Top Items:
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Trump contradicts Gabbard on who sent her to Georgia — President Trump on Thursday said Attorney General Pam Bondi insisted that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attend the search of Fulton County's election center, contradicting Gabbard's claim that the president requested her presence.
Discussion:
New Republic, Mediaite, Democrats, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, CBS News, The Bulwark and The Hill
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Erica L. Green / New York Times:
White House Offers Shifting Story on Gabbard's Presence at Georgia Raid — President Trump said Thursday that Attorney General Pam Bondi had directed Tulsi Gabbard to be present for an operation at an election center. It was the administration's fourth explanation for her presence.
Discussion:
CBS News, NBC News, Fox News, The Guardian, The Independent, New Republic, Election Law Blog, WLT Report and Grabien
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
The Washington Post Is No Longer Useful to Jeff Bezos — When I was home over Christmas, I was digging through some of my dad's baseball memorabilia when I came across a copy of the Washington Post from March 7, 1999: “Printing Revolution Spurs New Look,” the lead headline read.
Discussion:
Slate, The Cross Section, New York Sun, The Contrarian, The Atlantic, Truthout, Pen Strokes, Ace of Spades HQ, Al Jazeera, Grabien and Blue Virginia, more at Mediagazer »
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New York Times:
Nuclear Arms Control Era Comes to End Amid Global Rush for New Weapons — Beijing, Moscow and shaken American allies are seeking new warheads as President Trump ends more than a half century of nuclear arms control with Russia. — The deadline has been looming over Washington and Moscow for years.
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Axios:
Scoop: U.S. and Russia agree to observe New START nuclear pact after expiration — The U.S. and Russia are closing in on a deal to continue to observe the expiring New START arms control treaty beyond its expiration on Thursday, three sources familiar with those talks tell Axios.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Nation, Fox News, Straight Arrow News, eucom.mil, The Hill, Salon, The War Zone, CNN, Human Events, Washington Examiner, Twin Cities, Breaking Defense, The European Conservative, USA Today, Reuters, News Talk 105.9, Washington Times, The National Pulse, The Kyiv Independent, Al Jazeera and France 24
Andrew Solender / Axios:
“Needs to get the hell out”: House Dems fume at Schumer … - “I'm gonna continue to tell you that Schumer needs to get the hell out over and over and over until he does,” Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told Axios. — “He continues to demonstrate to us that he can't meet the moment,” she added.
Discussion:
Politico, The Senate Democratic Caucus, HotAir, MS NOW, New York Post, New Republic, PoliticusUSA and Washington Examiner
RELATED:
US Department of Justice:
Anti-ICE Antifa member arrested on federal charges of Cyberstalking and Threatening Communications after allegedly calling for the murder and assault of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis — For Immediate Release — MINNEAPOLIS - Self-identified Antifa member Kyle Wagner …
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Aiden Reiter / Politico:
Bessent refuses to say the administration will not sue the next Fed chair — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday left open the possibility the administration could sue President Donald Trump's pick for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, if he doesn't deliver on the president's desired interest rate cuts.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Bloomberg and GV Wire
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Daniel Flatley / Bloomberg:
Bessent Says It's Up to Trump on Suing Warsh Over Interest Rates
Discussion:
Fox News, Associated Press, CNBC, NBC News, RedState, Townhall, The Hill, NewsMax.com, Washington Times, Raw Story, NOTUS, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Crooks and Liars and Grabien
Spencer Ackerman / FOREVER WARS:
Ron Wyden Only Talks Like This When The Spies Do Something *Real* Bad — ALMOST FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) granted me an interview in his Senate office, with the understanding that he was going to say nearly nothing. — Wyden is a longstanding member of the Senate intelligence committee.
ProPublica:
“You're Not Going to Investigate a Federal Officer” — Minutes after a federal agent shot and killed a Mexican immigrant in a Chicago suburb last September, a group of police officers stood on the sidewalk trying to figure out the answer to a question of protocol: Who would investigate the shooting?
Discussion:
Oregonian, New York Times, MS NOW and Chicago Tribune
Paul Krugman:
Is This Crypto's Fimbulwinter? — Political power may not be enough to save the crypto cult … This newsletter is often focused on depressing stuff: Scandals, lies of the powerful, scams that defraud the public. But today I thought I'd offer a change of pace and talk about what is happening to cryptocurrency.
