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CNN Plots Major Overhaul as It Enters a New Trump Era — Mark Thompson has promised to reinvent CNN since he arrived in 2023. Now, he is remaking the network's TV lineup and its work force. — Give people news when and where they want it. — That, says Mark Thompson, CNN's chief executive …
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Los Angeles Times, Variety, New York Post, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and The Independent, more at Mediagazer »
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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.
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The Hill, Status, Breitbart, Adweek, Mediaite, The Post Millennial, New York Post, IJR, Bloomberg, Louder With Crowder, Townhall, Daily Mail, The Daily Caller, Deadline, New York Daily News, Washington Examiner, Fox Business, The Gateway Pundit, Ace of Spades HQ, Variety and LGBTQ Nation, more at Mediagazer »

Immigrants rush to prepare for Trump deportation raids … - Trump's executive orders that began laying the groundwork for his mass deportations reversed several longstanding policies. … - The New Mexico-based immigrant rights advocacy group Somos Un Pueblo Unido said it's launching a …
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The Barbed Wire, Politico, Daily Kos, NBC News, New York Post and The Independent
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ICE Watch Programs Can Protect Immigrants in Your Neighborhood — Here's What to Know
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Daily Mail and DNyuz
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
Trump's Immigration Plans Are Already Wrecking the Food Industry
Trump's Immigration Plans Are Already Wrecking the Food Industry
Discussion:
STAT, Raw Story, Iowa Starting Line, Salt Lake Tribune and Los Angeles Times

Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring — Researchers facing “a lot uncertainty, fear and panic” — Donald Trump's return to the White House is already having a big impact at the $47.4 billion U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) …
Discussion:
STAT, Balloon Juice, Talking Points Memo, Daily Mail, The Post Millennial and carpe natem
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Trump Administration Temporarily Mutes Federal Health Officials — Scientific meetings were canceled, and research data on the bird flu outbreak was delayed, amid confusion over the directive. — The Trump administration, moving quickly to clamp down on health and science agencies …
Discussion:
MedPageToday.com, DNyuz, Daily Kos and Gizmodo

Donald Trump's war on DEI is not about “merit” — Executive orders attacking DEI are about promoting unqualified white men over diverse candidates — Donald Trump lies about everything, but the lies strewn throughout his executive order shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) …
Discussion:
Megyn Kelly, Al Jazeera and Right Makes Might
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Playbook: Donny does Davos — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — Good Thursday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, four days in and already running dangerously low on supplies of Yorkshire Tea. Messages of support to [email protected]. — DRIVING THE DAY
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ChatGPT down: AI chat app not working as website goes offline — Your support helps us to tell the story — From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro …
Discussion:
Hollywood Life, 9to5Mac and DNyuz

Trump threatens to withhold aid for California wildfires in first TV interview since inauguration — “I don't think we should give California anything until they let water flow down,” he told Sean Hannity — Trump slams Biden over prosecutions, pardons — President Donald Trump threatened …
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Exposing the role … and CBS News
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President Donald Trump goes off the rails when asked about California wildfires
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Washington Times

The shitcoin presidency — $TRUMP is taking corruption to new levels. — Donald Trump declared on the campaign trail that he'd be a “crypto president” during his second term. He said he'd make America “the crypto capital of the planet” and a “bitcoin superpower.”
Discussion:
Vox, Wall Street Journal, Slate and Futurism
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President Trump, Crypto Billionaire — His new family tokens, which have soared in value, are courting legal and political trouble. — Donald Trump doesn't always separate his personal interests from his public obligations, and a howling example is his sudden new status as a crypto billionaire.

Musk mocks Nazi salute accusations with puns — Elon Musk referenced Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders in a social media post filled with puns early Thursday taunting those who accused him of doing a Nazi salute at an event after President Trump's inauguration. — “Don't say Hess to Nazi accusations!
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Politico, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, Advocate, Raw Story, TMZ.com, PinkNews, Mediaite, LGBTQ Nation, Newsbusters, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, DNyuz, The Forward and Twitchy
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The Vibes They Are a-Shiftin' — But it's really not clear what they are shifting to — Donald Trump winning a presidential election is, obviously, nothing new. It literally happened in 2016. What I think is new, eight years later, is the “vibe shift” first named by Tyler Cowen in July of 2024 and confirmed by Trump's victory.

