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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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 …

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,

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 …

DOJ Slip-Ups Show Challenges of Defending Trump's Freewheeling Approach  —  Judges have questioned whether government legal arguments and factual presentations are accurate  —  WASHINGTON—A judge posed what he thought was a straightforward question: As the government laid off federal employees en masse …

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 …

UN to vote on Russia-Ukraine war resolutions  —  A resolution drafted by the United States and another drafted by Ukraine and backed by the European Union calling for an end to the war in Ukraine are set for votes Monday at the United Nations.  —  The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote …

'It's Over!'  James Carville Tells Dan Abrams the Trump White House Will Suffer a ‘Massive Collapse’ in ‘Less Than 30 Days’  —  Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville told Mediaite's Dan Abrams that the Trump administration would “collapse” within 30 days and advised Democrats to sit back and let it happen.