Trump Says He May Remove Some Iran-Linked Sanctions on China  —  President Donald Trump said he's weighing whether to ease sanctions on Chinese oil companies that buy supplies from Iran, a move that would mark a concession to Beijing after his summit with President Xi Jinping.

Trump poised to drop IRS suit, launch $1.7B ‘weaponization’ fund for allies: Sources  —  The fund would compensate allies who claim they were targeted under Biden.  —  Katherine Faulders, Peter Charalambous, and Alexander Mallin  —  President Donald Trump gives remarks during …

Senate Parliamentarian Kills Core of Republicans' ICE Funding Package  —  Senate rulekeeper strips CBP appropriations and $2.5B DHS fund, citing conflicts with child protection laws — and the Trump administration's own record.  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate's top rulekeeper has delivered …

Penile implant specialist with history of far-right comments led Hantavirus presser  —  Vaccines Media Donald Trump Abortion rights  —  As the Trump administration sought to reassure Americans this week that a hantavirus outbreak posed little risk to the public, Dr. Brian Christine …

CIA chief makes historic trip to Cuba as US blockade chokes island's energy supplies … The U.S. has reiterated its offer of assistance to Cuba in exchange for “fundamental changes” to its communist political regime after CIA director John Ratcliffe visited the Caribbean island nation on Thursday.

Empty Waymos invade Atlanta neighborhood, circle cul-de-sac for hours with no passengers  —  ATLANTA — Waymo's self-driving cars can be seen all over Atlanta streets, giving rideshare trips through Uber.  —  But what happens when they're empty?  —  In one northwest Atlanta neighborhood …

The Former Republican Senator Who Wants the GOP to Turn on Trump  —  In a new book, Lamar Alexander hopes to chart a post-Trump world for his party.  — Copy  —  On Jan. 8, 2021, just after retiring from the Senate, Lamar Alexander returned to the U.S. Capitol for his COVID booster …

You can't gerrymander a bad approval rating  —  Trump's net approval is historically weak for this point in a presidency — and his approval on handling prices and the economy is even worse than Joe Biden's low  —  Strength In Numbers is a reader-supported newsletter that covers politics …

Mystery Grows Around Representative Thomas Kean Jr.'s Absence  —  Representative Thomas Kean Jr. last voted in Washington on March 5, citing a medical issue.  An appearance planned for late May has been canceled.  —  Where is Representative Thomas Kean Jr.?  —  Lately, curious political watchers have noted where Mr. Kean is not.

Tony's Trouble in Taipei … On Thursday evening, Tony Dokoupil once again anchored the “CBS Evening News” alone from Taiwan after failing to secure a visa to broadcast from Beijing, where Donald Trump is meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on a high-stakes foreign trip.

Orban's media empire crumbles after Hungary election defeat  —  The media empire built by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, a key pillar of the nationalist leader's 16 years in power, is swiftly unravelling following an election last month that abruptly ended his rule.

Alex Haley's “Roots” to be removed from Knox County Schools libraries  —  KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Alex Haley's book “Roots” is included in an updated list of book titles to be removed from Knox County Schools libraries.  —  The schools previously removed other books from shelves due …

Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion pill, while lawsuit plays out  —  The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved women's access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues.

Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom  —  President Trump's “big, beautiful bill,” state budget turmoil and new attacks on paid family caregiving have people fearing financial ruin as they fight to keep loved ones out of institutions.

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.

Trump announces planned D.C. site for massive sculpture garden  —  A new memorial project in West Potomac Park would probably require congressional approval.  —  Summary  —  President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration had selected Washington's West Potomac Park as the site of his planned …

‘No idea it was coming’: Pentagon officials stunned by Hegseth decision on troops in Poland … “We had no idea this was coming,” said one of the U.S. officials, adding that European and American officials have spent the last 24 hours on the phone trying to understand the decision and figure out if more surprises are coming.

How Many Temporary Shocks Make a New Inflation Trend?  —  Inflation rose faster than expected in April, thanks to higher gas prices due to the war with Iran.  The numbers pose a challenge to incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh: Appointed by a president who favors lower interest rates regardless …

13 men killed by US military boat strikes identified: ‘These were flesh-and-blood people’  —  All victims of US strikes in eastern Pacific and the Caribbean identified so far came from extremely poor communities  —  A five-month investigation has named 13 previously unidentified victims …

Focus: Prediction markets see surge in suspicious trades as popularity explodes  —  Top prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket have witnessed a surge in suspicious trades this year, highlighting the popularity of the models with investors but causing a challenge to the platforms as they face increased scrutiny.

Bluesky is a record store … This was during the post-election haze, when people were abandoning Twitter X in droves, and turning to Bluesky.  Piece by piece, all the parts of old-Twitter that people actually liked were being reassembled on Bluesky.  —  I still think there's something to that.

Investigation into top Mamdani appointee heats up  —  Presented by With additional help from Gelila Negesse  —  HAPPY FRIDAY.  This is Chris Sommerfeldt in New York City, where an investigation into a top Mamdani administration official is ramping up.  I got a scoop on that to start us off …