Top Items:
Politico:
Republicans air misgivings about redistricting push after Virginia vote — A group of House Republicans openly questioned the mid-decade redistricting war sparked by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, a day after a Democratic victory in Virginia threatened the GOP's chances of holding onto its slim House majority in November.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, MS NOW, NOTUS and The Federalist
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Greg Sargent / New Republic:
How Trump Accidentally Handed Dems Their Big Win in Virginia — On Monday night, just before Virginia voters approved a referendum Tuesday that will allow Democrats to draw up to four new House seats before the midterms, Donald Trump captured the true essence of this situation in a single sentence.
Axios:
Trump's redistricting war leaves Republicans worse off — The redistricting war President Trump forced on his party appears to have backfired. … It's increasingly looking like a self-inflicted wound, leaving Republicans with long-shot hopes of any major rewards.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News, NBC News, Washington Examiner, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, The Hill, New York Sun and New York Times
Erin Doherty / Politico:
Virginia voters give Dems big win in the gerrymandering wars … Virginia's contest saw an explosion of outside spending and the involvement of national heavyweights like former President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, as both sides raced to convince people to vote during an off-cycle April election.
Discussion:
PJ Media, Democracy Docket, Bloomberg, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post, Newsbusters, Townhall, Lawyers, Guns & Money, NewsMax.com, The Atlantic, Raw Story, Reason, Washington Examiner, American Greatness, Talking Points Memo, MS NOW, The Independent, The Status Kuo, Mock Paper Scissors, HuffPost, Fox News and Punchbowl News
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
Trump team defends redistricting push as GOP faces limited gains
Discussion:
New York Times, Mercury News, Slate, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, MS NOW, Washington Examiner, Newsweek, The Federalist, Reason and Raw Story
Riley Rogerson / Politico:
Hakeem Jeffries finally gets a signature win
Hakeem Jeffries finally gets a signature win
Discussion:
Roll Call, NPR, Florida Politics, Breitbart and The Independent
Winston Rogers / WJLA-TV:
Virginia judge blocks redistricting referendum from being certified
Virginia judge blocks redistricting referendum from being certified
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Examiner, WVEC, CNBC, Roll Call, The Post Millennial, NewsMax.com, The Dispatch, WUSA and Fox News
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Fetterman on Democrats' redistricting win in Virginia: ‘We all lose at this point’
Fetterman on Democrats' redistricting win in Virginia: ‘We all lose at this point’
Discussion:
New York Times, Robert Reich, NewsMax.com, ABC News, Florida Politics, Wonkette and CNN
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
There is the unmistakable feeling that the wheels are coming off the MAGA bus. …
There is the unmistakable feeling that the wheels are coming off the MAGA bus. …
Discussion:
The Mahablog
Adam Cancryn / CNN:
Trump advisers privately strategize around a new midterm push: Democrats would be worse
Trump advisers privately strategize around a new midterm push: Democrats would be worse
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, DCCC, The Hill, WVEC, NewsMax.com, Newsweek and Fox News
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
F.B.I. Said to Have Investigated Times Reporter After Article on Patel's Girlfriend — The bureau said it is not pursuing a case, but the scrutiny is an example of the Trump administration weighing whether to criminalize routine news gathering. — The F.B.I. began investigating …
Discussion:
Raw Story, Charleston Daily Mail, The Wrap, The Independent and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Shawn Cohen / Charleston Daily Mail:
Secret ‘sugar daddy’ sex scandal explodes inside Trump's counterterrorism HQ: Read glamorous senior aide's voracious text messages, itemized ‘trophies’... and her utterly shameless justification — A top-level Trump counterterrorism official is under investigation amid claims she actively looks …
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit and Metro.co.uk
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Janna Brancolini / The Daily Beast:
Top Trump Terror Official Exposed on ‘Sugar Daddy’ Site — SECURITY RISK — A complaint filed with the DHS inspector general's office accuses the 29-year-old of seeking out older men to fund her luxury lifestyle. — A Department of Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary …
Discussion:
Charleston Daily Mail, Raw Story and Joe.My.God.
