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White House eased China tariffs after warnings of harm to 'Trump's people' — The president has backtracked repeatedly on his tariff policies, creating a whiplash with downsides and few clear benefits so far. — Some of the president's top aides saw an opening.
Discussion:
Raw Story, New York Times and Washington Examiner
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Trump Tariff Fiasco Worsens as Brutal New Reports Expose a Fresh Scam — The White House has been boasting that President Trump's partial pause in the trade war with China is a historic breakthrough. But two new reports, one from The New York Times and the other from the nonliberal Wall …
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Caller News Foundation, NOTUS, HuffPost, Wall Street Journal, Crikey and Raw Story

Ben Shapiro is cracking under the pressure to shill for Trump — Pointless trade wars and $400 million jet bribes make it hard for Trump sycophants to cape for the MAGA messiah — No one was more relieved than Daily Wire commentator Ben Shapiro when Donald Trump announced a 90-day “pause” on Chinese tariffs.
Discussion:
The Contrarian, The Hill, The Forward, Axios and Media Matters for America
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
In High-Stakes Negotiations, Trump's Opponents Are Learning His Patterns
In High-Stakes Negotiations, Trump's Opponents Are Learning His Patterns
Discussion:
Politico

Among the problems with Trump's ‘free’ luxury jet from Qatar: It's not actually free — Even if the jet from Qatar were free, this arrangement would still be a legal and ethical mess. But the free plane also wouldn't be free. — On Sunday night, as the public first learned …
Discussion:
New Republic, Fox News, NBC News, Mediaite, The Independent, Politico, Semafor, Scripps News, israelhayom.com, Townhall, New York Post and Raw Story
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Carville Lectures Dems on How to Go After Trump for $400m Grift — ENOUGH IS ENOUGH — The veteran political strategist demands action on unusual deals involving the president, including the jet from Qatar. — James Carville is calling on Democrats to go on the offensive over what he calls the …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, Townhall, HuffPost, The Independent, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Vox, Mediaite, The Guardian, CNN, New York Magazine, Daily Mail, Wall Street Journal and Beauty~Funny~Trippy

Republicans Raise Concerns Over Trump's Plane Gift as He Heads to Qatar — Some lawmakers flag potential security issues as the president doubles down on defending the offer, saying only a ‘fool’ would turn it down — WASHINGTON—Republican lawmakers on Tuesday expressed national-security concerns …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, Florida Politics, Time, Newsweek and masslive.com

Conduct oversight on Trump's graft — or censure James Comer — House Democrats must pressure Republicans to fulfill their constitutional duties. — President Donald Trump arrived in the Middle East on Tuesday as the representative of two different entities.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Breitbart, Lawyers, Guns & Money and CBS News
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Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds
Discussion:
IJR
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Scoop: Trump impeachment called “idiotic” in House Dem meeting

Multiple Trump White House officials have ties to antisemitic extremists — President Trump campaigned on a pledge to fight antisemitism. — “Antisemitic bigotry has no place in a civilized society,” Trump said at an event in 2024. — However, the president's critics question whether antisemitism …
Discussion:
Raw Story

Mexican security chief confirms cartel family members entered US in a deal with Trump administration — Mexico's security chief confirmed Tuesday that 17 family members of cartel leaders crossed into the U.S. last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration.
Discussion:
US Department of Justice, New York Times, New Republic and Los Angeles Times

Not much more room left for SALT, says GOP tax chief — House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) told reporters Wednesday there's only about $50 billion available to increase a key tax deduction sought by blue-state Republicans. Under legislation advanced out of Ways …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, The Fucking News, Blaze Media, Axios, The Hill, New York Daily News and RealClearPolitics
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Blake Moore falls asleep during marathon meeting on ‘big, beautiful bill’
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House GOP hard-liners digging in on Medicaid work requirements
House GOP hard-liners digging in on Medicaid work requirements
Discussion:
Center For Children … and The Contrarian

The End of Rule of Law in America … The president of the united states appears to have long ago forgotten that Americans fought the Revolutionary War not merely to secure their independence from the British monarchy but to establish a government of laws, not of men, so that they and future generations …
Jake Pearson / ProPublica:
Musk Adviser May Make as Much as $1 Million a Year While Helping to Dismantle Agency that Regulates Tesla and X — ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published. — One of Elon Musk's employees …

Trump calls for new Iran nuclear deal — In his final open remarks during his time in Riyadh, President Donald Trump echoed his calls for a nuclear deal with Iran and again touted his closeness with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. — “The whole world is watching the Middle East …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Reuters, USA Today, Washington Examiner, The Independent, Breitbart, Los Angeles Times, Scripps News, RedState, CBS News, The Gateway Pundit, National Review, Associated Press, Fox News, Politico, The Hill, ZeroHedge News, The Atlantic, CNN, Washington Times, Al Jazeera, israelhayom.com, NPR, CNBC, Newsweek, Jewish Insider, NBC News, Semafor, Bloomberg, Atlantic Council, UPI, Washington Post, New York Post, The American Conservative, Axios and The Japan Times
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‘What the holy hell?’ MAGA has a meltdown over House GOP post written in Spanish — MAGA Republicans are losing their minds over an innocent social media post that includes a Spanish translation, according to The Daily Beast. — The House Republicans' X post claimed …
Discussion:
Mediaite
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Isabel Van Brugen / The Daily Beast:
MAGA Melts Down Over House GOP Post Written in Spanish
MAGA Melts Down Over House GOP Post Written in Spanish
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, Raw Story and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »

