Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool case, blaming damage on ‘botched’ installation  —  The Justice Department said “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Tankers near Oman come under fire as Iran threatens to choke off shipping routes … A tanker near Oman reported being struck overnight, with another saying it saw an explosion nearby as Iran warned Washington that the U.S. military's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would result in the closure of key shipping routes.

Trump says he wishes anti-weaponization fund wasn't dead, angering senators he needs to confirm Blanche  —  President Donald Trump said Friday that the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund for so-called victims of government abuse is “dead” - as much as he'd like it not to be.

The Fake ‘Invasion’ of Spain: What You Need to Know  —  9 things you should know about the so-called ‘crisis’ of Moroccan migrants forcing their way into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta - and the hysterical response from the right in the U.S., UK, and EU.  —  Team Zeteo  —  ∙ Paid

Hackers targeted municipal water systems in 7 states this week, FBI says  —  The federal warning comes after more than 30 water facilities in Minnesota were breached. … Cyberattacks targeting municipal water systems have been reported in at least seven states this week …

Are Young Republicans Too Based to Work for Congress? … The grownups are worried.  In group chats and at happy hours, some GOP veterans fret about the rising generation of young staffers in their party.  The recurring complaint: The pipeline that feeds young conservative talent into government jobs is defective — if not broken.

U.S. general warns Pentagon he lacks sufficient forces to protect Israel  —  A shortage of Navy destroyers, used to defend against Iranian ballistic missile attacks, will force the head of U.S. European Command to prioritize the U.S. homeland instead, officials said.  —  Summary

Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It  —  The White House tried but failed to block funding for preschool for poor children.  Instead, it will seek to strip away standards on health, literacy — and brushing teeth.  —  The Trump administration is preparing …

How Ukraine Is Making Inroads Into Once-Hostile Territory: MAGA  —  Ukraine and its supporters have invested years in trying to undo the skepticism of the country's war effort harbored by President Trump's MAGA movement and the president himself.  —  Ken Bensinger and Constant Méheut

Trump stands to profit off US policy announcements by selling fast access to his social media posts  —  Investors looking to get a jump on White House announcements will be able to buy sneak peeks starting Saturday as a Trump family company starts selling special, fast access to the president's posts on social media

LAPD officer who recorded colleagues' racist comments charged with felony eavesdropping  — 5 min Click here to listen to this article … - Prosecutors are expected to charge that LAPD officer Daniel Flores violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act, which prohibits recording others without their consent.

She Voted for a Justice Who Overturned Roe.  Now it Haunts Her on the Trail.  —  Senator Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights, endorsed Brett Kavanaugh's nomination for the Supreme Court.  It has emerged as a major issue in her campaign for re-election.  —  Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Warsh Considers Reducing Frequency of Fed Policy Meetings  —  The Federal Reserve has met at least eight times a year for decades.  Reducing the number of meetings would represent the biggest change by Kevin M. Warsh since he became chairman.  —  Kevin M. Warsh is considering reducing …

Google Earth's New AI Lets Anyone Fabricate Completely Bullshit Satellite Images  —  On Thursday, Google introduced a new AI feature into Google Earth which lets anyone fabricate all sorts of misleading or straight up inaccurate satellite imagery, from making it look like a specific place …

Editor of Washington Post Opinion Section Resigns After 1 Year  —  Adam O'Neal inherited a mandate from the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, to shift toward “personal liberties and free markets.”  —  Adam O'Neal, the top editor of The Washington Post's opinion section, resigned on Friday …