Top Items:
Politico:
White House pulls stalled ICE director nominee — The White House on Thursday withdrew the nomination of Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a Republican blocked his confirmation hearing. — Schroyer's nomination stalled …
Discussion:
MS NOW, New Republic, The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
The White House:
Withdrawals Sent to the Senate — WITHDRAWALS SENT TO THE SENATE: — Jeffrey Anderson, of Georgia, to be Representative of the United States of America on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, with the rank of Ambassador, which was sent to the Senate on January 13, 2026.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NBC News, The Washington Sun, Townhall, The Guardian, KRDO and CBS News
Maria Sacchetti / Washington Post:
White House withdraws nominee for ICE director allied with DHS chief Mullin — President Donald Trump had touted Lance Schroyer's experience with local immigration enforcement when he tapped him for the post in June. — Summary — The White House on Thursday withdrew without explanation …
Discussion:
ABC News, Wall Street Journal, Daily Mail, Axios and Washington Examiner
Hamed Aleaziz / New York Times:
White House Pulls Nomination of Mullin Ally for ICE Director
White House Pulls Nomination of Mullin Ally for ICE Director
Discussion:
Federal News Network, New York Post, RedState, Bloomberg, Axios, The Independent, WTOP News, The Gateway Pundit and Rolling Stone
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Trump photo appears to reference Kennedy Center demolition, judge orders advance notice of any move to knock it down … A new photo shows President Donald Trump eyeing a poster that appears to reference the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts being demolished …
Discussion:
Axios, Forbes, The Independent, MS NOW, Washingtonian, ABC News and FOX 7 Austin
RELATED:
Shawn McCreesh / New York Times:
Photos Spur Speculation About Possible Demolition of Kennedy Center — Images captured through the windows of Air Force One show President Trump reviewing a poster with the title “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED.” — It is the picture that has Washington in its latest uproar.
Discussion:
The Washington Sun, Advocate, Truthout, New York Post and NewsNation
CNN:
Trump seen with ‘Kennedy Center demolished’ poster; judge orders 30-day notice before any major changes — President Donald Trump was pictured reviewing a poster that appears to read, “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED,” hours before his administration told a judge the arts institution had to be closed due to …
Discussion:
Wonkette, Advocate, Associated Press, The Independent, New York Times, The Hill, KSTP-TV, Forbes, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, WTTG-TV, KRDO, The Wrap, NewsMax.com, WTOP News and Washington Post
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Trump tells Axios he's approaching major crossroads in Iran war — President Trump told Axios Thursday that he's approaching a critical juncture in the Iran war over whether to restart massive attacks in an effort to bring the conflict to a close. — “I have a big decision coming up.
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Post, RedState, CNBC, The Independent, The American Conservative, CoinDesk, NewsNation, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God., CBS News, Reuters and The Nation
Mattathias Schwartz / New York Times:
Trump's Minnesota Surge Threatened Democracy, Judge Warns … Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in his courtroom. A former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court, he does not have the profile of a jurist likely to engage in a high-stakes standoff with the executive branch.Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times
Discussion:
MS NOW, Washington Examiner, Reason and Talking Points Memo
Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Why Karl Rove, a father of the modern Texas GOP, is voting for a Democrat — How Texas Republicans abandoned their immigrant-welcoming tradition. — Summary — Legendary Republican operative Karl Rove has said that he plans to do something in November that, for him, is radical …
RELATED:
Politico:
Democratic advisers are warning their candidates not to go too hard at AI
Discussion:
NBC News, The Daily Caller, Bloomberg and The Washington Sun
Igor Bobic / The Washington Sun:
As Republican Cash Pours in for Paxton, Democrats Call for More Aid for Talarico
As Republican Cash Pours in for Paxton, Democrats Call for More Aid for Talarico
Discussion:
New Republic and Axios
New York Times:
Who Will Win the Midterms? Republicans Are Reeling. … The political environment has worsened for Republicans as they try to defend control of Congress, though the party has a big cash advantage over Democrats. Alex Kent/The New York Times — In Georgia, Republican strategists …
Discussion:
Semafor, Lawyers, Guns & Money and PoliticusUSA
Alex Thompson / Axios:
Hasan Piker on “The Axios Show”: America worse than al-Qaeda “pound for pound” — OPEN EMBEDDED CONTENT FROM CDN.JWPLAYER.COM … - “Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes,” Piker said in an exclusive interview for a new episode of “The Axios Show.”
