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Trump and Elon's ‘Pointless Bloodbath’ at the FAA Is Even Worse Than You Think — The Trump administration fired several FAA lawyers tasked with helping keep reckless and drunk pilots out of the skies — and officials are baffled — Late last week, just as Presidents' Day weekend was starting …
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The private GOP panic over the slash-and-burn DOGE firings
Discussion:
How Things Work, IJR, No More Mister Nice Blog, USA Today, Raw Story and Washington Examiner

Trump's Firing Frenzy Is Hitting the GOP Where It Hurts
Discussion:
ClearanceJobs and Scripps News

DOGE's Millions: As Musk and Trump Gut Government, Their Ax-Cutting Agency Gets Cash Infusion
Discussion:
Defense One, Twitchy, New Republic, E&E News, ClearanceJobs, Washington Times and Reuters


Inside DOGE's Dumbest Cut Yet — Andrew had meant to spend yesterday soaking in the sights and sounds at CPAC, but found himself tied up reporting our lead story below. So he missed Vice President JD Vance's culture-war ruminations, Steve Bannon's calls for a third Trump term in 2028 …
Discussion:
IJR, The Daily Wire, Fox News and Washington Times
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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:
Deadline, HuffPost and Law & Crime


Georgia Republican faces town hall backlash over DOGE's ‘chainsaw approach’ to government cuts
Discussion:
Newsweek, Washington Examiner, New Republic, Raw Story, The Status Kuo, Digby's Hullabaloo and The Fucking News

‘Stand up for us!’ Republican shouted down as he defends DOGE cuts at town hall
Discussion:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Daily Kos, CBS News and Musk Watch

Playbook: DOGE bites Republicans
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Fox News, The Hill and Washington Post


I cannot describe how strange Elon Musk's CPAC appearance was — So here's a literal transcript, instead. … Elon Musk spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, giving a strange and often inarticulate on-stage interview to Newsmax presenter Rob Schmitt.
Discussion:
NBC News, Politico, USA Today, New York Post, The Hill, The Independent, Raw Story, Daily Mail, al.com and The Daily Wire
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Bad News for Trump as Brutal New Polls Show Him and Elon Musk Sinking — Three new national polls—from CNN, Gallup, and The Washington Post—show that President Donald Trump's job approval is decidedly underwater. Importantly, the polls also show majorities rejecting Trump's authoritarian governance.
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, Al Jazeera, Chicago Sun Times, Digby's Hullabaloo and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Musk waves a chainsaw and charms conservatives talking up Trump's cost-cutting efforts
Discussion:
New Republic, Althouse, New York Daily News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Daily Kos, New Jersey Online, Twitchy, RedState, El País, The Daily Wire, Metro.co.uk, One America News Network, Reuters, New York Post, UPI, TMZ.com, The Hill, Washington Times, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, PBS NewsHour and Al Jazeera


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.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, The Week, CNN, The Independent, Daily Mail, Raw Story, Mediaite, Lawyers, Guns & Money and prima donna …


Justice Dept. to Drop Discrimination Case Against Elon Musk's SpaceX — The Justice Department had sued SpaceX in 2023, accusing the company of violating federal law by refusing to hire refugees and people granted asylum in the United States. — The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday …
Discussion:
Axios, RedState, New York Post and Bloomberg
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DOJ dropping immigration case against Musk's SpaceX
Discussion:
Fox Business


French far-right leader cancels US speech after Steve Bannon appears to make Nazi salute at CPAC - Europe live — Jordan Bardella cancels speech at US conference after former Trump aide appeared to make gesture at end of his speech at event on Thursday night
Discussion:
Le Monde, Daily Mail, The Kyiv Independent and The Forward
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French leader cancels CPAC speech after Bannon's apparent Nazi salute
Discussion:
Politico, Semafor, TMZ.com, New Republic, PinkNews, The Independent and Raw Story


Mr. President: Putin is THE dictator and 10 Ukraine-Russia war truths we ignore at our peril — This has been a dizzying and disorienting week in international diplomacy. One with wild implications for Ukraine, the future of America's standing in the world and President Trump's legacy.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Politico, New Republic, Euromaidan Press and New Jersey Online
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Zelensky's five moves that set off Trump
Discussion:
American Greatness, The National Interest, Semafor, Breitbart, Fox News, Daily Mail, The Kyiv Independent, The Daily Wire, Florida Politics, RTÉ and NBC News


