Top Items:
Politico:
House Republicans eye scaled back tax cut amid fights over spending — House GOP tax writers are eyeing a scaled-back $4 trillion tax cut amid concerns their colleagues will not be able to come up with the full slate of spending cuts required under their budget plan, people familiar with their internal deliberations say.
Discussion:
Washington Times, Raw Story and The Daily
RELATED:
Ben Leonard / Politico:
CBO: Millions could lose coverage if GOP pulls back on Medicaid expansion — Congress' nonpartisan scorekeeper projects that millions of Americans would lose health coverage under options currently being considered by Republicans to help pay for President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill.”
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, USA Today, Daily Kos, MeidasTouch News and CBO Publications
Jonathan Cohn / The Bulwark:
Laura Loomer Just Called the GOP's Bluff on Medicaid Cuts — THE INTERNAL REPUBLICAN FIGHT over potential Medicaid cuts has gotten so intense that even Laura Loomer is getting involved. — On Monday night, the MAGA influencer known for white nationalist rhetoric and conspiracy theories posted …
Discussion:
Politico, New York Magazine, The Status Kuo, MSNBC, PBS NewsHour and Raw Story
Benjamin Guggenheim / Politico:
Republican megabill ‘must not add to the deficit,’ fiscal hawks demand
Discussion:
Air & Space Forces Magazine and Raw Story
NOTUS:
GOP Moderates Begin to Voice Opposition to Defunding Planned Parenthood in Reconciliation
GOP Moderates Begin to Voice Opposition to Defunding Planned Parenthood in Reconciliation
Discussion:
Punchbowl News, Raw Story, Daily Caller News Foundation, RedState, Blaze Media, The Federalist, Mediaite and Axios
Rachel Schilke / Washington Examiner:
House GOP leadership caves to centrist Republicans on Medicaid despite fiscal hawks' demands
House GOP leadership caves to centrist Republicans on Medicaid despite fiscal hawks' demands
Discussion:
The Hill, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Roll Call
David Dayen / American Prospect:
Medicaid Cuts in Republican Bill Would Charge Poor People More for Coverage
Medicaid Cuts in Republican Bill Would Charge Poor People More for Coverage
Discussion:
KFF Health News, New York Times, The Lever, ACA Signups and Off Message
Richard L. Hasen / The Atlantic:
America Needs More Judges Like Judge Myers — When judges act as partisan hacks, it is important to condemn their conduct. Last month, four Republican justices on the North Carolina Supreme Court blessed the antidemocratic attempt by the fellow Republican judge Jefferson Griffin to subvert …
Discussion:
Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, Reuters and UPI
RELATED:
Kyle Ingram / Raleigh News & Observer:
Griffin concedes NC Supreme Court race, ending unprecedented effort to overturn election — After spending over six months vigorously contesting his narrow loss in the 2024 North Carolina Supreme Court election, Jefferson Griffin conceded the race on Wednesday following a federal judge's ruling against him.
Discussion:
The Contrarian, RedState, Raw Story, Slate, Talking Points Memo and NecHocNecIllud
Adam Edelman / NBC News:
Republican Jefferson Griffin concedes N.C. Supreme Court race after months of legal battles — The announcement, which comes six months after the final votes were cast, brings an end to the final unresolved contest from the 2024 election. — Republican Jefferson Griffin conceded …
Discussion:
Vox
Eduardo Medina / New York Times:
Jefferson Griffin Concedes Defeat in N.C. Supreme Court Race — Three counts showed that the incumbent, a Democrat, won the State Supreme Court election last fall. But Judge Jefferson Griffin tried for months to reverse his loss through the courts. — A six-month battle …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Democrats, Democracy Docket, The Gateway Pundit, MSNBC, Fox News, Washington Examiner and Daily Kos
Washington Post:
U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk's Starlink, cables show — Some countries have turned to the satellite internet firm in conjunction with trade talks, State Department staffers wrote. The U.S. has a strategic interest in countering Chinese internet providers, but Musk's role complicates the picture.
