FINEST IN FEATURES SWEEPSTAKES AWARDS, DIV 1

These honors go to the publications earning the most wins across the contest’s 21 categories.

🥇 @postandcourier.bsky.social
🥈Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
🥉 The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette

🏅 Honorable Mention: Austin American-Statesman

🎉 Congratulations 🎉 to all the winners in our 2025 Excellence-in-Features DIVISION 1!

Thank you to all the judges and contest entrants for making this annual celebration of great storytelling possible!

www.featuresjournalism.org/blog/2025/5/...

History always has a lesson.

Has every Republican who ever expressed support for Ukraine after Russia's unprovoked invasion finished scrubbing their online histories and their frontal lobes? #GOPvalues

Agriculture Department Moves to Rehire Some Bird Flu Response Workers It’s the latest instance of the Trump administration having to reverse course after making sweeping cuts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to reverse the firing of some employees who were involved in responding to the nation’s growing bird flu outbreak, officials said this week.

Trump policies make US ‘scary place to invest’ and risk stagflation, says Stiglitz Uncertainty created by tariffs and contempt for rule of law will deter investment, says top economist * Forget Trump’s tariffs, the president’s bond market threat is worse Donald Trump’s tariff threats have made the US “a scary place to invest”…

Trump policies make US ‘scary place to invest’ and risk stagflation, says Stiglitz

The Trump Administration Purges The FAA Despite Plane Crashes As Europe Holds An Emergency Summit | Morning News Rundown The Trump Administration is conducting mass layoffs at the FAA despite recent plane crashes, protests are set to break out today across America protesting Trump, and Europe holds an emergency summit.

BREAKING: The Trump Administration is conducting mass layoffs at the FAA despite recent plane crashes, protests are set to break out today across America protesting Trump, and Europe holds an emergency summit. open.substack.com/pub/aaronpar...

When FDR struck an over-the-heads-of-eastern-Europe deal at Yalta in Feb 1945, Stalin had 300+ divisions in the field vs Nazi Germany. The impending unilateral Trump sellout of Ukraine occurs when Putin is battered and almost broke.

We need Pete Buttigieg as a clear messenger, more than ever.

@kaine.senate.gov

@sanders.senate.gov

@markwarner.bsky.social

Top Security Officials at Aid Agency Put on Leave After Denying Access to Musk Team Workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development are bracing for a loss of its independent status and sweeping layoffs as President Trump continues slashing foreign aid.

Breaking News: Two top officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development are said to have been put on leave after refusing to give representatives of Elon Musk access to a secure area.

The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover Engineers between 19 and 24, most linked to Musk’s companies, are playing a key role as he seizes control of federal infrastructure.

Have any of these DOGE employees completed a background investigation? Have they been given access to the agency’s sensitive compartmented information facility? What protocols are being utilized to protect our national security interests? Members of Congress must demand answers now.

USAID security leaders on leave after trying to keep Musk's DOGE from classified info, officials say The Trump administration has placed two top security chiefs at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave after they refused to turn over classified material to Elon Musk’s government-insp...

apnews.com/article/doge...

“A Weak President”: Trump’s Chaos Strategy Implodes in Epic OMB Fiasco As Trump backtracks on his funding freeze, the author of a new piece on his “chaos strategy” explains why this is already failing—and how it reveals him as both authoritarian and weak.

"Trump is not a strong president. He is a weak president. He has authoritarian tendencies, but he’s weak. He’s mentally weak. He is vulnerable to all sorts of manipulation."

On the pod, @timothynoah.bsky.social is good on why Trump's hold on power is actually fragile
newrepublic.com/article/1909...

Transcript: Trump’s Chaos Strategy Is Already Blowing Up in His Face An interview with New Republic writer Timothy Noah, who argues that Trump’s funding-freeze fiasco shows that he’s a “weak president” whose vaunted “chaos strategy” is already running into trouble.

"Trump is... not a strong president. He is a weak president. He has authoritarian tendencies, but he’s weak. He’s mentally weak. He is subject vulnerable to all sorts of manipulation by his aides. He tries to do all sorts of contradictory things."

https://newrepublic.com/article/190929/transcript-…

“Trump is acting like a king because he is too weak to govern like a president. He is trying to substitute perception for reality. He is hoping that perception then becomes reality. That can only happen if we believe him.”

Attn: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted representatives of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency full access to the federal payment system!

YouTube video by NJ Spotlight News Brian Sicknick's family 'angered' after Jan. 6 pardons

Please give a listen to Brian Sicknick's brother Craig and show your support to him and his family. They deserve so much better @jan6risingvoice.bsky.social

youtu.be/X4X6Y8A78u4?...

Judge Blocks Trump’s Effort to Restrict Birthright Citizenship: Live Updates

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01...

This is what I remember

California Governor Gavin Newsom invites Trump to visit the state to see the crisis firsthand, emphasizing the need for leaders to focus on helping displaced Americans rather than peddling lies and disinformation.

Welcome! Join our Virtual Save Our Health Care Kickoff Event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Together, we will Save Our Health Care by ensuring the American people know the threat from Republicans to the Affordable Care Act and other vital health care programs on which millions of Americans d...

If you care to save the Affordable Care Act. Join Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

National Save Our Health Care Kickoff Event with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Opinion | Joe Biden: What Americans should remember about Jan. 6 Four years ago, our democracy was put to the test — and prevailed.

"On this Jan. 6, order will be called," President Joe Biden writes.

"For much of our history, this proceeding was treated as pro forma, a routine act. But after what we all witnessed on Jan. 6, 2021, we know we can never again take it for granted." wapo.st/40lovgn

On tomorrow's 4-year anniversary of the insurrection I'll be posting a #JusticeMatters extended interview w/Alyse Adamson, the only federal prosecutor who was assigned to work the 1/6/21 protest. Alyse was present during the entire Capitol attack & witnessed the Trump-incited "terrorism" firsthand.

If you're not sure if this is true, check your paystub.