Budget office: Republicans' megabill would give to the rich and take from the poor  —  If GOP officials are looking for good news in the Congressional Budget Office's new report on the party's reconciliation package, they won't find any.  —  Common sense might suggest that congressional Republicans …

Gerry Connolly, congressman who protected federal workforce, dies at 75  —  The nine-term Virginia Democrat pushed back against the Trump administration's efforts to strip protections from civil servants and federal unions.  —  Gerry Connolly, a Democratic congressman who played a large part …

Judge Orders U.S. to Keep Custody of Migrants Amid Claims They Were Sent to South Sudan  —  In a chaotic hearing, Trump administration officials told a federal judge they did not know where a plane of deportees was going.  The judge raised the possibility that he could order its return.

Official Pushed to Rewrite Intelligence So It Could Not Be ‘Used Against’ Trump  —  An assessment contradicted a presidential proclamation.  A political appointee demanded a redo, then pushed for changes to the new analysis, too.  —  New emails document how a top aide to Tulsi Gabbard …

Diseases are spreading.  The CDC isn't warning the public like it was months ago  —  To accomplish its mission of increasing the health security of the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that it “conducts critical science and provides health information” to protect the nation.

Justice Dept. Opens Inquiry Into Cuomo, Singling Out Another Political Target  —  After killing a criminal case against Mayor Eric Adams, the Trump administration has begun investigating his chief rival in the New York City mayoral race over his testimony about the pandemic.

Exclusive: Hacker who breached communications app used by Trump aide stole data from across US government  —  A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier this month intercepted messages from a broader swathe of American officials …

Changes at Trump's Justice Department could shift which local police agencies get federal grants  —  The Justice Department is shaking up the priorities for a popular grant program that provides millions of dollars in aid to budget-strapped local police departments across America, according to public documents reviewed by CBS News.

JD Vance on His Faith and Trump's Most Controversial Policies  —  On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross Douthat interviews Vice President JD Vance about the Trump administration's deportations, the tariff backlash and how Vance's faith influences his politics.

Weak US economic outlook persists despite brief trade truce with China: Reuters poll  —  The outlook for the U.S. economy remains weak despite a temporary cooling of the U.S.-China trade war, a Reuters poll of economists showed, with a debate over the country's fiscal health hanging in the balance.

Russian-linked Ukrainian politician shot dead in Spain  —  A former high-ranking Ukrainian politician connected to the country's ousted pro-Russian president was shot dead on Wednesday outside an exclusive international school near Madrid, according to Spanish and Ukrainian authorities.

Proposal to limit courts' contempt power, part of spending bill, is ‘terrible idea,’ Chemerinsky says  —  A budget bill by the U.S. House of Representatives contains a “stunning” provision that would limit federal courts' ability to hold government officials and other litigants in contempt …

Trump to host South Africa's president amid tensions over US resettlement of white Afrikaners  —  Trump claims a “genocide” is taking place, which South Africa disputes.  —  South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the media during a press briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, April 24, 2025.

Revealed: UnitedHealth secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers  —  A Guardian investigation finds insurer quietly paid facilities that helped it gain Medicare enrollees and reduce hospitalizations.  Whistleblowers allege harm to residents  —  UnitedHealth Group …

Jared Golden Trails Paul LePage in a New GOP Poll  —  The Congressional Leadership Fund poll also found a Republican leading a generic ballot in the district 47% to 38%.  — Copy  —  Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine opted to run for reelection rather than for governor or Senate …

Musk Insults Interviewer for Daring to Ask About His Big DOGE Promise  —  TOUCHY SUBJECT  —  Musk said the cost-cutting task force would save $2 trillion.  By its own estimate, just $160 billion has been saved.  —  A defensive Elon Musk shut down an interviewer by saying …

Surprise!  GOP Medicaid Massacre bill is also a Medicare Massacre bill!  —  Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Brendon Boyle, on MSNBC last night:  —  Rep. Boyle: The one thing I would point out, though, is this bill is actually significantly worse [than the GOP's ACA repeal attempt in 2017] …

Target cuts sales outlook as retailer blames tariff uncertainty and backlash to DEI rollback … Target on Wednesday cut its full-year sales outlook, as executives said weaker discretionary spending, consumer uncertainty about tariffs and backlash to the company's rollback of key diversity …

Trump Is Waging War on the Future  —  It's fitting that a political movement whose slogan is the backward looking “Make America Great Again” — and whose tribune, Donald Trump, appears to live in an eternal 1990 of his own mind — is waging war on the American future.  —  This war has four theaters of conflict.

Inside Kristi Noem's Polygraph Operation  —  The information that DHS employees are accused of sharing with media often isn't classified  —  WASHINGTON—In a small interrogation room in Virginia with a one-way mirror, employees from across the Department of Homeland Security are being summoned and hooked up to a polygraph machine.

Noem Incorrectly Defines Habeas Corpus as the President's Right to Deport People  —  The right allows people to legally challenge their detentions by the government and is guaranteed in the Constitution.  —  Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, bungled answers on Tuesday about habeas corpus …

DOJ politicization escalates with bogus arrest of congresswoman  —  🏛️ ⚖️ 👩🏻‍⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever.

US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say  —  The United States will appoint President Donald Trump's longtime friend and current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkey said.

The Spanish Historical Lesson  —  Spain committed national suicide through mass deportation  —  Travel has a way of emphasizing historical lessons.  Spain is no different.  —  As I've mentioned, when traveling around this gorgeous, fascinating country, you constantly see evidence of the rise …