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, HotAir, Townhall, Newsbusters, The Daily Wire, The Hill, One America News Network, Daily Mail, Breitbart, National Review, Erick Erickson's Show Notes, The Independent, NRCC, TMZ.com, NewsMax.com, Zeteo, RedState, The Wrap, Fox News, New York Post and Mediaite
Astead Herndon / Vox:
The quiet campaign to stop Kamala 2028 is growing louder — Making sense of Gavin Newsom's surprising pledge this week. … Welcome to The Midterms, Actually. Every week I'll be writing about two things: one big idea or trend I see forming across the 2026 primaries, and one thing I'm hearing from a voice on the ground.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Fox News, Politico, NewsMax.com, New York Post and Washington Examiner
RELATED:
Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:
Kamala Harris is sticking to her own timeline on a 2028 decision
Kamala Harris is sticking to her own timeline on a 2028 decision
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Blaze Media
Christopher Mathias / Talking Points Memo:
We Asked 28 GOP Officials If They'd Denounce the GOP Nominee Who Marched With Nazis in Charlottesville — Marshall Rawson, poised to join the Florida legislature, has condoned slavery and called for the execution of LGBTQ+ people. Does the Republican Party even care?
Discussion:
Gainesville Sun
Ryan King / New York Post:
Trump ‘I did that’ stickers pop up on gas pumps, four years after Biden got the same treatment — WASHINGTON — President Trump is on the receiving end of some sticker shock. — Detractors of the president have slapped decals faulting Trump for high gasoline prices on pumps across the country as the war with Iran grinds on.
Discussion:
RedState, The Independent, The Hill and Mediaite
Hafiz Rashid / New Republic:
DOGE Staffers Are Back—and Leading AI Takeover of Government Services — Former Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, employees are working on an artificial intelligence takeover of federal government services for the Trump administration. — The Washington Sun reports that the staffers …
RELATED:
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
Michigan 2026 Poll: El-Sayed and Rogers Locked in Close Election — Jocelyn Benson Takes Significant Lead Over John James in Governor Race — A new Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media Michigan poll finds 48% of Michigan voters support Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and 46% support Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate.
Discussion:
Blaze Media, Breitbart, Washington Post, The Guardian, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God. and Washington Examiner
RELATED:
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
Texas 2026 Poll: Talarico and Paxton in Dead Heat, Abbott Maintains Edge
Texas 2026 Poll: Talarico and Paxton in Dead Heat, Abbott Maintains Edge
Discussion:
Newsweek, The Hill, FOX 7 Austin, NewsMax.com and San Antonio Current
Zoya Sheftalovich / Politico:
Carney to Trump: No one tells Canadians what to do — “Nobody is going to tell us about what language to speak, no one is going to dictate our culture, or with whom we can strike agreements,” Canadian PM says. — STRASBOURG — Canada's warming relationship with the EU “is a positive” …
Discussion:
Reason, One America News Network, Reuters, Politico, CNBC, Breitbart, Quartz, Mock Paper Scissors, The New World, Joe.My.God., Christian Science Monitor, The Daily Wire, The Independent, The Hill, Newsweek, Forbes, Associated Press, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, Global News, Atlantic Council, New York Times, ColombiaOne, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, BOE Report, MeidasTouch, NPR, KRDO, Bloomberg, Euronews and Axios
WBUR:
Mass. parents' story about child's gender transition complicated by court records — A Southborough family has stepped into the national spotlight with claims that their local school seeded — and the state of Massachusetts is facilitating — their child's gender transition.
Discussion:
Trump withdraws Lance Schroyer …, LGBTQ Nation, The Gateway Pundit and Boston Herald
Paul McLeary / Politico:
US, in controversial deal, agrees to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia — The Trump administration on Thursday agreed to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from lawmakers and defense officials that it could give China access to highly sensitive technology.
Emmy Martin / New York Times:
OpenAI Discloses Six New Incidents of ‘Concerning’ A.I. Behavior — The artificial intelligence company also released a framework for reporting when its systems go wrong. — OpenAI on Wednesday disclosed six new instances in which artificial intelligence systems hid mistakes …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, OpenAI, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, CNBC, New York Magazine, Politico, Joe.My.God., Quartz, The Decoder, NewsNation, The Wrap, France 24, ColombiaOne, TMZ.com, RedState, Reuters, 24/7 Wall St., Semafor, CBS News, CNN, Forbes, The Washington Sun, Washington Examiner and Wired, more at Techmeme »
Politico:
Appeals court considers reviving Missouri redistricting fight, citing murky Supreme Court orders — A federal appeals court labored Thursday to interpret the Supreme Court's intention when the justices blocked an order that would have allowed Missouri to use a new GOP-friendly map for the midterms.
