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.

Tillis holds the cards in Trump Fed clash — and won't fold … Tillis is blocking Trump's Fed chair nominee, Kevin Warsh, until the Justice Department drops an investigation into Powell.  And the stalemate is leaving him in limbo with no clear off-ramp in sight.

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 …

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 …

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas blasts progressivism as threat to America  —  He said values in the Declaration of Independence have “fallen out of favor.”  —  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Wednesday delivered a televised broadside against progressivism …

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.

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 …

Trump's ‘Triumphal Arch’ Draws Backlash, Even From an Expert Who Proposed It  —  The story of how President Trump quadrupled the size of the original proposal for the arch follows a now-familiar pattern.  —  During his first term, President Trump visited the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to attend …

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Cut Penis off Raccoon  —  ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. I CUT OFF DEAD RACCOON'S PENIS  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sounds like a bizarro Dr. Doolittle ... because he once chopped off a dead raccoon's penis.  —  President Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services has a new biography out …

Kennedy to Testify Before Congress for First Time This Year  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to defend staff and funding cuts at the Health and Human Services Department he oversees.  —  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify on Capitol Hill on Thursday to defend President Trump's plan …

MAHA Propelled Kennedy to the White House.  It May Become His Downfall.  —  In late February, I went to Austin, Texas, to see America's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., headline an “Eat Real Food” rally.  A Steak ‘n’ Shake food truck was on site, offering free burgers and tallow-fried fries.

Trump tests loyalty of Christian supporters as erratic behavior escalates  —  The president maintains his hold on the Christian right, but his bluster, fight with the pope and portrayal of himself as a Jesus-like figure strain that bond.  —  Summary  —  The willingness of his supporters …

Ahead of 2028, Vance Collects Cash, Chits and Contacts … Vice President JD Vance's unusual second job as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee is exactly the kind of role an ambitious presidential aspirant might dream up.  —  He's been able to do some good for the party …

Pete Hegseth's Pentagon is a lethality-maxxing wasps' nest  —  America's armed forces are supremely capable and roiled by infighting  —  The prowess of America's armed forces has been on full display in the skies over Iran.  During the 38-day air campaign, warplanes flew more than 13,000 combat sorties …

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.

Religious resurgence stirs Gen Z  —  New polling shows an uptick in religious fervor among young men, even as overall U.S. levels remain near historic lows.  —  Why it matters: Gen Z still has the highest share of religiously unaffiliated adults in modern history.

Exclusive: Starlink outage hit drone tests, exposing Pentagon's growing reliance on SpaceX  —  Last August, U.S. Navy officials carrying out a test of unmanned vessels realized they had hit a single point of failure: Starlink.  A global outage across Elon Musk's satellite network affecting millions …

Scoop: Trump discussed “Jesus” meme with Bill Pulte before posting it, sources say  —  Before President Trump posted an image of him as a Christ-like healer, he discussed the meme with his controversial housing finance chief Bill Pulte, Axios has learned.

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.

ODNI sends criminal referrals to DOJ for ex-IG, whistleblower tied to Trump impeachment  —  The criminal referrals come after DNI Gabbard said newly-declassified records reveal a ‘coordinated effort’ to advance 2019 Trump impeachment  —  EXCLUSIVE: The Office of the Director …

Yale Report Finds Colleges Deserve Blame for Higher Education's Problems  —  A 10-member committee offered a brutal assessment of academia's role in creating the forces challenging American colleges and universities.  —  American colleges and universities bear significant responsibility …

Iran's War-Shattered Economy Means It Has an Urgent Reason to Negotiate  —  Damage done by U.S. and Israeli attacks will take years to repair, putting pressure on Tehran to seek financial relief in talks.  —  Iranian leaders have portrayed the current cease-fire as a victory against an overwhelming U.S. and Israeli onslaught.

White House calls oil CEOs as energy prices squeeze voters … The impromptu conference with leading executives comes as the Trump administration escalates confrontation with Iran, whose closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to joint U.S.-Israel attacks has spiked global oil prices and created fuel shortages in some countries.

Michigan 2026 Poll: Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow Tied for Lead in Democratic Senate Primary  —  Home Polls Michigan 2026 Poll: Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow Tied for Lead in Democratic Senate Primary  —  Perry Johnson & John James Tied for GOP Nomination for Governor

BREAKING: Former Dem Virginia Lt Gov, wife dead in apparent murder-suicide  —  The two were going through a divorce. … Minute Read  —  Democrat and former Lt. Governor of Virginia, Justin Fairfax, has killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, and then shot himself dead in an apparent murder-suicide …

Israel hits a low point with Democrats in Congress  —  Israel's relationship with Democrats on Capitol Hill is rapidly deteriorating, with a growing number of lawmakers saying they can no longer support U.S. funding for even the country's defensive weaponry. … No longer.

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 …

DOJ hosts anti-abortion advocates after it fired staff for work with abortion-rights orgs  —  The CEO of Americans United for Life said he was “just applauding the administration and DOJ” after it released a report critical of prosecutors during the Biden administration.