Top Items:
NBC News:
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is leaving the Department of Homeland Security — DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the move Thursday evening and wished Lyons well. — Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is leaving the Department of Homeland Security, the new head of the DHS said Thursday.
Discussion:
Fox News, UPI, Associated Press, Reuters, ABC News, Politico, Bloomberg, One America News Network, WAGA-TV, MS NOW, The Independent, Axios, WBUR, The Guardian, WUSA, IJR, Mediaite, Washington Examiner and Washington Times
RELATED:
New York Times:
Acting ICE Director Says He Plans to Resign in May
Discussion:
CBS News, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Hill, Civil Discourse … and NPR
Michael Wright / Wall Street Journal:
ICE Acting Chief Todd Lyons to Depart
ICE Acting Chief Todd Lyons to Depart
Discussion:
RedState and NewsMax.com
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Scoop: Democrats eye new strategy after Iran war powers fail — A group of House Democrats is discussing plans to force a vote on an Iran war powers every day until one finally passes or U.S. operations in the region end, Axios has learned. … - It's not clear if House Democratic leadership …
RELATED:
John Leicester / Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,’ energy agency head warns — Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of remaining jet fuel supplies, the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday in a wide-ranging interview, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war.
RELATED:
Politico:
‘More compromises’: Trump wants an end to Iran war
Discussion:
USA Today, NewsMax.com and Washington Times
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
Trump says Iran agrees to hand over ‘nuclear dust’
Trump says Iran agrees to hand over ‘nuclear dust’
Discussion:
RedState, New York Post and NewsMax.com
John Sakellariadis / Politico:
Gabbard raised issues with spy law Trump is pushing to renew … In a statement, the White House said Trump's “entire exceptional national security team is in lockstep with the president in advancing his efforts to achieve a clean reauthorization of FISA 702.”
Discussion:
The Hill, Raw Story, The Daily Caller and IJR
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Justin Fairfax increasingly erratic weeks before murder-suicide, court records show — Fairfax was once a favorite to become Virginia governor before sexual assault allegations arose. The couple's teenage son called 911, officials said. — Summary — Former Virginia lieutenant governor …
RELATED:
WUSA:
Former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed his wife and himself in Annandale, police confirm
Former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax killed his wife and himself in Annandale, police confirm
Discussion:
The Guardian, Fox News, CNN, Associated Press, ABC News, Capital B News, CBS News, Daily Mail, WTTG-TV, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Us Weekly, New York Times, NBC News, The Washington Free Beacon, New York Magazine, Washington Examiner, RedState, WXIA-TV, MS NOW, TMZ.com, KRDO, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The US Sun, Blue Virginia, Washington Times and Raw Story
Madison Fernandez / Politico:
Progressive Analilia Mejia coasts to victory in New Jersey special House election … “We must stop them,” she said. “These radicals will watch Rome burn with all of us within, and they are simply cowards — cowards unwilling to stand up to this madness. But we stand up, we resist, we will not allow it to continue.”
Discussion:
NPR, New York Post, CBS News, The Hill, Fox News, Associated Press, WNYW-TV, Bloomberg, The Independent, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, The Guardian, MS NOW, Newsweek, KDFX-TV and KIFI-TV
RELATED:
Owen Auston-Babcock / NBC News:
Democrat Analilia Mejia wins New Jersey special election to fill Gov. Mikie Sherrill's House seat
Democrat Analilia Mejia wins New Jersey special election to fill Gov. Mikie Sherrill's House seat
Discussion:
Roll Call, The Hill, NJ Spotlight News, New York Times and Associated Press
Daniella Silva / NBC News:
ICE agent charged with assault, accused of pointing a gun at civilians in Minnesota — Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. was charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and there is a warrant out for his arrest, a Minnesota prosecutor said.
Discussion:
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, Townhall, MS NOW, The Parnas Perspective, KIFI-TV, Washington Examiner, Associated Press and Newsbusters
RELATED:
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Aliya Rahman Files Complaint Against DHS, Sets Stage For Federal Lawsuit
Discussion:
KARE-TV, MacArthur Justice and Mother Jones
Associated Press:
County prosecutor charges ICE agent with assault for pointing gun at people on Minneapolis highway
County prosecutor charges ICE agent with assault for pointing gun at people on Minneapolis highway
Discussion:
twitchy.com, Daily Kos, The Post Millennial, New York Magazine, NOTUS, The Hill, Washington Times, MPR News, NewsMax.com, Bloomberg, Scripps News, CNBC and The Independent
Cybele Mayes-Osterman / USA Today:
Cookies, deodorant, socks. Iran war puts military packages in limbo — Thousands of boxes sent to service members in Middle East are stuck in limbo. The Postal Service has indefinitely suspended delivery amid Iran war. — Dan F. was alarmed when his daughter, a Marine aboard the USS Tripoli …
Chris Sommerfeldt / Politico:
Mamdani and his wife made less than $145,000 last year, tax filings show … Since becoming mayor, though, Mamdani is living quite comfortably under that parameter, drawing more than $258,000 in salary and living rent-free at Gracie Mansion with Duwaji. — Mamdani's office released …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, New York Times and City & State New York
RELATED:
Jake Offenhartz / Associated Press:
Pay Z: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is still earning rap music royalties, tax filings show
Pay Z: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is still earning rap music royalties, tax filings show
Discussion:
Business Insider
Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Mandelson Became Britain's Ambassador to U.S. Despite Failing Security Vetting — Britain's foreign office overruled vetting officials in granting Peter Mandelson, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, the highest level of security clearance, the government said. — British vetting officials recommended …
