Rand Paul's Son William Hurled Antisemitic Insults at Rep. Mike Lawler  —  The younger Paul interrupted Lawler at a Capitol Hill bar to say “Jews” would be to blame if Rep. Thomas Massie loses his primary.  — Copy  —  William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul, drunkenly hurled antisemitic insults …

Mississippi Governor Vows Thompson's ‘Reign of Terror Is Over,’ But Cancels Redistricting Plans  — Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email  —  Mississippi will not redraw any of its electoral districts this month.  Gov. Tate Reeves canceled a special legislative session …

Why Is John Roberts in a Rush All of a Sudden?  —  Sign up for Executive Dysfunction, a newsletter that highlights one under-the-radar story each week about how Trump is changing the law—or how the law is pushing back.  You'll also receive updates on the latest from Slate's Jurisprudence team.

Democrats bypass Mike Johnson on Ukraine aid with GOP help … - Just in the 119th Congress, lawmakers have succeeded in garnering the necessary 218 signatures to force votes on a half dozen bills covering everything from proxy voting in the House to releasing the Epstein files to extending Affordable Care Act tax credits.

DOJ considers settling Trump's IRS lawsuit which could send taxpayer money directly to the president's pockets: report … Recommended articles

White House Explores 250 Pardons to Mark America's 250th Birthday  —  Trump could make the announcements on June 14, which is both Flag Day and his birthday, or on Fourth of July  —  White House officials are weighing a plan for President Trump to issue 250 pardons as a way to mark …

Vance announces suspension of $1.3 billion Medicaid payments to California  —  The Trump administration is also warning all 50 states it could freeze funding for their Medicaid fraud unite unless they investigate and prosecute fraud by providers.  —  Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday …

Trump's plan to use his library as a hotel sparks lawsuit  —  Litigants also allege Florida officials violated the Constitution's bar on attempts to influence the president through gifts, by handing over a valuable parcel of land.  —  Summary  —  A group of Miami residents sued President Donald Trump …

N.Y.U. Students Object to Speaker Who Calls Their Generation ‘Coddled’  —  Jonathan Haidt, a professor, says that colleges shield students from challenging ideas.  But student leaders said he does not represent their values.  —  Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and author …

Chris Van Hollen Is Awaiting Kash Patel's Alcohol Abuse Test Results  —  The FBI director said he'd take the test if the Democratic senator did, too.  On Wednesday, Van Hollen posted his results.  — Copy  —  Sen. Chris Van Hollen issued a public callout to FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday …

China gains major edge on U.S. amid Iran war, intelligence report finds  —  A confidential assessment, circulating as President Donald Trump begins his highly anticipated trip to Beijing, shows shifts in several key areas of competition.  —  Summary  —  A confidential U.S. intelligence analysis details …

McMaster plans to call special session to redraw South Carolina House map … The looming special session comes after five Republican state senators voted with Democrats to block a measure that would have allowed them to redraw South Carolina's districts this cycle without a call from McMaster.

3 GOP senators break with leadership, vote to advance resolution to end Iran war  —  Three Republican senators broke with their leadership Wednesday and voted to advance a Democratic-sponsored resolution under the 1973 War Powers Act to halt the conflict with Iran unless Congress formally authorizes further military action.

Man convicted of running secret Chinese spy outpost in New York City … “A police station operating in New York City at the direction of the Chinese government has been exposed, its sinister purpose disrupted, and its founder held accountable for blatantly disregarding the law and our country's sovereignty …

Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers  —  Lake Tahoe doesn't know where its power will come from after next ski season—and it's a major problem for the 49,000 residents who call the region home.

Proposed WIC cuts could be detrimental to children's growth and well-being  —  President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are pursuing steep cuts to the federal WIC program — a bipartisan favorite once considered to be untouchable — which provides access to nutritious food for mothers …

Spencer Pratt Staying at Bel Air Hotel, Not Airstream Trailer  —  SPENCER PRATT DITCHES TRAILER FOR SWANKY HOTEL BEL-AIR … 8:31 AM PT — We asked Spencer if he has ever lived in the trailer, and he said no, adding, “I have never told anyone I lived there.”

