Top Items:
Chicago Sun Times:
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:
New Republic, New York Times, Ars Technica, Semafor, Wirepoints and Raw Story
RELATED:
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
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:
NBC News, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, ABC News, Alternet.org, Hollywood Life, Raw Story, Mother Jones, FOX 32 Chicago, PoliticusUSA, Chicago Tribune and Arizona Mirror
Axios:
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.
Discussion:
The Hill
Daniel Barnes / NBC News:
D.C. federal judge temporarily blocks Trump plan to pause federal aid spending — The order from Judge Loren AliKhan runs through next Monday, when further arguments in the case are scheduled. — Trump administration freezes nearly all federal grants and loans
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CNBC, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, VINnews, WVEC and that diabolical feminist
Rebecca Shabad / NBC News:
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:
New Republic, Alternet.org and Raw Story
STAT:
As some Medicaid sites freeze up, White House acts to clarify pause on grants and programs — Payments system appears to be an issue after budget office issued broadly worded memo — WASHINGTON — A memo from the White House budget office indicates that Medicaid payments should not be affected …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times
Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
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:
Associated Press, Washington Post, Axios, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, Reuters, ABC News, Breitbart, New Jersey Monitor, TMZ.com, Fox News and The Gateway Pundit
Nate Raymond / Reuters:
Non-profits, health groups sue over Trump's freeze on grants, loans
Non-profits, health groups sue over Trump's freeze on grants, loans
Discussion:
The Hill, Fox News, Business Insider, The Guardian, Idaho Capital Sun, New Republic, CNBC, Reuters, Raw Story and Hollywood Life
CBS News:
Medicaid, Head Start, health centers say they're locked out of federal funding website
Medicaid, Head Start, health centers say they're locked out of federal funding website
Discussion:
The Guardian, HuffPost, Associated Press, Mock Paper Scissors, WUSA, Alternet.org and Center For Children …
Joseph Choi / The Hill:
States lose access to Medicaid payment portal amid Trump federal aid freeze
States lose access to Medicaid payment portal amid Trump federal aid freeze
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Baltimore Sun, Quartz, Daily Kos, Mediaite and NewsNation
Chris Megerian / Associated Press:
Legal battle looms as Trump orders a funding freeze during a review of federal loans and grants
Legal battle looms as Trump orders a funding freeze during a review of federal loans and grants
Discussion:
Axios, St. Louis Business Journal, Business Insider, Pluribus News, New York Times, HuffPost, The Hill, Politico, WHDH-TV, Time, USA Today, Roll Call, KSNT-TV, Truthout, New Jersey Globe, STAT, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Deseret News, ABC27, The Independent, WKRG-TV, New Republic, FOX 32 Chicago, NPR, Heartland Signal, Pandemic Info, New Jersey Online, WVEC, Raw Story, E&E News, Mediaite and Heatmap News
Politico:
Democrats declare ‘constitutional crisis’ on funding freeze
Democrats declare ‘constitutional crisis’ on funding freeze
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Business Insider, Axios, WVEC and PoliticusUSA
Damian Paletta / Wall Street Journal:
White House Budget Freeze Tried to Flip Script on Busted Budget Process
White House Budget Freeze Tried to Flip Script on Busted Budget Process
Discussion:
ABC News
CBS News:
Trump administration orders federal funding freeze on all public loans, grants and more aid
Trump administration orders federal funding freeze on all public loans, grants and more aid
Discussion:
NBC News, Politico, MeidasTouch News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story and Bloomberg
Washington Post:
Trump's perceived enemies brace for retribution with plans, dark humor
Trump's perceived enemies brace for retribution with plans, dark humor
Discussion:
Associated Press and Raw Story
Jack Blanchard / Politico:
Playbook: Trump's massive power grab
Playbook: Trump's massive power grab
Discussion:
Bloomberg and The Transom
Washington Post:
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 Magazine, New York Post, HuffPost, STAT, New York Daily News, ABC News, Alternet.org, USA Today, Raw Story, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter and The Independent
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Associated Press:
Caroline Kennedy warns senators that cousin RFK Jr. is a ‘predator’ — Calling Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “predator” who is addicted to power, Caroline Kennedy urged the U.S. Senate in a Tuesday letter to reject the nomination of her cousin to be President Donald Trump's health secretary.
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News, Washington Examiner, Reuters, The Hill, Rolling Stone, Scripps News, Axios, Fortune, Deadline, Mediaite, The Guardian and New York Post
Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:
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:
How Things Work, Raw Story and Truthout
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Washington Post:
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 …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and RedState
Emily Peck / Axios:
Trump fires acting Labor Board chair in legally dubious move
Trump fires acting Labor Board chair in legally dubious move
Discussion:
American Prospect, Reuters, Washington Examiner, NPR and The Gateway Pundit
Michael Sainato / The Guardian:
Trump fires senior labor board official in ‘unprecedented and illegal’ move
Trump fires senior labor board official in ‘unprecedented and illegal’ move
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Competitive Enterprise …
Melissa Nann Burke / The Detroit News:
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:
New York Times, NBC News, RedState, Axios, freebeacon.com, One America News Network, WXYZ-TV, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Bridge Michigan, Raw Story, CBS News and Scripps News
RELATED:
Hans Nichols / Axios:
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, Twitchy, New York Daily News, New Jersey Online, New York Post and Roll Call
Joey Cappelletti / Associated Press:
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters will not run for reelection, opening a key Senate seat
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters will not run for reelection, opening a key Senate seat
Discussion:
One America News Network, Politico, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The Independent and Bloomberg
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
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:
Mother Jones, Slate and Digby's Hullabaloo
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Laura Kelly / The Hill:
Senate Democrats block GOP's ICC sanctions bill
Senate Democrats block GOP's ICC sanctions bill
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Reuters, Semafor, Jewish Insider, IJR and Washington Post
Stephen Neukam / Axios:
Scoop: Senate Democrats unify against GOP on ICC sanctions
Scoop: Senate Democrats unify against GOP on ICC sanctions
Discussion:
NOTUS
Reuters:
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.
Discussion:
Carolina Journal
Clea Caulcutt / Politico:
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, Raw Story and Breaking Defense
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Paul Krugman / The Contrarian:
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 …
Steve Vladeck / One First:
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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Zachary Price / Default:
A Primer on the Impoundment Control Act
A Primer on the Impoundment Control Act
Discussion:
CREW, HuffPost, AMERICAN HERITAGE, The Nation and Bloomberg
Bloomberg:
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 …
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Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga / KCUR:
Kansas' tuberculosis outbreak is now the largest in the U.S. since the 1950s — The outbreak started last January. Kansas health officials say numbers are trending downward, but they still expect to find more cases. — A tuberculosis outbreak that started in Wyandotte County, Kansas …
Discussion:
Scripps News, WHDH-TV and WVEC
RELATED:
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
The Largest Tuberculosis Outbreak in U.S. History Is Happening Right Now in Kansas
The Largest Tuberculosis Outbreak in U.S. History Is Happening Right Now in Kansas
Discussion:
The Guardian, CBS News and New Republic
Axios:
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.”
Discussion:
Fox News, freebeacon.com, The Hill, New York Post, IJR, NBC News, Mediaite and Newsbusters
Jennifer Bowers Bahney / Raw Story:
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 …