Top Items:
Winston Rogers / WJLA-TV:
Virginia judge blocks redistricting referendum from being certified — ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — A Virginia judge blocked the state from certifying the results of Tuesday's congressional map referendum, deeming the referendum and the bill that triggered it as unconstitutional, according to a judge's order issued Wednesday.
Discussion:
NOTUS, WTVR-TV, The Hill, WVEC, France 24, NewsMax.com, New York Times, Washington Examiner, HotAir, Breitbart, Washington Times, Adam Kinzinger, Roll Call, Fox News, WUSA, The Dispatch, The Post Millennial, CNBC, Blaze Media and CBS News
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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.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Atlantic, CNN, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Democracy Docket, The Gateway Pundit, The Wrap, MS NOW, Salon, New York Times, Issues & Insights, Ace of Spades HQ, RedState and Newsweek
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, Washington Examiner and The Federalist
Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Are Worried the Redistricting Fight Is Backfiring
Discussion:
Associated Press, NOTUS and NBC News
Riley Rogerson / Politico:
Hakeem Jeffries finally gets a signature win
Hakeem Jeffries finally gets a signature win
Discussion:
RedState, Roll Call, NPR, Florida Politics and The Independent
Axios:
Trump's redistricting war leaves Republicans worse off
Trump's redistricting war leaves Republicans worse off
Discussion:
Silver Bulletin, Straight Arrow News, NBC News, Election Law Blog, Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, The Hill, Newsweek, NPR and New York Sun
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
Erin Doherty / Politico:
Virginia voters give Dems big win in the gerrymandering wars
Virginia voters give Dems big win in the gerrymandering wars
Discussion:
PJ Media, MS NOW, The Hill, The Bulwark, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Democracy Docket, Reason, Bloomberg, American Greatness, Townhall, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, Newsbusters, PoliticusUSA, The Independent, The Status Kuo, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, Fox News, NPR and Mock Paper Scissors
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
Trump team defends redistricting push as GOP faces limited gains
Trump team defends redistricting push as GOP faces limited gains
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, Slate, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Washington Examiner, Reason, The Federalist, Mediaite and MS NOW
New York Times:
Navy Secretary John Phelan Is Leaving the Pentagon and the Trump Administration — John Phelan is leaving the Pentagon after months of tension with Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon leaders. The tumult comes as the Navy has been engaged in war with Iran. — Navy Secretary John Phelan …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Axios, UPI, The Independent and Raw Story
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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, Associated Press, Washington Times, ABC News, The Daily Caller, The Post Millennial, Mediaite and Joe.My.God.
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Iran's military more capable than Trump administration is publicly acknowledging, sources say — Add CBS News on Google — Washington — The Islamic Republic of Iran maintains more military capabilities than the White House or Pentagon has publicly admitted, according to multiple U.S. officials …
Discussion:
Breitbart and New Republic
Wall Street Journal:
John Phelan Out as U.S. Navy Secretary
Discussion:
Reuters, One America News Network, Townhall, USNI News, Politico, DefenseScoop, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Breaking Defense, KDFX-TV, The Daily Wire and Task & Purpose
Matthew Adams / Stars & Stripes:
John Phelan out as Navy secretary
John Phelan out as Navy secretary
Discussion:
RedState, KDFX-TV, Daily Caller News Foundation and Breaking Defense
Emily Goodin / New York Post:
Trump replacing Navy secretary in major shakeup as Strait of Hormuz blockade rages
Trump replacing Navy secretary in major shakeup as Strait of Hormuz blockade rages
Discussion:
CBS News, NewsMax.com and Raw Story
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:
Associated Press, Raw Story, Charleston Daily Mail, The Independent, The Wrap 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, Metro.co.uk and The Gateway Pundit
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Josh Christenson / New York Post:
DHS bigwig put on leave after ex-boyfriend accuses glitzy terror official of $40K sugar baby scheme — A Department of Homeland Security counterterrorism official was placed on administrative leave Wednesday amid an internal probe of her having bilked a “sugar daddy” ex-boyfriend out of $40,000.
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:
Raw Story, Charleston Daily Mail and Joe.My.God.