Discussion:
TechCrunch and The Independent, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
NBC News:
Judge blocks deportation flight of Asian migrants to Libya — The migrants are from the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos, among other countries. — A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order preventing migrants from being sent to Libya or any other third country after immigration attorneys filed …
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Libya's Leaders Say They Haven't Agreed to Accept Deported Migrants From the U.S. — Court says Trump administration can't deport people to Libya without giving them proper notice — Libya's two rival governments on Wednesday said they had not agreed to accept migrants from the U.S. …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, The Japan News and NPR
James D. Walsh / New York Magazine:
Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College — ChatGPT has unraveled the entire academic project. — Chungin “Roy” Lee stepped onto Columbia University's campus this past fall and, by his own admission, proceeded to use generative artificial intelligence to cheat on nearly every assignment.
Discussion:
Slow Boring, New York Post, Frontpage Mag and and stars may collide, more at Techmeme »
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Kari Lake says OAN's far-right coverage will fuel Voice of America — Senior presidential adviser Kari Lake appears to have resolved any doubts about what she wants to do with the Voice of America. — Lake seeks for it to look and sound a lot like the far-right One America News Network …
RELATED:
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Voice of America will carry One America News programming
Voice of America will carry One America News programming
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Florida Politics, New York Daily News, The Guardian, The Hill, The National Pulse and NPR
Joseph Choi / The Hill:
Trump pulls surgeon general nominee — President Trump has pulled his nomination of Janette Nesheiwat to be U.S. surgeon general and has instead chosen chronic disease entrepreneur Casey Means, a physician with close ties to the “Make American Healthy Again,” or MAHA, movement, as his new pick to fill the role.
Discussion:
CBS News, ABC News, STAT, Axios, CNBC, Associated Press, Politico, ArkansasTimes, Roll Call, Washington Times, RedState, Townhall, The Daily Caller and Florida Politics
RELATED:
Nnamdi Egwuonwu / NBC News:
White House pulls nomination for surgeon general a day before Senate confirmation hearing
Discussion:
MSNBC, Fox News, Axios, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, USA Today, CBS News, Lawyers, Guns & Money, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Daily Signal and Blaze Media
Liz Essley Whyte / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Taps a ‘MAHA’ Movement Leader for Surgeon General
Trump Taps a ‘MAHA’ Movement Leader for Surgeon General
Discussion:
STAT
Andrew Feinberg / The Independent:
Trump picks conspiracy theorist with no medical license to replace Fox News contributor as Surgeon General
Trump picks conspiracy theorist with no medical license to replace Fox News contributor as Surgeon General
Discussion:
New York Times, Raw Story and WTOP News
Jake Pearson / ProPublica:
DOGE Aide Who Helped Gut CFPB Was Warned About Potential Conflicts of Interest — Before he helped fire most Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staffers, DOGE's Gavin Kliger was warned about his investments and advised to not take any actions that could benefit him personally, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Discussion:
The Independent, New Republic and Reuters
Annie Waldman / ProPublica:
Trump's NIH Axed Research Grants Even After a Judge Blocked the Cuts, Internal Records Show — A lawsuit led by the Washington state attorney general offers an unprecedented view of the termination of more than 600 NIH grants, including transgender research grants threatened by Trump's executive orders.
