Top Items:
TMZ.com:
President Trump Filmed Flipping Off Ford Worker Who Yells ‘Pedophile Protector’ at Him — 2:45 PM PT — White House Communications Director Steven Cheung tells TMZ ... “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”
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Natalie Allison / Washington Post:
Trump makes obscene gesture, mouths expletive at Detroit factory heckler — A cellphone video captured Trump twice mouthing “f— you” and raising his middle finger toward someone shouting at him inside the auto factory. — President Donald Trump made an obscene gesture with his middle finger …
Discussion:
The Independent, Fox News, CBS News and Mediaite
Politico:
Why Trump's options on Iran are narrowing — Good Wednesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. Get in touch. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Trump has no plans to endorse in final 3 Senate races,” by POLITICO's Sophia Cai and Alex Gangitano. “There are three sitting Republican senators President Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Just Security
Detroit Free Press:
Trump flips off ‘lunatic’ heckler at Ford plant in Detroit
Trump flips off ‘lunatic’ heckler at Ford plant in Detroit
Discussion:
Raw Story, Whiskey Riff, Washington Examiner, Lawyers, Guns & Money, israelhayom.com, CBS News, WJBK-TV, Breitbart and ABC News
Shawn McCreesh / New York Times:
Trump Makes Obscene Gesture at Heckler in Ford Factory Tour
Trump Makes Obscene Gesture at Heckler in Ford Factory Tour
Discussion:
GB News, Metro.co.uk, HuffPost, New York Post, NewsNation and WJBK-TV
Ernesto Londoño / New York Times:
Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim's Widow — Joseph H. Thompson, a career federal prosecutor who was the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota last year, was among those who resigned as the Justice Department sought to examine the woman's supposed ties to activist groups.
Discussion:
The Free Press, CNN, Sahan Journal, The Guardian, KARE-TV, Alpha News MN, twitchy.com, Bloomberg, All Rise News, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, LGBTQ Nation, Salon, Meidas+, PolitiFact, The Gateway Pundit, America, America, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, National Review, Advocate, CBS News, Blaze Media, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, Zeteo, MinnPost, New York Daily News, New Republic, PBS NewsHour, Washington Examiner, GV Wire, The Independent, NOTUS, Boston.com, NewsNation, al.com, UPI, American Experiment and MS NOW
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Ernesto Londoño / New York Times:
3 Prosecutors Quit After Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim's Widow — Joseph H. Thompson, a career federal prosecutor who was the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota last year, quit after the Justice Department sought to examine the woman's supposed ties to activist groups.
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Blasted Federal Prosecutors at White House Event, Calling Them Weak — The president criticized a group of U.S. attorneys at a photo shoot, a day before Federal Reserve subpoenas — WASHINGTON—President Trump criticized a group of U.S. attorneys at a White House event last week …
Discussion:
Raw Story, ABC17NEWS, VTDigger, The Hill, Townhall, The Independent, Bloomberg, NOTUS, The Mahablog, Washington Examiner, New York Post, NewsMax.com, CBS News and RedState
New York Times:
Videos Show Increasingly Aggressive Federal Crackdown in Minneapolis — Arrests and aggressive tactics by ICE and the Border Patrol, many seen on viral videos, have intensified the frustration and fear among residents. — The video shows a young employee in a reflective vest being hauled away …
Discussion:
Twin Cities, Associated Press, New York Post and Scripps News
Greg Jaffe / New York Times:
Senator Says Prosecutors Are Investigating Her After Video About Illegal Orders — It is unclear what possible crime might involve Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, who has warned in dire terms about the dissolution of American democracy. — Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Forbes, NBC News, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and Salon
Daniel Dale / CNN:
Fact check: Trump litters Detroit economic speech with numerous false claims about economy — Donald Trump Fighting disinformation Inflation Economy — Inflation hasn't “stopped.” Consumer prices are up during this presidential term, not “down.” Grocery prices are rising, not starting to fall “rapidly.”
