The real reason Democrats lost in 2024  —  My weekly Friday column is free to read, but it is not free to produce.  Become a paying member today to support work like this and all the original data Strength In Numbers publishes.  —  Upgrade to support Strength In Numbers

NATO allies bewildered by Trump's about-face on US troop moves in Europe  —  NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment on Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after he ordered the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

‘Goes to Show You How Stupid They Are’: Tillis Lets Loose on Trump Advisers  —  Sen. Thom Tillis isn't afraid to give his party, or the president, a dose of bitter medicine.  —  In an interview with POLITICO Magazine in his Capitol Hill Office, the retiring North Carolina Republican said his criticism …

Todd Blanche pulls his most eyebrow-raising move yet  —  When Todd Blanche announced charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center last month, critics accused him of placating President Donald Trump in an effort to secure the attorney general job permanently.

All charges dismissed against “Broadview Six,” defense says grand jury transcript revealed “gross misconduct”  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  All remaining charges against the “Broadview Six” defendants have been dismissed with prejudice, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros announced in court Thursday afternoon.

Their Loved Ones Died for the Voting Rights Act.  The Supreme Court's Ruling Is a New Injustice.  —  Dennis Dahmer was 12 years old in January 1966 when Klansmen stormed his family home and set it on fire, murdering his father, Vernon.  He still remembers the shootout; he remembers watching his father die from smoke inhalation.

Exclusive: Trump officials tried to ban half of U.S. voting machines, citing conspiracy theories  —  U.S. President Donald Trump's election-security czar last year sought to ban voting machines used in more than half of U.S. states by asking whether the Commerce Department could declare …

Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding will be on a small island in the Bahamas — without his father present, sources say  —  Relationships Trump family The Caribbean  —  The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., will wed Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson on a small island in the Bahamas this weekend …

G.O.P. Pulls Measure to End Iran War, Lacking Votes to Defeat It  —  House Republican leaders abruptly scrapped a planned vote on a measure to direct President Trump to end the conflict or win authorization for it, amid party defections and absences.  —  House Republicans on Thursday abruptly canceled …

Tom Kean Jr.'s absence from Congress makes Democrats bullish they can flip his seat … But others caution they're being “cocky” about taking down Kean, who's never been big on unscripted public appearances anyway.  On Thursday, Kean spoke to the New Jersey Globe and reiterated that he'll …

Trump yanked AI order after David Sacks raised industry concerns … But during a conversation with Trump, Sacks told the president that companies were already cooperating, and that having the federal government review models before their public release would slow down innovation and harm …

New Taliban Decree on Divorce Formalizes Child Marriage, U.N. Warns  —  A new Afghan law requires girls to wait until puberty before seeking to get out of a marriage.  It also requires mediation for women seeking to escape an abusive husband.  —  A decree published by the Taliban government …

Louisiana's Tough-on-Crime Policies Stand to Cost Taxpayers Millions More for Years to Come  —  The day after a shooting last month killed a teenager and injured five people at the Mall of Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry blasted what he referred to as “hug-a-thug” policies …

UF Interim President to Receive $2M Exit Package  —  University of Florida interim president Donald Landry is set to receive a $2 million payout as part of an unusual contract provision entitling him to severance pay if he didn't get the permanent job.  —  On Monday UF announced …

Scoop: Trump escalates citizenship crackdown  —  The Trump administration is temporarily moving immigration lawyers to the Justice Department to speed up efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans, Axios has learned. … - One source said staffers were being “volun-told” to move offices.

I'd Like to Apply for the Anti-Weaponization Fund  —  It's me, Jim.  A few weeks ago, we brushed past each other at the French Ambassador's residence.  As an aside, does Donald Trump know you were mixing and mingling with journalists, Democratic figures, and members of the diplomatic community …

Poll shows voter confidence in economy plummeting to a nearly 4-year low  —  Concerns about rising costs are a problem for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections as Trump struggles to deliver on affordability pledges.  —  Summary  —  Americans' confidence in the economy has hit a nearly four-year low …

Homeland Security's Plan to Squeeze International Flights  —  Sign up for Inside the Trump Presidency, a newsletter featuring coverage of the second Trump term.  —  In early April, shortly after Markwayne Mullin took over the Department of Homeland Security, he floated an idea on Fox News …