Top Items:
Liz Goodwin / Washington Post:
Behind the scenes, GOP senators challenge legality of Trump's aid cuts — Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who lauded the USAID cuts, quietly joined Democrats in expressing alarm. — Just now — A handful of Republican senators have joined their Democratic colleagues in expressing alarm …
RELATED:
Leigh Ann Caldwell / Puck:
Trump's Screaming Call & G.O.P. Moderate Misery — The House has cleared a budget hurdle... barely. But the chamber's Republican lawmakers may yet be thwarted by their own internal dynamics—not to mention the Senate. — Representative Victoria Spartz, among the more chaotic …
Discussion:
New Republic, Fox News, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Trump and GOP leaders discuss using tariffs to pay for agenda
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story and The Daily Signal
Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Trump's Third-Term Talk Faces Pushback From a Democratic Congressman
Trump's Third-Term Talk Faces Pushback From a Democratic Congressman
Discussion:
American Prospect and The Hill
Robert Tait / The Guardian:
Republicans terrified of crossing Trump due to physical threats, Democrat says
Republicans terrified of crossing Trump due to physical threats, Democrat says
Discussion:
The Hill
Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:
Judge blocks Trump administration's mass firings of federal workers — A federal judge ruled that the terminations at several agencies, including the Department of Defense, were likely illegal. — SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Office of Personnel Management …
Discussion:
Axios, Associated Press, USA Today, The Independent, Denver Post, Forbes, Reuters and Federal News Network
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Zack Budryk / The Hill:
NOAA begins firing hundreds of staffers — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began the process of firing hundreds of probationary workers Thursday, the latest mass job cuts within federal agencies, three sources with knowledge of internal operations told The Hill.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Bloomberg, CBS News, Axios, New York Times, The Colorado Sun and E&E News
Associated Press:
Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were dead for some time, warrant shows — Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog were found dead in different rooms of their Santa Fe home, and they had apparently been dead for some time, according to investigators.
Discussion:
New York Times, Santa Fe New Mexican, NBC News, Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Advocate, Variety, Bangor Daily News, The Gateway Pundit, TMZ.com, Deadline, UPI, PinkNews, San Diego Union-Tribune, Fox News, Reuters, CBS News, Los Angeles Times, Voice of America, Al Jazeera, IJR, New Jersey Online, OutsideTheBeltway, The Daily Caller, USA Today, WCSH, NewsNation, Washington Examiner, WAGA-TV, Daily Mail, Fox Business, Digital Spy, New York Post, CityNews Toronto, One America News Network, WOWK-TV, RedState, The Post Millennial, Vanity Fair, Deseret News, Hollywood Life, The Daily Wire, Page Six, masslive.com, New York Daily News, Agence France-Presse, NPR, Rolling Stone, Metro.co.uk and IndieWire
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Robert Berkvist / New York Times:
Gene Hackman, Hollywood's Consummate Everyman, Dies at 95 — The winner of two Oscars, he was hailed for his nuanced performances in films like “The French Connection,” “Unforgiven” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” — Gene Hackman, who never fit the mold of a Hollywood movie star …
Discussion:
CNN, The Guardian, Variety, BBC, Marin Independent Journal, Washington Post, Breitbart, Patterico's Pontifications, New York Daily News, Los Angeles Times, Althouse, CBS News, Irish Examiner, UPI, Adweek, Vanity Fair, TMZ.com, Rolling Stone, Mediaite, Chicago Sun Times, New York Post, Semafor and Hollywood Life
Chris Isidore / CNN:
Elon Musk says upgrade of FAA's air traffic control system is failing and SpaceX needs to take over Verizon's contract — New York CNN — Elon Musk said Thursday that Verizon's efforts to provide a critically needed upgrade to the FAA's air traffic control system is failing.
