Top Items:
ProPublica:
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts — The company is run by the husband of Noem's chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rules for the taxpayer-funded campaign.
Jonathan Lemire / The Atlantic:
Epstein Returns at the Worst Time for Trump — Since his return to office, President Donald Trump has missed few chances to flex the power he wields over the nation's most formidable institutions and its wealthiest people. So when the White House announced that Trump would host the latest …
Discussion:
New York Post, The Parnas Perspective, Breitbart, The Wrap, The Daily Beast, ABC News and The Hill
RELATED:
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Epstein Scandal Is Now a Chronic Disease of the Trump Presidency — Read the e-mails—this isn't going away anytime soon. — Washington scandals can metastasize in the most unexpected ways. The classic example of this is the long-running Whitewater investigation in the nineteen-nineties …
Discussion:
Politico
New York Times:
America First? Some Trump Supporters Worry That's No Longer the Case. … President Trump has been dining with Wall Street bigwigs. He has embarked on an opulent revamp of the White House at a time when Americans are struggling to pay their bills. He has expressed support for granting visas …
Discussion:
Washington Post
New York Times:
Trump Administration Prepares Tariff Exemptions in Bid to Lower Food Prices — If the proposal goes into effect, it would be the latest rollback of one of President Trump's key economic policies over concerns about affordability. — The Trump administration is preparing broad exemptions …
RELATED:
Noor Nanji / BBC:
BBC apologises to Trump over Panorama edit but refuses to pay compensation — The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump for a Panorama episode that spliced parts of his 6 January 2021 speech together, but rejected his demands for compensation. — The corporation said the edit had given …
Discussion:
Telegraph, UPI, Columbia Journalism Review, Washington Post, Fox News, The Daily Sceptic, MSNBC, Mediaite, Straight Arrow News, New Republic, HotAir, RedState, Politico, Washington Examiner, Semafor, New York Sun, NewsMax.com, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Reuters, Deadline, Ace of Spades HQ, The Daily Caller, Joe.My.God. and Axios, more at Mediagazer »
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Mark Landler / New York Times:
BBC Apologizes to Trump but Refuses to Pay Compensation
BBC Apologizes to Trump but Refuses to Pay Compensation
Discussion:
BBC, Townhall, Al Jazeera, France 24, Metro.co.uk, The Sun, Mediaite, Reason, The Gateway Pundit and Telegraph, more at Mediagazer »
Brian Slodysko / Associated Press:
Top Fannie Mae officials ousted after sounding alarm on sharing confidential housing data — A confidant of Bill Pulte, the Trump administration's top housing regulator, provided confidential mortgage pricing data from Fannie Mae to a principal competitor, alarming senior officials …
Discussion:
emptywheel and Washington Examiner
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
How a 17-Year-Old Girl Became Enmeshed in the Matt Gaetz Scandal — A 17-year-old with a homeless parent wanted money for braces and ended up having sex for money with powerful men. She wants the public to have a fuller understanding of how she was victimized. — She was 17 and a high school junior in Florida.
Discussion:
New Republic, Raw Story, New York Post, The Parnas Perspective, The Independent, Salon, LGBTQ Nation, Eschaton, Newsweek, Wonkette, Mediaite and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Trump taps Ingrassia for new role after texting scandal … “It's been the greatest honor to serve Secretary [Kristi] Noem and President Trump, alongside all of you,” he wrote in Thursday's email. He added, “I genuinely feel this is the strongest group of political appointees anywhere …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, The Daily Beast, Jewish Insider, Raw Story, NewsMax.com and The Hill
New York Times:
Memo Blessing Boat Strikes Is Said to Rely on Trump's Claims About Cartels — Accounts of a secret Justice Department memo offer a window into how administration lawyers approved the president's desired course of action. — A secret Justice Department memo blessing President Trump's boat strikes …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., LewRockwell, Raw Story and The Independent
Julianne McShane / Mother Jones:
Megyn Kelly Suddenly Finds Pedophilia Very Hard to Define — When a 16-year-old accused Russell Brand of rape, Kelly begged conservatives to condemn him. Now she's splitting hairs about men “into the barely legal type.” — Megyn Kelly is known for offering absurd takes that nobody asked for.
