Exclusive: Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll  —  The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Cornyn's Defeat Fuels Tensions With President Trump in Senate G.O.P.  —  Senators are angry President Trump turned on a respected former leader whom they consider a loyal Republican.  Now Mr. Trump faces resistance from his own embittered ranks.  — 1.2k

Mullin ‘drawing up plans’ to halt international flight processing in ‘sanctuary cities’  —  Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said late Tuesday he is “drawing up plans” to end the processing of international flights in left-leaning cities, pointing to protests outside …

Reflecting Pool Contract Has ‘Inflated’ Profit Margin, Government Analysis Finds … A National Park Service analysis found that the contractor given a no-bid contract to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being paid an inflated and excessive profit margin, according to federal documents obtained by The New York Times.

‘60 Minutes’ Journalist Sharyn Alfonsi Loses Deal After Dispute With Bari Weiss  —  Sharyn Alfonsi, whose segment on a brutal Salvadoran prison was pulled abruptly in December, said that CBS News and its top editor, Bari Weiss, had let her contract expire.  —  CBS News declined to renew …

Jill Biden says she was “frightened” by Joe Biden's 2024 debate performance, thought he was having a stroke  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  Former first lady Jill Biden said she was “frightened” by her husband Joe Biden's 2024 debate performance and thought he was having a stroke.

Entertainers unveiled for 250th US birthday bash on National Mall  —  An eclectic mix of entertainers is poised to join a massive bash on the National Mall marking America's 250th birthday that's being billed as a “once-in-a-generation celebration.”  —  Country music star Martina McBride …

Trump threatens Oman in latest play to open the Strait of Hormuz … Global gas prices are on the rise as a result.  And near-nonexistent transit through the strait has raised the specter of a worldwide food crisis on the horizon, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization warned last week.

AP Exclusive: Trump administration tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela leader, sources say  —  The Trump administration has quietly instructed federal prosecutors in Miami to avoid pursuing criminal investigations into Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez …

House Democrats announce bill to block construction of Trump's arch  —  The legislation would explicitly bar new construction on the small island on the edge of Washington where Trump seeks to put the arch.  —  House Democrats on Wednesday announced legislation intended to block the construction …

Exclusive: US carries out new strikes in Iran against military site, official says  —  The U.S. military has carried out new strikes in Iran targeting a military site that officials believed posed a threat to U.S. forces and commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Exclusive: NSF puts new research grants to top universities on hold … - Dan Garisto  —  Search author on:  —  PubMed Google Scholar  —  The US National Science Foundation (NSF) — a major funder of basic research — has restricted the flow of new research grants to a group of elite universities, Nature has learnt.

‘Trump Wants Good News’: the Pentagon Is Under Pressure to Sanitize Iran War Data  —  The president ‘rejects bad news as fake,’ one U.S. official says.  'He's getting what he is paying for.'  —  ∙ Paid  —  For months, staffers for Pete Hegseth's Pentagon have been under tremendous pressure …

Trump's DHS chief rocked by wild rumor about his WIFE... as furious staff leak scandalous details about his life of luxury  —  Department of Homeland Security leader Markwayne Mullin is desperately trying to get his wife, Christie Mullin, hired onto DHS's payroll, four insiders have told the Daily Mail.

Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow use of congressional map helping GOP, despite racial bias ruling  —  Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, despite a court ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.

Ball State Settles With Ex-Employee for $225,000 Over Charlie Kirk Posts  —  Ball State University is the latest institution to agree to pay workers who lost their jobs over their posts about the conservative activist.  —  Ball State University in Indiana has agreed to pay $225,000 …

ICE detainees are dying by suicide at an ‘alarming’ rate, an AP investigation finds  —  Brayan Rayo Garzon was distraught.  Detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he was on his fourth day of isolation in a Missouri jail as he battled the fevers and chills of COVID-19.

Former CIA officer accused of stealing 300 gold bars, sources say  —  The longtime senior officer was also accused of lying about his background for nearly two decades, according to court documents about the case.  —  WASHINGTON — A former CIA senior officer with Top-Secret level clearance …

‘It Was Amazing!’  CO Springs Murder Suspect Attended Jan. 6 Riot  —  Tim Arvidson, who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for Colorado Senate, was arrested yesterday after allegedly shooting and killing a man in Colorado Springs.

A GOP dirty tricks operation, exposed  —  On April 24, a new super PAC called Lead Left quietly filed a Statement of Organization with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).  According to the group's website, “Lead Left PAC stands against MAGA extremists who will infect our country with Donald Trump's agenda.”

Dell Wins $9.7 Billion Defense Deal to Streamline Software Buys  —  A unit of Dell Technologies Inc. won a $9.7 billion contract to help the US military handle its licenses for Microsoft Corp. software related to email, spreadsheets and other needs across classified and unclassified systems, the Pentagon said.

Court Orders Customs Chief to Address Compliance on Refunding Tariffs  —  The surprising demand to appear at a hearing suggested new concern about the Trump administration's efforts to repay the full $166 billion owed from illegally imposed tariffs.  —  A federal trade court has ordered Rodney S. Scott …

Former Judges Urge Inquiry Into Deal Trump Struck With I.R.S.  —  The motion was particularly significant because it asked the judge overseeing the initial suit against the I.R.S. to examine the terms of the deal.  —  A bipartisan group of 35 former federal judges on Wednesday asked the judge …

Donald Trump's Board of Peace fund is empty  —  Despite $17bn in pledges, organisation is stuck in limbo with no money flowing to projects in Gaza

U.S., Iran in fresh clashes amid peace talks … - The U.S. military shot down the drones and attacked another Iranian drone launching unit on the ground before, the official added. … - The statement added: “U.S. forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The Democratic lead on the House generic ballot is now as large as it was in 2018  —  The Democratic Party may be in disarray, but Democratic voters are not  —  FiftyPlusOne, Mary Radcliffe, and G. Elliott Morris … In the last few weeks, Democrats have significantly improved their standing in generic ballot polls.

The Ship of Theseus  —  You're reading Boiling Frogs, Nick Catoggio's daily newsletter on politics.  To unlock the full version, become a Dispatch member today.  —  Count me among those who believe that the conventional wisdom about last night's Texas Senate Republican runoff has the cause and effect backward.

In one of his final acts, DeSantis calls for vote on sweeping Florida property tax cut … DeSantis' effort to overhaul property taxes will be likely be his last substantive policy push during his eight years in office.  But he has two potential obstacles: The governor must convince …

Buyer's remorse hits Trump's Latino voters  —  One-in-four Hispanic Trump voters saying they would not vote for him again if given the choice, according to a new UnidosUS poll. … - Now, a new UnidosUS/BSP Research/Shaw & Co poll suggests those voters remain highly movable …