Discussion:
The Post Millennial, Fox News and Rolling Stone
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Washington Post:
FAA targeting Verizon contract in favor of Musk's Starlink, sources say
Discussion:
Salon, Reuters, The Daily Beast, The Daily Wire, U.S. Constitution.net, Rolling Stone, RedState, Gizmodo, Skift, @amuse, IJR, New Jersey Online, Daily Kos, The UnPopulist, MeidasTouch News, The Independent, The Verge, New Republic, The Register, Mediaite, The Information and Digby's Hullabaloo, more at Techmeme »
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Elon Musk urges retired air traffic controllers to come back
Elon Musk urges retired air traffic controllers to come back
Discussion:
New York Times, New Republic, Daily Kos, Raw Story, New York Post and Fox Business
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Musk wants retired air traffic controllers to resume work, but it's not so easy
Musk wants retired air traffic controllers to resume work, but it's not so easy
Discussion:
CBS News, The Hill, The Independent and Fox News
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
RFK Jr. Takes a Sledgehammer to Two Major Vaccine Developments — Multiple vaccine projects have been paused by the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Kennedy paused a multimillion-dollar project to create a new Covid-19 vaccine in pill form on Tuesday …
Discussion:
San Francisco Business Times, Israpundit, The Post Millennial, CNBC, Gizmodo, Rolling Stone, The Gateway Pundit and Breitbart
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NBC News:
With RFK Jr. at his side, a measles outbreak could prove ‘politically perilous’ for Trump
Discussion:
The Independent, Raw Story, CNN, Daily Kos, USA Today, Rolling Stone, NPR, Daily Mail and New Republic
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
HHS weighs rescinding Moderna bird flu vaccine contract
HHS weighs rescinding Moderna bird flu vaccine contract
Discussion:
CBS News, Axios, Reuters, Yahoo Finance and Megyn Kelly
New York Times:
Who Is in DOGE? Tracking Its Staffers and Allies in the Federal Government — The New York Times identified 45 people within the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a group formed by Elon Musk that in a short few weeks has radically upended federal agencies. Few members have formal Washington experience.
Discussion:
RedState, The Gateway Pundit and Raw Story
RELATED:
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
MAGA Loses It as DOGE Staffer Identities Revealed — The New York Times identified several dozen employees working for the Department of Government Efficiency, but conservatives were surprisingly unhappy about the transparency. — “The so-called New York Times outs 45 people working for DOGE …
Emily Davies / Washington Post:
She hoped Trump's victory would change her life, but not like this — Ryleigh Cooper is normally more focused on motherhood than politics. Then came DOGE. — BALDWIN, Mich. — Ryleigh Cooper exhaled as she slid onto the couch after nine hours of work for the U.S. Forest Service …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story and The Hill
Politico:
Judge orders Trump administration officials to give sworn testimony on DOGE — The Justice Department fought the effort to put staffers involved in the controversial cost-slashing effort under oath. — A federal judge has ordered Trump administration officials involved in Elon Musk's …
Discussion:
New York Times, Reuters, Business Insider, Fox News, NBC News, Bloomberg and Raw Story
Rebecca Crosby / Popular Information:
BREAKING: SEC halts fraud prosecution of Chinese national who sent Trump millions — In December, Popular Information reported that Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun purchased $30 million in crypto tokens from World Liberty Financial (WLF), a new venture backed by President Donald Trump and his family.
Steven Nelson / New York Post:
Here's what on the Jeffrey Epstein list that the Trump DOJ is set to release later today — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is preparing to release notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's personal address book Thursday, The Post has learned. — A source who has reviewed the files …
Discussion:
US Department of Justice, Axios, Fox News, Scripps News, Washington Examiner, Townhall, CBS News, FOX 32 Chicago, The Independent, The Post Millennial, Reuters, Twitchy, The Federalist, Daily Mail, RedState, UPI, The Daily Caller, Blaze Media, HotAir, The Daily Wire, Hollywood Life, Florida Politics, NewsNation, The Gateway Pundit and Instapundit
Wall Street Journal:
Inside Kash Patel's Whirlwind Start at the FBI — The new FBI director ordered officials to undertake a $100 million restructuring with no clear way to fund it—and took on a second job — WASHINGTON—FBI officials from regional field offices gathered on a video call this week to hear …
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, Raw Story, Reuters and Tangle
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Politico:
23 Dem AGs think they've cracked the code to fighting Trump — Democratic state attorneys general have been planning their lawsuits for a year. — The resistance meets daily on Microsoft Teams. — The country's 23 Democratic state attorneys general log on at 4pm ET …
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, Raw Story and E&E News
RELATED:
Marie J. French / Politico:
Dems are icing out Tesla lobbyists over Elon Musk's Trump ties
Dems are icing out Tesla lobbyists over Elon Musk's Trump ties
Discussion:
Raw Story
Frank Andrews / CBS News:
Andrew Tate and brother Tristan, who face human trafficking charges in Romania, arrive in the U.S. — London — Self-proclaimed misogynist social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan arrived in the U.S. Thursday despite facing rape and human trafficking charges that are still pending in Romania.
