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Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Already Rearrested on Gun Charges — Trump granted clemency to hundreds of alleged or convicted violent criminals. One is back behind bars … In May 2023, Daniel Ball of Homosassa, Florida, was indicted on 12 counts related to his participation in the attack on the Capitol.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Hill, Raw Story, New Republic and OutsideTheBeltway
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“F—k it: Release 'em all”: Why Trump embraced broad Jan. 6 pardons … - Trump vacillated during an internal debate over targeted clemency vs. a blanket decision according to two insiders. — But as Trump's team wrestled with the issue, and planned a shock-and-awe batch of executive orders Day 1 …
Discussion:
NBC News, Slate, Sidebars, The Hill, NPR, The Guardian, New York Times, Daily Kos, Alternet.org, Daily Mail, The Independent, Raw Story, Mediaite and WINK News

Trump freed a Jan. 6 defendant charged with assaulting police. DOJ had him arrested again on a gun charge.
Discussion:
The Independent and The Hill
Thomas Joscelyn / The Bulwark:
What Kash Patel Doesn't Want the Senate to Know About the ‘J6 Prison Choir’
What Kash Patel Doesn't Want the Senate to Know About the ‘J6 Prison Choir’
Janna Brancolini / The Daily Beast:
Donald Trump Demands Apology From Bishop Who Hurt His Feelings
Donald Trump Demands Apology From Bishop Who Hurt His Feelings
Discussion:
alicublog, The Mahablog, Alternet.org, TMZ.com, Daily Mail, RedState, Mediaite and The DSR Network
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Federal judge says Trump's pardons can't erase ‘immutable’ truth of Jan. 6
Federal judge says Trump's pardons can't erase ‘immutable’ truth of Jan. 6
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Vox, The Hill and Raw Story
Ankush Khardori / Politico:
Trump May Come to Regret His Jan. 6 Pardons. Here's Why.
Trump May Come to Regret His Jan. 6 Pardons. Here's Why.
Discussion:
The Hill, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Raw Story, Just Security, Mediaite, The Times-Tribune, DNyuz, Associated Press, CBS News and Salt Lake Tribune
Alan Feuer / New York Times:
Far-Right Leaders Granted Clemency by Trump Express Desire for Retribution
Far-Right Leaders Granted Clemency by Trump Express Desire for Retribution
Discussion:
NOTUS, CBS News, The Hill, Associated Press, WNYW-TV, WSVN-TV, The Independent, Alternet.org and New Republic

US military ordering thousands more troops to southern border — Thousands of additional active duty US troops are being ordered to the southern US border with Mexico, just two days after President Donald Trump mandated that the US military step up its presence there, according to officials familiar with the matter.
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U.S. border agents told to summarily deport migrants without asylum hearings under Trump edict — Washington — Citing President Trump's extraordinary move to close the American asylum system, U.S. border agents have been instructed to summarily deport migrants crossing into the country …
Discussion:
HuffPost, IJR, New York Times and Reuters

Trump DOJ gears up for immigration enforcement
Discussion:
New York Times, HotAir, Business Insider, NPR, DNyuz, Washington Times, Townhall, Bloomberg, Daily Caller News Foundation, Baltimore Sun and Fox News
Associated Press:
Justice Department orders investigation of local compliance with Trump immigration crackdown
Justice Department orders investigation of local compliance with Trump immigration crackdown
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reuters, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, Chalkbeat, Axios, HotAir, Orange County Register, Ace of Spades HQ, The Guardian, The Hill, RedState, New Republic and IJR
Anna Bower / Default:
Justice Dept Memo Calls for Investigations of State and Local Officials
Justice Dept Memo Calls for Investigations of State and Local Officials
Discussion:
DNyuz, Tennessee Lookout, Washington Examiner and USA Today
The White House:
FACT SHEET: President Donald J. Trump Protects the States and the American People by Closing the Border to Illegals via Proclamation
FACT SHEET: President Donald J. Trump Protects the States and the American People by Closing the Border to Illegals via Proclamation
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit and Reason
Seb Starcevic / Politico:
Trump launches savage attack on bishop who asked for ‘mercy’ for minorities
Trump launches savage attack on bishop who asked for ‘mercy’ for minorities
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, The Guardian, New York Post, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner, New Republic, Fox News, RNS, Reuters, The Independent, RedState, Daily Caller News Foundation, Plain Dealer, USA Today, PinkNews, LGBTQ Nation, CBS News, Deseret News, Global News, Raw Story, Mother Jones, Deadline and Townhall

