Top Items:

The NIH budget is on a fast track to disaster — An NIH insider explains what Republicans are likely to do next, and what we can do … A Trump administration budget proposal leaked a few days ago specifies a massive budget cut for NIH — 44%, for over $20 billion in cuts.
Discussion:
American Prospect and CBS News
RELATED:

Rough Night for Republican at Town Hall in N.Y. Swing District — Representative Mike Lawler faced shouts, groans and mockery at a high school auditorium in Rockland County. — No one was expecting a love fest when Representative Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, faced constituents in his suburban swing district on Sunday night.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Jessica Riedl / Politico:
I'm a Conservative Economist. Here Are 6 Reasons Trump's Plans Won't Work.
I'm a Conservative Economist. Here Are 6 Reasons Trump's Plans Won't Work.
Discussion:
New York Post and Associated Press
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Mike Johnson's tight megabill timeline is on a collision course with reality
Mike Johnson's tight megabill timeline is on a collision course with reality
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Even a sizable chunk of Republicans say Trump is going too far
Even a sizable chunk of Republicans say Trump is going too far
Discussion:
NOTUS
Ben Leonard / Politico:
Energy and Commerce Republicans to huddle amid Medicaid debate
Energy and Commerce Republicans to huddle amid Medicaid debate
Discussion:
E&E News
Sahil Kapur / NBC News:
5 policy issues Republicans are clashing over in a massive bill for Trump's agenda
5 policy issues Republicans are clashing over in a massive bill for Trump's agenda
Discussion:
The Hill, NPR, Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Democrats Plan to Capitalize as G.O.P. Begins Outlining Spending Cuts
Democrats Plan to Capitalize as G.O.P. Begins Outlining Spending Cuts
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Examiner, Issues & Insights, KARE-TV and The Hill
Katelyn Cordero / Politico:
Medicaid cuts threaten to leave Hochul with political wounds
Medicaid cuts threaten to leave Hochul with political wounds
Discussion:
WBUR

‘I Run the Country and the World’ … b — efore we begin, a primer on the science of arranging an interview with a sitting American president: — In ordinary times, reporters seeking an on-the-record encounter with the commander in chief first write an elaborate proposal.
RELATED:

Public sours on Musk's role, is skeptical that government is cutting waste — Thirty-five percent of Americans approve of the way Musk is handling his job in the Trump administration, while 57 percent disapprove, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll shows.
Discussion:
Politico, ABC News, Business Insider, The Hill, RedState, Fortune and The Independent
RELATED:

Why Trump's Sinking Poll Numbers Matter — The White House got an early start this morning. Minutes ago, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to the briefing-room podium to announce a pair of executive orders: one focused on “strengthening and unleashing” American law enforcement to pursue criminals …
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Fox News, CNN, New Republic, NBC News, masslive.com, ABC News and al.com

Trump Melts Down Over Plummeting Popularity, Says Pollsters Are ‘Criminals’ — Multiple recent polls have the president's job approval rating sitting in the thirties just three months into his second term — President Donald Trump is fuming after a series of recent polls have found …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Hill, Deadline, Washington Times, New Republic, Daily Kos, al.com, The Independent, New York Post, Mother Jones and Washington Post

The group chats that changed America — THE SCOOP — Last Thursday morning, a bit before 10 am in Austin and nearly 11 pm in Singapore, Joe Lonsdale had enough of Balaji Srinivasan's views on China. — “This is insane CCP thinking,” Lonsdale, a co-founder of Palantir, wrote to a 300-member Signal group.
Discussion:
emptywheel, How Things Work, Vanity Fair, Notes From The Circus, New Republic, New York Daily News and Raw Story, more at Techmeme »

DOGE employees gain accounts on classified networks holding nuclear secrets — Two members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have been given accounts on classified networks that hold highly guarded details about America's nuclear weapons, two independent sources tell NPR.

Trump's justice department appointees remove leadership of voting unit — Donald Trump's appointees at the Department of Justice have removed all of the senior civil servants working as managers in the department's voting section and directed attorneys to dismiss all active cases …
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Raw Story, The Atlantic, New Republic and The Hill

Scoop: Trump staff puts immigrants' mug shots on White House lawn — Trump administration officials late Sunday began placing dozens of posters of arrested unauthorized immigrants along the White House driveway. — It's a provocative, sure-to-be-controversial move aimed …
Discussion:
New York Times, CBS News, New York Post, Fox News, USA Today, Breitbart, Daily Kos, Blaze Media, New Jersey Online, Washington Examiner, The Independent and IJR

Agriculture isn't nearing trade war tariffs crisis, ‘it is full blown crisis already’ farmers say … The clock is ticking on trade deals that the U.S. will need to strike with many nations, most notably China, to avoid what Trump's Treasury Secretary has described as an “unsustainable” tariffs war.
Discussion:
Axios

