curated news excerpts & citations
Business Insider: 7 charts show how the economy looked in Donald Trump’s first year of his second presidency
- Donald Trump just wrapped up the first year of his second term as president.
- Business Insider examined how the economy has changed in that year.
- The job market slowed down a lot, consumers kept spending, and tariffs affected inflation a little.
People’s World: MLK panel cites damage done by Federal worker cuts
BALTIMORE—One of every eight federal workers, who took oaths to serve the U.S. people and faithfully did so until last year, is now out of a job. The fact that hundreds of thousands of those fired were African Americans whose jobs were critical to the well-being of almost everyone in the U.S. was more than enough reason for the issue to be taken up at the AFL-CIO’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights conference in Baltimore last week.
USA Today: Trump called for a 10% cap on card rates by Jan. 20. What happened?
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The credit card industry did not follow through. Several banking and consumer experts said they did not know of any major card company that had complied with Trump’s directive.
James Eagle: The difficulty with capping credit card rate
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If rates were capped this far below current levels, the real issue would not be cheaper credit, but who would still be able to get it.
BBC Mundo: Why Mexico has been the biggest beneficiary of Trump’s tariffs (and the litmus test it faces in 2026)
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Adam Kinzinger: We Must Not Forget Ukraine
Venezuela. Iran. Greenland. Minneapolis.
There’s so much to occupy our attention these days that it’s easy to lose track of the most consequential crisis in the world: The continuing war in Ukraine.
(Adam Kinzinger more…)Rebecca Solnit: One Long Year Later: It’s Not Over, and We Haven’t Surrendered
Dean Blundell: Canada Has Quietly Modelled a U.S. Invasion — And That Should Terrify You
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Morgaan Sinclair, Ph.D.: Here’s what to remember about Iran–and the Iranian people
There were two revolutions in Iran: the one to disconnect Iran from Western control–and the one to make the Iranian people captives. There will be two revolutions here, too, if we’re not careful.
(Morgaan Sinclair, Ph.D. more…)
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truthout: With Congress-approved funding, ICE detention is expected to triple in size, mirroring the scale of Japanese internment.
(truthout more…)
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CBS: U.S. citizen detained by ICE at gunpoint in underwear in frigid conditions later asks, “What did I do wrong?” AP says
St. Paul, Minn. — Federal immigration agents forced open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and videos reviewed by The Associated Press.
ChongLy “Scott” Thao told the AP that his daughter-in-law woke him up from a nap Sunday afternoon and said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were banging at the door of his residence in St. Paul. He told her not to open it. Masked agents then forced their way in and pointed guns at the family, yelling at them, Thao recalled.
(CBS more…)ABC: Former combat vet alleges he wasn’t given access to an attorney during ICE detainment
RNS: They Shot the Pastor Anyway: When Religious Authority Met Federal Force
Judd Legum: ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment
404 Media: Feds Create Drone No Fly Zone That Would Stop People Filming ICE
John Pavlovitz: Jesus Turned Over Tables. He Would Have Interrupted That Minneapolis Church Service, Too.
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – January 20, 2026
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But seizing Greenland was not the only thing on the mind of administration officials. The account’s posts suggest they are worried about Trump’s declining popularity. It launched an attack on Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, whom the administration is targeting for alleged mortgage fraud, just before it claimed that Trump was lowering mortgage rates. Later, the account would post a short video of Trump under which the chyron read: “I AM STANDING UP FOR AMERICAN AUTOWORKERS,” although the video was of him promising to stop all federal payments to “sanctuary cities” on February 1.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
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Atlanta Black Star: ‘There’s No Remorse!’: White Man Who Killed Black Boy in Hit-And-Run Spits at Family Before Mississippi Jury Cleared Him of All Charges, Video Shows
(Atlanta Black Star more…) -
Jennifer Rubin: Trump, to his mind, doesn’t need no stinkin’ allies
The U.S. senator most responsible for allowing Donald Trump to escape conviction in his second impeachment (thereby returning the leader of an insurrection to the presidency) is mighty upset that Trump — shocker! — is trashing the most important American alliance.
(Jennifer Rubin more…)
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Michele Hornish: The GOP Has to Rein In Its Mad Emperor
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Howard Yu: Before Zoom became a verb, it was a visa application.
(Howard Yu more…)
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Jess Piper: An Atheist and a Dirndl
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Your Local Epidemiologist: Measles is off to an ugly start, EPA removes lives lost, ICE and hospitals, and lots of good news
Health Nerd: COVID-19 Has Never Been Less Of A Problem Than It Is Today
Margaret Chase Smith: Declaration of Conscience
NPR: January 6, 2021: A visual archive
Accountability Initiative ICE List
GriftMatrix
Trump Action Tracker
Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties
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