Top Items:
Punchbowl News:
5/13/26☀️ AM: … On issue after issue, both in Washington and in state capitals around the country, Republicans are giving Trump the stiff arm. They're ignoring his policy demands and overlooking his diatribes, even as they continue pledging allegiance to Trump politically.
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Hans Nichols / Axios:
Republicans are sweating about the White House ballroom project … But it is in doubt. … - GOP senators were unmoved by a line-item lobbying effort from Secret Service director Sean Curran in a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, first reported by Axios. — “One of the biggest concerns …
Discussion:
Politico, HuffPost, Washington Examiner and The Hill
Politico:
Why Republicans can't get traction on affordability legislation … The scale of the political challenges facing Republicans were further underscored Tuesday with the administration's latest cost estimate for the Iran war surpassing $29 billion and a brutal inflation report showing gas …
Discussion:
The Hill, Punchbowl News, Axios, Bloomberg and Raw Story
Politico:
Secret Service briefing fails to quiet GOP ballroom funding concerns
Discussion:
The Bulwark, GovExec.com, The Hill, New York Times, NOTUS, Mediaite, Military.com, MS NOW and New Republic
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
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 …
Discussion:
Slate
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Aaron Pellish / Politico:
Trump administration elevates former private prison company exec to lead ICE
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asks public to back judicial independence
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asks public to back judicial independence
Discussion:
twitchy.com
Ana Swanson / New York Times:
Trump's Shrinking Ambitions on China — The president came into office planning harsher trade moves on China than on the rest of the world. Here's why he's had to scale them back. — When President Trump campaigned in 2024, he promised a trade agenda that would hit China harder …
Discussion:
Axios, Washington Post, Reuters, CSIS, Al Jazeera, Asia Times, Semafor, Washington Examiner and NPR
RELATED:
Jasmine Wright / NOTUS:
'America's Boss Is Coming': Trump Gets a Lavish Welcome to China
Discussion:
New York Times, CNBC, The Hill, Associated Press, New York Post, Forbes and The Guardian
Joshua Keating / Vox:
Trump's China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expected
Trump's China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expected
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Forbes, Foreign Affairs, Washington Times, Bloomberg and The Spectator
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Officials Consider Settling Trump Suit Against I.R.S. — One of the settlement terms under review is for the I.R.S. to drop any audits of the president, his family members and businesses. — The Justice Department is holding internal discussions about settling President Trump's lawsuit …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Independent, Raw Story, Mediaite, Lawyers, Guns & Money and E&E News
Carlie Kollath Wells / Axios:
Louisiana advances congressional map with reduced Black representation — Louisiana senators voted early Wednesday to advance a congressional map that eliminates one of the state's majority-Black districts. … - The nearly 10-hour meeting ended around 4:30am Wednesday, Hutchinson writes.
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, MS NOW, Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, The Post Millennial and Politico
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Aaron Pellish / Politico:
GOP scores another gerrymandering victory with Missouri Supreme Court win
Discussion:
Compact, The Post Millennial, NOTUS, RedState and Democracy Docket
Ben Kamisar / NBC News:
Louisiana GOP lawmakers advance map eliminating one Democratic House district
Louisiana GOP lawmakers advance map eliminating one Democratic House district
Discussion:
New York Times, IJR, WVUE-TV, This Week in Statehouse Action, WWL-TV and Fox News
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Nebraska Dem who will drop out and support Dan Osborn wins Senate primary — Nebraska Democrat Cindy Burbank defeated anti-abortion pastor Bill Forbes in the state's Senate primary, giving independent Dan Osborn a clearer path against Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) in November.
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, NBC News, New Republic, New York Post, The Hill, Deseret News, The Downballot and USA Today
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Bridget Bowman / NBC News:
Democrats pick Nebraska Senate nominee who could drop out and back independent Dan Osborn
Democrats pick Nebraska Senate nominee who could drop out and back independent Dan Osborn
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Decision Desk HQ, The Downballot, NewsMax.com, Newsweek, Fox News, The Hill, Political Wire, Blaze Media, Bloomberg, The Guardian, GV Wire, CBS News and New York Times
Jeff Cox / CNBC:
Wholesale inflation jumps 6% in April on annual basis, biggest increase since 2022 … Wholesale prices in April posted their highest annual increase in more than three years, signaling more nettlesome inflation as pipeline costs intensify. — The producer price index rose a seasonally adjusted 1.4% …
Discussion:
Associated Press, UPI, New York Times, GV Wire, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, KEYT-TV, The Independent, Reuters and Breitbart
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
The biggest story in the country, today and always, is that the president of the United States is mentally unwell. — Over the course of three hours last night, he posted on social media fifty-five times. Those posts accused a number of those Trump considers his personal enemies …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow News and Raw Story
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
The Trump Counterterrorism Strategy Is a Dangerous Joke — The policy is unfocused, run by amateurs, and concerned more with the president's many grievances than the security of the United States. — Last week, the Trump administration released the official 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy.
