Trump Posts Video Portraying the Obamas as Apes  —  The video, shared by the president's Truth Social account, contains a brief clip of the faces of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, on the bodies of apes.  —  President Trump late Thursday night shared a video that contained …

Trump promises Schumer funding for NY tunnel project — if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are renamed after him  —  Donald Trump Senate leadership Aviation news  —  President Donald Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month that he was finally prepared to drop his freeze …

Trump administration takes big step toward making it easier to fire 50,000 federal workers  —  A new Office of Personnel Management rule would strip career government employees of long-standing job protections.  —  Listen to this article with a free account

The past two days have seen a growing struggle between Democrats, who are demanding accountability from the Trump administration, and Republicans trying to hide what the administration is up to.  —  Last night, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) published a letter he sent to Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe.

DHS seeks deportation for Liam Conejo Ramos' family  —  The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.  The 5-year-old returned home this week after he was detained with his father …

Elections overhaul takes center stage in House as hard-right pressure mounts … The issue almost tanked a massive government funding package this week and threatened to extend a four-day partial government shutdown — until Trump intervened and ordered House Republicans to pass the bill without attaching the elections legislation.

JD Vance should have been sold by his mother for drugs, NYT columnist says  —  The vice president celebrated his mother's 10th year of sobriety in April  —  New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie suggested Vice President JD Vance's mother was right to have attempted to sell him for drugs in a Bluesky post on Wednesday.

Iran Is at Work on Missile and Nuclear Sites, Satellite Images Show  —  Repairs at key missile sites began soon after they were hit by Israeli and U.S. strikes last year, but work at Iran's nuclear facilities has been slower.  —  Iran appears to have rapidly repaired several ballistic missile …

GOP's new fear: Losing the Senate in November … But a Democratic takeover of the Senate would be a political earthquake — and neuter his last two years in office. … - Operatives say they've reviewed polling that shows the GOP facing competitive Senate races not just in traditional battlegrounds …

‘Ignore It.’ How the Elite Consoled Jeffrey Epstein Over His Crimes.  —  Newly released emails show Noam Chomsky, Richard Branson and Steve Bannon commiserated with Epstein about his legal troubles and bad press  —  Since Jeffrey Epstein's death, a parade of powerful people who associated …

Commission preliminarily finds TikTok's addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act  —  Today, the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design.  This includes features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications …

DOJ omitted communication from Bondi, Patel in Epstein files, watchdog says  —  A watchdog group is asking the Justice Department to explain why it hasn't included communication from top Trump administration officials in its release of over 2 million pages tied to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a complaint filed Friday.

Trump's Online Drugstore Opens for Business  —  TrumpRx is aimed at helping patients use their own money to buy medicines.  But researchers who study drug pricing warned that many patients could pay too much if they use the site.  —  President Trump announced the debut of a website …

Pardoned January 6 rioter pleads guilty to threatening US Democratic leader Jeffries  —  A January 6, 2021, rioter, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty to a harassment charge after being accused of threatening to kill U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, prosecutors said on Thursday.

‘Gang Stuff’ and ‘Illicit Trysts’: How Epstein Sought Leverage With the Wealthy  —  Jeffrey Epstein drafted letters to men like the retail billionaire Leslie Wexner in which he hinted at shared secrets.  —  Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex offender, was drafting a letter to Leslie Wexner …

Facing high Trump tariffs, Africa's leading economy says it's close to a new trade deal with China  —  China and South Africa signed a framework agreement for a new trade deal on Friday as Africa's leading economy looks to other options following the high import tariffs imposed on it by the U.S …

Maryland man facing attempted murder charges after showing up at OMB Director Russell Vought's home  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  A Maryland man who said he feared that President Trump's reelection would lead to a “fascist takeover” is facing attempted murder charges …

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Gives Way to Trump's Patriotic Fair  —  The summer festival, held annually since 1967, will not take place as usual on the National Mall, which will instead host the president's Great American State Fair.  —  The Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Festival …

Inside Trump's Takeover of D.C.'s Golf Courses  —  In early spring, the founders of the National Links Trust met with a White House adviser to talk about the future of golf in Washington, D.C.  —  The White House adviser, William Doffermyre, who was set to become the solicitor general …

The Finance Industry Is a Grift.  Let's Start Treating It That Way.  —  It's bonus season on Wall Street, and a record-setting 2025 is yielding bigger paychecks than ever for America's investment bankers, thanks to their hard work doing, well, what exactly?

What Americans actually want done about ICE  —  In a letter sent on Feb. 4, 2026, Democratic congressional leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer laid out their 10 key demands for the current fight in Washington over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and thus Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Why Delia Ramirez thinks DHS needs to be dismantled  —  In solidarity with Minnesota communities being hurt by DHS's ongoing occupation of the Twin Cities, we're donating all new revenue from today's edition of the newsletter to The Energy CENTS Coalition, a St. Paul-based nonprofit that helps struggling folks pay their utility bills.

Key participant in 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attack that killed 4 Americans is in custody, Bondi says  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A key participant in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in their deaths …

Twitter is not real life  —  Voters who get their news from Twitter are markedly different in our polls than the median voter  —  Whether you're getting your information from TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, cable news, or elsewhere, platforms are shaping your information diet in ways you may not even notice.

Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together?  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray  —  Happy Friday.  We made it.  This is Adam Wren.  Get in touch.  —  WAITING FOR A CALL: The race to determine who'll likely be the newest member of Congress is too close to call as of this morning.

Study: Fox News smeared Alex Pretti dozens of times following his killing by federal agents  —  In the week following Pretti's killing by DHS, figures on Fox News made at least 75 claims blaming Pretti for his own death or contradicting video evidence  —  RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM TYLER MONROE & ROB SAVILLO