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Senior USAID security officials put on leave after refusing Musk's DOGE access to agency systems — Two top security officials at the US Agency for International Development were put on administrative leave Saturday night after refusing to allow officials from Elon Musk's Department …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Raw Story, RedState, DNyuz, Mashable and Family Inequality
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USAID security leaders on leave after trying to keep Musk's DOGE from classified info, officials say — The Trump administration has placed two top security chiefs at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Independent, FedScoop, Bloomberg and WTOP News

The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover — Engineers between 19 and 24, most linked to Musk's companies, are playing a key role as he seizes control of federal infrastructure. — Elon Musk's takeover of federal government infrastructure is ongoing …

DOGE Gains Access to Payment System Doling Out Trillions to Americans
Discussion:
Fox News, Associated Press, Politico, DNyuz, New York Magazine, Reuters, Sun-Sentinel, TechCrunch and New York Times
Karoun Demirjian / New York Times:
End Appears Near for U.S. Aid Agency, Democratic Lawmakers Say
End Appears Near for U.S. Aid Agency, Democratic Lawmakers Say
Discussion:
Reuters, The Guardian, Associated Press and Time

Trump faces backlash from business as tariffs ignite inflation fears — Experts warn aggressive trade measures against US allies will hurt consumers and roil supply chains — Donald Trump faced a backlash from business groups and some in his own Republican party after kicking off a trade war …
Discussion:
Globe and Mail, CNN, The Guardian and CBC News
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Doug Ford announces Ontario ban on American liquor in response to U.S. tariffs — U.S. President Donald Trump imposing a 25% tariff on most Canadian imports beginning Tuesday — Ontario Premier Doug Ford has ordered the LCBO to strip its shelves of American products in response …

Canada, Mexico Want America to Feel the Pain of Tariffs Too — Both countries are planning precision strikes against U.S. exports in response to Trump's unilateral tariffs — in Toronto. — Canada and Mexico will suffer severe economic blows from the tariffs President Trump announced on Saturday.
Discussion:
Semafor and Washington Post
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
With tariffs and threats, Trump turns on America's closest allies
With tariffs and threats, Trump turns on America's closest allies
Discussion:
New York Post, Associated Press, The Economist, CNBC, Axios, CBS News, DNyuz, Liberal Democracy and The Guardian
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Trump says potential pain caused by tariffs ‘worth the price that must be paid’
Trump says potential pain caused by tariffs ‘worth the price that must be paid’
Discussion:
Politico, Althouse, DCReport.org, NBC News, Bloomberg and Washington Examiner
Matina Stevis-Gridneff / New York Times:
Trudeau Details Canada's Retaliation Plans in Emotional Rebuke of Trump Tariffs
Trudeau Details Canada's Retaliation Plans in Emotional Rebuke of Trump Tariffs
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, Associated Press, New York Post, The Guardian, RedState, Fox Business, The Verge, ABC News, Grabien and The Independent
William Eltherington / CTV News:
Hockey fans boo U.S. national anthem at Ottawa Senators game after Trump imposes tariffs
Hockey fans boo U.S. national anthem at Ottawa Senators game after Trump imposes tariffs
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, TMZ.com and Fox News
Jeanne Whalen / Wall Street Journal:
Tariffs Are Here. The Price Hikes Coming for These Items May Surprise You.
Tariffs Are Here. The Price Hikes Coming for These Items May Surprise You.
Discussion:
Fox News, Bloomberg, Fortune, Al Jazeera, RedState, Associated Press, Forbes, The Hill and The Gateway Pundit
Business Today:
‘Make them pay’: Canada puts Trump's ‘first friend’ Elon Musk's Tesla in the crosshairs of tariff war
‘Make them pay’: Canada puts Trump's ‘first friend’ Elon Musk's Tesla in the crosshairs of tariff war
Discussion:
Townhall, DNyuz, OutsideTheBeltway, Crooks and Liars and Bloomberg
CBC News:
B.C. premier announces countermeasures against U.S. tariffs, including ban on ‘red-state’ liquor
B.C. premier announces countermeasures against U.S. tariffs, including ban on ‘red-state’ liquor
Discussion:
news.gov.bc.ca and Forbes
NPR:
Trump imposes new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China in new phase of trade war
Trump imposes new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China in new phase of trade war
Discussion:
Salon, Business Insider, Reuters, The Guardian, NBC News, Politico, UPI, CNN, Daily Mail, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Life, CBS News, Bloomberg, Fox Business, HuffPost, Mediaite, The New European, CNBC, Raw Story, The Hill, The Post Millennial, The Verge, Washington Examiner, 19FortyFive, Atlantic Council, The Texas Tribune, Quartz, San Diego Union-Tribune, USA Today, New York Post, New York Times, DNyuz and Econbrowser, more at Techmeme »
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Favors Blunt Force in Dealing With Foreign Allies and Enemies Alike
Trump Favors Blunt Force in Dealing With Foreign Allies and Enemies Alike
Discussion:
Disconnect, The Guardian and Raw Story
Reuters:
Mexican president orders retaliatory tariffs against U.S.
Mexican president orders retaliatory tariffs against U.S.
Discussion:
PBS NewsHour, The White House, WTOP News, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Forbes, Daily Mail, NBC News, Al Jazeera, USA Today, New York Times, DNyuz, The Independent, Politico, Business Insider, UPI, Associated Press, KSDK-TV and API

