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 York Times, New Republic, The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire, NewsMax.com and Rolling Stone
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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, Townhall, NBC News, The Guardian, The Washington Sun and CBS News
Maria Sacchetti / Washington Post:
White House withdraws nominee for ICE director allied with DHS chief Mullin
White House withdraws nominee for ICE director allied with DHS chief Mullin
Discussion:
Scripps News, ABC News, RedState, Associated Press, Daily Mail, Axios, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, WTOP News, The Gateway Pundit and The Independent
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, Al Jazeera, CNBC, RedState, The Independent, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God., CoinDesk, NewsNation, The American Conservative, CBS News, Reuters and The Nation
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, Politico, CNN, Washington Post, twitchy.com, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, France 24, Washingtonian, Bloomberg, New York Times, Forbes, The Guardian, CBS News, The Independent, MS NOW, New Republic, ABC News and FOX 7 Austin
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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:
Axios, The Washington Sun, Slate, Truthout, New York Post, NewsNation, Advocate, KRDO and HuffPost
Rudi Keller / Missouri Independent:
Federal court weighs whether it's too late to revive Missouri's gerrymandered map — The last legal battle over Missouri's 2025 redistricting plan played out Thursday, with a panel of federal appeals court judges hearing from Republicans that they should reinstate the map designed to help …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Democracy Docket and The Hill
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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 and Missouri Independent
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.
Discussion:
The Hill, United States Department …, Breaking Defense, Jewish Insider, TWZ, The Aviationist, Bloomberg and New York Times
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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:
HotAir, The Washington Sun, MS NOW, emptywheel, Reason, Washington Examiner and Talking Points Memo
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:
PoliticusUSA and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Burgess Everett / Semafor:
Exclusive / Senate Republicans weigh whether to keep investing in North Carolina and Georgia races
Exclusive / Senate Republicans weigh whether to keep investing in North Carolina and Georgia races
Discussion:
Daily Kos, PBS NewsHour and CBS News
Fox News:
Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war — Nearly seven months into the war with Iran, a new Fox News national survey finds views souring as voters feel the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the war, a growing number think the conflict …
Discussion:
HuffPost
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Politico:
Democratic advisers are warning their candidates not to go too hard at AI — Democratic consultants are privately encouraging their battleground candidates to avoid talking about artificial intelligence regulations out of fear that powerful tech groups will unleash a tidal wave of spending against them ahead of November.
Discussion:
The Washington Sun, NBC News, The Daily Caller and Bloomberg
Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:
Kamala Harris is sticking to her own timeline on a 2028 decision — Kamala Harris knows other potential 2028 Democratic candidates are waiting on her decision about running for president again. She's going to keep them waiting. — The former vice president is running her own Malibu-based version …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Blaze Media
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Astead Herndon / Vox:
The quiet campaign to stop Kamala 2028 is growing louder
The quiet campaign to stop Kamala 2028 is growing louder
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Fox News, Politico, NewsMax.com, New York Post and Washington Examiner
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
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 Post, Washington Examiner, Fox News, Ace of Spades HQ, New York Times, Townhall, Newsbusters, HotAir, The Daily Wire, Erick Erickson's Show Notes, Daily Mail, The Independent, One America News Network, National Review, The Hill, NRCC, TMZ.com, Breitbart, NewsMax.com, Zeteo, Mediaite, RedState and The Wrap
Tom Perkins / Drop Site News:
Many of the “Michigan Jewish Dems” Backing Mike Rogers Are Actually Already Republican Supporters, Analysis Finds — Over 400 alleged Michigan Jewish Democratic and independent voters signed a pledge in late August to vote for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers …
Discussion:
New York Times, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Jewish Insider
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 …
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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
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:
LGBTQ Nation, The Gateway Pundit, Trump withdraws Lance Schroyer … and Boston Herald
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 …
Discussion:
The Washington Sun
Aliss Higham / Newsweek:
Some Gas Stations ‘Out of Diesel’ as Prices Surge — Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search. — Photos appearing to show gas stations running out of diesel have spread across social media as U.S. fuel prices climb to record highs …
Discussion:
Reuters, Axios and New York Post
The White House:
Reinvigorating America's Hunting Heritage — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: — Section 1. Purpose and Policy. American hunters, anglers, and landowners are the greatest conservationists the world has ever known.
Brendan Hartnett / The Bulwark:
Wanna Influence Sean Duffy? Try His Son-in-Law's Campaign. — Transportation interests have poured money into Michael Alfonso's congressional bid while seeking decisions from Duffy's department. — DAVID PARKER, THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO of the trucking company Covenant Logistics, has been a reliable Republican donor for decades.
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
Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Senate Democrat blocks House-passed bill on data center electricity costs — Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) blocked Sen. Jon Husted's (R-Ohio) Thursday effort to unanimously pass a bill that seeks to force states to consider making tech companies cover their data centers' electricity price impacts.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Roll Call, CNBC, CBS News, The Washington Sun, New York Times, The Daily Caller and Straight Arrow
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:
Defense One and NewsMax.com
Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Violence toward journalists is a symptom of a terminally ill U.S. democracy — Some days it's hard to know what's worse for America: the wars Donald Trump is losing — most notably in Iran, as U.S. motorists pay painful reparations at the gas pump — or the ones he's winning, like his onslaught against a free press.
Martin Austermuhle / The Washington Sun:
Neighbors Are Upset Over Federal Agents' Presence at a D.C. School — Dozens of federal agents accompanied by National Guard troops fanned out around an elementary school in Northwest D.C. on Thursday, prompting questions and concerns from some residents while also serving as a vivid reminder …
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
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, CBS News, Los Angeles Times, ColombiaOne, TMZ.com, The Hill, Reuters, 24/7 Wall St., New York Magazine, Joe.My.God., The Wrap, France 24, Quartz, The Decoder, NewsNation, CNBC, Al Jazeera, RedState, Semafor, CNN, Politico, Forbes, Wired, Washington Examiner and The Washington Sun, more at Techmeme »
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, One America News Network, Breitbart, Townhall, CBS News, The Guardian, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Fox News and The Gateway Pundit
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
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
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, The A.V. Club and Joe.My.God., more at Techmeme »
Christa Dutton / The Washington Sun:
Josh Shapiro Calls for Federal Government to Place ‘Strict Guardrails’ on AI — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro criticized Congress' inaction on artificial intelligence regulation after industry leaders offered grim warnings of an AI revolt. — The governor, a potential 2028 Democratic …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, KEYT-TV, Newsweek, City & State Pennsylvania and Reuters
Andrew Tangel / Wall Street Journal:
The FAA's $875 Million Plan to Use AI to Ease Air-Traffic Woes — New software aimed at reducing flight delays, cancellations will first roll out in Washington, D.C., area — Federal aviation officials are preparing to launch an AI-powered air-traffic tool in one of the nation's busiest corridors as soon as Monday.
Discussion:
Associated Press and TechCrunch
