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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 …
Discussion:
Semafor, ABC News, Fortune, Raw Story and The Guardian
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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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, NOTUS, HotAir, New York Magazine, NPR, Associated Press, The Atlantic, Raw Story, FOX 32 Chicago, Reuters, HuffPost, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wall Street Journal, Axios, Baltimore Sun, Forbes, RedState, The Post Millennial, Hollywood Life, Fortune, Good Politics/Bad Politics, Heatmap News, Mock Paper Scissors, E&E News, Mediaite, CBS News, Chase 🌾 …, Saywhat Politics, Althouse and Mourning Dove
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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 …
Discussion:
Axios, Business Insider, New York Times, Forbes, Vox, Progress Pond, Off Message, AMERICAN HERITAGE, Talking Points Memo, Alternet.org and Digby's Hullabaloo
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Republican congressman suggests some children receiving free school lunches should work at McDonald's instead — Rep. Rich McCormick said that the freeze on federal aid would allow the government to review all programs including ones that provide free school lunches to low-income children.
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Non-profits, health groups sue over Trump's freeze on grants, loans — Four groups representing non-profits, public health professionals and small businesses filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging U.S. President Donald Trump administration's sweeping directive to temporarily freeze federal loans, grants and other financial assistance.
Discussion:
CNBC, New Republic, The Guardian, Arizona Mirror, Reuters, Chicago Tribune, Alternet.org, Baltimore Sun, Iowa Capital Dispatch, WVEC, Raw Story, Hollywood Life, CBS News and E&E News
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Democrats declare ‘constitutional crisis’ on funding freeze — Senate Democrats vowed to fight a White House freeze on federal financial assistance, calling for a delay in the confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominee for White House budget chief, threatening potential court actions …
Discussion:
Axios, The Hill, PoliticusUSA, NBC News and Scripps News
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All federal grants and loan disbursement paused by White House — The White House budget office has ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans, according to an internal memorandum sent Monday, potentially impacting trillions in government spending and halting public programs that affect millions of Americans.
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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:
New Jersey Globe, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Bloomberg, The Independent and Jill Filipovic
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States Plan to Sue to Block Trump's Federal Grants Freeze
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Bloomberg, Canon City Daily Record, Chalkbeat, New Jersey Online and The Guardian
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A Primer on the Impoundment Control Act
Discussion:
HuffPost, Bloomberg, The Nation, Forbes and Digby's Hullabaloo
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Trump administration orders federal funding freeze on all public loans, grants and more aid
Discussion:
Associated Press, NBC News, Politico, MeidasTouch News, The Root, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
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Read the Memo Pausing Federal Grants and Loans
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Hill, The Forward, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and Semafor
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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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News, Axios, CBS News, HuffPost, USA Today, The Guardian, Forbes, New York Post, Raw Story, The Hollywood Reporter and The Independent
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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.
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, The Hill, freebeacon.com, Axios, CBS News, WXYZ-TV, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, Fox News, Bridge Michigan, HuffPost, Townhall, The Guardian, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and Politico
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Scoop: Pete Buttigieg taking “serious look” at Michigan Senate race in 2026 … - “Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve,” said a person close to Buttigieg. — “He's honored to be mentioned for this and he's taking a serious look.”
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, New York Post, Roll Call, Breitbart and Talking Points Memo
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Michigan Sen. Gary Peters will not run for reelection, opening a key Senate seat
Discussion:
Politico, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bloomberg, Fox News, Axios, The Hill, The Independent and Associated Press
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Trump Ousts Top Labor Board Leaders Who Backed Broader Worker Rights — Jennifer Abruzzo says she was fired by email late on Monday — Donald Trump is forcing out top leaders of the US labor board, ushering in a swift reboot of workplace law enforcement while testing the limits of presidential authority.
Discussion:
Raw Story and New York Times
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Trump fires acting Labor Board chair in legally dubious move
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and NBC News
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Trump fires US labor board member, hobbling agency amid legal battles
Discussion:
The Guardian, NPR, RedState, HuffPost and Breitbart
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Confirmed: Unions Squandered the Biden Years
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Times and EWOC
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Live Updates: White House Defends Trump's Funding Freeze as Opponents Rush to Block It — Where Things Stand — Federal aid pause: The White House budget office ordered a pause in grants, loans and other federal financial assistance, a sweeping move it said was necessary to bring …
Discussion:
Axios, Reuters, Washington Post, Daily Kos, ABC News, The Hill, TMZ.com, NewsNation, Washington Examiner, E&E News, Fox News and The Gateway Pundit
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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.
Discussion:
Slate, Digby's Hullabaloo and Eschaton
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The Strategy Behind Trump's Policy Blitz — The staff was still setting up dinner on Mar-a-Lago's outdoor patio on a balmy early-January evening when Donald Trump sat down. He was surrounded by several top advisers who would soon join him in the West Wing and who wanted to get his input …
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Trump Is Ignoring the Law — and Congress Doesn't Care
Discussion:
USA Today, Fox News, The Guardian and HuffPost, more at Techmeme »
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Kristi Noem calls human beings ‘dirtbags’ as she cosplays as ICE agent in New York City — Kristi Noem began her tenure as Department of Homeland Security secretary by dressing up as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent and calling human beings “dirt bags.”
Discussion:
Baltimore Sun, Breitbart and New York Post
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Trump Hit With New Lawsuit for Funneling Sensitive Info to Elon Musk — Donald Trump's administration has been hit with a lawsuit over allegedly collecting federal employee information and directing it to an employee of Elon Musk. — The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court …
Discussion:
Nextgov/FCW
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Lawsuit alleges new Trump administration email system for federal employees raises privacy concerns
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, Nextgov/FCW and FedScoop
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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 …
Discussion:
HotAir, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Mail
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Trump Is Going Woke — I understand that Donald Trump was elected to better manage our borders and curb left-wing wokeism. But have no illusions: Trump's right-wing wokeism — impugning electric vehicles and renewable energy because they don't conform to MAGA ideology and aren't manly enough …
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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:
RedState, Vanity Fair, Townhall, The Bulwark, Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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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 …
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Republican state attorneys pressure Costco to drop diversity policies — Nineteen Republican attorneys general have called on Costco Wholesale (COST.O) to abandon its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, citing concerns about discrimination and legal risks.
Discussion:
New Republic, Iowa Attorney General, Bloomberg, The Hill, Fox Business, Baltimore Sun, New York Post, CBS News, Quartz, The Independent, IJR, Twitchy and Fox News
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Once again, Trump starts a term with a weak approval rating — Most modern presidents were more popular at the start of their terms. — 33:45 — Donald Trump starts his term with a positive net approval rating. — Today, 538 is unveiling a new polling average for President Donald Trump's job approval rating.
Discussion:
E&E News
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Trump Administration Payment Freeze May Delay Money For Critical Preschool Program — Head Start providers logging onto the online funding system this morning found a message warning of delays because of “potentially unallowable grant payments.” — LOADING
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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:
NBC News, Missouri Independent, Law Dork, RedState, New York Times, Transgender World, Mother Jones, NPR, Advocate, Shore News Network, Task & Purpose, Althouse, The Federalist, Mediaite, SpaceNews, PinkNews, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, Washington Examiner, Modern Military Association …, Must Read Alaska, The Forward and New York Post