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Senate confirms Kash Patel as FBI director — The Trump loyalist is taking over a bureau in turmoil over firings and an effort to gather names of people who worked on Jan. 6 Capitol riot investigations. — WASHINGTON — Kash Patel, a longtime loyalist to President Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Politico, HotAir, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, New York Magazine, Forbes, Patterico's Pontifications, Raw Story, New York Daily News and WDAY Radio
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Trump Administration Live Updates: Senate Confirms Kash Patel as F.B.I. Chief — Where Things Stand — F.B.I. leader: The Senate confirmed Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist with a long history of attacking the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to oversee the bureau on a 51-49 vote.
Discussion:
CBS News, USA Today, Daily Kos, Bloomberg, NBC News, The National Pulse, Washington Examiner and New York Post


The MAGA loyalist running the FBI — The Logoff is a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. — Welcome to The Logoff. Today I'm focusing on the Senate's confirmation …
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Washington Post, Associated Press, WAGA-TV, The Independent and Rolling Stone


Live updates: Senate narrowly confirms Kash Patel for FBI director

Senate confirms Kash Patel to lead FBI
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, Scripps News, PBS NewsHour, The Federalist, The Hill, The Mahablog, Washington Post, RedState, Deadline, Townhall, UPI, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Forbes, Fox News, Mediaite, American Greatness, PoliticusUSA, FOX8 WGHP, The Gateway Pundit, The American Conservative and Semafor

A Leading Anti-Trump Voice Returns to Democrats' Top Think Tank
Discussion:
Semafor

Senate confirms Kash Patel, fierce critic of FBI, to head the bureau
Discussion:
The Hill, RTÉ, Blaze Media, Nextgov/FCW, U.S. Senator Susan Collins … and CBS News


DOGE's Millions: As Musk and Trump Gut Government, Their Ax-Cutting Agency Gets Cash Infusion — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — While Elon Musk and his underlings demand budget cuts …
Discussion:
New Republic, ClearanceJobs, Twitchy, E&E News, Washington Times and Reuters
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The private GOP panic over the slash-and-burn DOGE firings — White House aides are inundated with congressional calls as Republicans fret. — A growing number of congressional Republicans are desperately trying to back-channel with White House officials as President Donald Trump's Department …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Associated Press and The Hill

Musk wields chainsaw onstage at CPAC, touting DOGE cuts
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Fox News, Daily Mail, Associated Press, The Daily Wire, Washington Times, Blaze Media and Foreign Affairs


Sen. Mitch McConnell won't seek reelection in 2026, ending long tenure as Republican power broker — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is announcing on Thursday that he won't seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes …
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NBC News, Roll Call, Washington Examiner, CBS News, New Republic, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Washington Times, Raw Story, Responsible Statecraft, Semafor, The Daily Wire, freebeacon.com, Twitchy, Fox News, UPI, USA Today, The Independent, Bloomberg, NPR, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Guardian, Townhall, Forbes, Breitbart, Hollywood Life, New York Post, Mediaite, One America News Network, RedState, Daily Kos, WAGA-TV, New York Daily News, The Political Insider, NOTUS, RTÉ, E&E News, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Mail, The American Conservative and Grabien
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McConnell to announce retirement from the Senate
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Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Axios, The Hill, CBS News, Breitbart, Raw Story and IJR

CPAC attendees rejoice over McConnell's retirement: ‘Way past time’
Discussion:
The Hill and Florida Politics

Sen Mitch McConnell announces he will not run for re-election
Discussion:
Axios, RedState, ABC News, New York Post, Ace of Spades HQ and The Hill


Many of Trump's early actions are unpopular, Post-Ipsos poll finds — Reviews from Americans on President Donald Trump's second term are mixed to negative, and 57 percent say he has exceeded his authority since taking office.
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Trump's honeymoon is over — New polling shows Trump's approval declining — and a number of major warning signs appearing.
Discussion:
Raw Story and The Japan Times

Half of Trump's first month in office saw him visiting Trump properties

Warning signs for Trump in new polling
Discussion:
Twitchy, Reuters, The Independent, FOX8 WGHP and The Hill


Gov. Hochul says she won't remove NYC Mayor Adams from office … We rely on your support to make local news available to all — Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2025. Donate today — Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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NPR, Associated Press, USA Today, abc7NY, Political Wire, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News and Politico
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Hochul to Seek New Oversight, but Won't Remove Adams for Now — Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is said to be planning to announce that she will not remove Mayor Eric Adams at this time, but she will seek to increase the state's supervision of New York City's affairs.
Discussion:
The Hill, NPR, Associated Press, Politico, Forbes, New York Daily News, The Post Millennial, Mediaite, The Daily Wire, Lawyers, Guns & Money and The Daily Caller


DOGE Puts $1 Spending Limit on Government Employee Credit Cards — The restrictions are already in place at the General Services Administration along with several other agencies. Soon they'll roll out to most of the federal government, sources say. — Elon Musk's so-called Department …
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
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Trump Team Plans Deep Cuts at Office That Funds Recovery From Big Disasters — Staff at the office, a branch of the U.S. housing department that Congress uses to address the worst catastrophes, would be reduced by 84 percent. — The Trump administration plans to all but eliminate the office …
Discussion:
Honolulu Civil Beat, New Republic, Bloomberg and Raw Story


US objects to calling out ‘Russian aggression’ in G7 statement on Ukraine — Trump administration splits with allies on holding Moscow responsible for war — The US is opposing calling Russia the aggressor in a G7 statement on the third anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine …
Discussion:
New York Times, Vox, The Kyiv Independent, The Guardian, Euromaidan Press, spiked, Bloomberg and Semafor
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X Hinted at Possible Deal Trouble in Talks With Ad Giant to Increase Spending — Interpublic recently signed an advertising agreement with the platform; other agencies are also in negotiations — A lawyer at advertising conglomerate Interpublic Group fielded a phone call in December …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Raw Story, The Information and Gizmodo, more at Mediagazer »


