The Supreme Court's Conservatives Just Issued the Worst Ruling in a Century  —  This evisceration of the Voting Rights Act requires us to take SCOTUS reform more seriously.  —  Wednesday's 6-3 party-line decision in Louisiana v. Callais will go down in history as one of the most pernicious …

Bessent Says Powell Staying On Is ‘Violation’ of All Fed Norms  —  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized Jerome Powell for his decision to stay on the Federal Reserve Board after he steps down as the US central bank's chair, saying it amounts to a break with Fed tradition.

Exclusive: Trump rejects Iran's offer, says blockade stays until nuclear deal  —  President Trump told Axios he's going to keep Iran under a naval blockade until the regime agrees to a deal that addresses U.S. concerns about its nuclear program. … - After the strikes …

James Comey indicted over seashell photo that officials say threatened Trump  —  The former FBI director posted a beach photo last year showing shells in the shape of “8647,” which Trump allies portrayed as a threat against the president.  It's the second time the Trump administration has indicted Comey.

Exclusive: New records show paper trail of DOGE voter data pact with election deniers  —  Newly obtained documents show a clear paper trail of Trump administration officials planning to share sensitive voter data with an outside political group trying to overturn elections, as part of a secret agreement.

Video shows moment Secret Service officer fired at correspondents' dinner suspect … Surveillance footage reviewed by The Washington Post shows that Cole Tomas Allen appeared to raise his shotgun in the direction of a Secret Service officer who then fired at him at least four times …

The YOLO Presidency  —  This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter.  Sign up for it here.  —  Had President Trump, we wondered, possibly been reading or at least thumbing through—just maybe—the works of ... Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel?

Trump Threatens to Pull Troops From Germany as He Lashes Out at Merz  —  The comments came after the German chancellor said that Iran has “humiliated” the United States.  —  President Trump declared on Wednesday evening that he is “studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany …

Fidelity Won't Let Fund Holders Donate to Southern Poverty Law Center  —  Fidelity cited the Justice Department's recent lawsuit against the civil rights organization in emails to holders of its charitable-giving funds explaining its decision.  —  The country's largest sponsor of donor-advised funds …

Trump's Latest Ballroom Push Is His Nero Moment  —  The president's decision to commandeer the DOJ to argue that his ballroom is a security necessity is the ultimate sign that this country is in decline.  —  Pocket  —  Donald Trump's White House ballroom is the thing that proves America is in its decline.

Trump administration rejects women picked for soybean board, appoints men instead  —  The Trump administration rejected all four women farmers chosen by their peers to represent them in an industry group called the United Soybean Board earlier this year, a rare intervention by the U.S. Department …

Trump tells Netanyahu only “surgical” Lebanon strikes as ceasefire falters  —  President Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should only take “surgical” military action in Lebanon and avoid a full resumption of the war, Trump told Axios in a phone interview.

Saudi Arabia Pulls Funding From LIV Golf.  Its Star Players Face a Painful Road Back.  —  LIV plans to tell players and staff by Thursday that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund would end its funding for the upstart league.  But the PGA Tour isn't yet ready to welcome back those who jumped ship.

Ted Cruz Bashes Trump Administration for Going After Jimmy Kimmel  —  The Texas senator jumped to the defense of the late-night host as the FCC threatens ABC and Disney's broadcast licenses … The MAGA Republican, who famously clashed with the president during the 2016 primaries before supporting him …

Johnson quells House GOP revolt to pass controversial surveillance bill  —  For more than two hours on the chamber's floor, the speaker and fellow Republican leaders cajoled holdouts on that bill and others on DHS funding and farm policy.

CBS' Ratings Calamity … Indeed, according to Nielsen data obtained by Status, Dokoupil's most recent week, beginning April 20, marked the lowest-rated stretch in total viewers since he took over the broadcast.  The program averaged just 3.7 million viewers—slipping below the once-unthinkable 4 million threshold.

Hegseth Cites Falsehood to Defend His Firing of Senior Officers  —  The defense secretary said at a House hearing that President Barack Obama had fired 197 generals, a figure that the Pentagon previously acknowledged was false.  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday defended …

Hungary's Opposition Used Social Media to Topple the Authoritarian-in-Chief  —  Politically neutral platforms are a better way than censorship to fight propaganda and disinformation  —  Three days after securing a landslide victory in Hungary's parliamentary election, incoming prime minister …

Sergey Brin-Backed California Measures Have Signatures to Reach Ballot, Backers Say  —  Two ballot initiatives funded in part by the Google co-founder that take aim at portions of a proposed wealth tax are on track to qualify  —  Two California ballot initiatives funded in part …