U.S. Economy Contracts at 0.3% Rate in First Quarter  —  The reading fell short of the 0.4% growth that economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected  —  The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of 2025, as businesses rushed to stock up on imports ahead of tariffs and consumers eased their pace of spending.

Wisconsin high court suspends Milwaukee judge accused of helping man evade immigration authorities  —  The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities.  The FBI took Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan into custody on Friday morning at the county courthouse.

Capitol agenda: The megabill has mega issues  —  Republicans' drive toward the “big, beautiful bill” is starting to hit some big potholes.  As lawmakers get into gear on extending President Donald Trump's tax cuts, cracks are deepening on critical issues, including Medicaid …

Trump's knuckle sandwich  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  Good Wednesday morning.  This is Jack Blanchard, taking a deep breath and diving into the next 100 days.  Join me!  I'm sure we'll find some fun along the way.  —  In today's Playbook:

Musk's Parting Gift: The Construction of a Surveillance State  —  Elon Musk may be stepping back from running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, but his legacy there is already secured.  DOGE is assembling a sprawling domestic surveillance system for the Trump administration …

AJC poll: Trump's support sinks in Georgia as economic fears rise  —  Battleground voters show deep unease about the president's second-term agenda just months after his election.  —  Georgia voters are sharply divided over President Donald Trump's second-term agenda, with many opposing key pieces …

Paramount Board Clears Possible Path for Settling Trump's ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit  —  Paramount's interest in settling has dismayed CBS's news division.  The executive producer of “60 Minutes” abruptly resigned last week.  —  Lawyers for President Trump and Paramount, the parent of CBS News …

Kamala Harris reemerges to condemn Trump as she weighs a run for governor  —  The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee will mark 100 days of Trump's second term with her first major speech since leaving the White House.  —  LOS ANGELES — Kamala Harris will reemerge in California …

Gross Domestic Product, 1st Quarter 2025 (Advance Estimate)  —  Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025 (January, February, and March), according to the advance estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements  —  New language in antisemitism bill clarifies First Amendment protections  —  Senate Republicans added an amendment to bipartisan legislation addressing rising antisemitism …

Trump Fires Biden Appointees, Including Doug Emhoff, From Holocaust Museum  —  “Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized,” Mr. Emhoff said in reaction to the removal of him and senior Biden White House officials from the board that oversees the museum.

Kennedy Advises New Parents to ‘Do Your Own Research’ on Vaccines  —  In an interview with Dr. Phil, the health secretary offered false information about vaccine oversight and revealed a lack of basic understanding of new drug approvals.  —  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advised parents …

Trump is losing his war on democracy  —  Trump's power grabs are dangerous.  But he's going about them all wrong — and facing effective resistance as a result. … In the first 100 days of Donald Trump's second term, his administration has proven exceptionally good at breaking things.

Kansas woman went to KC for a green card interview.  Now, she faces deportation … When Rosmery Alvarado, 42, arrived in Kansas City on Wednesday with her husband and daughter to attend a spousal interview for her green card application, everyone had a bad feeling.

‘Never kneel’: China taps Korean War and AI memes to hit back at Trump tariffs  —  China is leveraging its propaganda machine to hit back at U.S. tariffs, rolling out videos using Cold War imagery to lambaste “imperialists” and send a simple message - capitulation to bullies is dangerous, and we won't back down.

Trump's Cuts to Science Funding Could Hurt U.S. Economy, Study Shows  —  Reducing federal support for research and development could cause long-run economic damage and reduce government revenue.  —  Cutting federal funding for scientific research could cause long-run economic damage equivalent …

Trump and Bukele's Concentration Camp  —  CECOT is no regular prison.  It is also a warning.  —  Like Donald Trump, Nayib Bukele ran for president by vowing to use extreme methods to punish those he deems terrorists.  Though the murder rate in El Salvador had already fallen by half …

Exclusive: FBI reassigns agents from iconic photo of them kneeling during George Floyd protest  —  The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reassigned several agents who were photographed kneeling with demonstrators during a 2020 protest in the wake of police killing of George Floyd, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Trump's exclusive 100 days broadcast interview with ABC News  —  President Donald Trump sat down with ABC News' Terry Moran in the Oval Office.  —  ABC News Exclusive: President Donald J. Trump sits down with Anchor and Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran, April, 29 …

Supreme Court considers endorsing country's first religious public charter school  —  Oklahoma's Republican attorney general says the proposal to launch a Catholic virtual charter school violates the Constitution's First Amendment.  —  WASHINGTON — A case that could weaken the separation …

Mass Immigration Without Assimilation Is A Recipe For National Suicide  —  If we don't insist on the total assimilation and Americanization of our immigrants, we'll cease to be America and become something else.  —  If you want to know what mass immigration without assimilation produces in a country, look no further than Scotland.

CNN Supervillain Scott Jennings Plots Daring New Career Move  —  GREAT SCOTT!  —  The conservative commentator is waiting for the call, our must-read newsletter The Swamp reveals.  —  It's a Beast of a time in Washington.  Donald Trump's D.C. reality show is full of new characters …

Trump Signs Executive Order Walking Back Some Auto Tariffs  —  Most levies on imported cars and car parts will remain in place, but automakers have secured some relaxation of the trade policy.  —  President Trump signed a pair of executive orders on Tuesday that walked back some tariffs for carmakers …

The US government has a new policy for terminating international students' legal status  —  The U.S. government has begun shedding new light on a crackdown on international students, spelling out how it targeted thousands of people and laying out the grounds for terminating their legal status.

Ukraine Ready to Sign US Resources Deal in a Matter of Hours  —  Ukraine is ready to sign a natural resources deal with the US, a person familiar with the matter said, in a move that could bolster Washington's support for Kyiv by strengthening their economic partnership.

Former aide to far-right German lawmaker charged with spying for China  —  AfD politician Maximilian Krah denies he had knowledge about the activities of erstwhile assistant and says he was “deceived.”  —  BERLIN — German prosecutors have accused a far-right politician's former aide of spying for the Chinese secret service.

Federal Court Says First Amendment Bars Government From Deporting Students and Faculty on Basis of Political Viewpoint, Says Challenge to Trump Policy Can Go Forward  —  Ruling is a victory for free speech and step towards ending unconstitutional policy across U.S. campuses, Knight Institute says

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles gives behind-the-scenes look at Trump's ‘A+’ first 100 days — and challenges the president faces  —  WASHINGTON — White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told The Post in a rare interview Tuesday that President Trump's first 100 days had been a smashing success — but there is more to do.

Elon Musk's X lost 11 million users in the EU over the past 5 months  —  Millions of people in France and Germany have left X, according to X itself.  —  X's user base in the European Union is now officially lower than it was prior to Elon Musk's acquisition of the company.