Top Items:
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
White House taps top RFK Jr. deputy as acting CDC director — The selection of Jim O'Neill reflects Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s influence as he seeks to remake federal vaccine policy. — Just now — The White House on Thursday selected a top deputy of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr …
Discussion:
The Hill, STAT, Politico, New York Post, The Independent, NBC News, The Guardian, UPI, WXIA-TV, Axios, ABC News, Associated Press, Newsweek and CBS News
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NOTUS:
Bill Cassidy Breaks With RFK Jr. After CDC Leadership Exodus — Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician and leading voice on public health in the chamber, called for a key government vaccine panel to postpone its upcoming meeting after the stunning exodus of top leaders Wednesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Discussion:
STAT, MedPage Today, The Hill and Raw Story
Washington Post:
CDC leaders who resigned said RFK Jr. undermined vaccine science, risking lives — As the CDC reels from the firing of its director, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Fox News the agency is “in trouble and we need to fix it.” — As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reeled …
Brandy Zadrozny / MSNBC:
‘People will die because of this’: How RFK Jr. drove out the CDC's senior leaders — On the same day Susan Monarez was fired, four of the agency's top leaders quit. — On Wednesday, the nation's premier health agency lost some of its most senior and respected leaders …
Discussion:
CNN, Politico, The Hill, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Axios, One America News Network and Futurism
Jeremy Faust / Inside Medicine:
Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails. — The end of an era. … UPDATE: I've added a second, longer letter from Dr. Daskalakis, posted on X/Twitter. … Moments ago, Inside Medicine broke news that three top career CDC officials have resigned from the agency …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, STAT, The Hill, Advocate, Breaking the News, Gay City News, MedPage Today, Los Angeles Blade, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, Bloomberg, New Republic and Washingtonian
Brandy Zadrozny / MSNBC:
CDC employees walk out to rally in support of ousted leaders — Sen. Bill Cassidy called for “oversight” at the chaotic agency and for an upcoming vaccine advisory meeting to be postponed. — Hundreds of employees and supporters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lined …
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, New York Sun and NewsMax.com
New York Times:
Kennedy Sought to Fire C.D.C. Director Over Vaccine Policy
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, STAT, MedPage Today, The Guardian, Politico, RedState, MSNBC, Press Herald, NewsNation, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, The Independent, Blaze Media, AZ Public Health Association, NBC News, The Forward, Steady, The Daily Caller, The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, New Jersey Online, New Republic, Newsweek, Esquire, Zeteo, Fox News, American Greatness and Talking Points Memo
Elizabeth Cooney / STAT:
Crisis within CDC is spilling into real world, experts say
Associated Press:
CDC gets new acting director as leadership turmoil leaves agency reeling
CDC gets new acting director as leadership turmoil leaves agency reeling
Discussion:
The Guardian, CBS News, NOTUS, The Hill, The Wrap, WSVN-TV, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, NextDraft, CT Mirror and Reason
Josephine Walker / Axios:
RFK Jr. renews attack on antidepressants after church shooting
RFK Jr. renews attack on antidepressants after church shooting
Discussion:
NBC News, The Hill, Salon, The Independent, Newsweek, LGBTQ Nation and New Republic
Dylan Scott / Vox:
The bigger story behind the mass exodus of CDC leadership
The bigger story behind the mass exodus of CDC leadership
Discussion:
New York Times, STAT, The Hill, New Republic, NOTUS, The Contrarian, Politico, Washington Post and Salon
New York Times:
CVS Holds Off on Offering Covid Vaccines in 16 States — The country's largest pharmacy chain said it needed a C.D.C. panel to recommend the shots before it could offer them nationwide. — CVS, the country's largest pharmacy chain, is currently not offering Covid vaccines in 16 states …
Discussion:
Senate Committee on Health …
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Adriel Bettelheim / Axios:
RFK Jr. shakes up COVID vaccine policy
Discussion:
Techdirt, Bloomberg, STAT, The National Pulse and New Republic
Victoria Albert / Wall Street Journal:
ICE Eyes Naval Base Outside Chicago as Operations Center — Border czar Tom Homan says to expect a ramp up of enforcement in sanctuary cities — The Trump administration is weighing the use of a naval base north of Chicago as an ICE operations center, border czar Tom Homan said Thursday.
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Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: White House Plans Chicago Immigration Crackdown Launched From Naval Base
Trump Administration Live Updates: White House Plans Chicago Immigration Crackdown Launched From Naval Base
Discussion:
HotAir, Associated Press, New York Daily News, NewsMax.com, Daily Mail, Scripps News, Bloomberg, WTOP News, CBS News, Davis Vanguard and Semafor
Rep. Delia Ramirez / MSNBC:
I represent part of Chicago in Congress. Trump wants us scared and silent.
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
FBI investigating Minnesota school shooting as hate crime against Catholics — The FBI is investigating Wednesday's shooting in Minnesota as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics, Director Kash Patel said. — Patel confirmed the suspected shooter was identified …
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Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
The CDC. The Fed. The FBI. The National Guard. Do you get it now?
