Top Items:

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 …
Discussion:
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.
Discussion:
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, The Gateway Pundit, Fox Business, Ace of Spades HQ, Variety and LGBTQ Nation, more at Mediagazer »

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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Trump's D.E.I. Order Creates ‘Fear and Confusion’ Among Corporate Leaders
Discussion:
Quillette, Axios, Reuters, CNN, Vanity Fair, Associated Press, New Republic, Forbes, USA Today and Florida Politics
Washington Post:
In first days, Trump deals ‘death blow’ to DEI and affirmative action
In first days, Trump deals ‘death blow’ to DEI and affirmative action
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner and ABC News
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Trump falsely triples number of reported overdose deaths as he targets cartels
Trump falsely triples number of reported overdose deaths as he targets cartels
Discussion:
Roll Call

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 …
Discussion:
The Barbed Wire, Politico, Daily Kos, NBC News, New York Post and The Independent
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Nikki Marín Baena / Teen Vogue:
ICE Watch Programs Can Protect Immigrants in Your Neighborhood — Here's What to Know
ICE Watch Programs Can Protect Immigrants in Your Neighborhood — Here's What to Know
Discussion:
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

Justice Dept. Cancels Entry-Level Job Offers in Honors Program — The program, which has functioned quietly for decades, is the latest target of Trump administration appointees who are eager to exert more control over who gets government jobs. — The Justice Department has abruptly rescinded job offers …
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Perry Stein / Washington Post:
Justice Department freezes all cases in civil rights division
Justice Department freezes all cases in civil rights division
Discussion:
USA Today, New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, The Independent, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Forbes 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 …
Discussion:
Exposing the role … and CBS News
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President Donald Trump goes off the rails when asked about California wildfires
Discussion:
Washington Times

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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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
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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

Trump Revokes Security Detail for Pompeo and Others Despite Threats From Iran — The officials had been part of an aggressive posture against Iran during President Trump's first term. — President Trump revoked security protection for his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo …
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, The Hill, Middle East Monitor, Raw Story and Daily Kos

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.
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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

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!
Discussion:
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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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:
The Register, TechCrunch, Hollywood Life, 9to5Mac and DNyuz, more at Techmeme »

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.

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

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 …

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

Kyiv investigates another case of Russian soldiers executing Ukraine POWs — Prosecutor General's Office opens war crimes case after video emerges of executions in Donetsk. — KYIV — Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case against Russia for war crimes in Ukraine …

Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses Statement on DOD Actions Responding to President Trump's Executive Order on Securing our Border — On Monday, to protect the security and safety of United States citizens, President Trump declared that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States.
Discussion:
IJR, Task & Purpose, Los Angeles Times, Arizona Public Media, Axios, DNyuz, The Daily Caller and The Hill

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 …

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 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.
Discussion:
Raw Story

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.
Discussion:
WUSA, NBC4 Washington, Washington Post, CNN, Breitbart, New York Times, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Fox News, Bloomberg, The Hill and Raw Story

China Will Be Thrilled if Trump Kills America's Green Economy — In its heyday in the mid-20th century, the steel mill in Weirton, W.Va., employed 13,000 people and offered workers a relatively stable blue-collar life. In 2003, Weirton Steel filed for bankruptcy.

Trump's anger toward World Health Organization may reshape global health, politics — Public health experts say the United States' departure could cripple the WHO's operations or leave an opening for China to assume greater control over the agency. — For five years, Donald Trump has blamed …

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.

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