Don't ‘blackmail’ us: Europe rejects Trump's demand to help clean up Hormuz mess  —  BRUSSELS — Europe's message to Donald Trump on Monday was clear: We're not helping you secure the Strait of Hormuz.  —  Foreign ministers from the 27 EU countries gathered in Brussels to discuss …

Trump Administration Seeks to Remove Cuba's President From Power During Negotiations  —  The United States has told Cuba that for meaningful progress to be made in negotiations, President Miguel Díaz-Canel must step down, said people familiar with the talks.

Judge Strikes Down Kennedy's Vaccine Policies  —  Ruling on a lawsuit brought by several prominent medical organizations, a district court said the federal government did not base its decisions on science in limiting Covid shots and changing the childhood immunization schedule.

Fire on U.S. Aircraft Carrier Raged for Hours, Sailors Say  —  The Ford is now entering its 10th month of deployment after arriving in the Middle East from the Caribbean.  —  It took more than 30 hours for sailors to put out the fire aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford last week …

DOJ to Allow Hiring of US Prosecutors Straight Out of Law School  —  The Justice Department has waived a policy requiring newly hired federal prosecutors to possess at least one year of experience practicing law, as US attorneys' offices struggle to find qualified replacements following mass departures.

Trump Airs a House Republican's Terminal Diagnosis, Claiming to Have Reversed It  —  The president leaned on House Speaker Mike Johnson to name a Florida Republican whose grave prognosis was imperiling the party's already slim voting margin.  Both said his prospects had improved.

Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino to retire from federal service, sources say  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Outspoken Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino is retiring from federal service at the end of this month, after being pulled away from a high-profile role leading immigration raids …

Trump briefed that Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is probably gay — and president has priceless reaction  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump was stunned to learn last week that US intelligence indicates new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei may be gay — and that his father …

Why David Boies Thinks We Should Support Trump's Iran War  —  The prominent lawyer says that Democrats should get behind the President, and make sure that he finishes the job.  —  For decades, David Boies has been one of the most renowned and impactful lawyers in America.

Kennedy Center board approves two-year closure for $250 million renovation  —  President Donald Trump said the closure was necessary and paves the way for renovations that will feature “high quality, really high quality construction.”  —  The Trump-appointed board of the Kennedy Center …

Trump is losing one battle after another.  Cue the posts. … Trump's Sunday night outburst took on all of them, but it was most notable for how he cast the Supreme Court — one that has staved off the destruction of his agenda and even his own criminal prosecution — as “a weaponized, and unjust Political Organization.”

‘No Amount of Housing We Build Is Going to Make Prices Drop’  —  A major new housing study is challenging the idea behind the “abundance agenda.”  —  As New York City rents have risen into the stratosphere in recent decades, City officials and policy wonks have mostly sought to respond …

Man charged with planting bombs near the Capitol claims he's covered by Trump pardon … While the wording of the proclamation Trump issued on his first day in office last year is extremely broad, it refers to cases that are pending and to people already convicted.  It's not clear from its face if it fends off future charges.

Jesse Jackson's family grapples with Illinois Senate endorsement controversy … But on Monday, Yusef Jackson, who is the organization's head, said the draft sample ballot was “released without authorization” and that the Jackson family and Rainbow PUSH Coalition are not making political endorsements this cycle.

Trump's cancellation of licenses for immigrant truckers takes effect  —  Around 200,000 people will start losing commercial licenses under a federal rule that takes effect Monday, a move that could mean higher prices for consumers.  —  Some 200,000 immigrant truck drivers will begin to lose …

Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don't rewrite an Iran missile story  —  Bettors are using death threats to try to get The Times of Israel's military correspondent to change his report on a missile impact in central Israel.  This is his alarming account

Atmospheric research group sues Trump over eminent science lab breakup  —  The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) sued the Trump administration Monday, alleging efforts to dismantle a Boulder-based federal lab are “unlawful retaliation” against the state of Colorado.

Scoop: Jeffries faces growing threat of 2027 rebellion … - Jeffries and his allies maintain they are not remotely worried about a mass defection, pointing out that — even in the minority — he has had to endure 20 speakers' ballots and hasn't lost a Democratic vote.

Last protester in immigration detention after Trump's campus crackdown has been released  —  A Palestinian woman who was the last person still in immigration detention after the Trump administration's 2025 crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists was released Monday on $100,000 bond after a year in custody.

Oath Keepers founder ‘no longer MAGA’ after Iran war: ‘If I lose my pardon, so be it’  —  Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes announced he was “no longer MAGA,” even though he was headed to Mar-a-Lago on Friday to ask President Donald Trump for a pardon.  —  While guest-hosting …

Jared Kushner's Corruption Is a National Security Disaster  —  Jared Kushner, arched with the swagger of the world's most confident mediocre white man, walked into the most sensitive nuclear negotiation of the decade on behalf of the United States — representing governments that had paid him $157 million …

No H.I.V. Aid Without More Access to Minerals: U.S. Ponders ‘Sticks’ Against Zambia  —  A draft State Department memo outlines ways the Trump administration may ratchet up pressure on the African country by ending health support “on a massive scale.”  —  The State Department …

The War Development(s) That Should Truly Scare Us  —  How Iran could speed up de-dollarization and how Trump could put boots on the ground in Iran—sort of.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Housekeeping: With travel and our Texas live shows this week I'm not sure what the Triad schedule will look like.

MAGA Turns on Itself, and It's Ugly  —  The Cross Section is a reader-supported publication.  To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.  —  There's a bit of a disagreement happening among influential media personalities in MAGA world, a rift opened up by the Iran War.