Hegseth Borrows Violent Prayer from ‘Pulp Fiction’ to Bless Iran War at April Pentagon Worship Service  —  For the second month in a row, Pete Hegseth, who likes to call himself “secretary of war,” read a violent prayer — that echoes a scene in the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction …

Tillis vows to keep blocking Fed nominee and says Trump should apologize for pope attacks  —  The North Carolina senator tries not to criticize the president directly, but has a lot of thoughts about those who are giving Donald Trump “bad advice.”  —  WASHINGTON — During an interview …

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issues unusual apology over ‘hurtful’ remarks about colleague Brett Kavanaugh  —  The liberal Supreme Court justice had criticized her conservative colleague while she was talking about an opinion he wrote last year in an immigration case.

In the House, Republican Plans Go Awry Amid Party Divides  —  Fresh off a two-week break, lawmakers returned to turmoil in the House, where legislation to reopen the Department of Homeland Security is stalled and the G.O.P. is struggling to keep its agenda on track.

Amid quarrel with pope, Trump strips Miami charity of funding to house migrant kids  —  The Trump administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church …

Jury Finds Live Nation Acts as a Monopoly in a Victory for States  —  In a verdict that could have far-reaching consequences in the music industry, the live colossus that includes Ticketmaster was found to have violated antitrust laws.  —  A federal jury on Wednesday found that Live Nation …

U.S. sends thousands more troops to Mideast as Trump seeks to squeeze Iran  —  The deployment includes sailors and Marines due to arrive as the administration attempts to enforce a maritime blockade against the regime in Tehran.  —  Summary  —  The Pentagon is sending thousands …

Key Trump lawyer who tried to overturn 2020 election permanently disbarred  —  The California Supreme Court Wednesday permanently disbarred John Eastman — a key architect in President Donald Trump's failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election — delivering one of the most consequential …

I Was Falsely Accused of “Censorship” in The Free Press.  Then Their Editors Censored The Truth.  —  I prefer to keep drama off main in this newsletter, so I would rather not have to publish a post like this.  But one of the things I've been meaning to write about is the way that partisan media ecosystems protect their own.

Donald Trump messed with the wrong pope  —  The White House cannot stop fighting with the pope.  —  On Tuesday night, Vice President JD Vance — who converted to Catholicism in 2019 — accused Pope Leo XIV of not understanding the Church's stance on war, saying it was “very …

Longtime Immigration Court Interpreter Arrested by ICE at South Texas Airport … Last month, Meenu Batra, 53, who has lived in the South Texas border colonia of Laguna Heights since 2002, was on her way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to work another case.  She's been a court interpreter for over 20 years …

In group chats and meetings, Republicans are privately petrified the Iran war could cost them the midterms  —  Many Republican lawmakers and strategists told NBC News they worry the party has little to run on.  “Right now, the voters don't see a message or a strategy,” a Trump pollster said.

Harvard Asks Donors to Endow $10 Million Professorships for ‘Viewpoint Diversity’ Initiative  —  Harvard is quietly asking donors for $10 million gifts to establish new endowed professorships in a sweeping bid to reshape its faculty under the banner of “viewpoint diversity,” according to two people familiar with the initiative.

Trump believes diet soda kills cancer cells, Dr Oz reveals  —  Physicians issue reminder to public after TV doctor and CMS chief relays president's claim on Don Jr podcast  —  Donald Trump defended his consumption of diet soda by suggesting it might help prevent cancer …

Exclusive: Pentagon ramps up planning of possible military ops in Cuba  —  Kim Hjelmgaard Rick Jervis Francesca ChambersUSA TODAY  —  WASHINGTON — Military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba is quietly ramping up, in case President Donald Trump gives an order to intervene there, USA TODAY has learned.

Labor Dept. Investigates Texts Among Secretary's Family and Staff  —  Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer asked staff members to bring wine to her hotel room, and to keep in touch with her husband and father.  —  The Labor Department's inspector general is reviewing material showing …

Trump posts AI image of being embraced by Jesus Christ amid criticism for other religious posts  —  President Trump shared a post on Truth Social Wednesday that featured an image of him being embraced by Jesus Christ amid the criticism he has received for another image that featured him as Jesus.

Stocks Hit Record High as Wall St. Looks Beyond War  —  Investors appear to be treating an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran as a foregone conclusion, as the S&P 500 closes above 7,000.  —  The S&P 500 hit a fresh record high on Wednesday, reflecting investors' optimism that a peace deal …

‘I dig it’: Graham Platner praised Hamas tactics in 2014 graphic video of murders of Israeli soldiers  —  Platner, in Reddit post on Hamas terrorist attack: ‘From a strictly professional standpoint, this was a damn fine looking and successful raid against a superior opponent’

Machines in bloom  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond.

Cato Institute official pushes back after Trump touts its immigration data  —  The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, is pushing back on President Trump's claim that its immigration research shows the Trump administration's handling of the southern border is “the best in the History of the U.S.A.”

RFK Jr. once chopped off a dead raccoon's penis to ‘study later’ while on a family road trip  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an avid animal genitalia researcher in his spare time, once pulled the family sedan to the side of the road after spying a dead raccoon and swiftly cut off its sex organs so he could “study them later.”

Visionary NPR leader Kevin Klose, who led network to new heights, has died  —  Former NPR President and CEO Kevin Klose, a buoyant and transformative leader who helped to propel the public broadcaster into the top ranks of major U.S. networks, died Wednesday morning in his sleep from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Pentagon Approaches Automakers, Manufacturers to Boost Weapons Production  —  Senior defense officials have talked with GM, Ford and others about shifting some capacity  —  The Trump administration wants automakers and other American manufacturers to play a larger role in weapons production …

U.S. Puts Little Pressure on Israel to Stop Attacks on Lebanon  —  Despite hailing negotiations between the two sides as a “historic milestone,” Washington did not call for a halt to Israeli strikes or for a withdrawal from Lebanese territory.  —  The United States hailed rare talks …

District Court, District of Columbia  —  Citation: United States v. COLE, 1:26-cr-00001, (D.D.C. Apr 14, 2026) ECF No. 64  —  Add Note Search this PDF Download PDF  —  SECOND SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT as to BRIAN J. COLE, JR (1) count(s) 1ss, 2ss, 3ss, 4ss.  (zmcg) (Entered: 04/15/2026)  — PDF

MAGA Is Starting to Look Beyond Trump  —  A seemingly endless torrent of criticism directed toward Trump from former MAGA allies suggests the president is losing support from his base.  —  For months now, it seems that every day brings with it a new faction of MAGAworld getting angry …

Vought: White House doesn't have ‘ballpark’ total for Iran war funding  —  White House budget director Russ Vought told lawmakers Wednesday that the Trump administration hasn't settled on “a ballpark” range for how much funding it will ask Congress to approve for the Iran conflict.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is preparing banks to collect citizenship data … Banks in the U.S. may not like the idea of being forced to collect citizenship data on customers, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says they better be prepared for the task.