DOJ arrests soldier who made $400,000 betting on Maduro's removal: Sources  —  The bet was allegedly placed by a commando involved in Nicolas Maduro's capture.  —  Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky, Peter Charalambous, and Alexander Mallin  —  Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores …

Exclusive: Pentagon email floats suspending Spain from NATO, other steps over Iran rift, source says  —  An internal Pentagon email outlines options for the United States to punish NATO allies it believes failed to support U.S. operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain …

Pentagon fires ombudsman overseeing military newspaper after calling it ‘woke’  —  Stars and Stripes ombudsman Jacqueline Smith said the Defense Department dismissed her without giving a reason, according to an email reviewed by The Post.  —  Summary  —  Three months after the Pentagon decried …

The SPLC Targeted Me.  Now Its Reckoning Has Come.  —  The group that called me an ‘extremist’ has been accused of funding hate groups.  And it's provoked racial conflict for decades.  —  Upgrade to Listen  —  A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama, on Tuesday issued an 11-count indictment …

Texas Tech Issues Ban On Students Writing On LGBTQ+ Topics  —  The ban applies to theses and dissertations, and is expected to begin going into effect on a rolling basis. … A new memo at Texas Tech University establishes a sweeping and draconian censorship policy toward LGBTQ+ people …

A Dispiriting Airline Bailout  —  There's no economic justification for the government to save Spirit Airlines.  —  Click for Sound  —  Who could have imagined that the U.S. government would deem a budget airline too big to fail?  Yet here we are, as President Trump is flying to the rescue of the beleaguered Spirit Airlines.

DOJ expected to drop criminal probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell amid pressure from senators: Sources  —  The investigation threatened to delay the confirmation of Powell's successor.  —  Katherine Faulders, Elizabeth Schulze, Allison Pecorin, and Alexander Mallin

DeSantis plots end run of Florida law to create more GOP House seats  —  Florida bans lawmakers from intentionally creating congressional seats to give their party an advantage.  But Gov. Ron DeSantis quietly has launched a three-tiered power play to evade the ban — and create more GOP-friendly seats — in November.

The incredible shrinking Trump coalition  —  An updated look at the president's approval rating by geography and demographics shows just how narrow his coalition has become.  —  It has been an exciting poll week here at Strength In Numbers.  On Tuesday, we released our April Strength …

Trump says he'll renovate ‘filthy’ reflecting pool on National Mall  —  At an Oval Office event, the president said he's planning to pour a new surface for the 2,000-foot reflecting pool, giving it an “American flag blue” hue.  —  President Donald Trump touted plans Thursday to coat …

White House exasperated with GOP over Virginia election faceplant  —  Democrats' win in Virginia reignited GOP frustrations over the mid-decade redistricting war … The exasperation emanating from the West Wing underscores a long-simmering frustration that Republicans are too quick …

The Conspiracy Theory Behind Tucker Carlson's Apology  —  Tucker Carlson, you might have heard, is sorry.  Early this week he posted a long conversation with his brother, Buckley, a former Trump speechwriter, in which they tried to make sense of the wreckage of the second Donald Trump presidency.

Nobody is laughing at Donald Trump anymore  —  When I think of the difference between Donald Trump's first term and Donald Trump's second term, the image that stands out most is the president bombing.  —  Not a country, in this case — a comedy routine.  —  It was this January's keynote speech …

Elon Musk's near-daily online posts about race are turning off some fans  —  The billionaire posted 850 times on the topic in recent months, almost triple the rate for the previous two years.  —  Summary  —  Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is on the cusp of a record-setting initial public offering …

Trump's Dreams for a Battleship Led to His Navy Secretary's Ouster  —  The Navy secretary, John Phelan, was supposed to deliver the first of the president's ships by 2028.  The timeline was nearly impossible.  —  President Trump wanted one thing, more than anything else, from his secretary of the Navy …

Trump Hit by Brutal Fox Poll as Aides Scramble: “He's in a Bad Mood”  —  A new Fox News poll contains crushing findings for Donald Trump.  His approval on the economy is at 34 percent with 66 percent disapproving.  On inflation, those numbers are even worse, at 28-72.

Rep. Max Miller's divorce from Sen. Bernie Moreno's daughter gets ugly over questions about 2-year-old's broken collarbone  —  WASHINGTON — Ohio Rep. Max Miller is mired in a messy custody battle with his ex-wife that has involved a police investigation into their 2-year-old's broken collarbone, court documents reveal.

New York Republicans dig in against Trump's preferred Stefanik successor … Though Trump's endorsement is often decisive in a GOP primary, Smullen's supporters are digging in, deepening the split in the fight to replace Stefanik and raising the stakes as Democrats watch closely for a pickup opportunity.

Iran War Has Drained U.S. Supplies of Critical, Costly Weapons  —  The Pentagon's rush to rearm its Mideast forces makes it less ready to confront potential adversaries like Russia and China, administration and congressional officials say.  —  Since the Iran war began in late February …

Concern Grows Over Republican Congressman's Mysterious Absence  —  A spokesman for Representative Thomas Kean Jr. said an unspecified “personal medical issue” has led the New Jersey Republican to miss House votes.  —  Representative Thomas Kean Jr., one of the most vulnerable Republican members of Congress …

Mamdani Has Mightily Pissed Off One of NYC's Richest People  —  Last week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani highlighted a new proposal, introduced by Governor Kathy Hochul, that would charge a yearly surcharge on pricey second residences in the city that remain largely unoccupied by their wealthy, out-of-town owners.

Hegseth responds to Pope's criticism: ‘We know what authority we have’  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday defended the U.S. military operation against Iran amid President Trump's ongoing feud with Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church.  —  “The Pope's gonna do his thing …

DHS starts deportation of woman whose loved one died in the Baltimore bridge collapse  —  BALTIMORE — Zoila Guerra Sandoval, 48, remembers making “frijoles blancos,” white beans, the day before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore in 2024.  —  She had just spoken …

AI data center backlash threatens Pennsylvania GOP incumbents in 2026 election … The AI-driven data center boom in Pennsylvania — which includes a $20 billion investment from Amazon — is leading to political angst in districts in the Keystone State that could help decide control of the U.S. House.

Here's How Trump Can Get Us Out of the Mess in Iran  —  The Islamic Republic of Iran and its violent disruptions have hung over my entire career.  I took the Foreign Service exam as the regime seized U.S. Embassy hostages in late 1979 and grappled with the horrific bombing of our embassy in Beirut in 1983.