Trump, White House aides signal a possible détente with Musk  —  The two men have been embroiled in a feud over legislation that encompasses the president's agenda.  —  Signs of a truce are emerging in the increasingly bitter clash between two of the world's most powerful men.

Trump preparing large-scale cancellation of federal funding for California, sources say  —  The Trump administration is preparing to cancel a large swath of federal funding for California, an effort which could begin as soon as Friday, according to multiple sources.

DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to “Munch” Veterans Affairs Contracts  —  We obtained records showing how a Department of Government Efficiency staffer with no medical experience used artificial intelligence to identify which VA contracts to kill.  “AI is absolutely the wrong tool for this,” one expert said.

Trump administration races to fix a big mistake: DOGE fired too many people  —  Across the government, officials are rehiring federal workers who were forced out or encouraged to resign.  —  Early this spring, the Food and Drug Administration fired nearly 50 workers in the Office of Regulatory Policy …

University of Michigan using undercover investigators to surveil student Gaza protesters  —  Revealed: security trailing students on and off campus as video shows investigator faking disability when confronted  —  The University of Michigan is using private, undercover investigators …

Republican said Sikh should not be allowed to deliver House prayer  —  Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) posted — then quickly deleted — that a Sikh should have “never been allowed” to lead the House of Representatives' daily prayer on Friday after initially incorrectly calling the man a Muslim.

Inside the Billion-Dollar Effort to Make Trump Feel Good About Himself  —  Trump's administration is marshaling vast public resources and more than $1 billion worth of taxpayer money to flatter the president … Vice President J.D. Vance was seated directly across from the president …

DHS memo details how National Guard troops will be used for immigration enforcement  —  National Guard troops would be used in immigration-enforcement activities, including in “night operations and rural interdiction,” as well as “guard duty and riot control” inside detention facilities …

Tesla becomes desperate with Cybertruck, launches biggest discount yet  —  Tesla has announced that it now offers interest-free loans on the Cybertruck until the end of the month.  The move is the equivalent of a roughly $10,000 discount and shows that Tesla has reached a new level of desperation in trying to sell the Cybertruck.

Former U.S. attorney Damian Williams leaves Paul Weiss for Jenner & Block  —  The former prosecutor is leaving a firm that made a deal with the Trump administration for one that fought it.  —  Damian Williams, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, is leaving the law firm Paul Weiss …

Trump-Musk split exposes how reliant NASA has become on SpaceX  —  Elon Musk's threat Thursday to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft would have left NASA reliant on Russian capsules to get its astronauts into space.  —  Why it matters: Musk's rift with President Trump exposes …

Two House Republicans issue megabill threats as Senate ponders changes  —  Two House Republicans drew firm red lines Friday on changes to the House GOP megabill, threatening to vote “no” if the Senate made any changes whatsoever to key provisions.  Rep. Nick LaLota of New York warned GOP senators …

Congress's Budget Referee Confronts Swarm of GOP Critics  —  In interview, Phill Swagel defends CBO's forecasting record, nonpartisanship  —  WASHINGTON—Phill Swagel expected this.  Well, most of it.  —  Swagel, a mild-mannered academic economist, runs the Congressional Budget Office …

Trump Planning to Extend TikTok Deadline—Again  —  The move would mark Trump's third extension, as he seeks to stave off enforcement of a law requiring that the app be banned in the U.S. or sold  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump is planning to give TikTok another lifeline.

A DOGE architect leaves the movement after Musk feuds with Trump  —  “What's not okay is his baseless personal attacks against President Trump,” James Fishback told POLITICO.  —  James Fishback, the chief architect behind the proposal to send “DOGE checks,” told POLITICO Friday he's stepping away …

The Plastic Surgery Procedure Booming Among Washington Men  —  Chiseled jawlines are in everywhere, but in Washington, D.C., people have even more reasons to go under the knife (or at least the needle).  —  One of Washington observers' favorite online games, in the MAGA-2 era …

Five Proud Boys leaders sue Justice Department over Jan. 6 prosecutions  —  Federal civil rights lawsuit seeks $100 million for men convicted in the Capitol attack, then pardoned by President Donald Trump.  —  Five leaders of the Proud Boys, four of whom were found guilty of engaging …

Imposing Sanctions in Response to the ICC's Illegitimate Actions Targeting the United States and Israel  —  Today, I am designating Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia pursuant …

Here are the people Trump doesn't want to exist  —  Women, people of color and those in the LGBTQ+ community are main targets  —  When the Trump administration encounters a group it doesn't respect or care for, oftentimes it just deletes them — specifically, the very record of their existence.

It's a Really Bad Time to Be an Expert in Washington  —  The Trump administration has eviscerated the expert class that generated alternative views in its best moments, and engaged in groupthink at its worst.  —  The most dangerous occupation in Washington these days is being an expert.

White House Quietly Pressures Senate to Water Down Russia Sanctions  —  Trump administration officials urge Sen. Lindsey Graham to weaken legislation  —  WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is trying to get Sen. Lindsey Graham (R, S.C.) to significantly weaken his Russia-sanctions bill …

Warren, Wyden warn Trump policies could ‘decimate retirees’ savings'  —  Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.) are pressing the Trump administration over the impact the president's sweeping trade policies will have on the finances of retirees and people close to retirement.

A U.S. Citizen Married an Immigrant.  Trump Tore Their Life Apart.  —  “A Lot of Conversations, Research, and Crying”  —  IT'S EASY TO FORGET THAT back in 2012, Mitt Romney was an advocate for self-deportation.  The Republican challenger ran on a platform that explicitly called for the lives …

Stephen Miller Slapped With Community Note After Defending Trump's Bill  —  Trump official fact-checked amid Musk-Trump feud  —  Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy in Trump's White House, was fact-checked on Twitter Thursday night after defending the administration's controversial …

Former federal inmate pardoned by Trump tapped as Bureau of Prisons deputy director  —  Joshua J. Smith, a Tennessee businessman whom the president pardoned during his first term, now advocates for inmate rehabilitation.  —  A former federal inmate who was pardoned by President Donald Trump …

Scoop: Democrats probe whether Trump is in the Epstein files  —  House Democrats are asking the Department of Justice and FBI whether it is true, as Elon Musk now claims, that President Trump is in the Epstein files, Axios has learned.  —  Why it matters: It's the starkest example to date …

Every Election Is Now Existential  —  A nationalist's narrow victory in Poland offers a preview of many knife-edge contests to come, all across the democratic world.  —  A few days before the Polish presidential election on Sunday, a Polish friend of mine received an unexpected message from someone she had not seen for 20 years.

Alabama Asks SCOTUS to Revive its Intentional Racial Gerrymander  —  Alabama is again appealing its long-running redistricting battle to the U.S. Supreme Court, two years after the high court already affirmed a district court decision that struck down the state's original congressional map …