Jesse Watters Makes On-Air Plea to Trump for Veteran Friend Who Got 'DOGE'd' In Pentagon Cuts — Fox News host Jesse Watters made an on-air plea that the Trump administration be “less callous” when implementing when laying off federal employees after a military veteran friend was “DOGE'd” in Elon Musk's Pentagon cuts.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Business Insider, HuffPost, The Independent, New Republic and Eschaton


My Open Letter to Elon Musk — Elon Musk recently posted on his site that another lawyer and I are “undermining civilization.” He goes on to ask if we suffered childhood trauma and concludes by suggesting we are suffering from “generational trauma.” This is my response. — Mr. Musk,
Discussion:
Raw Story


Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared. — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — Pregnancy became far more dangerous in Texas after the state banned abortion in 2021 …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Mother Jones, New Republic, lonestarlive.com, The Independent and Lawyers, Guns & Money


Acting U.S. attorney opens inquiries into Democrats alleging possible threats to DOGE, Supreme Court justices — Ed Martin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, revealed he has opened inquiries into public statements of Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, Advocate, New Republic, Gizmodo, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Esquire, New York Times and Rolling Stone


Trump Dismantles Government Fight Against Foreign Influence Operations — The Trump administration has reassigned or forced out several dozen government employees who had been working to fight foreign interference in U.S. elections at multiple agencies, according to current and former officials.
Discussion:
Default and Los Angeles Times, more at Techmeme »


The End of the Postwar World — Trump's cruelty and lies about Ukraine send a dark message to America's other allies. — For eight decades, America's alliances with other democracies have been the bedrock of American foreign policy, trade policy, and cultural influence.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNN, University of Manchester and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »


RFK Jr. prepares shake-up of vaccine advisers — The health secretary is planning to remove members of a panel that recommends vaccines if he sees conflicts of interest. — HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to remove members of the outside committees that advise …


Terrorist Designations of International Cartels — Today, the State Department is fulfilling one of President Trump's first promises since he took office. I'm pleased to announce the Department's designation of eight organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).


Justice Department deletes database tracking federal police misconduct — Trump executive order ends National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, which Trump proposed creating in 2020 — The first nationwide database tracking misconduct by federal police officers has been shut …


Judge rules against union bid to block mass federal layoffs by Trump — The case was the broadest suit brought against the Trump administration over its plans to dismiss both probationary workers and thousands of other government employees. — A federal judge Thursday denied a bid …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, New Republic, Washington Examiner, Axios, CBS News, GovExec.com, Staten Island Advance, Townhall, FedSmith.com and The Post Millennial


Google Ad-Tech Users Can Target National Security ‘Decision Makers’ and People With Chronic Diseases — Google enables marketers to target people with serious illnesses and crushing debt—against its policies—as well as the makers of classified defense technology, a WIRED investigation has found.
Discussion:
Mostly signs, more at Mediagazer »


Trump Administration Abruptly Clears Out Migrants It Sent to Guantánamo — A transfer operation on Thursday repatriated 177 Venezuelans via a handoff in Honduras, while one migrant was brought back to U.S. soil. — The Trump administration on Thursday transferred all of the Venezuelan migrants …
Discussion:
Migrant Insider, NBC News, NPR, Reuters, Associated Press and The Independent


AP's Back-Channel Press — News outlets across the political spectrum have united behind the AP, signing a WHCA-backed letter urging the White House to reverse its press ban, a copy of which Status has obtained. — On Wednesday, Julie Pace boarded a plane to Florida for a high-stakes meeting.
Discussion:
The Hill, NPR, Deadline, Adweek, The Nation, Mediaite and The Reporters Committee …, more at Mediagazer »


Nearly One in 10 U.S. Adults Identifies as L.G.B.T.Q., Survey Finds — New data shows a rapid increase in recent years, driven by the young. The Trump administration has recently been rolling back L.G.B.T.Q. initiatives. — Nearly one in 10 adults in the United States identifies as L.G.B.T.Q. …


Hegseth could fire some senior generals and admirals soon, sources say — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth could soon move to fire more than half a dozen generals and flag officers, according to two sources familiar with the matter, part of an effort to purge the department of senior leaders perceived …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Daily Wire and ABC News


Ex-NFL punter Chris Kluwe calls MAGA ‘a Nazi movement’ in protest that led to his arrest — Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was arrested Tuesday on a charge of disturbing an assembly in Huntington Beach, California, per the city's arrest log. The incident occurred at a city council meeting.
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HuffPost, FOX8 WGHP, Fox News, New York Times, Raw Story, The Hill, The Guardian, IJR, MeidasTouch News, Louder With Crowder, New York Daily News, New Republic, WDAY Radio, al.com, New York Times, Plain Dealer, Daily Mail, New York Post, TMZ.com, San Diego Union-Tribune, The Daily Caller, NBCSports.com, Blaze Media and Orange County Register


Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy — By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: — Section 1. Purpose. It is the policy of my Administration to dramatically reduce the size …
Discussion:
New York Times, GovExec.com, The Daily Caller, Politico, FedSmith.com, The 19th, E&E News, Washington Times, Fox News, The San Francisco Standard and Mercury News


‘Discovery will be needed’: Trump must fork over his personal financials if he follows through with Kamala Harris ‘60 Minutes’ lawsuit, CBS says — Lawyers for CBS say they plan to demand that President Donald Trump — who is allegedly letting DOGE pillage U.S. treasury data …