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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Gov. Hochul won't remove NYC Mayor Adams from office, sources say … 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

To Russia, With Love, Donald  —  Here at The Bulwark, you might have noticed, we tend to take a pretty cynical view of the current occupant in the Oval Office.  And yet, we confess that not even we had this one on our Week Four bingo cards: … Epic troll, sir!  Very cool!  Happy Thursday.

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 …

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 …

“They're Scared Shitless”: The Threat of Political Violence Informing Trump's Grip on Congress  —  With the president smashing norm after norm, even lawmakers within his party have feared for their personal safety, and at least one has told confidants that it has swayed his decision-making.

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,

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Freshman Congressman tells constituent he is powerless to stop Musk's budget cuts  —  At an open house in Fairbanks on Monday, Alaskan Congressman Nick Begich (R) told constituents that there was nothing he could do to stop agency budget cuts being implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk.

IRS lays off 6,700 employees, torpedoing Democratic enforcement boost  —  The IRS fired 6,700 employees on Thursday, a government official told NewsNation, the sister television network of The Hill.  —  The employees were designated as probationary, meaning they were working for the agency …

Elite lawyers sell out the rule of law  —  🏛️ 📜 ⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever.  Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers.

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.

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 …

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.

‘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 …

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. …

Statement by Performing the Duties of Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert G. Salesses  —  President Trump's charge to the Department is clear: to achieve peace through strength.  We will do this by putting forward budgets that revive the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence.

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 …

IRS plans to lay off 7,000 probationary workers beginning Thursday, AP source says  —  The IRS will lay off roughly 7,000 workers in Washington and around the country beginning Thursday, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press.  The layoffs affect probationary employees …

Trump's rapid obliteration of the First Amendment is fit for a king  —  On Jan. 26, reporters for radio station KCBS showed up for work to do what American journalists have been doing mostly unfettered since the 1791 ratification of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment …

DOGE Now Has Access to the Top US Cybersecurity Agency  —  DOGE technologists Edward Coristine—the 19-year-old known online as “Big Balls”—and Kyle Schutt are now listed as staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.  —  Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old engineer …

Scoop: U.S. and Ukraine discuss “improved” minerals deal after Trump raged at Zelensky … - A source with knowledge said several of Zelensky's aides have encouraged him to sign the updated proposal to avoid a further clash with Trump and allow the U.S. president to justify further U.S. support for Ukraine.

Senior Republicans seeking to tear up IRA enjoy $130bn investment spree  —  Party members whose states have benefited from Biden's Inflation Reduction Act — which Trump vowed to ‘terminate’ — to decide its fate  —  The senior US Republicans tasked with dismantling Joe Biden's signature climate policy …