Discussion:
HuffPost, Associated Press, Metro.co.uk, The London Economic, The New World, The Guardian, TheJournal.ie, Bloomberg, IJR, Politico, Reuters, Boston.com, The Daily Sceptic, Breitbart and Guido Fawkes
RELATED:
Josef Palermo / The Atlantic:
What I Saw Inside the Kennedy Center — I spent 10 months working at the institution because I thought I could help protect it. What I observed there is far worse than the public knows. — On the day I was laid off from the Kennedy Center, I felt a little like Dolley Madison saving …
Discussion:
Raw Story
The Economist:
J.D. Vance's theory of Trumpism is no match for the practice — This White House is a graveyard for grand strategies — Vice-president j.d. vance loves big ideas, or at least the idea of big ideas. Unlike President Donald Trump, he reads books and even writes his own, and he talks …
RELATED:
Rich Schapiro / NBC News:
Hegseth attacks ‘unpatriotic’ media and compares reporters to Jewish biblical group — The defense secretary has frequently attacked the media over Iran war coverage. … Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth escalated his attacks on the media Thursday, comparing reporters covering the Iran war to the Pharisees …
Discussion:
Deadline, The Parnas Perspective, Raw Story, Truthout, Daily Kos, The Independent, Reuters, Newsbusters, Mediaite, RedState, The Hill, Fox News, The Daily Beast, NewsMax.com, National Politics, Al Jazeera and NOTUS
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
America's Orange Jesus — Reflections on a week in which Donald Trump decided to feud with the Pope while comparing himself to the Saviour. — In her 2023 memoir, “Oath and Honor,” published the year before Donald Trump's remarkable return from political oblivion, the Republican apostate …
Washington Post:
Federal judge sets new limits on Trump ballroom construction — Judge Richard Leon clarified that some national security work can continue while the overall project is halted. — Summary — A federal judge set new limits on President Donald Trump's planned White House ballroom …
Discussion:
NBC News, twitchy.com, New York Magazine, The Mahablog, Raw Story, The Independent, NewsMax.com, The Hill, New Republic, Mediaite and Diane Ravitch's blog
RELATED:
Zach Montague / New York Times:
Judge Again Halts Aboveground Construction on Trump's Ballroom
Judge Again Halts Aboveground Construction on Trump's Ballroom
Discussion:
Politico, UPI, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, Associated Press, CNN, Above the Law, New York Magazine, RedState, Fox News, MS NOW, Deadline, CBS News, Forbes, Newsweek, The Gateway Pundit, CNBC, Mediaite and WTTG-TV
Politico:
GOP, Democrats blast Vought for holding back cash: 'You don't have the authority to impound' — Senators from both parties chided the Trump administration Thursday for continuing to withhold funding Congress has approved, more than a year after the White House first froze billions of dollars for temporary “review.”
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and HuffPost
New York Times:
ICE Has Detained Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, an 85-Year-Old Widow — Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé moved to Alabama to wed a long-lost friend. But after her new husband died, an inheritance battle exploded and his son used his influence to have her arrested, a probate judge said.
Discussion:
The Hill
Vic Verbalaitis / The Daily Beast:
Pentagon Pete Goon Offers Wild Explanation for ‘Pulp Fiction’ Prayer — FACT OR FICTION — The spokesman's excuse did not offer much clarity. — Pete Hegseth's top spin doctor tried to defend his boss's bizarre interpretation of a Pulp Fiction monologue during a Pentagon worship event on Wednesday.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Raw Story, Mother Jones, HuffPost, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Washington Times, Deadline, twitchy.com, Reason, The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, Blaze Media, Mediaite, New York Post, The US Sun, Newsweek, The Independent, Forbes, New Republic, MeidasTouch News, Al Jazeera and Variety
Mark Berman / Washington Post:
Trump administration embraces quest to stamp out the events of Jan. 6 — In his second term, the president has doubled down on efforts to reframe public perception of the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in court and beyond. — Summary — Since President Donald Trump returned …
Discussion:
MS NOW, The Independent, The Dean's Report and Vox
Brianna Sacks / Washington Post:
Former FEMA leader set to return after being ousted — Cameron Hamilton had publicly disagreed with previous efforts to dismantle FEMA. While those plans have shifted, the agency's future is still unclear. — Summary — President Donald Trump plans to nominate Cameron Hamilton …
Discussion:
New York Times, KDFX-TV and Associated Press
Brittany Gibson / Axios:
Trump ditches deportation showmanship — The Trump administration is discarding its shock-and-awe publicity tactics on immigration after mass deportations were met with mass backlash. … - A former DHS official said “cooler heads have prevailed” in the White House and are re-calibrating the messaging …
Discussion:
Politico and The Dispatch
Liz Essley Whyte / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Says He'll Nominate Erica Schwartz to Lead CDC — President also names three others to help lead the agency — President Trump said Thursday he will nominate Dr. Erica Schwartz to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — The CDC has been without …
Nahal Toosi / Politico:
Embassy cables detail how Iran war is hurting the US abroad … In Azerbaijan, what had been a significantly improving relationship has hit a plateau at best, and appears to be faltering. Bahrain's government is facing questions about whether the U.S. abandoned it to fend for itself against Iranian drones and missiles.
Discussion:
Stimson Center
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
The electoral beatings will continue until morale improves — We have some very exciting news: Next week, G. Elliott Morris and David Nir will record the Strength In Numbers podcast live and in-person in Washington, DC—and we'd love it if you'd join us! — Our session will take place on Thursday …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo

