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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, Fortune, Wirepoints, Raw Story and The Guardian
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White House says Medicaid portal ‘will be back online shortly’ after Trump funding freeze blamed … Medicaid reimbursement portals were down Tuesday in every U.S. state on the heels of a funding freeze ordered by the Trump administration of federal grants and loans, Sen. Ron Wyden said.
Discussion:
ABC News, Mother Jones, FOX 32 Chicago, PoliticusUSA and Chicago Tribune
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Medicaid, Head Start, health centers say they're locked out of federal funding website
Discussion:
Center For Children …
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Democrats declare ‘constitutional crisis’ on funding freeze
Discussion:
The Hill, Axios, PoliticusUSA, NBC News and Justin's Political Corner
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States Plan to Sue to Block Trump's Federal Grants Freeze
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Al Jazeera, Forbes, NewsNation, Canon City Daily Record, Chalkbeat, New Jersey Online and The Guardian
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States lose access to Medicaid payment portal amid Trump federal aid freeze
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Guardian, MeidasTouch News and NewsNation
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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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NBC News, New York Times, The Hill, NOTUS, HotAir, Associated Press, New York Magazine, Raw Story, Reuters, The Atlantic, No More Mister Nice Blog, Wall Street Journal, Axios, Baltimore Sun, Forbes, RedState, The Post Millennial, Fortune, Good Politics/Bad Politics, Mock Paper Scissors, HuffPost, E&E News, CBS News, Mediaite, Saywhat Politics, Althouse, Chase 🌾 … and Mourning Dove
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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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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, GovExec.com, New Republic, The Guardian, Arizona Mirror, Reuters, Alternet.org, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Raw Story, Hollywood Life, CBS News and E&E News
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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:
Politico, Rolling Stone, New Jersey Globe, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Bloomberg, The Independent, Jill Filipovic and New Republic
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Legal battle looms as Trump orders a funding freeze during a review of federal loans and grants
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HuffPost, Axios, CBS News, USA Today, Bloomberg, NPR, The Guardian, Associated Press, The Independent, FOX 32 Chicago, E&E News, The Root, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Verge, Baltimore Sun, Pandemic Info, Hollywood Life, WVEC, Scripps News, Heatmap News and The Hill
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Breaking: The Handbasket is first to report catastrophic OMB funding memo
Discussion:
Missouri Independent
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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 …
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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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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 US labor board member, hobbling agency amid legal battles — President Donald Trump has removed a Democratic member of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board from office, an unprecedented move that will escalate an ongoing legal battle over the scope of the president's powers to control federal agencies.
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Trump fires acting Labor Board chair in legally dubious move
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NBC News and The Gateway Pundit
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Confirmed: Unions Squandered the Biden Years
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, EWOC and New York Times
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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, freebeacon.com, The Hill, Axios, WXYZ-TV, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Scripps News, Fox News, Bridge Michigan, Townhall, The Guardian, Raw Story, HuffPost and The Daily Caller
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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:
Washington Examiner, New York Daily News, 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, One America News Network, Bloomberg, Fox News, The Independent, Axios, The Hill, E&E News and Associated Press
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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:
Wall Street Journal, Politico, Daily Kos, Washington Post, The Hill, E&E News, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and Reuters
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White House defends federal grant and loan pause in first briefing
Discussion:
Axios, Politico, Associated Press, The Hill, Reuters, Fox News, ABC News, TMZ.com, Hollywood Life, The Gateway Pundit, NewsNation, FOX 32 Chicago, New York Post, CBS News, The Independent, Breitbart and Washington Examiner
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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 …
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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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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:
Alternet.org and Raw Story
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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:
Digby's Hullabaloo, Slate and Eschaton
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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 …
Discussion:
Axios, Semafor, Jewish Insider and Washington Post
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Scoop: Senate Democrats unify against GOP on ICC sanctions
Discussion:
Alternet.org
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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, Breaking Defense, The Gateway Pundit and Daily Mail
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Social media dumbfounded as Jim Acosta quits on air — yet ‘CNN rewards Scott Jennings’ — Social media erupted Tuesday with users shocked and upset with CNN's decision to let anchor Jim Acosta go — while keeping conservative commentator Scott Jennings. — The ruckus started …
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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:
Daily Mail and 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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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 …
Discussion:
Unfogged
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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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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, Bloomberg, Missouri Independent, Law Dork, RedState, Transgender World, New York Times, Mother Jones, NPR, The 19th, Advocate, Shore News Network, Task & Purpose, Althouse, Mediaite, SpaceNews, PinkNews, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, Washington Examiner, Modern Military Association …, The Federalist, Must Read Alaska, The Forward and New York Post
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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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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:
Iowa Attorney General, New Republic, Bloomberg, Fox Business, The Hill, Baltimore Sun, New York Post, CBS News, Quartz, The Independent, IJR, Twitchy and Fox News
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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 …