Top Items:
Politico:
‘We are hemorrhaging’: Cracks emerge in GOP's Florida firewall — President Donald Trump is not making it easy for Republicans in Florida to keep their firewall. — The same forces undercutting the GOP in other states — including Trump's war in Iran and ensuing high gas prices …
Discussion:
Mother Jones
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Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
This Is the Biggest Reason Why a Blue Wave Is Probably Coming — There are lots of reasons to believe Democrats are about to crush the midterm elections. Donald Trump's average job approval is below 40 percent, about 5 points lower than it was in the 2018 midterms, which were deemed a “Blue Wave.”
Politico:
Remember the Talarico — With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner — Good Friday morning. How would you rate the menu served to guests at the White House's state dinner for China's Xi Jinping? Get in touch. — In today's Playbook ... — James Talarico defies the laws of Texas and Democratic politics.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
3 big questions as GOP nears moment of truth
3 big questions as GOP nears moment of truth
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and HuffPost
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Week Republicans Finally Panicked About Trump — Here's a thought experiment: try listening to the speech that Donald Trump gave, earlier this week, at the United Nations General Assembly as if you'd never heard Trump before—or, at least, not for a long while.
Discussion:
Politico
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David Dayen / American Prospect:
Republicans Had 690 Days to Oppose Trump — This article was featured in the Daily Prospect newsletter. Sign up for it here. — After a notable absence, an anti-war movement has emerged to finally challenge a president over the unpopular conflict in Iran.
Discussion:
Politico, Reuters, The American Conservative, The Hill and HuffPost
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP senators dismayed by Trump embrace of Xi after China helped Iran target US troops — Republican senators are expressing concern and dismay over President Trump's lavish welcome of Chinese President Xi Jinping to a two-day summit in Washington after it was revealed earlier this month …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Daily Boulder, The Independent, Semafor, Bloomberg, Daily Mail, Middle East Monitor, Associated Press, CBS News, Fox News and Scripps News
Politico:
Republicans say they want to address data centers. Democrats smell a campaign-season rat. … Senate Democrats will soon have to decide whether to do one of their most vulnerable Republican colleagues a big political favor just weeks before the midterm elections.
Eric Lau / Washington Post:
How every senator voted on the Iran war powers resolution
How every senator voted on the Iran war powers resolution
Discussion:
NBC News, Newsweek, HotAir, RedState, The Washington Sun, Stars & Stripes, CBS News, NPR, ABC News, NewsNation, Axios, Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox News, The Guardian, MS NOW, Wall Street Journal and Politico
Julian Mark / Washington Post:
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticizes Supreme Court's use of emergency docket — In a public appearance, Jackson said the high court's use of the emergency docket was “problematic” and called for more restraint from her colleagues when using it. — SummaryLoading...
Discussion:
New York Post, The Washington Sun, USA Today, TheGrio and New York Times
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Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Jackson skewers Supreme Court over emergency docket
Jackson skewers Supreme Court over emergency docket
Discussion:
Fox News, The Hill, Courthouse News Service, Reason and Law.com
New York Times:
A Quiet ICE Surge That Unfolded ‘Everywhere All at Once’ This Summer — A review of dozens of incidents caught on camera sheds new light on a largely invisible crackdown. — The most effective escalation of President Trump's mass deportation campaign happened quietly.
New Republic:
MAGA Radio Host Humiliates Trump by Leaking Truly Brutal GOP Poll Data — Iowa radio host Steve Deace just unleashed an extraordinary social media screed. He confided that GOP pollsters have informed House Republicans that GOP +15 districts are now straight toss-ups, and GOP +10 districts are now “underwater.”
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
Trump ad airing with government funding despite law against ‘propaganda’ — The agency responsible for the commercial was not immediately clear. — SummaryLoading... A television ad promoting President Donald Trump began airing on cable Wednesday saying it was paid for by the U.S. government …
Discussion:
MS NOW, Daily Kos, New York Times, CNN, The Independent, NBC News, ABC News, Crooks and Liars, HuffPost, Slate, Truthout and Politico, more at Mediagazer »
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Joe Wilkins / Futurism:
Tesla Argues in Court That the N-Word Is Acceptable Under Certain Circumstances — Witnesses also report being deceived by Tesla lawyers. — Whatever special kind of brain worms have established themselves in Elon Musk's noggin appear to be spreading throughout his companies.
Discussion:
TheGrio
Phillips P. OBrien / Phillips's Newsletter:
It's Not That Xi Insults Trump Once... It's that the Chinese are actively destroying the US global position while the US president bows and scrapes — OK, I have that piece on Ukrainian concepts of ending the war ready to go. However, what we saw yesterday was so extreme in the history …
Mara Hvistendahl / New York Times:
Cambridge Abandons Plans to Fully Investigate Its Hiring of Jason Arday — The professor became a flashpoint in debates over diversity efforts in higher education. — The University of Cambridge has abandoned plans to fully investigate its hiring of Jason Arday, the professor who became …
Discussion:
The Wrap
William Nye / Washington Examiner:
The West thinks Iran is winning the Red Sea. Trump is — The Houthis' advance doesn't mean Iran is winning. It means President Donald Trump is. — This might sound crazy compared to the popular Western narrative. In fact, the escalation exposes a decaying regime.
