The Justice Department Takes Actions to Strengthen the Federal Death Penalty  —  For Immediate Release  —  President Trump's Day-One Executive Order Directed the Department to Prioritize Seeking and Implementing Death Sentences to Protect Public Safety  —  Today, the Department of Justice acted …

Kash Patel Got Arrested for Public Urination After a Night of Drinking  —  FBI Director Kash Patel was twice arrested in incidents involving alcohol, once for public intoxication and once for public urination after leaving a bar, he admitted in a 2005 letter about disclosures on his Florida Bar application.

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.

Rove warns of proposed Florida Republican gerrymander ‘risk’  —  Republican strategist Karl Rove on Friday warned that a proposed Florida Republican gerrymander could be a “risk” for the GOP's control over the state's House delegation.  —  “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Rove …

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 …

The Incredible Shrinking MAGA  —  If you follow politics on social media, you've probably encountered a claim about Donald Trump that goes like this: “LOL Trump's support is rock-solid LOL, his base will never leave him LOL.”  And it's true: The white-hot core of MAGA does remain with him.

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

Trump Isn't Thinking Strait  —  Another day, another Pentagon press conference in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fruitlessly demands Europe get more involved with reopening the Strait of Hormuz: “This should not be America's fight alone,” Hegseth seethed.  “We barely use the Strait of Hormuz. . . .

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.

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 …

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 …

Iran talks to resume this weekend without Vance  —  White House will send Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan as Tehran decides not to send its top negotiator.  —  Summary  —  A U.S. delegation will resume talks with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan, this weekend …

US imposes sanctions on a China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iranian oil  —  The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.

Trump Bizarrely Ties Politically-Motivated Prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center to Having the Results of the 2020 Election Be “wiped from the books and be of no further force or effect”  —  Hard for me to see the logic in any of this, even given Trump's usual unclear statements:

Unfounded Health Concerns Are Powering a Solar Backlash Unfounded Health Concerns Are Powering a Solar Backlash  —  Reporting Highlights  — Health Fears: Some critics say large solar farms are a public health threat.  While there is little reputable evidence for this, their claims have helped power a backlash.

Trump Says He Dislikes Prediction Markets.  His Family Invests in Them.  —  The White House has warned staff not to wager on government decisions, but his family's involvement with these firms undermines the president's message.  —  When a U.S. soldier was indicted on Thursday on charges …

A Private Investigator Working for Eric Swalwell's Lawyers Is Calling His Former Staff  —  A woman working for Beau Dietl & Associates told a person who received a call she was looking into the allegations against Swalwell.  — Copy  —  A private investigator who is working for former …

Hegseth declares victory while preparing for more war with Iran … Hegseth opened his remarks by saying that the operation is not an endless war like Vietnam or Iraq and Afghanistan, all of which dragged on for years amid shifting or unachievable strategic goals.

It's prom weekend in Washington  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray  —  Happy Friday.  It's Adam Wren.  My lineup of pre-WHCD parties tonight includes Crooked Media, YouTube's event and the British ambassador's residence.  If you're around, let's sidebar.

Judge sanctions law firm that has pursued Leon Black over Epstein ties … The woman in this case, whom Christensen no longer represents, sued Black using a Jane Doe pseudonym.  —  Clarke, a Biden appointee, found that Christensen “repeatedly lied to the Court and to opposing counsel in this litigation” …

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 …

FOIA Documents ‘Scrubbed’ From Intelligence Agency Website  —  Last year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence removed all documents from its FOIA reading room.  Emails say a Biden-era FOIA release caused a “fuss.” … At first glance, the disappearance of documents …

Forget ‘Abolish ICE.’ Tom Steyer Wants to Jail ICE Agents.  —  THE SMOKE FROM ERIC SWALWELL'S POLITICAL IMPLOSION has not yet cleared from the California gubernatorial race, but one figure is deploying a giant political box fan to give himself some visibility.