Top Items:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
The Cruelty Isn't the Point. It's the Pleasure. — Over the years, we've piled up some indelible images of gutless Republican surrender to Trump. Ted Cruz's face of pure pain as he phone-banked for Trump in 2016. Mitt Romney's rueful smile at dinner with Trump after that election.1 And now …
Discussion:
New York Post, Daily Kos and Bloomberg
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Anton Troianovski / New York Times:
Zelensky and Trump Trade Blows as Feud Escalates Over Peace Talks — President Trump called Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” after the Ukrainian president took issue with his statements on the war with Russia. — 2.3k — Constant Méheut and Anton Troianovski
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, HuffPost, Fox News, Al Jazeera, New Jersey Online, Washington Times, Mediaite, Breitbart, One America News Network, The Week, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Blaze Media, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, The Post Millennial, Jewish Insider, Metro.co.uk, Raw Story, Semafor, The National Pulse, The Guardian, NewsNation and Axios
Raheem J. Kassam / The National Pulse:
EXCLUSIVE: VP J.D. Vance Warns Zelensky Over ‘Disgraceful’ Public Attacks on Trump, Confirms Ukrainian Elections Are Now U.S. Policy.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Daily Kos, The Indian Express, The Kyiv Independent and Twitchy
Csongor Körömi / Politico:
Trump blaming Ukraine for Putin's war leaves Europe reeling
Trump blaming Ukraine for Putin's war leaves Europe reeling
Discussion:
Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, New Jersey Online, 19FortyFive, Twitchy, Politico, Fox News, Euromaidan Press and The Week
Jay Kuo / The Status Kuo:
Hold My Beer, Neville Chamberlain
Hold My Beer, Neville Chamberlain
Discussion:
HotAir, The Economist, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and New York Daily News
Troy Matthews / MeidasTouch News:
Trump Says Ukraine ‘Should Have Never Started’ War With Russia
Trump Says Ukraine ‘Should Have Never Started’ War With Russia
Discussion:
kiis.com.ua, The Hill, The Guardian, USA Today, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Reuters, CityNews Toronto, Raw Story, New Jersey Online and NBC News
Associated Press:
Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space’
Ukraine's Zelenskyy says Trump is living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space’
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Mail, Kyiv Post, Fox News, Associated Press, RedState, New Republic, Mediaite, American Greatness, Defense One, OutsideTheBeltway, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Reuters, New York Daily News, UPI, CNBC, Raw Story, Blaze Media, Florida Politics, Breitbart, New York Times, Politico, The Kyiv Independent, Lawyers, Guns & Money, RTÉ, Los Angeles Times, The Indian Express and Foreign Policy
NBC News:
Trump calls Ukraine's Zelenskyy a ‘dictator,’ escalating a spat between the leaders
Trump calls Ukraine's Zelenskyy a ‘dictator,’ escalating a spat between the leaders
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Independent, CNN, The Daily Wire, USA Today, Townhall, Foreign Policy and NewsNation
David Smith / The Guardian:
Trump blames Ukraine over war with Russia, saying it could have made a deal
Trump blames Ukraine over war with Russia, saying it could have made a deal
Discussion:
BBC, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Daily Mail, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, Asia Times, RTÉ and CNN
Devlin Barrett / New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Calls Zelensky a ‘Dictator’ Who Took U.S. Money to Go to War
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Calls Zelensky a ‘Dictator’ Who Took U.S. Money to Go to War
Discussion:
New York Post and Mediaite
Anton Troianovski / New York Times:
Kremlin Message to Trump: There's Money to Be Made in Russia
Kremlin Message to Trump: There's Money to Be Made in Russia
Discussion:
The Kyiv Independent
Liz Goodwin / Washington Post:
After ceding power of the purse, GOP lawmakers beg Trump team for funds — Republican senators are asking Cabinet secretaries and other Trump officials to let money flow back into their states. — Republican senators find themselves in an unusual position these days …
Discussion:
New Republic, Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Raw Story, Vox, Axios and New York Magazine
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Katherine Tully-McManus / Politico:
‘You would see lawsuits:’ Susan Collins fires new warning shot at Trump on spending — The senior Republican senator negotiating a deal to avoid a government shutdown in less than one month says the Trump administration might be breaking the law — and flouting the U.S. Constitution.