The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren't Happy About It — Students call it hypocritical. A senior at Northeastern University demanded her tuition back. But instructors say generative A.I. tools make them better at their jobs. — In February, Ella Stapleton …
Discussion:
Fortune

New poll: Americans oppose cuts to Medicaid, want Democrats to control the U.S. House — ...and Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 rematch. Results from the inaugural Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll … Americans broadly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing …
Discussion:
Reuters
RELATED:
Grace Gilson / The Forward:
Half of American Jewish voters believe Trump is antisemitic, poll finds
Half of American Jewish voters believe Trump is antisemitic, poll finds
Discussion:
israelhayom.com and Raw Story

Germany Foils Alleged Russian Plot to Mail Incendiary Devices — The conspiracy, if confirmed, shows Moscow continues to target the West with acts of sabotage despite Trump's arrival in the White House — BERLIN—German police detained three men suspected of planning to mail packages laden …
Discussion:
The Guardian, New York Times, Politico and Reuters

The Republican Trainwreck of the 2026 Election Cycle — John Cornyn is one of the winningest politicians in Texas history. But he might not even make it out of the GOP primary this time. — Sen. John Cornyn is anathema to many Republican primary voters.
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We Study Fascism, and We're Leaving the U.S. — The decision by these three Yale professors to move to Canada is both a warning and a call to action.By Francesca Trianni and James Robinson — Legal residents of the United States sent to foreign prisons without due process.

Newsom calls for walking back free healthcare for eligible undocumented immigrants — Facing a budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing changes to California's program to provide free healthcare coverage to low-income undocumented immigrants. — The cost of coverage for immigrants …
Discussion:
New York Times, NBC News, Politico, Bloomberg, RedState, New York Post, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, The Daily Wire, CalMatters and CBS News

NYC Mayor's Race, May 2025 — Cuomo Breaks 50% in Fifth Round of Ranked Choice Voting — In the Democratic primary race for New York City Mayor, Andrew Cuomo is the first choice of nearly four in ten likely Democratic primary voters, including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Politico and New York Post

Marco Rubio working on major changes to National Security Council — Under the plan, the NSC would shrink and shift from making recommendations to the president to carrying out his orders. — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in his new add-on role of national security adviser …

Wisconsin Judge Indicted on Charges That She Helped Immigrant Evade Agents — Judge Hannah C. Dugan was accused of helping an undocumented immigrant elude federal agents who were waiting to arrest him outside her courtroom. — The Wisconsin judge arrested last month and accused of helping …

Democrats just flipped Nebraska's biggest city — Democrat John Ewing unseated Republican Mayor Jean Stothert in Tuesday's officially nonpartisan election to lead Omaha, a victory that ends the GOP's 12-year hold on Nebraska's largest city. — Stothert conceded the race after 9 PM local …

Tiny Company With China Ties Announces Big Purchase of Trump Cryptocurrency — The firm, which produces content for TikTok, recorded no revenue last year, but it announced this week that a mysterious stock sale would allow it to invest heavily in the $TRUMP memecoin.
Discussion:
New Jersey Online and The Nation, more at Techmeme »

Ocasio-Cortez Warns: Trump Admin Will Have a ‘Problem’ if More Democrats Arrested — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has warned the Trump administration that they will be in for a “problem” if they arrest any more Democrats. — The congresswoman issued her warning in an Instagram video posted …

Martin's Out. Pirro's In. Incompetence Reigns. — 🏛️ ⚖️ 👩🏻⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. … 👩🏻⚖️ ⚖️ 🏛️
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and The Hill

Mike Johnson declares support for congressional stock trading ban — Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he supports a ban on stock trading by members of Congress amid controversy about well-timed trades during recent market volatility. “You want me to tell you my honest opinion on that?
Discussion:
USA Today, The Hill, Business Insider, Fox News and al.com

Federal appeals court continues to block Florida's drag-show ban as likely unconstitutional — An injunction barring the enforcement of Florida's drag-show ban will remain in effect after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the law is likely unconstitutional.
Discussion:
Washington Times, FOX 35 Orlando, Erin In The Morning, Washington Examiner and Sun-Sentinel

Trump Gushes with Envy Toward the House of Saud — Good morning to everyone except whoever did the president's makeup today: — Happy Wednesday. — Autocrats, Kleptocrats, Plutocrats... Oh My! — by William Kristol — What a spectacle! There they were yesterday, assembled in Riyadh …
Discussion:
The Verge, Semafor and CBS News, more at Techmeme »

Inside the Trump administration's quiet shift on Ukraine — Lack of compromise by Vladimir Putin has led the US to view him as an obstacle to a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv — Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free — Your guide to what Trump's second term means for Washington, business and the world
Discussion:
Semafor

Michigan man, 19, accused of planning mass shooting at military base on behalf of ISIS — A former Michigan Army National Guard member is accused of attempting to carry out a mass shooting at a U.S. military base in Warren, Michigan, on behalf of the terrorist organization ISIS.
Discussion:
Newsweek and Military and Veteran …

The anti-woke right won in 2024. Now they're turning on each other. — It's been a rough week in the world of the online intellectual right, which is currently in the midst of two separate yet related blowups — both of which illustrate how the pressures of power are cracking the elite coalition …
Discussion:
Blaze Media

Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election ‘discrepancies’ — TULSA, Okla. — New academic standards in Oklahoma call for the teaching of “discrepancies” in the 2020 election results, continuing the spread of a false narrative years after it was first pushed by President Trump and his allies.

Trump's Third-Term Ambitions Are Very Revealing … President Donald Trump is cagey about whether he might try to stay in office after his current term expires. He frequently says that other people want him to do it, and the Trump Organization is selling Trump 2028 hats.