Discussion:
Raw Story and War on the Rocks
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Wall Street Journal:
The Late-Night Truth Social Storms That Offer a Window Into the President's Mind — A WSJ analysis of thousands of posts found that the president uses the social-media platform to spread conspiracy theories and attack his adversaries — WASHINGTON—Monday was a typical day for President Trump.
Discussion:
MS NOW, Raw Story, Election Law Blog, Washington Post and Mediaite
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
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
Discussion:
The Hill, KTLA and NewsMax.com
Wall Street Journal:
Watchdog Probes Kristi Noem's Warehouse Purchases for ICE Detention Centers — The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general is investigating a $38 billion program championed by Noem — WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general has launched a probe …
Discussion:
New York Post, The Independent and Raw Story
John Vandiver / Stars & Stripes:
Austria scrambles fighters to intercept US Air Force aircraft twice in 2 days — STUTTGART, Germany — Austria scrambled fighter planes on back-to back days to intercept U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft traveling through its airspace, the country's defense ministry said this week.
Discussion:
The War Zone
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
FCC's Brendan Carr picks a fight with The View ... PN is supported by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 📡 Subscribe to PN 📡 — With so many cartoon villains in the Trump administration, it's hard for an upstart evildoer to break through the news cycle.
Discussion:
New York Sun
New York Times:
U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Substantial Missile Capabilities — Secret new assessments say Iran has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than President Trump has asserted.
Emily Hallas / Washington Examiner:
Concerns about sexual violence in Israel-Gaza conflict renewed amid NYT controversy — Accusations that Israel has fomented a culture of sexual violence against Palestinians triggered intense controversy this week, deepening the divide between the Jewish nation and its critics.
Washington Post:
White House to host 9-hour prayer festival focused on Christian roots of U.S. — Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and Mike Johnson will speak at the event, which centers on the idea that the founders wanted the U.S. to be explicitly Christian. — Summary — The Trump administration is hosting …
Discussion:
The Guardian and RNS
Greg Bluestein / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Brian Kemp signs law making many metro Atlanta races nonpartisan — The law applies to most local government races in Democratic-dominated areas. A court challenge is expected.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Jose Pagliery / NOTUS:
FBI Created ‘Payback Squad’ to Handle Political Cases, Sources Say — Investigators are eyeing cases similar to the recent criminal prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, one current government official told NOTUS. — Copy — The FBI now has a team of special agents that's …
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trump's five-alarm economy — President Trump flew to Beijing on Tuesday under some of the darkest economic clouds of his political career, leaving behind a country reeling from the cost of everyday life. … The inflation crisis that doomed his predecessor suggests he may not recover.
Discussion:
CBS News, The Guardian, Mock Paper Scissors, New Republic, Democrats, Bloomberg, The Independent, Daily Kos, Mercury News, PoliticusUSA and CNN
Axios:
Thomas Massie's ex accuses him of hush money offer — A former girlfriend of Rep. Thomas Massie accused him this week of offering her $5,000 to drop a wrongful termination complaint against his close ally, Rep. Victoria Spartz. … - President Trump is targeting the Kentucky Republican …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Mediaite, Raw Story and The Washington Free Beacon
Wall Street Journal:
Inside Marty Makary's Downfall at the FDA — Senior administration officials concluded the commissioner was out of step with President Trump's priorities — In the end, Dr. Marty Makary had just about run out of allies. — The chorus calling for the Food and Drug Administration commissioner …
Riley Rogerson / Politico:
Top House Democrats slam Jen Kiggans over radio host's ‘vile and racist language’ — Democrats are hammering Rep. Jen Kiggans after the vulnerable Virginia Republican concurred with a Richmond radio host saying Hakeem Jeffries should get his “cotton-picking hands” off Virginia politics.
Discussion:
New York Times, U.S. Home, Al Jazeera, TheGrio, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, KEYT-TV, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Newsweek, HuffPost and Washington Times

