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Supreme Court sides with Trump in USAID funding dispute for now
National, Washington Examiner

Supreme Court sides with Trump in USAID funding dispute for now

By Kaelan Deese | Washington Examiner The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a lower court order that told the Trump administration to release nearly $2 billion in foreign aid payments by midnight on Wednesday in the dispute over its hold on U.S. Agency for International Development funds. The Justice Department in an emergency filing contended that the administration needs more time to review outstanding payments for fraud and abuse and warned that complying with the rushed timeline could lead to irreversible financial harm. Without issuing comment about the merits of the case, the Supreme Court told parties to file additional responses to their chambers by Friday, according to a brief order by Chief Justice John Roberts. “The order does...
USAID funneled $122 million to charities tied to designated terrorists, congressional testimony reveals
National, National Review

USAID funneled $122 million to charities tied to designated terrorists, congressional testimony reveals

By  David Zimmermann | National Review The now-shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development has funneled at least $122 million in approved grants to terror-tied aid charities, including an evangelical Christian group that in 2014 facilitated a $125,000 sub-grant to a Sudanese terrorist organization linked to al-Qaeda's Osama bin Laden. USAID has long been complicit in funding humanitarian aid groups associated with designated terrorists, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. This is just one egregious example of the waste, fraud, and abuse within USAID that the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency are working to uncover. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NATIONAL REVIEW
Trump budget bill extending first-term tax cuts survives House vote
Fox News, National

Trump budget bill extending first-term tax cuts survives House vote

By Elizabeth Elkind  | Fox News The House of Representatives has adopted a resolution that will eventually become a massive multi-trillion-dollar bill full of President Donald Trump's priorities on the border, defense, energy and taxes. In a major victory for House GOP leaders, the resolution passed in a 217 to 215 vote. All Democrats voted against the measure, along with lone Republican rebel Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who was concerned about its effect on the national deficit. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX NEWS
OPM instructs agencies to turn over plans for mass government layoffs
National, THE HILL

OPM instructs agencies to turn over plans for mass government layoffs

By  Rebecca Beitsch | The Hill A Wednesday memo from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directs agencies across government to turn over plans for widespread layoffs of federal employees by March 13. The memo, which provides more specific guidance after a Feb. 11 executive order from President Trump mandating layoffs, requires agencies to break down their plans for a reduction in force and broader restructuring of their agencies. It also indicates the White House is eager to speed the shedding of federal workers, noting OPM can cut in half the 60-day notification period for employees being laid off, meaning swift-moving agencies could begin notifying affected employees as soon as April. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HI...
WaPo editor quits after Bezos orders opinion page to defend free markets, personal liberty
Breitbart, National

WaPo editor quits after Bezos orders opinion page to defend free markets, personal liberty

By John Nolte | Breitbart Washington Post  opinion editor David Shipley resigned Tuesday after the paper’s owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced that, going forward, on the opinion pages, “We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.” Bezos made the announcement to the Post staff on Tuesday. “We’ll cover other topics too of course,” he added, “but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.” “I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical,” Bezos continued. “And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else.” READ THE FULL STORY AT BREITBART
Byron Donalds announces 2026 Florida gubernatorial run
National, Washington Examiner

Byron Donalds announces 2026 Florida gubernatorial run

By Ross O'Keefe | Washington Examiner Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is running to be Florida’s next governor. The Florida congressman announced his candidacy in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race after President Donald Trump endorsed him for the position. “I joined the tea party movement, was in the conservative movement, I was able to serve four years in the state legislature, four years in Congress, and now is the time to take the mantle and lead our state into the future,” he said on Fox News’s Hannity on Tuesday night. “We have a great governor: Ron DeSantis has done a tremendous job for our state. Now, the job is to keep the best state in the country as the best state in the country,” he added. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER...
‘We know who leaked’ Aurora ICE raid to Tren de Aragua, Border Czar Tom Homan says
National, Washington Examiner

‘We know who leaked’ Aurora ICE raid to Tren de Aragua, Border Czar Tom Homan says

By Anna Giaritelli | Washington Examiner White House border czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration has uncovered who was behind a leak that sabotaged what was supposed to be a significant raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeting Tren de Aragua gang members in Aurora, Colorado. Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Homan Tuesday evening if the White House had made progress in its search for who tipped off the Venezuelan gang before ICE arrived on the scene on Feb. 5. “Yes, made progress. We know who leaked the Aurora, Colorado, operation that is under investigation as we speak,” Homan said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
U.S. Army allowed 1,181 recruits who didn’t meet standards to train
National, The Daily Caller

U.S. Army allowed 1,181 recruits who didn’t meet standards to train

By Wallace White | Daily Caller The U.S. Army is breaking with its own fitness standards on body fat percentage to gain more recruits, a report from the Department of Defense (DOD) Inspector General found Feb. 18. The Army Future Soldier Preparatory Course, established by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (ASA[M&RA]), gives recruits who do not meet base fitness standards 90 days to fall in line, and allows individuals who are as much as 8% above the required body fat percentage — 26% for men and 36% for women — to enlist. However, the DOD Investigator General found that 14% of 1,181 trainees at the Army Training Center and Fort Jackson (ATC&FJ) between February and May 2024 exceeded these expanded limits. “Aggravating the issue with the l...
American Airlines flight aborts landing at DC’s Reagan Airport in near-miss with departing plane in latest aviation mishap
National, New York Post

American Airlines flight aborts landing at DC’s Reagan Airport in near-miss with departing plane in latest aviation mishap

By Emily Crane | New York Post An American Airlines flight was forced to abort its landing at Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport to avoid a plane taking off on the same runway — less than a month after a midair collision killed 67 people near the same airport. The incident unfolded as the Airbus A319, which was en route from Boston, was preparing to touch down just before 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said. “An air traffic controller instructed American Flight 2246 to perform a go-around at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Airport to ensure separation was maintained between this aircraft and a preceding departure from the same runway,” FAA officials said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NEW YORK POST
NSA investigates ‘secret sex chats’ under guise of DEI on internal agency message board
Fox News, National

NSA investigates ‘secret sex chats’ under guise of DEI on internal agency message board

By Alec Schemmel , Morgan Phillips  | Fox News Federal employees within the intelligence community are under investigation for allegedly misusing an internal agency messaging board to dish on their sexual fantasies under the guise of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), officials say.  Chat logs from the National Security Agency's (NSA) "Intelink" messaging platform, obtained by researchers from the conservative Manhattan Institute reportedly via sources within the NSA, revealed employees from various intelligence agencies discussing their experiences with gender-reassignment surgery, artificial genitalia, hormone therapy, polyamory and pronoun usage. Some of these agencies reportedly include the Defense Intelligence Agency, U.S. Naval Intelligence and the NSA. ...