Top Items:
Christian Paz / Vox:
The FCC (probably) didn't censor Stephen Colbert — For the 12 of us who woke up Tuesday morning wondering what we had missed on Monday's late-night shows, CBS greeted us with a concerning development. — Overnight, Stephen Colbert had laid into his network, dedicating time at the top …
Discussion:
The Hill, Al Jazeera, Public Notice, HuffPost, Newsbusters, Real Patriotism …, Megyn Kelly, Mediaite, The Hollywood Reporter and RedState, more at Mediagazer »
RELATED:
John Hendel / Politico:
Carr dismisses Colbert uproar as a ‘hoax’ … “You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way that the news media works, and he took advantage of all of your sort of prior conceptions to run a hoax, apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks,” Carr said during …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, Breitbart, The Wrap, RedState, Slate, LateNighter, The Guardian, The Hill, CBS News, Newsbusters, Fox News, Forbes, Poynter, Mother Jones, The Daily Signal, Techdirt, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., New Republic, Vox, masslive.com and NOTUS, more at Mediagazer »
David Bauder / Associated Press:
Late-night host Stephen Colbert isn't backing down from public dispute with CBS bosses
Late-night host Stephen Colbert isn't backing down from public dispute with CBS bosses
Discussion:
Deadline, Axios, Breitbart, HotAir, Mediaite, USA Today, OutKick, The Moderate Voice, Mercury News, The Hill, Newsweek, Salon, Washington Examiner, Fox News, IJR, Steady, Variety, Forbes, Just Jared, LateNighter, NewsMax.com, New York Post, The Wrap and Al Jazeera, more at Mediagazer »
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Trump moves closer to a major war with Iran — The Trump administration is closer to a major war in the Middle East than most Americans realize. It could begin very soon. … - The sources noted it would likely be a joint U.S.-Israeli campaign that's much broader in scope …
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Examiner, HotAir, Democracy Now, The Independent, Crooked Media, Jewish Insider, Jerusalem Post, Straight Arrow News, The Times of Israel, Raw Story, Reason, Townhall, IJR, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Human Events, NewsMax.com, The War Zone, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Fucking News and Mediaite
RELATED:
CNN:
US military prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend, but Trump has yet to make a final call, sources say — The US military is prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend, though President Donald Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether he'll authorize such actions, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press, France 24 and Jewish Insider
Wall Street Journal:
Iran Is Getting Ready for War With the U.S.
Iran Is Getting Ready for War With the U.S.
Discussion:
Fox News, NewsMax.com and Semafor
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Angry Trump Humiliated as Effort to Prosecute Dems Backfires Again — Let's start with some good news: Donald Trump's efforts to jail his Democratic enemies have thus far mostly been marked by ham-fisted, buffoonish failure. The targeting of people like Senator Adam Schiff …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Raw Story, Above the Law and The Independent
RELATED:
Paul Krugman:
Billionaires Gone Wild — Understanding the oligarchs' power grab and the dire threat to American democracy — A few stories about centibillionaires — men whose net worth exceeds $100 billion — and their role in our society: — · In 2022 Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, purchased Twitter.
Discussion:
Mock Paper Scissors
RELATED:
Carol Ryan / Wall Street Journal:
Billionaires' Low Taxes Are Becoming a Problem for the Economy — Tax avoidance by the superwealthy is an economic issue as well as a political one — California's plan to hit its richest residents with a one-off wealth tax is a long shot, and its design has problems.