Trump's agenda rests in the hands of a 91-year-old — With the gerontocracy under a microscope, the Senate Judiciary chair holds the keys to Donald Trump's agenda. — The core of President Donald Trump's agenda runs through Chuck Grassley, who has been in the chamber longer than his vice president has been alive.

Three Disturbing Signs of Fourth Estate Failure — Corporate executives behaving obsequiously towards Donald Trump and his lackeys may be disturbing to witness, but it is squarely within their primary charge of increasing shareholder value. Sucking up to a transactional president who uses power …

What Republicans Could Cut to Pay for Trump's Tax Cuts: Medicaid and More — President Trump wants a massive tax cut and immigration crackdown bill. Now Republicans must decide what to cut to help pay for it. — Top Republicans are passing around an extensive menu of ideas to cover …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Raw Story, Axios, Florida Politics, Associated Press, Tax Foundation and Politico

With Support Dwindling and Trump in Power, Zelensky Could Face Tough Re-election — The high popularity that the Ukrainian president had in the early days of the Russian invasion, with an approval rating of about 90 percent, has dipped badly. — Since Russia invaded his country three years ago …

Justice Department freezes all cases in civil rights division — The memo doesn't state how long the freeze will last, but it essentially shuts down the civil rights division for at least the first weeks of the Trump administration. — The Justice Department has ordered its civil rights division …
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USA Today, New York Times, Reuters, The Independent, Associated Press, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Forbes and DNyuz

Trump suggests it was a mistake Biden didn't pardon himself — President Trump on Wednesday repeatedly suggested it was a mistake that former President Biden did not preemptively pardon himself before leaving office. — Trump, in a sit-down interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity …
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Irie Sentner / Politico:
Trump suggests Biden and those he pardoned should be investigated
Trump suggests Biden and those he pardoned should be investigated
Discussion:
Reason

Donald Trump Is Running Riot — I have never been more concerned about the rule of law in the United States. — I was born in 1969 — five years after the Civil Rights Act was passed — and I have no memory of the legal system operated in the Jim Crow South, when there was one code …
Discussion:
The Bulwark, American Prospect, Power Line and Twitchy

Trump Calls for MSNBC to Be Shut Down in Nighttime Rant — The president has already sued CBS for $10 billion over its “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris.
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Raw Story

Hegseth's ex-wife gives new statement to FBI amid scrutiny over his nomination — Pete Hegseth's ex-wife recently gave a new statement to the FBI about the defense nominee's alcohol use, according to two sources familiar with the matter, an issue that has become a source of controversy during his confirmation process.
Discussion:
The Hill and The Federalist

Trump pardons police officers convicted of murder, obstruction in man's death — President Donald Trump pardoned two Washington, D.C. police officers convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, who was riding a moped on a sidewalk without a helmet when he ignored instructions to stop.
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WUSA, Washington Post, NBC4 Washington, CNN, Breitbart, New York Times, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Hill and Raw Story

RFK Jr. faces mounting bipartisan criticism — Pressure is mounting on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as critics squeeze senators from both sides of the aisle to oppose President Trump's pick to be the nation's top health official. — Kennedy's bipartisan opponents, including liberal advocates …
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Scripps News, Axios, WHDH-TV, Politico, One America News Network, The Independent and Roll Call

‘The gloves are off’: Trump appears poised to cash in from his presidency in new ways — President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump released meme coins just days before he took the oath of office. A splashy pre-inaugural party was held at a property his company owns.
Discussion:
The Independent and Fortune

Federal employees are told to name colleagues who work in DEI roles or risk ‘adverse consequences’ — Emails sent to government workers at numerous agencies gave employees 10 days to report if a colleague's job relates to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

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 undercuts enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — For decades, the political right has purported to broadly support the goals of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. In recent years, Republicans sought to pare back perceived excesses benefiting minority groups and women …
Discussion:
Axios

Sen. Blackburn would be “clear frontrunner” for Tenn. governor, Trump pollster finds — Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn would the “clear frontrunner” in the 2026 GOP primary for governor if she decided to run, Donald Trump's longtime pollster tells Axios.