How Minority Districts Fueled the G.O.P.'s Southern Ascendancy in Congress  —  The “majority-minority” House districts struck down by the Supreme Court last week sent a surge of Black and Hispanic lawmakers to Congress.  They also opened opportunities for the G.O.P.

How Virginia Democrats can overturn the redistricting ruling: Retire the Supreme Court  —  Virginia Democrats are looking for a way to overturn the state Supreme Court's Friday decision invalidating the constitutional amendment temporarily adopting new congressional districts that a majority of voters ratified last month.

The No-Bid Contract That Is Turning Washington's Reflecting Pool Blue … For a century, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has captured Washington's history, a vast mirror for moments great and small.  —  Then, this spring, President Trump said he decided to paint it blue …

Trump throws his base a UFO bone, but critics say it's Iran ‘smoke and mirrors’  —  President Donald Trump's release of declassified UFO files on Friday drew excitement from longtime transparency advocates — and immediate skepticism from critics on both the Left and Right who argued the timing …

Trump's ruthless midterm power play  —  President Trump is flexing his dominance over the Republican Party to stamp out primaries that would bleed party coffers and fracture the GOP ahead of a treacherous midterm election. … - He endorsed 95 percent of the 217-member House GOP Conference …

Justice Department moves to strip 12 Americans of their citizenship  —  The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday it is seeking to denaturalize a dozen people from various parts of the country who are accused of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Russia Has Lost More Than 350,000 Soldiers, New Estimate Finds  —  The number raises the prospect that about half a million soldiers in total have died on the Russian and Ukrainian sides.  —  About 352,000 Russian soldiers had died in the war against Ukraine through the end of 2025 …

Trump Plans to Fire F.D.A. Commissioner Marty Makary  —  Dr. Makary has been a supporter of the Make American Healthy Again Movement but made some enemies in the administration over vaping, the abortion pill and rejections of new drugs.  —  President Trump has signed off on a plan to fire Dr. Marty Makary …

In legal dispute over ‘The View,’ ABC argues Trump administration is trying to chill free speech  —  In a strongly worded filing, ABC accuses the Trump administration of trying to chill its constitutionally protected free speech and hinder open political discussion.

Trump Ballroom Suddenly Faces GOP Opposition in Surprise Blow to MAGA … After a gunman allegedly attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last month, Senator John Fetterman seized on the moment to accuse his fellow Democrats of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

How China's Leader Lost Faith in His Generals  —  Xi Jinping spent 13 years building a military to rival that of the United States.  But the stronger the Chinese forces grew, the less he trusted the generals he had handpicked to run them.  —  The purge China's leader, Xi Jinping …

‘Mild panic will set in soon’: GOP donors left to wonder about Trump's $300 million war chest  —  Trump's top advisers insist that it is still early to discuss battle plans for MAGA Inc. … “There is an expectation funds are coming soon,” said a GOP donor, who like others in this story …

Exclusive: Kennedy's health officials explored US ban of some widely used antidepressants, sources say  —  U.S. health department officials last week explored whether they could ban certain drugs in a widely prescribed class of antidepressants as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepared …

Facing Pressure, Trump Officials Reject Claims They're Softening on Immigration  —  Immigration hard-liners have grown frustrated with the level of deportations and the Department of Homeland Security's attempts, under its new secretary, to stay under the radar.

Wiles cracks down on leaks  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond.