Top Items:

Chuck Schumer says Senate Democrats won't provide votes to pass GOP funding bill as shutdown draws near — After meeting with his conference, the Senate minority leader said “Republicans do not have the votes” to advance the House-approved measure, which requires 60 to pass.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Mediaite, NPR, WBUR, The Hill, Orange County Register, Bangor Daily News, The Post Millennial and UPI
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Senate Democrats embrace hardball on government shutdown — Senate Democrats left a private meeting Wednesday saying there aren't enough votes to advance the short-term funding bill that passed the House on Tuesday. — Why it matters: This raises the chances of a government shutdown this weekend.
Discussion:
New York Times

New CNN poll: Americans are negative on Trump's handling of economy — Americans are not impressed with President Donald Trump's stewardship of the economy, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, putting him underwater on the nation's top issue even as he sees ratings among the best …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, Axios, Raw Story, MM Press, Vanity Fair, Breitbart, Forbes, Plain Dealer, Mediaite, masslive.com, WTOP News, Billboard and New Republic

Trump and Musk are building a new spoils system — A basic democratic norm is that laws are implemented as they are written. Another norm is that the implementation of the law be even-handed, applied equally to all groups. The idea that some groups would become less eligible for public support …

Democrats divided on whether to shut down government or vote with GOP — Senate Democrats are weighing whether to use a rare point of congressional leverage and risk taking blame for a shutdown. — Just now — President Donald Trump needs Senate Democrats' votes to keep the government funded and open this week.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Hill, Politico, Punchbowl News, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, USA Today, Blaze Media, Townhall, NPR, The Daily Signal, GovExec.com, Scripps News, Ace of Spades HQ, Deadline and Raw Story

Government Shutdown Looms With Senate Democrats Opposing 6-Month Funding Bill — The top Senate Democrat said his members were not ready to provide the votes to allow the Republican-written stopgap spending measure to pass ahead of a March 14 midnight deadline.

Senate Democrats take stock of their shutdown pickle
Discussion:
The Hill, Forbes, Joy's House, HotAir, Washington Post, CNN, Bloomberg, IJR, New Republic, Fox News, Blaze Media, Voice of America, Washington Times, The Daily Signal and Washington Examiner
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Americans sour on Trump's handling of economy, poll finds
Americans sour on Trump's handling of economy, poll finds
Discussion:
Washington Times, Business Insider, Democrats and Raw Story
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Republicans Quietly Move to Relinquish Power to Undo Trump's Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China
Republicans Quietly Move to Relinquish Power to Undo Trump's Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China
Politico:
Trump calls Schumer a ‘Palestinian’ while defending GOP spending bill, egg prices and tariff policy
Trump calls Schumer a ‘Palestinian’ while defending GOP spending bill, egg prices and tariff policy
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Fox News, RedState, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Townhall, Blaze Media, New York Post, Mediaite, The Independent, Raw Story and The Forward
Max Burns / The Hill:
The public is losing patience with Trump — it's time for Democrats to pounce
The public is losing patience with Trump — it's time for Democrats to pounce
Discussion:
NOTUS and Foreign Policy
Jude Joffe-Block / NPR:
A Republican-backed bill would upend voter registration. Here are 8 things to know
A Republican-backed bill would upend voter registration. Here are 8 things to know
Discussion:
The Federalist, Votebeat and The Texas Tribune
Washington Post:
Senate pushes closer to shutdown after Democrats spurn funding bill
Senate pushes closer to shutdown after Democrats spurn funding bill
Discussion:
Townhall, Daily Caller News Foundation and Mock Paper Scissors
Mike Lillis / The Hill:
Democratic leaders amp up pressure on Senate colleagues to oppose GOP spending bill: ‘Stand with us’
Democratic leaders amp up pressure on Senate colleagues to oppose GOP spending bill: ‘Stand with us’
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Business Insider
Felice Belman / New York Times:
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, Won't Run Again in 2026
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, Won't Run Again in 2026
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate Democrats appear ready to back down in government shutdown fight
Senate Democrats appear ready to back down in government shutdown fight
Discussion:
Reason, NOTUS, Competitive Enterprise …, CBS News, New York Daily News, HuffPost and NBC News
Washington Post:
House spending bill would lead to $1B in D.C. cuts. Here's what that means.
House spending bill would lead to $1B in D.C. cuts. Here's what that means.
Discussion:
New York Magazine and The 51st
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Here Are the Arguments for Why Senate Ds Should Vote Yes and Why They're Wrong
Here Are the Arguments for Why Senate Ds Should Vote Yes and Why They're Wrong
Discussion:
Press Herald