Discussion:
Forbes, Washington Examiner, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, CoinDesk, Plain Dealer, Associated Press, Raw Story and Futurism, more at Techmeme »
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’ … In a filing accompanying Rosen's statement, Justice Department attorneys emphasized that the “crushing burden” caused by immigration cases had led U.S. attorneys offices to “shift resources away from other critical priorities, including criminal matters.”
Discussion:
Raw Story
Natalie Andrews / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration to Make It Easier to Fire 50,000 Federal Workers — A rule expected to be completed on Thursday would create a government-employee category that offers fewer job protections — WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is planning to make it easier to discipline …
Discussion:
Reuters, Axios, NewsNation, CNN, The Detroit News, NOTUS, The Hill, Washington Times, Townhall, The Guardian, RedState, The Independent, NewsMax.com, Al Jazeera, E&E News, New York Times, Blue Virginia and Raw Story
Marist Poll:
The Actions of ICE, February 2026 — Americans Increasingly Disapprove of ICE's Actions — Americans have increasingly grown opposed to the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). About two-in-three Americans now say ICE's actions in enforcing immigration laws have gone too far …
Discussion:
The Hill, NPR, MS NOW, PBS NewsHour, New Republic, Daily Caller News Foundation, NewsMax.com, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Status Kuo and Eschaton
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Layoffs in January were the highest to start a year since 2009, Challenger says … Layoff plans hit their highest January total since the global financial crisis while hiring intentions reached their lowest since the same period, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.
Discussion:
Challenger …, CBS News, Transport Topics, New York Post, New Republic, Forbes, Raw Story, UPI, The Hill, Semafor, Democrats and Mediaite
New York Times:
Jeffrey Epstein's Money Mingled With Silicon Valley Start-Ups — The disgraced financier regularly courted tech industry figures not just for their prestige but also for access to promising companies. — In 2014, Coinbase was a two-year-old start-up offering people the ability to buy and sell Bitcoin.
Discussion:
Gizmodo and CoinDesk, more at Techmeme »
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Trump to launch TrumpRx.gov, branding his push to lower prescription prices — The president has argued his drug-pricing initiative “should win us the midterms.” Experts say its impact could be positive but limited. — President Donald Trump on Thursday is set to launch TrumpRx.gov …
Discussion:
The Hill, Straight Arrow News, Axios, AJMC, STAT and Washington Examiner
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Rebecca Robbins / New York Times:
TrumpRx Is Set to Go Live on Thursday
TrumpRx Is Set to Go Live on Thursday
Discussion:
STAT, UPI, Bloomberg and Associated Press
Stephen Richer / New York Times:
What's Really Driving These Bogus Claims of Voter Fraud — This week, President Trump called on his party to nationalize American elections, an unconstitutional move that he said would be justified because of the danger of noncitizens casting ballots. “These people were brought to our country to vote …
Caroline Kitchener / New York Times:
The G.O.P. Senator Who Can't Stop Thinking About the Boy ICE Detained … Her son had been at the orthodontist for 45 minutes when Katie Britt saw the picture of the boy in the bunny hat. — Waiting in her car for her son's appointment to finish, the Republican senator from Alabama …
Mike Rothschild / Talking Points Memo:
Donald Trump Became President By Appealing to Conspiracy Theorists — Now He's Driving Them Away — This excerpt is part of TPM Cafe, TPM's home for opinion and news analysis. — Donald Trump may not have been the first president to believe in conspiracy theories, but he was definitely …
David Smith / The Guardian:
'Do you think you're the devil himself?': highlights from the bizarre, newly released Bannon-Epstein interview — The interview, revealed in the latest tranche of Epstein files, was reportedly intended for a sympathetic documentary — Steve Bannon, a one-time adviser to Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Althouse
Chuck Ross / The Washington Free Beacon:
Kamala Harris Partners With Soros-Funded Nonprofit To Rebrand Her Failed Campaign's Social Media Accounts — 'It's where you can go online to get basically the latest of what's going on,' Harris says of her much-teased new project, ‘Headquarters’ — Kamala Harris teased a major announcement …
Discussion:
CNN, The Daily Caller, People For, MS NOW, RedState, New York Post, The Verge, NOTUS, BizPac Review, NewsMax.com, New Republic and TheGrio, more at Mediagazer »
Andrew Goudsward / Reuters:
Exclusive: Justice Department unit on police misconduct sees staffing plunge and probes scaled back, sources say — The U.S. Justice Department unit responsible for prosecuting potential wrongdoing by law enforcement, including during the crackdown on illegal immigration in Minneapolis …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Wired:
ICE and CBP's Face-Recognition App Can't Actually Verify Who People Are … BY DELL CAMERON AND MADDY VARNER — INNER LOOP — Inside the ICE Forum Where Agents Complain About Their Jobs — “I'm all for removing illegals, but snatching dudes off lawn mowers in Cali and leaving the truck and equipment just sitting there?
