The Strategic Defeat of the United States  —  Congratulations, Trump administration, you played yourself — and America.  —  To understand the strategic disaster that is unfolding in the Persian Gulf, let's take a gander at the last two columns of one of the war's initial optimists: New York Times columnist Bret Stephens.

Trump, 79, Drops F-Bomb in Unhinged Easter Morning Threat  —  HE HAS RISEN  —  The president started off the holiest Sunday with profanity.  —  Donald Trump began the holiest day on the Christian calendar with a profanity-filled Truth Social tirade in which he praised Allah.

Why Democrats are suddenly winning back the left — and the “double-haters”  —  This is my weekly Sunday roundup of new political data published over the last seven days.  It is free to read, but if you want to support independent data-driven political journalism, become a paying subscriber.

This Was the Moment Donald Trump Lost His Mojo  —  DONALD TRUMP LAST WEEK gave an unexpectedly candid riff on his governing priorities—and, in the process, revealed that he's losing one of his most important political skills.  —  It happened on Wednesday, during a private Easter luncheon at the White House.

Life and Death Aboard Ships Stranded Near the Strait of Hormuz  —  Hundreds of seafarers are calling for help to get home as food and fresh water start to run low after more than a month in limbo  —  On the 19th day that the oil tanker ASP Avana was stuck in the Persian Gulf, its 47-year-old captain, Rakesh Ranjan Singh, died.

Private Credit and the New World of Financial Risk  —  There's a whiff of 2008 in the air  —  On July 15, 2007, the New York Times published an article titled “The richest of the rich, proud of a new Gilded Age.”  The article was centered on a profile of Sanford Weill, CEO of Citigroup …

Interceptor Missiles Save Lives, but Stockpiles Are Dwindling  —  Defense systems that shoot projectiles out of the sky have become one of the most important components of warfare, so much so that militaries face a diminishing supply.  —  Since the start of the war in the Middle East …

Eulogy for the CIA Factbook: The free standard for world facts, long an educational staple, is gone  —  If you attended school any time after the Nixon administration, then you likely beheld at some point the CIA World Factbook, a map and reference manual of Planet Earth and its inhabitants upon which nearly everyone could agree.

Secret Service investigates reports of gunfire near Lafayette Park across from the White House  —  The U.S. Secret Service said Sunday it was investigating reports of overnight gunfire near Lafayette Park, which is across the street from the White House.  No injuries were reported and no suspect …

Trump files emergency appeal to keep building White House ballroom  —  “Time is of the essence!”  Justice Department lawyers wrote, saying a ruling to pause construction puts the president at risk.  —  The Trump administration has appealed a federal judge's order to halt the construction …