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Here's how Republicans are planning to throw millions off Medicaid and lie about it — Trump is teaching his minions to say, “We didn't insure anyone"/"They deserved it." — A lot of the horror in the Donald Trump sequel is new. — Sure, he was terrible the first time James Comey and Vladimir Putin made him president.
Discussion:
The Hill
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These Republicans have a lot to lose if Congress cuts Medicaid — GOP lawmakers expected to vote soon on slashing the insurance program for low-income people represent tens of millions reliant on it. — House Republicans who represent large numbers of Medicaid recipients are pushing …
Discussion:
New York Times


Playbook: A date that will live in infamy — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, absolutely ready for temperatures to hit a heady 55F today. — THE LATEST JAW-DROPPER: President Donald Trump announced last night …


UPDATE on town hall chaos: Woman who was dragged out speaks, police chief condemns security, name of security firm confirmed — COEUR d'ALENE — A legislative town hall organized by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee devolved into chaos Saturday when unidentified …
Discussion:
The Independent


DOGE is the Theranos of Cost-Cutting — And other notes from the Chaos — Today's post will really be two short posts on different but related topics: The failure of DOGE to make any progress on its stated goals, and what's beginning to look like a rapid loss of confidence in Donald Trump's economic policies.
Discussion:
Musk Watch and Newsweek
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Despite the hype, DOGE hasn't found a shred of fraud
Discussion:
Poynter


Germany's Merz vows ‘independence’ from Trump's America, warning NATO may soon be dead — BERLIN — Friedrich Merz did not even wait for the final results in Germany's election before delivering what could well be a defining verdict on U.S. President Donald Trump, consigning Europe's 80-year alliance with the United States to the past.
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German election: Friedrich Merz urges ‘independence’ from US
Discussion:
Fortune, Associated Press, Raw Story, New York Times, Politico, Atlantic Council, Bloomberg and Reuters

Three Years Into War in Ukraine, Trump Ushers in New World for Putin
Discussion:
The Atlantic, NPR and USA Today


Right-Wing Commentator Named F.B.I. Deputy Director — The choice of Dan Bongino is a radical departure from the bureau's history of having a veteran agent serve in the key role that oversees operations. — Dan Bongino, a former New York City police officer and Secret Service agent turned right-wing pundit …
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Trump deploys SpongeBob meme to troll DOGE critics — Trump shared the meme on Truth Social shortly after Musk shared it on X — President Donald Trump shared a SpongeBob SquarePants-themed meme after Elon Musk announced that federal workers would receive an email seeking information about what they accomplished last week.
Discussion:
The Hill, MeidasTouch News, CNN, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, RedState, New York Post, FEDweek, ClearanceJobs and Rolling Stone
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Email starts power clash between Musk and agency leaders — even the Trump loyalists
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Robert Reich, Bloomberg, Townhall, The Hill, Law & Crime, New York Times, The Independent, Associated Press, New York Post, WNYW-TV, USA Today, Althouse, Fox News, ABC News, CNN, Wired, Breitbart, NPR and Washington Times


Apple, Under Threat from Trump Tariffs, Will Add 20,000 US Jobs — Company to begin producing Apple Intelligence servers in Texas — $500 billion planned to be invested in US over next four years — Apple Inc., as it seeks relief from US President Donald Trump's tariffs on goods imported …
Discussion:
Reuters, Apple, Axios, TechCrunch, The Verge, KHOU-TV, The National Pulse, New York Times, BGR and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
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Angry Democratic donors turn off the flow of money — Democrats are anxious to rebuild their party on the heels of President Trump's victory in November. But they have a major problem as they try to refashion their brand: The money isn't there. — Democratic donors …
Discussion:
Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit


The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People — The highest-earning 10% of Americans have increased their spending far beyond inflation. Everyone else hasn't.


Judge blocks DOE, OPM from disclosing troves of sensitive personal data to DOGE — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily barred the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing troves of sensitive personal data from federal agencies. — U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman ruled …
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The Trump Administration Keeps Citing an Untrue Stat as It Targets Federal Workers — A “survey of our niche audience for our niche audience” was the source for the claim that only 6% of federal employees are working full time in their offices. The number isn't true.


Foreign leaders visit Ukraine to show their support on war's 3rd anniversary — A dozen leaders from Europe and Canada visited Ukraine's capital Monday to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion in a show of support by some of Kyiv's most important backers for the nation at war.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Week, Fox News, New York Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Raw Story, WHDH-TV, Al Jazeera, The Kyiv Independent, Politico and Semafor
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Ahead of UN showdown on Ukraine, US urges countries to vote no on rival European bid for action
Discussion:
Associated Press


Just 1 in 3 approve of job Trump doing on inflation: Survey — Just 1 in 3 people approve of the job President Trump is doing to curb inflation, a survey released Sunday found. — Thirty-two percent of respondents in the poll, released Sunday by Reuters and Ipsos, approve of the job Trump …
Discussion:
Reuters


Trumpism Is Not Inevitable — But if Trump and Musk are going to be defeated, it has to start now. — It's a time for taking the tiny wins where you can get them. On Friday, The Bulwark published a piece spotlighting the story of Scott Curtis, a FEMA chief of staff who took Elon Musk's …
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‘Dark MAGA’ spreads as conservatives embrace Musk's influence on Trump
Discussion:
The Hill, Althouse and New York Times


As Facebook Abandons Fact-Checking, It's Also Offering Bonuses for Viral Content — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — Hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as president …


Supreme Court rejects challenges to abortion clinic ‘buffer zone’ laws that restrict protesters — The two cases questioned a longstanding precedent that upheld such laws, which opponents say violate free speech rights. — WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider overturning …


Trump Just Fired 6,700 I.R.S. Workers in the Middle of Tax Season. That's a Huge Mistake. — If you were to ask the top chief executives in the world to name the best strategy to attack waste in their organizations and balance the books, there is one answer you would be very …
Discussion:
Marketplace and Raw Story


The inside story of how President Trump came to name the ‘Gulf of America’ — Weeks before retaking office, Trump decided to add the measure to his Day 1 agenda, elevating a liberal joke that had become a conservative meme into an action that has come to symbolize the tenor of his term.
Discussion:
Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »


What Felt Impossible Became Possible — I've spent many hours since the election reading about the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. It started the day after election day when I had hours to kill in the lobby of a Hampton Inn, waiting for a room to open up. I loaded a library archive page up on my phone …


Congestion Pricing Reduced Traffic. Now It's Hitting Revenue Goals. — Revenue figures from the Manhattan tolling plan showed that the program is on track to raise billions for mass transit repairs. — New York's congestion pricing plan raised $48.6 million in tolls during its first month …
Discussion:
Fortune


Live updates: Federal workers face mass confusion as Musk's deadline to list accomplishments looms — Elon Musk began his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference brandishing a chainsaw that was gifted to him by Argentine President Javier Milei.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities and The Hill


How the Trump and DOGE terminations — perhaps the biggest job cuts in history — may affect the economy … The Trump administration's purge of federal workers may ultimately amount to the biggest job cut in U.S. history, which is likely to have ramifications for the economy, especially at the local level, according to economists.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Vanity Fair and Raw Story
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