Top Items:
Washington Post:
Mapping where the redistricting fight stands and where it's headed — As Trump pushes for a more Republican-friendly House map, more than half a dozen states are potential targets for mid-decade tweaks to congressional boundaries. — Summary — The redistricting arms race sparked …
Discussion:
Slate, The Atlantic, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Reuters and TheGrio
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Politico:
Poll: Democrats would give up Black voting power to beat the GOP
Discussion:
Letters from an American, Townhall, The Federalist, Chicago Sun Times and Bloomberg
Calen Razor / Politico:
‘Crush their souls’: Map losses spur Dem rage
‘Crush their souls’: Map losses spur Dem rage
Discussion:
Axios and Punchbowl News
Eduardo Medina / New York Times:
South Carolina Governor Plans Special Session to Redraw House Maps
South Carolina Governor Plans Special Session to Redraw House Maps
Discussion:
Post and Courier, UPI, Breitbart, CBS News, The Guardian, WXIA-TV, New York Sun, WIS-TV, MS NOW, WLTX-TV, New York Post, Fox Carolina, Greenville News, The Hill, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, Democracy Docket, Straight Arrow News, New Republic, Magnolia Tribune, Politico and Townhall
Associated Press:
Emails show FBI Director Kash Patel's Hawaii trip included ‘VIP snorkel’ at a Pearl Harbor memorial — When Kash Patel visited Hawaii last summer, the FBI took pains to note the director was not on vacation, highlighting his walking tour of the bureau's Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement.
Discussion:
MS NOW
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Trump Was Flattering, Xi Was Resolute. The Difference Spoke Volumes. — In contrast to his rhetoric about China at home, President Trump spoke in conciliatory terms with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader. — For President Trump, the first day of his visit to Beijing was all about the …
Discussion:
MS NOW, NPR and Washington Times
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Evelyn Cheng / CNBC:
Xi asks Trump if U.S. and China can avoid ‘Thucydides Trap’ at high-stakes summit … BEIJING — U.S. President Donald Trump met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday morning, kick-starting a high-stakes summit that is expected to cover trade, tariffs, Taiwan and Iran, and runs through Friday.
Phillips P. OBrien / Phillips's Newsletter:
Trump in China: A Case Study Of US Decline
Trump in China: A Case Study Of US Decline
Discussion:
New York Times, Human Events, Wall Street Journal, The Mahablog, The Bulwark, The Independent, HotAir, To the Contrary, New Republic and Althouse
Will Sommer / The Bulwark:
The Right's Worst New Star Just Shot Someone — There's a truly villainous new livestreamer who's become a cause célèbre on the right—a guy so bad he makes Clavicular's videos about drug overdoses and the Israeli mafia look like an episode of Bluey.
Discussion:
New York Times, Infinite Scroll, Originally Reported …, ClarksvilleNow.com, New York Post, U.S. Home, TMZ.com, IJR, Raw Story and KEYT-TV
New York Times:
U.S. Set to Drop Charges Against Indian Billionaire Accused of Fraud — The decision came after a lawyer for the billionaire, Gautam Adani, repeated an offer to invest $10 billion in the American economy and create 15,000 jobs. — 5 MIN READ — In a City of Big Dreams, Many Young Adults See a Cloudy Future
Discussion:
Bloomberg, MS NOW, Asia Times, Raw Story and Forbes, more at Techmeme »
Emily Goodin / New York Post:
Chaos erupts behind the scenes of Trump's China trip — including trampled White House aide — BEIJING — President Trump's much-anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been marred by multiple physical altercations just offstage. — Among the incidents that took place Thursday:
Discussion:
The Daily Wire, IJR, Instapundit, Jewish Insider, Breitbart, NewsMax.com, The Daily Caller and Semafor
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Washington Post:
Rubio is banned from China, but Beijing may have found a way around it — Chinese officials are using a different transliterated character for the secretary of state's name, perhaps to allow him to visit without lifting the 2020 ban. — Summary — Secretary of State Marco Rubio …
Discussion:
NBC News, The Diplomat, Straight Arrow News, New York Magazine, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, Al Jazeera, Fox News, NOTUS, Reuters, New York Post, The Wire China, The Hill, Mediaite, Washington Examiner and RedState
Axios:
Rep. Frederica Wilson eyes reelection despite Hill absence — Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) has told allies in her district that she plans to run for reelection despite her nearly month-long absence from the Hill, Axios has learned. … - But Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones …
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Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
Democratic Lawmaker, 83, Has Been Missing for a Month — Representative Frederica Wilson has yet to explain why she hasn't voted on a single issue since April 17. — The Florida Democrat has been missing in action for weeks, according to her documented voting record.
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller
Fox News:
US Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks abruptly resigns, Fox News learns — U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks told Fox News on Thursday he is resigning, effective immediately. — “It's just time,” Banks told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin. — “I feel like I got the ship back on course …
Discussion:
The Hill, CNBC, Straight Arrow News and The Independent
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Associated Press:
US Border Patrol chief Michael Banks is resigning, in latest DHS leadership change
Discussion:
Reuters, ABC News, New York Post, CBS News, UPI, The Daily Wire, Washington Times, RedState, WTTG-TV, One America News Network, WLT Report, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit and Associated Press
New Republic:
Trump Iran Tirade Visibly Rattles GOPers as Leaks Expose New Blunders — The fallout continues from Donald Trump's startling rant admitting that he isn't concerned with how the Iran war is impacting Americans' finances. On Wednesday, JD Vance, Mike Johnson, and numerous other Republicans struggled …
Discussion:
DCCC, Reuters, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, Grabien, HuffPost and CBS News
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Shir Perets / Jerusalem Post:
Israel to take legal action against ‘New York Times’ over claims of ‘dog rape’ of Palestinians — PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar instructed officials to prepare a defamation lawsuit against “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published” on Israel.
Discussion:
HotAir, Washington Times, Algemeiner.com, Jewish Insider, The Times of Israel and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »
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Mia Cathell / Washington Examiner:
Healthcare company CEO convicted of $1 billion Medicare fraud conspiracy — A federal jury in Florida has convicted the founder of a healthcare software company for defrauding Medicare and other federal healthcare benefit programs out of more than $1 billion.
Discussion:
US Department of Justice, CBS News, Breitbart, The Daily Caller and WLT Report
CNN:
Exclusive: Acting AG Todd Blanche was told last year to recuse from Justice Department matters involving Trump — Donald Trump Federal agencies Trump legal cases People in entertainment — It was less than two weeks after Todd Blanche took on his role of deputy attorney general in March 2025 …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Raw Story, E&E News and Mediaite
Christian Paz / Vox:
A year of Trump is backfiring on the religious right — This weekend, an array of Christian religious leaders and government officials are scheduled to gather at the National Mall in Washington, DC. They'll convene to pray, yes, but this rally — organized as part of the White House-backed …
Discussion:
Pew Research Center, Associated Press, RNS, The Forward, People For and Washington Post
Henry Burke / American Prospect:
Following the Money on Sean Duffy's Road Trip — The Revolving Door Project, a Prospect partner, scrutinizes the executive branch and presidential power. Follow them at therevolvingdoorproject.org. — Nearly three decades after starring on MTV's The Real World: Boston …
Discussion:
New York Times, MS NOW, Deseret News, The Atlantic and New York Sun
Nicholas Grossman / Arc Digital:
Proof the New York Times is Biased in Trump's Favor — President Donald Trump is on an official U.S. state visit to China, and he brought American business leaders in pursuit of deals. One is Trump's biggest campaign donor Elon Musk, which is very corrupt.
Discussion:
New York Times and MS NOW
Katherine Hapgood / Politico:
White House, Senate skeptical about House's amended housing bill — The White House on Thursday warned that the House's amended bipartisan housing bill lawmakers plan to vote on next week may contain “serious policy concerns or implementation challenges.” “The bill is under review.
Discussion:
ABA Banking Journal, The Hill and Washington Examiner
Brian Faler / Politico:
Ways and Means chief says he's focused on bipartisanship — House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith: Mr. Bipartisanship? Speaking at a conference Thursday sponsored by the Tax Council Policy Institute, the reliably partisan tax chieftain struck a conciliatory tone in saying he wants …
Kate Santaliz / Axios:
House Ethics panel announces sexual harassment investigation into Rep. Edwards — The House Ethics Committee said it is investigating Rep. Chuck Edwards over allegations of sexual harassment and creating a “hostile work environment” in a statement Thursday.
Discussion:
Townhall
Kevin E G Perry / The Independent:
Paul McCartney says one song has the power to unite Democrats and Republicans in Trump's America — The Beatles legend says the song stops political rivals from being 'at each other's throats' — Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to the ability of music to bring together warring factions …
Discussion:
Variety
Washington Post:
White House planned to start Triumphal Arch work under unrelated contract — The unusual move would allow the administration to bypass a public bidding process, relying on a deal for engineering services already underway at the White House. — Summary — The Trump administration planned …
Discussion:
Staff Stories and Raw Story
New York Times:
Open Primaries Have Their Fans. The Parties Are Not Among Them. — New research claims that bipartisan primaries have broad societal benefit, but opposition is growing, and Louisiana voters this weekend will participate in the state's first closed primary since 1978.
Matthew Kupfer / Democracy Docket:
FBI went to home of Milwaukee election official as Trump targets 2020 results — A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent visited the home of Milwaukee County's elections director earlier this week in an attempt to question her, the county clerk has said.
Wall Street Journal:
Crypto Industry Notches Win in Washington After Brawl With Banks — Marquee crypto bill advances past key Senate committee following furious lobbying campaigns by both sides — WASHINGTON—A bill that would create a pathway for crypto to further upend the world of traditional finance moved …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Information, New York Times and Politico, more at Techmeme »
The Atlantic:
The Election Deniers Are Winning — Clay Parikh, a cybersecurity expert from Alabama, spent years as a bit player in the world of election denial. He wasn't a star with his own media platform, like the MyPillow guy. But he still gained a modest following by circulating conspiracy theories …
Discussion:
Raw Story

