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9:30 PM ET, January 29, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Washington Post:
Trump White House reverses course, rescinds freeze on federal grants  —  The budget office came under immense pressure over the impacts on a sudden pause in key government spending  —  The White House budget office on Wednesday rescinded an order freezing federal grants …
RELATED:
Just Security:
Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions  —  This public resource tracks legal challenges to Trump administration actions.  If you think we are missing anything, you can email us at lte@justsecurity.org.  Special thanks to Just Security Student Staff Editors Rick Da and Jeremy Venook.
Politico:
Another judge is preparing to block Trump's spending freeze, despite White House cleanup  —  U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell said a bid by the White House to rescind a “hugely ambiguous” order implementing the freeze appeared to be undercut by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's …
Zachary Basu / Axios:
White House rescinds Trump's funding freeze after massive backlash  —  The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded a memo Wednesday that had ordered a “temporary pause” on federal funding and unleashed major confusion across the country.
CNBC:
White House says Trump funding freeze remains in effect despite rescinding OMB memo … The White House on Wednesday said a “federal funding freeze” remains in “full force and effect” despite it rescinding a controversial memo ordering that freeze on grants and loans to give agencies …
Paul Blumenthal / HuffPost:
The Trump White House Wants A Court Challenge Over Frozen Funds  —  An internal OMB document shows that it is official administration policy to block funding to provoke a constitutional challenge.  —  LOADING  —  The Trump administration's federal government funding freeze instituted Monday …
NPR:
New memo, White House response adds to confusion on federal funding freeze
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Signs Agreement Calling for Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle Suit  —  The president had sued the social-media company after his accounts were suspended  —  President Trump has signed settlement papers that are expected to require Meta Platforms to pay roughly $25 million to resolve …
RELATED:
Michael Scherer / The Atlantic:
Why Meta Is Paying $25 Million to Settle a Trump Lawsuit  —  Donald Trump spent decades in business gleefully suing and angrily being sued by his adversaries in civil court.  But since winning reelection, he has suddenly posted a remarkable string of legal victories as litigants rush to settle their cases.
Discussion: The Hill
Denise Cana / Slate:
I Just Got Trump's “Buyout” Offer at My Job.  Let Me Tell You How That's Going.  —  The author is a federal civil servant who has been granted the use of a pen name to protect them and their family from reprisals.  —  The new Trump administration's effort to both get a grip on and dismantle …
RELATED:
Suzanne Summerlin / Just Security:
Beware the “Deferred Resignation” Offer: A Legally Dubious Proposal for Federal Employees  —  On Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a memorandum outlining the details of a “Deferred Resignation Program.”  —  According to OPM, the program allows federal employees …
Scott Pilutik / Slate:
Elon Musk Looks to Stick a Fork in Federal Government Workers
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Fetterman: RFK Jr.'s nomination in trouble after rocky hearing  —  Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who was thought to be open to voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, now says the nominee is in serious trouble after his rocky confirmation hearing.
Discussion: Associated Press
RELATED:
Rolling Stone:
The Most Alarming Moments From RFK Jr.'s Confirmation Hearing
Cathy Young / The Bulwark:
11 Questions Senators Should Ask RFK Jr. This Week
Brandy Zadrozny / NBC News:
RFK Jr. tries (again) to distance himself from the anti-vaccine movement
Rachael Levy / Reuters:
USDA inspector general escorted out of her office after defying White House  —  Security agents escorted the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of her office on Monday after she refused to comply with her firing by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Washington Post:
Trump plans to build mass detention camp for deportees at Guantánamo Bay  —  The president ordered construction of a facility with room for 30,000 migrants on the U.S. naval base in Cuba.  —  President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered the construction of a detention camp with 30,000 beds …
RELATED:
Will Weissert / Associated Press:
While signing Laken Riley Act, Trump says he'll send ‘worst criminal aliens’ to Guantanamo
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Declassified CIA Guide to Sabotaging Fascism Is Suddenly Viral  —  A declassified World War II-era government guide to “simple sabotage” is currently one of the most popular open source books on the internet.  The book, called “Simple Sabotage Field Manual,” was declassified in 2008 by the CIA and …
RELATED:
Joanne Kenen / Politico:   RFK Jr.'s rocky rollout
Andrea Shalal / Reuters:
Trump administration to cancel student visas of pro-Palestinian protesters  —  U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday to combat antisemitism and pledge to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests, a White House official said.
Discussion: New York Post
RELATED:
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Is Said to Discuss Dropping Case Against Eric Adams  —  Senior officials under President Trump have talked with prosecutors in Manhattan about the possibility of abandoning the corruption case against Mr. Adams, the mayor of New York City.  —  Senior Justice Department officials …
RELATED:
NBC New York:
Former Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years corruption and bribery case  —  Menendez resigned from the Senate after his conviction last year  —  Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for selling his once-considerable clout in Washington for gold bars …
RELATED:
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
Elon Musk rose to the top of video game charts.  Now he has confessed to cheating.  —  The world's richest man has admitted to paying to boost his online warriors into global leaderboards, raising questions about his gaming prowess — and his need for digital praise.
Discussion: Newsbusters and Raw Story
The White House:
Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  Parents trust America's schools to provide their children …
Lois Parshley / The Lever:
Trump's Tech Donors Have Big Plans For Greenland  —  A Trump takeover of Greenland could open the door to tech moguls' mineral interests and their utopian aspirations.  —  President Donald Trump started his second term with his sights set on Greenland.
RELATED:
Reuters:
Poll shows 85% of Greenlanders do not want to be part of the US
Discussion: The Guardian
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's First Big Fiasco Triggers Stephen Miller's Rage—Take Note Dems  —  Admitting failure is anathema to the authoritarian leader, who is perpetually in danger of being diminished by those who are resentful of his glory—which is why White House adviser Stephen Miller is frantically searching …
Discussion: Washington Post and Raw Story
Jessica Valenti / Abortion, Every Day:
RFK Jr. Accidentally Reveals Trump's Plan on Abortion  —  Here we go: At his confirmation hearing today, RFK Jr. revealed how the Trump administration is thinking about restricting abortion—dropping hints not just about mifepristone, but abortion ‘complication’ reporting, emergency abortions, and the possibility of a national ban.
Dan Froomkin / Heads Up News:
The lawyers are getting louder - and they're getting results  —  You can't do that.  —  That's the message that lawyers for the progressive advocacy community are sending Donald Trump loud and clear about at least nine things he's trying to do.  —  Let's start with the huge win on Tuesday night …
Nicholas Wu / Politico:
Pelosi backs Wikler for DNC  —  Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is wading into DNC chair race, throwing her weight behind Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler in a statement provided first to POLITICO.  “For several years, I have had the honor and success to work with Ben Wikler …
Discussion: The Hill and CBS News
J.D. Wolf / MeidasTouch News:
Kash Patel Sold Children's Books Inscribed with “WWG1WGA” QAnon Slogan  —  Trump's unfit FBI nominee sold QAnon-affirming merchandise marketed to kids  —  Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official and nominee for FBI director, sold QAnon-affiliated merchandise according …
Discussion: New York Times
 
