Top Items:
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Among the problems with Trump's ‘free’ luxury jet from Qatar: It's not actually free — Even if the jet from Qatar were free, this arrangement would still be a legal and ethical mess. But the free plane also wouldn't be free. — On Sunday night, as the public first learned …
Discussion:
New Republic, Fox News, NBC News, Mediaite, The Independent, Politico, Semafor, Scripps News, israelhayom.com, Townhall, New York Post and Raw Story
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Ewan Palmer / The Daily Beast:
Carville Lectures Dems on How to Go After Trump for $400m Grift — ENOUGH IS ENOUGH — The veteran political strategist demands action on unusual deals involving the president, including the jet from Qatar. — James Carville is calling on Democrats to go on the offensive over what he calls the …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, Townhall, HuffPost, The Independent, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Vox, Mediaite, The Guardian, CNN, New York Magazine, Daily Mail, Wall Street Journal and Beauty~Funny~Trippy
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Conduct oversight on Trump's graft — or censure James Comer — House Democrats must pressure Republicans to fulfill their constitutional duties. — President Donald Trump arrived in the Middle East on Tuesday as the representative of two different entities.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Breitbart, Lawyers, Guns & Money and CBS News
Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Raise Concerns Over Trump's Plane Gift as He Heads to Qatar — Some lawmakers flag potential security issues as the president doubles down on defending the offer, saying only a ‘fool’ would turn it down — WASHINGTON—Republican lawmakers on Tuesday expressed national-security concerns …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Post, Florida Politics, Time, Newsweek and masslive.com
Washington Post:
White House eased China tariffs after warnings of harm to 'Trump's people' — The president has backtracked repeatedly on his tariff policies, creating a whiplash with downsides and few clear benefits so far. — Some of the president's top aides saw an opening.
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Times and Washington Examiner
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New Republic:
Trump Tariff Fiasco Worsens as Brutal New Reports Expose a Fresh Scam — The White House has been boasting that President Trump's partial pause in the trade war with China is a historic breakthrough. But two new reports, one from The New York Times and the other from the nonliberal Wall …
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Caller News Foundation, NOTUS, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal, Crikey and Raw Story
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Ben Shapiro is cracking under the pressure to shill for Trump
Discussion:
The Contrarian, The Hill, The Forward, Axios and Media Matters for America
Tom Dreisbach / NPR:
Multiple Trump White House officials have ties to antisemitic extremists — President Trump campaigned on a pledge to fight antisemitism. — “Antisemitic bigotry has no place in a civilized society,” Trump said at an event in 2024. — However, the president's critics question whether antisemitism …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Associated Press:
Mexican security chief confirms cartel family members entered US in a deal with Trump administration — Mexico's security chief confirmed Tuesday that 17 family members of cartel leaders crossed into the U.S. last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration.
Discussion:
US Department of Justice, New York Times, New Republic and Los Angeles Times
Associated Press:
Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds — Six months after Donald Trump's presidential victory, Democrats remain deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, although neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party is viewed favorably by a majority of U.S. adults.
Discussion:
IJR
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Politico:
Not much more room left for SALT, says GOP tax chief — House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) told reporters Wednesday there's only about $50 billion available to increase a key tax deduction sought by blue-state Republicans. Under legislation advanced out of Ways …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, The Fucking News, Blaze Media, Axios, The Hill, New York Daily News and RealClearPolitics
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Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House GOP hard-liners digging in on Medicaid work requirements
Discussion:
Center For Children …, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, Axios and The Contrarian
J. Michael Luttig / The Atlantic:
The End of Rule of Law in America … The president of the united states appears to have long ago forgotten that Americans fought the Revolutionary War not merely to secure their independence from the British monarchy but to establish a government of laws, not of men, so that they and future generations …
Kashmir Hill / New York Times:
The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren't Happy About It — Students call it hypocritical. A senior at Northeastern University demanded her tuition back. But instructors say generative A.I. tools make them better at their jobs. — In February, Ella Stapleton …
Discussion:
Fortune
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
New poll: Americans oppose cuts to Medicaid, want Democrats to control the U.S. House — ...and Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 rematch. Results from the inaugural Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll … Americans broadly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing …
Discussion:
Reuters
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Grace Gilson / The Forward:
Half of American Jewish voters believe Trump is antisemitic, poll finds
Half of American Jewish voters believe Trump is antisemitic, poll finds
Discussion:
israelhayom.com and Raw Story
Bertrand Benoit / Wall Street Journal:
Germany Foils Alleged Russian Plot to Mail Incendiary Devices — The conspiracy, if confirmed, shows Moscow continues to target the West with acts of sabotage despite Trump's arrival in the White House — BERLIN—German police detained three men suspected of planning to mail packages laden …
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Times, Politico and Reuters
Ben Jacobs / Politico:
The Republican Trainwreck of the 2026 Election Cycle — John Cornyn is one of the winningest politicians in Texas history. But he might not even make it out of the GOP primary this time. — Sen. John Cornyn is anathema to many Republican primary voters.
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New York Times:
We Study Fascism, and We're Leaving the U.S. — The decision by these three Yale professors to move to Canada is both a warning and a call to action.By Francesca Trianni and James Robinson — Legal residents of the United States sent to foreign prisons without due process.