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 …
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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, NewsMax.com and Raw Story
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:
New York Times, Associated Press, CBS News, KDFX-TV and IJR
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:
The Independent, New Republic, Ars Technica, Digby's Hullabaloo and Daily Kos
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Mike Stobbe / Associated Press:
US health officials nix publication of a study on COVID vaccine effectiveness
Discussion:
KIFI-TV and New York Sun
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 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:
The Independent, NOTUS, Forbes and New Republic
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Wall Street Journal:
What Everyone Got Wrong About Jobs and the Immigration Crackdown — Deportations haven't meaningfully lifted wages for Americans, nor have they caused widespread disruptions to the labor market — Change in average hourly earnings, year-over-year by select industry
Discussion:
New York Sun and Governor of California
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.
Drop Site News:
Two Iranian Women in ICE Detention Are Not, In Fact, Related to Qasem Soleimani, Documents Show — After Laura Loomer pointed to two women she claimed were connected to the late Iranian military commander, they were arrested and remain in immigration detention. One is now gravely ill.
Wall Street Journal:
Secretive Shipments of Iranian Oil to China Are Under Threat by U.S. — Boarding of tanker raises risk for sanctions-evading ‘shadow fleet’ — Iran, China and an array of middlemen have evaded U.S. sanctions for years by shipping oil on aging tankers with opaque records …
Discussion:
Commentary Magazine, NewsMax.com and Washington Post
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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.
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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:
The Texas Tribune, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, CNN, New York Times, The Guardian, Engadget, Wired, CoinDesk, KARE-TV, MS NOW, Alpha News MN, Mediaite and Raw Story
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:
New Republic, Daily Kos and Digby's Hullabaloo
Reuters:
Trump says eight Iranian women won't be executed, Iran disputes entire account — President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran had agreed not to execute eight women protesters in a sign of respect for him, while officials in Tehran denied the executions had been planned and accused the U.S. president of spreading falsehoods.
Discussion:
The Independent, New York Post, Metro.co.uk, Townhall, Mediaite, RedState, NewsMax.com, Blaze Media, Fox News, The Hill, Washington Examiner and CBS News
Ward Clark / RedState:
Couple Accused of Taking Child to Cuba for Gender Surgery Now Facing Kidnapping Charges — When it comes to the whole question of “gender-affirming surgery,” there's an argument to be made that adults, presumably those able to give informed consent, might seek out and obtain these treatments.
Discussion:
New York Post, US Department of Justice, Fox News, The Daily Wire, Advocate, The Post Millennial, Washington Blade and New York Times
Politico:
New Jersey's most vulnerable GOP incumbent is MIA — Rep. Tom Kean Jr. represents New Jersey's most competitive district this November — but nobody, even his GOP colleagues, can say where he's been for the past month. A scion of one of the state's most storied political dynasties …
David Gardner / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Plans for ‘Mic-Drop’ Media Confrontation Are Leaked — AFTER-DINNER SCREECH — The president is planning a rage-fueled moment at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. — Donald Trump will launch a “revenge” attack on the White House media when he confronts …
Discussion:
The Bulwark, Vanity Fair, Raw Story, Media Matters for America, Washington Times and The Hill
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:
New York Post, MeidasTouch News, WTTG-TV, CBS News, Raw Story, Ballotpedia News, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, New York Sun and PBS NewsHour
Chris Cameron / New York Times:
RFK Jr. Defends Trump's Mathematically Impossible Drug Discount Claims — President Trump has claimed that he has secured discounts of 400 to 1,500 percent on prescription drugs. A price discount cannot be more than 100 percent because that would lower the price to zero.
Discussion:
Newsweek, Raw Story, Daily Kos and The Gateway Pundit
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:
MS NOW, New Republic, Crooked Media, Above the Law, TMZ.com, UPI, The Wrap, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Examiner
José Olivares / The Guardian:
Ron DeSantis signs law blocking local Florida governments from funding DEI — Florida governor says white men have been discriminated against in new effort to challenge inclusion programs — Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a law prohibiting local governments from funding …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Florida Politics and The Capitolist
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 …
