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White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion — Trillions of dollars could be on hold, according to an Office of Management and Budget memo. — The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government …
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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 …


Trump administration orders sweeping freeze of federal aid — In a two-page memo, the Office of Management and Budget ordered all federal agencies to temporarily suspend payments. — One week in, the Trump administration is broadening its assault on the functions of government …
Discussion:
NBC News, E&E News and Justin's Political Corner


Playbook: Trump's massive power grab — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, currently drinking tea and reading up on the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. What a life. — DRIVING THE DAY


White House Budget Office Orders Pause in All Federal Loans and Grants — The full extent of the order was not immediately clear, but the directive sent to government agencies on Monday threatened to paralyze a vast swath of federal programs. — The White House budget office has ordered a pause in grants …
Discussion:
The Hill


Week One inside Trump's DOJ: ‘It feels like a non-violent war’ — Fear reigns among the staff at the beleaguered law-enforcement agency as a new reality sets in. — Career lawyers and staff at the Department of Justice say the rush of changes in the first week of the Trump administration make them feel like they're under siege.
Discussion:
NBC News, Reuters, emptywheel, Raw Story, New York Times, RedState, New York Post and Alternet.org
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Trump administration fires DOJ officials who worked on criminal investigations of the president — The DOJ employees had been involved in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation that led to Trump's classified documents and Jan. 6 cases. — WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice …


Trump-Appointed Prosecutor Opens Review of Justice Department's Jan. 6 Cases
Discussion:
Reuters, Raw Story, E&E News and New Republic

Trump Justice Department fires officials who investigated Trump and launches ‘special project’ into January 6 cases
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Washington Post, WUSA, NBC News, New Republic, USA Today, RedState, The Hill, New York Times, Townhall and emptywheel

Justice Department fires more than a dozen key officials on former Special Counsel Jack Smith's team
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Associated Press, Politico, Twitchy, Daily Mail, HuffPost, Digby's Hullabaloo, Reuters, Ace of Spades HQ, CBS News, CNBC, NPR, The Gateway Pundit, PBS NewsHour, ABC News and The Post Millennial


Top USAID career staff placed on immediate leave — “This is like taking out all the generals,” said a former Trump administration official informed of the decision. — The Trump administration has ordered dozens of top career employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development …
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Times and NBC News
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Google says it will change Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ in Maps after government updates … Google said Monday it will change the name of Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” after the government updates its “official government sources.” — The company also said it will start using Mount McKinley …
Discussion:
Fortune, Must Read Alaska, Benzinga, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit, USA Today and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
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Acosta La Vista — The anchor signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network, Status has learned. … The anchor, I'm told, signaled to associates in private conversations over the weekend that he intends to depart the network …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Breitbart, RedState, The Post Millennial, HuffPost and The Gateway Pundit, more at Mediagazer »


Trump's Victory Over Colombia Now Looks Less Clear Cut — Colombia sends own planes to bring people home after showdown — Trump runs the risk of overuse of tariff, sanctions threats — A deportation arrangement with Colombia that the White House on Sunday night presented …
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Tillis Assured Hegseth's Former Sister-in-Law Her Testimony Could Convince GOP Senators to Vote No — North Carolina senator provided pivotal 50th ‘yes’ vote to confirm Hegseth as defense secretary — WASHINGTON—A key witness in the contentious Senate confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth …
Discussion:
Townhall, Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money


Trump Administration Halts H.I.V. Drug Distribution in Poor Countries — PEPFAR's computer systems also are being taken offline, a sign that the program may not return, as Republican critics had hoped. — The Trump administration has instructed organizations in other countries …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Advocate, Mediaite, Brown Babe and them.


Read the Memo Pausing Federal Grants and Loans — The White House's Office of Management and Budget issued a memo ordering a temporary halt to “all federal financial assistance,” potentially paralyzing a vast swath of federal programs. … See more on: U.S. Politics, Donald Trump
Discussion:
Business Insider and Semafor
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Congressional Republicans' coming war on poor people — What we know about GOP reconciliation plans — Donald Trump is nothing if not a master of attention, and the eyes of the world have been on his executive orders. With most of these, my sense is that there's less to them than meets the eye …
Discussion:
Punchbowl News, E&E News, Fox News, Politico and Washington Examiner
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Scott Bessent easily wins Senate confirmation to lead Treasury
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CNN, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Advocate, The Hill, Raw Story, Reuters and Fox News

Scott Bessent confirmed as treasury secretary, giving him a key role in extending Trump's tax cuts
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PinkNews, New York Times, Alternet.org, One America News Network, Raw Story, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, Roll Call, Washington Examiner, freebeacon.com, CoinDesk, Townhall, Reuters, Bloomberg, Business Insider, RedState, Fox Business, The Hill, USA Today, CBS News, Scripps News, NPR and Washington Blade


Man Pardoned in Jan. 6 Riot Is Fatally Shot by Sheriff's Deputy During Traffic Stop — The police said that Matthew W. Huttle, 42, of Hobart, Ind., who was sentenced to six months for his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, resisted arrest after he was stopped in Indiana on Sunday.
Discussion:
ABC7, USA Today, Daily Mail and FOX 32 Chicago
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Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump shot, killed by sheriff's deputy
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Raw Story, FOX 32 Chicago, The Guardian, Associated Press, New York Post, Politico, Mediaite, The Indianapolis Star, PinkNews, CBS News and Chicago Tribune


Trans Women Notified Of Removal From Women's Prisons Days After Trump's ‘Two Sexes’ Executive Order — One of the women sued the Trump administration, alleging the order violates her constitutional rights and puts her “at an extremely high risk of harassment, abuse, violence, and sexual assault.”
Discussion:
NBC News
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Trump to sign order eliminating DEI from military
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NOTUS, freebeacon.com, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, PinkNews, Townhall, Raw Story, CNBC, The Japan Times, Scripps News, New York Post, Daily Mail, The Hill, USA Today, The Guardian and Washington Examiner


Banking regulator rescinds more than 200 job offers for examiners it needs — A federal hiring freeze has made the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. even more short-handed. — A government-wide hiring freeze has led the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to yank job offers to more than 200 new examiners …


Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, and to ensure the readiness and effectiveness of our Armed Forces, it is hereby ordered:
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, Law Dork, NPR, Advocate, RedState, Raw Story, PinkNews, The Independent and Must Read Alaska


Johnson Joins the Trump Entourage, Shrinking the Role of House Speaker — In positioning himself as a junior partner to the president and doing his bidding on matters large and small, the Louisiana Republican is diminishing a job that involves leading a coequal branch of government.


Trump To Tariff Chips Made In Taiwan, Targeting TSMC — The tariffs would ensnare cutting-edge smartphone and PC-related chips for Apple, AMD and Nvidia if enacted. But Trump is betting his plan will bring more chip production to the US. — President Trump is preparing …
Discussion:
Reuters, Tom's Hardware, The Information, HuffPost and Benzinga


Coalition of Jewish groups say they're leaving X over Musk's behavior … - It also came after Musk told members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party “there's too much focus on past guilt,” seemingly referring to the burden Germany carries for the Holocaust.
Discussion:
Union for Reform Judaism, Raw Story and VINnews


Scott Bessent pushes gradual 2.5% universal US tariffs plan — Trump's Treasury secretary wants levies to rise month by month in order to give businesses time to adjust — Donald Trump's Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is pushing for new universal tariffs on US imports to start at 2.5 per cent …
Discussion:
City A.M., Bloomberg and The Post Millennial, more at Techmeme »