Top Items:
New York Times:
The Art of Letting Trump Claim a Win, While Walking Away Stronger — By withholding soybean purchases and rare-earth exports, China extracted relief from U.S. tariffs and delayed export controls, without conceding much in return. — When Xi Jinping walked out of his meeting with President Trump …
Discussion:
France 24, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Fox Business, Washington Times and Colorado Politics
RELATED:
Politico:
‘Amazing meeting’: Trump touts progress on multiple fronts with China after meeting Xi
Discussion:
The Hill, BBC, NPR, Associated Press, NewsMax.com, France 24, El País, The Guardian, The Korea Herald, RTÉ, Washington Examiner, New York Post, The Sun, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, Reuters and Washington Post
Sam Meredith / CNBC:
Rare earth stocks rally as China delays export controls after Trump-Xi meeting
Rare earth stocks rally as China delays export controls after Trump-Xi meeting
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and KRDO
Axios:
Trump-Xi meeting wraps up in less than two hours
Trump-Xi meeting wraps up in less than two hours
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, The Guardian, Politico, KRDO, CBS News, Bloomberg, Euractiv, The Korea Herald, NewsMax.com, France 24, The Week, CNBC, Breitbart, Deseret News, Al Jazeera, Bangor Daily News, CFACT, Carolina Journal, Associated Press, New York Post, The Independent, New York Times and Fox News, more at Techmeme »
Katherine Doyle / NBC News:
Trump orders Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons ‘immediately’ — The U.S. voluntarily halted nuclear explosive testing in 1992, though it has the ability to resume tests at a site in Nevada. — GYEONGJU, South Korea — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he had instructed the Pentagon to …
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, The Atlantic, Reuters, The Guardian, Axios, Associated Press, Washington Post, New York Times, Al Jazeera, El País, The Independent, NewsMax.com, KRDO, Agence France-Presse, Washington Examiner, The Verge, UPI, Wall Street Journal, Sputnik News, CBS News, Gizmodo, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Politico
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Washington Post:
Trump directs Pentagon to test nuclear weapons for first time since 1992 — The president said he wanted testing to occur “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, just before he met his Chinese counterpart for high-stakes trade talks. — just now — GYEONGJU, South Korea …
The Hill:
Trump directs Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons — President Trump said on Wednesday that he has instructed the Defense Department (DOD) to immediately begin testing U.S. nuclear weapons on an equal basis to China and Russia. — “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” Trump wrote.
Discussion:
Fox News, Semafor, NewsMax.com, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner and Mediaite
Brendan Ruberry / Semafor:
British newspaper spoke to the wrong de Blasio, not an ‘imposter’ — The Scoop — The man at the heart of a high-stakes mix-up that rippled through global political journalism in the final days of the New York mayoral campaign was neither “falsely claiming” to be former Mayor Bill de Blasio …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Daily Caller News Foundation, New York Times and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
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Wall Street Journal:
Pentagon Orders National Guard to Establish Quick Reaction Forces for Civil Unrest, Riots — Move comes after Trump ordered expansion of military units for responding to domestic disorder — WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has ordered the National Guard to create “quick reaction” …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
RELATED:
New York Times:
Geert Wilders's Party for Freedom Loses Seats in Dutch Election — A center-left party was poised to become the country's largest political party, according to exit polls. The anti-immigrant Party for Freedom, led by Mr. Wilders, was expected to lose 12 seats.
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Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
Today is the twenty-ninth day of the government shutdown, and the House of Representatives is still on break as House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) continues to try to force the Senate to pass the House measure to fund the government without negotiating over the Democrats' demand for the extension …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Punchbowl News, The Contrarian, IJR and PoliticusUSA
RELATED:
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Trump purposefully halting SNAP benefits, “weaponizing hunger,” Democrats allege
Marc Caputo / Axios:
Exclusive: White House finds 11th-hour shutdown workaround to pay troops — for now
Exclusive: White House finds 11th-hour shutdown workaround to pay troops — for now
Discussion:
The Hill
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
It Sure Looks Like Kash Patel Used the FBI's Jet to Go on a Date … FBI Director Kash Patel met his girlfriend at Penn State this past weekend to watch a wrestling match—but his travel to the university stadium appears to have been on the American public's dime.
