Top Items:
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Blanche faces uncertain path through Senate — Senators voted to confirm Todd Blanche for deputy attorney general in early 2025, but there's no guarantee they will now vote to install him as the nation's chief law enforcement officer. Blanche, now serving as acting attorney general …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, NewsMax.com, Mediaite, Semafor and Roll Call
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Annie Karni / New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Senate at a Standstill Over President's $1.8 Billion Payout Fund — What We're Covering Today — Payout Fund: Republicans were deadlocked Thursday over a Democratic effort to permanently block President Trump from creating a $1.8 billion fund …
Discussion:
Washington Times and The Stranger
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Dems help GOP kill Tlaib's Lebanon war powers measure
Dems help GOP kill Tlaib's Lebanon war powers measure
Discussion:
Fox News, Zeteo, The Detroit News, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Raw Story, Truthout, Los Angeles Times and Jewish Insider
Victoria Craw / Washington Post:
The four Republicans who broke with Trump on Iran and now face his wrath
The four Republicans who broke with Trump on Iran and now face his wrath
Discussion:
CBS News, HuffPost, PolitiFact, The Hill, JURISTnews, CNN, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, HotAir, Alabama Political Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer, MS NOW, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, NPR, Forbes, IJR, New York Times, Mediaite, Reuters, Informed Comment, Fox News, New Republic, The Guardian, RedState, Military.com, The American Conservative, Jewish Insider, Stars & Stripes, NOTUS, Washington Times, Straight Arrow, The Independent, NBC News and The Gateway Pundit
Politico:
Senate GOP defeats initial attempts to kill DOJ payout fund
Senate GOP defeats initial attempts to kill DOJ payout fund
Discussion:
NOTUS, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic and Deseret News
CNN:
Exclusive: John Bolton reaches plea deal over mishandling of sensitive national security documents — John Bolton, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser-turned-adversary, is expected to plead guilty over mishandling classified documents, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
NBC News, Associated Press, Washington Post, NOTUS, New York Post, CNBC, The Daily Wire, The Hill, The Federalist, Blaze Media, Breitbart, Daily Mail, CBS News, MS NOW, Newsweek, IJR, Raw Story, The Post Millennial, ZeroHedge News, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, Townhall, RedState, The Guardian, The Daily Signal, New Republic, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, ABC News, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, HuffPost and Ace of Spades HQ
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New York Times:
John Bolton Reaches Deal to Plead Guilty Over Classified Information — The former Trump national security adviser plans to plead guilty to a count of illegal retention of classified information, which could result in a fine and possibly prison time of up to five years.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, WTTG-TV, UPI, CBS News, MS NOW, The Daily Wire and Forbes
New York Times:
Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall ‘Unsettling’ Behavior — The Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine could be charming, women said in interviews, but some found his actions intimidating and disturbing. — TIMES EXCLUSIVE — The Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine could be charming …
Discussion:
New York Post, Townhall, Bangor Daily News, Mediaite, Centralmaine.com and The Portland Press Herald
Jonathan Edwards / Washington Post:
Kennedy Center orders staff to begin removing Trump's name after ruling — The Kennedy Center's general counsel instructed staff members in a memo to strip all uses of President Donald Trump's name from signs, brochures, the website and other materials. — Summary
Discussion:
New York Times, CBS News, New York Magazine, UPI, The Independent and KRDO
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Politico:
Oil industry warns Trump administration of price spikes within weeks … Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes three months ago, kicking off what has become the biggest disruption in crude oil flows ever.
Discussion:
Media Matters for America, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, The Independent, Blaze Media, New Republic and Washington Post
Katherine Pompilio / Lawfare:
The Jan. 6 Pardons: How Many Clemency Recipients Have Faced Other Charges? — The real count is much higher than the public knew. — katherinepomps — katherinepomps.bsky.social — Meet The Authors — At least 97 of the more than 1,500 individuals granted clemency by President Trump …
Discussion:
New Republic, MS NOW, Bloomberg and Mediaite
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Josh Boak / Associated Press:
Trump says Pulte won't be his nominee for director of national intelligence — President Donald Trump said Thursday that federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, his pick for acting director of national intelligence, would not be his “permanent” choice for the critical security post.
Discussion:
NBC News, CBS News, The Hill, CNBC, Washington Examiner and NewsMax.com
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Politico:
Pentagon likely to cancel missile deal with Germany over fears of Russia … Europe “can step up now and in the near term,” Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's top commander and the head of U.S. forces in Europe, told military leaders this week. America, he said, will “refocus” equipment and forces elsewhere.
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Arizona AG to seek new indictment in Trump 2020 election case … The brief, unexplained decision closed the book on a two-year-old case that threatened some of Trump's closest allies, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman and nearly …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Votebeat, NewsMax.com, Raw Story and New Republic
Jonathan Edwards / Washington Post:
Ballroom donors won $50B in contracts after giving to Trump project, watchdog group finds — President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the gifts as a boon to taxpayers, but critics of the project say the administration's refusal to release a full list of donors creates the potential for corruption.
