Top Items:
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.
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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:
Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, MS NOW, Slate, NOTUS, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Newsweek and Raw Story
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, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Townhall, Raw Story, The Atlantic, HuffPost, Reason, Washington Examiner, American Greatness, NewsMax.com, MS NOW, The Independent, The Status Kuo, Punchbowl News, Fox News and Mother Jones
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, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, The Hill, New York Times and New York Sun
Winston Rogers / WJLA-TV:
Virginia judge blocks redistricting referendum from being certified
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Examiner, WVEC, CNBC, The Post Millennial, NewsMax.com, The Dispatch, WUSA, Fox News and New York Times
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, NewsMax.com, Robert Reich, ABC News, Florida Politics, Wonkette, CNN, IJR and MeidasTouch News
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, The Hill, WVEC, NewsMax.com, Fox News and Newsweek
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, 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:
New York Post, Raw Story, Metro.co.uk and The Gateway Pundit
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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:
New York Post, Raw Story 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
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:
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, New York Times, NBC News, Associated Press, Reuters, NewsMax.com, Washington Times, NPR, Mediaite, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Ace of Spades HQ, The Lever, The War Zone, UPI, RedState, Breitbart, One America News Network, CoinDesk, Bangor Daily News, The American Conservative, Straight Arrow News, CBS News, Washington Examiner and BBC
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, Joe.My.God. and NewsMax.com
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, The Daily Wire, New York Times, Reason, The Guardian, Lawfare, The Federalist, RedState, Israpundit, Newsbusters, 77 WABC, Associated Press, New York Post, NOTUS and CBS News
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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, Law Dork, Newsbusters, The Hill, RedState, The Daily Wire, JURISTnews, Deseret News, The American Spectator, NBC News, JONATHAN TURLEY, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Townhall, New York Sun, The Federalist, twitchy.com, Blaze Media, Human Events, Talking Points Memo, Instapundit, Raw Story, UPI and NewsMax.com
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:
Forbes, WUSA, 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
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, Wired, CoinDesk, KARE-TV, Alpha News MN, Mediaite and Raw Story
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, The Hill, New York Sun and Newsweek
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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, KARE-TV, The Daily Wire, KDFX-TV, New York Times, Raw Story, New Republic, NewsMax.com, CBS News, Semafor, The Independent, The Guardian, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Joe.My.God., 77 WABC, NPR and Reuters
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
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
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.
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Caitlin Doornbos / New York Post:
Trump tells The Post news of fresh peace talks ‘possible’ as soon as Friday — as Iran scrambles to come up with ‘unified’ plan
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Breitbart, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Trump To Iran: Get Your S*** Together - Or Else
Trump To Iran: Get Your S*** Together - Or Else
Discussion:
Axios, Townhall, Al Jazeera, FDD's Long War Journal, Ace of Spades HQ and NewsMax.com
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, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Roll Call, UPI, The Hill, Townhall, Washington Times, Charleston Daily Mail, The Guardian, WXIA-TV, WTTG-TV, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Newsweek, ABC News, Scripps News, KDFX-TV, New Republic, Washington Examiner, 77 WABC, MS NOW and Mediaite
RELATED:
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, Fox News, New York Sun and The Gateway Pundit
Axios:
Scoop: Trump set to reclassify marijuana soon — The Trump administration is expected to move to reclassify marijuana as soon as Wednesday, per an administration official familiar with the matter. … - The move follows an executive order from the president last year to reclassify marijuana …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Forbes, NewsMax.com and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
White House pushes imminent easing of controls on marijuana
White House pushes imminent easing of controls on marijuana
Discussion:
The Independent and Bloomberg
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, Axios, New York Post, Bloomberg, ABC News, Breaking Defense, The Independent, KDFX-TV and NewsMax.com
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
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, HuffPost, The Hill, Raw Story, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Independent, PoliticusUSA, Joe.My.God., NOTUS, Washington Examiner and Fox News
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 …
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 …
