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Hegseth's Bruising 72-Hour Debut Overseas — It was a crash course in geopolitical realities as the new defense secretary stepped onto the world stage. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has had a rocky trip to Europe this week. — In his debut on the world stage, Mr. Hegseth told NATO …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
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German Chancellor Scholz Rebukes Vance's Support for Far-Right During Munich Conference — At the Munich Security Conference, Olaf Scholz accused the U.S. vice president of unacceptable interference in Germany's coming elections. — 2.5k — Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany …
Discussion:
Politico, Bloomberg, Pravda EN, Breaking Defense, Al Jazeera, Reuters, SpyTalk and Digby's Hullabaloo


Europe will not be part of Ukraine-Russia peace talks, US envoy says — Keith Kellogg tells countries to offer concrete solutions and boost spending instead of complaining about talks role — Europe will be consulted - but ultimately excluded - from the planned peace talks between Russia …
Discussion:
UPI, Al Jazeera, Pravda EN, European Council …, The American Conservative, Le Monde, The Republic News and Bloomberg


Trump team to start Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia
Discussion:
The Hill, NBC News, Reuters, Bloomberg, Pravda EN, Euractiv, EADaily, CNBC, The Post Millennial, The Guardian, HuffPost, Fox News, Semafor and Associated Press

Trump strangles Europe
Discussion:
Pravda EN, New York Times, Reuters, Euractiv, USA Today, The Daily Caller, ZeroHedge News, Tennessee Star, Blaze Media, CNBC, Global News, Ace of Spades HQ, UPI, The Federalist, Plain Dealer, New York Post, Fox News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The National Pulse, Megyn Kelly, Baltimore Sun, The Daily Signal and Raw Story

JD Vance's Munich speech laid bare the collapse of the transatlantic alliance
Discussion:
Pravda EN, UnHerd, Daily Mail, Politico, IJR, Alternet.org, Human Events, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Raw Story, Breitbart and Washington Examiner

Zelensky warns days of guaranteed US support for Europe are over, as Kellogg says Europeans won't be at table for peace talks
Discussion:
Pravda EN, European Council … and EADaily

Zelenskyy calls for ‘European army’ as EU leaders bristle at new US policies on Ukraine
Discussion:
The Guardian, Bloomberg, The Hill, Politico, EADaily, Pravda EN, CBS News, Breitbart, The Republic News, Daily Mail, Euractiv, The Gateway Pundit, Metro.co.uk, Israpundit, Reuters, Twitchy, CNBC, Al Jazeera, Forbes, WHDH-TV, The Defense Post and The Post Millennial

Macron calls emergency European summit on Trump, Polish minister says
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Mail, Pravda EN, Notes From Poland, Reuters and Financial Times


Trump administration wants to un-fire some nuclear safety workers but can't figure out how to reach them — The individuals, who work in an agency that oversees the nation's nuclear stockpile, had been fired on Thursday and lost access to their federal government email accounts.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Yes or No Polls, Nextgov/FCW, Good Morning America and Reuters
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Stunned federal workers brace for the real-world repercussions of Trump's purges
Discussion:
Alternet.org, American Prospect, NPR, New York Times, Axios, CBS News, Federal News Network, Law Dork, Business Insider, Associated Press, NBC News, CNN, E&E News and Forbes

IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The Post Millennial, Reuters, Townhall, Raw Story, New York Times and Washington Post


Records show how DOGE planned Trump's DEI purge — and who gets fired next — A DOGE team plans to fire federal workers who are not in DEI roles and employees in offices that protect equal rights, internal documents show. — A team of workers from the U.S. DOGE Service developed step …
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Internal DOGE documents lay out plans for ‘Phase 3’ to begin on Wednesday: report — According to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) documents obtained by the Washington Post, Elon Musk's unofficial agency is set to launch what they have labeled as “Phase 3” of their drive to dismantle the government on Wednesday.


