, Fraud, and Abuse — There have and will be a slew of lawsuits in response to Trump's attack on government. But this lawsuit, from eight of the Inspectors General that Trump fired on January 24, has been much anticipated.
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CBS News:
How Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center, moving away from “woke culture” — President Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center's board and performances, moving away from what he views as “woke culture,” multiple sources tell CBS News. — After Mr. Trump announced plans last week to remove …
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New York Times:
Family of Venezuelan Migrant Sent to Guantánamo: ‘My Brother Is Not a Criminal.’ … Luis Alberto Castillo, a father of one from Venezuela, entered the United States on Jan. 19, one day before Donald Trump became president for a second term — swept into office on a promise to treat undocumented migrants with a heavy hand.
Discussion:
CBS News and Center for Victims of Torture
David Zipper / Slate:
Americans Are Actually in a Position to Make Elon Musk Feel Our Rage — The company is in a precarious position. This is a case where buying choices can effectively communicate rage. — There are myriad reasons to loathe Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who has become a top ally of Donald Trump.
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Brett Samuels / The Hill:
White House calls judges blocking Trump's agenda ‘real constitutional crisis’ — The White House on Wednesday sought to turn around claims from Democrats that there was a looming “constitutional crisis” if President Trump defied court orders, arguing that the real “crisis” …
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Jaclyn Diaz / NPR:
What happens if Trump starts ignoring court rulings? We break it down
What happens if Trump starts ignoring court rulings? We break it down
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, ABC News, The Status Kuo, New Republic, The Guardian, Daily Kos, Alternet.org and USA Today
New York Daily News:
Trump revokes $80 million from NYC after threat to claw back FEMA cash used to care for migrants — The Trump administration has revoked more than $80 million in funds from New York City bank accounts after Elon Musk earlier this week threatened to claw back FEMA money used to house migrants in …
Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Elon Musk's DOGE takes aim at agency that had plans of regulating X — Elon Musk made a big leap late last month toward his long-shot goal of turning X into an “everything app,” a service that could encompass a broad range of services, including the ability to transfer money, similar to Venmo or PayPal.
Discussion:
New York Times, Public Notice, The Hill, Raw Story, Business Insider and Washington Post
Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
House Republican circulates petition to deport Omar — Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) is circulating a petition for his supporters to sign to deport a fellow member of Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). — Gil had previously called on Omar to be deported, arguing she is more loyal …
Discussion:
New York Post and Axios
Jeff Coltin / Politico:
‘The case is over’: Adams' lawyer declares victory — Attorney Alex Spiro responded to critics who said the New York City mayor is beholden to Trump. — NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams' lawyer claimed Wednesday that the criminal case against the mayor “is over” and won't be picked up again …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, City & State New York, abc7NY, New York Magazine and New York Post
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McConnell only Republican to vote against Gabbard — Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Wednesday voted against confirming former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) to serve as the nation's top intelligence official, sending a strong message to fellow GOP senators …
Ivana Saric / Axios:
Top Dem on DOGE subcommittee calls on Elon Musk to testify … - “While we're sitting here, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are recklessly and illegally dismantling the federal government,” Stansbury said. — She went on to accuse Republicans of shielding Musk and Trump as they break the law …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, RedState, Baltimore Sun, WAGA-TV, Fox News, Blaze Media and Daily Mail
Justine Calma / The Verge:
The Trump administration restores federal webpages after court order — A federal judge told the CDC and FDA to restore pages containing key health information. — A federal judge told the CDC and FDA to restore pages containing key health information.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Raw Story, Townhall, ACA Signups, JURIST, WTTG-TV, STAT, The Post Millennial, WXIA-TV, American Greatness, Common Dreams, USA Today and ZeroHedge News
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Pope Francis's Stunning Rebuke of JD Vance Exposes MAGA's Dark Soul — The other day, JD Vance sought to reconcile President Donald Trump's “America First” vision with the tenets of Christianity. Vance argued for a “Christian concept” that orders our ethical obligations in a series of concentric circles …
Discussion:
Alternet.org, American Reformer, The Federalist, PinkNews, New York Magazine, The National Pulse, USA Today and RNS
New York Times:
New Hampshire High School Trans Athletes Take Their Fight to Trump — A lawsuit appears to be the first challenge to the constitutionality of an executive order barring trans athletes from girls' and women's sports teams. — Two transgender public high school students in New Hampshire …
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, Raw Story, Fox News, Phyllis Schlafly Eagles and Breitbart
Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
Cutting Cancer Research — Sometimes, it gets personal. — My daughter is finishing up a master's degree. Her work is completely over my head, but it involves the intersection of nutrition, agriculture, and climate change. … In other words, she's doing important work, real work that could help make many lives better.
Discussion:
Baltimore Sun, Raw Story, Alternet.org, Carolina Journal, New York Times and Time
Perla Shaheen / KGTV-TV:
Military fighter jet crashes into San Diego Bay off Point Loma coast — SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two pilots were rescued after a fighter jet crashed into the San Diego Bay in the area of 1401 Shelter Island Drive Wednesday morning, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Discussion:
Interesting Engineering, New York Post, Fox News, San Diego Union-Tribune and The War Zone
Charles Franklin / Homepage:
New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds public strongly favors some Trump policies, strongly opposes others — Recognizing only two sexes and immigrant orders are most popular, “Gulf of America” naming and Jan. 6 pardons least popular — Other highlights: — Overall opinion is skeptical on tariffs
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Staten Island Advance and New Jersey Online
emptywheel:
“The Fraudsters Complain the Loudest and the Fastest:” Legacy Media Ignores Import of Gaza Condom Fact Check — At a weird appearance in the Oval Office rife with awkward projections that Elon Musk believes he is more powerful than Trump (here's the full CSPAN video), a journalist asked Elon how …
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal and Raw Story