US consumer sentiment plunges in February on tariff worries — U.S. consumer sentiment dropped more than expected in February to a 15-month low and inflation expectations rocketed as households worried that President Donald Trump's plans for steep and broad-based tariffs would eat into their purchasing power.
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US consumer sentiment plunges over tariff and inflation fears
Discussion:
Bloomberg and Tax Foundation


Senate G.O.P. Passes Budget Resolution, and Punts on Tough Questions — Approval of the Republican budget plan left major questions about tax cuts and spending reduction for another day. — The budget plan that Republicans pushed through the Senate early Friday was a necessary …
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2/21/25 ☀️ AM: … There are two ways to look at this: This resolution is a bit …
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, Washington Times, Conservative Partnership …, CBS News, NBC News, Roll Call and The Hill



Why Gen Z men love Trump's reign of destruction — Trump's appeal to the demographic might not have to do with his policies. — Many Americans are disturbed by President Donald Trump's trampling of the Constitution and nuking of the federal government. But one group seems to love what Trump is doing: young men.


Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread — Some private schools have shut down because of a rapidly escalating measles outbreak in West Texas. Local health departments are overstretched, pausing other important work as they race to limit the spread of this highly contagious virus.


AOC shows how to fight back and stand strong — 🗣️ 🫶 🪧 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.
Discussion:
The Daily Signal and Gothamist


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.
Discussion:
UPI, The Gateway Pundit, Scripting News and CBS News


Trump adviser says he expects Zelenskiy to sign minerals agreement — White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Friday he expects Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to sign a minerals agreement with the United States as part of efforts to end the Ukraine war.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Hill, The Guardian, El País, Daily Mail, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, New York Post and Taipei Times
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Trump again raises idea of running for an unconstitutional third term
Discussion:
CBS News, Kevin Drum, Raw Story, The Hill and Grabien


He Took Musk's Resignation Offer. He Was Fired Anyway. — A TOP-RANKING REGIONAL FEMA OFFICIAL who took Elon Musk's resignation deal was fired thirteen days later by the Trump administration, raising questions about the integrity of the program that the White House put together to off-ramp tens of thousands of federal employees.


Here Are the Digital Clues to What Musk Is Really Up To — Watching Elon Musk and his band of young acolytes slash their way through the federal government, many observers have struggled to understand how such a small group could do so much damage in so little time.


Singer of Canadian anthem at 4 Nations Face-Off changes lyric to protest Trump's 51st state remarks — The anthem singer who performed the Canadian anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game Thursday night changed a lyric in “O Canada” as a response to U.S. President Donald …
Discussion:
The Hill, Breitbart, WAGA-TV, Mediaite, WHDH-TV, The Week, Associated Press, Daily Mail, FOX8 WGHP, New York Post, Townhall, Rolling Stone, CityNews Toronto and Deadline
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Chantal Kreviazuk changes O Canada lyrics at hockey game against U.S. to protest Trump
Discussion:
Axios, New York Post, Townhall, Fox News, New York Times, Mediaite, Washington Times, The Independent, Associated Press, Daily Mail and USA Today


Steve Bannon Mimics Elon Musk's VERY Controversial Salute — Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon whipped up Friday's Conservative Political Action Conference crowd by talking about the possibility of the President Donald Trump staying in office for a third term in 2028 …
Discussion:
USA Today, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and HuffPost


Hundreds of Philly IRS workers laid off on Thursday, union says — Around 400 Philadelphia IRS workers are expected to be laid off on Thursday, Feb. 20, union leader Alex Jay Berman confirmed — Hundreds of Philadelphia IRS employees were laid off on Thursday as part of the Trump administration's efforts …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, Raw Story, NewsNation, Twitchy, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Denver Post, Bloomberg, Forbes, FOX8 WGHP, Fox News, Axios, IJR, Business Insider and Politico


Military families rocked by Trump's federal government cuts — The Trump administration's swift, sweeping cuts to the federal workforce is set to derail the livelihoods of potentially thousands of military families. — The turmoil within the military community caused by the recent firings …


Pentagon hits pause on plan to carry out mass firings of civilian employees, officials say — The Defense Department has temporarily paused a plan to carry out mass firings of civilian probationary employees until Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel …
Discussion:
Defense One, Forbes and Daily Caller News Foundation


Patel tells FBI he will ‘always have your backs’ amid removal of senior executives and support staff — In a message to the agency's workforce this morning, newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel struck a conciliatory tone, saying that he will “always have your backs,” and that he is committed …