RELATED:
Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:
Megyn Kelly Eviscerated Over Epstein Remark: ‘This Is Career Ending’
Megyn Kelly Eviscerated Over Epstein Remark: ‘This Is Career Ending’
Discussion:
Mediaite, Raw Story, Metro.co.uk, The Wrap, The Independent, New Republic, Salon, al.com, LGBTQ Nation and IJR
NBC News:
Epstein survivors urge Congress to release all the files on the sex trafficker — “Let's stop keeping this a secret,” survivor Jess Michaels told NBC News. — Two women who say they were sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein urged Congress to compel the Justice Department to release …
Discussion:
New Republic, Raw Story and Newsweek
Washington Examiner:
Gorsuch warns about this ‘greatest danger’ facing the country today — Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch was on Fox and Friends on Thursday morning to promote his new children's book, Heroes of 1776. — During his interview with Fox News's Lawrence Jones, Gorsuch discussed the contents of his book …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and The Federalist
First Branch Forecast:
Interview: Ruth Bloch Rubin — “I think the idea that there can be flavors to partisanship is good when voters chafe at the two-party structure.” … Daniel Schuman: Dr. Bloch Rubin, welcome. — Ruth Bloch Rubin: Thank you guys for having me. — Daniel: We're thrilled to have you.
Nia Prater / New York Magazine:
Ghislaine Maxwell Is Living It Up With Unlimited Toilet Paper — What we know about her alleged special privileges at prison camp. — Earlier this week, Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee announced that Jeffrey Epstein's convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell intends …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Independent and CNN
Katherine Doyle / NBC News:
Trump official refers Rep. Eric Swalwell for a federal criminal probe over alleged mortgage fraud — Swalwell is the latest Democrat to face mortgage fraud allegations from Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte, who sent a letter to the Justice Department on Wednesday.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Hill, CBS News, Punchbowl News, MSNBC, Forbes, The Guardian, New York Sun, SFist, Fox News, Daily Caller News Foundation, NOTUS, New York Post, Raw Story, New Republic, Mercury News, Blaze Media, Townhall, American Greatness, Washington Examiner, RedState, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, twitchy.com, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Independent, Breitbart, The Post Millennial, HotAir, The National Pulse, Ace of Spades HQ, IJR, NewsMax.com and Joe.My.God.
Piper Hudspeth Blackburn / CNN:
Display about Black soldiers in World War II removed from US military cemetery — In the winter of 1944, as some of the bloodiest fighting in World War II ramped up in Europe, 19-year-old then-1st Sgt. Jefferson Wiggins, along with hundreds of other Black soldiers, were tasked with burying the dead in the southern Netherlands.
Discussion:
Washington Post and The Independent
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Ocasio-Cortez hears growing calls for her to challenge Schumer in New York — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was already seen as a strong contender to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for his Senate seat before the government shutdown. — Calls for the progressive star …
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Ed Martin's peculiar view of pardon power — PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🏛️🏛️ Subscribe to PN 🏛️🏛️ — Let's get one thing straight: Ed Martin, President Donald Trump's pardon attorney, is a buffoon.
Department of Homeland Security:
Secretary Noem Gives TSA Officers $10,000 Bonus for Above and Beyond Service During Democrats' Shutdown — Trump administration rewards public servants who kept airports safe despite the Democrats' games — HOUSTON, Texas - On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced …
Discussion:
New York Times, Straight Arrow News, MSNBC, UPI, CBS News, Breitbart, Fox News, The Hill, The National Pulse, Federal News Network, One America News Network, Blaze Media, Houston Public Media, New York Times, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, New York Sun, Joe.My.God., Washington Times, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, Newsweek, PinkNews and National Politics
Thomas Chatterton Williams / The Atlantic:
The Left's New Moralism Will Backfire — Under Trump, progressives have embraced the rhetoric of “moral clarity.” It won't help their cause. — In the age of MAGA, ideological lines that once distinguished left from right have blurred. Republicans who said they were willing to die …
Punchbowl News:
3 dozen House members have already called it quits … That's how unpleasant it's become to serve in the House of Representatives these days. — Six of those members — all Democrats — are in their 70s and 80s, retiring after long tenures in politics. — But the vast majority …
Discussion:
Axios
The Guardian:
US designates four European anti-fascist groups as terrorist threats — State department claims groups in Germany, Italy and Greece ‘conspiring to undermine foundations of western civilization’ — The US state department has announced that it will designate four European self-described anti-fascist groups …
Alan Blinder / New York Times:
Texas A&M Tightens Rules on Talking About Race and Gender in Classes — The university system will ban advocacy of “race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity” without approval. — Texas A&M University System regents voted Thursday to limit …
Discussion:
Washington Times, IJR, MyNorthwest.com, NewsMax.com, Texas Standard and Joe.My.God.
