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:
USA Today, Daily Caller News Foundation, Townhall, Axios, The Independent and Forbes
RELATED:
Eric Katz / GovExec.com:
Judge orders Trump administration to rescind directives on probationary employee firings
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, USA Today and Associated Press
The Guardian:
Judge temporarily blocks Trump's mass firings at federal agencies
Judge temporarily blocks Trump's mass firings at federal agencies
Discussion:
Townhall
Katelyn Polantz / CNN:
Judge halts mass firings of federal workers at some agencies
Judge halts mass firings of federal workers at some agencies
Discussion:
Fox News
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
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:
NPR, Mediaite, UPI and Blaze Media
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, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and Federal News Network
Eric Katz / GovExec.com:
OPM tells court it never ordered mass firings, contradicting prior claims
OPM tells court it never ordered mass firings, contradicting prior claims
Discussion:
Associated Press and Defense One
Wall Street Journal:
Inside DOGE's Clash With the Federal Workforce — With a surprise incursion in the first minutes of the Trump presidency, Elon Musk's programmers seized control of a key personnel agency; ‘rogue bureaucrats’ fight back — WASHINGTON, D.C.-At 12:01 p.m. on Jan. 20, as Donald Trump …
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New York Times:
How Elon Musk Executed His Takeover of the Federal Bureaucracy — The operation was driven with a frenetic focus by the billionaire, who channeled his resentment of regulatory oversight into a drastic overhaul of government agencies. — On the last Friday of September 2023 …
Discussion:
Christian Science Monitor, spiked and The Daily Caller
Jake Lahut / Wired:
Elon Musk's Takeover Is Being Aided by a Trumpworld Power Couple
Discussion:
Raw Story
CNN:
NOAA fires about 800 employees, with more possible Friday — The Trump administration has its government-shrinking sights set on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where around 800 employees have been tapped for termination, according to two sources close to the agency.
Discussion:
OPB, USA Today, NPR and Washington Examiner
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New York Times:
Mass Layoffs Begin at NOAA, With Hundreds Said to Be Fired in One Day — The cuts came just before a separate wave of departures was expected under the Trump administration's so-called deferred resignation program. — The Trump administration has begun firing employees at the National Oceanic …
The Guardian:
‘Cruel and thoughtless’: Trump fires hundreds at US climate agency Noaa
Discussion:
Axios, Associated Press, Bloomberg and Scripps News
Zack Budryk / The Hill:
NOAA begins firing hundreds of staffers
NOAA begins firing hundreds of staffers
Discussion:
Denver Post, U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman and E&E News
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
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.
Discussion:
Bloomberg and CoinDesk, more at Techmeme »
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:
Reuters, Raw Story and Political Wire
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Axios:
Democrats grasp to avoid government shutdown
Discussion:
Politico, Raw Story, Punchbowl News, Talking Points Memo, Washington Examiner, Good Politics/Bad Politics, E&E News and Scripps News
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Trump and GOP leaders discuss using tariffs to pay for agenda
Trump and GOP leaders discuss using tariffs to pay for agenda
Discussion:
Raw Story
Leigh Ann Caldwell / Puck:
Trump's Screaming Call & G.O.P. Moderate Misery
Trump's Screaming Call & G.O.P. Moderate Misery
Discussion:
Politico, New Republic, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, CBS News, New York Times and The Guardian
CDC Newsroom:
CDC Statement on Measles Outbreak — RELEASE — CDC Media Relations — (404) 639-3286 — [email protected] — CDC continues to be in close communication with Texas health authorities about the measles outbreak in West Texas, following the death of a child. HHS sends its deepest condolences to the family.
RELATED:
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:
New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News, New York Post, Townhall, The Hollywood Reporter, Israpundit, One America News Network, Page Six, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner, IJR, UPI, The Hill, RedState, FOX 32 Chicago, The Daily Signal, New Republic, Raw Story, The Federalist, The Post Millennial, Daily Mail, Associated Press, The Maine Wire, Human Events, Florida Politics, Scripps News, The Gateway Pundit, NewsNation, The National Pulse and Hollywood Life
RELATED:
Steven Nelson / New York Post:
Here's what on the Jeffrey Epstein list that the Trump DOJ is set to release later today
Here's what on the Jeffrey Epstein list that the Trump DOJ is set to release later today
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Axios, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, CBS News, The Independent, Bloomberg, Daily Mail, RedState, Blaze Media, Washington Examiner, Florida Politics, Twitchy, UPI, The Daily Wire, The Post Millennial, Grabien, HotAir, Reuters, Instapundit and FOX 32 Chicago
Stephanie Nolen / New York Times:
U.S. Terminates Funding for Polio, H.I.V., Malaria and Nutrition Programs Around the World — Here are some of the 5,800 contracts the Trump administration formally canceled this week in a wave of terse emails. — Starting Wednesday afternoon, a wave of emails went out from the State Department …
Discussion:
The Guardian and Politico
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 …
RELATED:
Adam Goldman / New York Times:
With First Weekly Call, Patel Begins Serious Business of Running F.B.I.
With First Weekly Call, Patel Begins Serious Business of Running F.B.I.
Discussion:
Reuters
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 …
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:
Associated Press, Breitbart, Advocate, Erin In The Morning, The Hill, Twitchy and The Gateway Pundit
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Mitch Smith / New York Times:
Iowa Lawmakers Pass Bill to Eliminate Transgender Civil Rights Protections
Iowa Lawmakers Pass Bill to Eliminate Transgender Civil Rights Protections
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Advocate, Blaze Media and New York Times
U.S. Department of Education:
U.S. Department of Education Launches “End DEI” Portal — WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Education launched EndDEI.Ed.Gov, a public portal for parents, students, teachers, and the broader community to submit reports of discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Breitbart, WPR, The Daily Wire, Fox News, FOX 32 Chicago, Washington Examiner, The Daily Signal and Bangor Daily News
RELATED:
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, The Hill, Scripps News, New York Times, Reuters, Business Insider, Raw Story, Bloomberg and Fox News
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:
Newsweek, The Hill, Democrats, Fox Business, American Prospect and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries
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 …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and New York Times
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, CNN, Santa Fe New Mexican, NBC News, The Guardian, Bangor Daily News, The Hollywood Reporter, Advocate, PBS NewsHour, UPI, Digby's Hullabaloo, Variety, The Gateway Pundit, Townhall, Associated Press, NPR, Deadline, Fox News, San Diego Union-Tribune, CityNews Toronto, TMZ.com, Daily Mail, USA Today, Breitbart, CBS News, PinkNews, Fox Business, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, IJR, Reuters, Voice of America, One America News Network, Deseret News, Al Jazeera, Digital Spy, The Daily Caller, Vanity Fair, New Jersey Online, Irish Examiner, Washington Examiner, NewsNation, WAGA-TV, Hollywood Life, Agence France-Presse, The Daily Wire, New York Daily News, RedState, WCSH, Page Six, The Post Millennial, Adweek, Rolling Stone, masslive.com, WOWK-TV, Metro.co.uk, IndieWire and OutsideTheBeltway
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 …
Peter Baker / New York Times:
After Insults and False Claims, Trump to Host Zelensky for Minerals Deal — President Trump will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday after falsely asserting that Ukraine started the war with Russia and calling him a “dictator without elections.”
Punchbowl News:
2/28/25 ☀️ AM: — New Democratic ads, plus a big CPC PAC-DCCC fundraiser — Dem freshman confronts constituent concerns about DOGE … So it's time to take a spin around Capitol Hill for a Leader Look. — This is a particularly advantageous time to pass judgment …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Blaze Media and The Hill