Discussion:
The Hill and MS NOW, more at Mediagazer »
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Madeleine Ngo / New York Times:
Food Prices Were Stubbornly High Last Year
Food Prices Were Stubbornly High Last Year
Discussion:
American Greatness and Breitbart
New York Times:
In Secret Testimony, Republicans Derided Trump's Stolen Election Claims — The testimony, part of the derailed Georgia election interference case, makes clear how dismissive some senior Republicans were of claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. — Senator Lindsey Graham …
Raphael Satter / Reuters:
US teachers union says it is leaving X over sexualized AI images of children — The American Federation of Teachers says it is leaving X, citing the social media site's creation and dissemination of “sickening” images of children in various states of undress.
Discussion:
RTÉ, The Japan Times and Ms. Magazine
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The Atlantic:
Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This — If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists. — Will Elon Musk face any consequences for his despicable sexual-harassment bot? — For more than a week, beginning late last month, anyone could go online and use …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Associated Press, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Metro.co.uk, CNBC, Platformer, NPR and MS NOW, more at Techmeme »
Nicole Charky-Chami / Raw Story:
Whistleblower drops ‘largest ever’ ICE leak to unmask agents: ‘The last straw’ — A Department of Homeland Security whistleblower has released the identities of about 4,500 ICE and Border Patrol employees Tuesday in what has been called potentially the largest agency data breach for the department.
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Tom Latchem / The Daily Beast:
Personal Details of Thousands of Border Patrol and ICE Goons Allegedly Leaked in Huge Data Breach
Personal Details of Thousands of Border Patrol and ICE Goons Allegedly Leaked in Huge Data Breach
Discussion:
The Independent, RedState, NewsNation and People
Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
Peltola raises $1.5M in first 24 hours of Alaska Senate bid … Sullivan had yet to post his fourth-quarter fundraising report as of Tuesday night, but the Republican was sitting on nearly $4.8 million in cash on hand to start the last three months of the year.
Discussion:
Wonkette, Washington Examiner and Fox News
RELATED:
Punchbowl News:
1/14/26 ☀️ AM: … Something shocking is happening in Washington. … And party leaders are pushing hard to give it to them. — Battered and bruised following the record-breaking shutdown, a flood of stopgap funding bills and rank-and-file members who refuse to vote for spending bills …
Discussion:
Fox News, GovExec.com and Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
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Alice Speri / The Guardian:
UPenn faculty condemn Trump administration's demand for ‘lists of Jews’ — Groups say EEOC demand for names and personal details echoes dark history and threatens safety and civil rights — Several faculty groups have denounced the Trump administration's efforts to obtain information …
Andrew Rosati / Bloomberg:
Venezuelans Say Machado Should Lead Country After Maduro's Capture — The majority of Venezuelans want María Corina Machado to lead their country following the US's capture of Nicolás Maduro, a new poll found, contradicting Donald Trump's claim that the opposition leader doesn't have the support to rule.
Discussion:
New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Axios
Beth Mole / Ars Technica:
FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.'s allies … For years, the Food and Drug Administration provided an informational webpage for parents warning them of the dangers of bogus autism treatments, some promoted by anti-vaccine activists and “wellness” companies.
CBS News:
Read the full transcript of Tony Dokoupil's interview with President Trump here — President Trump shared a warning for Iran, called Jerome Powell a “lousy Fed chairman” and defended the ICE agent who killed Renee Good in Minneapolis during an exclusive interview Tuesday with “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil.
