What to make of Michigan  —  Abdul El-Sayed's apparent victory is a big win for the left — but a disaster for polling and a case study in poor expectations management.  —  It's just past 4 a.m. here on the East Coast, and as I write this, Abdul El-Sayed leads Haley Stevens by only 1.4 points …

Judge signals Trump's defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal may be dismissed again  —  Obama-appointed judge seemed unmoved by Trump attorneys' arguments in case also naming Murdoch  —  A federal judge in Florida seemed skeptical of arguments from Donald Trump's legal team on Wednesday …

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives  —  Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers to drastically raise the threshold for passing citizen ballot measures—which in recent years have allowed Missourians …

Candidate who dropped out beats Trump's pick in a battleground GOP House primary  —  NBC News projects Thomas Smith, who raised very little money for his bid, won the Republican nomination in Michigan's 8th District.  —  Thomas Smith, a political unknown who raised almost no money for his campaign …

Fetterman to oppose Blanche's nomination to head Justice Department  —  Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) says he will vote against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to serve in the role permanently, putting more pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to limit GOP defections on the high-profile nominee.

Mike Johnson breaks his silence on Max Miller, calls for ‘process to play out’  —  Speaker Mike Johnson broke days of silence on explosive allegations of domestic abuse by Rep. Max Miller, calling for investigations to play out as Miller's former father-in-law, a GOP senator …

Cost of Trump's Namesake Warships Likely to Rise by 50 Percent or More  —  President Trump's goal of building a “golden fleet” of 15 battleships could cost $275 billion, according to a government estimate.  —  A new class of warships that President Trump says will anchor a “golden fleet” …

Helicopter Carrying Trump Flies Near Passenger Jet in Washington Airspace  —  Marine One, the helicopter that ferries the president, came within less than a mile of an Envoy Air flight on Tuesday, raising new concerns about air traffic control in the congested area.

As anger mounts, feds tell border wall contractors to stop drilling for water in New Mexico  —  Play  —  New Mexico's state engineer is threatening to cancel the licenses of two drilling companies that have been working on construction of a new border wall.

Mamdani Is Shunning New York Business Leaders Who Are Used to Calling the Shots  —  The mayor fired corporate leaders from a city fund's advisory board, the latest sign that he is changing how executives access City Hall  —  New York City's business elites are long accustomed to direct access to City Hall …

Meta Ran Ads That Contained AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Imagery  —  More than 50 offending image and video ads were published across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or Threads, according to Meta's ad library data.  Some ran as recently as this week.

rent, always rent  —  I have occasionally said in the past that training in Marxist economics tends to give you a) a weird, unrealistic and largely useless theory of economics plus b) a clear understanding of how economics relates to political power.  While a training in mainstream neoclassical economics …

Jeanine Pirro crashes into the limit of Trump's lies  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🫵 Subscribe to PN 🫵  —  In the ultimate Friday night news dump, US Attorney for the District of Washington DC Jeanine Pirro filed …

Bidenomics Was More Successful Than People Think  —  Conventional wisdom holds that Joe Biden's bet on climate investment was a bust.  The data suggest otherwise.  —  Joe Biden's signature climate law was not just about climate.  The Inflation Reduction Act was also a big bet …

TPS for Haitians officially ends, putting thousands out of work and in limbo  —  A federal judge took the final step in allowing the Trump administration to terminate humanitarian protections for 350,000 Haitians in the United States.  —  Summary  —  A federal judge on Wednesday took …

Sen. Kennedy: ‘Sometimes the FCC scares me right now’  —  Sen. John Kennedy voiced unease Wednesday with Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr's scrutiny of broadcast television — the latest GOP complaint about the agency's aggressive treatment of President Donald Trump's perceived media adversaries.

FBI Secretly Opened Probe Alleging Trump Fired Comey because he was a Russian Asset, Declassified Memos Show  —  The FBI opened a criminal probe specifically targeting Donald Trump in May 2017, alleging the newly elected president may have been acting as a Russian asset when he fired …

Arrested at Reflecting Pool, woman details ‘heartbreaking’ toll case has taken  —  Sophie Dennison-Gibby was one of three defendants charged with a misdemeanor related to Reflecting Pool damage.  The charges were all dropped.  —  Summary  —  Sophie Dennison-Gibby, a veterinarian …

Scandal Leaves North Carolina G.O.P. With No Candidate and Little Time  —  Representative Chuck Edwards's decision to drop his re-election bid amid sexual harassment charges came as a Democratic farmer, Jamie Ager, was already making inroads.  —  On Monday night, Jim Fulton …

AP Exclusive: Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents  —  President Donald Trump's administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue …

Trump deportations cost taxpayers $2,358 each  —  American taxpayers would pay about $2,358 each for President Trump's mass deportation push, according to a new calculator tool from the Economic Policy Institute. … - “In almost every place in the country, there a lot of people who are struggling …

'If we don't fight back, we don't have a future': the journalist taking on the ‘tech fascists’ of Silicon Valley  —  As Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and their peers have grown richer and more influential, Gil Durán argues they have all but abandoned democracy - and found the perfect government to enable them

Trump's Fury at Reflecting Pool Mess Darkens as Damning New Leaks Hit  —  Donald Trump has been raging at Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., because she dropped those high-profile prosecutions for alleged vandalism of his Reflecting Pool renovation.  That pressure is corrupt on its own.

Cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded to six more states  —  The CDC's planned update marks a significant expansion in the outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms. … A massive cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce has expanded to an additional six states …

Federal appeals court upholds Florida law restricting drag performances  —  A federal appeals court has ruled to uphold a Florida law that restricts minors from attending certain “adult live performances,” including drag, according to a report by the Tallahassee Democrat.

Hegseth's choice for Army chief hits Senate snag  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's expected choice for Army chief of staff faces resistance that could imperil his confirmation, according to the chair of the panel that needs to approve it.  Senate Armed Services head Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) …