Social Security, facing pressure from DOGE, weighs big cuts to phone service — Agency considers ending phone program that helps with claims processing and is used by millions of elderly and disabled Americans. — Just now — Under pressure from the U.S. DOGE Service team to root out alleged fraud …
Discussion:
The Hill, MSNBC, PolitiFact, Forbes, New Republic, ABC News, American Greatness and Raw Story
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Eli Hager / ProPublica:
“The President Wanted It and I Did It”: Recording Reveals Head of Social Security's Thoughts on DOGE and Trump — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — Since the arrival of a team …
Discussion:
The Independent and The Daily Beast

At Columbia, Tension Over Gaza Protests Hits Breaking Point Under Trump — There were protests, arrests, the departure of the school's president. Then, a new administration arrived in Washington. — Days after immigration officers arrested a prominent pro-Palestinian campus activist …
Discussion:
New York Daily News, The Hill, Associated Press, Axios, Chicago Tribune and Global News
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Effort to deport Columbia student rests solely on Rubio determination — A government document that details the civil charges against Mahmoud Khalil does not include written evidence from immigration officers. — NEW YORK — A determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio is so far …
Discussion:
The Hill, Christian Science Monitor, Jacobin, Fox News and Boston.com

Trump's FBI Moves to Criminally Charge Major Climate Groups — The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like Habitat for Humanity for receiving grants from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration. — Citibank revealed in a court filing Wednesday that it was told …
Discussion:
New York Times, TechCrunch and New York Post
RELATED:
Claire Brown / New York Times:
E.P.A. Cancels Climate Grants, Intensifying Battle Over $20 Billion
E.P.A. Cancels Climate Grants, Intensifying Battle Over $20 Billion
Discussion:
Associated Press, Grist, Politico and E&E News

Why I Left the Washington Post — Owner Jeff Bezos wants to transform the Opinions section of the paper, where I worked for forty years. After the publisher killed my column disagreeing with that move—it appears here in full—I decided to quit. — I walked into the Washington Post building …
Discussion:
Fox News, Nieman Lab, The Wrap and The Independent, more at Mediagazer »

EU retaliates against Trump's trade moves and hits beef, whiskey, motorcycles with targeted tariffs — The European Union on Wednesday announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration's increase …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Guardian, NBC News, Associated Press, Washington Post, Axios, USA Today, European Commission, Crikey, Politico, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, New Jersey Online, Breitbart, Crooks and Liars, Forbes, Washington Times, NewsNation, Daily Caller News Foundation, New York Times, WTOP News, One America News Network, World News, The Hill, The Independent, 19FortyFive, Fox Business, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Washington Examiner, The Daily Wire, eutoday.net, RTÉ, Bloomberg, E&E News and New Republic
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Rahm Emanuel Is Gearing Up to Run for President — The former Chicago mayor is already on the hustings, finding new ways to attack Trumpism from the center. — Rahm Wants to Run. — Yes, that Rahm. And, yes, for that office — the presidency. — “I've only been back two months …
Discussion:
RedState, The Independent, Mediaite, Mock Paper Scissors, The National Pulse, The Post Millennial and IJR
RELATED:

Texas measles outbreak grows, while New York and California report new cases — Counties in California, New York and Maryland detected their first measles cases of the year. The CDC has warned travelers to be vigilant as spring break begins. — Los Angeles County in California …
Discussion:
STAT, CNN, Fox News, Health Department, ABC News, UPI and Associated Press
RELATED:
Leigh Kimmins / The Daily Beast:
RFK Jr.: It Would Be Better if ‘Everybody Got Measles’
RFK Jr.: It Would Be Better if ‘Everybody Got Measles’
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Bulwark, The Boston Globe, The Hill, Washington Post, eutoday.net, Raw Story and Bloomberg

