Top Items:

Senators receive affidavit containing new allegations against Pete Hegseth, who denies the claims — The former sister-in-law of Trump's defense secretary pick said that Hegseth made his second wife fear for her safety. Hegseth's second wife said, “There was no physical abuse in my marriage.”
Discussion:
NPR, Washington Examiner, The Hill, HuffPost, Scripps News, Axios, Roll Call, The Guardian, CBS News, Mediaite, The Independent, Forbes and The Federalist
RELATED:

Hegseth Ex-Sister-in-Law Tells Senators He Was ‘Abusive’ to Second Wife — A woman once married to the brother of Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary nominee, submitted a sworn statement to the Senate in a late-hour complication to his confirmation. His attorney denied her account.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money

Senate learns of new allegations against Hegseth — The Defense secretary nominee's former sister-in-law, in an affidavit, said she witnessed his drunken aggression and that his second wife worried about her safety. — Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law, in an affidavit given to senators on Tuesday …

Hegseth Routinely Passed Out from Alcohol Abuse, Witness Says — Trump's Pentagon pick has denied allegations, calling them part of a ‘smear campaign’ — Pete Hegseth, President Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, regularly abused alcohol to the point that he passed out at family gatherings …
Discussion:
Mediaite

Trump picks fights with his party — The Scoop — As jubilant as Republican lawmakers are over Donald Trump's second term, they're facing a familiar reality: The president is back to picking fights with them and trying to bend them to his will. — From pardoning Jan. 6 offenders …
RELATED:

Trump Pardons the Jan. 6 Cop Beaters
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, New Republic and Raw Story
Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
‘A Betrayal, a Mockery’: Police Express Outrage Over Trump's Jan. 6 Pardons
‘A Betrayal, a Mockery’: Police Express Outrage Over Trump's Jan. 6 Pardons
Discussion:
NPR, CBS News, NBC News, New Jersey Online, Word In Black and Alternet.org
NPR:
Trump gave pardons to hundreds of violent Jan. 6 rioters. Here's what they did
Trump gave pardons to hundreds of violent Jan. 6 rioters. Here's what they did
Discussion:
HuffPost, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Times, al.com, Reuters, DNyuz, New Republic, Los Angeles Times, Reason, Alternet.org, New Jersey Online, The Guardian and New York Post
Reuters:
Exclusive: Trump starts new term with 47% approval; Jan. 6 pardons unpopular, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Exclusive: Trump starts new term with 47% approval; Jan. 6 pardons unpopular, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Discussion:
Politico, The Independent and The Hill
Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite:
‘I Agree With the Vice President’: Mitch McConnell Tweaks Trump Over Jan. 6 Pardons by Citing JD Vance's Recent Comments
‘I Agree With the Vice President’: Mitch McConnell Tweaks Trump Over Jan. 6 Pardons by Citing JD Vance's Recent Comments
Discussion:
Breitbart, CNN, HuffPost, The Daily Signal, Joe.My.God. and Axios
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Jeffries bashes GOP over Jan. 6 pardons: 'Don't ever lecture America again'
Jeffries bashes GOP over Jan. 6 pardons: 'Don't ever lecture America again'
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Times, Townhall and Mediaite

Bishop Calls Out Trump and Vance To Their Face — This stunning video highlights the first direct call out received by Trump and Vance since taking office. — This afternoon, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde fearlessly called out Donald Trump and JD Vance to their faces at a national prayer service.
Discussion:
New Republic, New York Times, Crooks and Liars, NBC News, One America News Network, The Guardian, Raw Story, NPR, USA Today, UPI, Advocate and Washington Examiner
RELATED:

Trump says ICE can arrest people at churches and schools, directs agency to use ‘common sense’
Camilo Montoya-Galvez / CBS News:
U.S. expands expedited deportations beyond border areas as part of Trump crackdown
U.S. expands expedited deportations beyond border areas as part of Trump crackdown
Discussion:
City Journal
New York Times:
Bishop Asks Trump to ‘Have Mercy’ on Immigrants and Gay Children
Bishop Asks Trump to ‘Have Mercy’ on Immigrants and Gay Children
Discussion:
Slate, Twitchy and New York Daily News
Jack Jenkins / RNS:
In sermon to Trump, Bishop Budde pleads for immigrants, transgender rights
In sermon to Trump, Bishop Budde pleads for immigrants, transgender rights
Discussion:
HuffPost, Scripps News, New Jersey Online, ABC News, Raw Story and Daily Mail

Great-grandson of the man who established birthright citizenship slams Trump's new executive order — “He's feeding off the American mindset, and it's not a healthy one,” said the great-grandson of Wong Kim Ark, whose 1898 Supreme Court case helped guarantee birthright citizenship.
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, USA Today, Al Jazeera, PolitiFact, The Guardian, New York Times, Global News, UPI, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Business Insider, Alternet.org, Slate and Los Angeles Times
RELATED:

Change to Birthright Citizenship Would Affect Visa Holders, Too
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Vox, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, DNyuz, Pluribus News, Roll Call, The Guardian, Mercury News and Politico, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
Twenty-two States Sue to Stop Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order
Twenty-two States Sue to Stop Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order
Discussion:
The Lever, NPR, NBC News, DNyuz, CBS News, The Bulwark, CNN, ACLU, The Atlantic, Associated Press, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, New York Daily News, USA Today, Joe.My.God., Florida Politics, The Verge, WisPolitics, Reason, Reuters and Digby's Hullabaloo