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill and CBS News
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
Melania Trump: Minnesota school shooting ‘illuminates’ need for ‘pre-emptive intervention’
Melania Trump: Minnesota school shooting ‘illuminates’ need for ‘pre-emptive intervention’
Discussion:
HuffPost, Breitbart, Good Morning America, IJR, Fox News, New York Post and Washington Examiner
NBC News:
Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt offered full military funeral, Air Force confirms — Babbitt, 35, was an Air Force veteran who was fatally shot by Capitol police while protesting Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election. — The Air Force has offered full military funeral honors …
Discussion:
KOKI-TV, Politico, Judicial Watch, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, The Guardian and Townhall
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Brandi Buchman / HuffPost:
Jan. 6 Rioter Killed As She Stormed Capitol Will Receive Military Funeral Honors — The Babbitt family also received a settlement of $5 million earlier this year. — Despite the fact that Ashli Babbitt attempted to climb through a shattered glass door inside the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers fled …
Margaret Hartmann / New York Magazine:
Army Parade ‘Disappointed’ Trump, So Navy Will Do One Too — Donald Trump fulfilled his yearslong dream of holding a military parade in Washington, D.C., this past June. Miraculously, both the president and his opponents mostly got what they wanted out of the event.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and The Independent
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Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution to Quit Print Cold Turkey — The publication says the time is right to pour all of its resources into its online news operation and get its journalism “in front of the most people.” — When Andrew Morse joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as its president …
Discussion:
WXIA-TV, VINnews, Washington Times and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »
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J. Scott Trubey / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
AJC to move to fully digital publication, phase out print Dec. 31
AJC to move to fully digital publication, phase out print Dec. 31
Discussion:
UPI, NewsMax.com, Fox Business and WXIA-TV
Nina Agrawal / New York Times:
Pediatric Brain Cancer Trial Group to Be Phased Out — A network of hospitals and cancer centers dedicated to early phase trials of novel treatments will no longer receive federal funding. — A respected network of hospitals and cancer centers is halting enrollment in clinical trials …
Associated Press:
DOJ drops charges against another client of AG Pam Bondi's brother Brad — A DOJ spokesperson says AG Pam Bondi “had no role” in the decision. — Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks with reporters during a briefing with President Donald Trump in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington.
New York Post:
Minneapolis school shooter Robin Westman confessed he was ‘tired of being trans’: ‘I wish I never brain-washed myself’ — Transgender mass shooter Robin Westman confessed that he “was tired of being trans” and wished he “never brain-washed” himself in a manifesto posted online before he slaughtered …
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Wall Street Journal:
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Sues to Stop Trump From Firing Her — The lawsuit tees up a high-stakes court battle over the president's authority to remove members of the central bank's board — Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook sued President Trump on Thursday, seeking to block his move to fire …
NBC News:
GOP Rep. Barry Moore exits through back door after he is heckled at Alabama town hall — Moore did not offer concluding remarks or bid good night to the rowdy crowd, as they chanted “Shame!” during his exit. — Rep. Barry Moore, R-Alabama, exited a town hall in his home district through …
Discussion:
Yellowhammer News
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Ryan Grenoble / HuffPost:
Alabama Republican Booed Out Of Town Hall While Attempting To Defend Trump
Alabama Republican Booed Out Of Town Hall While Attempting To Defend Trump
Discussion:
al.com, Raw Story, New Republic and Reason
Nicole Silverio / The Daily Caller:
Jen Psaki Tells Christians She's Had ‘Enough’ With Their Prayers After Catholic School Shooting — Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki shamed Christians on Wednesday who were praying for those afflicted in the Annunciation Catholic School shooting.
Discussion:
Newsbusters, Deseret News, The Gateway Pundit, San Diego Jewish World, Breitbart, Evie Magazine, IJR, One America News Network, The Daily Register, RedState, The Daily Signal, Raw Story, The Wrap, The Hill, The Post Millennial, Townhall, Newsweek, Fox News, Plain Dealer, Reason, Hartford Courant, NewsMax.com, The Independent, Mediaite, NewsNation, The Federalist, Archdiocese of Saint Paul …, Daily Kos and Washington Examiner
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Sycophancy Must Be Televised — Notes from the longest, cringiest Trump Cabinet meeting yet. — When Donald Trump began to speak on Tuesday, during what would become the longest televised Cabinet meeting ever, he did not exactly advertise his plans to make history.
Reuters:
End of US low-value package tariff exemption is permanent, Trump officials say — The U.S. tariff exemption for package shipments valued under $800 ends permanently on Friday, with a six-month transition period under which postal service shippers can opt to pay a flat duty of $80 …
Discussion:
Forbes, Washington Post, CNN, Bloomberg, The Hill, Washington Times and Al Jazeera
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Trump Tariffs Cause Chaos on Ebay as Every Hobby Becomes Logistical Minefield — The Trump administration is throwing various hobbies enjoyed by Americans into chaos and is harming small businesses domestically and abroad with its ever-changing tariff structure that is turning the United States into a hermit kingdom.
James Bickerton / Newsweek:
Ron DeSantis Wasted $250 Million on Alligator Alcatraz as It Faces Closure — The state of Florida is committed to $245 million toward the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz,” the Everglades immigration detention facility which is due to close in days. — An email obtained …
Discussion:
NPR, Associated Press, ABC News, WSVN-TV and Raw Story
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
The authoritarian checklist — There is so much happening that occasionally pausing to take stock is necessary. So where are we? In deep trouble. America may not be fully authoritarian, but by no means can we consider it to be a functioning democracy.
Discussion:
New Republic
Politico:
Kilmar Abrego Garcia asks for gag order against Bondi, Noem … Abrego contends that the criminal case against him is a concoction aimed at punishing him for becoming a political headache for Trump and his advisers. Earlier this year, the administration illegally deported Abrego to El Salvador …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit
Daniel Ziblatt / Foreign Affairs:
Warnings From Weimar — Why Bargaining With Authoritarians Fails — On March 23, 1933, inside a dimly lit chamber filled with the stale scent of cigar smoke, Ludwig Kaas tried to convince himself he was making the right decision. A Catholic priest and the leader of Germany's establishment Center Party, he stood at a crossroads.