Discussion:
The Independent, Raw Story and The Bulwark
CNN:
National Guard orders in DC extended through February 2026 — National Guard troops deployed in Washington, DC, will remain mobilized in the city at least through February 2026, according to people familiar with the guard's orders. — The troops' orders had been expected to lapse at the end …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Raw Story and NewsMax.com
Wall Street Journal:
Binance Boosted Trump Family's Crypto Company Ahead of Pardon for Its Billionaire Founder — Giant crypto exchange facilitated $2 billion purchase of World Liberty's stablecoin and built its technology; clemency for Changpeng Zhao surprised some in administration
Discussion:
Popular Information and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
Washington Post:
Trump nominee at U.S. export bank withdraws amid scrutiny of Russia ties — Bryce McFerran is a former senior executive at a steel-trading business co-owned by one of Russia's richest oligarchs and is married to a member of a Russian family with extensive ties to the Kremlin. — Just now
Discussion:
Patterico's Pontifications
RELATED:
Wired:
Federal Workers Are Barely Making It Through the Government Shutdown — The US government shut down 30 days ago. WIRED spoke with more than a dozen federal workers who have struggled to pay bills, worked side gigs, and relied on free food programs to get by.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Guardian and Washington Blade
Joe Sommerlad / The Independent:
JD Vance says only ‘really terrible’ people mistreat dogs - apparently forgetting his cabinet colleague shot hers dead — Vice President overlooks Homeland Security Secretary Krisi Noem's notorious execution of her puppy, Cricket in a discussion on animal cruelty and personal morality
Discussion:
New York Post, The Independent, HuffPost and Raw Story
Washington Post:
Most Americans oppose East Wing demolition for Trump ballroom, poll finds — Fifty-six percent say they oppose President Donald Trump's decision to tear down part of the White House to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom building. — Just now — Americans oppose President Donald Trump's demolition …
Discussion:
ABC News
CNN:
Exclusive: Three-star general pushed out amid tensions with Hegseth — A three-star general serving on the Pentagon's Joint Staff has been pushed out of his position following months of sustained tensions with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
The Independent
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Farm-state Republicans finally reach their breaking point … So far, the burst of objections has not generated a U-turn from the administration, which is going ahead with a beef import plan that Trump officials argue will both lower steak and hamburger prices for American consumers …
Joe Perticone / The Bulwark:
SCOOP: Trump Swaps Decorated Admiral With 33-Year-Old DOGEr — The highly unorthodox personnel change affects a critical government research role. — ∙ Paid — THE EXPERIENCED HEAD OF A CRITICAL OFFICE that helps organize important technical research and disburse billions of dollars …
Mariana Alfaro / Washington Post:
Food banks brace as people face federal aid stoppage: ‘We cannot meet the gap’ — Already hit by federal funding cuts earlier in the year and a surge in demand from furloughed federal workers, food banks face a fresh wave of need as people are poised to lose SNAP benefits Saturday because of the shutdown.
Ben Penn / Bloomberg Law:
Jury Acquits Man Accused of Soliciting Trump's Murder on Bluesky — A jury took about two hours Tuesday to acquit a man accused of soliciting President Donald Trump's assassination on social media, a setback for the Justice Department office led by Trump's newly-installed loyalist Lindsey Halligan.
Discussion:
Washington Post, NewsMax.com and Law & Crime
Mark Tyson / Tom's Hardware:
Grieving family uses AI chatbot to cut hospital bill from $195,000 to $33,000 — family says Claude highlighted duplicative charges, improper coding, and other violations — But the first step is getting the medical institution to properly break down all the items on the bill.
