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, Associated Press, 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 Washington Sun, The Guardian 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, Associated Press, RedState, Daily Mail, Axios, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, WTOP News, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit and The Independent
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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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:
New York Post, The Hill, Al Jazeera, CNBC, RedState, The Independent, NewsMax.com, Joe.My.God., CoinDesk, The American Conservative, NewsNation, Reuters, CBS News 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 …
RELATED:
Shawn McCreesh / New York Times:
Photos Spur Speculation About Possible Demolition of Kennedy Center
Photos Spur Speculation About Possible Demolition of Kennedy Center
Discussion:
Axios, The Washington Sun, Slate, Truthout, New York Post, NewsNation, Advocate, KRDO and HuffPost
Politico:
Democrat blocks fast-track passage for data center ratepayer bill — One vulnerable Republican senator's attempt to fast-track a data center bill that easily passed the House failed on the Senate floor this afternoon due to objection from the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Discussion:
archive.is, Breitbart, NewsMax.com, CBS News, Straight Arrow, Fox News, The Hill and The Independent
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Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Senate Democrat blocks House-passed bill on data center electricity costs
Senate Democrat blocks House-passed bill on data center electricity costs
Discussion:
Washington Post, Roll Call, CNBC, The Washington Sun, New York Times and The Daily Caller
New York Times:
Kennedy Assures Vaccine Skeptics That They Have a ‘Friend at the White House’ — The health secretary spoke at a conference featuring misinformation about vaccines, including a claim that the success of the polio vaccines was a “fraud.” — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr …
RELATED:
Caitlin Owens / Axios:
RFK Jr. signals vaccine skepticism will continue
RFK Jr. signals vaccine skepticism will continue
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, Rolling Stone and The Washington Sun
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 …, Jewish Insider, TWZ, Breaking Defense, The Aviationist, Bloomberg and New York Times
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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
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Blanche's Political Campaigning Breaks an Ethical Norm Going Back to Watergate — The attorney general's campaign politicking for Republicans adds to the degradation of post-Watergate values at the Justice Department. — Attorney General Todd Blanche has repeatedly participated …
Discussion:
NBC News and Joe.My.God.
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
RELATED:
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
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
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, Reason, MS NOW, emptywheel, Washington Examiner and Talking Points Memo
Wall Street Journal:
How Warsh Raised Rates Without Drawing Trump's Ire — No name-calling, no insults. New Fed chairman's close relationship with president gave him room to move without triggering White House backlash — President Trump spent months attacking the Federal Reserve for keeping interest rates too high.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, New York Times, Esquire, The Contrarian, The Daily Wire, CNBC, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo and MS NOW
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
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:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, New York Times and Jewish Insider
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
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:
CBS News and The Washington Sun
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
Aishvarya Kavi / New York Times:
Former Institute of Peace Workers Warn Trump May Push to Engrave Name on Building — As part of a lawsuit, the workers have asked a federal court to stop any plans to engrave the building with President Trump's name. — Former staff members of the U.S. Institute of Peace asked a federal court …
Discussion:
The Independent and The Guardian
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
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.
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, Newsbusters, HotAir, The Daily Wire, Townhall, New York Times, Erick Erickson's Show Notes, Daily Mail, The Independent, One America News Network, The Hill, Breitbart, Zeteo, NRCC, TMZ.com, NewsMax.com, National Review, Mediaite, RedState and The Wrap
Jalen Beckford / Politico:
Senate Democrats press Hegseth for Iran war price tag — Forty-six members of the Senate Democratic caucus are demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provide a detailed accounting of the Iran war's costs, arguing that the Pentagon has failed to explain how it has spent, and plans to spend, tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.
Discussion:
The Hill and NewsMax.com
Brett Meiselas / MeidasTouch:
Massie, Khanna Say They Have Secured 218 Signatures for New Epstein Files Vote — The announcement comes hours after MeidasTouch reported the discharge petition was just two signatures short of the threshold needed to force a House vote. — Co-Founder of MeidasTouch
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Roll Call
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 …
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
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
Associated Press:
Postal Service chief says work stopped on computer system key to Trump effort to limit mail voting — Trump's efforts to largely eradicate mail voting have turned the Postal Service into an unlikely arbiter of who is eligible to vote, just months before this year's critical midterm elections.
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
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
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.
