131. Five Questions About the Khalil Case  —  The government's arrest and detention of a pro-Palestinian Columbia student (and green card holder) raises difficult questions about both technical immigration statutes and the First Amendment.  —  Welcome back to “One First,” an (increasingly frequent) …

Johnson's spending holdouts  —  Presented by IN TODAY'S EDITION:  — Johnson, White House hammer holdouts  — Thune taps a debt-limit whisperer  — More tax complications on GOP agenda  —  EAT LIKE A LAWMAKER — POLITICO Magazine is out this morning with a rundown of where Republicans …

Stocks' sell-off worsens as Wall Street wonders how much pain Trump will accept for the economy  —  The U.S. stock market's sell-off cut deeper on Monday as Wall Street questioned how much pain President Donald Trump will let the economy endure through tariffs and other policies in order to get what he wants.

Justice Dept. Official Says She Was Fired After Opposing Restoring Mel Gibson's Gun Rights  —  Elizabeth G. Oyer, the former pardon attorney, said that she was not told why she was dismissed, but that as events unfolded she feared they might lead to her firing.

Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories  —  In a recent interview, the health secretary also suggested that the measles vaccine had harmed children in West Texas, center of an outbreak.  —  In a sweeping interview, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. …

Musk Melts Down as Tesla Stock Price Plunges  —  The electric vehicle company has become a toxic brand as its CEO wreaks havoc in Washington … But mixed in were a number of posts about Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer that still counts him as CEO despite his seemingly full …

Former President Rodrigo Duterte arrested in the Philippines on an ICC warrant over drug killings  —  Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of crimes against humanity over deadly anti-drugs crackdowns …

USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks  —  States have been notified that they will not receive 2025 funding for schools to buy food from nearby farms.  —  The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food …

Musk eyes Social Security and benefit programs for cuts while claiming widespread fraud  —  Elon Musk pushed debunked theories about Social Security on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending.

Katie Porter Will Run for California Governor  —  The former congresswoman is the most prominent candidate so far to start a campaign in the 2026 contest.  But the race could be upended if former Vice President Kamala Harris decides to run.  —  Katie Porter, the former Democratic congresswoman …

Elon Musk calls Sen. Mark Kelly a ‘traitor’ over his social media posts in support of Ukraine  —  Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot, responded to the tech billionaire's remark by saying “he's not a serious guy” and should “go back to building rockets.”  —  Elon Musk and Sen. Mark Kelly sparred …

Billionaires at Trump's Swearing-In Have Since Lost $210 Billion … As Donald Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, he was flanked by some of the world's wealthiest people.  The billionaires present that day — including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg — had never been richer …

Ukraine Targets Moscow With Large-Scale Drone Attack  —  The mayor of the Russian capital called the attack the war's largest against the city.  It appeared to be a reminder of Ukraine's power to strike as its president proposes an air truce.  —  Russian officials said Ukraine attacked Moscow …

Pleas on X, Biden dirt and attacks on the FBI: As Trump flexes his pardon powers, defendants angle for their get-out-of-jail free card  —  White-collars defendants are responding in droves as the president opens the door to more clemency.  —  President Donald Trump's moves to expand the use …

Judge orders urgent release of DOGE records, citing ‘unprecedented’ power and ‘unusual secrecy’  —  It's the first significant ruling in a growing legal push to pierce DOGE's secretive veil, a decision that undercuts Musk's repeated insistence about the operation's transparency.

Pentagon abruptly ends all funding for social science research  —  More than 90 studies on threats such as climate change, extremism, and disinformation are halted  —  The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is ending all of its funding for social science research, stopping 91 ongoing studies related …

How Eric Adams Has Backed a Secretive NYPD Unit Ridden With Abuses  —  After NYPD officials warned about a unit's aggressive policing, the mayor boosted the team led by his allies.  “The unit effectively reported directly to City Hall,” a former police official said.

The Economic Excuse Industry is Booming  —  No, we don't need an economic “detox”  —  First, we got big promises.  Now we're getting lame excuses.  However, one thing has been consistent about Donald Trump's economic rhetoric: rank dishonesty.  —  Trump made a lot of extravagant economic …

Elon Musk's self-destruction  —  The cost for Donald Trump of keeping the world's richest man by his side is growing  —  When Elon Musk said he loved Donald Trump “as much as a straight man can love another”, the emetic effect was widespread.  Trump is one of the few people left in Washington DC who likes having Musk around.

At SXSW, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber pokes fun at Mark Zuckerberg with Latin phrase T-shirt  —  When Bluesky CEO Jay Graber walked on stage at SXSW 2025 for her keynote discussion, she wore a large black T-shirt with her hair pulled back into a bun.  At first glance, it might appear …