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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
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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, HotAir, New York Magazine, NPR, The Atlantic, Raw Story, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, No More Mister Nice Blog, Mock Paper Scissors, Baltimore Sun, Forbes, Axios, Hollywood Life, RedState, CBS News, The Post Millennial, Fortune, Good Politics/Bad Politics, Heatmap News, Mediaite, E&E News, NOTUS, 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:
Business Insider, Vox, Forbes, Off Message, Alternet.org, AMERICAN HERITAGE 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.
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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:
PoliticusUSA, Scripps News, NBC News and The Hill
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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, Reuters, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, WVEC, The Guardian, Raw Story, Hollywood Life and CBS 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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Playbook: Trump's massive power grab
Discussion:
The Nation, Florida Politics and The Transom
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Trump's Most Lawless Action Yet
Discussion:
HuffPost and Digby's Hullabaloo
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States Plan to Sue to Block Trump's Federal Grants Freeze
Discussion:
The Hill, Chalkbeat and New Jersey Online
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Trump administration orders federal funding freeze on all public loans, grants and more aid
Discussion:
Associated Press, MeidasTouch News, The Root, Raw Story and Washington Examiner
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Read the Memo Pausing Federal Grants and Loans
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and Semafor
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Trump administration targets thousands of programs in funding freeze
Discussion:
Bloomberg, NBC News and Daily Mail
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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, The Hill, freebeacon.com, Axios, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, HuffPost, WXYZ-TV, Townhall, The Guardian 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 and Breitbart
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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:
USA Today and The Independent
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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:
The Guardian, Raw Story and New York Times
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Confirmed: Unions Squandered the Biden Years
Discussion:
New York Times and EWOC
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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.
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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
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Trump's perceived enemies brace for retribution with plans, dark humor — Officials and others across the country who incited the president's ire say they are preparing for him to make good on pledges to settle scores now that he's back in office. — Sitting in front of a fireplace on New Year's Eve …
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Emmer cheers Trump's federal aid freeze
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
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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:
Breitbart and New York Post
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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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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:
Vanity Fair, The Bulwark, Townhall, Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Fewer than half in new poll trust Trump, RFK Jr. to make right recommendations on health issues — Fewer than half of Americans in a new poll say they trust President Trump or his health-related nominees to make recommendations on the nation's pressing health care issues.
Discussion:
KFF
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Pence group uses Trump criticism of RFK Jr. in new ad opposing his HHS nomination
Discussion:
MedPageToday.com, Bloomberg, The Federalist, RedState, LewRockwell, American Greatness and Associated Press
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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:
Bloomberg, The Hill, Iowa Attorney General, Baltimore Sun, New York Post, The Independent, IJR, Quartz, CBS News, Twitchy, New Republic 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.
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Trump's beef with the World Health Organization is personal — He's said the UN body's head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, treated China better than him during the pandemic. — President Donald Trump's decision to end U.S. membership in the World Health Organization revives a five-year-old grudge with the WHO's leader.
Discussion:
Breitbart
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The MAGA terror has begun — Their leader is glorifying political violence and weaponizing the threat of it. — ⛓️💥 ✍️ ⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent media is more important right now than ever.
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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:
The Hill, The Bulwark, Washington Post, New York Times, Talking Points Memo, NPR, NBC News, emptywheel, Reuters, RedState, Raw Story, Daily Mail, Dark Maga Returns, USA Today, Bloomberg, New York Post, HuffPost, Alternet.org, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Digby's Hullabaloo, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, CNBC, The Daily Signal, Fox News and The Post Millennial