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, The Hill, ABC News, NBC News and Missouri Independent
James LaPorta / CBS News:
Iran downed at least 2 unmanned American aircraft in recent days, U.S. officials say — Washington — Iranian forces in recent days have brought down at least two American MQ-1 unmanned aircraft, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
NBC News:
‘Godfather of AI’ warns Congress has ‘maybe a year’ left to regulate AI — There appeared to be a lot of talk about artificial intelligence and little progress on Capitol Hill this week. But members remain hopeful that Congress can act. — WASHINGTON — Geoffrey Hinton …
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Inside House Democrats' behind-the-scenes food fight — The House's last in-session week before the midterms was beset by furious private finger-pointing between House Democrats following several high-profile rebellions. … - There is even chatter among members contrasting the ability …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner and New Republic
Caitlin Owens / Axios:
RFK Jr. signals vaccine skepticism will continue — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday returned to the the anti-vaccine group he founded, using a keynote address to signal the Trump administration isn't done questioning the safety of routine shots and expanding carveouts to federal mandates.
Discussion:
New York Times, STAT, Associated Press, MS NOW, Washington Post, The Hill, Politico, Rolling Stone and The Washington Sun
NBC News:
Pentagon weighs pulling nearly a third of U.S. forces from Europe — The potentially drastic drawdown of 25,000 or more U.S. troops comes amid warnings from NATO allies about a growing threat posed by Russia. — WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is weighing a drastic plan to pull planes, ships …
Discussion:
Reuters
Max Rego / The Hill:
Haaland backs data center moratorium in New Mexico — New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland (D) on Thursday backed a moratorium on the construction of data centers in her state, citing environmental and workforce-related concerns. — In a policy framework on her website …
Discussion:
Deb Haaland for New Mexico
Alexis Cortez / KASW-TV:
Longtime Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl dies following dementia diagnosis — PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A longtime Arizona Republican congressman has died, months after he announced his dementia diagnosis, according to reports. — Jon Kyl, who served in the U.S. House from 1987 to 1995 and the Senate from 1995 to 2013, died Thursday.
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News, Roll Call, Townhall, The Hill, The Guardian, CBS News, Breitbart, Washington Examiner, Fox News and The Gateway Pundit
Wall Street Journal:
Corporate Donations to State AGs Are Setting Records This Year — Broadcasters, tech giants are writing big checks to state officials who have weighed in on mergers — Kansas' attorney general joined a sweeping lawsuit to block a merger between two big owners of local TV stations.
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Gillian Brockell / American Prospect:
Alligator Alcatraz's Tiny Cages Were Likely Even Tinier — This article was featured in the Daily Prospect newsletter. Sign up for it here. — The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Homeland Security released a scathing report last Friday about the shuttered Florida …
Discussion:
Palm Beach Post
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
Who Made America Poorer and Dirtier? — The people in charge are really hoping you'll blame someone else. — At last week's GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Vice President Vance painted a bleak picture of American life before the second Trump administration:
Discussion:
Newsbusters
Steven Zeitchik / The Hollywood Reporter:
Universal Is Getting Cold Feet on Releasing the Elon Musk Documentary (Exclusive) — The Comcast-owned studio is not yet committing to rolling out Alex Gibney's movie that it paid millions to acquire for non-North American release before the political winds shifted.
Discussion:
New York Times, Daily Kos, The Wrap, TMZ.com and Joe.My.God., more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
China Stockpiled Oil, and Now It Could Dominate the Energy Landscape — The war with Iran revealed just how much influence the world's biggest oil importer has over prices and other countries' supplies of jet fuel, gasoline and diesel. — One of the most important lessons from the war with Iran is one that few saw coming.
Discussion:
South China Morning Post and Semafor
Reuters:
Trump says progress made toward establishing US Army base in Poland — President Donald Trump said on Thursday that progress is being made toward establishing a US Army base in Poland, crediting “the bold leadership” of Polish President Karol Nawrocki. — “If this happens, the location will be announced very soon.
