Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show  —  The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief …

A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem's Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS  —  Secretary, with close adviser Corey Lewandowski, faces fire for confrontational immigration crackdown and self-promotional style; White House to wind down Minnesota operations  —  Kristi Noem knew she needed a reset.

NY Fed report says Americans pay for almost all of Trump's tariffs  —  Americans are shouldering almost all of President Donald Trump's import tax surge, a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said on Thursday.  —  The bank said 90% of the tariffs imposed by the president …

Congress Jets Off as D.H.S. Shuts Down  —  Despite a deadlock over funding for the agency, lawmakers left town and left Democratic and White House negotiators to try to work out a deal in their absence.  —  When a disruptive government shutdown nears, the Capitol is usually occupied …

What Meetings Among Trump Lawyers Reveal About the FBI's Seizure of Election Records in Georgia  —  The Missouri prosecutor overseeing an investigation into the 2020 vote in Fulton County, Georgia, has taken part in meetings since last fall with lawyers tasked by President Donald Trump to reinvestigate his loss to Joe Biden.

Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses  —  In an internal memo last year, Meta said the political tumult in the United States would distract critics from the feature's release.  —  Five years ago, Facebook shut down the facial recognition system for tagging people …

Slotkin looks to make sure DOJ has ended investigation into military video … The letter, addressed to Pirro and Attorney General Pam Bondi, wants the DOJ to confirm by the end of the day Friday that its probe is over.  —  Slotkin's lawyers are using Trump's behavior in the aftermath …

Trump pardons 5 former NFL players for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking  —  President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned five former professional football players — one posthumously — for various crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.

The MAGA Bubble Is Imploding  —  Americans aren't buying Trumpist gaslighting about the economy … Attorney General Pam Bondi's meltdown on Wednesday while being questioned the House Judiciary Committee was exceptional, even by this administration's rock-bottom standards.

Exclusive: Arizona sheriff blocks FBI access to evidence in Nancy Guthrie abduction, source says  —  An Arizona sheriff is blocking FBI access to key evidence in the investigation into the abduction of U.S. television journalist Savannah Guthrie's mother, impairing its ability to assist in the probe …

Goldman Sachs General Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler Resigns Over Epstein Ties  —  Kathryn Ruemmler, a former top Obama administration lawyer, is out at Goldman Sachs after emails showed a friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spanning many years.  —  Goldman Sachs's top lawyer …

“Not Ready for Prime Time.”  A Federal Tool to Check Voter Citizenship Keeps Making Mistakes.  —  When county clerk Brianna Lennon got an email in November saying a newly expanded federal system had flagged 74 people on the county's voter roll as potential noncitizens, she was taken aback.

U.S. Aircraft Carrier Will Be Sent to the Middle East From Venezuela, Officials Say  —  The U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford is not expected to return until late April or early May.  —  The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships deployed to the Caribbean will be sent to the Middle East …

Morning Digest: For the first time ever, New Mexico Republicans won't field a Senate candidate  —  Leading Off  —  For the first time since New Mexico became a state in 1912, Republicans won't field a candidate in a U.S. Senate race.  —  The GOP learned of its grim fate on Tuesday …

Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash  —  Following mounting pressure and a questionable Super Bowl ad, the Amazon-owned company walked back its plan to integrate with the controversial law-enforcement technology company.

Jesse Watters: “Epstein got his money from two Jewish billionaires” and “the Jewish banking dynasty, the Rothschilds”

The Woman Alex Pretti Was Killed Trying to Defend Is an EMT.  Federal Agents Stopped Her From Giving First Aid.  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The struggle that killed Alex Pretti began with a shove.  It ended with gunshots.  —  In the final moments before he was shot and killed by federal authorities in Minneapolis …

‘A massive burden on American eligible voters’: State election chiefs oppose GOP voter suppression bills  —  The Democratic chief election officials of six states are denouncing two new voter suppression bills making their way through Congress — underscoring how the legislation would place …

Behind the Curtain: Resistance rising  —  Little by little, week after week, a subtle but significant shift is unfolding in American politics: Institutions and even a small but growing number of Republicans are standing up to President Trump. … But the law of political gravity is starting to apply to Trump.

The Infrastructure of Jeffrey Epstein's Power  —  This is an edited transcript of “The Ezra Klein Show.”  You can listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts.  —  At the end of January, Trump's Justice Department released what it said was the last tranche of the Epstein files …

Newsom to world leaders: ‘Donald Trump is temporary’  —  In Munich, the likely presidential contender continued to position California — and himself — as an alternative to Trumpism … While it's not unusual for California governors to wield the state's economic clout to shape global climate policy …

In victory for Democrats, Virginia Supreme Court says redistricting vote can go forward  —  In a big win for Virginia Democrats' efforts to counter President Donald Trump's GOP gerrymanders in other states, the Virginia Supreme Court said the state can hold its special election on the redistricting plan.

Trump Wants Smithsonian to Create a Different Official Portrait  —  The painted portrait from President Trump's first term was completed more than four years ago, but never unveiled.  Now he wants the National Portrait Gallery to commission a new one.  —  The unveiling of an official …

Pride flag returns to Stonewall National Monument after Trump administration removal  —  A rainbow Pride flag is once again flying over Stonewall National Monument in New York City, days after the LGBTQ symbol was removed from the historic site due to a federal order from President Trump, according to local outlets.

The Don Lemon indictment: Video appears to contradict key claims  —  The former CNN anchor, now an independent journalist, faces criminal charges after covering a protest at a church in St. Paul last month  —  Video footage appears to contradict key aspects of a federal indictment's descriptions …

Justice Department Sues Harvard Over Admissions Records  —  The U.S. Department of Justice sued Harvard on Friday, seeking a court order requiring the University to turn over admissions records requested as part of a federal civil rights review.  —  The lawsuit follows a 2023 Supreme Court decision …