Illinois shut out of Medicaid after Trump administration halts federal grants and loans  —  The Trump administration's federal freeze has shut Illinois out of Medicaid, according to Gov. JB Pritzker's office.  The government-funded health insurance program covered about 3.9 million people …

Scoop: Trump offering buyouts to all federal workers, source says … We're five years past COVID and just 6 percent of federal employees work full-time in office.  That is unacceptable," a senior administration official tells Axios.

Caroline Kennedy warns senators of ‘predator’ RFK Jr. in searing letter  —  In a letter to lawmakers, the former U.S. ambassador to Australia and cousin of Trump's HHS nominee, questions Robert F. Kennedy's ethics and views on vaccines.  —  Caroline Kennedy on Tuesday warned senators …

Trump moves to fire members of EEOC, NLRB boards, breaking with precedent  —  The dismissals target two independent agencies that oversee large swaths of U.S. workers, employers and labor unions.  —  President Donald Trump has moved to fire Democratic members of two independent federal commissions …

Americans sour on some of Trump's early moves, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds  —  Americans have a dim view of some of President Donald Trump's early barrage of executive orders, including his attempt to do away with so-called birthright citizenship and his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Michigan's Gary Peters won't seek reelection to U.S. Senate.  Here's why  —  Washington ― Gary Peters, Michigan's senior senator and a former congressman, said he won't seek reelection next year and will retire from the U.S. Senate when his second term ends in January 2027.

120. The Impoundment Crisis of 2025  —  The Trump administration's Monday spending freeze is likely to provoke a crisis over the constitutionality of “impoundment”—one that the justices could well have to resolve *very* soon.  —  Welcome back to “One First,” a weekly newsletter that aims …

France floated sending troops to Greenland, foreign minister says  —  The comments came as Denmark's prime minister travels to Berlin, Paris and Brussels to shore up support from allies.  —  PARIS — France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response …

Departing the New York Times  —  As many people reading this know, last month I retired from my position as an opinion writer at the New York Times—a job I had done for 25 years.  Despite the encomiums issued by the Times, it was not a happy departure.  If you check out my Substack …

White House on mysterious drone swarms: “This was not the enemy” … - “After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were approved by the FAA for research and various other reasons. … - More “mysterious” drone sightings had been reported just this week …

Democrats' playbook for Trump 2.0: Tune out the noise and focus on economic issues  —  As Trump floods the zone in his first week in office, Democrats are departing from their “resistance” strategy in his first term and zeroing in on issues that cost them the last election.

Senate Democrats block GOP's ICC sanctions bill  —  Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked Republicans from advancing legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court, arguing the bill had sweeping consequences on allies and American businesses.  —  Republicans failed to get the 60 votes needed …

Trump's Tariffs Hit US Growth Before, and Threaten to Again  —  Newly released transcripts from the Federal Reserve show just how much policymakers were scrambling to keep growth intact.  —  For skeptics of President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs, the concern raised most often at home …

All undocumented immigrants are “criminals,” Trump administration says … The big picture: Asked by a reporter how many of the 3,500 immigrants arrested since Trump took office have criminal records, Leavitt said, “all of them because they illegally broke our nation's laws.”

Senator Ted Cruz is trying to block Wi-Fi hotspots for schoolchildren … US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is trying to block a plan to distribute Wi-Fi hotspots to schoolchildren, claiming it will lead to unsupervised Internet usage, endanger kids, and possibly restrict kids' exposure to conservative viewpoints.