Why did Donald Trump pardon a former president who was convicted of trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine and taking millions of dollars in bribes?

Follow the tech bros.

Asked by a reporter about his crass statement regarding Rob Reiner's passing, Donald Trump offered an encore of his disgusting performance:

“I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned...He was very bad for our country.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/4aY7j6i

SCOTUS’s right-wing bloc sounds ready to axe independent federal agencies—and the precedents that guard them.

Oral arguments last week over the president’s power to remove commissioners of independent agencies made it clear where Republican-appointed justices stand.

Read more at MotherJones.com

Trump is trying to reshape immigration courts to fit his mass deportation agenda.

In early December, the New York Times reported, eight judges serving on the bench at New York City’s 26 Federal Plaza—ground zero for courthouse arrests—were terminated.

New photos of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein just dropped. 👀

The Department of Homeland Security officially launched what it’s calling “Operation Catahoula Crunch” in New Orleans last week—a part of their
"Swamp Sweep." Federal immigration officers, in coordination with local law enforcement, are aiming to arrest 5,000 people.

READ: https://bit.ly/48OhoA2

We'd never deport veterans, Noem says in earshot of deported veteran.

The United States Department of Agriculture is threatening to withhold federal funding for food stamps for more than 20 Democratic-led states that have refused to hand over sensitive personal data about millions of participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Trump's gilded White House makeover is more than just tacky. It's a symbol of his power.

On this week's More To The Story, @artcrimeprof.bsky.social discusses why Trump has decked out the White House in gold (so much gold).

🎧 Listen here: tinyurl.com/4hwnh8w9

For the last two months, journalist Chris Vazquez has covered skyrocketing health care costs that millions of Americans face going into the new year. Here’s what he’s learned.

Amber Gustafson, a writer and nonprofit fundraiser in Ankeny, Iowa, doesn’t qualify for Affordable Care Act subsidies. But she’s still bracing for impact if lawmakers let them expire at the end of the year.

“The more people that are part of the ACA, the more cost effective it is for everybody."

Arianna Freels, a stylist and magazine owner, says tax credits keep her monthly health care premium at roughly $60. But she fears how that might change if lawmakers allow these tax credits to expire at the end of the year.

“If things are going up, that plan is easily $500 a month.”

As lawmakers stall on extending tax credits for people who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Andrew Volk, a bar owner in Portland, Maine, is already seeing ripple effects for his small business. Watch:

As lawmakers debate extending ACA tax credits, photographer Stacy Cox received a letter from her marketplace insurer saying her monthly premium will increase by 50 percent—even if lawmakers extend the tax credits.

If she loses her $1,415 tax credit, her monthly premium will rise to $2,168. Watch: