memeorandum: Pro-Palestinian activists vandalise Trump's Turnberry golf course (Peter Stubley/The Times)

6:15 PM ET, March 8, 2025

Top Items:

Speaker Mike Johnson unveils funding bill one week before potential shutdown — The stopgap measure would keep the government funded through Sept. 30. But Democratic leaders are opposed, and it's unclear if Johnson can pass it with only Republicans. — WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson …

Discussion: Associated Press, UPI, Axios, Wall Street Journal, IJR, The Hill, CBS News and Politico

Washington Post:
Republicans unveil another extension to try to avert government shutdown

Discussion: The Hill, Politico, NOTUS, Fox News, Axios, Raw Story and IJR

Richard Rubin / Wall Street Journal:
Republican Infighting Stalls Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful’ Tax Bill

Discussion: Townhall and Washington Examiner

Erik Wasson / Bloomberg:
House Unveils Trump-Backed Bill to Avert Government Shutdown

Discussion: Roll Call, The Hill, Reuters, New York Times, NPR, Washington Times, New York Post, Townhall, Politico, Washington Examiner, CBS News, Deseret News, WTOP News and NBC News

Aris Folley / The Hill:
House GOP seeks spending cuts, defense increases in plan to avert shutdown

Discussion: The Post Millennial and Washington Times

New York Times:
Elon Musk Is Making Republicans Sweat and Giving Democrats a New Target

Discussion: Raw Story

Madison Colombo / Fox News:
Democrats confronted over refusal to cheer during Trump address: 'Why didn't you stand?'

Discussion: The Post Millennial, New York Post, RedState and The Gateway Pundit

NBC News:

DHS has begun performing polygraph tests on employees to find leakers — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan have blamed lower-than-expected ICE arrest numbers on recent leaks about planned operations. — The Department of Homeland Security has begun performing polygraph tests …

Discussion: The Independent, Daily Mail, Fox News, One America News Network, New York Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Raw Story, Breitbart, The Hill, RedState, The Daily Wire and The Gateway Pundit

Washington Post:

HHS grants DOGE access to child support database, overriding objections — An HHS official said the associates of Elon Musk's group had sought ‘read-only’ access. — just now — The Department of Health and Human Services has granted associates of the U.S. DOGE Service access …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Independent

Associated Press:

Unions ask court to stop DOGE from accessing Social Security data of millions of Americans — A group of labor unions are asking a federal court for an emergency order to stop Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans.

Discussion: Raw Story, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner and HotAir

eutoday.net:

US Intelligence Ban Leads to Heavy Ukrainian Losses — The decision by the United States to suspend military intelligence sharing with Ukraine has contributed to significant battlefield losses, with Russian forces advancing along key frontlines. — Reports indicate that the halt …

Discussion: Forbes, Bloomberg, Digby's Hullabaloo, Euromaidan Press, New York Post, Byline Times, Стр …, Reuters, The War Zone and Politico

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak:
Ukraine fought alongside US in Iraq; never demanded minerals

Discussion: Washington Post

Greg Sargent / New Republic:

Fox News Suddenly Starts Panicking About Trump's Economy: “Weakening!” — Fox News figures are willing to propagandize on President Trump's behalf on pretty much every horror that he throws our way. Do Fox personalities back Trump when he sells out our allies in tandem with murderous tyrant Vladimir Putin?

Discussion: Raw Story, Daily Mail, Politico and TheGrio

Abha Bhattarai / Washington Post:
Trump says brief economic pain is worth long-term gain. Will Americans agree?

Discussion: NBC News

Bloomberg:
Trump Team Is Pivoting to No Pain, No Gain as Economic Message

Discussion: Associated Press

Viktoria Lytovchenko / online.ua:

The US is ending support for Ukrainian F-16s, but there is a way out — Читати українською — US President Donald Trump's team has ordered the termination of vital support for F-16 fighter jet jamming equipment that Ukraine has.