Discussion:
Ars Technica, Concord Monitor and The Portland Press Herald
Tim Balk / New York Times:
Facing a Democratic Blitz, Susan Collins Scores a Super Bowl Ad in Maine — The ad is part of a multimillion dollar effort by a Republican-aligned group to help Ms. Collins, who is seen as one of the party's most vulnerable incumbents. — Among the Super Bowl commercials hawking potato chips …
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Lindsey Graham says Johnson is open to expanding Smith probe payouts — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is pitching fellow Republicans on expanding who can sue over the now-defunct Jack Smith investigation — and Graham claims he has a key supporter in Speaker Mike Johnson.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Brakkton Booker / Politico:
Virginia Democrats expect to release proposed new congressional map this week … Democrats vowed to release the proposed map sometime Thursday or by early Friday. — Virginia Democrats' effort comes after a Tazewell County judge halted Democrats from moving forward, siding with Republicans …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, New York Sun, Cardinal News, KTSA, Blue Virginia, NPR, Al Jazeera, GV Wire, Democracy Docket and The Dispatch
Wall Street Journal:
A Revolt Inside Paul Weiss Over the Epstein Files Took Down Brad Karp — Latest batch of Epstein emails prompted partners to push elite law firm's leader from chairman role — On Wednesday, an exclusive group of 10 or so Paul Weiss partners met unbeknown to their longtime chairman …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNBC, Original Jurisdiction, Semafor, BizPac Review, UPI, New York Times, Above the Law, PR Newswire, Mediaite, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, Bloomberg, Financial Times and New York Post
New York Times:
Surge in Immigration Cases in Minnesota Pushes Prosecutors and Judges to Brink — Remarks by a prosecutor opened a revealing window onto how the courts in the state are buckling under the weight of a deluge of cases arising from the Trump administration's campaign.
Discussion:
Scripps News, emptywheel, Esquire, BizPac Review, Reason, ABC News, New York Post, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, KARE-TV, Los Angeles Times, CBS News, The Independent, Raw Story, NBC News and Politico
Keren Landman / NPR:
Some Public Health Service officers deployed in detention centers suffer ‘moral distress’ — In 2025, as immigrant arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement soared, so did the demand for health care providers to staff hastily constructed detention centers.
Joey Cappelletti / Associated Press:
Slotkin rejects Justice Department request for interview on Democrats' video about ‘illegal orders’ — Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is refusing to voluntarily comply with a Justice Department investigation into a video she organized urging U.S. military members to resist …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner, The Hill, NewsMax.com and New Republic
Alan Elrod / Liberal Currents:
None More Wonderful Than Man: Art, Artists, and MAGA's Hollow View of Humanity — MAGA sees art as nothing more than a tool of self-aggrandizement, and artists as less than human. — Donald Trump recently announced that the Kennedy Center, which he has attempted to illegally rebrand …
Associated Press:
Hillary Clinton continues to push for public hearing ahead of Epstein probe deposition — The Clintons agreed to sit for closed-door depositions later this month. — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, Sept. 24, 2025, in New York.
Discussion:
Politico, NewsNation, New York Sun, Washington Times, Associated Press, WLT Report, The Independent, BizPac Review, Townhall and Mediaite
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
Republicans clash over the Senate filibuster and Trump-backed voter ID bill — Some SAVE Act backers insist that the GOP can use a “talking filibuster” to tire out Democrats and pass it. Majority Leader Thune hasn't ruled out trying, but he's skeptical it could work. — Listen to this article with a free account
Discussion:
The Nation, twitchy.com, The Daily Signal, amuse on 𝕏, Deseret News, Fox News, USA Today and The Hill
Megan Mineiro / New York Times:
Congress Nixes Visas for Afghan Partners, Closing Off a Key Path — President Trump froze a program to allow Afghans who had worked with American troops to come to the United States. Now Congress has quietly scrapped the visas, leaving little hope of reviving them.


