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Senate moves ahead on shutdown votes — Democrats agreed to speed up consideration of the bill to allow a vote on Friday in exchange for votes on four amendments. — Senate leaders struck a deal on Friday to pave the way for passage of the House GOP's seven-month stopgap spending bill and avoid a government shutdown.
Discussion:
The Hill, Time, Forbes, New Jersey Globe, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, The Daily Signal, Fox News, Twitchy and New Republic
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Dem Civil War Erupts With ‘Screaming’ and Primary Threats Behind Closed Doors — Democrats are finally fighting amid MAGA 2.0—but it is with each other. President Donald Trump picked a side in the party's burgeoning civil war Friday, praising his longtime foe, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer …


Ex-Democratic Leader Schumer — Today on TAP: He has defied the will of the vast majority of Senate Democrats and played right into the hands of Trump. Time for a new leader. — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) leaves a Senate Democratic caucus luncheon outside the Senate Chamber …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Blade, Sludge, NBC News, Washington Times, The Nation, Slow Boring, ABC News, UPI, The Daily Wire and HotAir


Democrats join with Republicans to advance House-passed government spending bill — Senate Democrats joined Republicans Friday on a key procedural vote to advance a bill that would ultimately avert a government shutdown at midnight, despite intensifying pressure from across the Democratic Party to block the GOP's funding measure.
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HuffPost, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Politico, The Hill, CBS News, New York Times, Semafor, Washington Times and IJR


Democrats should have shut it down — The party's risk aversion continues to harm it. — I've been working hard getting our NCAA Tournament forecasts ready for Selection Sunday. So I'd barely been paying attention to the drama in the Senate, where Republicans were trying to gather votes …
Discussion:
Roll Call, Reuters, New York Times and Denver Post


Inside House Dems' furious anti-Schumer movement — House Democrats from across the party's ideological spectrum — united in their fury at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — are engaged in a campaign to get Senate Democrats to defy their leader.


10 Democrats help Republicans advance GOP funding bill to avoid shutdown — A group of 10 Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), on Friday voted to advance a Republican-crafted bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, taking a crucial step toward avoiding …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner


Trump Administration Live Updates: Senate Approves Spending Bill to Avert Government Shutdown
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Washington Post, CBS News, USA Today, Reuters, One America News Network, New Jersey Globe, Deseret News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and E&E News

Young Democrats' Anger Boils Over as Schumer Retreats on Shutdown
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NBC News, HotAir, The Dispatch, SFist, Lawyers, Guns & Money and New York Magazine

Top House Democrats Throw Chuck Schumer Under The Bus Amid Funding Fight

‘History will know that day because of what we did’: DOJ prosecutor who worked Jan. 6 cases resigns
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times and The Guardian

Shutdown averted after Schumer caves and backs Trump spending bill
Discussion:
Washington Times, The Daily Caller and Washington Monthly

Funding bill may grant Trump, Musk more control over federal spending
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Associated Press and WTOP News

Senate passes GOP funding bill to avert a government shutdown
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NPR, HotAir, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Voice of America, Raw Story, New York Post, DNyuz, Reuters, CBS News, Twin Cities and The Independent

Schumer Under Fire as Pelosi and Other Democrats Criticize Shutdown Retreat
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USA Today, PJ Media, Politico, Punchbowl News, Semafor, Scripps News, The Hill, Raw Story, The Transom, New Republic and Fox News

Senate Passes GOP Bill Averting Shutdown With Democratic Support
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Blaze Media, WTOP News and The Hill

Here Are The Democrats Who Advanced A GOP Bill To Avoid A Government Shutdown
Discussion:
New York Times, RedState and Forbes

Ten Senate Democrats cave to avert government shutdown
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Townhall, Wall Street Journal, GovExec.com, RedState, NOTUS, The Hill, The Daily Signal, Washington Post, Raw Story, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, NBC News, DNyuz, Associated Press, Fox News, Politico, The Post Millennial, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Deseret News, Blaze Media, Mediaite, NewsNation, Daily Kos, Ace of Spades HQ, USA Today, The Mahablog, CBS News, IJR and New Jersey Globe


Trump Demands Major Changes in Columbia Discipline and Admissions Rules — A letter outlining “immediate next steps” arrived less than a week after the administration said it was canceling $400 million in grants and contracts. — The Trump administration on Thursday demanded …
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Trump demands admissions overhaul and control of academic department at Columbia University — The Trump administration has delivered an extraordinary ultimatum to Columbia University, threatening to permanently end federal funding to the Ivy League school unless it cedes control …
Discussion:
India Today, MSNBC, WTOP News, Washington Examiner and DNyuz


Pro-Israel group says it has ‘deportation list’ and has sent ‘thousands’ of names to Trump officials
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Examiner, Mother Jones, HuffPost and The Independent

As Trump Attacks Elite Colleges, Their Usual Allies Are Nowhere in Sight
Discussion:
Vox and Twin Cities