Trump is waging war against his own government — One federal employee who spoke with NBC News said that the government workforce feels like they're being attacked regularly with “psychological warfare.” — WASHINGTON — Less than two weeks into his term, President Donald Trump is waging war …
Discussion:
Baltimore Sun, Mashable, Rolling Stone, The Hill and HuffPost
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We do not know what exactly Elon Musk is doing to the federal government
Discussion:
OutsideTheBeltway, Programmable Mutter, Twitchy, DNyuz, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Daily Signal, Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
Throughout now-president Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, it was clear that his support was coming …
Throughout now-president Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, it was clear that his support was coming …
Discussion:
The Colorado Sun

The power of independent journalism: From her Brooklyn apartment, she ‘scooped’ the nation's media — First word of the Trump administration's since-rescinded order to freeze spending on federal loans and grants came not from a major news organization, but from a woman working alone in her Brooklyn apartment.

‘We Have No Coherent Message’: Democrats Struggle to Oppose Trump — More than 50 interviews with Democratic leaders revealed a party struggling to decide what it believes in, what issues to prioritize and how to confront an aggressive right-wing administration.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, Althouse, Twitchy and Semafor
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Timothy Snyder / Thinking about:
The Logic of Destruction — What is a country? The way its people govern themselves. America exists because its people elect those who make and execute laws. The assumption of a democracy is that individuals have dignity and rights that they realize and protect by acting together.
Discussion:
Scripting News

Don't Believe Him — This is an edited transcript of an audio essay on “The Ezra Klein Show.” You can listen to the conversation by following or subscribing to the show on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog

Critical FAA warning system outage could cause ‘residual’ flight delays today — Flights across the US could experience “residual delays” Sunday morning as the Federal Aviation Administration works to restore a critical warning system that experienced an outage Saturday night, according to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
Discussion:
Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, DNyuz, New York Post and Axios
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Sen. Schmitt dodges answering if Edward Snowden is a traitor … - “I think people are tired of these games, of sort of this ‘gotcha’ stuff. … - When asked again about Snowden, Schmitt said: “I think it's totally ridiculous to try to smear people who are trying to serve this country because, again, it's sort of ‘gotcha.’”
Discussion:
RedState

Trump Kicks Aside Congress With Sweeping Claims of Presidential Power — With aggressive reading of Constitution, president aims to upend balance of power in Washington — WASHINGTON—In laying out the checks and balances of democracy, authors of the U.S. Constitution imagined that the president …
Discussion:
The Bulwark
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Trump Administration Revokes Protections for Venezuelans in the U.S. — The decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status signals that President Trump will continue to dismantle a program that aims to protect migrants from potentially dangerous countries. — The Trump administration …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Floridian and The Independent
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
GOP pollster says Trump voters ‘tired’ of being accused of racism — Republican pollster Frank Luntz said on Friday that President Trump's voters are “tired” of being accused of being sexist and racist. — In a discussion about Trump's remarks linking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) …

Transcript: Rep. Brian Mast on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Feb. 2, 2025 — The following is the transcript of an interview with House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Brian Mast, Republican of Florida, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Feb. 2, 2025.