Washington Post:
Clearing Strait of Hormuz of mines could take 6 months, Pentagon tells Congress — The Pentagon assessment, shared in a classified briefing for lawmakers, suggests gasoline and oil prices could remain elevated through the midterm elections. — Summary — It could take six months …
Discussion:
NOTUS, Forbes and New Republic
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Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Iran's military more capable than Trump administration is publicly acknowledging, sources say
Discussion:
Breitbart, New Republic and NBC News
Sam Meredith / CNBC:
Iran says it has seized two ships in Strait of Hormuz after U.S. extends ceasefire
Iran says it has seized two ships in Strait of Hormuz after U.S. extends ceasefire
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse, Politico, The Hill, NBC News, New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, NewsMax.com, NPR, Washington Times, Ace of Spades HQ, The Lever, The War Zone, UPI, RedState, Breitbart, One America News Network, Bangor Daily News, Newsweek, CoinDesk, The American Conservative, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CBS News, Mediaite, Straight Arrow News and Washington Examiner
Garrett Downs / CNBC:
Bessent says ‘many’ U.S. allies have asked for currency swaps amid Iran war turbulence
Bessent says ‘many’ U.S. allies have asked for currency swaps amid Iran war turbulence
Discussion:
Popular Information, New York Times and Joe.My.God.
Lena H. Sun / Washington Post:
CDC won't publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits — The report, which had cleared the agency's scientific-review process, had been delayed. It now won't be published at all, people familiar with the decision told The Post. — Summary
Discussion:
Associated Press, Ars Technica, The Independent, Daily Kos, New Republic and Joe.My.God.
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Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
C.D.C. Cancels Publication of Study Showing Benefits of Covid Vaccines
C.D.C. Cancels Publication of Study Showing Benefits of Covid Vaccines
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, KIFI-TV, New York Sun and NewsMax.com
Associated Press:
Pentagon says Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving, in latest departure of a top defense leader — The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Navy's top civilian official, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, is leaving his job. In a statement posted to social media, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell …
Discussion:
CNBC, NBC News, Fox News, ABC News, The Post Millennial, The Daily Caller, KDFX-TV, NewsMax.com and Washington Times
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Matthew Adams / Stars & Stripes:
John Phelan out as Navy secretary
John Phelan out as Navy secretary
Discussion:
CBS News and Breaking Defense
Associated Press:
Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on federal fraud charges — WASHINGTON — The Southern Poverty Law Center was indicted Tuesday on federal fraud charges alleging it improperly raised millions of dollars to secretly pay leaders of the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups for inside information …
Discussion:
BBC, Washington Post, USA Today, New York Times, Reason, The Guardian, Lawfare, The Federalist, RedState, Israpundit, The Daily Wire, Newsbusters, 77 WABC and The American Conservative
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Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
Investigating the Good Guys — DOJ claims the Southern Poverty Law Center was “paying off” the Ku Klux Klan.
Investigating the Good Guys — DOJ claims the Southern Poverty Law Center was “paying off” the Ku Klux Klan.
Discussion:
The Post Millennial, emptywheel, Newsbusters, Law Dork, RedState, The Hill, The Daily Wire, JURISTnews, Deseret News, The American Spectator, JONATHAN TURLEY, NBC News, The Daily Caller, Townhall, New York Sun, twitchy.com, Blaze Media, Human Events, Talking Points Memo, Instapundit, Fox News and The Federalist
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
Oversight members split over whether to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, committee chair says — Members on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are divided over whether President Donald Trump should pardon Jeffrey Epstein's convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange …
Discussion:
Raw Story
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Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
House Democrat pushes DOJ on possible pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell
House Democrat pushes DOJ on possible pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell
Discussion:
The Hill and NewsMax.com
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
New poll: 55% support impeaching Trump — This article reports results from the April 2026 Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll. You can read our previous poll releases here. Subscribers to Strength In Numbers have access to additional trended charts and a full archive of crosstabs …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Digby's Hullabaloo and Mother Jones
Tom Winter / NBC News:
Judge tosses Kash Patel's defamation suit against former MSNBC contributor — The judge said that Frank Figliuzzi's statement, “when taken in context, cannot have been perceived by a person of ordinary intelligence as stating actual facts about Patel.” — A federal judge in Texas has tossed …
Discussion:
New Republic, MS NOW, Above the Law, The Wrap, TMZ.com, UPI, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill
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Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Kash's kayfabe lawsuit
Kash's kayfabe lawsuit
Discussion:
Raw Story, Doomsday Scenario and Fox News
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Nearing Rescue Deal for Spirit Airlines — President signaled this week the government could help discount carrier, which has struggled with surging jet-fuel prices — The Trump administration is nearing a rescue deal for Spirit Airlines, people familiar with the matter said.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Axios, NBC News, CNBC, The Hill, The Daily Wire, KDFX-TV, KARE-TV, Raw Story, New Republic, NewsMax.com, New York Times, CBS News, Semafor, The Independent, The Guardian, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Joe.My.God., 77 WABC, NPR and Reuters
Yunior Rivas / Democracy Docket:
Virginia court blocks voter-approved redistricting, appeal coming — A Virginia judge temporarily halted the state's newly approved congressional map — but state officials are already moving to try to overturn the ruling, setting up a rapid legal fight in the state's Supreme Court.
