Top Items:
Erica Orden / Politico:
Maurene Comey, daughter of James Comey and prosecutor of Jeffrey Epstein, is fired … In recent weeks, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have faced a firestorm of criticism over their decision not to release additional files related to Epstein, the disgraced financier …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Manhattan Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein Cases Is Fired — Maurene Comey, who is the daughter of the former F.B.I. director James Comey, worked on the criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. — Santul Nerkar and Maggie Haberman
Discussion:
The Bulwark, emptywheel, Axios, FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth, Salon, RedState, Variety, Washington Examiner, NBC News and CBS News
Drew Magary / SFGATE:
Jeez, I wonder why Trump won't release the Epstein files — SFGATE columnist Drew Magary unpacks what could be the biggest scandal of our time — When Donald Trump doesn't want to talk about something, that usually means that we need to talk about it. That's especially true of the president's …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, New Republic, The Message Box, Fox News, Washington Examiner and Washington Times
Associated Press:
Justice Department fires Maurene Comey, prosecutor on Epstein case and daughter of ex-FBI director — The Justice Department has fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey and a veteran federal prosecutor who worked on the cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein …
Kara Scannell / CNN:
Maurene Comey, federal prosecutor in Epstein case, fired from SDNY
Discussion:
Associated Press and New York Sun
Washington Post:
Senate approves Trump's bill to cut spending, sending it to the House — The legislation hands the Trump administration a victory in its ongoing power struggle with Congress over federal spending. The bill now heads to the House. — Summary170 — The Senate narrowly approved President …
Discussion:
Scripps News, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Reuters, Federal News Network, CBS News, New York Times, Fox News and PBS NewsHour
RELATED:
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Senate Approves Trump's Bid to Cancel Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds — The bill to claw back $9 billion in congressionally approved spending passed over the objections of Republicans who said it abdicated the legislative branch's power of the purse.
Discussion:
MSNBC, The Wrap, Reason, Wall Street Journal and The Virginian-Pilot, more at Mediagazer »
Politico:
Senate votes to cut $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid … “What we are talking about is one-tenth of one percent of all federal spending ... but it's a step in the right direction and it's the first time we have done anything like this in 35 years,” Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said early Thursday morning.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, NBC News, CBS News, USA Today, Washington Post, Breitbart, WTOP News, Straight Arrow News, E&E News, New York Sun, Forbes, Townhall, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, New York Times, NPR, ABC News, UPI, Must Read Alaska, Bangor Daily News and Daily Caller News Foundation
Jake Traylor / Politico:
White House has private discussions about Collins backup in Maine
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Raw Story, Bangor Daily News and Alternet.org
Wall Street Journal:
Don't Fire Jerome Powell, Mr. President — Whatever the Fed chief's errors, canning him early would be worse. — It's often hard to know when President Trump is serious about something, or merely creating a distraction. But in case he really meant it this week when he told Republican lawmakers …
RELATED:
Mike Konczal / Rortybomb:
The Four Data Sleights‑of‑Hand Behind Trump's Assault on Powell — What looks like a monetary policy debate is really a cover to take control of the central bank. — It's a dangerous time for the Federal Reserve. Last week, President Trump's administration began building …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Axios, Bloomberg, Florida Politics, Issues & Insights, Politico, Reuters, The Independent and The Japan Times
New York Times:
Can Trump Fire Powell? He Likely Lacks a Case, Legal Experts Say.
Discussion:
Axios, The Daily Beast, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Esquire, Semafor, Deseret News, Straight Arrow News, Townhall, The Hill, NewsMax.com, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Breitbart, Blaze Media and CBS News
Sarah Ewall-Wice / The Daily Beast:
Trump, 79, Can't Remember Appointing His Own Fed Chair
Trump, 79, Can't Remember Appointing His Own Fed Chair
Discussion:
NBC News, MSNBC, The Mahablog, Raw Story, The Hill, New Jersey Online, Wall Street Journal and New York Times
Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:
Elon Musk Blows Major Hole in Trump's Epstein ‘Hoax’ Theory — ‘WOW’ — Trump's former right-hand man is defiantly refusing to let the Jeffrey Epstein story go away. — Elon Musk went on a posting spree Wednesday afternoon to slam President Donald Trump's claim that the so-called “Epstein Files” are a lefty-created hoax.
Discussion:
Politico, MeidasTouch News, Forbes, Reuters, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Message Box, Fox News, CBS News, Mediaite, HuffPost, Daily Kos, New Republic, New York Daily News, ABC News, Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit, TMZ.com, Rolling Stone, Washington Times, USA Today, Grabien and The Independent
RELATED:
Rolling Stone:
Inside Trump's Frantic, Failing Mission to Crush the Epstein ‘MAGA Rebellion’
Discussion:
Axios, New Republic, Robert Reich, The Hill, ABC News, The Independent, Quinnipiac University Poll, Mediaite, Mother Jones, Townhall, New York Times, CBS News, Reuters, MSNBC and HuffPost
Patrick Maguire / CBS News:
Mike Pence says “the time has come” to release the Epstein files
Mike Pence says “the time has come” to release the Epstein files
Discussion:
The Hill, NBC News, New Jersey Online, The Gateway Pundit, TotalProSports, Mediaite, USA Today, Alternet.org, The Independent, Forbes and NPR
New York Times:
What Are Trump and His Supporters Saying About the Epstein Case?
What Are Trump and His Supporters Saying About the Epstein Case?
Discussion:
Mediaite
Donie O'Sullivan / CNN:
QAnon shows the staying power of Epstein theories. Trump should know they won't go away
QAnon shows the staying power of Epstein theories. Trump should know they won't go away
Discussion:
Politico, New York Times, Semafor, Grabien, New Republic and The Hill
Politico:
‘Crazy hill to die on’: Newsom jolts California with bid to throw out House maps … But it's also a longshot. And to many Democrats in Newsom's home state, it's a new obsession bordering on bizarre — or even anti-democratic. — “Trying to save democracy by destroying democracy is dangerous and foolish …
Discussion:
CalMatters, Lawyers, Guns & Money, WFAA-TV, Raw Story, The Hill, The Week, New Jersey Online, Straight Arrow News and MSNBC
RELATED:
NBC News:
New U.S. assessment finds American strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites — President Donald Trump rejected a military plan for more comprehensive strikes on Iran's nuclear program that would have lasted weeks, NBC News has also learned.
Discussion:
Reuters, NewsMax.com, israelhayom.com, The Independent and Washington Times
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
Trump says Coca-Cola will use real sugar in its US flagship drink. The company isn't confirming that — Make American Coke Great Again? President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its flagship soft drink in the U.S. at his suggestion — though the company didn't confirm such a move.
Discussion:
Axios, The Guardian, The Forward, New York Daily News, IJR, Forbes, UPI, israelhayom.com, Mediaite, The Hill, Washington Examiner, WWL-TV, Raw Story, The Post Millennial, Newsweek, Daily Kos and Daily Mail
RELATED:
Paul Walsh / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Watch: Senior Trump adviser dumps on Minneapolis, prompting retort from Mary Moriarty — Stephen Miller's comments are the latest in a recent string from Trump loyalists targeting Minneapolis. … White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Minneapolis an unsafe and violent city during …
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
When institutions crumble, strongmen step in — Trump wants to be the sole authority. With trust in institutions cratering, he sees his opportunity. — What would it take to put the swirling conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein to bed? Nothing complicated; just an authoritative …
Discussion:
Gallup and Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Makena Kelly / Wired:
DOGE Put Free Tax Filing Tool on Chopping Block After One Meeting With Lobbyists — A key operative from DOGE initiated plans to potentially kill Direct File, the free tax filing tool developed by the IRS, after offering assurances it would be spared from cuts.
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Goodbye, separation of church and state — 🗣️ Paid subscribers make Public Notice possible. If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please sign up and support us. 👇 — The Trump administration last week handed a huge win …
Discussion:
Deseret News and Townhall
Perry Stein / Washington Post:
DOJ seeks one-day sentence for officer in raid that killed Breonna Taylor — In November, a federal jury found officer Brett Hankison guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights during a March 2020 police raid in which she was fatally shot. — Summary25 — The Justice Department requested …
New York Times:
African Nation Says It Will Repatriate Migrants Deported by U.S. — The Trump administration sent five deportees to Eswatini, an African kingdom, saying that their own countries would not take them. But Eswatini says it will send them home. — The tiny African kingdom of Eswatini announced …
Popular Information:
A massive Trump scandal. Minuscule media attention. — Historically, financial entanglements with foreign nationals has been covered as a scandal. Times have changed. — For decades, any suggestion of financial entanglements between a U.S. president or presidential candidate and foreign nationals has been considered a scandal.
New York Times:
The Chaotic Early Days Inside Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center — Several immigrant detainees described high tension and anxiety at the remote, hastily constructed facility over a lack of information, recreation and access to medication. — The men at the new immigrant detention center …
Discussion:
The Tributary, PolitiFact, Daily Kos, The Floridian, The Bulwark, The Moderate Voice and Tampa Bay Times
Olga R. Rodriguez / Associated Press:
Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone — A U.S. Army veteran who was arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm last week said Wednesday he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged …
Discussion:
New Republic, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, Reuters and Deseret News
Politico:
Trump administration taking new steps to block wind and solar projects, undisclosed memo says … Gregory Wischer, Interior's deputy chief of staff for policy, wrote in the memo that “all decisions, actions, consultations, and other undertakings — including but not limited to the following …
Rümeysa Öztürk / Vanity Fair:
“Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women's Prison — Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up for the first time about her shocking arrest and 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility. She recalls the generous …
Discussion:
ACLU
Ana Ionova / New York Times:
Trump's Brazil Tariff Threats Rekindle Support for President Lula — Once called the planet's most popular politician, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil faced long odds in next year's election. President Trump's tariffs are changing that.
New York Times:
Spurned U.S. Attorney Clings to Job by Being Appointed His Own Assistant — District judges recently denied John Sarcone, who was interim U.S. attorney, the permanent position. The Justice Department then gave him a special appointment so he could continue in the role.
Discussion:
Alternet.org and Albany Times Union
David Weigel / Semafor:
Democrats' former chair tries to become the left's Joe Rogan — The News — COLUMBIA, S.C. - The search for a liberal Joe Rogan has led Democrats to an unlikely candidate: Jaime Harrison, their former party chair. — Harrison will launch “At Our Table” on Thursday.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, The Bulwark, Townhall, Althouse, The Independent, The Daily Caller, Fox News, NBC News, HuffPost, NOTUS, The Hill, New York Post, Straight Arrow News, The Gateway Pundit, IJR and Washington Post

