Top Items:
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's Decapitation of CDC Takes Darker Turn—and Hands Dems a Weapon … This week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker offered an extraordinary viral response to President Trump's vow to dispatch troops into Chicago. Critically, Pritzker cast Trump as a malignant, active threat to his Illinois constituents …
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Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
RFK Jr. is bad for your health — The Centers for Disease Control shitshow is a microcosm of the mismanagement of the Trump era. It also demonstrated some extraordinary courage among principled public servants, who were willing to lose their jobs to draw attention to damage being done to public health.
Discussion:
MedPage Today, STAT, The Guardian, Washington Post, The Independent, Townhall, Associated Press, MSNBC, New York Times and The Hill
The Bulwark:
Camelot for Crazies — RFK Jr. f*cked around. Now we get to find out. — No newsletter Monday—enjoy the holiday. Happy Friday. — The Dog that Caught the Car — The CDC may be in total meltdown, but Team MAHA isn't worried. If top officials are being fired or resigning en masse rather …
Discussion:
Steady, The Independent and Politico
Mike Stobbe / Associated Press:
With CDC in chaos, scientists and physicians piece together replacements for agency's lost work
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, Washington Post, Bloomberg Law and IJR
The Guardian:
Who is Jim O'Neill? CDC chief set to bolster RFK Jr plan to remake vaccine policy
Discussion:
CNN, STAT, Newsweek, Techdirt, Al Jazeera, The Hill, The National Pulse, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Axios, WATN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, WXIA-TV, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and The Gateway Pundit
Politico:
White House declares $4.9B in foreign aid unilaterally canceled in end-run around Congress' funding power … The White House budget office said Friday morning that President Donald Trump has canceled $4.9 billion in foreign aid by using a so-called pocket rescission — furthering …
Discussion:
Associated Press, CNN and New York Post
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Kate Riga / Talking Points Memo:
Democrats Predict Shutdown After Trump Tries to Snatch Congress' Most Important Power — Congressional Democrats point to skyrocketing odds of a government shutdown Friday after President Trump announced that he'll unilaterally take back money Congress had already appropriated for foreign aid, according to multiple outlets.
Discussion:
The Daily Signal
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Joni Ernst won't seek reelection to Senate in 2026, sources say — Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has told confidantes she plans to reveal next week that she won't seek reelection in 2026, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. — Ernst's announcement is scheduled for Thursday, the sources said.
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Des Moines Register:
Joni Ernst expected to announce she won't seek reelection in 2026, sources say — Stephen Gruber-Miller Brianne PfannenstielDes Moines Register — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst will not seek reelection in 2026, according to two people familiar with her decision, setting off a massive upheaval in one of Iowa's marquee midterm contests.
Patricia Lopez / Bloomberg:
Ernst Is Part of a Bigger Problem for Republicans in Iowa
Discussion:
Heartland Signal
Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:
Trump cancels Kamala Harris' Secret Service detail that was extended by undisclosed Biden order — President Donald Trump revoked Kamala Harris' Secret Service protection on Thursday, according to a copy of a letter reviewed by CNN. — Former presidents receive Secret Service protection for life.
Discussion:
Axios
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Greg Jaffe / New York Times:
Pentagon Is Reinstalling Portrait of Confederate General at West Point Library — The Pentagon is putting back up a portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee at the military academy, as the Trump administration seeks to restore honors for American figures who fought to preserve slavery.
Discussion:
Mediaite and NewsNation
Devlin Barrett / New York Times:
Emil Bove Continued to Work at Justice Dept. After Judicial Confirmation — The code of conduct for federal judges does not appear to apply to Mr. Bove, who has yet to be sworn in. But his continued presence at the department has raised eyebrows. — Emil Bove III, a senior Trump …
Erik Larson / Bloomberg:
Bessent Warns of US ‘Embarrassment’ If Tariffs Ruled Illegal — Trump cabinet officials told a federal appeals court that ruling president's global tariffs illegal would seriously harm US foreign policy, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning of “dangerous diplomatic embarrassment.”
United States Department of State:
Trump Administration Reaffirms Commitment to Not Reward Terrorism and Revokes Visas of Palestinian Officials Ahead of UNGA — In accordance with U.S. law, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) …
The Atlantic:
Why Is the National Guard in D.C.? Even They Don't Know. — Their presence has terrified some, relieved others, and left even the troops themselves confused. — Even the men and women of the National Guard seemed flummoxed, at times, over what exactly they were supposed to be doing in the nation's capital.
Andrew Feinberg / The Independent:
EXCLUSIVE: Trump and ‘Special Attorney for Mortgage Fraud’ Ed Martin are speaking as often as four times per week as the GOP activist prepares to seek indictments against prominent Democrats … A series of investigations into some of President Donald Trump's political adversaries run by …
Zoë Schiffer / Wired:
The White House Apparently Ordered Federal Workers to Roll Out Grok ‘ASAP’ — A partnership between xAI and the US government fell apart earlier this summer. Then the White House apparently got involved, per documents obtained by WIRED. — The White House appears to have instructed leaders …
Tom Hals / Reuters:
Exclusive: Military feared mistakes in LA deployment could have ‘far-reaching’ implications, records show — As President Donald Trump began his push to send the National Guard and Marines to U.S. cities, military leaders privately questioned whether the troops had received proper training and warned of the …
Wall Street Journal:
Higher Prices Are Coming for Household Staples — Companies from Hormel to Ace Hardware forecast prices rising as the costs of Trump's tariffs are passed on to consumers — U.S. companies have an unwelcome message for inflation-weary consumers: Prices are going up.
Priscilla Alvarez / CNN:
Exclusive: Trump administration plans to send hundreds of Guatemalan children in government custody back to home country — The Trump administration is moving to repatriate hundreds of Guatemalan children in government custody who arrived in the United States alone, according …
E.J. Dickson / The Cut:
An Astrologer's Messy Affair With a Trump Pentagon Official — Amy Tripp advertises herself as “the internet's most notorious astrologer.” Under the professional name Starheal, she offers her followers wisdom such as “Moon opposite Chiron at 3:04pm ET exposes where old wounds meet current vulnerabilities.
Anne Caprara / Finding Gravity:
Trump's military occupation of American cities is unpopular. The media is trying to manufacture consent for it. — Donald Trump's military assault on America's cities has been denounced by legal and national security experts as an “authoritarian power grab” that is “dangerous for liberty” …
Discussion:
CNN and San Diego Union-Tribune
Stuart Anderson / Forbes:
Trump Deals A New Immigration Blow To International Students — Stuart Anderson writes about immigration, business and globalization. — SaveComment — The Trump administration has proposed a new rule to limit international students to fixed periods of entry, making enrolling at U.S. universities more precarious.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, masslive.com, The European Conservative, IJR, Reason and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »
Felicia Schwartz / Politico:
Steve Witkoff's go-it-alone diplomacy is frustrating US and European officials — President Donald Trump's surprise Anchorage summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin could have been a signature achievement for Steve Witkoff, the developer-turned-diplomat who facilitated the meet up.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
Alert the media: The White House is lying about Trump's health — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one 👇 — 🤝 Subscribe to PN 🤝 — Donald Trump held a bonkers press conference last Friday during which he lied about his authoritarian occupation …
Discussion:
New York Magazine
Financial Times:
Donald Trump ‘proposed Chinese peacekeepers’ for Ukraine — US president endorsed idea first pitched by Moscow, say people briefed on situation. White House denies the comments were made — Henry Foy in Helsinki, Christopher Miller in New York, Steff Chávez in Washington and John Paul Rathbone in Istanbul
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