Page Six:
The real Nick Bilton revealed — from political beliefs of new ‘60 Minutes’ boss to the rivals he beat to top job — It turns out Nick Bilton wasn't the only candidate that Bari Weiss considered for the top job at “60 Minutes.” — Multiple sources with knowledge of CBS News' hiring practices …
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Magazine, Variety, NPR and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »
Wall Street Journal:
Justice Department Eyes Alternative ‘Weaponization’ Payouts After Fund Pushback — Some Trump supporters aim to secure government settlements by suing under 80-year-old law — WASHINGTON—While the Trump administration has reluctantly retreated from its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund …
Discussion:
CBS News, New York Magazine, Popular Information, NewsMax.com and NBC News
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Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:
Trump's DOJ enlists partisans, conspiracy backers to probe president's political foes
Trump's DOJ enlists partisans, conspiracy backers to probe president's political foes
Discussion:
MS NOW, Democracy Docket, Adam Kinzinger, NewsMax.com, Rolling Stone, Straight Arrow and Politico
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
The hair-loss drug Trump took for years is now absent from his medical records — White House officials say they are not obligated to disclose all of Trump's medications, including whether he still uses finasteride. — Summary — President Donald Trump's medical reports no longer include …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, The Independent, Raw Story and New Republic
Bret Devereaux / The Bulwark:
Why Stone-Faced Fascists Keep Getting Antiquity Wrong — HOMER IS BACK in the discourse on account of Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, The Odyssey. The latest controversy began with Elon Musk, among others, protesting the supposed inaccuracy of casting Lupita Nyong'o as Helen …
Elmira Aliieva / NBC News:
Flesh-eating screwworm returns to U.S. after 60 years, threatening cattle herd — The case of New World screwworm was confirmed in a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said late Wednesday.
Discussion:
Axios, Forbes, New York Times, Houston Public Media, The Daily Wire, Bloomberg, The Texas Tribune, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, UPI, The Hill, ZeroHedge News, HotAir, Gizmodo, Blaze Media, Al Jazeera, Wonkette, Straight Arrow, Dallas Express, E&E News, Metro.co.uk, WFAA-TV, Texas Scorecard, NOTUS, Ars Technica, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul and The Daily Caller
Grace Marion / Mississippi Free Press:
Goon Squad Victims Sue Supervisor Over Remark About ‘People That Raped and Doped Your Daughters’ — Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email — When Rankin County, Mississippi, announced the $2.5 million settlement in the “Goon Squad” police brutality case on May 1, 2025 …
Associated Press:
Trump administration has separated dozens of children from their parents for a second time, AP finds — Eleven-year-old Ederson Galicia Alva had just stepped off the plane and into the Miami airport's dim hallways when federal agents pulled his mother aside for questioning. Again. — Panic welled up.
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
Why does the media ignore Trump's madness? — This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers. Become one 👇 — 🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠 — Donald Trump frequently demonstrates a level of malignancy that still manages to shock.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Filip Timotija / The Hill:
House panel adopts measure on fired senior officers, putting pressure on Hegseth, Pentagon — The House Armed Services Committee adopted a provision for the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would demand the Pentagon inform Congress why senior military officers were fired or dismissed within five days.
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
Last night, in an unsigned opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded its finding in the recent Louisiana v. Callais decision. That decision overturned decades of law to declare that states could not construct majority-minority voting districts, as they had done under Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act …
Discussion:
Alabama Political Reporter
The Economist:
How to fight back against Gen-Z socialism — The me-first doctrine is a threat to prosperity — Something new is stirring on the left. A fresh crop of socialists want to remake the economy with price controls, hefty wealth taxes and a spree of nationalisations.
Washington Post:
Video shows Pentagon counterterrorism hire clambering into Capitol on Jan. 6 — Elias Irizarry was filmed moving through restricted grounds and climbing through a broken window, according to a Washington Post analysis. — Summary — A recent appointee to a sensitive counterterrorism job …
Discussion:
New York Times, Truthout, New Republic, Associated Press, MS NOW and Patterico's Pontifications
CNN:
RFK Jr. seeks to peek at Americans' medical records for clues on autism and vaccines — Disability issues Vaccines Chronic diseases Federal agencies — U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pursuing federal government access to most Americans' medical records …
Discussion:
Truthout, WXIA-TV, The Parnas Perspective and STAT
Christopher Mathias / Talking Points Memo:
Greg Bovino's Retirement Plan? Go Full Fascist — Greg Bovino was welcomed like a celebrity at one of the world's pre-eminent fascist confabs this past weekend. The former U.S. Border Patrol Commander-At-Large — whose MAGA star turn came when President Donald Trump cast him as the lead …
Discussion:
Truthout, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Wired
Matt Gertz / Media Matters for America:
Bret Baier said over a year ago that the press had a duty to scrutinize Trump family corruption. He's since given that topic 5 minutes of airtime. — RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ROB SAVILLO & HARRISON RAY … The 5-minute sum of Special Report's coverage of the conflicts of interest created …
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Lawmakers urge DOJ to investigate 2 men tied to Jeffrey Epstein — Several House Republicans are now calling on the Justice Department to investigate two men tied to Jeffrey Epstein after being accused of sexual misconduct by Epstein's former assistant, Sarah Kellen.
Discussion:
NBC News, Florida Politics, CNN, Miami New Times, The Guardian, MS NOW, CBS News and The Independent
Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
Van Hollen blasts AIPAC, crypto spending for Hoyer's chosen successor — Sen. Chris Van Hollen is slamming the pro-Israel lobby and crypto industry for pouring millions of dollars into the race to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer, accusing the special interest groups of trying to “buy this congressional seat” in their state.
Discussion:
Jewish Insider
Jennifer Scholtes / Politico:
US to reach $41T debt ceiling as soon as late winter, forecasters predict — The U.S. government is on track to reach its $41.1 trillion debt limit next year — likely between late winter and mid-summer, a trusted independent forecaster predicted Thursday. The new projection comes …
Gabby Miller / Politico:
House Dem proposes bill to help agencies create AI rules — A Democratic bill that would create a framework for federal agencies to issue artificial intelligence rules in areas they already oversee is expected to be introduced Wednesday. The legislation, dubbed the Sectoral AI Governance Act …


