The group chats that changed America  —  THE SCOOP  —  Last Thursday morning, a bit before 10 am in Austin and nearly 11 pm in Singapore, Joe Lonsdale had enough of Balaji Srinivasan's views on China.  —  “This is insane CCP thinking,” Lonsdale, a co-founder of Palantir, wrote to a 300-member Signal group.

Trump is softening his tariff talk.  But the damage may already be done.  —  The economic effects of new trade wars could be hard to dodge even if talks yield new deals soon.  —  With 14 months remaining before the United States' 250th birthday on July 4, 2026, Stacy Blake should be placing big orders …

Mike Johnson's tight megabill timeline is on a collision course with reality  —  While Republicans believe they've made some progress, they're still far from agreement on key disputes.  —  If Speaker Mike Johnson has his way, the “big, beautiful” domestic policy bill that President Donald …

‘I Run the Country and the World’ … b  —  efore we begin, a primer on the science of arranging an interview with a sitting American president:  —  In ordinary times, reporters seeking an on-the-record encounter with the commander in chief first write an elaborate proposal.

New Yorkers Boo and Jeer GOP's Lawler at Circus-Like Town Hall  —  Boos, shouts and insults dominated New York Representative Mike Lawler's rowdy town hall on Sunday as the GOP lawmaker's constituents seethed over President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress.

Over 100 immigrants arrested in raid on underground Colorado nightclub where active-duty military members worked, feds say  —  More than 100 immigrants, allegedly in the country illegally, were detained in Colorado Springs after an overnight raid at what authorities described as an underground nightclub in a strip mall.

JB Pritzker implores Democrats to fight Trump as the potential 2028 candidate visits New Hampshire  —  In an interview with NBC News, Pritzker says if Democrats reclaim Congress, they will hold the administration responsible if it has violated the Constitution.

Scoop: Trump staff puts immigrants' mug shots on White House lawn  —  Trump administration officials late Sunday began placing dozens of posters of arrested unauthorized immigrants along the White House driveway.  — It's a provocative, sure-to-be-controversial move aimed …

Public sours on Musk's role, is skeptical that government is cutting waste  —  Thirty-five percent of Americans approve of the way Musk is handling his job in the Trump administration, while 57 percent disapprove, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll shows.

Elite Universities Form Private Collective to Resist Trump Administration  —  Separate from the public dissent, a group of school leaders are strategizing behind the scenes about how to respond and push back against the White House  —  Leaders of some of the nation's most prestigious universities …

‘60 Minutes’ Calls Out Paramount for Executive Producer's Exit in Rare On-Air Rebuke  —  All seemed normal in the first 98% of Sunday's broadcast of “60 Minutes” on CBS.  But the remaining 2% may have shocked viewers.  —  In the show's “Last Minute” segment, correspondent Scott Pelley told …

American Panopticon  —  The Trump administration is pooling data on Americans.  Experts fear what comes next.  —  If you have tips about DOGE and its data collection, you can contact Ian and Charlie on Signal at @ibogost.47 and @cwarzel.92.  —  If you were tasked with building a panopticon …

Agriculture isn't nearing trade war tariffs crisis, ‘it is full blown crisis already’ farmers say … The clock is ticking on trade deals that the U.S. will need to strike with many nations, most notably China, to avoid what Trump's Treasury Secretary has described as an “unsustainable” tariffs war.

On DOGE, Directives, and DOJ  —  A new court filing reveals the most compelling evidence yet that the government has been spinning a fiction about DOGE in federal court.  —  @annabower.bsky.social  —  Meet The Authors … “US DOGE service advises and consults,” said Kendall Lindemann …

Rubio Says Trump Will Decide This Week on Continuing Ukraine War Talks  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there are reasons to be optimistic, but also asserted there are “other issues” on which the administration wants to spend its energy.  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday …

It's the tariffs, stupid  —  Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook.  —  Let's get into it.  —  → How do you stand up to DONALD TRUMP, anyway?  —  → PIERRE POILIEVRE and MARK CARNEY make their closing arguments.  —  → DOUG FORD's advice to the Conservative leader.

The bubble that created Trump is the reason he's stumbling  —  The White House is now a bubble where loyalty, not ability, defines success.  —  Consider Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.  —  No one should be surprised that Hegseth is flailing in his new role, one of the most arduous …

April 27, 2025  —  Last night a new club opened in the wealthy Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, D.C. It's called “Executive Branch,” and it's an invitation-only club backed by Donald Trump Jr. and megadonor Omeed Malik.  Dasha Burns of Politico reported that it costs more than half a million dollars to join.