Discussion:
The Hill and The Guardian
Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:
Billionaire Les Wexner tells lawmakers that he was ‘conned’ by Jeffrey Epstein and did ‘nothing wrong’ — The 88-year-old former Victoria's Secret CEO denied he was Epstein's “co-conspirator,” and said he “was duped by a world-class con man.” — Listen to this article with a free account
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, Reuters, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Plain Dealer, Axios, CBS News, Tampa Free Press, UPI and Fox News
RELATED:
Emily Peck / Axios:
Trump's economic adviser says authors of tariff study should be “disciplined” — White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the authors of a New York Fed study that found that Americans pay for tariffs should be disciplined, in an interview with CNBC Wednesday morning.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CNBC, Fortune, MS NOW and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Victoria Guida / Politico:
Hassett says Fed staff should be ‘disciplined’ for reporting the US pays tariff costs
Hassett says Fed staff should be ‘disciplined’ for reporting the US pays tariff costs
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, UPI, KVIA-TV, Straight Arrow News, Raw Story, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, Reuters and NewsMax.com
Nature:
The political effects of X's feed algorithm — Germain Gauthier orcid.org/0009-0000-4262-7483 1 na1, - Roland Hodler orcid.org/0000-0001-8402-8243 2 na1, - Philine Widmer 3 na1 & - - Ekaterina Zhuravskaya orcid.org/0000-0002-3496-2086 3,4 na1 Show authors — Abstract
Discussion:
Gizmodo
Reuters:
Exclusive: US plans online portal to bypass content bans in Europe and elsewhere — The U.S. State Department is developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda …
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
Pope Rejects Trump's “Board of Peace” Invite — The Vatican will not be joining Donald Trump's “Board of Peace,” announcing Tuesday that it was turning down a January invitation from the White House. — “For us, there are ... some critical issues that should be resolved,” …
Discussion:
The Independent, Politico, Al Jazeera, Axios, Blaze Media, France 24, The Daily Signal, KVIA-TV, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times, Raw Story, 77 WABC, Mediaite, Fox News and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
New York Times:
Colorado Democrats Push to Rip Up 2028 House Map for an Extra Edge — A proposed ballot measure to give Democrats more seats for the 2028 and 2030 elections signals that the nation's gerrymandering fight is likely to persist for years. — A group allied with Colorado Democrats is beginning …
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, NBC News, Denver Post, The Colorado Sun, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Sun, The Federalist and The Hill
RELATED:
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Jeffries puts rare public pressure on fellow Democrats
Jeffries puts rare public pressure on fellow Democrats
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, The Daily Signal, The Hill, Washington Times and CBS News
Arthur Delaney / HuffPost:
GOP Lawmaker Reportedly Had Affair With Aide Who Died By Self-Immolation — Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) accused his primary opponent of using the story to smear his aide's memory. — WASHINGTON — A Republican lawmaker's apparent affair with an aide who later died by suicide has roiled a close primary election in Texas.
Discussion:
CBS News, New Republic, KVIA-TV, Blaze Media, New York Post, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, San Antonio Current, Breitbart and Mediaite
Carol Leonnig / MS NOW:
White House directing DHS to hunt for voter fraud by naturalized citizens: Sources — The Department of Homeland Security's chief investigations arm this week launched a broader nationwide campaign to investigate and prosecute naturalized citizens who may have improperly voted in past elections …
Karina Petrova / PsyPost:
High IQ men tend to be less conservative than their average peers, study finds — The stereotype of the eccentric genius with radical political views is a common trope in fiction. A new study challenges this assumption by suggesting that highly intelligent adults may hold political views …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Lizzy Lawrence / STAT:
STAT+: FDA reverses course, agrees to review Moderna's flu vaccine — WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration reversed course and told Moderna it would review its application for a new flu vaccine, the company announced Wednesday. — The agency told Moderna earlier this month …
Discussion:
CNN, Reuters, Politico, Fortune, UPI, Ars Technica, Al Jazeera, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Hill, NOTUS, Lawyers, Guns & Money and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Emily Crane / New York Post:
NYC hospital permanently axes transgender treatment program for kids following Trump's threat to yank funding — NYU Langone Health, a major Manhattan hospital, will permanently ax its transgender treatment program for kids after the Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding.
Discussion:
The Boston Globe, The Post Millennial, The Gateway Pundit, Louder With Crowder and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
Joseph Goldstein / New York Times:
Manhattan Hospital Ends Medical Treatment for Transgender Youth
Manhattan Hospital Ends Medical Treatment for Transgender Youth
Discussion:
WNYW-TV, One America News Network, Gay City News, The Daily Wire, them., Townhall, Gothamist, Fox News and 77 WABC
Phillip Nieto / Daily Mail:
Tucker Carlson ‘DETAINED’ in Israel: Journalist ‘dragged into interrogation room’ as explosive interview sparks diplomatic firestorm — Conservative podcasting titan Tucker Carlson says he and his staff were detained in Israel on Wednesday following an interview with Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump's current ambassador to the country.