Donald Trump Bought a $90,000 Tesla With 37 Recall Notices Against It — Here's hoping Elon Musk won't have to personally fix President Trump's new EV anytime soon. — In remarkable scenes outside the White House, the President of the United States has just gone and paid the better part …
Discussion:
Deseret News

‘I feel utter anger’: From Canada to Europe, a movement to boycott US goods is spreading — Tesla sales are falling and apps and online groups are springing up to help consumers choose non-US items — The renowned German classical violinist Christian Tetzlaff was blunt in explaining …

NPR urged anchor to avoid upcoming Pride event — The Scoop — National Public Radio dissuaded one of its most visible gay employees from attending a corporate LGBTQ Pride event, as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans put pressure on the public broadcaster.

Is Trump Taking a ‘Liquidationist’ Approach to the Economy? — The administration's view that damaging the economy now could help it later comes with little upside for investors — During President Trump's first term, stocks rode high on the belief that he would always pull back on policies that led to a selloff.

White House reporter asks Irish PM why he ‘let’ Rosie O'Donnell move to his country — A reporter covering the Wednesday White House meeting between President Trump and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin asked the prime minister why he allowed American comedian Rosie O'Donnell to move to the country.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Scripps News, Los Angeles Times, Breitbart, Page Six, New Jersey Online, TMZ.com, One America News Network, The Independent, RedState, Raw Story, Whiskey Riff, Twitchy, Reuters, Washington Times, Deadline, RTÉ, New York Post, Plain Dealer, PinkNews, Vanity Fair, New York Times, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, them., Louder With Crowder, Rolling Stone, Fox Business, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, Voice of America, Chicago Tribune, The Hollywood Reporter, Global News, Variety and Consequence, more at Mediagazer »

DIRECTOR AT CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION CHARGED WITH SCHEME TO FRAUDULENTY OBTAIN DISASTER AID AND LYING TO FEDERAL AGENTS — For Immediate Release — U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan — DETROIT - A federal criminal complaint was unsealed today charging the Director …
Discussion:
WDIV-TV, RedState, Fox News, Blaze Media, The Gateway Pundit, The Post Millennial and The National Pulse

The 200+ Sites an ICE Surveillance Contractor is Monitoring — A contractor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and many other U.S. government agencies has developed a tool that lets analysts more easily pull a target individual's publicly available data from a wide array of sites …

A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Lose — Especially when you're running a country — A note to subscribers: I've taken my weekend primer on Social Security out from behind the paywall, partly in response to popular demand but also because it's relevant to today's post. — This will, I hope, be a fairly short post.

Yale Suspends Scholar After A.I.-Powered News Site Accuses Her of Terrorist Link — The deputy director of a liberal project at Yale Law School was put on leave over allegations that she is linked to Samidoun, a group the U.S. government has said funds terrorists.
US EPA:
EPA Launches Biggest Deregulatory Action in U.S. History — Administrator Zeldin Announces 31 Historic Actions to Power the Great American Comeback — WASHINGTON - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will undertake 31 historic actions …

Greenlanders say no to Trump as rare earths loom over coalition talks — Election throws up surprise result as independence from Denmark remains tough to define. — Greenland had a message for Donald Trump as islanders went to the polls this week: thanks, but no thanks.
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, BBC, New York Daily News, Bloomberg, Washington Times, Reuters, RedState, Washington Examiner, The Daily Wire, Raw Story, Breitbart, Blaze Media, RTÉ, Forbes, The Guardian, Deseret News and NPR

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for probe into Tesla attacks — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and seven other GOP House members on Wednesday called for a “domestic terrorism” investigation into attacks against Tesla and Elon Musk. — Why it matters: #Teslatakedown protests have largely been peaceful …

Turns out DOGE can't beat FOIA by shouting NOT AN AGENCY — 🚘 💨 🛣️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Business Insider and GovExec.com

Document prepared for Kremlin outlines hard-line negotiating stance — The document, written in February by a Moscow-based think tank close to Russia's Federal Security Service or FSB, lays out Russia's maximalist demands — Russia should work to weaken the U.S. negotiating position …
Discussion:
Breitbart and Atlantic Council