 
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 More Items: 
Alejandro Serrano / The Texas Tribune:
An immigrant faces deportation after a routine traffic stop in Texas, sparking more fear
Patrick Reis / Vox:
The Logoff: The government purge, explained
John Sakellariadis / Politico:
GOP races to convince Trump to save former aides from Iran's hit list
Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Daily Kos
Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:
Student Whose Racy Social Media Posts Riled a College Gets $250,000 Settlement
Discussion: Reason
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
The Attack on Trans Rights Won't End There
Discussion: Axios and Advocate
 Earlier Items: 
The White House:
Celebrating America's 250th Birthday
Discussion: E&E News, The Daily Signal and Fox News
Eric Berger / Ars Technica:
The long-planned return of two astronauts from space is now a political issue
The Independent:
Your support helps us to tell the story
New York Times:
With Tampons and Code, Silicon Valley Workers Quietly Protest Tech's Rightward Shift
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Cloud Next: Google unveils Ironwood, its seventh-generation TPU and the first for inference, coming later in 2025 in a 256-chip cluster or a 9,216-chip cluster

Will Canny / CoinDesk:
Ripple agrees to acquire prime brokerage Hidden Road for $1.25B; Hidden Road plans to use Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin as collateral across its platform

Isabelle Bousquette / Wall Street Journal:
How Google used new AI techniques to enhance 90%+ of The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939, to show on the Las Vegas Sphere's giant screen from August 28, 2025
 
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