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Post, Haaretz, RADAR, Jewish Insider, 77 WABC, New York Sun, France 24, Algemeiner.com, KEYE and New Republic
Bridget Bowman / NBC News:
John Cornyn warns of a GOP ‘massacre’ in Texas if Ken Paxton beats him in their Senate primary — Cornyn is locked in a hotly contested primary race against state Attorney General Ken Paxton and GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt. — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE — Listen to this article with a free account
Discussion:
The Hill, NewsMax.com, National Review, Townhall, KVIA-TV, Punchbowl News and Washington Examiner
Laura Kelly / The Hill:
Trump has prepared speech on extraterrestrial life, Lara Trump says — President Trump is holding onto a speech detailing extraterrestrial life and spaceships, according to his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who said the president is waiting for the right time to deliver it.
Discussion:
NewsNation, NewsMax.com, Newsweek, New York Sun, One America News Network, The Independent and Mediaite
Annie Karni / New York Times:
Democrats Plan to Counter Trump's Speech to Congress With Rally — The House Democratic leader has asked rank-and-file members to sit quietly at the speech or skip it altogether, wary of creating a distraction. — Democrats knew in real time last year that they had bungled their response …
Discussion:
NOTUS, NBC News, Meidas+, New Republic, Politico, MoveOn, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, MS NOW, LGBTQ Nation, NewsMax.com, RedState, Joe.My.God., The Daily Signal and New Jersey Online
Keri Blakinger / ProPublica:
Amid Mass ICE Arrests, Trump Pardon Recipient Juan Orlando Hernández Given Special Treatment — After the former Honduran president was pardoned, ICE dropped its detainer on him, and he was whisked away to a luxury hotel in New York City. — Copy HTML
Discussion:
The Parnas Perspective and New Republic
Pranav Baskar / New York Times:
Journalists Arrested in Cameroon While Reporting on Trump's Secretive Deportation Program — An Associated Press reporter was beaten and held with three other journalists and a lawyer, two detainees said, while at a center for migrants secretively deported from the United States.
Associated Press:
Trump, weeks after backlash over racist post, hosts Black History Month reception — President Donald Trump hosted a White House reception for Black History Month on Wednesday, less than two weeks after he sparked a bipartisan outcry by posting a racist video on social media …
Discussion:
Fox News, The White House, RedState, Washington Times, Associated Press, New Republic, The Hill, NewsNation, KSTP-TV, Breitbart and CBS News
Helena Hind / Media Matters for America:
Compared to other cable news channels, Fox News is hiding the latest Epstein revelations from their audience — If you exclusively watch Fox News, you likely have no idea about the latest fallout from the Epstein files release … The DOJ's January 30 release of over 3 million pages of files …
Discussion:
Daily Mail
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
N.I.H. Director Will Temporarily Run C.D.C. in Leadership Shake-Up — Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will serve as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until President Trump appoints a permanent director. — The director of the National Institutes of Health …
TMZ.com:
FBI Contacts Mexican Authorities in Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping, New Ransom Demand — NANCY GUTHRIE KIDNAPPING FBI CONTACTS MEXICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT ... TMZ Receives New Ransom Demand … The FBI has reached out to authorities in Mexico, in the hunt for Nancy Guthrie and her kidnapper …
Discussion:
Daily Mail, The Daily Caller, New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Hill, Extra and NewsNation
Timothy Pratt / The Guardian:
Conservative Georgia town pushes back against ICE detention center: ‘We are Americans after all’ — Social Circle, a mostly Maga town, builds strange bedfellow coalition against plans to convert warehouse — On a recent morning Eric Taylor, city manager for a small Georgia town …
Declan Harty / Politico:
'He's jumping in all the way': A Trump financial regulator backs prediction markets in their clash against states … Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction markets operate CFTC-regulated financial exchanges that allow wagers on everything from the Winter Olympics to elections to the existence of aliens.
Discussion:
Semafor, Gizmodo, CoinDesk, The Verge, Axios, Business Insider and Deseret News, more at Techmeme »
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
The ‘Most Massive Attack On Free Speech’ Is Happening Right Now, And The Twitter Files Crew Is Mighty Quiet — For the last five years, we had to endure an endless, breathless parade of hyperbole regarding the so-called “censorship industrial complex.” We were told, repeatedly and at high volume …

