Top Items:
Phelim Kine / Politico:
Trump's snub of South Korea sends region scrambling — The Trump administration's snub of South Korea has America's allies in Asia rethinking how much they can depend on the U.S. for defense — and looking to each other to reduce their reliance on Washington.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Council on Foreign Relations, BBC, Politico, CBS News and Breitbart
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Jesse Johnson / The Japan Times:
North Korea fires off barrage of missiles hours after Trump says he plans to meet Kim — Pyongyang fired off a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, Seoul said, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
Discussion:
UPI, Washington Post, American Greatness, Fox News, The Korea Herald, Asia Times, France 24, Bloomberg, NK News and Washington Times
Daniel Tudor / Financial Times:
North Korea dismisses Donald Trump's overture
North Korea dismisses Donald Trump's overture
Discussion:
Reuters, The Korea Herald, Associated Press, RedState, Bloomberg, The Korea Times, Al Jazeera, The Japan Times, Washington Examiner and KQTV-TV
MS NOW:
Trump aide Natalie Harp worked at the White House without security clearance for a year — The close aide to the president, known to filter much of the information reaching the commander-in-chief, ultimately relented in recent months after pressure from White House staff.
Discussion:
The Independent, Politico, TMZ.com, NewsNation, twitchy.com, Yahoo News, NewsMax.com, Esquire, Metro.co.uk, Lawyers, Guns & Money, HuffPost, Boston.com, Daily Mail, CNN and The Hill
Kimberly Leonard / Politico:
Florida Dems scramble to regroup after Nixon upset — MIAMI — Progressive Angie Nixon's stunning upset in Florida's Senate race has many Democrats in the state spiraling. — The Jacksonville lawmaker's primary victory on Tuesday night over retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman jolted a state few thought would hold any surprises.
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, MS NOW, Wall Street Journal, NewsMax.com, The Bulwark, twitchy.com, Newsweek, New York Post, National Review, The Contrarian, TheGrio, Fox News, Palm Beach Post, CBS News, Democracy Docket, Associated Press, Capital B News, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HotAir, Political Wire, Breitbart, Jewish Insider, The American Conservative, Bloomberg and New York Times
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Karen Tumulty / Washington Post:
Democrats are moving past the resistance. They want a new kind of fighter. — Prominent Democrats from President Donald Trump's first-term battles are losing in primaries, a signal their party wants something else as it looks to 2028. — Summary — For more than a decade …
Discussion:
NBC News, Townhall, Washington Examiner and Fox News
Praveena Somasundaram / Washington Post:
What it means that Democrats are winning special elections in Trump country
What it means that Democrats are winning special elections in Trump country
Discussion:
The Downballot, NBC News, NewsNation, Axios, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, Newsweek and Greensburg Tribune-Review
Alan Rappeport / New York Times:
U.S. Debt Hits $40 Trillion as America's Borrowing Binge Continues — President Trump's promises to restore fiscal order and reduce the amount of America's debt burden have been hampered by spending on the Iran war, tax cuts and tariff refunds. — America's gross national debt topped $40 trillion …
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Steve Thompson / Washington Post:
U.S. debt hits $40 trillion faster than forecasters expected
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, CBS News and Pen Strokes
Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:
The US national debt now stands at $40 trillion
The US national debt now stands at $40 trillion
Discussion:
Newsweek, New York Times, The Hill, NewsMax.com and Fox Business
Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
'It's Bonkers': Jennifer Hegseth's Hands-On Role in Her Husband's Pentagon — After an 18-year career at Fox News, she is now her husband's most influential adviser and de facto producer, shaping the job like no Pentagon spouse has before. — There has never been a Pentagon spouse quite like Jennifer Hegseth.
Discussion:
The Independent
Politico:
Trump's pick to lead the FDA faces uphill Senate battle — Heidi Overton's years of loyalty to Donald Trump helped her become his pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, one of the government's most powerful regulatory agencies. But that devotion could ruin her chances at Senate confirmation.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Times, UPI, The Hill, KQTV-TV and CNN
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Washington Post:
Trump joins leaders of crypto companies in push for industry-backed bill
Discussion:
New York Times, Forbes, One America News Network, Washington Times, Bloomberg, Sludge, The Hill and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »
Torrie Herrington / NOTUS:
Trump Nominates Aide Heidi Overton for FDA Commissioner
Trump Nominates Aide Heidi Overton for FDA Commissioner
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, RedState, Associated Press, The Independent, One America News Network, The Hill, LifeNews.com, Townhall, Washington Times, Roll Call, Common Dreams, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, The Guardian, CBS News, Fox News, NewsMax.com, Los Angeles Times, NewsNation, Mississippi Free Press, PBS NewsHour, Washington Examiner, Mock Paper Scissors, Federal News Network, MS NOW, Ars Technica, STAT, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, UPI, Bloomberg, KQTV-TV and Politico
Gregory Svirnovskiy / Politico:
Michael Cohen won't say if he'll use his Trump interview to seek a pardon — Michael Cohen and President Donald Trump have apparently patched up their differences in private. Now, they can do it in public. — The president is scheduled to do a phone interview Thursday with Cohen …
Discussion:
DUS IZ NIES, Washington Times and Daily Mail
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Graham Kates / CBS News:
Michael Cohen, Trump's fixer-turned-nemesis, says he'll interview former boss
Discussion:
Newsweek and NewsMax.com
Jake Traylor / MS NOW:
Trump to be interviewed by Michael Cohen
Trump to be interviewed by Michael Cohen
Discussion:
NOTUS, Townhall, New York Times, The Independent, Forbes, The Wrap, Breitbart and The Hill
Axios:
Data center uproar scrambles the midterm election — A new populist fever is coursing through the midterms, forcing campaigns to retreat and recalibrate as they confront a groundswell of hostility toward AI data centers. … Candidates in both parties are now racing to distance themselves …
Discussion:
The Hill, Daily Kos and Washington Examiner, more at Techmeme »
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Theodoric Meyer / Washington Post:
Ties to data centers could cost Ohio Sen. Jon Husted his seat, memo warns
Ties to data centers could cost Ohio Sen. Jon Husted his seat, memo warns
Discussion:
ABC News, The Hill, Truthout and NewsMax.com
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
Trump's Human Printer Is Cray-Cray — It would be much better if they *were* sleeping together. — 1,147 … Join — 1. Nataly. Natali. Nathalie. — We have to talk about the Trump-Natalie Harp thing. I'm sorry. I had a big piece about economics teed up for today.