Discussion:
Eschaton
Axios:
Trump faces growing DOGE revolt from GOP lawmakers … - DOGE's efforts to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies could bring matters to a head, one House Republican told Axios. — “I think you're going to see a clash …
Discussion:
CBS News, The Independent, Radio Iowa, New Republic, Raw Story, E&E News and Business Insider
Justine Brent / KGUN-TV:
One confirmed dead in Marana Regional Airport crash Wednesday morning — KGUN 9 has a crew on scene — MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — A crash has occurred at Marana Regional Airport, 11700 W. Avra Valley Road, Wednesday morning, KGUN 9 has confirmed with airport personnel.
Discussion:
New York Post, The Gateway Pundit and WRIC ABC 8News
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NBC News:
Aircraft collision at Arizona airport leaves at least 1 person dead — The crash happened Wednesday at the Marana Regional Airport in Marana. — At least one person has died after two planes collided Wednesday morning at an Arizona airport, police said. — The crash happened …
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Daily News, UPI and NewsNation
Andre Tartar / Bloomberg:
DOGE Says It's Saved $55 Billion; Data Show Much Less — Cost-cutting effort itemizes about $8.6 billion in savings — Data includes error that inflates value of DOGE savings so far — The federal cost-cutting effort dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency says it has saved $55 billion …
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Nick Bednar / Default:
Did DOGE Take Credit for Spending Cuts Related to President Carter's Death? — Inaccuracies on DOGE's website raise questions about DOGE's activities and transparency. — Meet The Authors … Following the 2024 election, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy announced that the Department …
Discussion:
Tangle, emptywheel, Daily Mail and ABC Columbia
New York Times:
DOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract. It Was Actually $8 Million. — The biggest single line item on the website of Elon Musk's cost-cutting team appears to include an error. — The Department of Government Efficiency, the federal cost-cutting initiative championed by Elon Musk …
Jason Lange / Reuters:
Trump's approval rating slips as Americans worry about the economy — U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating has ticked slightly lower in recent days as more Americans worried about the direction of the U.S. economy as the new leader threatens a host of countries with tariffs, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
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Megan Brenan / Gallup:
Trump's Job Approval Rating at 45%; Congress' Jumps to 29% — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Less than one month into his second term in office, President Donald Trump's job approval rating is at 45%, similar to his first post-inauguration reading of 47% in January. — Trump's ratings on several issues …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, USA Today and Townhall
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Oops: Trump-Musk Cuts Just Wrecked an NIH Org Championed by GOPers — With co-Presidents Donald Trump and Elon Musk now inflicting deep cuts on federal agencies that sponsor medical research, thousands of scientists, researchers, and medical professionals are getting fired.
Sam Stein / The Bulwark:
The DOGE Brain Drain Has Begun — THREE DAYS AFTER the National Institutes of Health abruptly announced it would place a strict, low cap on the money it sends to universities and research institutions for the administrative costs of scientific research, the University of Iowa made an abrupt announcement of its own.
New York Post:
NYC congestion pricing axed as Trump pulls approval of hated toll — Congestion pricing, we hardly knew ye. — New York City's spectacularly unpopular congestion pricing scheme is on death row as the Trump administration will announce Wednesday it is pulling its approval of the toll …
Discussion:
New York Daily News, Axios, The Hill, New York Times, NOTUS, Boston Herald, The Post Millennial, The City, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion and abc7NY
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Pew Research Center:
How Americans view Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg — Americans' views of two prominent tech executives - Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg - tilt more negative than positive. Musk is a deeply polarizing figure, with Republicans largely viewing him favorably and Democrats largely unfavorably.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
New York Times:
Migrants, Deported to Panama Under Trump Plan, Detained in Remote Jungle Camp — The group of unauthorized migrants, which includes children, were bused to the camp late Tuesday night. “It looks like a zoo, there are fenced cages,” said one of the detainees.