Trump Revokes Order That Banned Discrimination in Federal Hiring — His order revokes one signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 that prohibited discriminatory practices in hiring and employment in government contracting. — President Trump on Wednesday revoked …
Discussion:
USA Today
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Trump Revokes Workplace Discrimination Rules Enacted By LBJ In 1965 — The new president just unwound a landmark anti-discrimination measure implemented amid the height of the Civil Rights Movement. — LOADING — On Wednesday, President Donald Trump revoked a six-decade-old executive order designed …
Discussion:
The Independent

Trump rolls back bedrock civil rights measure in sweeping anti-DEI push
Discussion:
HotAir, CNN, Raw Story and Do No Harm
The White House:
Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity
Ending Illegal Discrimination And Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Vox, Mother Jones, The Register, RedState, Right Makes Might, USA Today, The Federalist, Do No Harm, DNyuz and JONATHAN TURLEY
The White House:
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Protects Civil Rights and Merit-Based Opportunity by Ending Illegal DEI
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Protects Civil Rights and Merit-Based Opportunity by Ending Illegal DEI
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Truthout, Breitbart, Power Line and Michigan Advance
Associated Press:
Trump administration directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave
Trump administration directs all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on leave
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, The Root, Associated Press, NPR, The 19th, Hollywood Life, Louisiana Illuminator, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Independent, DNyuz, Scripps News, Al Jazeera, Signal Cleveland, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Deseret News, New Republic, WNYW-TV, CNBC, freebeacon.com, LGBTQ Nation, The Guardian and MeidasTouch News

Trump warns he'll adjourn Congress to make recess appointments. How would that work? — President Trump is threatening to use his powers to adjourn Congress so he can make recess appointments for at least some of his top Cabinet nominees and their deputies, enabling them to begin running the largest federal departments.
Discussion:
Townhall
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House passes Laken Riley Act, sending it to Trump for first legislative win
Discussion:
CBS News, Fox News, USA Today, NBC News, Axios, ABC News, Washington Post, The Guardian, Forbes, Townhall, New York Post, New Republic, IJR, The Post Millennial, Raw Story and Michigan Advance
Jordain Carney / Politico:
No recess till Trump gets his Cabinet, top GOP senators say
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Democrats Slow G.O.P. Rush to Confirm Trump Nominees
Democrats Slow G.O.P. Rush to Confirm Trump Nominees
Discussion:
CBS News, Atlantic Council, Breitbart and New York Daily News
Joseph Choi / The Hill:
Senate Democrats block GOP's ‘born-alive’ abortion bill
Senate Democrats block GOP's ‘born-alive’ abortion bill
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, IJR, Ohio Capital Journal and The Daily Signal

CBS 58 weather reporter Sam Kuffel is out after criticizing Elon Musk arm gesture — Daniel Bice Mary SpicuzzaMilwaukee Journal Sentinel — A Milwaukee TV weather forecaster has been dropped by her station one day after she criticized Elon Musk on social media for his straight-arm gesture that many have likened to a Nazi salute.

