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1:40 PM ET, February 16, 2025

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 Top Items: 
Edward-Isaac Dovere / CNN:
Democrats confront their powerlessness as Trump flexes authority  —  Amid Democrats' shock and bickering over how much to respond to President Donald Trump is a deeper question rippling through leaders across the Capitol and across the country: How much should they rely on the same institutional …
RELATED:
Elena Schneider / Politico:
Dems concede Republicans ‘running circles’ around them online as Trump remakes Washington  —  The Democratic response to Trump, one Texas lawmaker said, is “too slow and too tepid and not meeting the moment.”  —  The Department of Government Efficiency created its own account on X last November …
Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo
New York Times:
Trump Suggests No Laws Are Broken if He's ‘Saving His Country’  —  President Trump shared a quotation on social media, making it clear it was one he wanted people to absorb: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”  —  President Trump on Saturday posted on social media …
New York Times:   Venting at Democrats and Fearing Trump, Liberal Donors Pull Back Cash
Paul Sonne / New York Times:
Putin Has Long Wanted More Power in Europe.  Trump Could Grant It.  —  Remarks by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are fueling concerns that the U.S. will move away from Europe and align with Moscow.  —  President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia shocked the audience …
Discussion: The Guardian, HuffPost and Fortune
RELATED:
Nick Cohen / Writing from London:
Trump's true enemy isn't China or Russia but liberal democracy
Discussion: The Guardian and Breaking Defense
Peter Wade / Rolling Stone:
Zelenskyy: ‘The Risk That Russia Will Occupy Europe Is 100 Percent’ If U.S. Pulls Out of NATO
Representative Claudia Tenney:
Congresswoman Tenney Moves to Make President Trump's Birthday a Federal Holiday  —  Washington, DC - Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today introduced the Trump's Birthday and Flag Day Holiday Establishment Act to officially designate June 14 as a federal holiday to commemorate President Donald J. Trump's Birthday and Flag Day.
Discussion: WALV-TV and WKRN News 2
Rachel Leingang / The Guardian:
‘A particularly heinous villain’: a disdain for Musk has sparked protests across US  —  50501 group gained national force with Musk as a target and is now working globally to thwart Trump administration  —  Democracy and justice is supported by  —  When protesters showed up at state capitols around …
RELATED:
Chandelis Duster / NPR:   Protests are set to take place on Presidents Day. Here is why
Marcia Brown / Politico:
Trump administration firings hit key office handling bird flu response  —  The layoffs in USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network program office come as egg prices reach record high amid worsening outbreak.  —  Laboratories in a national network of 58 facilities responding to the spread …
Discussion: Breitbart
RELATED:
Peter Wade / Rolling Stone:
Trump Firings Impact ‘Front Line of Surveillance’ for Bird Flu Outbreak  —  While the virus continues to spread, the White House is cutting employees who coordinate testing for the virus … The news comes as the virus poses an increasing risk to humans and has caused egg shortages, leading to skyrocketing egg prices.
