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U.S. votes against U.N. resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war — BREAKING NEWS: U.S. sides with Russia to vote against a U.N. resolution condemning Moscow for the Ukraine — Washington's dramatic shift on the conflict marks a major break with its European allies and coincides …
Discussion:
NBC News and Associated Press


Trump names podcaster Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director — US President Donald Trump has appointed podcaster and commentator Dan Bongino as deputy director of the FBI. — Trump posted on social media that Bongino was “a man of incredible love and passion for our Country” …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, Scripps News, Washington Post, CBS News, Fox News, USA Today, HotAir, The Week, Twitchy, The Verge, The Daily Caller, NBC News, The Independent, Axios, The Hill, Waddy Is Right, Must Read Alaska, Daily Mail, Reuters, The National Pulse, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story and New Republic
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An Obituary for the FBI — America's dream of a politically independent bureau is officially dead — The 117-year-old Federal Bureau of Investigation, long heralded as the nation's premier national law enforcement agency — an avowedly nonpartisan, independent investigator that for decades …


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 …
Discussion:
NPR, Axios, The Hill, CNN, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, Daily Mail, The Guardian, Democrats, Politico, Associated Press, Zeteo, Blaze Media, WNYW-TV, Mediaite, Washington Times and Deadline


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:
No More Mister Nice Blog and The Hill
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Republicans' plans for Medicaid have a political problem
Discussion:
New York Times

Mike Johnson's moment of truth
Discussion:
Punchbowl News, The Hill, E&E News and Washington Examiner


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:
Newsweek and Musk Watch
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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.
Discussion:
Kevin Drum and Poynter


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, Bloomberg, CNN, PinkNews, MeidasTouch News, The Post Millennial, Talking Points Memo, RedState, IJR, New York Post, FEDweek, Twitchy, Washington Examiner and ClearanceJobs
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Federal workers confront mass confusion as Musk's deadline to list accomplishments looms
Discussion:
The Hill, Bloomberg, NBC News, Business Insider, Federal News Network, CNBC, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Washington Times, Fortune, New York Post, PoliticusUSA, MeidasTouch News, New Republic, WNYW-TV, CBS News, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, Law & Crime, New York Times, Twin Cities, Breitbart, NPR, Vanity Fair and Just Security


New Idaho bill would cost you $100K, five years in jail for lying about someone — BOISE — House Speaker Mike Moyle on Friday introduced a bill to make it a felony crime to knowingly communicate a false statement about another person. — “I'm a firm believer in our First Amendment right …


Lester Holt is stepping down as anchor of ‘NBC Nightly News’ after a decade — Holt will move full time to NBC's news magazine show “Dateline” at the beginning of the summer. — Lester Holt, the anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” for a decade, announced Monday that he is stepping …
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Post, Us Weekly, TVLine, NBC News Press Releases, Page Six, KGW-TV, New York Daily News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Hollywood Reporter, The Post Millennial, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Showbiz411, Instapundit, Deadline, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite and CBS News, more at Mediagazer »
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Lester Holt to Leave ‘NBC Nightly News’ Anchor Role
Discussion:
Fox News and The National Pulse


Ukraine diplomacy live: UN assembly condemns Russia's Ukraine invasion despite US opposition — Vote came shortly after G7 leaders failed to agree on a joint statement condemning Russia's war — Edited by Alexandra White, Zehra Munir, Peter Wells — UN General Assembly passes resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Bloomberg and The Kyiv Independent
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UN passes resolutions condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine despite US opposition
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, Voice of America, Associated Press, Reuters and press.un.org


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:
New Republic, Bonner County Daily Bee and The Independent


A new document undercuts Trump admin's denials about $400 million Tesla deal — The controversy started in a very Washington way: as a line item in a government spreadsheet buried on the State Department's website. — It appeared as if the State Department was taking steps to award Elon Musk's Tesla …


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:
RedState, Breitbart, New Jersey Online and The Gateway Pundit


MSNBC drama intensifies as network axes shows hosted by 3 more lefty anchors in wake of Joy Reid's ouster: sources — MSNBC's new president continued to overhaul the embattled network Monday — canceling shows hosted by anchors left-wing anchors Ayman Mohyeldin, Katie Phang and Jonathan Capehart, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Mediaite and Orlando Sentinel, more at Mediagazer »


Fair or Not, Zelensky Is Angering Trump. Is His Style Hurting Ukraine? — Through three years of wartime leadership, Ukraine's president has mostly played weak hands wisely. But his approach has fallen flat with the Trump administration. — When the secretary of the treasury …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Digby's Hullabaloo, Daily Mail and Mediaite


Trump Wants to Be President for Life—and He's Already Preparing for It — Last Thursday, while his henchmen were busy selling out Ukraine and Elon Musk was hoisting that chain saw at CPAC, Donald Trump spoke to the Republican Governors' Association. He bragged about how much money he'd raised.
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Trumpism Is Not Inevitable — It's a time for taking the tiny wins where you can get them.
Discussion:
The Independent


NYC Mayor Eric Adams to close Roosevelt Hotel migrant center targeted by Musk, Trump administration — The hotel's closure comes as Adams promises to close another 53 emergency shelter sites by June. — New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday that the city will close …


Roberta Flack, '70s R&B Vocalist Known for ‘Killing Me Softly,’ Dies at 88 — Legendary pop/R&B vocalist Roberta Flack, who was launched to stardom in the early '70s by the Grammy-winning hits “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” has died …


Trump personally decided to limit Associated Press' access to White House — The acknowledgement came in a lawsuit filed by the news organization. — President Donald Trump personally decided to bar The Associated Press from some White House events and spaces, the White House said in court documents Monday.
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, Axios and American Thinker, more at Mediagazer »


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.


The Real Goal of the Trump Economy — The president isn't trying to engineer prosperity for Americans. He's seeking power for himself. — A quarter century ago, Vladimir Putin gathered 21 of Russia's top oligarchs in the Kremlin to let them know that he, not they, held power in Russia.


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 …
Discussion:
TechCrunch


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:
Syracuse Post-Standard, Raw Story and Marketplace


America Has a Rogue President — President Trump's decision to fire senior military leaders without cause is foolish and a disgrace. It politicizes our professional military in a dangerous and debilitating way. What frightens me even more is the removal of three judge advocates general …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Lawfire, Just Security and Washington Post


The Coup Has Failed — Trump's falling approval ratings reveal an out-of-touch presidency, and have given space for allies to turn against him. — President Donald Trump walks from the Oval Office to board Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House, February 14, 2025, in Washington.


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 …


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.


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:
New York Daily News, Gothamist, New York Post and Fortune


Democrats Are MIA—Just When the Country Needs Them to Counter the Trump-Musk Blitzkrieg — Why are they bringing a teaspoon to a gunfight? … On Thursday afternoon, before I began to write this newsletter, I searched Hakeem Jeffries in Google News. I found but a handful of recent entries …


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 …
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Bloomberg, Associated Press and CBS News


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:
Bangor Daily News and Reuters


February 23, 2025 — Something is shifting," scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder posted on Bluesky yesterday. “ They are still breaking things and stealing things. And they will keep trying to break and to steal. But the propaganda magic around the oligarchical coup is fading.
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo


Neo-Nazi group plots rebuild as Trump's FBI chief takes helm, audio reveals — Exclusive: Terrorist group the Base appears defiant as new administration aims to deprioritize threat from far right — An international neo-Nazi terrorist group with origins in the US appears to be quickly rebuilding …
Discussion:
The Independent and Raw Story