Discussion:
The Hill, Zeteo, NewsNation, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, RedState, Mediaite, The Wrap and Fox News
Angela Yang / NBC News:
Joe Rogan criticizes ICE tactics: ‘Are we really going to be the Gestapo?’ — The influential podcaster, who endorsed Donald Trump in 2024, has been increasingly critical of the president's mass deportation strategy. — Joe Rogan compared Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “the Gestapo” …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Metro.co.uk, NewsMax.com, The Wrap, Raw Story, NOTUS, The Independent, Fox News, The Hill and New Jersey Online
Bill Saporito / New York Times:
Trump's War on Climate Is Thumping Detroit — It is a critical part of every chief executive's job to anticipate the future. Failing to recognize and adapt to change can be the difference between thriving or disappearing. That's why corporate leaders are continually bracing their companies …
Ian Millhiser / Vox:
The Supreme Court seems poised to deliver another blow to trans rights — There was never much reason to hope that the Supreme Court, which heard two cases on Tuesday asking whether transgender women have a right to play women's high school or college sports, was going to side with those athletes.
In These Times:
“We Are Facing a Tsunami of Hate”: Amid ICE Crackdown, Unions and Community Groups Call for Minnesota Shutdown in 10 Days — Following the ICE murder of Renee Good and an assault on the state by federal immigration forces, a labor-community coalition is calling for residents to refuse to work, shop or go to school on January 23.
Brakkton Booker / Politico:
Virginia Democrats look to decimate GOP seats in redistricting effort … “[Democrats] basically have voting rights act seats in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana,” he said. “They could all be gone, right? So that's a great concern.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill and Talking Points Memo
Tucker Reals / CBS News:
Over 12,000 feared dead after Iran protests, as video shows bodies lined up at morgue — Information trickling out of Iran on Tuesday suggests that a crackdown by authorities to end more than two weeks of widespread anti-government protests has likely been far more deadly than activists outside the country have reported.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Iran International, Vox, Associated Press, Eurasia Review, NewsNation, Issues & Insights, New York Post, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Examiner, UPI, Deseret News, Breitbart, Townhall, France 24, NewsMax.com, The Free Press, Mediaite, New Jersey Online, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Bloomberg, HotAir, ABC17NEWS and The Daily Signal, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. to Unveil Gaza Governance Plan Despite Concerns Over Hamas — Hamas hasn't yet begun disarming, a fact some officials believe could imperil the peace plan — WASHINGTON—The Trump administration will announce Wednesday the U.S. is moving to the next step of its Gaza plan and name …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Reuters
Zachary Leeman / Mediaite:
Mayor Jacob Frey Says ‘I Do Not Support Abolishing ICE’ After Telling Agents to ‘Get the F*ck Out of Minneapolis’ — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) declared he does not support abolishing ICE in a preview of a Fox News interview set to air on Wednesday morning.
Discussion:
MS NOW, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, NewsMax.com, Yahoo News and Townhall
Keith Bradsher / New York Times:
China Announces Record Trade Surplus as Its Exports Flood World Markets — China's surplus reached $1.19 trillion last year, a 20 percent increase from 2024, as Beijing kept the currency weak and pursued self-reliance to replace imports. — China announced on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Reuters, Al Jazeera, Semafor, Associated Press and Modern Diplomacy
Ana Swanson / New York Times:
Trump Credits ‘Mister Tariff’ for the Country's Strength. Economists Beg to Differ. — Many indicators appear to suggest that the United States is growing despite tariffs, not because of them. — President Trump, a lover of tariffs, has become even more enthusiastic about their benefits in recent weeks.
Axios:
Scoop: Trump has been texting with Mamdani — President Trump has a surprising phone pal: He and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have texted back and forth recently, two sources familiar with their conversations tell Axios. … - It also suggests that the good vibes …
Discussion:
New York Post, New York Magazine, Daily Mail, Mediaite and NewsMax.com
Mike Snider / USA Today:
‘When did I do that?’ Trump says about $2,000 tariff dividend checks — Those $2,000 dividend checks President Donald Trump has been talking about for months seemed to have slipped his mind during a recent interview with The New York Times. And the payment date appears to have shifted, too.
Discussion:
We Got This Covered, New York Magazine, HuffPost, Grabien, MeidasTouch News and The Independent