Ed Pilkington / The Guardian:
Blurred lines: how Michael Wolff aspired to be part of elite circles he wrote about — The writer who features prominently in newly released Jeffrey Epstein emails has achieved extraordinary access but faced questions about his journalistic ethics — In 2003 David Carr, the New York Times's late …
Discussion:
The Wrap, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Beast, DOWNWITHTYRANNY! and ABC News
Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
Trump Administration Revokes Biden Ban on Drilling and Mining in Alaska Wilderness — The decision to allow oil and gas drilling in Alaska's ecologically sensitive North Slope has the support of the state's governor and senators. — The Trump administration announced Thursday that oil …
Discussion:
Associated Press, NewsMax.com, E&E News, The Hill, RedState and Washington Examiner
Chicago Tribune:
Letter from Chicago broadcast veterans: Federal immigration agents have traumatized us and eroded our rights — You know us. — For years, you watched and listened to our coverage of the Chicago area. As journalists, we did our best to bring you accurate, objective information about the people, events and issues that mattered.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Block Club Chicago and The Daily Signal
Associated Press:
Justice Department sues to block California US House map in clash that could tip control of Congress — The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026.
Discussion:
US Department of Justice, Sacramento Bee, NBC News, UPI, JURIST, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Democracy Docket, MSNBC, Washington Examiner, Politico, Washington Post, New York Magazine, The Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, Axios, Deadline, Wall Street Journal, The National Pulse, The Hill, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Bloomberg, Washington Times, The Bulwark, Newsweek, NOTUS, Salon, NewsMax.com and WTOP News
Wall Street Journal:
Verizon to Cut About 15,000 Jobs — Telecommunications company is looking to reduce costs as it works to stem customer losses — Verizon Communications is planning to cut roughly 15,000 jobs, looking to reduce costs as it contends with increased competition for both wireless service …
Discussion:
Plain Dealer, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, WTIC, The Daily Caller, Fox Business, Reuters, NewsMax.com and al.com, more at Techmeme »
Francesca D'Annunzio / The Texas Observer:
Prosecutors Drop Only Criminal Cases from Hays County Airbnb Raid … In the early hours of April 1, state and federal police raided a party at an Airbnb in a wealthy Austin suburb, arresting nearly 50 people including nine children. The participating agencies—the Federal Bureau of Investigation …
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Senate GOP deeply divided over next steps on rising health care costs — Senate Republicans are deeply divided over how to handle rising health insurance premiums now that the longest government shutdown in American history is over. — Negotiations between a group of 10 to 12 Republicans …
Discussion:
American Greatness, Chicago Tribune and Straight Arrow News
Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
Federal workers question whether the longest government shutdown was worth their sacrifice — Jessica Sweet spent the federal government shutdown cutting back. To make ends meet, the Social Security claims specialist drank only one coffee a day, skipped meals, cut down on groceries and deferred paying some household bills.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Boston Herald, Associated Press, WHAS-TV, Scripps News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Bloomberg
Charlie Warzel / The Atlantic:
The Dumb Truth at the Heart of the Epstein Scandal — When QAnon meets Veep — Some generations get a nationally televised car chase featuring O. J. Simpson fleeing police in a white Bronco. Others get the communal adrenaline rush of frantically “CTRL-F”-ing a House Oversight Committee trove of Jeffrey Epstein's emails.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Wired, New York Times, MSNBC, The Wrap, Metro.co.uk, WBUR and NBC News
Jesse Bedayn / Associated Press:
Epstein emails reveal enduring ties with influential figures even after his sex crime conviction — By the time Jeffery Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl, he had established an enormous network of wealthy and influential friends.
Discussion:
WTOP News, The Intellectualist, Daily Mail and MSNBC
New York Times:
Kennedy Walks a Tightrope on Trump Deal for Obesity Drugs — The weight loss medicines are proving to be a test case for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, in straddling divisions between his supporters and the president. — Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's health secretary …
Reese Gorman / NOTUS:
A New Litmus Test For Republicans Running for Senate: Ending The Filibuster — Republicans running in Senate primaries have a new litmus test for who the Trumpiest candidate is: Do you support nuking the filibuster? — President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on Senate Republicans …
Discussion:
The Contrarian and Talking Points Memo
NOTUS:
A Tennessee Special Election Could Test Whether a Blue Wave Is Coming in 2026 — Just about everyone agrees Republicans will win a special House election in a deep-red Tennessee district next month. Both parties are watching the race closely anyway. — Less than a month after Democrats swept …
Stephanie Saul / New York Times:
Indiana Professor Removed From Class Over White Supremacy Lesson — The professor will no longer be able to teach a class on diversity after she showed students a diagram that included the “Make America Great Again” slogan as an example of white supremacy. — A professor who showed …
Discussion:
The Independent
