What Middle Powers Fear About the Trump-Xi Summit  —  Asian nations worry that the president might trade security commitments for better economic terms with China during his planned meeting with Xi Jinping this week.  —  Poland will soon host production lines for South Korean tanks.

Trump's Redistricting Push Could Cost Republicans More Than It Gains … Last week was the best one President Donald Trump has had in months.  —  Trump reminded Republicans who's boss by ousting Indiana lawmakers who defied his redistricting demands, saw Democrats' attempt to gerrymander Virginia blocked …

Everlee Has Disappeared  —  Like all of Webworm's public interest journalism, there is no paywall - and there are no ads.  This is made possible thanks to its paying subscribers.  This work is not possible without them.  Thank you.  —  Hi,  —  As I write this newsletter at 7.42pm in New York …

The problem(s) with the transportation secretary's tone-deaf reality series  —  Sean Duffy's return to reality programming isn't just a political mess, it also raises unavoidable ethical questions.  —  Just two weeks into Donald Trump's second term, Axios published a report noting …

The Post's Opinion Divide … On Monday, as The Washington Post celebrated its two Pulitzer Prize wins, the newspaper found itself scrambling to bring back two previously laid-off video operators to help livestream the celebration because, after the company's massive layoffs in February, no one remained who could operate the system.

One American has tested positive for hantavirus, another has mild symptoms … In a statement Sunday evening, HHS said the State Department would airlift the passengers, transporting some of them to the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

G.O.P. Plant?  Democratic Ruse?  Accusations Fly in Nebraska's Senate Race  —  One Democrat is accused of being a Republican in disguise.  Another plans to drop out to boost an independent.  It's primary eve in one of the country's most unusual midterm contests.

Trump and Netanyahu Say Iran War Is Not Over  —  The Trump administration said last week that the war had run its course, but the U.S. president and Israel's prime minister in interviews on Sunday did not rule out renewed combat.  —  President Trump and Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu …

Hegseth calls for Kelly to be investigated for ‘blabbing’ about classified briefing  —  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) to be investigated over his public comments about a classified briefing.  —  In a Sunday appearance on CBS's Face the Nation, Kelly said it was …

Lessons from the Pentagon's Empty Case Against Mark Kelly  —  Secretary Pete Hegseth's Pentagon is in disarray.  Adherence to the rule of law, is now, apparently, a ground for termination.  The latest target in Hegseth's continued purge was former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.

Stephen Miller in Retreat  —  Just hours before Stephen Miller arrived at the Mar-a-Lago ballroom on New Year's Eve—where he would welcome 2026 by dancing next to the soon-to-be-defenestrated homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, as the 1990s cultural relic Vanilla Ice performed—he won a great, though ultimately fleeting, victory.

Oil Prices Rise as Prospects for U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Fizzle  —  Oil prices rose and stock futures ticked down on Monday as investors reacted after the two sides failed to agree on a U.S.-Iran peace deal.  —  President Trump said on social media Sunday that Iran's latest proposal was “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”

'Bill Cassidy Sold His Soul to the Devil, and He Didn't Get Anything for It'  —  On Saturday, we'll get some data on how yet another Trump Tragedy will end.  Recent polls put Bill Cassidy, the senator from Louisiana, in third place heading into the first round of the Republican primary here.

The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians … It's a simple proposition: Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape.  —  Supporters of Israel made that point after the brutal sexual assaults against Israeli women during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Capitol agenda: House vs. Senate rift threatens GOP agenda  —  Tensions between House and Senate Republicans are threatening the GOP's legislative agenda ahead of the midterms.  The two chambers come back to Capitol Hill this week with a list of legislative priorities they have failed …

They Were Promised New Septic Tanks.  Trump Called It ‘Illegal DEI.’ … Behind Dana Anderson's home in central Alabama, a plastic pipe carries waste from her toilet through her backyard, discarding it outdoors.  Three or four times a year, a spell of heavy rain forces the excrement back up into the house.

Trump rejects Iran's latest peace offer after Tehran refuses to negotiate its nuclear program: ‘TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!’  —  President Trump on Sunday appeared to reject Iran's latest proposal in ongoing negotiations over a peace deal, calling the Islamic republic's offer “totally unacceptable.”

Will our Hyper-Gilded Age Usher in Genuine Populism?  —  The tech bros are worse than the robber barons ever were — and voters are catching on  —  America used to be a middle-class society.  But income and wealth disparities began rising rapidly during the Reagan years …

America's job market optimism gap is the worst in the world  —  Young Americans have a gloomier outlook on their job prospects than their older colleagues, creating a wider optimism gap than any other country surveyed by Gallup.  —  The big picture: The very existence of that chasm between …

227. “We're All Trying to Find the Guy Who Did This”  —  With both its ruling in Callais and its behavior before and since, the Supreme Court has not only accelerated the race to the redistricting bottom; it has placed itself *squarely* in the middle of it.  —  Welcome back to “One First …