Top Items:
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:
Associated Press, Axios, USA Today, The Independent and Forbes
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Zack Budryk / The Hill:
NOAA begins firing hundreds of staffers
Discussion:
Denver Post, U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman and E&E News
The Guardian:
Judge temporarily blocks Trump's mass firings at federal agencies
Judge temporarily blocks Trump's mass firings at federal agencies
Discussion:
Townhall
Politico:
OPM illegally ordered agencies to fire ‘probationary’ federal employees, judge rules
OPM illegally ordered agencies to fire ‘probationary’ federal employees, judge rules
Discussion:
The Hill, Federal News Network and Raw Story
Janie Har / Associated Press:
US judge in San Francisco will hear request by unions to halt mass firings of probationary workers
US judge in San Francisco will hear request by unions to halt mass firings of probationary workers
Discussion:
RedState
New York Times:
Mass Layoffs Begin at NOAA, With Hundreds Said to Be Fired in One Day
Mass Layoffs Begin at NOAA, With Hundreds Said to Be Fired in One Day
Discussion:
The Colorado Sun, The Hill, CBS News and Forbes
Katherine Li / Business Insider:
Judge says mass firings of probationary employees by the Trump administration were invalid
Gary Grumbach / NBC News:
Judge orders Trump admin to rescind memo directing mass firing of federal workers
Judge orders Trump admin to rescind memo directing mass firing of federal workers
Discussion:
Blaze Media
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 …
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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:
The Guardian, New Republic, CBS News, Fox News, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Trump and GOP leaders discuss using tariffs to pay for agenda — GOP leaders and President Donald Trump are strategizing over how to incorporate revenue from new tariffs in their massive party-line domestic policy bill, with the goal of arguing the multitrillion-dollar legislation doesn't add to the national debt.
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
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, The Guardian, UPI, Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, Variety, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Hollywood Reporter, Bangor Daily News, The Gateway Pundit, Advocate, Deadline, TMZ.com, San Diego Union-Tribune, PinkNews, CBS News, Fox News, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Voice of America, IJR, Al Jazeera, USA Today, New Jersey Online, The Daily Caller, WCSH, NewsNation, Washington Examiner, WAGA-TV, OutsideTheBeltway, New York Post, Daily Mail, One America News Network, Fox Business, CityNews Toronto, RedState, Vanity Fair, Deseret News, Hollywood Life, WOWK-TV, The Post Millennial, Page Six, Digital Spy, New York Daily News, Agence France-Presse, masslive.com, NPR, Rolling Stone and The Daily Wire
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Robert Berkvist / New York Times:
Gene Hackman, Hollywood's Consummate Everyman, Dies at 95
Gene Hackman, Hollywood's Consummate Everyman, Dies at 95
Discussion:
CNN, The Guardian, Variety, BBC, Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, Marin Independent Journal, Patterico's Pontifications, Breitbart, Althouse, CBS News, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, UPI, Irish Examiner, Adweek, Vanity Fair, TMZ.com, Chicago Sun Times, Rolling Stone, New York Post and Mediaite
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 …
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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, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
Jake Lahut / Wired:
Elon Musk's Takeover Is Being Aided by a Trumpworld Power Couple
Elon Musk's Takeover Is Being Aided by a Trumpworld Power Couple
Discussion:
Raw Story
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, CNBC, Gizmodo, Rolling Stone, The Post Millennial, 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:
Breitbart, The Atlantic, The Independent, Raw Story, CNN, Daily Kos, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Daily Mail, NPR and New Republic
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
HHS weighs rescinding Moderna bird flu vaccine contract
HHS weighs rescinding Moderna bird flu vaccine contract
Discussion:
Axios, Reuters, CBS News, Yahoo Finance and Megyn Kelly
Washington Post:
FBI investigating Trump EPA claims of fraud in $20B Biden grant fund — While career prosecutors in two U.S. attorney offices and a U.S. judge balked at a court-ordered freeze, Citibank has locked down billions without explanation. — Just now — FBI agents this week questioned …
Discussion:
Reason
US Department of Justice:
Attorney General Pamela Bondi Releases First Phase of Declassified Epstein Files — Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), declassified and publicly released files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his sexual exploitation …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Fox News, New York Post, The Hill, Townhall, Scripps News, Page Six, One America News Network, New York Times, RedState, FOX 32 Chicago, New Republic, The Post Millennial, Daily Mail, The Daily Signal, Human Events, The Gateway Pundit, The Maine Wire, Hollywood Life, Raw Story, The Federalist, Florida Politics, NewsNation and The National Pulse
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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 …
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.
