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.

Hegseth calls Ukraine's peace goals ‘unrealistic’ in meeting with allies  —  The U.S. defense secretary said any deal to end the fighting must come with international oversight of the boundary between Russian and Ukrainian forces — and no NATO membership for Kyiv.  —  Hegseth calls out ‘unrealistic’ Ukrainian peace goals

Not Hyperbole Anymore: Musk Is In Charge of the US Government  —  These are wild times at TPM because they're wild times in the American government.  It's hard to keep up with everything happening from one moment to the next.  I had not had a chance to look at the new DOGE executive order President signed …

AP statement on Oval Office access  —  The Associated Press issued this statement on Tuesday from Executive Editor Julie Pace:  —  As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism.

Dozens of CFPB Workers Fired in After-Hours Blitz  —  Some affected employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were notified with an email that addressed them as [EmployeeFirstName][EmployeeLastName], [Job Title], [Division].  —  Dozens of Consumer Finance Protection Bureau employees …

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.

Scoop: Dems “pissed” at liberal groups MoveOn, Indivisible … - “People are pissed,” a senior House Democrat who was at the meeting said of lawmakers' reaction to the calls.  — The Democrat said Jeffries himself is “very frustrated” at the groups, who are trying to stir up a more confrontational opposition to Trump.

Live Updates: Musk Asserts Without Proof That He's Fixing a Bureaucracy Rife With Fraud  —  The billionaire, chosen by President Trump to lead a federal overhaul, insisted he was working transparently, but his team's secretive actions have delivered shocks across the government.

Her parents were injured in a Tesla crash.  She ended up having to pay Tesla damages  —  Zhang Yazhou was sitting in the passenger seat of her Tesla Model 3 when she said she heard her father's panicked voice: The brakes don't work!  Approaching a red light, her father swerved around two cars …

Treasury officials: Musk ally ‘mistakenly’ had power to alter payments system  —  The incident prompted an internal forensic investigation that remains ongoing.  —  Treasury Department officials said Tuesday that the agency last week “mistakenly” and “briefly” gave a member of Elon Musk's team …

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 …

Trump fires USAID inspector general one day after blistering report  —  Paul K. Martin, appointed by President Joe Biden, was dismissed a day after issuing a report assessing the Trump administration implemented its aid freeze and stop-work order.  —  February 11, 2025

U.S. sending nonviolent, “low-risk” migrants to Guantanamo, despite vow to detain “the worst” there  —  Washington — While the Trump administration has highlighted transfers of dangerous criminals and suspected gang members to Guantanamo Bay, it is also sending nonviolent, “low-risk” …

Project 2025 Is Gutting Medical Funding That Helped Russell Vought's Own Kid  —  The National Institutes of Health, the federal government's leading medical research agency, came under attack by Project 2025 well before its architect, Russell Vought, was confirmed to Donald Trump's second-term cabinet …

Trump's feared DOJ enforcer has a secret: He, too, investigated Jan. 6  —  The acting DOJ official behind a potential witch hunt against prosecutors and FBI agents who investigated the Capitol riot worked on Jan. 6 cases himself.  —  In the months after the Jan. 6 attacks …

Canada's defense minister calls 51st state taunts ‘offensive’  —  “Canadians will always stand up for our nation, our country,” Bill Blair said Wednesday in Brussels.  “We're prepared to defend ourselves as required.”  —  Defense Minister Bill Blair said on Wednesday that while President …

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.

Federal watchdogs fired by Trump urge court to reinstate them  —  A new lawsuit alleges that Trump's firing of inspectors general violated federal law.  —  Eight federal watchdogs, abruptly fired last month by President Donald Trump, are suing to get their jobs back, saying Trump broke …

Voters Were Right About the Economy.  The Data Was Wrong.  —  Here's why unemployment is higher, wages are lower and growth less robust than government statistics suggest.  —  Before the presidential election, many Democrats were puzzled by the seeming disconnect between “economic reality” …

USAID Kept My Troops Safe in Afghanistan  —  IN 2008, I DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN for the first time on a Provincial Reconstruction Team.  Our group included active-duty airmen and soldiers as well as reservists and guardsmen.  But the linchpin of our team was our USAID embed, David.

How Mexico's Leader Is Writing the Playbook for Handling Trump  —  President Claudia Sheinbaum impressed Trump by sticking to her guns without antagonizing him  —  MEXICO CITY—When President Trump called her last week, President Claudia Sheinbaum was prepared to speak with a U.S. leader who wouldn't yield on tariffs.

US Republicans find unity on taxes a heavy lift in Trump ‘golden age’  —  Barely a month after predicting a new “golden age” under President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans are struggling to move forward on the president's tax-cut agenda, despite their control of both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Look Past Elon Musk's Chaos.  There's Something More Sinister at Work.  —  Whatever you choose to call it, Elon Musk has captured the inner workings of the U.S. government on President Trump's behalf.  His operatives reportedly infiltrated the General Services Administration …

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 …