Discussion:
MeidasTouch News, CBS News, Raw Story, PBS NewsHour, New York Sun, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit and Election Law Blog
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Kalshi suspends, fines 3 congressional candidates in ‘insider trading’ enforcement actions … Prediction market platform Kalshi said Wednesday it had suspended and fined three candidates for Congress from Minnesota, Texas and Virginia for “political insider trading” activity on their own campaigns.
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Al Jazeera, Forbes, Newsweek, WVEC, Honolulu Star-Advertiser and KIFI-TV, more at Techmeme »
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Bobby DeNault / Kalshi:
Enforcement update: Kalshi continues crackdown on political insider trading
Enforcement update: Kalshi continues crackdown on political insider trading
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Wired, MS NOW, CoinDesk, KARE-TV, Alpha News MN, Mediaite and Raw Story
Associated Press:
Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat seeking his 13th term in Congress, dies at age 80 — U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Georgia Democrat who was seeking his 13th term in Congress despite challenges from within his party, has died. He was 80. — Scott was Democrats' ranking member …
Discussion:
New York Post, Axios, New York Times, CBS News, RedState, New York Magazine, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Wall Street Journal, Roll Call, UPI, Townhall, The Hill, Washington Post, Washington Times, Charleston Daily Mail, WTTG-TV, WXIA-TV, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Guardian, Newsweek, Bloomberg, KDFX-TV, ABC News, New Republic, Scripps News, Washington Examiner and 77 WABC
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Politico:
Trump admin agrees to pay $1.25M to 2016 Trump adviser over surveillance … A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. Page and one of his attorneys did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. — The settlement does not resolve Page's effort to revive his claims …
Discussion:
Associated Press, CBS News and KDFX-TV
Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
Trump pushes back on Wall Street Journal editorial labeling him ‘sucker’ on Iran — President Trump on Tuesday pushed back on a Wall Street Journal editorial that labeled him a “sucker” on Iran as it noted the absence of the complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
RELATED:
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Trump To Iran: Get Your S*** Together - Or Else
Trump To Iran: Get Your S*** Together - Or Else
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Axios, Townhall, Al Jazeera, FDD's Long War Journal and Ace of Spades HQ
Will Knight / Wired:
5 AI Models Tried to Scam Me. Some of Them Were Scary Good — The cyber capabilities of AI models have experts rattled. AI's social skills may be just as dangerous. — I recently witnessed how scary-good artificial intelligence is getting at the human side of computer hacking …
Joseph Gedeon / The Guardian:
Democrats demand FBI director, Kash Patel, take alcohol abuse test — Amid growing congressional scrutiny of his conduct, Patel has claimed he has ‘never been intoxicated on the job’ — House judiciary Democrats have launched a formal inquiry into the alleged drinking habits of the FBI director …
Discussion:
MS NOW, NBC News, Truthout, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Independent, PoliticusUSA, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., HuffPost, The Hill, Washington Examiner, NOTUS and Fox News
Nick Turse / The Intercept:
Pentagon Erases Wounded U.S. Troops From Iran War Casualty List: “Definition of a Cover-up” — Amid a fragile ceasefire in the U.S. war on Iran, the Pentagon is playing a numbers game with American casualty statistics, adding and subtracting from the count as questions about the human toll mount.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Brendan Bordelon / Politico:
Justice Department asks California judge to pause its Anthropic appeal … Due to a quirk in federal law, in March Anthropic was forced to file lawsuits in both northern California and the D.C. Circuit when it challenged the government's actions. On April 8, a three-judge panel …
Wall Street Journal:
John Phelan Out as U.S. Navy Secretary — Hung Cao, currently undersecretary for the Navy, will take over on an acting basis — John Phelan has left his position as U.S. Navy secretary, the Pentagon announced Wednesday evening. — His departure was revealed in a social-media post by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
Jaimie Ding / Associated Press:
Federal appeals court blocks California law requiring federal agents to wear identification — An appeals court has blocked a California law passed in 2025 requiring federal immigration agents to wear a badge or some form of identification. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit …
Discussion:
NOTUS, Politico, Los Angeles Times, Washington Examiner, HotAir, The Hill, CalMatters, America Magazine, Washington Times and Associated Press
