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.

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 …

Senate Republicans clear go-it-alone path for ICE funding … “Our Democratic colleagues have refused to provide funding for the Border Patrol and ICE,” Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said ahead of the Senate's late-night session.  “This needs to be done.”

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 …

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 …

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 …

Iran Again Tightens Its Grip on Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz  —  Traffic in the strait has all but halted as Iran renews its attacks, striking two vessels on Wednesday.  More than 300 ships linked to Iran have passed through the strait since the war began.

Breaking news.  EU approves €90 billion loan for Ukraine after Hungary lifts controversial veto  —  The two-month-long impasse over the €90 billion for Ukraine came to an end on Thursday after Hungary lifted its contentious veto.  Brussels says the first payment will be made “as soon as possible”.

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 …

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 …

Trump DOJ will avenge the KKK by taking out SPLC  —  Public Notice is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠  —  “The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed on Tuesday.

Exclusive: Trump's DOJ has cut thousands of law-enforcement jobs while vowing to get tough on crime  —  The Trump administration has cut more than 4,000 employees from some of the nation's top law-enforcement agencies, even as it vowed to crack down on crime, according to records obtained by Reuters.

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 …

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.

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

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.

Two Iranian Women in ICE Detention Are Not, In Fact, Related to Qasem Soleimani, Documents Show  —  Drop Site is reader-funded — no corporate owners, no outside influence.  Your support is what keeps this journalism independent and free.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our work.