Top Items:
Reuters:
Exclusive: Order by Hegseth to cancel Ukraine weapons caught White House off guard — NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - Roughly a week after Donald Trump started his second term as president, the U.S. military issued an order to three freight airlines operating out of Dover Air Force Base in Delaware …
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Daily Kos, New Republic, Euromaidan Press, The Independent, The Kyiv Independent, Raw Story and Mediaite
Punchbowl News:
Ed Martin confirmation in doubt even after Trump weighs in … Late Monday night, Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans noticed an executive business meeting for Thursday that didn't include Martin's nomination. Time is running out for Martin, who can only serve 120 days as the interim U.S. attorney …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, HotAir, CNN, Breitbart, New York Post, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Gateway Pundit, Washingtonian and Raw Story
RELATED:
NBC News:
Key GOP senator won't support Trump loyalist Ed Martin to be D.C.'s top prosecutor — North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis' decision likely derails Martin's nomination as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. — WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he wouldn't support Ed Martin …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP leader: Trump pick to serve as US attorney for DC won't reach floor — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Ed Martin, President Trump's controversial pick to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, will “probably” stay stuck in the Senate Judiciary Committee given …
Discussion:
Blaze Media, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and RedState
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Words & Phrases We Can Do Without
Lucia Mutikani / Reuters:
US trade deficit surges to record high in March — The U.S. trade deficit widened to a record high in March as businesses boosted imports of goods ahead of tariffs, which dragged gross domestic product into negative terrain in the first quarter for the first time in three years.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, U.S. Bureau … and Semafor
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
One Ship, $417 Million in New Tariffs: The Cost of Trump's Trade War — On April 24, against the backdrop of towering cranes, dockworkers at the Port of Long Beach began unloading the OOCL Violet, a hulking shipping vessel carrying thousands of containers full of goods bound for the US.
Bloomberg:
EU Eyes €100 Billion of US Goods With Tariffs If Talks Fail … The European Union plans to hit about €100 billion ($113 billion) in US goods with additional tariffs in the event ongoing trade talks fail to yield a satisfactory result for the bloc, according to people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Politico, Associated Press, Euractiv, Financial Times and Reuters
New York Times:
Declassified Spy Memo Contradicts Trump on Venezuela Gang Ties — The release of the memo further undercuts the Trump administration's rationale for using the Alien Enemies Act to deport scores of Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador. — A newly declassified memo released on Monday confirms …
Discussion:
Politico, New York Post, Reason, Axios, New Republic, Fox News and Mediaite
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Politico:
GOP lawmakers clash over tax cut for wealthiest constituents — Lawmakers' inability to resolve the issue so far is part of what's stalling the GOP megabill loaded with President Donald Trump's policy priorities. — Everything seems aligned for blue-state Republicans to finally win …
RELATED:
Richard Rubin / Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Flesh Out Trump's ‘No Tax on Overtime’ Idea—With Limits
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Washington Times and al.com
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House Republicans plan major SNAP food aid overhaul in Trump megabill
Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
This Republican Just Cracked the Doors Open to Higher Taxes on the Wealthy (Or Did He?)
This Republican Just Cracked the Doors Open to Higher Taxes on the Wealthy (Or Did He?)
Discussion:
al.com, Punchbowl News and Fox News
Emanuel Maiberg / 404 Media:
Elon Musk's Grok AI Will ‘Remove Her Clothes’ In Public, On X — Elon Musk's Grok, an AI chatbot that people can interact with via X, is being used to undress photos women are posting to the social media platform, as first flagged t0 404 Media by Kolina Koltai, a researcher and trainer at Bellingcat.
Reuters:
Merz fails to be elected chancellor by German parliament — Germany's parliament will hold a second vote on Tuesday on backing Friedrich Merz as chancellor after the veteran conservative failed to secure enough support in a first round, throwing politics in Europe's largest economy into disarray.
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Associated Press:
Friedrich Merz's bid to become Germany's chancellor fails in parliament in a stunning defeat
Friedrich Merz's bid to become Germany's chancellor fails in parliament in a stunning defeat
Discussion:
New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNN, Politico, CNBC, CBS News, WGRZ-TV, MPR News, Al Jazeera, Euractiv, UPI, Euronews, NPR, Washington Examiner, The Japan Times and Semafor
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
What do disengaged voters think about Trump now? — In the 2024 election, Donald Trump gained a surprising edge from an unlikely group: Americans who typically don't vote. According to a New York Times analysis, these low-turnout voters backed Trump by a double-digit margin …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Elise A. Spenner / The Harvard Crimson:
Far-Right Thinker Curtis Yarvin Argues for Remaking of Harvard at Faculty Club Debate — The far-right thinker Curtis Yarvin joined University Professor Danielle Allen for a debate Monday evening, where Yarvin in turn derided Harvard as “an essentially oligarchic institution” …
Will Sommer / The Bulwark:
She Called a 5-Year-Old the N-Word — N-word-slinging woman becomes right-wing hero — OVER THE PAST WEEK, portions of the American right have embraced a Minnesota woman whose claim to fame is that she allegedly called a 5-year-old boy the n-word, going so far as to help her raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Discussion:
The Free Press, MSNBC and The Root
ABC News:
Justice Department investigating 2022 Abrego Garcia traffic stop: Sources — A federal inmate was questioned about possible connections, sources said. — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 9, 2025. — Abrego Garcia Family via Reuters
Angry White Men:
Matt Walsh Defends White People Using The N-Word — On Monday, Daily Wire contributor Matt Walsh used his show to defend Shiloh Hendrix, a racist woman accused of calling a Black child the N-word. After lauding the people who contributed to her online fundraiser, Walsh complained that it's …
Discussion:
The Daily Wire
Sarah Polus / The Hill:
Federal judge rules North Carolina must certify state Supreme Court victory — A federal judge ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections on Monday to certify the results of the state's Supreme Court election, giving Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs the upper hand in the still-contested race.
RELATED:
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Thune says GOP senators are ‘still looking’ at nixing California emissions waiver — Senate Republicans are discussing whether and how to nix California's longstanding emission standards waiver — a decision that could also have dramatic consequences for the state of the Senate.
Discussion:
IJR and The Midwesterner
RELATED:
Todd Phillips / American Prospect:
How to Tie Up the Most Precious Resource in Washington
How to Tie Up the Most Precious Resource in Washington
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Federalist and GovExec.com
Wall Street Journal:
America's Air Traffic Fiasco — Here's why you're waiting hours to land at Newark airport. — Thousands of flights in and out of Newark airport in recent days have been delayed, diverted or canceled owing to a long runway of air traffic control failures.
Jocelyn Kaiser / Science:
'It's been a tough period': NIH's new director speaks with Science — Jay Bhattacharya discusses staff morale, grant cuts, and “rumors” — When Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya took the helm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on 1 April, the agency was in turmoil.
Discussion:
CBS News and The Gateway Pundit
CNN:
Trump admin plans to shut down money-saving Energy Star program soon, sources say — The Trump administration is preparing to eliminate two key Environmental Protection Agency divisions focused on climate change and energy efficiency, including its consumer-facing Energy Star program, according to two sources familiar with the plan.
Discussion:
Washington Post
Rebecca Hersher / NPR:
Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds — Most people in the United States rely on federal science in their daily lives but don't realize it, a new nationwide poll of U.S. adults shows. — The poll was conducted in early April by the Association …
Ross Andersen / The Atlantic:
Elon Musk's Most Alarming Power Grab — Can anyone stop his space-based internet? — When Elon Musk's engineers bundled a batch of prototype satellites into a rocket's nose cone six years ago, there were fewer than 2,000 functional satellites in Earth's orbit.
Discussion:
UPI, Orlando Sentinel and Scientific American
Edward Luce / Financial Times:
Elon Musk's painful departure — The Tesla founder's much-heralded war on government waste has had uncertain results — Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free — Your guide to what Trump's second term means for Washington, business and the world — What began with a chainsaw is ending in a whimper.
Discussion:
The Guardian
New York Times:
G.O.P. Targets a Medicaid Loophole Used by 49 States to Grab Federal Money — States have long used taxes on hospitals and nursing homes to increase federal matching funds. If Republicans end the tactic, red states could feel the most pain. — In 1989, New Hampshire's Republican governor …
Discussion:
Raw Story, NOTUS, Washington Examiner and KFF
ProPublica:
Internal VA Emails Reveal How Trump Cuts Jeopardize Veterans' Care, Including To “Life-Saving Cancer Trials” — Earlier this year, doctors at Veterans Affairs hospitals in Pennsylvania sounded an alarm. Sweeping cuts imposed by the Trump administration, they told higher-ups in an email …
Discussion:
Military and Veteran … and Forbes
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Scoop: Senate Democrats to host Ezra Klein as retreat special guest — Senate Democrats have invited New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and Democratic data guru David Shor to talk to senators at their annual one-day issues retreat on Wednesday, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
The Hope Florida scandal, explained — 🛟 🏖️ 🌊 With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers. If you aren't one already …
Discussion:
Florida Politics
Wall Street Journal:
Hegseth Used Multiple Signal Chats for Official Pentagon Business — In at least one message, he asked aides to tell foreign countries about a military operation — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used Signal more extensively for official Pentagon business than previously disclosed …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Defense One, The Independent, Washington Examiner, Crooks and Liars, Mediaite, Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Teri Christoph / RedState:
Loudoun County Is Still Insane: Boys Face Title IX Probe After Girl Allegedly Films Them in Locker Room — When you see the words “Loudoun County Public Schools” in the news, you know your blood pressure is about to skyrocket. Such is the case with a new report out of Loudoun County ("LoCo" …
Discussion:
WJLA-TV, Washington Times and Blaze Media
Rachel Schilke / Washington Examiner:
House Intelligence finds FBI ‘failed’ in its investigation of 2017 congressional baseball shooting — A new report from the House Intelligence Committee found that the FBI “completely mishandled” its investigation into the 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball game practice in Washington, D.C.
Discussion:
Daily Mail
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Trump's Tariffs Are Threatening America's Apple Juice Supply Chain — Most of the apple juice Americans drink is imported, with a large share coming from China. Experts say families should expect to start paying higher prices for the beloved beverage. — Few foods are more American than apple pie …
NPR:
Meet the Florida group chipping away at public benefits one state at a time — PHOENIX — As an Arizona bill to block people from using government aid to buy soda headed to the governor's desk in April, the nation's top health official joined Arizona lawmakers in the state Capitol to celebrate its passage.
Greg Norman / Fox News:
Columbia University lays off around 180 staff after Trump administration revokes grants — Ivy League school recently lost $400M in federal funding over antisemitism concerns — Columbia University said it will cut around 180 staff members Tuesday following the Trump administration's announcement …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Bloomberg and CBS News