Musk Casts Doubt on Trump's $100 Billion A.I. Announcement — Mr. Trump had claimed the A.I. announcement as an early trophy, taking credit for the companies' decision to spend up to $500 billion building data centers. — Elon Musk is casting doubt on the first major tech investment announcement …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Associated Press, Robert Reich, Fox Business, The Daily Caller, Futurism, Bloomberg, Raw Story and Defense One, more at Techmeme »
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Musk trolls Trump's €500B AI mega plan
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, Axios, The Independent, Breitbart, Quartz, Reuters, Forbes, Gizmodo, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, Futurism, CNBC, Mediaite, The Hill, New York Post, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, The Verge, Washington Times and Daily Mail, more at Techmeme »
OpenAI:
Announcing The Stargate Project
Announcing The Stargate Project
Discussion:
CBS News, Business Insider, Washington Examiner, Deseret News, Yahoo News, Politico, Los Angeles Times, Quartz, The Guardian, CNN, Digital Trends, Reason, Just Security, DNyuz, Axios, TechCrunch, The Information, Taipei Times, New Republic, Fortune, Fox Business, Interesting Engineering, Financial Times and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

Mississippi politician files ‘Contraception Begins at Erection Act’ — JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A state senator in Mississippi has filed a bill entitled the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act.” — As written by Sen. Bradford Blackmon, the bill would make it “unlawful for a person …

Trump Actions to Undermine Drug Prices Will Cost Medicare Recipients Money — One of the nearly 200 executive orders that newly inaugurated President Donald Trump signed on Tuesday reversed several critical policies that President Biden had put in place. Among those was lowering drug costs for Americans.
Discussion:
KOLO-TV and WisPolitics
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Trump administration cancels travel for refugees already cleared to resettle in the US — Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.
Discussion:
USA Today, The Independent, Al Jazeera, Time, MPR News, PBS NewsHour, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, DNyuz and NBC News
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Convicted US Capitol rioter turns down Trump pardon — One of the people who served jail time for taking part in the US Capitol riot four years ago has refused a pardon from President Donald Trump, saying: “We were wrong that day.” — Pamela Hemphill, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced …
Discussion:
ABC News, The Hill, HuffPost, Reading Eagle, New York Daily News and Raw Story

CNN to lay off hundreds of employees as post-inauguration transformation begins, sources say … Warner Bros. Discovery's CNN plans to lay off hundreds of employees Thursday as it refocuses the business around a global digital audience, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Fox Business, Ace of Spades HQ, New York Post, The Daily Caller and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

How to Stop Trump in One Stupid Chart — For reasons I can't explain, this entire newsletter feels like it was written in ALL CAPS. So maybe you'll imagine me shouting it at you, like a crazy person. — Because basically, that's how I feel right now: Like a crazy person. Maybe you do, too?

GOP leaders mull a big debt-and-funding deal with Democrats — The option would include an agreement that ties together government funding, border money, disaster aid and a debt-limit hike. — House and Senate GOP leaders are internally debating a possible deal with Democrats …

Trump Seeks to Paralyze Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Watchdog — The Trump White House has told three Democratic-selected members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to resign or be fired, which would stop the independent agency from functioning.
Discussion:
Axios, Defense One and Reason

160 national security staffers are sent home as the White House aligns its team to Trump's agenda — President Donald Trump's national security adviser has sidelined about 160 National Security Council aides, sending them home while the administration reviews staffing and tries to align …
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, Breitbart and Axios

Republicans balk at new Hegseth allegations — The Republican wall of support around Pete Hegseth shows no sign of weakening, despite new allegations against the Defense secretary nominee that he was abusive to his second wife. GOP senators waved away the accusations from Hegseth's former sister-in-law …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Louder With Crowder, Daily Kos and Newsbusters

House Republicans create new panel aimed at undermining Jan. 6 committee — Days after Trump pardoned the Capitol's violent attackers, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) will lead a new subcommittee investigating what led to the attack. — Speaker Mike Johnson has launched a new effort intended …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Axios, The Hill, The Guardian, NBC News, New York Magazine, Roll Call, New Republic, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and The Federalist

Jamie Dimon says Trump's tariff policy is positive for national security so people should ‘get over it’ … WATCH NOW — JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Wednesday that the looming tariffs that President Donald Trump is expected to slap on U.S. trading partners could be viewed positively.
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, Quartz, HuffPost, Gizmodo, Bloomberg, Washington Times, New York Post, The Hill, The Independent, Alternet.org, Fox Business and City A.M.