The Hill:
Trump announces ‘most crushing economic operation ever’ against Iran — President Trump announced Wednesday evening the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER” against Iran amid negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading waterway that has been effectively closed since early March.
Discussion:
CBS News, NewsNation, Jewish Insider, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, UPI, Reuters, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, HuffPost, Scripps News, Washington Times, Al Jazeera and The Maine Wire
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NBC News:
Mike Lindell says he'll pay for recount after double-digit loss in Minnesota governor primary — The MyPillow founder said he's prepared to pay nearly $1 million to cover the costs associated with a hand recount after he lost to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
Discussion:
The Hill, MPR News, KSTP-TV and RealClearPolitics
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Eric Henderson / CBS News:
Mike Lindell says he will fund statewide hand recount after losing Minnesota GOP primary by double digits
Mike Lindell says he will fund statewide hand recount after losing Minnesota GOP primary by double digits
Discussion:
The Guardian, Salon and Washington Examiner
Wall Street Journal:
New Drone Unit to Be Phased Out as Hegseth's Army Pick Makes His Mark — Gen. Christopher LaNeve takes aim at a cutting-edge drone unit, one of several moves he has made since taking over the Army — WASHINGTON—The Army took a major step to prepare for wars of the future in January …
NOTUS:
Trump Considers a Press Secretary Shakeup: Picking a Man — After four female press secretaries during his two terms, President Donald Trump has told close advisers he would prefer a man to fill Karoline Leavitt's position, NOTUS has learned. — The pick would be meant to stave off comparisons …
NPR:
Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting — A highly unusual Census Bureau report that President Trump is using to reup dubious claims of widespread illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens has ties to a Trump-aligned think tank, NPR has learned.
Andrew Howard / Politico:
The Freedom Caucus is having a brutal primary run — The hard-right Freedom Caucus is having a rough primary season. — Candidates with backing from the caucus and its allies flopped in primaries from Florida to Wyoming on Tuesday, adding to a string of recent losses for the group.
Discussion:
New York Times, NBC News, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Pluribus News and Cowboy State Daily
Wall Street Journal:
Build First, Ask Questions Later: Trump's Ballroom Puts Supreme Court in a Bind — The administration says it is too late to unwind the project, even though two courts ruled against it — WASHINGTON—President Trump's half-built White House ballroom is a 90,000-square-foot embodiment …
Discussion:
Forbes
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
Vance raises $5 million at big Hamptons event — Vice President Vance hosted a Wednesday evening fundraiser in Southampton, N.Y., for young Republican donors that raised more than $5 million, Axios has learned. … - Attendees included Donald Trump Jr., Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan and GRV Strategies founder Garrett Ventry.
NOTUS:
Trump's Allies Want to Know the Plan in Iran — If There Is One — President Donald Trump's shifting statements on Iran have made it difficult for even allies to know the real plan for the war — let alone defend it to the American people. — Two House members told NOTUS …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Forbes and The Hill
Mychael Schnell / MS NOW:
The Republican town hall is vanishing — and Democrats see an opening — Republicans say in-person town halls are outdated, unsafe and ineffective. Democrats say that is precisely the point: Lawmakers should not be able to avoid angry constituents simply because the interactions might be uncomfortable.
Kevin Frey / MS NOW:
House Democrats add five more candidates to ‘Red to Blue’ list — The party's House campaign arm added five candidates — including three military veterans — to its top-recruit list Thursday. — As the Iran war grinds past the six-month mark, House Democrats are betting that candidates …
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Examiner and Roll Call
MS NOW:
The Navy's ships risk wearing out in the Iran war — Former Navy leaders are concerned the Iran war is wearing down the Navy's aircraft carriers — including the USS Abraham Lincoln — which is putting a strain on long-term war-fighting capabilities of the fleet.
Discussion:
New York Post
Washington Post:
Three more Trump-endorsed candidates lose their primaries — 10 candidates backed by the president have lost so far in 2026, nearly tying his worst year in 2022. — For nearly a decade, President Donald Trump has prided himself as a GOP kingmaker, bestowing his “Complete and Total Endorsement” …
Discussion:
Brookings, CNN, New York Times, Washington Examiner, Deseret News, New York Post, NewsMax.com, Daily Kos, Florida Politics and New Republic