Discussion:
Reuters, Fox News, IJR, The Intercept, Mediaite, Digby's Hullabaloo, USA Today, Bloomberg, Metro.co.uk, New York Post and The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Andrew Tate, who faces rape and trafficking charges in Romania, has left for the US
Andrew Tate, who faces rape and trafficking charges in Romania, has left for the US
Discussion:
The Dispatch, The Hill, Vox, BBC, New York Times, HuffPost, New Jersey Online, The Floridian, Sky News, NBC News, USA Today, UPI, The Guardian, New York Post, New Republic, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Breitbart, Gizmodo, Washington Post, Raw Story, The Independent, Reuters, The 19th, NPR, Florida Politics, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, PinkNews, Al Jazeera, Mediaite, Axios, MeidasTouch News, Rolling Stone, Politico, WAGA-TV, CityNews Toronto, New York Daily News, The Daily Wire, WFLA-TV, Deadline and i💚terf
Tim Dickinson / Rolling Stone:
Trump Education Department Opens Snitch Line Against Diversity — The snitch portal was launched in association with the extremist group Moms for Liberty … Tiffany Justice, of Moms for Liberty, touted the launch of the portal, highlighting it as an opportunity for parents to push back against …
Discussion:
New York Post and The Hill
RELATED:
Dan Lamothe / Washington Post:
Former defense chiefs denounce Trump's ‘reckless’ Pentagon firings — The five former leaders urged Congress to hold the president accountable for what they called his unjustified removal of the Joint Chiefs chairman and other top military officers. — Five former defense secretaries …
Discussion:
Political Wire
RELATED:
Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press:
Former defense chiefs call for congressional hearings on Trump's firing of senior military leaders
Former defense chiefs call for congressional hearings on Trump's firing of senior military leaders
Discussion:
Default, New York Times and Associated Press
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
How the Bezos-Trump alliance began … - It wasn't until late October — three months later — that Bezos spiked the Post editorial page's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, and his outreach to Trump came into focus. … - The move was praised by Trump allies such as Elon Musk …
Discussion:
CNN, The Washington Free Beacon, Politico, Daily Mail, JONATHAN TURLEY, Zeteo, The Atlantic and Breitbart, more at Mediagazer »
Jay Willis / Balls and Strikes:
Elon Musk's Attacks On Judges Are Getting More Racist and More Dangerous — In recent weeks, federal judges across the country have blocked several of President Donald Trump's more ambitious attempts to treat following the law as optional. Elon Musk, who is leading the administration's efforts …
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, Washington Post and MSNBC
Marco Margaritoff / HuffPost:
CNN Fact-Checker Floored By Trump Cabinet Meeting: ‘There Was Just So Much’ — Daniel Dale picked apart the president's statements during the first meeting of his new administration's department heads. — President Donald Trump's first Cabinet meeting Wednesday of his new administration …
Marcia Brown / Politico:
Trump administration struggles to rehire fired bird flu employees — USDA supervisors are being asked to justify rehires and some employees still haven't gotten their laptops back. — The Trump administration touted a nearly $1 billion plan Wednesday to combat the spread of avian flu …
Discussion:
New Republic, Associated Press and FOX 32 Chicago
Ian Millhiser / Vox:
Trump's biggest power grab just reached the Supreme Court — On Wednesday night, Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily halted a lower court order, which would have required the Trump administration to make approximately $2 billion in foreign aid payments that it had stopped as part …
Discussion:
One First, CBS News, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Law and Chaos and UPI
Mitch Smith / New York Times:
Iowa Lawmakers Pass Bill to Eliminate Transgender Civil Rights Protections — If signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, the Republican-backed measure would eliminate state civil rights protections for transgender Iowans. — Iowa lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill on Thursday …
Discussion:
Des Moines Register, Associated Press, The Hill, Scripps News, Advocate and Blaze Media
Katherine J. Wu / The Atlantic:
Inside the Collapse at the NIH — Administration officials pressured the NIH to avoid clear advice from the agency's own lawyers to restart grant funding now. — For decades, the National Institutes of Health has had one core function: support health research in the United States.
Scott Neuman / NPR:
Pentagon directs removal of trans service members from military — The Pentagon has directed that service members and recruits with gender dysphoria be separated from the U.S. military in accordance with an executive order issued a month ago by President Trump.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Post, Fox News, Associated Press, CNN, UPI, Law Dork, Reuters, One America News Network, Politico, HotAir, Los Angeles Times, Daily Mail, Global News, The Hill, Washington Examiner, IJR, Erin In The Morning, Daily Caller News Foundation, PinkNews, Raw Story, Axios and Metro.co.uk
Connor Stringer / Telegraph:
White House official threatens to redraw Canadian border — Peter Navarro is pushing negotiators to discuss reworking country's boundaries, The Telegraph can reveal — A top White House official has threatened to redraw the Canadian border amid Donald Trump's ambition to turn the country in America's “51st state”.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
How many Trump voters regret their votes? — Anecdotes aside, polls show little sign of significant Trump-voter backlash. But some warning signs of discontent loom. — If you're on social media these days, you might have noticed a growing volume of posts about Trump supporters who, to paraphrase, effed around and found out.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, HotAir and American Greatness
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
The Era of Purges — Here is what happened. An intelligence employee at the National Security Agency leaked chats of fellow officers to a political activist. The chats included inappropriate messages, mostly around medical issues, plus mockery of political commenters.
Discussion:
Erin In The Morning and Townhall