Discussion: Forbes

Peter Stubley / The Times:

Pro-Palestinian activists vandalise Trump's Turnberry golf course — The Palestine Action group spray painted the clubhouse and gates and dug up the greens, in protest over the US president's plans for Gaza — Pro-Palestinian protesters have vandalised one of Donald Trump's golf courses …

Discussion: Raw Story, RedState, Palestine Action, The National Pulse, Scripps News, CBS News, Metro.co.uk, Reuters, Breitbart, The Independent and RTÉ

Craig Williams / BBC:
Trump Turnberry vandalised by pro-Palestine group

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel / Washington Post:

Trump signs order to limit who gets public service student loan forgiveness — The president says some nonprofit organizations that qualify for the program are engaging in illegal activity, without offering any proof. — In a move that could upend a popular federal program …

Discussion: NPR, New York Times, Business Insider, Washington Examiner, Forbes, Associated Press, The Hill, USA Today, New Republic and Bloomberg

Alan J. Keays / VTDigger:

Shelburne police officer had YouTube video playing in cruiser at time of fatal crash, court records say — Kyle Kapitanski is set to be arraigned next week on a felony charge stemming from the crash that killed Sean Hayes, a cyclist, in South Burlington. — A Shelburne police sergeant …

S.V. Date / HuffPost:

Trump Golf Weekends' Cost To Taxpayers Hits $18.2 million — Donald Trump has played golf at his own courses in Florida on six of the seven weekends since his second term began. — WASHINGTON — Donald Trump's insistence on playing golf at his Florida courses has now cost American taxpayers …

Discussion: The Independent

Journal Sentinel:

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers joins lawsuit against President Trump, calls widespread federal workforce firings illegal — Natalie Eilbert Mary SpicuzzaMilwaukee Journal Sentinel — Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that Wisconsin has joined a multistate lawsuit against President Donald …

Discussion: KTLA and MPR News

Andrea Hsu / NPR:
States sue Trump administration over mass firings of federal employees

Discussion: Daily Kos and Business Insider

Erica L. Green / New York Times:

'You Can't Pin Him Down': Trump's Contradictions Are His Ultimate Cover — President Trump's shifting positions and outright lies have presented the American public with dueling narratives at every turn. — What does President Trump really believe? — Does he want to run for a third term, or is that just a joke?

Elena Schneider / Politico:

Tim Walz has some sharp critiques of the Dem 2024 campaign — The Harris-Walz campaign should have “rolled the dice” more, he told POLITICO. — HELENA, Montana — Tim Walz thinks he and Kamala Harris played it too safe last year. — He thinks they should have held more town halls.

Discussion: The Guardian

Washington Post:

Trump's Justice Dept. ousts national security officials in latest purge — The transferring of at least three national security officials amounts to a complete gutting of leadership in the highly sensitive National Security Division. — just now — The Justice Department …

Discussion: New York Times and Reuters

Washington Post:

Anger at Elon Musk turns violent with molotov cocktails and gunfire at Tesla lots — The string of violence against Tesla storefronts, charging stations and vehicles exacerbates the company's woes, analysts said. — The woman in the black hoodie walked onto the Tesla car lot prepared to inflict damage.

Discussion: Mediaite

Jason Sattler / The Last Billionaires:

Why America is on the verge of committing atrocities against our neighbors — People have to be ‘coached’ into evil with propaganda. Trump and Musk have turned what our right has done for decades up to 11. — During Trump's first regime, IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE by Sinclair Lewis became …

Jesse Coburn / ProPublica:

How the Terrorgram Collective's Neo-Nazi Influencers Groomed a Teen to Kill — This story contains references to homophobia, antisemitism and racism, as well as mass shootings and other violence. — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.

Discussion: FRONTLINE and prima donna …

New York Times:

Musk Doesn't Understand Why Government Matters — Elon Musk's life is a great American success story. Time and again, he has anticipated where the world was headed, helping to create not just new products but new industries. His achievements, from his pioneering role in online payments …

Asawin Suebsaeng / Rolling Stone:

Trump's Threat To Take Over Canada Is a Scandal — Americans would never accept another nation threatening our country the way Trump insists on doing with Canada — As an American teenager who grew into a semblance of political consciousness during the height of George W. Bush's War on Terror …

Zach Everson / Forbes:

Insiders Loaded Up On Firm's Stock—Right Before Don Jr. And Eric Trump's Involvement Sent Shares Soaring — Dominari Holdings insiders, as well as Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, acquired 1 million shares through a private placement and bonuses just before the stock surged on news …

NBC News:

HHS sends all employees a $25,000 voluntary buyout offer — The agency's approximately 80,000 employees were emailed Friday night with the offer of a “voluntary separation incentive payment.” — Health and Human Services employees were offered voluntary buyouts to resign from their jobs on Friday night …

Discussion: UPI, Business Insider and The Hill

Ryan Murphy / WHRO Public Media:

Controversial military-themed brewery shuts its doors after a year in Norfolk, citing “woke mob” — Financial filings show the brewery was struggling financially before it relocated and had failed to start turning a profit after opening in Norfolk. — A controversial military-themed brewery championed …

Discussion: Daily Press