Melania Trump Says She Was Not Associated With Jeffrey Epstein  —  Responding to what she said were smears, the first lady said she never had knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse and was not a victim of his.  She called for a congressional hearing for his victims.

White House Warns Staff Not To Place Bets on Prediction Markets Amid Iran War  —  Well-timed bets about the war in Iran have raised eyebrows and calls from Democrats for more regulation  —  Just hours after President Trump announced a sudden pause of strikes against Iran last month …

Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March, as energy prices spiked due to Iran conflict  —  Consumer prices spiked in March as the Iran war sent energy costs soaring and took the Federal Reserve further from its inflation target, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Friday.

These Republican-on-Republican disputes are keeping Congress frozen … In the one instance where the president appears truly invested, in passage of a sweeping GOP elections bill, his fixation has only made the intraparty divisions worse.  —  Lawmakers will return to Washington next week …

Ready to rumble?  Hunter Biden challenges Trump's sons to cage match  —  Americans could see a first-of-its-kind fight as they prepare to celebrate the country's 250th independence: a cage match between the sons of a sitting U.S. president, and the son of a former president.

U.S. oil slips below $100 as Trump demands reopening of Strait of Hormuz … Oil prices were off their highs on Friday amid persistent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, with the vital shipping lane still largely closed despite a ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran.

Now would be a great time to send US ambassadors to the Middle East  —  At a time when many question American leadership, there's an underrated value in simply showing up  —  The writer is a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute and served as US deputy assistant secretary of state under the Biden administration

Trump officials deny threatening Vatican over Pope Leo's criticisms  —  Pope Leo XIV has become increasingly concerned over Washington's military policies  —  The Trump administration is trying to calm a furore over claims it threatened Pope Leo XIV's ambassador to Washington in an effort …

Iran's Schools and Hospitals in Ruins From U.S.-Israeli Strikes  —  As a fragile cease-fire takes hold, Iran is sorting through the wreckage from U.S.-Israeli strikes, which have exacted a heavy toll on its civilian infrastructure.  The New York Times has verified damage to 22 schools …

US defense official overseeing AI reaped millions selling xAI stock after Pentagon entered agreement with company  —  Expert said federal law bars officials from taking actions in their jobs that benefit their own financial interests  —  A high-profile US defense department official …

Judge Rejects Hegseth's Second Attempt to Restrict Reporters at Pentagon  —  A federal judge gutted a set of rules that were adopted after the court declared an earlier press policy unconstitutional, in a case brought by The New York Times.  —  A federal judge on Thursday rejected an attempt …

Is Chuck Schumer leaving his top candidate recruit twisting in the wind?  —  Maine's Democratic governor, Janet Mills, has gone negative against Graham Platner.  The attacks have not worked, and Minority Leader Charles Schumer so far has declined to bail her out.

Vance Faces a High-Profile Test of His Negotiating Skills With Iran Talks  —  Vice President JD Vance is leading negotiations this weekend toward an end to a war that he had opposed starting.  —  Weeks after Vice President JD Vance privately warned President Trump of the costs …

Louisiana GOP races to eliminate an elected office won by an exonerated man  —  A man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark election in New Orleans promising to fix a judicial system that failed him.  Now, Louisiana's Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-controlled Legislature …

Netanyahu's Ambitions Threaten to Derail Iran Peace Talks  —  Israeli leader wants to keep going as Trump seeks off-ramp to war … The Bibi Problem  —  Benjamin Netanyahu, by many accounts, helped push Donald Trump and the US into war.  —  Now he may be a major obstacle to the president's effort to get out of it.

Victim in ICE Shooting Suffered at Least Six Wounds, His Lawyer Says  —  Agents shot Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez in Patterson, Calif., this week.  His lawyer said Thursday that they had fired at Mr. Hernandez before he tried to flee.  —  An immigrant working in Northern California …

The 2028 Democratic primary turns visible  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray  —  Happy Friday.  It's Adam Wren fresh off the midterm — or 2028?— campaign trail in Michigan and Ohio.  One of my takeaways?  Voters feel unheard.  Get in touch.

Government Ordered to Turn Over Files on ICE Agent Who Killed Renee Good  —  Federal prosecutors in Minnesota are being forced to turn over critical information on the shooting of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross in relation to a separate case involving Ross.

Labor secretary faces discrimination complaints tied to her husband's alleged misconduct  —  At least three people have lodged formal workplace discrimination complaints against Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, alleging she created a toxic workplace and sought to retaliate against women …

From Drill, Baby, Drill to Toll, Baby, Toll  —  The Iran debacle and global power  —  The U.S. attack on Iran will end badly.  It's still not clear, however, exactly what that bad end will look like.  The loudly announced cease-fire is on the edge, with Trump and the Iranian regime making …

Trump Is Turning America Into a Psychotic State  —  It has been clear for a long time that President Trump is a person with a disorganized mind and a disordered personality.  What the past few months and especially the past few weeks have brought into focus is how the president's pathologies …

The DNC expected big money after big Democratic wins.  It never came.  —  The Democratic National Committee has scaled back some of its plans as donors remain reluctant to give, despite candidates' recent victories.  —  Officials at the Democratic National Committee were hopeful heading into last fall's elections.

Democrats shut down talk of impeaching Trump this year  —  Even Democrats who have called to impeach President Trump acknowledge there is little chance of it happening unless they retake control of at least one chamber of Congress. … They know impeachment won't succeed …

New Jerseyans begin to wonder if even Jeff Van Drew could be vulnerable in midterms … “Even Van Drew's race is going to be competitive,” said Chris Venis, a New Jersey Republican who just launched a super PAC, the National Policy Action Committee, that he says may work to boost Van Drew's reelection.

Transgender darts pro says she ‘just got retired’ by governing body's policy change  —  A transgender darts player said she's “not done fighting” after the sport's governing body enacted rules barring transgender women from women's tournaments.  Noa-Lynn van Leuven of the Netherlands spoke …

To Fill Air Traffic Controller Shortage, F.A.A. Turns to Gamers  —  Avid players of video games have emerged as a target demographic for recruiters at range of federal agencies, including the military and the Department of Homeland Security.  —  As the Trump administration seeks to fill …

America learns about “personalist regimes” the hard way  —  Truth Social posts are no way to run a country (or war).  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  Remember how there were endless fights over whether it was appropriate to say President Trump was a fascist?

Exclusive: Macron seeks to draw Trump to G7 with post-summit invite to Versailles  —  French President Emmanuel Macron has invited U.S. President Donald Trump to a sumptuous dinner at the ornate Palace of Versailles the day after a G7 summit in mid-June, although it remains unclear if Trump will attend either event, sources said.