Top Items:
US Department of Justice:
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 …
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Reuters:
Justice Department readopts firing squads in federal executions — The department said it is also resuming the use of lethal injection in executions.
Trevor Aaronson / The Intercept:
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.
Discussion:
The Independent, Raw Story and New Republic
New Republic:
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.
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA and Politico
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Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
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 …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Florida Politics and Daily Kos
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Marc Caputo / Axios:
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.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Signal, New Republic, The Contrarian, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., Fox News, Florida Politics, Roll Call, Washington Examiner, IJR, The Hill, KDFX-TV and Politico
Parker Molloy / The Present Age:
The “Freakout” and the “Abyss” — When Texas Republicans gerrymandered at Trump's direction …
The “Freakout” and the “Abyss” — When Texas Republicans gerrymandered at Trump's direction …
Discussion:
The Week and Letters from an American
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
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. . . .
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Jeet Heer / The Nation:
Trump and Hegseth Are Winning the War Against Their Own Military
Trump and Hegseth Are Winning the War Against Their Own Military
Discussion:
UPI, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Moderate Voice, MS NOW and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
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.
Discussion:
Fox News
Milan Singh / The Argument:
The anti-market delusion at the heart of the housing crisis — Breaking news: Housing is a market — It's very easy to get a reservation at Olive Garden, which has over 900 locations in the United States. It's almost impossible to get a reservation at Rao's in New York City, which is one of only three locations.
Phil Stewart / Reuters:
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 …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Politico, The Hill, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, BBC, Mediaite, UPI, GZERO, Council on Foreign Relations, The National Pulse, France 24, New Republic, Blaze Media, Breitbart, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, The Independent, The Gateway Pundit, Associated Press, Bloomberg, GB News, CoinDesk and Modern Diplomacy
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William J. Burns / New York Times:
Here's How Trump Can Get Us Out of the Mess in Iran
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money, Raw Story, Washington Examiner and NBC News
New York Times:
The ‘Lasting Damage’ of Pirro's Abandoned Fed Investigation — The Trump administration's attacks on the Federal Reserve have rattled confidence in the central bank's ability to operate independently before a leadership transition. — The Justice Department's criminal investigation …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNBC, Fox Business, Townhall, UPI, The Daily Caller, Blaze Media, CoinDesk, Deseret News, Bloomberg, RedState, New York Sun, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Guardian, Asia Times, Roll Call, New Republic and IJR
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Associated Press:
Justice Department drops criminal probe of Fed chair Powell, likely clearing way for Warsh
Discussion:
New York Post, Axios, The Hill, NPR, CNBC, Bloomberg, WUSA, Straight Arrow News, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, The Independent, Scripps News, Semafor, Mediaite, New Republic, KARE-TV, CBS News and Joe.My.God.
Adam Wren / Politico:
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.
Discussion:
Breitbart, Townhall, Joe.My.God., Mediaite and USA Today
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Inside Trump and David Ellison's Private Party in Washington — The president spoke for nearly an hour at a Paramount-hosted event that raised questions about journalistic and regulatory conflicts of interest. — David Ellison, the billionaire media mogul, feted President Trump and top members …
Discussion:
Joe.My.God., Jewish Insider and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »
Aaron Rupar / Public Notice:
Matt Gertz on the Fox News presidency — This week's Nir & Rupar features a very special guest — Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters and one of the foremost experts on right-wing media. — Gertz and I discussed the ways in which Fox News is even worse now than it was during Trump's first term …
Discussion:
Media Matters for America
Washington Post:
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 …
Discussion:
The Independent
Ayaan Hirsi Ali / The Free Press:
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 …
Discussion:
Mother Jones, PJ Media, Breitbart, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Wire, twitchy.com, Townhall, The Federalist and Public Notice
RELATED:
Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
What's Wrong With The SPLC Indictment
What's Wrong With The SPLC Indictment
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, The Intercept, Raw Story, MS NOW, New Republic, CBS News, Townhall, New York Post, Associated Press, Fox News, The Hill and Talking Feds Substack
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
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.
Discussion:
Digby's Hullabaloo and Washington Monthly
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Matt Lewis / The Hill:
Trump lived by the conspiracy theory — now he pays the price
Trump lived by the conspiracy theory — now he pays the price
Discussion:
Raw Story
Ben Protess / New York Times:
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 …
Scott Calvert / Wall Street Journal:
A Mayor With No Pants Has Become the Talk of This North Carolina Town — A fight over footage of a 2024 incident is drawing unwanted attention to Mooresville—and locals are angry, bewildered and a little amused — MOORESVILLE, N.C.—Dave Homick loves this fast-growing town's nickname, Race City USA, a nod to its deep Nascar ties.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Al Weaver / NOTUS:
Senate Republicans Bench Trump's Voting Bill — Republican lawmakers do not have the appetite to bring the SAVE America Act back to the floor. “That horse has left the barn,” one of them told NOTUS. — Copy — Senate Republicans have sidelined the SAVE America Act …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Townhall, Democracy Docket and The Daily Signal
Kathryn Wilkens / Mediaite:
Trump Aide Called GOP Candidates ‘Fat Jewish Zionist F*cks’ in Leaked Group Chat: Report — Paul Ingrassia, an aide to President Donald Trump, is under fresh scrutiny after a Friday report from the Daily Mail alleged he sent a string of inflammatory messages targeting fellow Republicans …
Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
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.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, Bloomberg, NewsMax.com, Fox News, Al Jazeera and Axios
Politico:
White House insiders see Rubio on the rise as a potential 2028 pick … “JD Vance is a fantastic vice president, and Marco Rubio is a great Secretary of State,” said Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz. “[Rubio] could have gone one of two routes after the 2016 campaign.
Discussion:
Townhall, The Dispatch and The Atlantic
Chris Truax / The Hill:
Trump's decline is an emergency: Why doesn't Congress treat it like one? — Democrats need to stop playing games. — I have a lot of respect for Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). I fully understand why he's sponsoring a bill to create a “Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Reese Gorman / NOTUS:
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 …
Greg Ryan / Bloomberg:
Maine Governor Mills Vetoes Statewide Data Center Moratorium — Maine Governor Janet Mills vetoed what would have been the first statewide freeze on large data center development, saying it would hurt a part of Maine in need of an economic boost. — Mills, a Democrat running for US Senate …