Trump-Musk Scandal at USAID Takes Unnerving Turn With Vile Leaked Memo — Shockingly, it turns out that empowering the richest human being on the planet to maliciously and gratuitously heap additional misery on that planet's most poor, hungry, and desperate people might—just might …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money and Bloomberg


Don't Assume Trump Is Wrong About Birthright Citizenship — On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order that purports to end birthright citizenship for certain children. It does so despite Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, which declares, “All persons born …
Discussion:
Reason, Fox News and ZeroHedge News


Ukraine rejects Trump bid to take rights to half its mineral reserves — Kyiv wants security guarantees to be tied to any natural resources deal — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected a US bid to take ownership of around 50 per cent of the rights to his country's rare earth minerals …
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Ukraine rejects initial Trump request for half its mineral wealth — Ukraine is hoping to reach a deal on a counter-offer, but the opening proposal rippled through European diplomatic circles not only for its audacity but because the war-ravaged country appears ready to play ball. — February 15, 2025


Trump administration fires 20 immigration judges with no explanation — Courts are currently backlogged with 3.7m cases as US president demands more deportations — The Trump administration fired 20 immigration judges without explanation, a union official said on Saturday amid sweeping moves …
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Maryland National Guard out of Frederick Douglass parade after DoD order declares Black History Month ‘dead’ — Strict guidance from the national defense department crushed plans for an Eastern Shore parade held in honor of Frederick Douglass' 207th birthday because it was being held during …
Discussion:
Scripps News, ArkansasTimes and The American Spectator


‘The Gulf of America’ Is the Wrong Fight to Pick — The more that politicians mess around with place names, the more important it is to respond according to consistent principles. — The executive order rechristening the body of water known internationally as the “Gulf of Mexico” is not an easy document to take seriously.


Trump Supporters Shared How He Could Lose Their Support, And There's One Issue That's Verrrrry Important To Them — “We didn't vote for my husband to lose his government career and benefits.” — Ashley Holt— BuzzFeed … We recently asked people in the BuzzFeed Community who voted …
Discussion:
New York Daily News


Don't Say “Chaotic” or “Transactional” — We're not living in Trump 1.0 — I'm struck by the degree to which the mainstream media is still living in the Trump 1.0 world of 2017-2020, using words like “chaotic” or “transactional” to describe the new administration's behavior.


Senator Ruben Gallego on the Democrats' Problem: 'We're Always Afraid' — Philip Montgomery for The New York Times — There has been an onslaught of political news over the past few weeks as President Trump and his billionaire backer Elon Musk try to remake America's government.
Discussion:
Business Insider and Townhall
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Senator Warner: Democrats' ‘brand is really bad’
Discussion:
Washington Examiner


6 Americans on What They Think of Trump, Elon Musk and Gaza — In his first three weeks back in office, President Trump has set a dizzying pace of political and social change, issuing dozens of executive directives meant to dramatically remake the federal government and drive the country in a new direction.


Not Quite a Unified Theory of Trumpism, but Still an Alarming Pattern — President Trump's second term dizzies many Americans, but I find it oddly familiar — an echo of the time I lived in China as a reporter. — Americans sometimes misperceive Trump's actions as a fire hose of bizarre …
Discussion:
Associated Press

Is corporate America already souring on Trump? — Optimism at the prospect of tax cuts and lighter regulation has given way to anxiety over trade policies
Discussion:
The Daily Wire


Georgia's First Jewish Senator Is Losing Jewish Support — Democratic donors and Jewish leaders are so unhappy with Jon Ossoff over his position on Israel that some have quietly urged Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, to run against him. — Four years ago, Senator Jon Ossoff was sworn in using …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and WXIA-TV


Forced to flee Congo, USAID workers lost everything. They're suing Trump. — USAID workers based in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, tell a harrowing story of how Trump's attack on the agency complicated an escape. — January 28 began as a normal day for “Marcus Doe,” …
Discussion:
OutsideTheBeltway


How a Vermont border agent's death exposed violence linked to the cultlike Zizian group — In the wooded outskirts of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a perplexed landlord noticed odd sights at two of his rental properties. — Tenants wore long black coats and parked box trucks outside the duplexes.
Discussion:
The Guardian and SFGATE


Book excerpt: “A Different Russia” by Marvin Kalb — We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article. — In “A Different Russia: Khrushchev and Kennedy on a Collision Course” (BookBaby), veteran journalist Marvin Kalb writes about the 1963 Cold War summit …


Trump's Threats and Statehood Taunts Reset Race to Lead Canada — ‘The enemy is not in Ottawa, the enemy is in Washington’ — Conservatives pivot to ‘Canada First’ message as polls narrow — For over a year, Canada's Conservative Party seemed on track to win a decisive victory …
Discussion:
UnHerd


Federal workers are being rushed back to the office. It's causing chaos. — Some need to win a coin flip to use a desk. Others say they're killing time when workstations aren't available. — As the Federal Emergency Management Agency prepared for its full workforce to report in person this month …
Discussion:
Raw Story