Congress struggles to keep up with the Trump cavalcade of action

The Trump-DOGE-Musk fast-moving agenda prods Congress into action. This week, members reacted to several of the latest administrative executive orders and other moves. Loren Duggan, deputy news director of Bloomberg Government, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to give the rundown. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: And Loren, there is a House vote this week on nationwide injunctions. What’s going on there? Loren Duggan: Right. This is a reaction to what some judges have done in the Trump administration. He’ll put forward an executive order or other action and a…

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Why Trump Says He’s ‘Not Joking’ About a Third Term

Donald Trump’s interest in seeking an unconstitutional third term as president, like many of his most dangerous or illegal ideas, began as a joke. Trump would muse on the stump that he deserved an extra term because he was robbed of his first (by Robert Mueller’s investigation) or his second (by imagined vote fraud in 2020) without quite clarifying his intent. But in an interview with NBC News this weekend, and then in remarks on Air Force One, Trump said he was completely serious about at least exploring the notion.…

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‘MAHA’?: New Jersey Democrat Introduces ‘Caffeine Safety’ Labeling Bill

Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. introduced the Sarah Katz Caffeine Safety Act at a press conference Monday, a bill that would require labels showing caffeine levels on beverages. Joined by the parents of children who have died from cardiac episodes after consuming highly caffeinated drinks, Menendez, D-N.J., said his bill fits with the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda of President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The legislation would require that companies “show the amount of caffeine in certain supplements that are in each beverage,”…

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ICYMI: The Guardian: “‘Heinous actions’: opposition to Trump, slow to energize, shakes off its slumber”

WASHINGTON – As reported by The Guardian, Punchbowl News, the Associated Press, and Axios, MoveOn helped organize 60 “Congress Works for Us, Not Musk” mobilizations as part of a nationwide effort to hold lawmakers accountable during the February congressional recess. Constituents are voicing their frustration with the growing influence of Elon Musk and Donald Trump over government institutions, demanding that their elected officials prioritize the needs of working families over the agendas of billionaires. Last week, MoveOn-member-led rallies drew large crowds of activists seeking answers from their representatives. Notable actions…

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Signal leak dominates confirmation hearing for top Pentagon nominees

As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to manage the fallout from the Signal incident, four nominees for top Pentagon positions faced questions about their own history of handling sensitive and classified information during their confirmation hearing on Thursday.  The leak of a Signal group chat where members of the Trump administration discussed operational details for upcoming strikes against the Houthis in Yemen has sent shock waves throughout Washington, overshadowing what was shaping up to be a routine confirmation hearing. While Trump administration officials maintained that no classified information was shared…

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