Trump calls his opponents ‘scum’ and lawbreakers in bellicose speech at Justice Department — For more than an hour, he delivered an insult-laden speech that shattered the traditional notion of DOJ independence. — President Donald Trump on Friday walked into the Department of Justice …
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Washington Post, NBC News, Associated Press, Raw Story, Daily Mail, The Daily Signal, DNyuz, Mediaite, Forbes, The Hill and CBS News, more at Mediagazer »
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Trump baselessly accuses news media of ‘illegal’ behavior and corruption in DOJ speech
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The Hill, Fox News, LifeSite, Blaze Media, RedState, New York Post, PoliticusUSA and The Independent


Trump's quest to conquer Canada is confusing everyone — Canadians and Republicans alike are confounded as President Donald Trump increasingly links a trade war to his push to annex America's northern neighbor. — Eight years ago, President Donald Trump spoke about the U.S.-Canada relationship in glowing terms.
Discussion:
CNBC
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The right dominates the online media ecosystem, seeping into sports, comedy, and other supposedly nonpolitical spaces — A new Media Matters analysis found 9 out of the 10 top online shows assessed are right-leaning … The 2024 presidential election has been dubbed the “podcast election” …


Musk Immediately Calls for Judges to Be Impeached After DOGE Rulings — Elon Musk threw a tantrum after his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was dealt a series of legal setbacks, immediately calling for the impeachment of federal judges. “Without judicial reform …
Discussion:
Daily Caller News Foundation, Blaze Media, NBC News, The Post Millennial and New York Times
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Boehler withdraws nomination as special presidential envoy for hostages affairs — Adam Boehler, who oversaw unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas on behalf of President Trump, has withdrawn his nomination for the position of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, according to two White House officials.
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Hill, HotAir, IJR, The Guardian and israelhayom.com


After JD Vance is booed, Kennedy Center head urges ‘diversity and inclusion’ — In a staff email, interim president Richard Grenell, a Trump ally, condemned a chorus of boos directed at the vice president and his wife at a concert Thursday night. — When Vice President JD Vance took …
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Fear and Loathing in the West Wing — Inside the revolt against Elon Musk... Welcome back to The Red Letter. — The tolerance for Elon Musk inside of the White House is wearing thin, as they deal with the fallout of his calamitous interview with Larry Kudlow when he touched the third rail - entitlements.
Discussion:
NBC News, Raw Story, The Hill, The Guardian and New Republic


Kevin Drum, Influential Early Political Blogger, Dies at 66 — Writing on his own and for Washington Monthly and Mother Jones, he earned a reputation as a serious policy thinker. He also invented Friday cat blogging. — Kevin Drum, who gave up his day job in software marketing to write online …
Discussion:
Off Message, Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality and New Republic


Draft List for New Travel Ban Proposes Trump Target 43 Countries — A draft circulating inside the administration lists three tiers of countries whose citizens may face restrictions on entering the United States. — The Trump administration is considering targeting the citizens …
Discussion:
Raw Story


A Close Elon Musk Friend Joins His Effort on Social Security — The involvement of Antonio Gracias, an investor who has known Elon Musk for two decades, suggests that Mr. Musk has made overhauling the Social Security Administration a priority. — A private equity investor …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner


Under Trump, AI Scientists Are Told to Remove ‘Ideological Bias’ From Powerful Models — A directive from the National Institute of Standards and Technology eliminates mention of “AI safety” and “AI fairness.” — The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) …

Office for Civil Rights Initiates Title VI Investigations into Institutions of Higher Education — WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened investigations into 45 universities under Title VI following OCR's February 14 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) …
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NPR, New York Times, Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Austin American-Statesman, Chalkbeat, Daily Kos, KSNT 27 News, New York Daily News, WBOY.com, The Texas Tribune, Global News, Axios, UPI, Bridge Michigan, KOIN.com, New York Post, Politico, KHOU-TV, Deseret News, masslive.com, The Hill, IJR, al.com, The Post Millennial, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner and FOX 10 Phoenix


Trump moves to close facility that helps track planet-warming pollution — The lab is connected to the Mauna Loa Observatory, where scientists gather data to produce the Keeling Curve, a chart on the daily status of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
Discussion:
New York Times


Arlington Cemetery website scrubs links about Black and female veterans — Pentagon leaders have ordered that their websites and social media pages remove articles and images that “promote” DEI. — Arlington National Cemetery has scrubbed information about prominent Black …
Discussion:
The Independent and New York Daily News


Trump Admin Nixed Contract Helping Kidnapped Ukrainian Children — Even as President Donald Trump and government-demolition czar Elon Musk appear to actively favor Russia's interests amid discussions of how to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has struck a studiously neutral posture.
Discussion:
The i Paper


US court allows Trump to enforce ban on DEI programs, for now — A U.S. appeals court on Friday temporarily paused a judge's ruling that had blocked the administration of President Donald Trump from implementing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies and businesses …
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, Reuters and Associated Press