Trump Said Other Countries Would Help Blockade Iran.  So Far, There Are No Takers.  —  President Trump's announcement of a complete U.S. blockade was his latest effort to pressure Iran to negotiate after direct talks over the weekend did not yield an agreement.

Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’  —  President Trump's lengthy post on social media showed there were really no boundaries when it comes to people he might target, including the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.  —  Pope Leo XIV is one of the world's most powerful critics of the U.S. war with Iran.

Judge Dismisses Trump's Defamation Lawsuit Against WSJ Publisher  —  The president alleged an article about a bawdy Epstein birthday letter was defamatory  —  A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump's defamation lawsuit against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

The Axis of Autocracy Loses a Wheel  —  Hungarians stand up for democracy  —  After Victor Orbán's Fidesz party took power in 2010, Hungary became a role model for those who admired corruption, fascism, and loyalty to Vladimir Putin.  Orbán's regime brought widespread crony capitalism …

The world's worst dealmaker screws up the Iran negotiations  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🤝 Subscribe to PN 🤝  —  “The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World …

Election loss for Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán has ripple effects for Trump, US conservatives  —  The big election over the weekend was in a small European country nearly half a world away from Washington, but the defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has significant reverberations in the United States.

Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war with first American pontiff  —  President Donald Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media on Sunday, saying the first American pope should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”  It was an extraordinary broadside against the global leader …

Eric Swalwell drops bid for California governor after sexual misconduct allegations  —  The Democratic candidate faced immediate calls to end his campaign, with many supporters withdrawing their endorsements.  —  Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell on Sunday dropped his bid for governor …

Inside Trump's Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections  —  Reporting Highlights  — Safeguards Destroyed: In advance of this year's midterm elections, President Donald Trump has systematically demolished federal guardrails that prevented him from overturning the 2020 election.

What the death of Direct File tells us about state capacity  —  This tax season, American taxpayers will spend billions of hours and hundreds of billions of dollars — not to pay their taxes, but to report them to the government.  In addition to tariff- and war-induced inflation …

Trump Says Gas Prices Might Not Drop By Midterms, Underscoring G.O.P. Peril  —  The president has sent mixed messages on how long he expects costs to be high.  Some in his party voiced fresh concern after his comments on Sunday.  —  President Trump suggested on Sunday that elevated gasoline prices …

Trump post appearing to depict himself as Jesus sparks backlash from religious right  —  Evangelical and Catholic allies call the post “blasphemous” and urge its removal in a rare public break from a base that has largely stood by Trump.  —  President Donald Trump's posting of a rendering …

Iowa looks competitive, according to new Dem poll  —  Iowa looks to be seriously in play for Democrats in November up and down the ballot, according to a new survey from a Democratic group that backs moderate candidates.  Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand holds an eight-point lead in the governor's race …

What Orban's Defeat Means for the Rest of the World  —  On Saturday, the day before the Hungarian election, I went to Puspokladany, a run-down town of about 16,000 in northeastern Hungary, for the penultimate rally of opposition leader Peter Magyar.  Though the region has traditionally …