‘60 Minutes’ Calls Out Paramount for Executive Producer's Exit in Rare On-Air Rebuke — All seemed normal in the first 98% of Sunday's broadcast of “60 Minutes” on CBS. But the remaining 2% may have shocked viewers. — In the show's “Last Minute” segment, correspondent Scott Pelley told …
RELATED:

Pritzker Thunders Against ‘Do Nothing’ Democrats as He Stokes 2028 Talk — In a fiery speech in New Hampshire, the Illinois governor railed against both President Trump and what he called the “simpering timidity” among some Democrats. — Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois strode into a ballroom filled …
RELATED:

FCC chair says 'all options" open in CBS ‘60 Minutes’ news distortion review — The chair of the Federal Communications Commission said Monday “all options remain on the table” in the agency's ongoing investigation into a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, more at Mediagazer »
Politico:
UK and EU to defy Trump with ‘free and open trade’ declaration — BRUSSELS — Britain and the European Union are set to sign a formal declaration committing to “free and open trade” in defiance of Donald Trump's tariff agenda. — A leaked draft seen by POLITICO promises a “new strategic partnership” …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Reuters and Raw Story

A Road Map of Trump's Lawless Presidency, According to 35 Legal Scholars — In his first hours back as president, Donald J. Trump did an extraordinary thing: He made a direct assault on the Constitution. He declared that his government would no longer treat U.S.-born children …
Discussion:
BBC, Balkinization and Washington Post

Arresting judges is a 5-alarm escalation — 🏛️ ⚖️ 👩⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. … 🏛️ ⚖️ 👩⚖️

Connolly to step down as top Dem on Oversight, paving the way for generational change — Rep. Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, will step down from his leadership post on the panel and not run for reelection.
Discussion:
GovExec.com, CBS News, ABC News, Federal News Network, Fox News, Axios, The Hill, NOTUS, Roll Call, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Baltimore Sun, The Guardian, New Jersey Online, Washington Times, Mediaite, New York Daily News, PoliticusUSA, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, E&E News and Ace of Spades HQ

Queer intel officers targeted by top secret chat leak get their chance to speak — Chris Rufo published the chats. Staffers say a new “lavender scare” is upon us. … As soon as Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election, Moon knew the threat was imminent.
Discussion:
The Independent

Did Peter Navarro Save Democracy? — Economic failure has given us a chance to stop Trump's authoritarianism — Just a few short weeks ago the prospects for American democracy looked bleak. Donald Trump was elected despite the events of January 6th and his clear threats of retribution …

In generational shift, Schatz joins race to be Senate's No. 2 Democrat — The senator from Hawaii 52, is officially running to become Senate whip after two decades of static leadership. — Sen. Brian Schatz (Hawaii) has formally launched his campaign to take over as the No. 2 Senate Democrat …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner

North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia as Putin hails ‘heroes’ — North Korea confirmed for the first time on Monday that it had sent troops to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine under orders from leader Kim Jong Un and that it had helped regain control of Russian territory occupied by Ukraine.
Discussion:
Reuters, New York Times, The Hill, ABC13, The Gateway Pundit, LADbible, Politico, The Kyiv Independent, Fox News, RedState, UPI, HuffPost, Columbian, Associated Press, Al Jazeera and Los Angeles Times

Sec. Bessent says it's ‘up to China to de-escalate’ trade war, not worried about empty shelves — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in various TV hits Monday that it's “up to China to de-escalate” the trade war. — Bessent also said that “all aspects of government are in contact with China …
Discussion:
Washington Times, Fortune, Bloomberg, New York Post and The Daily Wire

Trump's second term will be the worst presidential term ever — Tragically, the president's second term is already more lawless and more authoritarian than any in US history — In his first 100 days back in office, Donald Trump has made a strong case that his second term will be by far the worst presidential term in US history.

Why Trump's Economic Disruption Will Be Hard to Reverse — The president's turnover of the economic order has unleashed changes that could prove lasting, because other countries will adjust. — President Trump has made clear his intent to smash the reigning global economic order.

The Age of Realtime Deepfake Fraud Is Here — “At least now I saw you're way more gorgeous and more beautiful than you were in the photo you sent me,” an older white man with a greying beard says during a Skype video call. He is talking to an elderly woman who appears to be in her car, staring into her phone's front-facing camera.

The bubble that created Trump is the reason he's stumbling — The White House is now a bubble where loyalty, not ability, defines success. — Consider Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. — No one should be surprised that Hegseth is flailing in his new role, one of the most arduous …

Trump suggests Canadians should elect him, making the country the 51st state — The president is not on the ballot in Monday's Canadian election. — Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, April 27, 2025, President Donald Trump, April 27, 2025 and Canada's Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, April 17, 2025.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Daily Mail, Global News, New York Post, Politico, New Republic, Deadline, KARE-TV, Raw Story, masslive.com, Fox News, Mediaite and CityNews Toronto