Discussion:
NewsNation
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Annie Ma / Associated Press:
Trump administration moves to limit fixes for systemic racism in schools — For decades, a key principle underpinned civil rights enforcement in American schools: Not all discrimination was intentional. Even if a school policy was written without overt racial bias, it might unfairly hurt …
Discussion:
New York Times and The Independent
James LaPorta / CBS News:
U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba — Washington — The U.S. Army Reserve is examining whether it can provide the military's Southern Command with police forces, medical personnel and other support units within the next four months, according to an internal Army message reviewed by CBS News.
Discussion:
New York Post, New Republic and Daily Mail
NBC News:
Inside NBC News' polling averages: Democrats enjoy biggest lead yet in the race for Congress — Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's approval rating is at a low point for his second term. — Democrats are heading into the final stretch of the 2026 midterms with their largest lead yet …
Discussion:
The Independent, The Moderate Voice and Forbes
Ines Chomnalez / Politico:
‘Pink Slime’ Is Infecting AI Chatbots Ahead of the Midterms … It's no secret that AI has become an explosive factor in American politics. Even before the latest concerns that AI poses existential risks to humanity, many people had soured on the rapid growth of data centers used to support the technology.
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
58% say the U.S. is worse off under Trump vs Biden, 24% say it's better — “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” — This old line from Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign for president encapsulates a surprising breadth of political science on American elections.
Justin Glawe / Public Notice:
There's one guy to blame for Americans' economic discontent — Hint: it ain't Biden. — ∙ Paid … At a campaign rally in Arizona almost exactly two years ago, Donald Trump promised that interest rates on home mortgages would fall if he was again elected president.
Discussion:
New York Times and The Hill
Gavin Blackburn / Euronews:
Finland and Sweden scramble Quick Reaction Alert jets to intercept Russian aircraft — European countries have been on high alert for any Russian interference, with fears that Moscow could target Kyiv's Western backers as the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine drags on into its fifth year.
Associated Press:
Man who was shot during 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died — James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, has died in Pittsburgh, his lawyer said Thursday. He was 76.
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, [your]NEWS, Fox News, CBS News, KEYT-TV, Washington Examiner, WTOP News, NewsNation and New York Post
John Yoon / New York Times:
Trump to Appear at Events in Oklahoma and Alabama — The president announced plans to rally in deep-red states as his party makes a push for close races in battleground states. — President Trump is planning to rally in heavily Republican states over the next week as his party works …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Post, Politico and Bloomberg
Politico:
‘Shove it with your culture wars’: Hinojosa urges Democrats to focus on economy ahead of November and 2028 — Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa chided her party for having “taken the bait” in the debate over culture war issues, leaving voters unsure of “what else we stood for.”
Discussion:
Reason
Skylar Woodhouse / Bloomberg:
Trump Claims Productive Meeting With Xi But Offers No Details — President Donald Trump said he had a “very productive meeting” with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, but provided no details on any potential deals or breakthroughs from their discussions. — “Tremendous things will be happening …
CNN:
Intelligence from Chinese groups aiding in Iran's increasingly effective targeting of US sites, sources say — The Middle East Asia China National security — Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz …
Discussion:
Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Scripps News and Wall Street Journal
The Hill:
Internal DOJ charts show agency bleeding staff as caseloads surge — A drastically diminished Justice Department workforce is struggling to keep up with its civil side caseloads, according to documents obtained by The Hill and NewsNation, The Hill's sister network.
Sarah Davis / The Hill:
New Jersey governor calls on lieutenant governor to resign over ethics report — New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) gave Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell until Friday to resign over a new ethics report that he violated state policy against discrimination in the workplace.
Abigail Hauslohner / Financial Times:
Iran offers US new seven-day ceasefire proposal — Foreign minister says plan could see Strait of Hormuz reopen within a week — Tehran has offered Washington a new seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to restart broader talks to find a final resolution to the war …
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Times, NewsMax.com, Al Jazeera, BOE Report and Diplomatic,
Mike Stobbe / Associated Press:
CDC vaccine recommendations are at a standstill, and unanswered questions are piling up — The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new flu vaccine that tested well in older adults. But the federal agency responsible for telling doctors and the general public how to use it has made no recommendation on it.
J.B. Shurk / American Thinker:
We Need To Talk About Democrats — People who celebrate political violence cannot be trusted. — Pixabay — Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Fifteen years ago, a dark movie called We Need to Talk about Kevin told the story of a mother struggling to understand …
New York Times:
Alaskans Dismayed, but Not Moved, by Peltola's Treatment of Her Staff — Voters interviewed in Anchorage and Fairbanks on Thursday said news that Mary Peltola, the Democratic nominee for Senate, had used offensive slurs would not change their vote. — Many Alaskans on Thursday largely brushed off …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit, PinkNews, Townhall, New York Post, Fox News, The Guardian, Alaska Public Media, KEYT-TV, Daily Mail, Newsweek, RedState and The Hill
Eileen Sullivan / New York Times:
Unused Tents and Uneaten Food: Watchdog Finds ‘Waste’ in Immigration Crackdown — In a report Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said the Trump administration squandered millions of dollars to expand detention. — The Trump administration wasted millions of dollars in its swift effort …
Discussion:
Axios, CBS News, NewsNation, Associated Press, PJ Media, Straight Arrow, [your]NEWS, The Washington Sun, The Independent and Politico
Dominick Mastrangelo / NewsNation:
Trump complains CNN, MS NOW didn't cover ‘made for Television’ Xi visit — Get fact-based, unbiased political coverage from the NewsNation team ahead of the 2026 elections. Get 24/7 news coverage with the NewsNation app. Not sure how to find NewsNation on your TV? Find your channel here.

