Trump's inconvenient truth  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray  —  Good Monday morning.  This is Jack Blanchard, fresh off a sun-baked weekend in beautiful West Virginia, where the kids hunted for salamanders in an icy mountain lake and your author discovered the joys of hot pepper jelly.

Justice Department demands Michigan county turn over 2024 ballots  —  Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel dismissed the latest election inquiry from the Trump administration as “absurd” and “baseless.”  —  The Justice Department has demanded Wayne County, Michigan …

8 children killed in Louisiana mass shooting  —  The alleged gunman, who is related to some of the children, was killed after a vehicle chase, according to police.  —  Eight children were killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning, according to police.

Energy Secretary Says Gas Prices May Stay Above $3 Until 2027  —  Secretary of Energy Chris Wright's acknowledgment in a TV interview undercut President Trump's earlier claim that price increases would be “short-term.”  —  Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on Sunday that gasoline prices …

U.A.E. Asks U.S. About a Wartime Financial Lifeline  —  Emirati officials speak with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about accessing dollars if Middle East conflict drags on  —  WASHINGTON—The United Arab Emirates has opened talks with the U.S. about obtaining a financial backstop in case …

Why a Democratic Senate, Once Unthinkable, Is a Real Possibility  —  Helped by a favorable national environment and strong candidate recruitment, Democrats are tied or ahead in four Republican-held seats, polls show.  —  At the start of the 2026 election cycle, the Senate looked far out of reach for the Democrats.

With no end in sight to their deployment, National Guard troops roam Washington  —  The cherry blossoms draw more than a million visitors to Washington's Tidal Basin annually.  This year was no different, except some strolling the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial …

‘Most important speech...that should never have been given’: Fmr Judge pans SCOTUS justice's remarks  —  At a recent event, the conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivered a grievance-soaked address that argued that progressivism is incompatible with the Declaration of Independence.

Hegseth's Feud With Army Secretary Spills Into Public View  —  Spat comes as the military faces unprecedented commitments around the world  —  Soon after his first day at the Pentagon in early 2025, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll walked into his boss's office with a proposal.

Trump loyalist Joe diGenova now leading ‘grand conspiracy’ probe of Trump targets  —  DiGenova, 81, who was a federal prosecutor in the Reagan era, was a Fox News regular who joined an infamous news conference following Trump's 2020 election loss.  —  Joe diGenova, a former Trump campaign lawyer …

Senate Republicans Agonize as Trump Tramples on Tax Cut Message  —  “We're not even singing in the same tongue right now,” says one GOP senator about their sales pitch being overshadowed by Trump's feud with the pope and war in Iran.  — Copy  —  Senate Republicans have one big …

The pope's English fuels a Trump feud  —  Escalating tensions between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump may hinge on something unusually simple: the pope doesn't need a translator. … - Without that layer, Leo's comments land more directly in the American media ecosystem and to American Catholics …