Discussion:
Mother Jones
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Smoke 'Em If You Got ‘Em: Conclave ‘Like No Other’ Begins; UPDATE: Still Smokin’ — ‘Like no other’? A few media outlets have made that argument today, but it's actually much more of a conclave like most of the others. The true anomaly came in 2013 when the conclave took place under …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Daily Register and Ace of Spades HQ
RELATED:
Anthea Butler / MSNBC:
The long-shot African cardinals who could make papal history
The long-shot African cardinals who could make papal history
Discussion:
ABC News, The Nation, The Daily Signal, Publishers Weekly, Crux Now, El País, New York Times and Atlantic Council
Michelle Chapman / Associated Press:
Disney to build its 7th theme park, this one in the United Arab Emirates — Disney will build its seventh theme park, this one in the United Arab Emirates, the entertainment company said Wednesday. — The waterfront resort will be built on Yas Island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi …
Discussion:
The Walt Disney Company, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Raw Story, The Daily Wire, NPR, New York Daily News, RedState, Orange County Register, Florida Politics, Mercury News, Fortune, Hollywood Life, New York Times, Orlando Sentinel, New York Post, Skift, One America News Network, The Hill, Deadline, Fox Business, The Wrap, KFTC-TV, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, WVEC and CBS News, more at Mediagazer »
Alexander Cornwell / Reuters:
Exclusive: U.S., Israel discuss possible U.S.-led administration for Gaza, sources say — The United States and Israel have discussed the possibility of Washington leading a temporary post-war administration of Gaza, according to five people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Axios, HotAir, israelhayom.com, Responsible Statecraft, Washington Times and Bloomberg
CNN:
Exclusive: Some ‘Les Mis’ cast members plan to boycott Trump's attendance at Kennedy Center performance next month — When President Donald Trump descends on the Kennedy Performing Arts Center next month for a high-dollar fundraiser and a performance of “Les Misérables,” …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Deadline, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, ABC News and The Atlantic
Emma Bubola / Reuters:
Live Updates: No Pope Elected on Cardinals' First Vote — The Vatican conclave will continue on Thursday with more voting. A two-thirds majority of the 133 cardinals is required to select a new leader for the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. — Vatican Media, via Associated Press
Discussion:
New York Times and WTOP News
Nora Eckert / Reuters:
Exclusive: Ford hikes prices on Mexico-produced models, citing tariffs — Ford Motor (F.N) is hiking prices on three of its Mexico-produced models effective May 2, becoming one of the first major automakers to adjust sticker prices following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Discussion:
Electrek, NBC News, CNN, The Hill, USA Today, CBS News, New Republic, Al Jazeera, Chicago Tribune, The Daily Wire, Scripps News, Ars Technica, The Drive, The Guardian and Bloomberg
Anna Peterson / New York Times:
How Anti-Woke Ideology Transformed My College — In the three years since Ron DeSantis set out to rid Florida's universities of woke ideology, my campus changed significantly. Professors suddenly worried about what they could say and teach. Some started avoiding terms like “racism.”
Discussion:
Racket News, City Journal and Raw Story
Jill Lawrence / The Bulwark:
Donald Trump's Information Warfare Against America — I AM SUCH A GEEK that I remember when Barack Obama made a splash by liberating reams of government data so Americans could use it to do things like compare colleges and start businesses. — It was 2013 and talk of a catchy “abundance agenda” …
Discussion:
Washington Post, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
Biden's Gaza pier injured far more troops than previously known — More than 60 service members were injured as a part of former President Joe Biden's floating aid pier in Gaza, a Pentagon Inspector General report published on Tuesday said, a number significantly higher than had been previously disclosed.
Stephen Sorace / Fox News:
Federal judge orders Trump admin to immediately resettle 12K migrants — Biden appointed federal judge ordered Trump admin to begin processing refugees within next 7 days — A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to immediately resettle some 12,000 refugees into the U.S. under …
Discussion:
RedState, Townhall, Blaze Media, Breitbart, The Post Millennial, American Greatness, The Gateway Pundit, Baltimore Sun and The Hill
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
Trump offers tepid support for his pick for DC US attorney — “That's really up to the senators; if they feel that way, they have to vote the way they vote,” Trump said of Ed Martin's nomination. — President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered lukewarm support for Ed Martin …
Wired:
A ‘Trump Card Visa’ Is Already Showing Up in Immigration Forms — Donald Trump has proposed launching a “gold card” program offering US residency for $5 million. Elon Musk's DOGE has begun rolling out the technology to enable it. — Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency …
Jake Pearson / ProPublica:
Under Texas' Abortion Ban, Where a Pregnant Woman Lives Can Determine Her Risk of Developing Sepsis — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — Nearly four years ago in Texas …
Politico:
Vance says Russia ‘asking for too much’ to end war with Ukraine — The vice president told the Munich Leaders Meeting that the U.S. wants to see Ukraine and Russia speak directly. — Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that Russia is “asking for too much” to end its war with Ukraine …
Discussion:
NBC News, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Reuters, The Guardian, National Review, Al Jazeera, Fox News, The Daily Wire, New Republic, CBS News, One America News Network, Scripps News, Euromaidan Press, Washington Times, Bloomberg, USA Today, The American Conservative and The Transom

