Top Items:


CBS News poll — Trump has positive approval amid “energetic” opening weeks; seen as doing what he promised — With most describing him as “tough,” “energetic,” “focused” and “effective” — and as doing what he'd promised during his campaign — President Trump has started his term with net positive marks from Americans overall.
Discussion:
The Hill, Bloomberg, The Post Millennial, IJR, The Daily Wire, No More Mister Nice Blog, Daily Mail and Forbes


Exclusive: Inside Trump's Iran fear … - Iran clearly is still on Trump's mind: Last week, he said he'd given his team instructions to “obliterate” Iran if its operatives were to kill him. — He later tempered that remark by saying he wanted a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran …
Discussion:
RedState, The Post Millennial and The Independent
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Democratic senator says his party is ready to shut down government over Trump's actions — Democratic Sen. Andy Kim (N.J.) said he and his fellow Democrats are ready to shut down the federal government over President Trump's recent actions. — “I cannot support efforts that will continue …


U.S. intelligence, law enforcement candidates face Trump loyalty test
Discussion:
OutsideTheBeltway and Axios

Visualizing the international reach of U.S. funding cut by Trump
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo

Trump Voters Angry at ‘Chaos’: ‘Not What We Signed Up For’
Discussion:
Grabien, Daily Kos, WGN-TV and Washington Post


Katie Britt vows to work with RFK Jr. after NIH funding cuts cause concern in Alabama — Alabama's junior U.S. senator said she will work with President Donald Trump's health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to “ensure our nation remains at the forefront” of innovation …
Discussion:
Alternet.org, OutsideTheBeltway and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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‘Bama Senator Howls Like Stuck Pig After She Sees NIH Cuts’ Impact in State — Yesterday I made the point that while research universities and academic medical centers may be coded blue in many ways, they're far from limited to blue states. Indeed, overall they tend to be more crucial …
Discussion:
al.com


February 8, 2025 — Yesterday the National Institutes of Health under the Trump administration announced …
Discussion:
Reason, al.com, Washington Examiner and The Mahablog

Researchers decry ‘disastrously bad idea’ as NIH slashes payments for research infrastructure
Discussion:
al.com, NBC News, HuffPost, STAT, Los Angeles Times, Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Washington Examiner, Saywhat Politics and New York Times


More Than 800K Have Lost $2B on Trump's Meme Coin — The token's price has crashed from $75 to $17. — ‘Thug’: Richard Gere Drags Trump in Award Acceptance Speech — ‘MILLIONAIRE CLOWNS’ — “The millionaire clowns surrounding Trump are immature and narcissistic—a deadly mix,” Gere said.


Trump's Shameful Campaign Against Transgender Americans — Some of the most deplorable episodes in U.S. history involve the government wielding the power of the state against minority groups: Black people, Indigenous people and gay people, to name just a few.
Discussion:
Bangor Daily News
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NYT Hypocrisy: Outlet Criticizes Trump's Attacks On Trans People That They Helped Usher In — Erin In The Morning is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber. — Today, The New York Times Editorial Board published …
Discussion:
PinkNews

Musk calls for impeachment of judge who blocked DOGE access at Treasury — Elon Musk is calling for the impeachment of the federal judge who made a decision early Saturday morning that the Treasury Department should block access to anyone “other than civil servants with a need for access …
RELATED:

Musk Team's Treasury Access Raises Security Fears, Despite Judge's Ordered Halt
Discussion:
Baltimore Sun


Federal Financial Watchdog Ordered to Cease Activity — In an email to staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency's acting director ordered workers to cease “all supervision and examination activity.” — Employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were instructed to cease …
Discussion:
American Prospect, Reuters, USA Today, How Things Work, CNN, Fox News, RedState and Politico
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A Quick Guide to the Lawsuits Against the Trump Orders — Dozens of suits have been filed that seek to stop some of President Trump's executive orders. Here's a brief rundown. — The legal war over President Trump's blizzard of executive actions is intensifying, with new lawsuits and fresh rulings emerging now day and night.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner and UnHerd
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As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down
Discussion:
Alternet.org

Federal Courts Are the Frontline for Those Opposing Trump Executive Orders
Discussion:
The Guardian and Alternet.org


Early Crypto Traders Had Speedy Profit on Trump Coin as Others Suffered Losses — Some traders made tens of millions off a new cryptocurrency launched by President Trump and his sons. Many others lost out. — The curious trade came a little past 9 p.m. on Jan. 17 …
Discussion:
Rolling Stone


House Republicans mull taxes on scholarships and changes to student loan programs — As Republicans in Congress look for ways to slash spending, some legislators are floating new taxes on college scholarships, an end to student loan repayment plans and a big hike in taxes on university endowments.
Discussion:
Twin Cities


Kristi Noem: ‘Get rid of FEMA the way it exists today’ — The DHS secretary backed Trump's proposal to shutter the disaster response agency. — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she supports the idea of getting “rid of FEMA” as part of President Donald Trump's massive overhaul of the federal government.
Discussion:
NBC News, RedState, Daily Mail, Axios, PoliticusUSA, Washington Post, Fox News, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, Alternet.org, Orlando Sentinel, Breitbart and The Daily Signal


In Breaking USAID, the Trump Administration May Have Broken the Law — ProPublica's reporting provides new details about what legal risk officials were prepared to take and what laws they may have violated on their way to creating a “constitutional crisis.” — Reporting Highlights
Discussion:
Politico


NSA Waltz says gutting USAID ‘absolutely not’ handing power to China and Russia: Full interview — National Security Adviser Mike Waltz tells Meet the Press in an exclusive interview that USAID needs to realign its mission to fit President Trump's foreign policy vision, as the Trump administration takes steps to dismantle the agency.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Fortune, Raw Story, The Daily Wire and Grabien, more at Mediagazer »

Noem confident in legality of housing migrants at Guantánamo Bay — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she's confident that steps the government is taking to deport certain migrants from the U.S. mainland to Guantánamo Bay are legal.
Discussion:
PolitiFact and Fox News
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Trump reveals he's spoken with Putin by phone, says Russian president ‘wants to see people stop dying’ in Ukraine war — President Trump has spoken to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the phone to try to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, he told The Post in an exclusive interview aboard Air Force One Friday.
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Moscow Times, CNN, Reuters, Politico, Axios, EADaily, Washington Examiner and Los Angeles Times
RELATED:

Kremlin Declines to Confirm or Deny Putin Call Trump Hints At
Discussion:
Reuters, One America News Network, Daily Mail, EADaily and The Japan Times