Top Items:
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
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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:
The Guardian, NBC News, Forbes, CNN and Axios
Shelby Talcott / Semafor:
75,000 workers accept Trump's buyout program
Discussion:
Axios, Reuters, Bloomberg 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:
Associated Press, WAGA-TV, Business Insider, GovExec.com and Federal News Network
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:
Raw Story, Mediaite, Fortune, The Democracy Labs, The Independent, Electrek, Mock Paper Scissors and New Republic
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Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Trump administration set to purchase $400 million worth of armored Teslas — The Trump administration is expected to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla vehicles, according to a new State Department document detailing procurement for fiscal year 2025.
Discussion:
Forbes
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:
Raw Story, Business Insider, El País and ABC News
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.
RELATED:
J.D. Wolf / MeidasTouch News:
Pro-Hitler Ad Runs on Elon Musk's X Amid His Growing Ties to Trump
Discussion:
MacRumors
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, Daily Mail, New York Daily News, The Independent, Above the Law, Politico, Forbes and Twitchy
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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
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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
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, Washington Post and Axios
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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
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, Wired, Business Insider, GovExec.com, New Republic, Fortune and Bloomberg
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.
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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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:
USA Today, The Independent, Politico and San Diego Union-Tribune
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, Accountable US, Rolling Stone, Bloomberg, Public Notice, Blue Virginia and Semafor
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:
Axios, Digby's Hullabaloo, NBC News, Townhall, The Independent, NPR, USA Today and Mother Jones
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:
Washington Post, New York Times, Forbes, New Republic, Associated Press, Breitbart, The Daily Signal, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Hill, Al Jazeera, Tennessee Star, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, LewRockwell, Deseret News, NPR, CBS News, Nextgov/FCW, Mediaite, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, Rolling Stone, MeidasTouch News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, RedState, NOTUS, Politico, The American Conservative and Patterico's Pontifications
Mychael Schnell / The Hill:
House GOP budget resolution hangs in the balance as hardliners hold out support — The House GOP's budget resolution is hanging in the balance as a handful of hardliners withhold support for the measure, setting the stage for a high-stakes committee vote on Thursday.
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
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, Raw Story and PoliticusUSA
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
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, Bangor Daily News, KFTC-TV, CBS News, Associated Press, Mercury News, MPR News and Deseret News
The Moscow Times:
Trump-Putin Meeting Should Be Organized ‘Promptly,’ Kremlin Says — The Kremlin said Thursday that a face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin should be arranged “promptly,” coming a day after the two leaders held a phone call.
Rebecca Beitsch / The Hill:
Judge won't halt Trump, Musk federal worker buyout program — A federal judge declined to further pause a federal government buyout program, enabling the government to forge ahead with its “Fork in the Road” program. — U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole had extended the time frame …
RELATED:
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 …
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:
UPI, Wired, Forbes and Electronic Frontier Foundation
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, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, CNN, The Hill, CBS News, Politico, Townhall, Twitchy, Time, Axios, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Independent, One America News Network, NPR, Mediaite, New York Daily News, The Post Millennial, WRIC ABC 8News, Forbes and Fox News
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.
Discussion:
American Prospect
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 …
Eliot Chen / The Wire China:
DOGE's Latest Target is Seen as a Gift to the CCP … The Treasury Department has frozen funding disbursements to the National Endowment for Democracy, a U.S.-government funded organization that promotes democracy around the world and is a longtime bugbear of the Chinese Communist Party.
Discussion:
Politico


