Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Behind Trump's Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears — The president's impulsive style has never before been tested during a sustained military conflict; ruminating on Jimmy Carter — It seemed like Donald Trump's appetite for risk had run out, and his fears were ramping up.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Times of Israel and Forbes
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Barak Ravid / Axios:
Scoop: Trump convenes Iran situation room meeting amid renewed Hormuz crisis
Scoop: Trump convenes Iran situation room meeting amid renewed Hormuz crisis
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, PressTV, France 24 and Politico
Associated Press:
Live updates: Standoff escalates after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over US blockade — Confusion over the critical chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence a new deal was within reach.
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse, Reuters and The Hill
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Cheyanne M. Daniels / Politico:
Trump says US-Iran talks to continue Monday in Pakistan … “They'll come down fast, they'll come down easy and, if they don't take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years.,” he continued.
Discussion:
Axios, Politico, Scripps News, Business Insider, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Mediaite, New York Sun, Washington Times, NewsMax.com, France 24, Raw Story and IJR
NBC News:
Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial — Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later. … Donna Gustafson had a harder time than usual shaking off …
Discussion:
STAT
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Syrian Billionaires Needed a Favor in Washington. They Invoked the Trump Name. — The attempt by the Khayyats to influence foreign policy while discussions are underway about potential Trump family deals is an increasingly common feature of the president's second term.
Sarah N. Lynch / CBS News:
Trump lawyer from effort to overturn 2020 election to oversee probe of ex-CIA director, DOJ official says — Add CBS News on Google — Joseph DiGenova, a conservative attorney who previously represented President Trump's campaign when it challenged the results of the 2020 election …
Discussion:
ABC News, The Gateway Pundit and MS NOW
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Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
Justice According To Trump — The Justice Department has moved to drop the last remaining January 6 insurrection criminal matters: the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys seditious conspiracy cases. It's a gratuitous move. On the first day of his second term, Trump issued full pardons …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Washington Post:
Trump's fixation on White House ballroom is increasing, Post analysis finds — The president has publicly highlighted his ballroom project on roughly a third of the days this year. — Summary — President Donald Trump had just begun a Jan. 9 meeting at the White House with oil …
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Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Construction on Trump's White House ballroom can continue for now, US appeals court says
Construction on Trump's White House ballroom can continue for now, US appeals court says
Discussion:
The Guardian, Washington Examiner, WUSA, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Hill, CBS News, Reuters and New York Times
Advocate:
A forceful opening — The opinion opened with unusually blunt language, calling out the case as a broader test of the rule of law. — “Unserious leaders are unsafe. There is nothing more serious than our leaders' dedication to the rule of law so that we might maintain the integrity of our constitutional democracy,” Kasubhai wrote.
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Military Prepares to Board Iran-Linked Ships in Coming Days, Officials Say — American military will pursue vessels around the world that are helping Iran, as it steps up ‘Economic Fury’ — The U.S. military is preparing in coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships …
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NBC News:
Poll: Trump's approval rating hits second-term low as Americans sour on the economy and Iran war — Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of inflation, according to an NBC News Decision Desk Poll, with some cracks emerging in his GOP support.
Politico:
Battleground Republicans are starting to worry about the Senate … “Republicans have the best candidates that they've had in a long time but are facing serious headwinds,” said New Hampshire GOP strategist Mike Dennehy. — “I wouldn't say I feel warm and fuzzy about things right now,” …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Jim VandeHei / Axios:
Behind the Curtain: China wins by watching — Chinese President Xi Jinping has spent the Iran war doing what he does best — patiently exploiting America's distraction and discord. … - The implications touch supply chains, energy procurement, geopolitical risk, and the race for superior AI and weaponry.
Miami Herald:
Ex-model, arrested by Aventura police and deported, causes White House stir — In 2023, Amanda Ungaro, a Brazilian model who was brought to the United States on Jeffrey Epstein's plane when she was 16, was trying to build a new life in South Florida with her teenage son, far removed from the modeling world she had grown up in New York.
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CNN:
Trump to read Bible verse from Oval Office after feud with Pope and deleted AI image — Congressional news Donald Trump January 6th AI — President Donald Trump will participate in a public Bible reading this week as the administration continues to integrate religion, particularly Christianity, into official business.
Discussion:
Newsweek, Washington Examiner, New York Sun, Mediaite, The Hill, Fox News, New York Times and Politico
Natalie Fertig / Politico:
In wake of political violence, states use campaign cash for personal security … The new law, he said, will allow legislators to install security systems and cameras “to protect themselves if they are home, or their families when they're not.” — More than two dozen states …
Amy Harder / Axios:
Trump-branded AI data center megaproject stalls, CEO departs — The world's largest data center project — backed by Trump allies and bearing his name — is stalled by delays and logistical hurdles that could stop it before it even starts. — The latest sign of trouble emerged Friday: CEO Toby Neugebarger abruptly departed.
The Independent:
White House officials ‘openly discuss’ firing Kash Patel as FBI chief threatens to sue over report about ‘excessive drinking’ — Sarah Fitzpatrick, the reporter behind the bombshell exposé about Kash Patel's alleged conduct, said she stands by her story after he threatened to sue
Discussion:
The Independent, Washington Examiner, SpyTalk, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, The Hill, twitchy.com, HuffPost, IJR, Mediaite, MS NOW, TMZ.com, NewsMax.com and Lawyers, Guns & Money