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:
NBC News, Scripps News, New York Times, Fox News, Reuters, Business Insider, Bloomberg and Raw Story
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 and Fox News
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Washington Post:
FAA targeting Verizon contract in favor of Musk's Starlink, sources say
FAA targeting Verizon contract in favor of Musk's Starlink, sources say
Discussion:
Democracy Now, Washington Examiner, Salon, Reuters, The Daily Beast, Civil Discourse …, Gizmodo, Skift, @amuse, New Jersey Online, U.S. Constitution.net, Rolling Stone, MeidasTouch News, The Independent, RedState, The UnPopulist, The Daily Wire, IJR, The Verge, Daily Kos, The Register, New Republic, Mediaite and The Information, more at Techmeme »
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:
Raw Story, The Daily Wire and E&E News
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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
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:
Raw Story, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Hill
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:
Salon, New York Post, The Hill and Washington Examiner
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Avery Lotz / Axios:
Musk wants retired air traffic controllers to resume work, but it's not so easy … - “There is a shortage of top notch air traffic controllers,” Musk posted on X Thursday. … The Transportation secretary can exempt controllers “having exceptional skills and experience” from automatic separation — but only until that person is 61.
Discussion:
The Hill, CBS News, The Independent and Fox News
RELATED:
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:
NBC News, New York Times, New Republic, Fox Business, Raw Story, Daily Kos and New York Post
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 …
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 …
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
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
Washington Post:
Harsh findings on Trump's aid freeze kept secret by USAID watchdog — Two reports showing dire impacts on Africa and Gaza have not been released in fear of Trump's wrath, official says — The watchdog for the U.S. Agency for International Development has yet to release two critical reports …
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:
Fox News, The Guardian, Washington Post, CNN, Associated Press, UPI, Reuters, Law Dork, The Hill, Politico, Washington Examiner, One America News Network, IJR, Erin In The Morning, Daily Caller News Foundation, HotAir, WCSH, Global News, PinkNews, Raw Story, Daily Mail, Axios and Metro.co.uk
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:
Associated Press, The Floridian, BBC, New York Times, New York Post, Sky News, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, Reuters, UPI, CNN, New Republic, USA Today, The Guardian, IJR, Mediaite, The Independent, Washington Post, The 19th, NPR, Al Jazeera, Breitbart, The Intercept, Digby's Hullabaloo, Axios, Rolling Stone, Politico, Bloomberg, MeidasTouch News, PinkNews, The Daily Wire, Metro.co.uk, Deadline and i💚terf
Des Moines Register:
Iowa lawmakers pass bill removing trans civil rights protections, sending it to governor — Stephen Gruber-Miller Marissa Payne Sabine MartinDes Moines Register — Over the protests of hundreds of Iowans chanting “no hate in our state,” Iowa's Republican-dominated Legislature voted Thursday …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Scripps News, The Hill, Advocate, Breitbart, Erin In The Morning, Twitchy, Blaze Media and The Gateway Pundit
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:
Associated Press and Political Wire
Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
Social Security Administration could cut up to 50% of its workforce — The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, according to a person familiar with the agency's plans who is not authorized to speak publicly.
Discussion:
The Hill, American Prospect, Fox Business, Democrats, The Guardian and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries
