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3:50 PM ET, February 12, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Jenna McLaughlin / NPR:
Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as director of national intelligence, overcoming skepticism  —  The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to lead the intelligence community as director of national intelligence, despite initial skepticism.  —  Gabbard was confirmed 52-48 …
RELATED:
NBC News:
Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as top U.S. intelligence official  —  Gabbard overcame initial skepticism from some Republican senators about her nomination, underscoring Trump's grip on the party.  —  WASHINGTON — The GOP-controlled Senate early Wednesday morning voted …
New York Times:
Live Updates: Trump Holds Call With Putin to Start Talks on Ending Ukraine War  —  Where Things Stand  — Trump-Putin call: President Trump said that he had “a lengthy and highly productive” call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Wednesday that he characterized as the start of the negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.
New York Times:
Trump Softens Tone on Inflation After Pledging to Lower Prices  —  President Trump pledged to lower costs on “Day 1” as a candidate.  His administration now acknowledges it will take more time.  —  President Trump promised voters that, if elected, he would enact policies that would bring prices down on “Day 1” in office.
RELATED:
Colby Smith / New York Times:
CPI Report: Inflation Rose Unexpectedly in January  —  The Consumer Price Index rose 3.0 percent from a year earlier as food and energy prices picked up.  —  U.S. inflation rose to 3 percent in January, strengthening the case for the Federal Reserve to extend a pause on interest rate cuts.
Andrew Ackerman / Washington Post:
Inflation heated up in January, as prices for groceries and housing picked up
RELATED:
Lee Moran / HuffPost:
Donald Trump Taunted Over ‘Most Powerless Image Of A President’ Ever  —  It's “a picture of presidential subservience the likes of which we have never seen,” said MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell.  —  LOADING  —  MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell pointed out the power plays that Elon Musk appeared …
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
When President Musk Speaks, Donald Trump Listens
Discussion: CNN and NBC News
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
This obscure law is one reason Trump's agenda keeps losing in court  —  Lawsuits challenging Trump policies raise big constitutional questions, but they also rely on a law that requires the government to follow the correct procedures when changing course.  —  WASHINGTON — Lawyers challenging …
Discussion: Alternet.org and Raw Story
RELATED:
Associated Press:
White House says judges balking at Trump's actions are provoking a ‘constitutional crisis’  —  The White House said Wednesday that court rulings going against the Trump administration are coming from “judicial activists” on the bench whose decisions amount to a “constitutional crisis.”
Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
It's a Good Thing Democrats Didn't Pack the Courts
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Defying Johnson, Graham and Senate G.O.P. Push Their Own Budget Plan  —  Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who relishes being in the middle of the action, is leapfrogging the House G.O.P., which is still tied in knots over how to pass its budget.
RELATED:
New York Times:   Republicans Love Trump's Spending Cuts. Just Not in Their States.
Steven Erlanger / New York Times:
Hegseth Says Return to Ukraine's Pre-2014 Borders Is ‘Unrealistic’  —  In his first trip abroad, the new U.S. defense secretary told Ukrainian and NATO officials that a durable peace could only come ‘with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.’  —  A return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is …
RELATED:
Haley Ott / CBS News:
Hegseth rules out Ukraine NATO membership as part of any ceasefire with Russia
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
BREAKING: NIH admits funding freeze is illegal, will resume issuing grants  —  On Monday afternoon, Popular Information broke the news that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had frozen virtually all grant funding in violation of two federal court orders.
Discussion: Washington Examiner
emptywheel:
Trump Fired Inspectors General Who Identified $183.5 Billion in Waste, Fraud, and Abuse  —  There have and will be a slew of lawsuits in response to Trump's attack on government.  But this lawsuit, from eight of the Inspectors General that Trump fired on January 24, has been much anticipated.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Family of Venezuelan Migrant Sent to Guantánamo: ‘My Brother Is Not a Criminal.’ … Luis Alberto Castillo, a father of one from Venezuela, entered the United States on Jan. 19, one day before Donald Trump became president for a second term — swept into office on a promise to treat undocumented migrants with a heavy hand.
CBS News:
How Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center, moving away from “woke culture”  —  President Trump is reshaping the Kennedy Center's board and performances, moving away from what he views as “woke culture,” multiple sources tell CBS News.  —  After Mr. Trump announced plans last week to remove …
Discussion: them. and Breitbart
RELATED:
Washington Post:
New Kennedy Center board elects Trump as chair. Rutter departs as president.
Discussion: New York Times and Fox News
David Zipper / Slate:
Americans Are Actually in a Position to Make Elon Musk Feel Our Rage  —  The company is in a precarious position.  This is a case where buying choices can effectively communicate rage.  —  There are myriad reasons to loathe Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, who has become a top ally of Donald Trump.
Discussion: Raw Story and Forbes
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Her parents were injured in a Tesla crash. She ended up having to pay Tesla damages
Discussion: Electrek and TechCrunch
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
White House calls judges blocking Trump's agenda ‘real constitutional crisis’  —  The White House on Wednesday sought to turn around claims from Democrats that there was a looming “constitutional crisis” if President Trump defied court orders, arguing that the real “crisis” …
RELATED:
New York Daily News:
Trump revokes $80 million from NYC after threat to claw back FEMA cash used to care for migrants  —  The Trump administration has revoked more than $80 million in funds from New York City bank accounts after Elon Musk earlier this week threatened to claw back FEMA money used to house migrants in …
Ivana Saric / Axios:
Top Dem on DOGE subcommittee calls on Elon Musk to testify … - “While we're sitting here, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are recklessly and illegally dismantling the federal government,” Stansbury said.  — She went on to accuse Republicans of shielding Musk and Trump as they break the law …
Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
House Republican circulates petition to deport Omar  —  Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) is circulating a petition for his supporters to sign to deport a fellow member of Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).  —  Gil had previously called on Omar to be deported, arguing she is more loyal …
Discussion: New York Post and Axios
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
McConnell only Republican to vote against Gabbard  —  Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Wednesday voted against confirming former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) to serve as the nation's top intelligence official, sending a strong message to fellow GOP senators …
Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Elon Musk's DOGE takes aim at agency that had plans of regulating X  —  Elon Musk made a big leap late last month toward his long-shot goal of turning X into an “everything app,” a service that could encompass a broad range of services, including the ability to transfer money, similar to Venmo or PayPal.
Jeff Coltin / Politico:
‘The case is over’: Adams' lawyer declares victory  —  Attorney Alex Spiro responded to critics who said the New York City mayor is beholden to Trump.  —  NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams' lawyer claimed Wednesday that the criminal case against the mayor “is over” and won't be picked up again …
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Pope Francis's Stunning Rebuke of JD Vance Exposes MAGA's Dark Soul  —  The other day, JD Vance sought to reconcile President Donald Trump's “America First” vision with the tenets of Christianity.  Vance argued for a “Christian concept” that orders our ethical obligations in a series of concentric circles …
Justine Calma / The Verge:
The Trump administration restores federal webpages after court order  —  A federal judge told the CDC and FDA to restore pages containing key health information.  —  A federal judge told the CDC and FDA to restore pages containing key health information.
New York Times:
New Hampshire High School Trans Athletes Take Their Fight to Trump  —  A lawsuit appears to be the first challenge to the constitutionality of an executive order barring trans athletes from girls' and women's sports teams.  —  Two transgender public high school students in New Hampshire …
Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
Cutting Cancer Research  —  Sometimes, it gets personal.  —  My daughter is finishing up a master's degree.  Her work is completely over my head, but it involves the intersection of nutrition, agriculture, and climate change. … In other words, she's doing important work, real work that could help make many lives better.
Perla Shaheen / KGTV-TV:
Military fighter jet crashes into San Diego Bay off Point Loma coast  —  SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two pilots were rescued after a fighter jet crashed into the San Diego Bay in the area of 1401 Shelter Island Drive Wednesday morning, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Charles Franklin / Homepage:
New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds public strongly favors some Trump policies, strongly opposes others  —  Recognizing only two sexes and immigrant orders are most popular, “Gulf of America” naming and Jan. 6 pardons least popular  —  Other highlights:  — Overall opinion is skeptical on tariffs
emptywheel:
“The Fraudsters Complain the Loudest and the Fastest:” Legacy Media Ignores Import of Gaza Condom Fact Check  —  At a weird appearance in the Oval Office rife with awkward projections that Elon Musk believes he is more powerful than Trump (here's the full CSPAN video), a journalist asked Elon how …
Alex Gangitano / The Hill:
Musk calls for ‘wave of judicial impeachments’  —  Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday called for judges to be impeached for checking the power of the Trump administration, as some of its efforts to overhaul the government get bogged down in legal fights.
Discussion: Progressive Eruptions
 
 
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 More Items: 
Judy Kurtz / The Hill:
New Kennedy Center board elects Trump as its chairman
Discussion: CNN
Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:
The public lost access to Census Bureau data for days after a Trump order
Emily Brooks / The Hill:
First DOGE committee hearing becomes referendum on Elon Musk
Discussion: New Republic
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
Wall Street Loves Trump Because LOL Nothing Matters
Greisa Martínez Rosas / New York Times:
Democrats Need to Learn How to Throw a Punch
Discussion: Florida Phoenix
 Earlier Items: 
Max Read / Read Max:
Soy Right ascendant
Christopher Cadelago / Politico:
Firebrand Southern California sheriff will run to succeed Gavin Newsom
Discussion: Whittier Daily News
Vladimir Isachenkov / Associated Press:
Kremlin says unidentified Russian freed in US in exchange for Moscow's release of Marc Fogel
Wired:
Dozens of CFPB Workers Fired in After-Hours Blitz
Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Not Hyperbole Anymore: Musk Is In Charge of the US Government
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Steven J. Horowitz / Variety:
UMG files a motion to dismiss Drake's lawsuit, says he's suing because he “lost a rap battle” with Kendrick Lamar and took legal action to “salve his wounds”

Kurt Schlosser / GeekWire:
Trump praises Jeff Bezos for changes at WaPo, says he doesn't think media's treatment of him has changed so far, but he sees a shift among tech giants

Ben Smith / Semafor:
How Breitbart became “legacy” MAGA media, as Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow says the outlet is “trying to be the historical record of the Trump administration”

 
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