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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, New Jersey Globe, Raw Story, Fox News and Twitchy
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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, New York Times, Slow Boring, Washington Times, The Nation, Semafor, 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.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Politico, The Hill, CBS News, New York Times, NOTUS, Semafor, Washington Times, New York Post and IJR


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.
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The Hill, NPR, Politico, The Japan Times, Associated Press, New York Daily News, PoliticusUSA, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, New Jersey Online, New Republic, Rolling Stone, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, HotAir, NOTUS, RedState, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, The Washington Free Beacon and Daily Kos


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


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

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, E&E News and The Guardian

Democrats should have shut it down — The party's risk aversion continues to harm it.
Discussion:
New York Times, Roll Call, Reuters and Denver Post

Shutdown averted after Schumer caves and backs Trump spending bill
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Monthly, New York Post and The Daily Wire

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

Ten Senate Democrats cave to avert government shutdown
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USA Today, Townhall, Wall Street Journal, GovExec.com, New Republic, RedState, 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, Ace of Spades HQ, Daily Kos, CBS News, IJR, New Jersey Globe and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


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, The Independent and New Jewish Narrative

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


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 …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, NBC News, Raw Story, Daily Mail, Mediaite, The Daily Signal, DNyuz, Forbes, CBS News and The Gateway Pundit, more at Mediagazer »


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, New York Times, IJR, CleanTechnica and CBS News
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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 …
Discussion:
Fox News, Breitbart, The Guardian, Advocate, The National Pulse, ARTnews, RedState, Global News, The Daily Caller, Billboard, TMZ.com, Washington Times, Mediaite, Daily Kos, The Independent, New York Daily News, New Republic, New York Post, Washingtonian, NPR, American who snatched …, The Wrap and Raw Story
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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


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, IJR, The Hill, 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 …


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 …


Focus group: Trump swing voters in Michigan have buyers' remorse — Most Michigan swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups said that although they voted for President Trump in November, they have objections, frustrations and fears about his behavior since he returned to power.
Discussion:
Raw Story


David French: Trump Admits He's Violating the Constitution — Trump & company aren't even attempting to create a pretext for why they're punishing the free speech of political opponents. They are basically confessing in writing to violating the First Amendment.


Mace sued for defamation by man she accused of abuse in floor speech — The legal action seeks to carve out an exception from the speech or debate clause of the Constitution. — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by one of the four men she has publicly accused …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Post and Courier, RedState, Raw Story, The Hill and Forbes


Crisis is the solution to the public attention problem — Liberals should not fear crisis in the Trump era. They should understand it is their only tool against him. — The main paradox of modern American politics is that people are more connected to political news and information than ever before …