Trump officials pause health agencies' communications, citing review — The agencies are charged with making decisions that touch the lives of every American and are the source of crucial information to health-care providers. — The Trump administration has instructed federal health agencies …

Trump Pardons Creator of Silk Road Drug Marketplace — Ross Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for creating a site in a shady corner of the internet to sell heroin, cocaine and other illicit substances. — President Trump on Tuesday granted a pardon to Ross Ulbricht …
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Mail, Al Jazeera, The Verge, Wired, Raw Story, Reason, The San Francisco Standard, The Daily Hodl, Baltimore Sun, Fox News and Washington Examiner, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:

Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Reuters, NPR, Fox News, Bloomberg, Scripps News, TechCrunch, CBS News, Mediaite, Daily Caller News Foundation, Twitchy, DNyuz, The Independent, CoinDesk, The Post Millennial, Decrypt and The Free Press

Coast Guard Commandant terminated over border lapses, recruitment, DEI focus: official — Senior DHS official confirms to Fox News Digital Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan has been relieved of her post — EXCLUSIVE: The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard has been terminated over concerns about the border …
Discussion:
CBS News, RedState, Washington Post, Military Times, U.S. Coast Guard, The Federalist, Breaking Defense, The Hill, UPI, DNyuz and WHDH-TV
RELATED:

‘All Americans legally female’: Trump invites mockery with sloppy executive order — President Donald Trump published two executive orders late Monday that targeted transgender people, but critics couldn't help but note that the clunky language declared all Americans legally female.
RELATED:

Trump's Gender Order Won't Affect Existing Passports — Unless They're Renewed — “They can still apply to renew their passport — they just have to use their God-given sex, which was decided at birth,” the White House press secretary told NOTUS. — Copy

AOC slams ADL for excusing Elon Musk's ‘awkward gesture:’ 'You're defending a Heil Hitler salute' — Musk spoke at an inauguration event for President Trump after he was sworn in on Monday — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attacked the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) …
Discussion:
The Hill, Al Jazeera, The Forward, HuffPost and New York Post
RELATED:
Bernard Condon / Associated Press:
Musk's straight-arm gesture embraced by right-wing extremists regardless of what he meant
Musk's straight-arm gesture embraced by right-wing extremists regardless of what he meant
Discussion:
HuffPost and Baltimore Sun

Donald Trump's Medicare Executive Order Explained — 's executive order 14087, which was put in place to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Americans. — Newsweek has reached out to the Trump transition team outside of regular working hours via email for comment. — Why It Matters
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA, Fortune and Raw Story
RELATED:

Trump Says He Will Impose 10% Tariffs on Chinese Imports on Feb. 1 — The president said the planned duties were a response to China's failure to curb fentanyl exports. — President Trump said on Tuesday that he intended to impose a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports into the United States on Feb. 1 …
Discussion:
Import and Trade Remedies Blog, CNBC, USA Today, Bloomberg, Axios, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, Breitbart, Washington Examiner and Forbes
RELATED:

Discussion:
OpenAI, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, NBC News, Axios, Decrypt, Fox News, Fortune, DNyuz, Fox Business, New York Times, Townhall, TechCrunch, Bloomberg and The Information, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Trump to announce up to $500 billion in private sector AI infrastructure investment
Trump to announce up to $500 billion in private sector AI infrastructure investment
Discussion:
HotAir, USA Today, Associated Press, freebeacon.com, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Scripps News, CNN, Breitbart, UPI, Washington Times, The Hill, NewsNation, The Hollywood Reporter, RedState, One America News Network, Deadline, MIT Technology Review, ABC News, New York Post, The Verge, CoinDesk, Semafor, Boston Herald, Futurism, DNyuz and Forbes, more at Mediagazer »

Trump terminates John Bolton's security detail within hours of taking office — Within hours of taking office, President Donald Trump terminated the Secret Service detail that was assigned to his former national security adviser John Bolton, Bolton confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.
Discussion:
The Hill, USA Today, MeidasTouch News, CBS News, Breitbart, Fox News, Twitchy, New York Times, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, Associated Press, Townhall, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Reason and Mediaite

Democrats plot strategy for fighting Trump on funding freeze — Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump's Day One blitz of executive actions, Democrats on Capitol Hill mobilized Tuesday to fight his move to freeze a broad range of federal cash. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries …
RELATED:

Instagram hides search results for ‘Democrats’ — Meta says its working urgently to fix a problem with Instagram which results in a “results hidden” message when users search for the terms “Democrat” or “Democrats”. — Some social media users have accused the company of political bias …
Discussion:
Alternet.org and The Independent

Trump pushes Hill GOP on recess appointments, debt limit — A White House meeting on the president's first full day back in office emphasized unity. — President Donald Trump prodded congressional leaders to consider recess appointments for his top nominees and expressed interest …
Discussion:
Axios, New York Post and Washington Examiner

Constitution page on White House website shows 404 error — The Constitution page on President Trump's White House website is showing a 404 error. — “Page not found,” the site reads. — Under former President Biden's term, the website highlighted the history behind the creation …
Discussion:
HuffPost, KFMB and New York Times

Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy — If it wasn't already obvious, the last 72 hours have made it crystal clear that it is urgent to build and mainstream alternative, decentralized social media platforms that are resistant to government censorship and control …

Trump finds a new way for foreign governments to pay him off: Crypto — Trump's crypto coin is little more than a whizbang Ponzi scheme. — The era of the Shakedown Economy has officially begun — and it started with something called a presidential “sh—coin.” — No, I am not making this up.
Discussion:
Raw Story