What to make of Michigan  —  Abdul El-Sayed's apparent victory is a big win for the left — but a disaster for polling and a case study in poor expectations management.  —  It's just past 4 a.m. here on the East Coast, and as I write this, Abdul El-Sayed leads Haley Stevens by only 1.4 points …

Jeanine Pirro crashes into the limit of Trump's lies  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🫵 Subscribe to PN 🫵  —  In the ultimate Friday night news dump, US Attorney for the District of Washington DC Jeanine Pirro filed …

Candidate who dropped out beats Trump's pick in a battleground GOP House primary  —  NBC News projects Thomas Smith, who raised very little money for his bid, won the Republican nomination in Michigan's 8th District.  —  Thomas Smith, a political unknown who raised almost no money for his campaign …

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives  —  Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers to drastically raise the threshold for passing citizen ballot measures—which in recent years have allowed Missourians …

Mike Johnson breaks his silence on Max Miller, calls for ‘process to play out’  —  Speaker Mike Johnson broke days of silence on explosive allegations of domestic abuse by Rep. Max Miller, calling for investigations to play out as Miller's former father-in-law, a GOP senator …

Thanedar becomes latest incumbent to fall to a progressive challenger  —  Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar lost his primary to democratic socialist Donavan McKinney on Wednesday — the latest victory for progressives who've been on a hot streak of ousting incumbents in safe-blue districts.

US and Iran having ‘very good discussions’, Trump says  —  A proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday, in one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.

rent, always rent  —  I have occasionally said in the past that training in Marxist economics tends to give you a) a weird, unrealistic and largely useless theory of economics plus b) a clear understanding of how economics relates to political power.  While a training in mainstream neoclassical economics …

A man carrying ammo was monitoring security at Trump's California golf course, authorities say  —  LOS ANGELES — A man carrying ammunition and with a gun in his vehicle was arrested Sunday at President Donald Trump's Los Angeles-area golf course after appearing to monitor security preparations ahead …

AP Exclusive: Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents  —  President Donald Trump's administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue …

Mamdani Is Shunning New York Business Leaders Who Are Used to Calling the Shots  —  The mayor fired corporate leaders from a city fund's advisory board, the latest sign that he is changing how executives access City Hall  —  New York City's business elites are long accustomed to direct access to City Hall …

White House declassifies info on secret FBI probe into whether Trump fired Comey at Russia's behest, official says  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  The White House on Wednesday declassified information claiming the FBI opened an investigation into whether President Trump was acting as an asset …

The Ellison Credibility Crisis … Early Tuesday morning, The New York Times published a guest essay from David Ellison, in which the Paramount boss and Oracle scion made his case—yet again—for his proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Judge ‘Reluctantly’ Lets DOJ Dismiss Jan. 6 Oath Keepers Cases  —  More than three years ago, the US Justice Department touted guilty verdicts against members of the right-wing Oath Keepers for plotting to obstruct Congress' certification of the 2020 presidential election as the crowning achievement …

FAA Investigates Marine One Safety Incident in Washington  —  The president's helicopter took off from the White House despite commercial traffic flying at Reagan National Airport  —  Federal aviation officials are reviewing an air-traffic safety incident Tuesday involving a military helicopter carrying President Trump.

'They're not real pastors': As clergy run as Democrats, Republicans question their faith  —  (RNS) — At last month's Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines, Iowa, Joe Mitchell, a Republican running for U.S. Congress in the state's second congressional district, jabbed at his Democratic opponent …

Freedom 250 Sponsors Failed to Disclose Donations — A Potential Lobbying Law Violation  —  The Great American State Fair was covered in the logos of dozens of corporate lobbying giants.  —  But most of the event sponsors — including defense contractors Lockheed Martin …

Cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded to six more states  —  The CDC's planned update marks a significant expansion in the outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms. … A massive cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce has expanded to an additional six states …

Boutros acknowledges ‘mistakes’ in ‘Broadview 6’ case but says sanctions, special counsel aren't needed  —  Chicago's top federal prosecutor noted in a court filing that his office has already dropped charges in the case, implemented “robust root-cause changes” and started the process …