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Justice Department broadens Trump's Jan. 6 clemency as it moves to drop gun cases — In court papers, DOJ revealed a newly expansive interpretation of the president's Jan. 6 pardons. — The Justice Department now says that President Donald Trump's clemency for Jan. 6 rioters covers unrelated crimes …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Independent, Law & Crime, Mediaite, Blaze Media and American Greatness
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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:
The Guardian, Politico, HotAir, New York Magazine, Washington Examiner, Forbes, New York Daily News, Raw Story, Patterico's Pontifications and WDAY Radio


Senate confirms Kash Patel, fierce critic of FBI, to head the bureau — The Republican-led Senate voted Thursday to confirm Kash Patel as the new FBI director despite questions about whether he has the qualifications and the temperament to lead the nation's most powerful law enforcement agency.
Discussion:
The Hill, RTÉ, Blaze Media, U.S. Senator Susan Collins … and CBS News


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, Twitchy, LAist, Bloomberg, Daily Kos, NBC News, The National Pulse, USA Today, Washington Examiner and New York Post


The MAGA loyalist running the FBI
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Independent, WAGA-TV, Rolling Stone and Washington Post

Live updates: Senate narrowly confirms Kash Patel for FBI director

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


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:
Defense One, 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:
Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Associated Press and The Hill


Trump expected to take control of USPS, fire postal board, officials say — The move threatens to upend trillions of dollars in ecommerce business and the 250-year-old Postal Service.


Trump again raises idea of running for an unconstitutional third term — The suggestion followed a stretch of days in which Trump referred to himself as a king and quoted a dictator in suggesting that he was immune from following laws — President Donald Trump on Thursday again raised …
Discussion:
The Hill and Crooks and Liars
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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 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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ABC News, Associated Press, City & State New York, USA Today, NPR, abc7NY, Political Wire, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News and Politico
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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 …
Discussion:
Roll Call, CBS News, New Republic, The Daily Caller, The Hill, NBC News, Advocate, Semafor, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Raw Story, Responsible Statecraft, USA Today, The Independent, Bloomberg, NPR, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Guardian, Forbes, Twitchy, Hollywood Life, New York Post, Fox News, Mediaite, UPI, One America News Network, The Daily Wire, RedState, Daily Kos, WAGA-TV, New York Daily News, The Political Insider, Breitbart, freebeacon.com, Townhall, RTÉ, E&E News, NOTUS, The Gateway Pundit, Ace of Spades HQ, Daily Mail, The American Conservative and Grabien
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McConnell to announce retirement from the Senate
Discussion:
Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Axios, Breitbart, Raw Story, The Hill, CBS News and IJR

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


Elon Musk's private security detail gets deputized by US Marshals Service — The US Marshals Service has deputized members of Elon Musk's private security detail, giving them certain rights and protections of federal law enforcement agents, three law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.


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 »


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, Bloomberg, Raw Story and New Republic


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 …


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 …
Discussion:
Twin Cities


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


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, The Kyiv Independent, The Guardian, spiked, Euromaidan Press, Vox, Bloomberg and Semafor
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Paramount Is Starting to Fight Back Against Trump in ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit — The CBS News owner's legal strategy has revolved around arguments challenging the President's insistence that it should stay in federal court in Texas, in addition to raising the specter of discovery and arbitration.
Discussion:
HuffPost
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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 »


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:
Politico, Washington Post, New York Post, RedState, Raw Story, The Hill, Advocate, New Republic, Gizmodo, Talking Points Memo, The Gateway Pundit, Esquire, New York Times and Rolling Stone


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


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:
New Republic, Raw Story, Daily Mail, The Independent, HuffPost, Business Insider and Eschaton


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).


‘Stand up for us!’ Republican shouted down as he defends DOGE cuts at town hall — Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) tried to tout massive federal spending cuts proposed by tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency task force at a town hall in his heavily Republican district …
Discussion:
Popular Information and CBS News


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:
KHOU-TV, Bloomberg, Mother Jones, New Republic, The Independent, Lawyers, Guns & Money and lonestarlive.com


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, Politico and The Guardian, more at Mediagazer »

Education Department “Lifting the Pause” on Some Civil Rights Probes, but Not for Race or Gender Cases — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — The U.S. Department of Education …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Independent and Twitchy


Trump's Putinization of America — It's not just in foreign policy that the President is turning Russia's way. — No matter how many times Donald Trump openly parrots the Kremlin line, it's never not going to sound wrong coming from the President of the United States.


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:
Scripps News, The Hill, Bloomberg, Migrant Insider, NBC News, NPR, Associated Press, The Independent and Reuters


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 »


‘Enormous fear’: Housing industry braces for Trump tariffs, workforce cuts — The fallout is already being felt. Homebuilder sentiment fell sharply in February on concern over tariffs and high mortgage rates. — The U.S. housing market was already struggling under the weight of high mortgage rates and a lack of supply.
Discussion:
Raw Story, CityNews Toronto and Marketplace


Trump administration backtracks on eliminating thousands of national parks employees — Following a loud public outcry about job cuts at the National Parks Service — and a relentless media campaign from outdoors enthusiasts across the country — it looks like the Trump administration has blinked.
Discussion:
Plain Dealer


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 …