Discussion:
Reuters, Raw Story, WALV-TV and Los Angeles Times
Jack Nicas / New York Times:
Trump Media Group Sues Brazilian Judge Weighing Arrest of Jair Bolsonaro — The lawsuit came hours after the justice received an indictment of Brazil's former president, who is an ally of President Trump. — President Trump's media company sued a Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Politico, UPI, Associated Press, New Republic, Business Insider, Fortune, Reuters, CNBC, Axios, Bloomberg, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Louder With Crowder, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Post:
Trump administration orders Pentagon to plan for sweeping budget cuts — The directive, detailed in a memo dated Tuesday, exempts a handful of programs, including the president's expanded military mission along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Discussion:
Twitchy, Associated Press and Bloomberg
The White House:
Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies — 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. Policy and Purpose. The Constitution vests all executive power in the President and charges him with faithfully executing the laws.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, HuffPost, The Guardian, The Hill, Axios, Washington Post, Ars Technica, New Republic, Politico, E&E News, Wall Street Journal, The Independent, NPR, Daily Kos, JURIST, The Daily Caller, RedState and UPI
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Trump says ‘inflation is back’: ‘I had nothing to do with it’ — President Trump is seeking to distance himself from a rise in inflation, arguing that the uptick had “nothing to do” with his return to the Oval Office. — Trump instead placed the blame on former President Biden in an interview Tuesday …
New York Times:
A Frustrated Trump Wants His New Air Force One Planes Pronto — Among the ways being discussed to force faster delivery of two presidential planes are relaxing security clearances for Boeing workers and even purchasing a temporary luxury plane and retrofitting it.
Discussion:
Breakfast At Ralf's and The National Pulse
Popular Information:
As measles outbreak rages in Texas, RFK Jr. pushes anti-vaccine message — The largest measles outbreak Texas has seen in over 30 years is sweeping through the western part of the state. According to information released yesterday by the Texas Department of State Health Services, 58 cases have been confirmed throughout five counties.
Discussion:
Texas Department …, CNN, UPI, Forbes, WFAA-TV, Raw Story, ABC News, Grabien, Daily Press, al.com, Gizmodo, Paul Krugman and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
RFK 's plan to make America healthy again? Round up people with mental health conditions in camps — Robert F. Kennedy wants to replace standard psychological care with unpaid labor on “wellness farms” — Robert F. Kennedy's “make America healthy again” motto is meant to convey …
Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Musk's X in Talks to Raise Money at a $44 Billion Valuation — Valuation is the same as Musk's 2022 Twitter acquisition — Billionaire has recently tapped private markets for big sums — Elon Musk's X is in talks to raise money from investors at a $44 billion valuation, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
New York Post, The Information, TechCrunch and Quartz, more at Techmeme »
Dave Zirin / The Nation:
Why Democrats Won't Throw a Real Punch — Faced with existential threats from the right, the Democratic leadership remains timid; faced with demands for justice from the left, it goes on the attack. — Bluesky — Pocket — A relative of mine—an older gent with a penchant for salty language …
Discussion:
Daily Kos and TRANS PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS.DNI …
The Boston Globe:
‘It makes no logical sense’: A Mass. immigration judge is among more than 20 fired by Trump administration — In December, the Biden administration appointed Kerry Doyle to serve as a judge on Massachusetts' newest immigration court, which opened last year in Chelmsford to help ease the state's growing backlog of cases.
Discussion:
Documented and FOX8 WGHP
Bernie Sanders / The Guardian:
We are on the road for democracy and justice — What we are fighting for is not ‘utopian’ or unachievable. Trumpism can and must be defeated — I will be doing town meetings in Omaha, Nebraska, this Friday night and Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday morning.
Discussion:
The Hill
Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
Tens of millions of dead people aren't getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims — The Trump administration is falsely claiming that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments. Over the past few days …
Discussion:
New York Times, HuffPost, Business Insider, CNN, Reason, Washington Post, Raw Story, PolitiFact, Poynter, Daily Kos, Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit and NPR
Lora Kolodny / CNBC:
Tesla's law firm drafts Delaware bill that could salvage Musk pay package … A law firm that represents Tesla and Elon Musk has written proposed legislation that would alter Delaware corporate law, according to a person directly familiar with the drafting of the bill who asked to remain unnamed in order to speak about the matter.
Discussion:
Bloomberg and The Harvard Law School Forum …
Ryan Cooper / American Prospect:
Musk and Trump Are Causing the Dumbest Imperial Collapse in History — Empires have fallen before. But it's never been this purely idiotic. — Demonstrators march holding posters during a rally to protest President Trump's politics, on Presidents Day, February 17, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian:
Trump's Kennedy Center Cancels Pride Concert That Would Have Featured Gay Men's Chorus of Washington — The Kennedy Center canceled a concert planned for May 21 that was to feature the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC, performing alongside the National Symphony Orchestra.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Advocate and WUSA