California 2026 Poll: Becerra Continues to Surge, Steyer and Hilton Compete for Second Spot  —  Home Polls California 2026 Poll: Becerra Continues to Surge, Steyer and Hilton Compete for Second Spot  —  Bass leads primary for LA Mayor with 30% support; Pratt and Raman trail

Elon Musk Said He'd Stop Political Spending.  He's the Third-Largest Donor in the Midterms  —  And now he's accompanying Trump as a guest of honor in China.  —  Elon Musk spent at least $290 million in the 2024 presidential election to help President Donald Trump and other Republicans take office.

Kemp calls special session to redraw 2028 maps, overhaul voting process  —  The June special session comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision gutting racial gerrymandering protections in the Voting Rights Act.

Why U.S. Test Scores Are in a ‘Generation-Long Decline’  —  The drops in U.S. scores go beyond the pandemic and cut across income, geographic and racial divides, new data shows.  —  Something troubling is happening in U.S. education.  —  Almost everywhere in America …

Elon Musk says Christopher Nolan just ‘wants the awards’ for casting Black actor as Helen of Troy  —  Elon Musk is once again criticizing the casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy in the upcoming blockbuster “The Odyssey,” suggesting that casting a Black actress as “the face that launched …

Pulitzer-winning newsrooms are quietly publishing mountains of gambling slop  —  A large network of prominent regional newspapers has posted thousands of low-quality articles promoting gambling and prediction markets — and is pretending it's journalism.  —  A Popular Information investigation found …

Rich Danker, RFK Jr.'s Top Spokesman, Resigns in Protest Over New Vaping Policy  —  In a letter to President Trump, the spokesman, Rich Danker, said allowing the sale of flavored e-cigarettes would enhance their appeal to children.  —  The chief spokesman for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resigned …

The Trump Counterterrorism Strategy Makes America More Vulnerable  —  The policy is unfocused, run by amateurs, and concerned more with the president's many grievances than with the security of the United States.  —  Last week, the Trump administration released the official 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy.

Immigrants Detained in Chicago Military-Style Raid Seek Millions in Damages  —  New accounts from 17 men, women and children taken in a midnight raid paint a violent, terrifying portrait of the federal agents' alleged actions.  These descriptions form the basis of claims filed this week against DHS and other federal agencies.

Scoop: Rep. Edwards aide feared retaliation over unwanted attention  —  Rep. Chuck Edwards told a 20-something female staffer it was “disappointing to feel something that used to be easy has gotten complicated” after she did not want to have dinner with him in May of 2025, according to a text exchange reviewed by Axios.

FBI insiders: Kash Patel is ‘padding the stats’ to boost his record of arrests  —  FBI Director Kash Patel sidestepped months of unflattering insider accounts of his leadership in a hearing on Tuesday.  Instead, he boasted of the bureau almost doubling its number of arrests under his tenure …

10,000 rulings: The courts' overwhelming rebuke of Trump's ICE policies … Trump's unprecedented detention policy, which is almost certainly headed to the Supreme Court, infuriated lower courts in ways no other modern issue has.  It ruptured the relationship between the Justice Department and the judiciary …

CBS' Tony Dokoupil to broadcast from Taiwan after failing to get China visa in time  —  The Scoop  —  CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil will broadcast from Taipei this week after failing to obtain a visa to China in time, a stumble in the network's efforts to play a leading role in this week's dominant global story.

Former Democratic donor and candidate arrested in Los Angeles area … While he was backing Swalwell, Cloobeck was blocked from using prediction market Kalshi to bet on the California governor's race.  He could not be immediately reached for comment.

Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN expert on Palestinian territories  —  A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked U.S. sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights …

CIA whistleblower James Erdman reveals Anthony Fauci ‘influenced’ COVID origins intel probe as part of lab leak ‘cover-up’  —  WASHINGTON — A CIA whistleblower appeared publicly for the first time Wednesday to testify to a Senate panel that Dr. Anthony Fauci improperly “influenced” …

Watching Porn on California's Death Row  —  Under Gavin Newsom, state prisoners are turning taxpayer-funded tablets into personal sex machines.  —  Under Governor Gavin Newsom, California has sought to transform its massive prison system into a Nordic-style rehabilitation program.