U.S. fighter jet shot down in Iran, search underway for crew  —  Iran has shot down a U.S. fighter jet, per Iranian media and a source familiar with the incident, and a search and rescue effort is underway to locate two crew. … - The U.S. military and the White House didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Pam Bondi Wanted a Graceful Exit.  But Trump Wanted Her Gone.  —  Pam Bondi had a feeling her days as attorney general were numbered.  But she didn't expect President Trump to drop the curtain quite so soon.  —  Attorney General Pam Bondi had a pretty good idea her days were numbered.

Hegseth has intervened in military promotions for more than a dozen senior officers  —  The defense secretary's efforts to block or delay promotions to general or admiral for some officers has raised concerns that he may be targeting them because of race, gender or affiliation with the Biden administration, sources say.

White House Seeks $1.5 Trillion for Defense in New Budget Request  —  The massive, proposed increase would be offset in part by steep cuts to domestic programs, some of which the administration describes as wasteful.  —  With the United States at war with Iran and embroiled in conflicts around the world …

Is It Legal to Bully the Supreme Court?  —  Emily Bazelon: Hi David.  I should start on a light and friendly note, I know, but I confess that the birthright citizenship case is making me feel trolled.  President Trump began his term with an executive order professing to end the right …

A new CNN poll reveals how people mad at both parties see the midterms  —  Americans' views of both the Democratic and Republican parties remain deeply negative, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.  And in an election year that may turn on which party voters see as the lesser of two evils …

U.S. payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, more than expected; unemployment at 4.3% … The U.S. labor market bounced back in March, with job creation much stronger than expected though the broader picture of a slow-growth labor market held intact.  —  Nonfarm payrolls rose …

The Mythology of Pete Hegseth  —  The Iran War cheerleader-in-chief embraces a dangerous alternate history of the 21st Century … I didn't begin this week thinking I would be writing about the Iran War, Chuck Norris, and Kid Rock, but one of the “joys” of living through the Trump era …

Grandmother Faces Trial in Alabama for Wearing Penis Costume to No Kings Protest  —  When the viral video cooled off, people thought the case against the 62-year-old would be dropped.  Prosecutors doubled down.  —  IN THE BODY CAMERA footage, a police officer parks his black SUV on the grass …

Tiger Woods called Trump between car flip and DUI arrest: report  —  Golf legend Tiger Woods called President Donald Trump after he flipped his Land Rover, according to body camera footage released by authorities in Jupiter Island, Florida, on Thursday.  —  In the video, a deputy …

Wealthy Donors Are Hiding Political Money in Secretive Nonprofits  —  Using philanthropy for campaign donations is illegal.  But an exception for some nonprofits has allowed Democratic billionaires like Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg to remain anonymous when they want to play politics.

The six big events that have dragged down Donald Trump's approval rating  —  Note: This article is free to read, but it was not free to produce.  To help grow this newsletter business (doing so incurs costs like paying for polling data and modeling infrastructure, experimenting on biz dev …

Trump says anti-fraud raids have begun in Los Angeles  —  Trump announced this morning that raids “have already started” in Los Angeles under Vice President JD Vance's new anti-fraud initiative.  —  Trump added that Vance's efforts would focus on Democratic-led states …