Matthew Cooper / Washington Monthly:
Mikie Sherrill Braces for Landing in New Jersey Governor's Race — During the Trump years, the Navy helicopter pilot soared. Next stop, Trenton? — Almost a year ago, I wrote “A Very Rough Day in Jersey” in these pages about Donald Trump's surprisingly strong showing in the Garden State in the 2024 presidential race.
Discussion:
New York Times
Aaron Pellish / Politico:
Crockett inches toward Senate run … Crockett has raised her profile since first entering Congress in 2023 through memorable and divisive attacks on Republican opponents like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott and President Donald Trump — becoming a frequent target of Trump's attacks in the process.
Discussion:
NBC News
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
Americans have a secret weapon against Trump — A new strategy to stop business elites from bending the knee. … President Donald Trump is clearly unpopular: Most Americans disapprove of his performance and millions recently turned out for “No Kings” protests.
Discussion:
CBS News
J.D. Wolf / MeidasTouch News:
Jack Ciattarelli Called for ‘New Constitution’ to Bypass Courts, Legislators — Ciattarelli: “I really don't believe we can afford to allow the courts to decide our public policy anymore” — In a pair of 2020 interviews, Jack Ciattarelli called for a New Jersey constitutional convention to …
Malcolm Ferguson / New Republic:
Trump DOJ Indicts Congressional Candidate for Protesting ICE … Progressive Democratic congressional candidate and former journalist Kat Abughazaleh was indicted by the Justice Department Wednesday for allegedly preventing a federal officer from “discharging the duties of his office” at the Broadview ICE detention center near Chicago.
Discussion:
The Intercept, Axios, Daily Mail, UPI, The Western Journal, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, NBC News, Washington Post, Capitol News Illinois, The Verge, HuffPost, Blaze Media, The Post Millennial, Mother Jones, Raw Story, Advocate, The Daily Northwestern, IJR, NOTUS, The Hill, MSNBC, The Independent, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Rolling Stone, RedState, ABC News, Block Club Chicago, Politico and Breitbart
Ashley Parker / The Atlantic:
Rahm Emanuel ... For President? — The laws of political journalism dictate that any profile of Rahm Emanuel—who is all but declaring a 2028 presidential run—must crackle with Rahm Anecdotes that capture the propulsive, relentless behavior of a man who's slugged his way through the political Thunderdome for four decades.
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
New York City Mayor and New Jersey Governor 2025 — Home Polls New York City Mayor and New Jersey Governor 2025 — New Jersey Voters Give Sherrill Slight Edge; Mamdani Holds 25-Point Lead over Cuomo in NYC — The final Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill surveys of the New Jersey election …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Post, Vanity Fair, Washington Examiner and New York Daily News
Noah Keate / Politico:
UK's top finance minister broke housing rules — LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood by his chief finance minister after she admitted breaking housing rules when renting out her family home. — Chancellor Rachel Reeves issued an apology late Wednesday night after an investigation …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, The Guardian, HuffPost, Metro.co.uk and LabourList
John O'Connor / Associated Press:
Jurors convict Illinois deputy of killing Sonya Massey but can't agree on first-degree murder charge — Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share — A jury on Wednesday convicted an Illinois sheriff's deputy of second-degree murder …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, TMZ.com, Raw Story, The TRiiBE, The 19th, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, CBS News and abc7NY
New York Times:
F.B.I. Opposes Push for Gabbard to Take Lead on Counterintelligence — The F.B.I. made the disclosure in a pointed letter that underscored broader concern over a House bill that would give more authority to Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Political Wire
Ian Millhiser / Vox:
The tariffs case is Trump's ultimate loyalty test for the Supreme Court — As recently as one year ago, the Supreme Court's Republican majority was determined to reduce executive power. — Joe Biden, a Democrat, was in the White House, and the Republican justices were very concerned …
Discussion:
New York Sun and Above the Law


