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.

Live Updates: Inflation Surges as Effects of the Iran War Show in Prices  —  The Consumer Price Index jumped 3.3 percent in the year through March, reflecting the rising costs for energy and other goods affected by disruptions in the Middle East.  —  What to know about the report.

Calls to Impeach Trump Collide With Reluctant Democratic Leadership … That restraint has now ended amid the Iran War and in particular a social media post threatening to wipe out “a whole civilization.”  Dozens of Democrats this week called for a premature end to Trump's second term …

Melania Throws Donald Under the Bus  —  And just like that, the Epstein files are back in the news.  —  With Hungary's parliamentary elections just days away, Donald Trump and his administration are leaving no stone unturned in their attempts to prop up the flagging fortunes of their favorite …

Exclusive: How Roger Stone persuaded Trump not to fire Tulsi Gabbard  —  President Trump sounded ready to dismiss top intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard until he got an earful last week from one of his oldest friends and advisers, Roger Stone, Axios has learned.

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 …

Iran War Drives Deeper Oil Shock Than Prices Reveal  —  The war with Iran is preventing huge amounts of oil from flowing out of the Persian Gulf, but the prices that many people track don't fully capture the scale of the disruption.  —  Google the price of oil, and you'll most likely find …

Donald Trump's Plan To Steal Or Destroy Everything  —  Donald Trump now claims to own all of his presidential records.  To be more precise, his Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which interprets law for the entire executive branch, recently opined that the Presidential Records Act …

Losing the World's Respect  —  The Iran War looks like a tipping point  —  All around the world, big, strong men with tears in their eyes are coming up to Donald Trump and saying, “Sir, you're a loser.”  —  Hi, I'm Paul Krugman.  A brief update on something that has palpably changed in the world in the last few days.

America learns about “personalist regimes” the hard way  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  👑 Subscribe to PN 👑  —  Remember how there were endless fights over whether it was appropriate to say President Trump was a fascist?

I'm a Nobel Prize-winning immigrant.  I can no longer recognize this country.  —  Attacks on science and immigrants are destroying America.  —  Home of the Brave  —  I was born in London.  My family's ancestors came from England and Poland.  I was raised in Canada, and went to high school and college in Montreal.

Fox host asks if “we could build a canal through Oman” to avoid the Strait of Hormuz  —  Newsmax host says “no tangible end is in sight” of the Iran war  —  On Deadline: White House, Angelo Carusone discusses infighting in MAGA media and how it's splitting the Republican Party

Her Name Was Nilufar Easmin.  —  Her name, according to the Bangladeshi press outlets that bothered to cover her murder, was Nilufar Easmin.  —  She had come to this country from Gorarbag village, in the Kushakhali Union of Lakshmipur District, in southeastern Bangladesh …

The Trump Administration Is in 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 …

Pete Hegseth's holy war: the militant Christian theology animating the US attack on Iran  —  The bible-thumping US defense secretary is overseeing another strategic disaster in the Middle East.  Is this a war or a crusade?  —  Nine months and six days before a Tomahawk missile tore through …

From Drill, Baby, Drill to Toll, Baby, Toll  —  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 very different claims about what was agreed …

April 9, 2026  —  The ceasefire President Donald J. Trump announced Tuesday night fell apart almost immediately.  Israel complained that it hadn't been consulted, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israel did not accept an end to its bombardment of southern Lebanon as a way to dislodge Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

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.

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.

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 …

Trump's Economy: You're Either an Insider or a Chump  —  A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GETTING RICH off the Trump presidency.  Donald Trump himself tops the list, of course, but it also includes his kids and in-laws; other grifting nepo-babies; cabinet members (as well as their staff and children) …

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.

Ramble On: The Shift  —  Morning thoughts on Trump's capitulation, the real meaning of Vance in Budapest, Melania's hasty Epstein presser, Bibi's butchery in Lebanon, and...Avignon? … Here is a transcript, edited for clarity:  —  Good morning.  It's Friday, April 10th, 6 o'clock AM in the morning, Eastern Standard Time.

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

Pete Hegseth is a disaster of a defense secretary.  It's no surprise  —  The former Fox host has misled the public, prayed for violence and clashed with the press.  This is not a serious military leader  —  With his jawline firm and his hair coiffed, Pete Hegseth was a good fit as a Fox News personality.

Consumer Spending, Engine of the U.S. Economy, Is Under Strain  —  Higher fuel costs are raising food and travel prices, while a shaky stock market tamps down free spenders.  —  Angie Howard lives in a walkable neighborhood in Portland, Ore., and works from home, so she has not had to shell …

Mark Carney Is on the Verge of a Big Election Win … “I said, 'I'm really sorry, but I don't feel like that would be appropriate,'” Martin, a high-profile family doctor-turned-Liberal candidate, recalled with a laugh.  “I'm not sure my insurance covers that.”