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.

Email starts power clash between Musk and agency leaders — even the Trump loyalists  —  The response to Elon Musk's “What did you do last week?” threat is the first sign that even staunch White House allies are beginning to flex their political muscle against him.

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 …

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.

Trump Appointees Fire 2,000 U.S.A.I.D. Employees and Put Others Worldwide on Leave  —  The announcement, by email, came two days after a judge said the Trump administration could proceed with plans that amount to dismantling the aid agency.  —  Trump administration appointees in charge …

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.

Political conference in DC interrupted by death threats against speakers critical of Trump  —  A political conference in Washington, DC, that bills itself as the alternative to the Trump-aligned CPAC was evacuated on Sunday after a death threat made against several of its speakers who have been critical of President Donald Trump.

Outside Tesla in the Philly suburbs, the green shoots of an American uprising  —  There was a mad-as-hell-can't-take-it-anymore moment for every one of the dozen or so sign-waving protesters who stood on the side of busy Route 30 in suburban Devon on a brisk but brightly sunny Saturday morning …

As Facebook Abandons Fact-Checking, It's Also Offering Bonuses for Viral Content  —  Hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, users spread a false claim on Facebook that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was paying a bounty for reports of undocumented people.

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.

Musk barks back at Pentagon critic … - The billionaire DOGE leader was apparently responding to a CNN report that a Pentagon official had called the directive “the silliest thing I've seen in 40 years.” … Separately, Pentagon official Darin Selnick, performing the duties of under secretary …

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 …

‘Domino effect’ of Trump policies to spread pain nationwide: economists  —  CNBC is reporting that President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk's cuts to the federal workforce may amount to “the biggest job cut in U.S. history” that could also hurt the U.S. economy as a whole.

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 …

Trump names Dan Bongino deputy FBI director … - Bongino previously served in the New York Police Department (NYPD) before joining the U.S. Secret Service and working in the Presidential Protective Division during the administrations George W. Bush and Obama administrations.

Ritchie Torres endorses ‘Mr. Tough Guy’ Andrew Cuomo for NYC mayor in latest blow to Eric Adams: ‘America loves a comeback’  —  Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres is backing Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor even though the former governor hasn't formally entered the race,

‘Uncertainty is rising’: Stock market turbulence could spell trouble for Trump  —  A growing collection of hedge fund managers, financiers and analysts say the markets are now running too hot and are at risk of a sudden downturn.  —  Donald Trump's election helped turbocharge …

Spanish PM announces new 1-billion-euro aid package for Ukraine  —  Spain will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth 1 billion euros ($1.05 billion) this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday in Kyiv during an international meeting held on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion.

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 …

Despite the hype, DOGE hasn't found a shred of fraud  —  🕵🏻 💸 🚩 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.

GOP Email System Infiltrated by Chinese Hackers Last Summer, New Book Reveals  —  The previously unreported intrusion came as the Trump campaign was hacked by Iranian operatives  —  WASHINGTON—As the Republican National Committee was gearing up for its convention in Milwaukee …