Top Items:
Edward Helmore / The Guardian:
Kash Patel tells FBI staff to ignore Elon Musk request to list their achievements — Agency reportedly seeking guidance from DoJ as Musk's demand sparks confusion across key government agencies — The new FBI director, Kash Patel, has told his agency employees to hold off on responding …
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Feds must answer email on what they did last week — or lose jobs, Musk says
Feds must answer email on what they did last week — or lose jobs, Musk says
Discussion:
Twitchy, The Independent and Digby's Hullabaloo
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
New Doge/Musk Email Goes Seriously Sideways
Nicholas Bednar / Just Security:
What Just Happened: Musk-OPM Send Email to Federal Employees Asking for Five Accomplishments
What Just Happened: Musk-OPM Send Email to Federal Employees Asking for Five Accomplishments
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, ABC News, Business Insider and Scripps News
Brian Barrett / Wired:
DOGE Email Throws Federal Agencies Into Chaos and Confusion
DOGE Email Throws Federal Agencies Into Chaos and Confusion
Discussion:
The Handbasket, Daily Mail and ClearanceJobs
Zoë Schiffer / Wired:
Elon Musk Threatens FBI Agents and Air Traffic Controllers With Forced Resignation if They Don't Respond to an Email
Elon Musk Threatens FBI Agents and Air Traffic Controllers With Forced Resignation if They Don't Respond to an Email
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, New York Magazine, NPR, WCSH, The Independent, Washington Times, GovExec.com and Business Insider
New York Times:
Elon Musk Steps Up Efforts to Cull Federal Work Force
Elon Musk Steps Up Efforts to Cull Federal Work Force
Discussion:
Bloomberg, HuffPost and The Post Millennial
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Joy Reid's MSNBC Show Canceled in Major Shake-Up — Ms. Reid's 7 p.m. program will be replaced by a panel show co-hosted by Symone Sanders Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele. — Joy Reid's evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated …
NBC News:
FBI Director Kash Patel to be named ATF chief — Patel is set to lead an agency that's been a frequent target of Republicans, including an effort to abolish it altogether. — President Donald Trump's newly-confirmed FBI director, Kash Patel, is expected to take on another top law enforcement role …
Discussion:
Washington Times, Twitchy, RedState and The Hill
RELATED:
ABC News:
Trump expected to name Kash Patel as acting ATF director: Sources — An official said Patel will likely be sworn into the position early next week. — FBI Director nominee Kash Patel gestures as he walks on stage to speak during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025.
Discussion:
The Independent, KHOU-TV and Washington Examiner
Robert Jimison / New York Times:
Republicans Face Angry Voters at Town Halls, Hinting at Broader Backlash — After a monthlong honeymoon for the G.O.P. at the start of President Trump's term, lawmakers are confronting a groundswell of fear and disaffection in districts around the country. — Some came with complaints …
Discussion:
The Guardian, emptywheel and HuffPost
RELATED:
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Congress ignores looming shutdown to focus on tax cuts, agency layoffs
Congress ignores looming shutdown to focus on tax cuts, agency layoffs
Discussion:
New York Magazine
Gregory Thomas / San Francisco Chronicle:
Photos: ‘Distress flag’ towers over Yosemite to protest cuts as crowds view firefall — A group of frustrated Yosemite National Park staffers hoping to draw attention to the federal government's sweeping workforce cuts hung an upside-down American flag Saturday thousands of feet off the ground on the side of El Capitan.
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Condoms for Gaza? Ukraine started the war with Russia? The president's manipulations of the truth lay the groundwork for radical change. — The United States sent $50 million in condoms to Hamas. Diversity programs caused a plane crash. China controls the Panama Canal. Ukraine started the war with Russia.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and Raw Story
Greg Jaffe / New York Times:
In Pursuit of a ‘Warrior Ethos,’ Hegseth Targets Military's Top Lawyers — The defense secretary has repeatedly derided the military lawyers for war crime prosecutions and battlefield rules of engagement. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to fire the top lawyers for the Army …
Discussion:
OutsideTheBeltway
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Chris Murphy Emerges as a Clear Voice for Democrats Countering Trump — The second-term senator from Connecticut is eschewing caution and throwing out the traditional political playbook as he seeks a broader audience for his critiques of the president and his agenda.
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
Trump uses merch to monetize agenda … But this fundraising effort is the latest reminder that for Trump, the campaign never ends. — The black “Make America Great Again” caps that Musk frequently wears have become the Trump team's second-best selling item ever — behind only the red and white MAGA hat …
New York Times:
The Death of Competition in American Elections — A vast majority of 2024 races for Congress and state legislatures were decided by low-turnout or meaningless primaries. The trend is making politics more polarized and eroding public trust. — President Trump's return to Washington …
Reuters:
Trump officials launch ICE effort to deport unaccompanied migrant children — The Trump administration is directing immigration agents to track down hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the United States without their parents, expanding the president's mass deportation effort …
Amanda Friedman / Politico:
Witkoff declines to blame Russia for starting war in Ukraine — The Trump-appointed special envoy called Ukraine's ambitions to join NATO “a threat to the Russians.” — Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that Russia should not necessarily be blamed for sparking the war in Ukraine …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Reuters, Politico and The Guardian
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
GOP rep calls US-Ukraine resource deal ‘victim extortion’ — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said on Sunday that forcing Ukraine to agree to a resource deal with the U.S., in exchange for the possibility of support against Russia, is akin to “victim extortion.”
Discussion:
The Kyiv Independent, Kevin Drum and New York Times
New York Times:
U.S.A.I.D. Appointees Fire Hundreds Working on Urgent Humanitarian Aid — The firings added to doubts about whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the agency's acting head, supports lifesaving humanitarian assistance, as he has said he does. — Trump administration appointees running …
Discussion:
Axios and Business Insider
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Leavitt says media has been ‘blinded’ by ‘anti-Trump bias’ — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Saturday said journalists at mainstream media outlets bring “preconceived narrative and bias” against President Trump to the briefing room. — In an interview on the premiere episode …
Discussion:
Fox News
Julia Conley / Common Dreams:
Thousands in Midwestern GOP Districts Attend Sanders' First Stops on Tour to Fight Oligarchy — After addressing more than 3,400 Nebraska residents in Omaha Friday evening, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday made his second stop on his National Tour to Fight Oligarchy—telling Iowa City …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, PoliticusUSA and Twitchy
Travis M. Andrews / Washington Post:
As sales drop, artists weigh canceling Kennedy Center shows in protest — Ticket sales dropped roughly 50 percent week-over-week after Trump announced his takeover, sources said. Meanwhile, performers are mulling their options. — W. Kamau Bell was scheduled to perform at the Kennedy Center …
RELATED:
Tom Boggioni / Raw Story:
Kennedy Center reeling from ‘stunning’ ticket sales collapse after Trump takeover: report
Kennedy Center reeling from ‘stunning’ ticket sales collapse after Trump takeover: report
Discussion:
The Independent, Fox News and Breitbart
Julia Reinstein / ABC News:
Trump is ‘surrendering to the Russians,’ Democratic Sen. Jack Reed says — “This is not a statesman or a diplomat. This is just someone who admires Putin.” — Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a press conference in Kyiv, on Feb. 19, 2025. — In an interview Sunday on ABC News' …
Discussion:
New York Times
Betsy Klein / CNN:
Melania Trump returns to Washington after four-week absence — After a four-week absence from Washington, first lady Melania Trump returned to the White House on Saturday for an annual dinner and reception with the nation's governors. — “She worked very hard on making sure that everything was beautiful.