Jake Pearson / ProPublica:
Musk Adviser May Make as Much as $1 Million a Year While Helping to Dismantle Agency that Regulates Tesla and X — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — One of Elon Musk's employees …
Financial Times:
What has Elon Musk's Doge actually achieved? — Six months after the so-called Department of Government Efficiency was unveiled, it has yet to find a fraction of the hoped for savings — Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free — Your guide to what Trump's second term means for Washington, business and the world
Discussion:
CBS News
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Taryn Luna / Los Angeles Times:
Newsom calls for walking back free healthcare for eligible undocumented immigrants — Facing a budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing changes to California's program to provide free healthcare coverage to low-income undocumented immigrants. — The cost of coverage for immigrants …
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg, RedState, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, The Daily Wire, CalMatters and CBS News
Amanda Seitz / Associated Press:
What to expect at RFK Jr.'s first Senate hearing as health secretary — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy wanted an assurance from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before he would vote to put him in charge of the nation's $1.7 trillion health department. Kennedy's history of promoting conspiracy theories …
Discussion:
Axios, STAT, The Hill, Los Angeles Times and Politico
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Marist Poll:
NYC Mayor's Race, May 2025 — Cuomo Breaks 50% in Fifth Round of Ranked Choice Voting — In the Democratic primary race for New York City Mayor, Andrew Cuomo is the first choice of nearly four in ten likely Democratic primary voters, including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate.
Discussion:
Politico, New York Magazine and New York Post
NBC News:
Marco Rubio working on major changes to National Security Council — Under the plan, the NSC would shrink and shift from making recommendations to the president to carrying out his orders. — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in his new add-on role of national security adviser …
New York Times:
Wisconsin Judge Indicted on Charges That She Helped Immigrant Evade Agents — Judge Hannah C. Dugan was accused of helping an undocumented immigrant elude federal agents who were waiting to arrest him outside her courtroom. — The Wisconsin judge arrested last month and accused of helping …
ABC News:
Trump calls for new Iran nuclear deal — In his final open remarks during his time in Riyadh, President Donald Trump echoed his calls for a nuclear deal with Iran and again touted his closeness with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. — “The whole world is watching the Middle East …
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Times, Reuters, USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Independent, Breitbart, Los Angeles Times, CBS News, Scripps News, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, National Review, Fox News, Associated Press, Politico, The Hill, ZeroHedge News, New York Post, The Atlantic, CNN, Daily Mail, Washington Times, UPI, Al Jazeera, israelhayom.com, NPR, CNBC, Newsweek, Jewish Insider, NBC News, Semafor, Bloomberg, Atlantic Council, Washington Post, The American Conservative, Axios and The Japan Times
Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
EPA plans to weaken ‘forever chemical’ drinking water limits — The Trump administration has announced plans to weaken drinking water limits for toxic “forever chemicals” despite its promises to “Make America Healthy Again.” — “Forever chemicals” are toxic substances that are found …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Post, CBS News, UPI, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Daily Caller News Foundation
Jeff Singer / The Downballot:
Democrats just flipped Nebraska's biggest city — Democrat John Ewing unseated Republican Mayor Jean Stothert in Tuesday's officially nonpartisan election to lead Omaha, a victory that ends the GOP's 12-year hold on Nebraska's largest city. — Stothert conceded the race after 9 PM local …
Jennifer Bowers Bahney / Raw Story:
‘What the holy hell?’ MAGA has a meltdown over House GOP post written in Spanish — MAGA Republicans are losing their minds over an innocent social media post that includes a Spanish translation, according to The Daily Beast. — The House Republicans' X post claimed …
Discussion:
Mediaite
New York Times:
Tiny Company With China Ties Announces Big Purchase of Trump Cryptocurrency — The firm, which produces content for TikTok, recorded no revenue last year, but it announced this week that a mysterious stock sale would allow it to invest heavily in the $TRUMP memecoin.
Discussion:
New Jersey Online and The Nation, more at Techmeme »
Paul Bois / Breitbart:
Ocasio-Cortez Warns: Trump Admin Will Have a ‘Problem’ if More Democrats Arrested — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has warned the Trump administration that they will be in for a “problem” if they arrest any more Democrats. — The congresswoman issued her warning in an Instagram video posted …
Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
Trump Gushes with Envy Toward the House of Saud — Good morning to everyone except whoever did the president's makeup today: — Happy Wednesday. — Autocrats, Kleptocrats, Plutocrats... Oh My! — by William Kristol — What a spectacle! There they were yesterday, assembled in Riyadh …
Discussion:
The Verge, Semafor and CBS News, more at Techmeme »
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Martin's Out. Pirro's In. Incompetence Reigns. — 🏛️ ⚖️ 👩🏻⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. … 👩🏻⚖️ ⚖️ 🏛️
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and The Hill
Nicholas Wu / Politico:
Mike Johnson declares support for congressional stock trading ban — Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he supports a ban on stock trading by members of Congress amid controversy about well-timed trades during recent market volatility. “You want me to tell you my honest opinion on that?
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Business Insider, Fox News and al.com
Associated Press:
Federal appeals court continues to block Florida's drag-show ban as likely unconstitutional — An injunction barring the enforcement of Florida's drag-show ban will remain in effect after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the law is likely unconstitutional.
Discussion:
Washington Times, FOX 35 Orlando, Erin In The Morning, Washington Examiner and Sun-Sentinel
Guy Chazan / Financial Times:
Inside the Trump administration's quiet shift on Ukraine — Lack of compromise by Vladimir Putin has led the US to view him as an obstacle to a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv — Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free — Your guide to what Trump's second term means for Washington, business and the world
Discussion:
Semafor