Discussion: Reuters and NBC News
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Auchincloss: Trump ‘replacing the rule of law with the law of the ruler’  —  Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) on Sunday criticized the order from the Trump administration's Justice Department to dismiss the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
RELATED:
NBC News:
Justice Department fires multiple immigration judges amid case backlog
Discussion: New York Times and The Hill
Billy House / Bloomberg:
Steve Bannon, US Hospitals Join GOP Rebellion Over Medicaid Cuts  — Medicaid fight threatens passage of Trump's legislative agenda  — Trump tax cuts, spending priorities could hang in the balance  —  A quiet rebellion among Republicans representing working-class and low-income areas …
Discussion: Salon and HuffPost
RELATED:
Mychael Schnell / The Hill:
House GOP budget resolution in jeopardy amid concerns from moderates
Discussion: HuffPost
Rachel Cohrs Zhang / Bloomberg:
US Health Department Layoffs Expand to Medicare, FDA  — Employees at CMS, FDA, CDC received notices in weekend cuts  —  The Department of Health and Human Services laid off employees Saturday evening across some of its biggest agencies — the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services …
Discussion: STAT
Liam Knox / Inside Higher Ed:
Ed Department: DEI Violates Civil Rights Law  —  In a sweeping and unprecedented letter issued over the weekend, the Office for Civil Rights declared race-based scholarships, cultural centers and even graduation ceremonies illegal.  —  The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights declared …
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
A.R. Moxon / The Reframe:
The Worst and the Dimmest  —  Hey cousins.  The world's richest man held court in the Oval Office this week while his pet president watched from the resolute desk wearing his trademark pants-shitting scowl.  The world's richest man was telling the press lies to repeat while holding his hands …
RELATED:
Reuters:
Trump team to start Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia in coming days, Politico reports
Washington Post:
ICE struggles to boost arrest numbers despite infusion of resources  —  Trump has ordered a wartime effort to increase deportations, but ICE statistics show arrests have dipped so far this month.  —  Since taking office, President Donald Trump has launched an all-of-government immigration crackdown …
Discussion: Raw Story and washingtonpost.com
Marvin Kalb / CBS News:
Marvin Kalb on how a Trump-Putin summit could lead to disaster  —  Marvin Kalb is a former CBS Newsman and anchor of NBC's “Meet the Press,” whose latest book is called “A Different Russia.”  Given the week's news about Ukraine, his thoughts couldn't be more timely:
RELATED:
Sugam Pokharel / CNN:
European leaders to hold emergency summit on Ukraine as Trump-Putin call strains ties
Politico:
Appeals court rejects Trump in showdown over firing of ethics watchdog  —  The D.C. Circuit panel voted, 2-1, against the president's bid to immediately remove Hampton Dellinger.  —  A divided federal appeals court panel has again turned down President Donald Trump's request to follow through …
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Brandon Drenon / BBC:
US government tries to rehire nuclear staff it fired days ago  —  The US government is trying to rehire nuclear safety employees it had fired on Thursday, after concerns grew that their dismissal could jeopardise national security, US media reported.  —  The National Nuclear Security Administration …
Discussion: NBC News, UPI, Washington Examiner and NPR
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
DOGE Mismanagement Principles  —  Sam Rayburn, the Texan who served as House Speaker for 17 years was fond of saying: … Rayburn was talking about policymaking, but the point extends to more broadly to governing.  Trashing government agencies is easy.  Making them work is hard.
Discussion: The UnPopulist
Orlando Mayorquín / New York Times:
Utah Bans Collective Bargaining for Public Workers  —  Utah joined two other states in prohibiting collective bargaining for teachers, police officers and other public employees in a move that was seen as a possible blow to the country's labor movement.  —  A new law signed by Gov. Spencer Cox …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Washington Post:
Trump's global funding freeze leaves anti-terror programs in limbo
New York Times:
This Is What the Courts Can Do if Trump Defies Them
Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
The Courts Aren't The Cavalry; We Are  —  Lots of people are talking about early wins in court.
Discussion: Digby's Hullabaloo
Peter S. Goodman / New York Times:
How Trump's One-for-One Tariff Plan Threatens the Global Economy
Discussion: Associated Press
James Mackenzie / Reuters:
Israel receives shipment of heavy bombs cleared by Trump
Discussion: Breitbart
Ronda Kaysen / New York Times:
Home Builders Say Trump Tariffs Are Raising Construction Costs
ProPublica:
Trump Official Destroying USAID Secretly Met With Christian Nationalists Abroad in Defiance of U.S. Policy
 Earlier Items: 
Matt Brown / Associated Press:
NAACP lists companies that dump DEI in its tactical spending guide for Black Americans
Garrett M. Graff / Doomsday Scenario:
Musk, Trump Establish New Era of Kleptocracy in America
Washington Post:
Musk accused Reuters of ‘social deception.’ The deception was his.
Edward Helmore / The Guardian:
US Forest Service and National Park Service to fire thousands of workers
Discussion: New York Times