Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system  —  A top Treasury career staffer is expected to depart.  Surrogates of Musk's DOGE effort had sought access to sensitive payment systems.  —  The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department …

Trump Aides Hunt for 11th-Hour Deal to Dial Back Canada-Mexico Tariffs  —  President says he will decide tonight whether oil will be included in levies … President Trump's advisers are considering several offramps to avoid enacting the universal tariffs on Mexico and Canada that he had pledged …

Paramount in Settlement Talks With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit  —  A settlement, if reached, would be an extraordinary concession by a major U.S. media company to a sitting president.  —  When Donald J. Trump sued CBS for $10 billion days before the 2024 election, accusing the company …

DCA crash puts Trump's appalling unfitness on full display  —  🔊📺 🎥 With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent media is more important than ever right now.  Public Notice is made possible by paid subscribers.  If you aren't one already …

Federal employees told to remove pronouns from email signatures by end of day  —  The mandate is the latest effort in the Trump administration's push to end DEI.  —  President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Jan. 30, 2025.

A career official tried to undo Trump's purge at USAID.  He was then purged, too.  —  The dramatic purge and counter-purge played out in emails obtained by The Washington Post, as Trump's pause on aid upends humanitarian work around the world.  —  The Trump administration's purge of dozens …

Groyperfication  —  I'm working on something long-ish on the “vibe shift” discourse that I'm hoping will come in lieu of the Sunday Reading, Watching supplement.  But I just wanted to quickly remark again on what I think is an underreported key to understanding contemporary politics …

Career prosecutors withdraw from federal criminal investigation of GOP Congressman Andy Ogles  —  Local prosecutors are not commenting, but move may signal plans to drop investigation of one of President Trump's Republican allies  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Federal prosecutors based …

EPA workers receive emails warning their employment could be terminated  —  More than 1,100 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency received notice this week that they were deemed to be on probationary status and warning they could be fired immediately, according to an email obtained by CNN.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blocks Jan. 6 rioters from state jobs after Trump pardons  —  In a written directive, the Democratic Illinois governor tells his hiring office that “no one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government.”  —  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is blocking …

FBI agents who worked on January 6 and Trump investigations are expected to be fired Friday  —  The Trump administration is set to expand a purge of career law enforcement officials, with dozens of FBI agents who worked on January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and Trump-related investigations …

USDA ordered to scrub climate change from websites  —  The directive could affect information across dozens of programs including climate-smart agriculture initiatives.  —  Agriculture Department employees have been ordered to delete landing pages discussing climate change across agency websites …

SCOOP: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Admits Settlement for “Misconduct” Accusation  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has admitted to the US Senate that he has reached at least one settlement agreement in which he was accused of misconduct or inappropriate behavior.  —  After the Senate Finance Committee …

How Trump Could Snatch a Third Term — Despite the 22nd Amendment  —  Four ways Trump could stay in power beyond 2028.  —  Less than two weeks have passed since the last presidential inauguration, but try to imagine the next one.  —  It's Jan. 20, 2029.  The nation has weathered another tumultuous four years under Donald Trump.

The DNC's outgoing chair says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in 2024  —  As the Democratic National Committee prepares to elect a new chair, its departing leader says Democrats should have stuck with Joe Biden in the 2024 race.  In an interview with The Associated Press …

New DOT Memo Directs Funds To Communities With Higher ‘Marriage And Birth Rates’  —  The memo also said recipients of federal transportation funding must also cooperate with immigration enforcement, a hit to so-called sanctuary cities.  —  LOADING  —  The Department of Transportation …

Official Email Urges Federal Workers to Find More Productive Jobs  —  On Thursday, vast numbers of the government work force received an “F.A.Q.s” e-mail on how to leave their “lower productivity jobs” in government for more productive ones in business.  —  Late on Thursday …

WhatsApp says journalists and civil society members were targets of Israeli spyware  —  Messaging app said it had ‘high confidence’ some users were targeted and ‘possibly compromised’ by Paragon Solutions spyware  —  Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington DC

Costco Raises Pay to Over $30 an Hour for Most Store Workers  — Company will raise wages for highest tier of hourly workers  — Costco is latest retailer to boost rates to attract more labor  —  Costco Wholesale Corp. is raising pay for most of its hourly US workers to more than $30 …

Chuck Todd exiting NBC News after nearly 20 years as Trump starts second term  —  Chuck Todd is leaving NBC News.  —  The NBC chief political analyst and former “Meet The Press” moderator announced the news in a memo shared with staff Friday.  The exit comes amid broad shifts …

Records undercut Tulsi Gabbard's claim of ignorance on cleric's views  —  The nominee for director of national intelligence said, under oath, that she did not know “until today” that a prominent cleric she met in Syria threatened to unleash suicide bombers in the United States.

MAGA's revenge of the mediocre: Trump's war on federal workers targets the meritorious  —  “I will not be pushed out by two billionaire trust fund babies”  —  Instead of actually showing up for his hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Kash Patel should have propped up a TV playing the video of …

ICE Enforcement Official Tapped to Lead Unaccompanied Migrant Children Office, Triggering Alarms  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  A longtime immigration enforcement official …

Brawl Over Tariffs on EV Graphite Will Test Musk's Sway With Trump  — US trade panel backs China graphite antidumping investigation  — Potential duties of 920% would deal a blow to Tesla, EV makers  —  Elon Musk's Tesla Inc. is spearheading an effort to block new tariffs on graphite imports …