Top Items:


It's not Dickens—it's the MAGA agenda — Given the scope of the MAGA assault on the foundations of our democracy, many Democrats, responsible media outlets, and concerned Americans have (understandably) been focused on its attempt to obliterate the rule of law, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment.
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Trump Bends Congress to His Will on Spending, Tax Cut Agenda — Democrats Gun-shy About Using Shutdown to Stop Musk's DOGE — Republicans Unite on Tax Cut Vision, Tough Decisions Lie Ahead — President Donald Trump is bending Congress to his will, hobbling minority Democrats …


Democrats Invite Fired Federal Workers to Trump's Congressional Address
Discussion:
The Federalist and Hartford Courant

Wyden to skip Trump's first speech to Congress, hold town hall instead
Discussion:
Associated Press, USA Today, New York Daily News and NPR


Hegseth Orders Pentagon to Stop Offensive Cyberoperations Against Russia — The defense secretary's instructions, which were given before President Trump's blowup with the Ukrainian president, are apparently part of an effort to draw Russia into talks on the war.
Discussion:
Vox, Fortune, The Daily Sceptic, The Register, UPI, The Independent and The American Conservative
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has paused cyber offensive against Russia — Multiple U.S. officials tell CBS News that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a directive to U.S. Cyber Command to pause planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.
Discussion:
Letters from an American

France has ‘trouble understanding’ US halt on cyber operations against Russia — PARIS — French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot voiced his confusion over reports that the United States' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a halt of offensive cyber operations against Russia.


RFK Jr says Texas measles outbreak a ‘call to action’ — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the measles outbreak in west Texas is a “call to action,” as he encouraged parents to consider whether to get their children vaccinated.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Independent and Mediaite
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RFK Jr. urges people to get vaccinated amid deadly Texas outbreak … - He has previously repeated debunked claims about vaccines and provided elusive answers to senators on his stance on vaccinations ahead of being confirmed. … - Kennedy wrote that before the introduction of the measles …

Amid West Texas measles outbreak, vaccine resistance hardens
Discussion:
CBS News, Poynter, New Republic, New York Post, Al Jazeera, Contemplating Life … and The Hill

Federal Officials Underplaying Measles Vaccination, Experts Say
Discussion:
WHDH-TV


Zelensky must mend the breach with Trump — or resign — Zelensky's stubbornness has badly hurt Ukraine. — On Thursday, President Donald Trump was publicly pledging to help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regain Russian-occupied territory at the peace table.
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Gateway Pundit, The Dispatch, Financial Times, Crooked Media, The Hill and CBS News
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Zelenskyy says minerals deal is ready to be signed as he seeks to move conversation on from White House spat - live
Discussion:
CNN, Breitbart, Boston Herald, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, UPI, The Kyiv Independent and New York Times

Zelenskiy Says He'd Meet Trump Again for ‘Serious’ Talks
Discussion:
Business Insider, Reuters, New York Post and New Republic

Johnson says Zelenskyy may need to resign
Discussion:
Roll Call, NBC News, Washington Examiner, Digby's Hullabaloo, Townhall, Raw Story, USA Today, Breitbart, Scripps News, New York Post, NPR, The Daily Wire, Fox News, The Hill, Grabien and HuffPost


Playbook: Trump's tariff countdown — With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine — This is Jack Blanchard. — LAST NIGHT'S TV: “Anora”, the Brooklyn-based dramedy about a young sex worker and a Russian oligarch's son, was the runaway winner at last night's Academy Awards ceremony …
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The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that government spending could be separated from gross domestic product reports in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Catkora


Car Prices Are Poised for $12,000 Surge on Trump's New Tariffs — Auto bosses warn Trump administration of economic consequences — Companies rush to stockpile parts, engines in US warehouses — Impending tariffs on Canada and Mexico risk driving up US car prices by as much as $12,000 …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Washington now ‘largely aligns’ with Moscow's vision, Kremlin says — Tension between the United States and Ukraine, laid bare in the Oval Office meeting of Trump and Zelensky, is seen in Moscow as a “gift.” — MOSCOW — The Trump administration's rewrite of decades of U.S. foreign policy on Russia …
Discussion:
Axios, The Guardian, The Kyiv Independent, CNN, Semafor and Reuters


U.S.A.I.D. Memos Detail Human Costs of Cuts to Foreign Aid — The world is likely to see millions more malaria infections and 200,000 cases of paralytic polio each year, according to an agency whistle-blower. — The Trump administration's decision to withdraw foreign aid and dismantle …
Discussion:
Reuters
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Senior USAID official ousted as he details problems providing lifesaving aid
Discussion:
emptywheel and Raw Story


The roots of Trump's realpolitik Uncle Sam always drives a hard bargain — President Trump's attempt to end the war in Ukraine has enraged liberal internationalists on both sides of the Atlantic. Dealing directly with the Kremlin and going over the heads of America's European allies …


Trump Turns Up Trade Pressure on China After Beijing Fails to Come Running — China is still cautiously trying to figure out what Trump wants. The president has threatened big tariffs in response to the inaction. — When President Trump threatened tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China in January …
Discussion:
Reuters
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‘America is going down’: China can capitalise on damage caused by Trump, former PLA colonel says
Discussion:
Semafor and The Daily Wire


Crypto Prices Jump After Trump Announces Five Tokens for Strategic Reserve — Bitcoin, ether, solana, Ripple-linked XRP and cardano will be in the stockpile — Crypto prices surged Sunday after President Trump said he would move forward on a U.S. crypto strategic reserve that would include bitcoin …
Discussion:
Washington Post, CoinDesk, Raw Story and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
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Trump announces US crypto reserve
Discussion:
CNBC, UPI, Fortune, The Verge, TechCrunch, Fox Business, Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Axios


Elon Musk Thinks U.S. Should Leave NATO And The United Nations — Elon Musk has been tasked with cutting government spending. — Elon Musk, who holds no official cabinet position in the administration, wrote on social media that he agrees the United States should leave NATO and the United Nations.


Pentagon guts national security program that harnessed social science — Dozens of U.S. academics lose grants from Minerva program for studies related to terrorism, drug trafficking, and other threats — The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is gutting a landmark project designed …